Oud virtuoso in concert at UT

10/8/2009

A rare opportunity to hear the oud, a lute-like Arabic stringed instrument, played by a master is offered at 3 p.m. Sunday in the University of Toledo Center for Performing Arts Recital Hall.

Rahim Alhaj, an oud (ooh-d) virtuoso and composer, will give a free, public performance for the Ninth Annual Maryse and Ramzy Mikhail Memorial Lecture.

A Baghdad native, Alhaj showed early interest and promise in the ancient instrument and earned a diploma from the Institute of Music in his hometown, where he also has a degree in Arabic literature from Mustunsariya University. Forced to leave Iraq in 1991 for his active opposition to Saddam Hussein and the regime, Alhaj today is a resident of Albuquerque, N.M., where he continues both music and political activism.

A busy performer, he has recorded widely; his “When the Soul is Settled: Music of Iraq” was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008 in the world music category.

“The purpose of the Mikhail Fund is to support an annual lecture dealing with Arab culture, literature, history, politics, economics, or other broadly defined aspects of life in the Middle East,” said Samir Abu-Absi, UT professor emeritus of English and chair of the Mikhail Memorial Lecture Committee. The lecture is co-sponsored by the UT College of Arts and Sciences and the UT Department of Music; WGTE-TV, Channel 30, is a media sponsor.

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The Toledo Symphony Blade Chamber Series will continue Oct. 18 with a rare performance of the Shostakovich Piano Quintet in G Minor. Pianist Frances Renzi will join concertmaster and assistant Kirk Toth and Naomi Guy; violinist Valentin Ragusitu, and cellist Martha Reikow in the work considered to be the Russian composer's finest chamber work. Last played by the TSO in 1986, the quintet will comprise the second half of the program that starts at 7 p.m. in the Toledo Club.

Reikow, Toth, and Renzi also will perform in the French-themed first half. With symphony pianist Valrie Kantorski, Reikow will perform Boulanger's Three Pieces for Cello and Piano, a TSO premiere. Renzi will accompany Toth in Faure's Violin Sonata in A Major.

Tickets are $28-$35 from 419-246-8000 or toledosymphony.com.

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Time for 3, a fusion string trio featuring Bowling Green native Zachary DePue, violin, Nicholas Kendall, violin, and Ranaan Meyer, bass, will make its Toledo debut in a TSO Pops concert at 8 p.m. Oct. 17 in Stranahan Theater. Damon Gupton will conduct the symphony in an opening program of American music by Grofe, Copland, Ungar, and Williams. The second half, to be announced from the stage, will feature the guest trio.

Tickets are $21-60 at 419-246-8000 or toledosymphony.com.

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The Toledo Youth Orchestra will launch its concert season at 4 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle. On the free public program will be the world premiere of “Glass,” a work by Timothy Stulman, conducted by Kenneth Thompson. Also scheduled are Smetana's tone poem, The Moldau, Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5, and the fourth movement of Dvorak's Symphony No. 8. Assisting Thompson will be Mark Irwin and Brian Troutman.

The debut of the TYO Sinfonietta, a select ensemble conducted by Wasim Hawary, will offer a program to be announced from the stage.

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Bowling Green State University's Moore Musical Arts Center will bustle next week with jazz, traditional dance from India, and string music. Jazz guitarist John Hart will be on campus to perform and lead master classes Tuesday and Wednesday. A public performance featuring Hart and the BGSU faculty jazz group will begin at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at 149 North Main St. A cover charge will be collected at the door. On Wednesday, Hart will perform with student groups in an 8 p.m. concert in Kobacker Hall. Tickets are $7-$13 at 419-372-8171 or the box office.

Indian artist Anupam Sud will discuss her work at 6 p.m. Oct. 16 at 115 Olscamp Hall, where a dance performance will follow.

Student composers in Praecepta, the BGSU champter of the Society of Composers, will present a free public program at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Bryan Recital Hall.

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The Toledo Museum of Art will present pianist Thomas Rosenkranz in a free public recital in the Great Gallery at 3 p.m. Oct. 18. A highlight of the program will be “Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jesus” by Olivier Messiaen.

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The Suzanne Farrell Ballet will be on the University of Michigan campus for three performances this weekend in the Power Center. Curtain is at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, plus a family performance at 1 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $20-$48 for evening shows and $10-$20 for the family concert.

Sitar master Ravi Shankar, joined by his daughter, sitarist Anoushka Shankar, will perform at 8 p.m. Oct. 15 in Hill Auditorium on the U of M campus. Tickets are $10-$50 at 734-764-2538 or ums.org.

In advance of the concert, the U of M dance department will present Agni: Fusion Concert, a family performance showcasing the fusion of traditional Indian dance from various regions of the country. The event is set for Palmer Commons, the Great Lakes Room, on the campus east of the Power Center.

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Tickets for Ballet Theatre of Toledo's annual holiday production of “Nutcracker” are on sale now. Performances are at 7 p.m. Nov. 28 and 2 p.m. Nov. 29 in the Maumee Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $16-$36 at 419-861-0895 or ballettheatreoftoledo.org.