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Free evening concerts feature faculty and guests

July 1, 2005

KALAMAZOO--Western Michigan University's School of Music presents "What's in your wallet?," a free, public series of three summer evening concerts featuring guest artists and WMU faculty artists.

The series includes the Pacifica Quartet Monday, July 11, WMU jazz alumnus Justin Avery Thursday, July 14, and a faculty extravaganza featuring pianists Lori Sims and Silvia Roederer Monday, July 18. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Dalton Center Recital Hall. The performances are staged in conjunction with Seminar 2005, WMU's summer music camp, which this year is bringing 130 high school students from five states and Puerto Rico to campus.

For the second consecutive year, the Pacifica Quartet will open the series. The program will include movements from string quartets by Franz Joseph Haydn, Leos Janacek, and Piotr Tchaikovsky. The Pacifica Quartet celebrated its 10th anniversary in the 2004-05 season with its first tour of Japan, its first appearance at Wigmore Hall in London, a performance of all five Elliott Carter quartets for San Francisco Performances, a concert at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, the release of the complete Mendelssohn string quartets, and more than 60 concerts across the country.

The members of the Pacifica Quartet are violinists Simin Ganatra and Sibbi Bernhardsson, violist Masumi Per Rostad, and cellist Brandon Vamos. The Pacifica Quartet also will be in residence at Seminar 2005 for three days to meet with and engage as many students as possible. Additional information about the quartet can be found on the Web at <www.pacificaquartet.com>.

Justin Avery is featured in the second concert, a show he describes as, "a night of Funk, R&B, Jazz, and Rock & Roll; Maroon 5, Prince, and Steely Dan all mixed together." Avery is a WMU vocal jazz performance graduate who recently released a CD of all original music called "Whatever Comes to Mind." The music from this CD won 2004 and 2005 Down Beat magazine "DB" awards for best Blues, Pop, Rock Band. The recording features Justin as the lead singer, keyboard player, arranger, producer, and writer. Joining Avery for the concert will be WMU student Jevin Hunter on drums, WMU graduate Jeremy Bieber on guitar, and guest Eugene Mcghee on bass.

"What's in your wallet?" closes with a faculty extravaganza. Seminar pianists Lori Sims and Silvia Roederer will anchor a "blockbuster" WMU faculty recital designed to showcase a variety of performers and music.

"What's in your wallet?" is presented with support from Fontana Chamber Arts, the University Cultural Events Committee and WMU School of Music.

Related article
Seminar brings 130 young musicians to campus

Media contact: Kevin West, 269 387-4678, kevin.west@wmich.edu

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