String Ensemble Explores ‘Beethoven to Bluegrass’
The Firenze String Ensemble will fiddle its way through the history of string music during “From Beethoven to Bluegrass” at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 14 at the Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive, just north of Desert Inn Road. Admission is $10 in advance, $12 the day of the show.
The six women who make up the ensemble are some of the finest string players in the state including Rebecca Ramsey and Gerri Thompson, violin; Hanna Suk and Tiana Harjo, viola; and Moonlight Tran and Lindsey Springer, cello. They have individually played for such shows as “The Lion King,” “Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular,” “Spamalot” and “The Producers” as well as for Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr., Air Supply, Beyonce, Andrea Bocelli, Luciano Pavarotti and countless chamber groups and orchestras, including the Las Vegas Philharmonic and the opening of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.
The concert will cover such a wide range of musical styles that the group has added four musical guests, namely Martin Radunz, clarinet; Joel Ferguson, banjo; Aaron Ramsey, piano; and Geoff Neuman, bass.
The group will perform four pieces by the contemporary American violinist, Mark O’Connor, “Appalachian Waltz for Tutti Ensemble,” F.C’s “Jig for Violin and Cello,” “Chief Sitting in the Rain for Violin, Cello, Bass and Banjo” and “College Hornpipe for Violin, Cello, Bass and Banjo;” as well as Beethoven’s Quintet in C minor, op. 29. Becky Ramsey has arranged Ervin Rouse’s blazing fiddle tune, “Orange Blossom Special,” into Orange Blossoms for Tutti Ensemble.
Those interested in “From Beethoven to Bluegrass” can call the Winchester Cultural Center at (702) 455-7340 or visit the web site at www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/parks. Clark County Parks and Recreation activities and events also can be found on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook by visiting http://tinyurl.com/4dfw8ea.
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Clark County is a dynamic and innovative organization dedicated to providing top-quality service with integrity, respect and accountability. With jurisdiction over the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and covering an area the size of New Jersey, Clark is the nation’s 14th-largest county and provides extensive regional services to more than 2 million citizens and 42 million visitors a year. Included are the nation’s 8th-busiest airport, air quality compliance, social services and the state’s largest public hospital, University Medical Center. The county also provides municipal services that are traditionally provided by cities to almost 900,000 residents in the unincorporated area. Those include fire protection, roads and other public works, parks and recreation, and planning and development.