Persian musician coming to UT

Persian musician Kayhan Kalhor.

World reknowned classical Persian musician Kayhan Kalhor will present a concert at 8 p.m. Friday in Doermann Theatre on the University of Toledo campus.

Sponsored by the UT Persian Student Association and the University of Michigan Iranian Graduate Student Association, the concert will introduce a master on the ancient stringed instrument, the kamancheh. Accompanying him will be percussionist Behrouz Jamali.

Kalhor has traveled throughout Iran to study music and has performed and traveled with many ensembles and orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and the Shayda Ensemble of the Chavosh Cultural Center, which was Iran's most prestigious arts organization when he joined the ensemble at age 17.

He also is a member of the Silk Road Ensemble, an arts and culture organization founded by internationally acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma that promotes multicultural and interdisciplinary exchange.

Kalhor has been nominated three times for Grammy awards for his works "Faryad," "Without You," and "The Rain."

"We are very lucky he accepted our invitation. He usually plays in large cities like Los Angeles," said Shireen Parsai, president of the UT student group, which presents movies and celebrations of major Persian cultural events on campus. Open to all students, it also serves as a second home for students from overseas.

"It's great to pay homage to world-class musicians who promote ancient culture and tradition with music that might not have any political messages, but simply passes the message of our culture's beauty and history," added Parsai.

Tickets start at $20 for student standard seating and go to $40 for premium seats. Doermann is a barrier-free auditorium.

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The University Musical Society in Ann Arbor has announced its performance season for 2011-2012, comprising 56 events by 40 artists and ensembles in music, dance, theater, and musical theater.

The season is to begin Sept. 17 with jazz piano great Ahmad Jamal and friends and is to run through April 22, when violinist Joshua Bell and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields will perform an all-Beethoven program.

Highlights are many and include numerous debuts and even an exclusive U.S. performance, that of the Robert Wilson-Phillip Glass opera Einstein on the Beach. After its run in Ann Arbor, the show will commence an international tour.

Back by popular demand will be the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor, to introduce the new series, American Mavericks, March 22-25 with soloists including soprano Jessye Norman, pianist Emanuel Ax, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet. These concerts will be performed only in Hill Auditorium and Carnegie Hall.

Other major orchestras in the series include the London Philharmonic with conductor Vladimir Jurowski and violinist Janine Jansen, Dec. 6; the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra with conductor Jeffrey Tate, pianist Francesco Tristano, and filmmaker Daniel Landau on Jan. 29, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Riccardo Muti and violinist Pinchas Zuckerman on March 9.

The annual performances of Handel's Messiah by the UMS Choral Society and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra led by Jerry Blackstone are set for Dec. 3 and 4. Opening the holiday season will be the Canadian Brass on Nov. 27.

Chamber music will be represented by the Emerson String Quartet (Sept. 18); Apollo's Fire, the Baroque Orchestra (Nov. 3), and the Tallis Singers (Feb. 16), among other concerts on the schedule. Soloists include pianist Yuja Wang (Oct. 9); soprano Audra McDonald (Nov. 4), and pianist Dennis Matsuev (March 15).

Something very different will be in store when actor John Malkovich joins the Vienna Academy Orchestra and soloists for a performance of The Infernal Comedy: Confessions of a Serial Killer, on Oct. 1.

And UMS will continue its multiyear focus on Asian culture with appearances by the Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan Oct. 21 and 22; the Chamber Ensemble of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra with Wang Fujian Feb. 10, and Zakir Hussain and the Master Musicians of India on April 12.

One change for the coming season will be an earlier start time, 7:30 p.m., for Monday through Thursday concerts and events. Friday and Saturday concerts will continue to start at 8 p.m. and Sunday events, with a few exceptions, will begin at 4 p.m. Venues include Hill and Rackham auditoriums, the Power Center, the Michigan Theatre, and St. Francis of Assisi Church.

Subscription packages are on sale now through Sept. 17 at www.ums.org or 734-764-2538. Individual concert tickets go on sale Aug. 22 by email and Aug. 24 in person.

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Toledo native and internationally known pianist and educator Anthony Pattin was honored this week with a reception by members of the David Carter Symphonic Choir.

Pattin, a Scott High School and University of Toledo graduate -- where he also was on the music faculty for five years -- has been a professor at the University of Montevallo in Birmingham, Ala., since 1987, and has recently announced his retirement.

While on the faculty, Pattin won the Distinguished Teacher Award and the University Scholar Award. He has performed with the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Arkansas, and Toledo symphonies and the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra as well as given recitals in Carnegie and Merkin concert halls in New York City.

Before a performance at UT in 2010, Pattin told The Blade he would continue to perform and teach in retirement.

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They may not play wind instruments in the Toledo Symphony, but area runners proved they had great breath control during the annual Toledo Symphony Stampede, a 5K run through the Old West End during its festival on June 5. Runners raising their knees helps raise funds for the orchestra and keeps it in the public view, even though the performance season has ended.

The age range of the winners was from 18 to 48 years. For a full list of runners, check this link: http://www.toledosymphony.com/news/news/Stampede2011.html.

Items for News of Music should be sent to svallongo@theblade.com at least two weeks ahead of the event.