Esbenshade Series, 2005-2006

Established through a generous gift in 1980, the series is endowed by the Frederica G. Esbenshade Memorial Fund to bring lectures, performing artists, and programs in the humanities to the Marietta community.

All performances, unless otherwise noted, take place in the McDonough Auditorium of Marietta College at 7:30 p.m. The events are free and open to the public.

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, October 18th Cantus 7:30 p.m. St. Mary's Catholic Church, Marietta http://www.cantusonline.org/ Cantus is gaining recognition as one of America's finest professional male vocal ensembles. The ensemble's performances are met with overwhelming praise for its unique blend of youthful vitality and polished nuance. Their repertoire spans many periods and genres, including Gregorian chant, Renaissance motets, contemporary sacred works, art songs, world music, spirituals, and pop. Cantus' singing has been called "spontaneous grace" by the Washington Post and "wonderful" by the L.A. Times.
Friday, November 8th Ana Vidovic http://www.anavidovic.com Ana Vidovic is an extraordinary talent of formidable gifts taking her place amongst the elite classical guitarists of the world today. Though barely twenty-three years of age, she has already won an impressive number of prizes and international competitions all over the world. Equally impressive is that she has already recorded five CDs, one for the Naxos label, and concretized in over twenty countries. Ms. Vidovic will present a program of works by Tooroba, Ponce, Sulek and Piazzolla.
Tuesday, February 21st Top Brass Top Brass takes quintessential American music to an exciting new level of excellence. This award-winning ensemble combines brass, woodwind and percussion to perform music that defies categorization. Top Brass creatively expands the traditional standards of chamber music through new approaches as diverse as the ensemble itself. The group will present a program entitled "In the Mood," a compilation of more than twenty ageless hits. This fast-paced program transports audiences to the era when swing was king, and America couldn't get enough of the big band sound.
Tuesday, March 7th Orchid Ensemble http://www.orchidensemble.com Presenting repertoire from their Juno Award nominated CD,'Road to Kashgar,' Orchid Ensemble explores the vast cultural influences of the Silk Road on China through original works inspired by Persian, Indian, Central Asian and Jewish music. Acclaimed as "One of the brightest blossoms on the world music scene" (Georgia Straight), the Orchid Ensemble has been tirelessly developing an innovative musical genre based on the cultural exchange between Western and Asian musicians.
Tuesday, April 11th Julianne Baird, soprano http://juliannebaird.camden.rutgers.edu Julianne Baird has been hailed a "national artistic treasure" (New York Times) and as a "well-nigh peerless performer in the repertory of the baroque, she possesses a natural musicianship which engenders singing of a supreme expressive beauty." With over 100 recordings to her credit, Julianne Baird is considered one of America's most recorded women. Returning to the Esbenshade series for the second time, Ms. Baird will present a program entitled Benjamin Franklin's Musical World to celebrate his 300th birthday drawing on music heard by Franklin in England, France, and the United States.