Arts at Noon to feature international musicians, GVSU faculty

The Arts at Noon concert series at Grand Valley will kick off a new season this fall featuring multiple free performances by renowned musicians from around the world.

The series will feature seven concerts this fall, beginning September 12 with the Mirror Visions Ensemble, followed by seven winter performances beginning in January.

All Arts at Noon concerts will take place on Wednesdays in the Cook-DeWitt Center on the Allendale Campus, begin at noon, and last approximately one hour. Each concert is free and open to the public.

Below is a full schedule of fall Arts at Noon concerts:

September 12 – Mirror Visions Ensemble

The Mirror Visions Ensemble was founded more than 25 years ago from a desire to explore the relationship between music and text. The group's passion for storytelling has produced thematic concerts based on scholarly research and humor. Now in its 26th season, Mirror Visions Ensemble is encouraging new composers by providing a platform for their works to be showcased through the commissioning and performance of more than 85 pieces by 28 composers, including Pulitzer Prize recipient Yehudi Wyner. Members of Mirror Visions Ensemble include Justine Aronson, Mireille Asselin, Jesse Blumberg, Mischa Bouvier, Gary Chapman, Alan Darling, Margaret Kampmeier, Abigail Levis, Scott Murphree and Grant Wenaus.

September 26 – Die Tanzgeiger

For more than three decades, Die Tanzgeiger has performed through intimate ties to their roots and contemporary music. The ensemble has performed at festivals, celebrations, dances and conferences all over the globe, including in Austria and Europe. Members of Die Tanzgeiger include Rudi Pietsch, Theresa Aigner, Michi Gmasz, Marie-Theres Stickler, Sebastian Rastl, Claus Huber and Dieter Schickbichler.

October 3 – REBEL Ensemble for Baroque Music

REBEL specializes in 17th and 18th century repertoire performed on period instruments. The ensemble was formed in The Netherlands in 1991 and took first prize in the Van Wassenaer International Competition in Utrecht that same year. Since then the ensemble has developed an acclaimed international reputation while performing for diverse audiences. REBEL is regularly featured on the nationally syndicated shows “Performance Today” and “Sunday Baroque,” and has appeared several times on MPR’s “St. Paul Sunday.” REBEL is also the only period instrument ensemble to receive an artists’ residency at National Public Radio.

October 10 – Donald Sinta Quartet

Winner of a prestigious gold medal in the Senior Wind Division of the 2018 Fischoff Competition, the Donald Sinta Quartet strives to elevate the standard of the classical saxophone quartet. The quartet has won multiple notable awards in the past, including first place at the 2013 Concert Artists Guild Competition, first prize at the 2017 M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition, the Alice Coleman Grand Prize at the 2013 Coleman Chamber Music Competition and first prize in the 2012 North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet. The quartet will release its first CD, “Collider,” in 2018. Members of the Donald Sinta Quartet include, Dan Graser, associate professor of saxophone at Grand Valley, Joe Girard (tenor saxophone), Zach Stern (alto saxophone) and Danny Hawthorne-Foss (baritone saxophone).

October 31 - Foltýn & Foltýnová

Dušan Foltýn studied the oboe at the Ostrava Conservatoire and graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He is the laureate of many national and international competitions, and currently performs as the principal oboist of the Janácek Philharmonic Orchestra Ostrava. He is also the head of the Department of Wind Instruments at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Ostrava, and a member of the wind quintet Musica.

Radana Foltýnová graduated from the Janácek Conservatoire in Ostrava and the University of Ostrava where she honed her craft as a pianist. Currently, she is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts at University of Ostrava. Foltýnová is a coveted chamber musician and has collaborated with both wind and string soloists. She has appeared as a soloist with leading Czech orchestras, gives solo and chamber recitals in the Czech Republic and abroad (Austria, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden), and records for Czech radio and television.

November 7 – Grand Rapids Symphony

Thirty members of the Grand Rapids Symphony will return to Grand Valley for their annual Arts at Noon appearance to perform Mozart’s “Symphony No. 39” and Wagner’s “Siegfried Idyll.” Since 1930, the Grand Rapids Symphony has been committed to serving the West Michigan community through performances, educational outreach and collaborations with partners, including Grand Valley, the Grand Rapids Ballet and Opera Grand Rapids. The symphony has performed at Carnegie Hall twice, first in 2005 and again in April of this year alongside the Grand Rapids Chorus and led by Grand Rapids Symphony music director Marcelo Lehninger.

November 28 – GVSU Brass Quintet Holiday Celebration

The annual holiday concert featuring the GVSU Brass Quintet is an Arts at Noon tradition. The ensemble is comprised of Grand Valley music faculty members, including Alex Wilson (trumpet), Richard Britsch (horn), Mark Williams (trombone), Paul Carlson (tuba) and visiting performer Paul Hardaker (trumpet). Each year, the quintet also performs multiple outreach concerts, and facilitates master classes and coaching sessions at high schools throughout Michigan.

For more information about the individual performances, visit the Arts at Noon website.