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David Esleck of the David Esleck Trio will give a solo piano performance of jazz music at Cherry Hill on Sunday, July 15^th. The program will begin at 3:00 PM, and admissions will be taken at the door. This is the third annual Edwina Rooker Endowed Concert, established in honor of the late Warrenton resident and long-time friend of the Cherry Hill Historical Foundation.

Dr. Esleck, adjunct professor of music at the University of Richmond, includes performing, composing, producing and educating in his life’s work. He appears frequently in concerts and recitals, both as a piano soloist and with his jazz trio. His recordings have been nominated for both Grammy and Indie awards, and he has performed for Presidents, heads of state, CEO’s, Hollywood stars, and with well-known musical groups. His compositions, both jazz and classical, are heard in concerts, films, and on television. A trained composer, Dr.Esleck holds Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees in the discipline.

Among the numbers to be played on Sunday will be works by Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Duke Ellington. Dr. Esleck will also play some of his own compositions, and has a “few surprises” in store.

A reception will be held in the historic plantation house following the performance.

For more information about Cherry Hill and driving directions to the venue, call 252-257-5259.

Bonnie Thron, Fred Jacobowitz, and Anatoly Larkin will present music written for the cello, clarinet, and piano at Cherry Hill on Sunday, October 15. The program, which will begin at 3:00 PM, will include compositions by Beethoven, Phyllis Tate, Arne Running, Igor Stravinsky, and Max Bruch.

Bonnie Thron, Principal cellist with the North Carolina Symphony, has played at Cherry Hill with several different groups. She plays recitals and chamber music regularly throughout the Research Triangle and also with Washington Musica Viva. She was the cellist of the Peabody Trio when that group won the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation award in 1989. She has been the featured soloist for many concertos with the North Carolina Symphony as well as in her home state of New Hampshire. In March 2018, along with the East Carolina University Orchestra, Mrs. Thron will premiere a concerto written especially for her by North Carolina composer Bill Robinson.

Fred Jacobowitz studied at the Julliard School in New York, where he received his Bachelors and Masters degrees. He made his New York debut at Carnegie Recital Hall and was a featured soloist on several radio stations in the city. Mr. Jacobowitz was Principal Clarinetist in the Annapolis (Maryland) Symphony Orchestra. He is equally at home performing classical, jazz, and folk music, and has performed as recitalist and soloist throughout the US and Canada, as well as in Panama. Mr. Jacobowitz resides in Raleigh with his wife, Bonnie Thron.

Anatoly Larkin was born in Russia and emigrated to the west with his family at age 13.  After completing undergraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, he completed his doctoral studies in piano performance at the University of Minnesota. He moved to Raleigh to join Zenph, a music technology company which has developed a software process that enables recordings of the past to live again. Dr. Larkin continues to perform and compose music. He also teaches piano and “sees the learning of music akin to learning a spoken language”.

Following the performance, a reception will be held in the dining room of the 1858 plantation home. Tickets will be sold at the door, with adult tickets at $10, students at $5, and children 12 and under admitted at no charge.

For more information about Cherry Hill and its concert programs, please  call 252-257-5259.

The Cherry Hill Concert Series welcomes pianist Raffi Besalyan  on Sunday, September 17th at 3:00 PM. Dr. Besalyan received a standing ovation for his 2016 performance at the Inez plantation venue, and the Board of Directors is pleased to host the Steinway artist for an encore concert. A native of Armenia, Besalyan began his music studies at the Tchaikovsky Special Music School for Gifted Children. He received his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. In addition, he studied at the Manhattan School of Music with legendary American pianist Byron Janis and with Sara Davis Buechner.

Press reviews in Japan, the United States, and Europe have hailed Besalyan as “a true heir of the mainstream of Russian pianism, like Horowitz”, “A keyboard phenomenon”, “a formidable pianist with a commanding presence and rich interpretive gifts”, “a master of his art”. He has established an international reputation as a magnetic and passionate performer.

