HSO Presents Cool Classics

featuring Special Guest Artist Stanley Chepaitis on Violin

HERSHEY, PA - The Hershey Symphony will present an evening concert themed "Cool Classics" on February 21, 2009, 8:00 p.m., Hershey Theatre, Hershey, PA. This special evening is sponsored by The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the Hershey Rotary. The evening's repertoire will feature Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Overture to Le Nozze di Figaro K. 492 and Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385 as well as Ludwig Van Beethoven's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 61.

Featured guest artist will be Dr. Stanley Chepaitis. Stanley Chepaitis holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree as well as the coveted Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. He has studied violin with John Celentano, Renato Bonacini, Carroll Glenn, and Raphael Bronstien. He has studied jazz composition and improvisation with John Blake, Bill Dobbins and Rayburn Wright. He is currently on the string faculty of Indiana University of PA.. He performs on a regular basis with "Blues On First" a jazz string quartet, as well as with the Celentano Quartet and the Gorell Trio. His recent performances include recitals at the Eastman School's Kilbourne Hall and at the Academy of Music in Zagreb, Croatia. He has recently performed concerti with orchestra by Prokofiev, Dvorak, Beethoven, Bach, Saint-Saens, as well as his own Stellar Serenade for Solo Violin with String Orchestra and Harp and his Concerto for Two Jazz Violins which was premiered with John Blake as the other soloist.

Dr. Chepaitis has recorded three CDs of original works. His compositions include Child's Play for String Quartet which won second prize in MTNA's national Distinguished Composer Competition, Chaos For Two, for two violinists, Paganini in the Vernacular, for violin and piano, The Four Seasons, for violin and orchestra. He has created an innovative, holistic approach for teaching improvisation to string players of all ages and is much sought after as a clinician. His recent clinics have taken him to Hannover, Germany, Michigan State University, Washington State University, Baldwin Wallace College in Cleveland, University of Ohio, University f Oregon, University of New Mexico, the Pittsburgh Music Academy, and the Buffalo Suzuki Strings. He was a master clinician for the American String Teacher's Association's first Alternative Styles Conference, and has since presented at ASTA conferences in Reno, Nevada, Kansas City, and Detroit.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for senior citizens, $5 for students. Children 12 and younger will be admitted free. Please contact the box office at (717) 533-8449 for additional information or visit our website at www.hersheysymphony.org.

For more than 37 years, the Symphony has entertained music lovers throughout Central Pennsylvania with classical, romantic, baroque, contemporary, symphonic and Broadway favorites. Comprised of outstanding local musicians, the Hershey Symphony Orchestra is one of the largest volunteer community orchestras in the nation.

MEDIA INQUIRIES CONTACT:
Marsha Roscoe, Exec. Director
E-mail: media@hersheysymphony.org
(717) 533-8449 / 717-439-3026