Oconee Trio concert

The Dorian Piano Series presents the Oconee Trio at 8 p.m. on Monday, September 24, in the Max Noah Recital Hall in Porter Fine Arts Building.

This concert is dedicated to Frances Hall, a local piano teacher and patron of the arts. She was a life-long learner and a former student of Gregory Pepetone, residence artist and professor of interdisciplinary studies at GC&SU.

“She was a curious, alert and vital student. She passed away recently and will be missed,” said Pepetone. “This is a small way of paying a tribute to her.”

This performance features three artists of international stature and experience from three different schools in the University System of Georgia. Levon Ambartsumian, a violinist from University of Georgia; Martha Gerschefski, a cellist from Georgia State University; and GC&SU’s own Dr. Gregory Peptone, a pianist, come together for a debut performance that includes three major works of Beethoven, Mozart and E.T.A. Hoffman.

“They are very good; Pepetone is incredible,” said Kathy Tennille, secretary of the music and theatre department. “Sometimes I just stand outside his door and listen to him play.”

Ambartsumian is the Franklin Professorship of Violin at UGA and is artistic director, conductor and soloist with the Arco Chamber Orchestra. He was formerly an instructor at Moscow’s prestigious Tchaikovsky Conservatory, from which he graduated in 1978. He has also regularly performed major violin repertoires in all of the main cities of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

Gerschefski was chosen as the American String Teachers Association Georgia Educator of the Year. Earlier in her career, she was picked by Leopold Stokowski to be the first woman to perform with the American Symphony Orchestra. She has a performer’s diploma from Julliard and has studied in Europe with the legendary Nadia Boulanger. She has performed all over Europe, the U.S., and Central America under the auspices of the State Department of Cultural Presentations Abroad.

“They are both outstanding musicians,” said Pepetone.

Pepetone is an honors graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory. As a teen-ager, he performed for Leonard Bernstein at Carnegie Hall. Later in his career, he performed in London.

“…A pianist of refined taste and elegance,” said Paul Griffith, a Times music critic, who saw his concert in London.

Pepetone has also received the Article of the Year award from the American Music Teachers Association for his contributions to American Music Teacher, the official journal of MTNA, twice.

“We will play Beethoven, Mozart and E.T.A. Hoffman,” said Pepetone, residence artist and professor of interdisciplinary studies.

Although Hoffman’s ambition was to be remembered as a composer, he is famous for his tales that strongly influenced Edgar Allen Poe. He was the first one to notice Beethoven’s talent.

“He is a quite-gifted composer,” said Pepetone. “He championed in music when Mozart and Beethoven were not as widely known as they are today. It is a rare opportunity to hear his music.”

Pepetone hopes to express the pleasure of chamber music through this concert.

“The goal of any concert is to capture the spirit of the composer that provided this music and the time in which the piece was written,” said Pepetone. “To capture the spirit in the music is timeless.”

“The enduring pleasure of chamber music is that it is personal,” said Pepetone.

The concert is open to the public. General admission is $6; seniors, non-GC&SU students, faculty and staff, $3; and GC&SU students, $1. For more information, contact the Department of Music and Theatre, 445-4226.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 21 2001. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry