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22/23 Overture Concert
Organ Season
Greg Zelek, Organ & Thomas Mesa, Cello
Venue: Overture Hall
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
7:30 p.m.
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All single tickets $25!*
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After our first performance together back in 2019 and a solo performance of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with the MSO, Thomas Mesa returns as we collaborate once again in a program of organ and cello music. Mr. Mesa and I will both perform works by women composers, such as Nadia Boulanger’s gorgeous Trois Pièces, as well as a solo cello work written for him by Spanish composer Andrea Casarrubios. We will close this exciting evening with a commissioned work written for the two of us, Daniel Ficarri’s Sonata in C minor for Organ and Cello, which was inspired by our first performance at Overture Hall. You won’t want to miss the world premiere of this incredible piece! – Greg Zelek
Program
Jules Massenet, Méditation from Thaïs
Nadia Boulanger, Trois Pièces
Andrea Casarrubios, Seven
J.S. Bach, Fugue in D major, BWV 532
Daniel Ficarri, Sonata for Organ and Cello (world premiere)
Program Notes will be available in August 2022
The audience enjoyed so much Mesa’s performance of the first movement that they felt compelled to applaud directly afterward, unable to contain their excitement until the final movement.
This was our (and my 17-year-old daughter’s) first organ concert — simply put, AMAZING!!! The music was phenomenal. The pieces were intriguing and engaging. Greg’s on-stage presence is “so right” — a perfect balance of professionalism and endearing us to him, and the organ, and the featured pieces . . . and the concert was just the right length — leaving us wanting more and left me looking forward to when can I go again?!
Meet the Performers
Greg Zelek, Organ
Thomas Mesa, Cello
…Tuesday’s Overture Concert Organ performance featuring organist Greg Zelek and cellist Thomas Mesa, two Juilliard buddies who put on the most enjoyable concert I have ever encountered.
I love Greg’s ability to showcase the different tonal colors of the organ — both the grand sounds and the lush, colorful softer stops of the instrument.
Mr. Mesa’s playing had a musical intensity that was commanding in every detail.
Thank You To Our Generous Sponsors!
PRESENTING SPONSOR
William Steffenhagen
MAJOR SPONSOR
Jane Hamblen and Robert F. Lemanske
Greg Zelek is the Principal Organist and Elaine and Nicholas Mischler Curator of the Overture Concert Organ.
Take note. We guarantee a refund for tickets to any concert that cannot be performed for any reason. We will adhere to all public health guidelines and cooperate with Overture Center for the Arts for your safety. Programs, dates, and artists subject to change.
We’re excited to welcome you back to Overture Hall this fall for live in-person performances! We understand you may have questions about safety protocols. Visit our FAQ page for the latest info.
Thomas Mesa, Cuban-American cellist, has established himself as one of the most charismatic, innovative, and engaging performers of his generation. He was the winner of the $50,000 First Prize in the 2016 Sphinx Competition and the Astral Artists 2017 National Auditions. He has appeared as soloist at the Supreme Court of the United States on three occasions and with major orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, The Cleveland Orchestra, and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Santa Barbara Symphony, and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.
Highlights in the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 Seasons include curating and performing as soloist with Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra, soloist with Sphinx Virtuosi touring at major venues across the U.S. with Jessie Montgomery’s Divided for solo cello and orchestra, Andrea Casarrubios’s SEVEN for solo cello, and a 30-venue recital tour with duo partner and pianist, Ilya Yakushev. These tours will include places such as Carnegie Hall, the MET Museum, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Colburn School of Music, Kohler Foundation, and many more.
As a recording artist, Thomas will be releasing two albums of new music for solo cello and cello/piano. The first is called Division of Memory that will be released on October 9th, 2021. The second is a duo album with Michelle Cann, piano soloist and faculty member at the Curtis Institute of Music.
Recently, Thomas was the featured cover story on Strings Magazine, September/October, 2020
In the Fall of 2021, Thomas will be the cello professor at The Conservatory of Music at Purchase College (SUNY)