The Michigan State University College of Music will host Walter Verdehr, violin, and Ralph Votapek, piano, at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 30 in concert at the Fairchild Theatre in the MSU Auditorium. This event will feature violin and chamber music in honor of the 100th birthday of James Niblock, and is a part of the ongoing Artist-Faculty Series.
Niblock, a composer and violinist, taught theory and composition at MSU for 37 years. He served as the chairperson of the then-Department of Music for 15 years and was the concertmaster of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. Niblock has more than 150 compositions and continues to conduct and perform. In 2006, he was awarded MSU’s first Distinguished Emeritus Faculty Award for his work in arts education.
Verdehr, professor of violin, will be performing with Votapek, professor emeritus of piano, to honor Niblock and his time at MSU. Verdehr, a Fulbright scholar, was the first violinist to receive a doctorate from Juilliard. He was awarded MSU’s Teacher-Scholar Award in 1973 and the Distinguished Faculty Award in 2004. Votapek received the gold medal from the first Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He is also the winner of the prestigious Naumburg Award. He has been a guest soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra multiple times and performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic, and more.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, age 60 and older, and free for students with ID and anyone under 18, and can be purchased online, by phone or at the door.
For more information on the performance, click here.
