Southeast Missouri State University student publication

Dr. Sara Edgerton will perform cello recital at River Campus

Monday, August 20, 2012
Cellist Dr. Sara Edgerton rehearses for a faculty recital in Shuck Music Recital Hall at the River Campus. Edgerton will perform the recital with husband Paul Thompson on Sunday.

Edgerton and Thompson bring "Song Without Words"ť in cello recital

Dr. Sara Edgerton and Paul Thompson will present a cello recital accompanied by the piano as a part of the Faculty Recital Series. Cellist Edgerton and pianist Thompson are married and have rehearsed all summer for the recital on Sunday.

Edgerton is the conductor of Southeast Missouri State University's Symphony Orchestra. She teaches cello at Southeast, travels the country performing with various groups when the opportunity arises and often plays in other recitals or chamber music concerts on campus. She also presents one full solo recital every year.

The concert is titled "Song Without Words" and Edgerton wants to highlight the melodies of musical compositions from a broad range of genres and time periods.

"The idea is that I think that the cello is a very singing instrument, and so a lot of the pieces that I've chosen are pieces that just have really beautiful melodies for the cello," Edgerton said.

One piece included in the concert is entitled "Song Without Words" by Felix Mendelssohn, a famous Romantic composer. Another piece will be "Valse Sentimentale" by another famous Romantic composer P. Tchaikozsky. A piece by the Baroque composer J.S. Bach and two 20th century works, one by the English composer Gavin Bryars and a piece by Hungarian composer Kotaly, also will be included in the lineup for the afternoon.

"It's going to be a range of music from the Baroque to the Romantic to the 20th century, and then we're finishing with two short tunes, one by Mancini and one by Gershwin," Edgerton said. "So again the emphasis is a beautiful melody."

Thompson teaches flute at Southeast but has an extensive background as a pianist. Edgerton said that she has had the opportunity to collaborate with Thompson in the past and enjoys being able to perform with him.

"It's been a lot of fun. He's a fantastic musician, and he gives me really good ideas," Edgerton said. "The other nice thing is we are performing the very first week of the semester, but we've had all summer, so I've really enjoyed having some time in the summer to practice together and rehearse, so it's been great."

Edgerton said she thinks the recital is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon for many reasons.

"First of all, it's going to be a wide range of pieces from the Baroque 18th century to today, so it will be very educational," Edgerton said. "I think it will be a chance to really hear the cello in a fantastic setting. The recital hall we're playing is just wonderful, so it should be very enjoyable from that standpoint.

"It's going to be fairly short, it's only going to be a little over an hour long, it will start at 3 and be over a little bit after 4, and I think it will be just a really nice way to start out the semester," Edgerton said. "A couple of the pieces will be a little bit unfamiliar, but a lot of it will be music they can really relate to and then the couple 20th century works will be really interesting to hear what the more contemporary writers are doing with the cello."

The recital will start at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Robert F. and Gertrude L. Shuck Music Recital Hall at the River Campus. Tickets cost $10 and are available at the River Campus Box Office located in the Cultural Arts Center or online at rivercampusevents.com.

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