38th annual series spotlights local composers, range of instruments in free concerts We are thrilled to present the FREE 38th annual Basically Beethoven Festival on Sunday afternoons in July. For 2018, FACP will produce FIVE FREE CONCERTS. Held in the Dallas Arts District at Moody Performance Hall (formerly Dallas City Performance Hall), every program starts with a Rising Star Recital at 2:30 pm followed by a Feature Performance at 3 pm. Rising Star Recitals present local, gifted young musicians; Feature Performances showcase professional musicians from the area. All concerts are FREE TO THE PUBLIC. Paid parking is available in surface lots and garages in the Dallas Arts District. Families with children are welcome.
Rising Star Recital: Student musician Josephine Chiu, piano, will be joined on stage by the professional musicians of the afternoon’s Feature Performance (below) and Scott Sheffler, bass. They will perform a chamber arrangement of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5.
Feature Performance: Florence Wang, violin; Sean Riley, violin; Rachel McDonald, viola; Joseph Kuipers, cello, come together to perform works by Dvorak, Ravel, Haydn, Beethoven and local composer Quinn Mason. Mason was raised in Dallas, is a Dallas ISD graduate, and a former FACP scholarship student. He has won numerous awards for his compositions, and he was a recipient of the Rogene Russell Scholarship Fund in its inaugural year. July 8, Diversions & Escapes
Rising Star Recital: Shiv Yajnik is recognized for his accomplishments as a pianist and as a composer during this Rising Star Recital. He will perform Liszt’s "St. Francis walking on the Waves," and his own piano trio, "Ondine." For his comopsition, he will be joined onstage by professional musicians Jen Chang Betz, violin, and Joseph Kuipers, cello.
Feature Performance: A piano trio composed of Shauna Thompson, flute; Deborah Brooks, cello; and Shields-Collins Bray, piano, will present Martinů's Trio for flute, cello and piano; and selections of Haydn's Piano Trio in G Major. Ms. Thompson and Mr. Bray will partner on local composer Martin Blessinger's pieces "Diversion I" and "Escapes." They will also perform Chant de Linos by Jolivet. The afternoon also includes Ms. Brooks and Mr. Bray performing Beethoven's Cello Sonata No. 1 in F Major. July 15, Pianos & Percussion
Rising Star Recital: Matthew Ho, violin, and Claire Chiang, piano, will perform works by Beethoven, Ravel, and more.
Feature Performance: Catharine Lysinger, piano, and Alex McDonald, piano, present Rachmaninoff’s Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos. They will be joined by percussionists Dan Florio and Brian Jones on Bartok’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion. July 22, Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse
Rising Star Recital: William Sprinkle, oboe, and Eduardo Rojas, piano, will perform the second movement (“Largo”) from Beethoven’s Oboe Concerto, Hess 12; and his “Adelaïde”, op. 46.
Feature Performance: French horn ensemble Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse have captivated audiences with their musicianship and joviality. Members include local musician Gerry Wood, with Paul Blackstone, Brian Brown, and Audrey Good. The ensemble will present opera transcriptions. July 29, Art Song
Rising Star Recital: Local composer Jason Mulligan will be the featured Rising Star as a composer. Alex McDonald will perform selections from Mulligan’s piano preludes, he will premiere a Mulligan piece, and he will accompany soprano Alissa Roca for Mulligan’s “In the Looking Glass.”
Feature Performance: Operatic bass Jared Schwartz with The Dallas Opera’s Music Director of Education Mary Dibbern, piano, performs an afternoon of art song, including works by Flégier, Fauré, and Liszt.