President's Column for Traill County Tribune

February 3, 2018 

University and Community Fine Arts Series brings world-class musicians to Mayville

We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to bring world-class musicians to the stage of the Mayville State University Classroom Building Auditorium via the annual MSU and Community Fine Arts Series. The concerts are of great educational benefit to Mayville State students, and are open for the enjoyment of all. I encourage all community members to take advantage of the exceptional opportunity to see some of the best artists in the world perform right here on our campus each year.

Although two of the concerts have already been held, the 2017-2018 Mayville State University and Community Fine Arts Series includes a total of five concerts by performers who have earned recognition for their talent and level of musicianship. Mayville State partners with the North Dakota Museum of Art in Grand Forks for the series of concerts. Musicians will perform in Grand Forks on Sundays before making their Monday appearances at Mayville. Each concert in the series is performed in the MSU Classroom Building Auditorium. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. each evening.

The next concert in the series is planned for Monday, Feb. 13. The Prima Trio, formed in 2004 while at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, won the Fischoff in 2007. Boris Allakhverdyan is the principal clarinetist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He was born in Baku Azerbaijan of Armenian descent. Violinist Guila Gurevich was born to one of the Uzbekistan’s most distinguished musical families. Russian pianist Anastasia Derik was born in St. Petersburg and is a founder and artist director of the “Russian Heritage” Piano Competition for young pianists. All three have solo careers and also work as educators.

The Telegraph Quartet will perform at Mayville State on March 27, 2018. The Telegraph formed in 2013 and won the 2016 Naumburg Chamber Music Award the next year. The same year they won the Grand Prize and Gold Medal at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.

The final concert in the series is planned for Monday, April 9. Flutist Robert Dick will perform. World renowned as the leader in contemporary music for the flute, Robert Dick embodies the ideal of the Renaissance artist. With equally deep roots in classical music old and new and in free improvisation and new jazz, he has established himself as an artist who has not only mastered, but redefined, the instrument. In 2014, the National Flute Association honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

All concerts in the MSU and Community Fine Arts Series are open to the public. I hope that you will have the opportunity to join us for one or all of the remaining performances this year. Admission for individual performances is $13.00 for adults and $5.00 for high school students. Mayville State students are admitted free of charge with college identification. For more information, contact MSU and Community Fine Arts Series Coordinator Cody Hunter at 701-788-4742 or cody.hunter@mayvillestate.edu.