During this second presentation at Cherry Hill, Dr. Besalyan will perform three virtuoso etudes by George Gershwin, Mozart’s Sonata in C Major, Chopin’s Ballade No. 4, three preludes by Armenian composer E. Baghdassarian, and two preludes and Sonata No. 2 by Rachmaninoff. Many of these selections may be previewed on YouTube and at raffibesalyan.com.

Tickets may be purchased at the door, with an adult charge of $10, students at $5, and children 12 and other at no charge. Immediately following the program, a reception will take place in the dining room of the historic 1850’s plantation house, located at 2740 NC Hwy 58, 12 miles south of Warrenton in the community of Inez.

The entire house will be open for touring after the performance.

For further information call 252-257-5259.

The spring concert season at Cherry Hill will conclude on June 25^th with the annual student recital, performed this year by outstanding pianist Owen Dodds.  Each year a student is recommended by his or her teacher for consideration as the young musician of the year at Cherry Hill. This student must show unusual promise of mastery in his or her chosen musical field.

Owen Dodds, age 21, is a rising college senior at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where he studies piano with Dmitri Shteinberg. Born in Rochester, New York, Mr. Dodds began studying at the UNC School of the Arts as an eighth grader in 2009. He first studied with Clifton Matthews and later came under the tutelage of Dr. Shteinberg.  Mr. Dodds has attended and performed at several music festivals in the US and Europe. He has been the recipient of grants from the Semans Art Fund and UNCSA’s Career Development program and has been awarded prizes in several competitions. Mr. Dodds is also a composer and founding member of the new music duo “Early Gray” which  will soon be releasing their debut album. This summer, Mr. Dodds will be competing as a finalist in the Rosen-Schaffel Young Artist’s Competition as well as traveling to Kiev to play as a soloist with the National Honoured Academic Orchestra of Ukraine.

Mr. Dodds will be performing Robert Schumann’s “Kreisleriana”, Beethoven’s “Sonata in F Sharp Major”, two etudes by Rachmaninoff, and the “Sonata No. 3 in A Minor” by Prokofiev.

The 3:00 PM performance is one of two free concerts sponsored by the Cherry Hill Historic Foundation each year. A reception will follow the performance.

For additional information, visit www.cherryhillconcerts.com or telephone 252-257-5250.

Violinist Xi Yang will join pianist Kent Lyman for a performance at Cherry Hill on Sunday, May 21^st at 3:00 PM. The collaborators are both professors of music at Meredith College in Raleigh, and have impressed their audiences with individual and joint performances over the past years.

Xi Yang, a native of China, came to the United States at the age of 20, after an impressive history of performance in China from the age of 10. After completing studies at the University of Indiana, Mr. Yang became the Principal Violist for the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, the Florida Grand Opera, and the Principal Viola with the Symphony of the Americas.  In addition to being Professor of Viola and Violin at Meredith, Mr. Yang is the Concertmaster with the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra and is Principal Violist of the Carolina Philharmonic. He has performed for two Presidents of the United States and recently was appointed as one of the judges of YangTongLiu International Violin Competition in China. Mr. Yang is also the founding president of the Carolina International Orchestra.

Dr. Kent Lyman is a Steinway Artist and Coordinator of Piano at Meredith. He has toured extensively throughout the United States and abroad in such locations as South Korea, China, Brazil, Canada, and Italy.  He is very active as a solo and collaborative performer, and is in demand as a presenter, clinician, master teacher and adjudicator throughout the region and beyond. He has performed with a number of orchestras, including the North Carolina Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, Raleigh Civic Symphony, Florence (SC) Symphony, Broward(FL) Symphony, Meredith Sinfonietta, and others.  He holds degrees in music from the University of Utah and Indiana University, where he received his doctoral degree in piano, studying with James Tocco.

This talented pair will perform music by Fritz Kreisler, Ludwig von Beethoven, Niccolo Paganini,and Camille Saint-Saens.

