3 p.m. program at Fairfield University's Quick Center to include music by Ravel, Fauré, and Milhaud

Pianist Orin Grossman and Friends will share An Afternoon in Paris at 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 2, 2014 , at the Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University. Featuring the music of Maurice Ravel, Gabriel Fauré, and Darius Milhaud, Fairfield University Professor Emeritus Orin Grossman will be joined by violinist James Buswell, cellist Michael Haber, violist Paul Biss, and pianist Frederic Chiu. There will be a post-performance reception with food donated by Isabelle et Vincent. Tickets are $35, $30, and $25; $5 for Fairfield University students.

A professor of music at Fairfield University for nearly 40 years, Orin Grossman has been able to combine his passions for academics and for the piano. He graduated magna cum laude in Music from Harvard College and continued his studies at Yale University, earning a Ph.D. in Music. Dr. Grossman came to Fairfield University in 1975 as an Assistant Professor of Fine Arts. In 1991, he was named Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. After 10 years as the Academic Vice President at Fairfield University, he returned to the faculty in the fall of 2009, where he was a Professor of Visual and Performing Arts. Now professor emeritus, he returns to the Quick Center stage with an ensemble of talented collaborators.

Sunday's program includes: "Sonata for Violin and Piano" by Maurice Ravel, "Scaramouche" for two pianos" by Darius Milhaud, "Ma mere L'Oye (Mother Goose)" for piano, 4-hands, by Maurice Ravel, and "Quartet for Piano and Strings" by Gabriel Fauré.

Violinist James Buswell and violist Paul Biss are both distinguished professors at the New England Conservatory and have performed throughout the world with all the major orchestras and festivals. Cellist Michael Haber has played with the Cleveland Orchestra and has performed chamber music in many distinguished locales. Pianist Frederic Chiu has enjoyed a terrific career as a soloist and in chamber music.

"Although I enjoy concerts that simply bring together a variety of good music, I'm more interested in concerts in which the pieces have been selected both for their intrinsic interest and how they fit together to tell a story," said Dr. Grossman. "Late 19th-early 20th century Paris was a cultural center in literature, art, and music. Perhaps today the art is most celebrated, with the Impressionists and post-Impressionists. But the musicians were also at the cutting edge of cultural exploration."

Dr. Grossman has been particularly associated with the music of George Gershwin, lecturing and performing concerts of his song transcriptions and classical pieces to critical praise around the world, including recent performances in New York, Florence, Italy, and St. Petersburg, Russia, where he gave the Russian premiere of Gershwin's Second Rhapsody with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic.

Tickets are available through the Quick Center Box Office: (203) 254-4010, or toll-free 1-877-ARTS-396 (1-877-278-7396). Tickets can also be purchased online at www.quickcenter.com .

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts is located on the campus of Fairfield University at 1073 North Benson Road in Fairfield, Connecticut. Entrance to the Quick Center is through the Barlow Road gate at 200 Barlow Road. Free, secure parking is available. Access for people with disabilities is available throughout the Quick Center for audience members and performers. Hearing amplification devices are available upon request at the Box Office. Fairfield University is located off exit 22 of Interstate-95. For further information and directions, call (203) 254-4010 or 1-877-278-7396, or visit www.quickcenter.com .

Posted On: 10-24-2014 03:10 PM

Volume: 47 Number: 98