Celtic to Classical to present song and dance programs Aug. 14-16
Celtic to Classical will explore the threads of song and dance that run through a wide variety of musical styles in an entertaining program of instrumental music Tuesday to Thursday, Aug. 14 to 16, at three southern Delaware locations. There is no admission charge, but a freewill offering will be accepted.
Led by international sensation Jonah Kim, a cello soloist dubbed "the next Yo-Yo Ma" by The Washington Post, the Songs and Dances program includes Bach's "D Major Prelude," Bartok's "Bulgarian Dances," an ode to Taiwan, film music, a tango, Celtic dances, and the centerpiece: a new concerto that embodies song and dance and was composed specifically for Kim by Sheridan Seyfried, producer of the Celtic to Classical series.
The program will be presented at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 14, at the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist in Milton; Wednesday, Aug. 15, at Epworth United Methodist Church in Rehoboth Beach; and Thursday, Aug. 16, at St. Martha's Episcopal Church in Bethany Beach.
In addition to Kim, the critically acclaimed musicians performing Songs and Dances include Alexis Meschter, violin; Sheridan Seyfried, piano; and Ya-Jhu Yang, flute and piano. All have previously appeared in Southern Delaware as members of the Celtic to Classical ensemble, now in its third season of summer performances.
Jonah Kim, a two-time Grammy Award winner, has performed as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra. A graduate of both the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music, Kim is a highly sought-after soloist, chamber musician and teacher.
Alexis Meschter, a Delaware native, has performed across the United States, Canada and Europe. He was the 2016 winner of the Peabody Institute's William Marbury Competition and is a scholarship student at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
Ya-Jhu Yang is a graduate of both the Curtis Institute of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. In addition to playing flute and piano, she is an accomplished composer, and also serves as a church music director and pianist for the Pennsylvania Girlchoir.
Seyfried, whose parents Elise and Steve Seyfried founded the venerable Rehoboth Summer Children's Theatre in 1982, spent many summers at the beach while growing up. He studied composition at the Curtis Institute of Music, and plays violin and piano.
The Celtic to Classical summer performances are inspired by the musical eclecticism of Andrea Clearfield's Philadelphia Salon concerts, and motivated by a desire to find joy in different modes of musical expression.
For more information, go to www.celtictoclassical.com.
