The Orchestra at Temple Square will be joined by internationally acclaimed violin virtuoso Ida Haendel for its concert on Saturday, April 23, at 7:30 p.m. at Abravanel Hall.
In connection with the concert, the public is invited to a "Meet-the-Artist Master Class" on Thursday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the chapel of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City.
Mrs. Haendel and the orchestra will perform Bach's "Concerto in D Minor for two violins," Mozart's "Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola," and Bruch's "Concerto No. 1 in G Minor for violin and orchestra. Igor Gruppman will conduct.
Born and raised in Poland, Ida Haendel first displayed her talent at the age of 3, when she picked up her sister's violin and played, without instruction, a song her mother was singing. What followed has been one of the most illustrious careers in violin performance, earning her the unofficial title of "Grande Dame of the Violin." She has performed in the most prestigious concert halls across the world and, in 1991, the Queen of England bestowed upon her the recognition of Commander of the British Empire.
The concert will open with the Bach piece, with Brother Gruppman both conducting the orchestra and playing his violin along with Ms. Haendel. For the Mozart piece, she will be joined by Vesna Gruppman, wife of the orchestra conductor, who will play the viola. The final piece will be the Bruch concerto, performed by the guest artist and the orchestra.
The Master Class will feature the guest artist along with the Gruppmans and will last approximately two hours. Two violin students, Mark Oshida and Melanie Richards, will perform and receive expert instruction from Mrs. Haendel and the Gruppmans. There will be time for questions from the audience, with concluding remarks by Brother Gruppman.
The orchestra conductor said this master class will be the start of a tradition; such classes will be offered in connection with future orchestra concerts.