Artist Recital Series Resumes April 2 with Bass-Baritone John Relyea

Oberlin’s 2014-15 Artist Recital Series culminates in April with three performances featuring bass-baritone John Relyea and pianist Warren Jones, the imaginative solo playing of Jennifer Koh ’97, and the Cleveland Orchestra with pianist and MacArthur Fellowship-winner Jeremy Denk ’90. All performances will take place in historic Finney Chapel.

At 8 p.m. Thursday, April 2, John Relyea and Warren Jones will present a program featuring song collections or cycles by Strauss, Barber, Ibert, Mussorgsky, and Warlock. Praised by The London Times for his “hair-raising vocal and emotional power,” Relyea has distinguished himself as one of today’s finest bassists. He has appeared in many of the world’s most celebrated opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, and Paris Opera. Relyea will be joined by pianist Warren Jones, named 2010 Collaborative Pianist of the Year by Musical America.

Oberlin's own Jennifer Koh will perform a solo violin recital, the third in her “Bach and Beyond” series, at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 12. Called “a risk-taking, high-octane player” by The Strad, Koh is recognized for her intense, commanding performances, delivered with dazzling virtuosity and technical assurance. She curates unique programs of repertoire from all eras, performing with a palpable musical curiosity and illustrating that the past and present form a continuum. Koh will perform music by J.S. Bach—his A-minor and C-major sonatas—Berio’s Sequenza VIII, and John Harbison’s newest piece, For Violin Alone.

The final concert of this year’s series features the Cleveland Orchestra at 8 p.m. Friday, April 24. The Cleveland Orchestra first performed at Oberlin in 1919 and has returned each season since—totaling more than 200 performances to date. For the first time, the orchestra will perform with Jeremy Denk, a 1990 double-degree graduate of Oberlin, whose career achievements have been recognized with a 2013 MacArthur Fellowship and Musical America’s Instrumentalist of the Year honors in 2014. The program will feature Denk in Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 3, along with Stravinsky's untamed Pétrouchka, and Sibelius’ atmospheric The Oceanides.

An Oberlin tradition since 1878, the Artist Recital Series presents a wide range of incomparable talent. The 2015-16 series will be announced at the April 24 concert.

Reserved seating for all three shows is available now. Tickets for John Relyea/Warren Jones and Jennifer Koh are $30 ($25 for seniors and Oberlin staff and alumni); tickets for the Cleveland Orchestra with Jeremy Denk are $35 ($30 for seniors and Oberlin staff and alumni). Student tickets for all shows are just $10.

Order by calling 800-371-0178, visit the Oberlin Arts Guide, or visit Oberlin's Central Ticket Service (at Hall Auditorium, 67 N. Main St.) from noon-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.