Wednesday, May 1st
7:30 p.m.
Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
James Farquhar is currently a student of Daniel Veis, pursuing a Master’s Degree in Cello Performance from Park University’s International Center for Music. He is formerly a student of Kurt Baldwin of the Arianna String Quartet at the University of Missouri – St. Louis. Under Baldwin’s instruction, James attained 2019-20 UMSL Artist of the Year with the Rococo Variations by Tchaikovsky. In Spring of 2022, he was also named Odyssey Chamber Music’s Performance Fellow, with a culminating solo recital, in collaboration with pianist Peter Miyamoto (University of Missouri’s professor for piano). During his time pursuing his undergraduate degree, James organized numerous community recitals around St. Louis and Kansas City.
He has received invaluable instruction from the likes of the Arianna String Quartet, the Brooklyn Rider String Quartet, the Harlem String Quartet, the Jupiter String Quartet, the Rolston String Quartet, Dennis Parker, Scott Lee, Jackie Lee, Frank Huang, Michael Stern and Shmuel Ashkenazy, among numerous others. James has also participated in various chamber music festivals including the Arianna Chamber Music Festival, Madeline Island Chamber Music Festival, Heartland Chamber Music Festival (as a festival scholar from the 2017-2022 seasons), and Chamber Music in the Mountains (Mt. Lemmon, Arizona).
James is a Teaching Artist for Harmony Project KC, a nonprofit that provides year round music education for underserved students from the diverse Historic Northeast Community of Kansas City, Missouri. This program’s main goal is to get students access to college through music. Their first graduating class in 2022 was able to get approximately 95 percent of their college covered by financial aid and merit-based scholarships. Many of the students plan to use their education to improve the lives of their underserved community members. He also aspires to organize grant-funded outreach concerts for underserved elementary schools, hospitals and nursing home communities.
James performs on an 18th Century composite cello crafted by Giovanni Tononi. This instrument is generously on loan from the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation.
Program
Cello Sonata No. 2, Op. 58 (1843) by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
I. Allegro assai vivace
II. Allegretto scherzando
III. Adagio
IV. Molto Allegro e vivace
Lolita Lisovskaya-Sayevich, piano
Spiegel im Spiegel “Mirrors in the Mirror” (1978) by Arvo Pärt (1935-)
Michael Davidman, piano
Cello Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009 (1717-1723) by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
I. Prélude
II. Allemande
III. Courante
IV. Sarabande
V. Bourrée I
VI. Bourrrée II
VII. Gigue
Intermission
Cello Sonata No. 1, Op. 38 (1862-65) by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Allegretto quasi Menuetto
III. Allegro
Michael Davidman, piano
