Guest Violinist to Open 2006-2007 Music Guest Artist Series

Date: 9/5/06
Contact: Marc Lebovitz

Violinist Elizabeth Field, an active chamber musician and soloist throughout the United States on Europe, will present a free recital at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, in Kemp Recital Hall at Illinois State University.

Field's performance is the first event in the annual Guest Artist Series sponsored by Illinois State's School of Music. She will be accompanied by harpsichordist Charlotte Mattax.  The concert will also include the U.S. premiere of the "Chaconne" from Illinois State faculty composer David Feurzeig's Sonata for Violin Alone.

An accomplished performer on both period instruments and modern instruments, Field holds a doctorate from Cornell University in historical performance practice. She is currently concertmaster of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Pa., and a member of several chamber ensembles. Among them are the Eisenstadt Trio, Brandywine Baroque, the baroque/modern chamber ensemble ArcoVoce as well as the Washington String Quintet, which is in residence at George Washington University, where she is a Music faculty member.

Field was professor of violin at California State University at Sacramento in the mid-1990s, first violin of CSU's Sun Quartet and concurrently first violin of the acclaimed period-instrument group, the Van Swieten Quartet.

Mattax is an associate professor and chair of the harpsichord/organ division at the University of Illinois at Urbana. A doctoral graduate of The Juilliard School, she is the recipient of several important awards and prizes at international harpsichord competitions. She has performed in the United States and Europe, including appearances in London, Geneva, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome and Salzburg. She also has been a guest artist at numerous major music festivals.

The rest of the Guest Artist Series includes saxophonist Thomas Liley at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20, in the Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall; tuba and euphonium player and former Illinois State faculty member David Zerkel at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, in Kemp Recital Hall; guitarist Andrew Zohn at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23, in the CPA Concert Hall; organist Mark Gifford providing live theatre organ accompaniment to a showing of the 1920 silent film version of "Phantom of the Opera," starring Lon Chaney, at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27 in the CPA Concert Hall; composers Jack Stamp and David Maslanka in attendance for world premiere performances of their pieces by the ISU Wind Symphony and faculty percussionist David Collier at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, in the CPA Concert Hall; and alumnus and guitarist Nathan Wysock at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 19, in Kemp Recital Hall.