University Welcomes Musicians for Elite Festival

UT Dallas will host the highly regarded Elan International Music Festival June 9-21 in the Jonsson Performance Hall for the first time in the event’s history.

Students will attend seminars, learn practice and performance techniques, and play together to polish and perfect their methods.

Elan International was conceived in 1996 by Ronald Neal, director of the orchestra at the School of Arts and Humanities at UT Dallas, as a connection between promising musicians and experts to facilitate the exchange of musical skills and expressions. Neal is also director of the Dallas Chamber Orchestra.

Festival planners expect to attract students and artists from a variety of locations and backgrounds with a high caliber of musical ability.  The application process involves recommendations from recognized musicians, an audition tape, and a repertoire list of music studied.

The Elan International faculty members are respected worldwide for their musical contributions.  In addition to Neal, they include:

• Daredjan Baya Kakouberi, pianist and artistic director of the Blue Candlelight Music Series in Dallas.
• Gary Levinson, violinist and senior associate concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
•  Eugene Osadchy, associate professor of cello at the University of North Texas, as well as principal cellist with the CBC Vancouver Orchestra.
•  Barbara Sudweeks, associate principal viola of the Dallas Symphony.

The students’ final concerts will be June 14 at 5 p.m.. and June 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m.  Faculty members will perform on June 16 at 7:30 p.m. All concerts are in the Jonsson Performance Hall.

---