The College of Southern Maryland welcomes violinist Robert Sorel and pianist Narciso Solero to perform at the Ward Virts Concert Series at 3 p.m., Oct. 7 at the Prince Frederick Campus, Room 119. The performance is the first of six in the concert series, which is held at CSMs Prince Frederick Campus, 115 J.W. Williams Road, Prince Frederick.
Sorel is a freelance violinist, violist, music educator and conductor in the Washington, D.C. area. He studied at the Boston and Shenandoah Conservatories of Music and at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio where he studied and coached with Joseph Gingold. He has been a featured soloist with the Washington Bach Sinfonia and the New England Chamber Players and he has given numerous recitals throughout the New England and the Washington, D.C. areas. Sorel has been a member of the New York City Opera Touring Company, Capital Chamber Players, the Maryland Symphony, Millbrook Chamber Orchestra, Arlington Symphony, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Boston Civic Orchestra and the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, R.I.
Solero regularly appears in collaboration with other artists. His performances as collaborative pianist include concerts at the Kennedy Center on the Millennium Stage, Carnegie Hall, Strathmore Mansion, Montgomery College, Catholic University, the Anderson House Museum and the Tuesday Concert Series for Church of the Epiphany in Washington, D.C. He has performed throughout the United Stated and overseas, including concerto performances at Orchestra Hall in Chicago, solo recitals throughout the Midwest, Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, Seoul, Bangkok, Singapore, as well as television broadcasts on KBS-TV Korea. Solero has worked with artists including Placido Domingo, soprano Harolyn Blackwell, soprano Beverly Rinaldi and television and movie star, Vanessa Williams.
The Ward Virts Concert Series is presented by Edward and Patricia Mehosky, St. Clair and Mary Tweedie, Gerry Van De Velde and Rene Cunningham, and CSM. The centerpiece of the concert series is a world-class Boesendorfer Grand Piano, which was gifted to CSM by the Ward Virts Piano Project (WVPP) for the enjoyment the Southern Maryland community.
The WVPP was formed by friends and classmates of pianist Ward Virts, whose sudden death in 1993 inspired them to purchase this hand-made piano and dedicate the piano in Virts memory. Inspired by Virts life and spirit, his friends and classmates conceived the project in order to bring the love of life, beauty and music that Virts embodied to a new generation of Southern Maryland students, performers and appreciative audiences.
Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Admission is free and seating is open but limited. Contact 443-550-6011, rfleming@csmd.edu or www.csmd.edu/Arts.