Mid Summer Evening Performance by PSO Players

Tuesday July 16th – 7 PM at Lincoln Hall, Foxburg, PA
Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts presents a wonderful Summer surprise Tuesday July 16th at 7 PM with a mid summer evening concert in Lincoln Hall, Foxburg, PA. A trio of outstanding musicians from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will visit Foxburg and treat all who attend to world class music event. PSO Principal harpist Gretchen Van Hoesen will be joined by Concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley on violin, and Principal cellist Anne Martindale Williams playing a varied program, assuring to create a magical music experience. Each of the renowned musicians are sought after to perform in many diverse venues, so it is an honor to have them play at Lincoln Hall.

Gretchen Van Hoesen has been Principal Harpist of the Pittsburgh Symphony since 1977, holding the Virginia Campbell endowed Principal Harp Chair of the orchestra and has appeared as soloist with the orchestra on numerous occasions, including premieres of major new works for harp. She has appeared as soloist with conductors André Previn, Lorin Maazel, and has collaborated with flutist James Galway, as well as others. Ms. Van Hoesen has also performed as soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Westmoreland Symphony among others. She has been a featured soloist at American Harp Society National Conferences, has served as a judge for National Competitions of the American Harp Society and has been past President of the Pittsburgh Chapter. Gretchen Van Hoesen graduated from the Juilliard School of Music and of the Eastman School of Music. Her recordings include Lullabies and Night Songs on the Caedmon label, and Breath of Heaven, A Christmas Collection with Soprano Sarah Botkin. Ms. Van Hoesen is a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon and Duquesne universities and combines teaching there with private students at her home in Pittsburgh. She has taught multiple master classes and has been an artist-lecturer on numerous series in Pittsburgh as well as throughout the country.

Concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Noah Bendix-Balgley has thrilled and moved audiences around the world performing in Austria, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Iceland, China, Switzerland, Great Britain, Canada and the United States. He has been awarded a number of prizes at major competitions in Europe. Mr. Bendix-Balgley has appeared as a soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, and the Asheville Symphony (USA) among others. His Pittsburgh debut recital in January 2012 was named the Best Classical Concert of 2012 by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He also has performed on North American tour with the Miro String Quartet and from 2008 to 2011, he was the 1st violinist of the Munich-based Athlos String Quartet, performing throughout Europe. Born in Asheville, North Carolina in 1984, he began playing violin at age 4. Mr. Bendix-Balgley graduated from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the Munich Hochschule. In his spare time, he enjoys Klezmer music, playing with world-known groups and teaching klezmer violin at workshops. Mr. Bendix-Balgley plays on a Lorenzo Ventapane violin, made in Naples in the early 19th century. His first recital CD, “A Musical Tour of the early 20th Century” (Anima Records) was recorded in Switzerland in May 2011.
Anne Martindale Williams has enjoyed a successful career as Principal Cellist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra since 1979. She has often been featured as soloist both in Pittsburgh and on tour in New York at Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall, and has collaborated with guest artists such as André Previn, and Pinchas Zukerman. In recent seasons she was featured in Elgar’s Cello Concerto, and works by Haydn and Walton. Her solo in The Swan on the PSO recording of Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns was described by Grammophon critic Edward Greenfield as “…the most memorable performance of all.” Mrs. Williams teaches at Carnegie Mellon and Duquesne universities, and appears in solo and chamber music performances world wide. She has appeared in several nationally televised productions, produced by the BBC and WQED. She also is a member of the Carnegie-Mellon Trio. Anne Martindale Williams has given university master classes and performed at prestigious US summer festivals such as Aspen, Grand Teton, and Mainly Mozart in San Diego. Mrs. Williams is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music. Her Tecchler cello was made in Rome in 1701. Anne and her husband Joe reside in Pittsburgh with their daughter, Claire.

Tickets for the concert are Adults $ 25, Members $ 20 and Students $ 10 and can be reserved at door by calling 412-867-1816. Audience members are invited to a pre-concert reception at ARCA’s Red Brick Gallery and Shop from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM in part to honor ARCA’s outgoing Executive Director Drew Orient. The concert reception coincides with the opening of a new exhibit, “Multi – Artists/Mixed Media” in the Red Brick’s Upstairs Gallery featuring Photography by Daniel Stainer and Mixed Media works of Art by the Artists of the Saxonburg Area Artists Co-operative.