Dynamic violin virtuoso Rachel Barton Pine will give this year's Louis K. Thaler Concert Violinist Series performance at Ithaca College on Saturday, February 2. The free concert will begin at 8:15 p.m. in Ford Hall in the James J. Whalen Center for Music.
With pianist Matthew Hagle, Pine will perform two works honoring Black History Month: Beethoven's "Kreutzer" Sonata, which was written for an Afro-English violinist, and a set of spirituals form the first half of the program. Pine will also perform Richard Strauss's violin sonata and the Sarasate "Carmen" Fantasy.
In addition to her public performance, Pine will give a master class on Sunday, February 3, at 1:00 p.m. in the Hockett Family Recital Hall. The series was established in 2002 to honor Louis Thaler's lifelong love of the violin.
American violinist Rachel Barton Pine has appeared as soloist with many of the world's most prestigious orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas, Montreal, Vienna, New Zealand and Iceland Symphonies. Acclaimed collaborations include Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, William Warfield, Christopher O'Riley, and Mark O'Connor.
Her festival appearances include Ravinia, Marlboro, and Salzburg. She has been featured on St. Paul Sunday, Performance Today, From the Top, CBS Sunday Morning, and NBC's Today. She holds top prizes from the J.S. Bach (gold medal), Queen Elisabeth, Paganini, Kreisler, Szigeti, and Montreal international competitions, and has twice been honored as a Chicagoan of the Year. Her charitable activities include serving as a trustee of the Music Institute of Chicago and president of the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation.
Pianist Matthew Hagle lives and works in the Chicago area, having performed at the Ravinia Festival's Martin Theater, Symphony Center, the Chicago Cultural Center, and live from radio station WFMT, among other venues. He has performed in England, Australia, and Japan, as well as throughout the United States.
The Louis K. Thaler Concert Violinist Series was established in the Ithaca College School of Music by the Thaler/Howell Foundation. Ani Kavafian inaugurated the series in October 2002. Subsequent performers were Elmar Oliveira and Jaime Laredo. Louis's son, Manley H. Thaler, and his immediate family provided the impetus for this gift.
Before his death in 1979, Louis Thaler had a long and successful career as an Ithaca attorney and was the founder and senior partner in the Thaler and Thaler law firm. In addition to his professional and civic activities, Louis Thaler was an amateur violinist.
In 1927, he married the former Rachel Shulman, a native Ithacan who studied piano at the Ithaca Conservatory of Music. Louis and Rachel Thaler were devoted supporters of the Friends of Ithaca College. The Rachel S. Thaler Concert Pianist Series, established in 1991, along with the creation of the Louis K. Thaler Concert Violinist Series, honor the Thalers' love of music and their support of the College and the School of Music.
The Thaler/Howell Foundation, through the efforts of Manley H. Thaler, endowed both series to recognize and honor Rachel and Louis Thaler and to ensure that outstanding violinists and pianists would always perform for the Ithaca College community and the residents of the surrounding area.
