Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Sherer String Trio debuts with Dec. 9 concert

Concert: Sherer String Trio debut concert
Date: Thursday, Dec. 9
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Sauder Concert Hall, Goshen College Music Center
Cost: $5 for adults, $3 for students. Families with children in the Community School of the Arts can receive a pass for free admittance at the door. GC students free with valid ID.
For more information: Call the Goshen College Welcome Center at (574) 535-7566.
Web site: http://www.gcmusiccenter.org/

GOSHEN, Ind. –– Three strings instructors with Goshen College Community School of the Arts (CSA) have joined together to form a new high-caliber performance group: the Sherer String Trio. Bringing an exciting blend of skills and backgrounds, the Trio will debut with a concert on Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in Sauder Concert Hall.

The Sherer String Trio is comprised of Community School of the Arts teachers Jessie Sark on violin, Rosalyn Troiano on viola and Brook Bennett on cello. Ties to Suzuki instruction, respect for the history of excellence in the Goshen College Music Department and to the Community School of the Arts led them to name their ensemble after Professor Emeritus of Music Lon Sherer and Associate Professor Emerita of Music Kathryn Sherer.

In this concert dedicated to the Sherers, the Trio will perform works by Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms. Associate Professor of Music Matthew Hill will join the Trio on the piano.

Director of the CSA Suzuki Strings Program, Troiano previously conducted the Juniata College Sinfonia and taught studio violin and viola at Juniata College, Huntingdon, Pa. Originally from the Tuscarora Indian Reservation in upstate New York, Troiano began her viola studies at age nine in the public school music program in Greece, N.Y. She received a bachelor’s degree in music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and master’s and doctorate degrees from the Eastman School of Music. Her viola teachers include Heidi Castleman, Edward Ormond, Francis Tursi and George Taylor; she studied Suzuki pedagogy with Anastasia Jempelis and Christophe Bossuat. As an orchestral violist, Troiano has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, Civic Orchestra of Chicago and served as co-principal violist of the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra.

A CSA violin teacher, Sark began her Suzuki violin studies at the age of 5 with the Goshen College Strings Preparatory Program, a predecessor of the Community School of the Arts. She went on to study with Lon Sherer at Goshen College, Carolyn Plummer at Notre Dame University and Renata Knific at Western Michigan University. In 2003, she won the collegiate division of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic concerto competition, which afforded her the opportunity to solo with the orchestra. Successfully teaching area students since her high school years, Sark is currently finishing requirements for her music degree at Goshen College.

Bennett serves as a cello instructor for the CSA. He received a bachelor of music degree in cello performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a master’s degree at S.U.N.Y. College at Purchase, N.Y. Bennett has had wide chamber music experience, including touring as a member of the Alaska Quartet in 2002 and 2003. He has also been a faculty member, counselor and string quartet coach for Credo Chamber Music Camp.

“The possibilities that Sherer Trio bring to the CSA and to the Goshen community are exciting – strong professional performance, along with a desire to make their music accessible to each person in the audience,” said Debra Kauffman, Community School of the Arts associate director.

Tickets for the concert are $5 for adults, $3 for students, and are available at the Goshen College Welcome Center by calling (574) 535-7566. Families with children in the Community School of the Arts can receive a pass for free admittance at the door. GC students free with valid ID.

Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit http://www.goshen.edu/.

Editors: For more information, contact News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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