The Cherry Hill Concert Series is presented by the Cherry Hill Historical Foundation Inc. in the 1850’s antebellum home of the George Alston Family in Inez, a community in southern Warren County. A reception will follow the performance, and the entire house will be open for touring.

Admission is taken at the door, with adults at $10, students at $5, and children 12 and under admitted free of charge. For further information call 252-257-5259.

The announced performance of Schubert’s “Winterreise” has been changed due to the illness of the singer. Instead, we are fortunate to have Dr. Thomas Otten, chair of the piano division of the music department at UNC-Chapel Hill, as our guest artist.  Dr. Otten, who has played at Cherry Hill several times, will perform music by Scarlatti, Beethoven, Adams, and Ginastera on Sunday, February 5 at 3:00 PM.

Pianist Thomas Otten, a California native born of German-American parents, has been hailed by the New York Times as “an extremely original player who puts a formidable technique at the service of his ideas”. He made his performance debut at age 17 with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center and has played in concert in Australia, Europe, the Caribbean, and throughout the United States. His performances have been broadcast on both coasts of the US. Dr. Otten is the recipient of numerous national and international awards.  He currently chairs the piano division at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he joined the faculty in 2002.

The performance will be followed by a reception in the 1858 plantation house built for the George Alston family and now the home of the Cherry Hill Historical Foundation. Guests will be able to meet the artists and also tour the historic home, located in Inez in southern Warren County. Admissions may be purchased at the door at a cost of $10 for adults, $5 for students, and free admission for children 12 and under.

For further information, telephone 252-257-5259

The Oakwood Waits, an a cappella group from Raleigh, will perform at Cherry Hill Plantation in Inez on December 18th. The event will begin at 3:00 pm and will feature the group, dressed in antebellum costume, for the 9^th year. The performance of traditional carols and songs has been given from the Executive Mansion to the White House and has become a holiday tradition at the 1858 home of the Alston family. The board of directors of the Cherry Hill Foundation presents the singers as a Christmas gift to the community and cordially invites everyone for an afternoon of entertainment and refreshment.

North Carolina Symphony principal cellist Bonnie Thron, clarinetist Fred Jacobowitz, and pianist Anatoly Larkin will perform at Cherry Hill on Sunday, November 20^th. The trio will play music of Massenet, Brahms, Shostakovich, and two 20^th century composers, McKinley and Rota. Ms. Thron has played previous concerts at Cherry Hill with several trios, as has Mr. Jacobowitz. Dr. Larkin is making his first appearance at the Warren County venue

Bonnie Thron joined the North Carolina Symphoney as principal cellist in 2005. She a member of the piano quartet Quercus and frequently plays with the Mallarme Chamber Players. She appears frequently on the Washington Musica Viva series and previously was a member of the Peabody Trio. She has performed concertos with a number of outstanding orchestras and has played through the world.

Fred Jacobowitz received his Bachelors and Masters degrees from the Julliard School. He was principal clarinetist in the Annapolis Maryland Symphony Orchestra from 1989-2002. He is equally at home in the worlds of classical, jazz, and folk genres and has performed as recitalist and soloist through the US, Canada, and in Panama. He often plays with the North Carolina Symphony with his wife, Bonnie Thron. He performs as half of the Jacobowitz-Larkin duo with Sunday’s pianist.

Anatoly Larkin, born in Russia, began his studies at the age of 4. He studied in the UK before attending the University of Minnesota where he completed his doctoral studies under Alexander Braginsky. After several years in Minnesota, where he         performed both contemporary and avant-garde music, Dr. Larkin moved to Raleigh where he joined Zenph, a music technology company. He continues to perform, teach and occasionally compose music, both in his studio and at North Carolina State University.

Sunday’s concert will begin at 3:00 PM, and admissions may be paid at the door. Admission charges are $10 for adults, $5 for students, and those 12 and under will be admitted at no charge. A reception will follow the concert.

Cherry Hill is the 1858 antebellum home of the George Alston descendants, located in Inez in southern Warren County. The concert series began in 1982 and is now under the auspices of the Cherry Hill Historical Foundation, Inc.