HS Music Festival welcomes new mentors
Season 22 of the Hot Springs Music Festival is set for June 4-17 in various Hot Springs venues.
While Shelly Myers is on maternity leave, Joseph Salvalaggio will serve as the 2017 Oboe Mentor. Salvalaggio was with the festival in 2013 and returns with even more impressive credentials. In demand as a soloist and chamber musician, Salvalaggio has been invited to perform at the conventions of the International Double Reed Society in Alberta, North Carolina, Texas, Indiana and Georgia and has been heard on Canadian Broadcasting Company Radio national recital broadcasts.
In his time with the Memphis Symphony he has performed as soloist in works of Albinoni, Bach, Mozart, Strauss and the world premiere of the Eric Ross Oboe Concerto. His playing has inspired new works for the oboe by Lothar Klein, Beverly Lewis, Prix Italia winner, Christos Hatzis and Elizabeth Raum’s Phantom Drum, premiered with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. Other solo appearances include the Monroe Symphony, the Fayetteville Symphony, the Kitchener Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, the North York Chamber Orchestra, the Windsor Symphony and the Britt Classical Festival Orchestra.
During the second week of the festival, Maria Flurry will serve as the Percussion Mentor, due to an unexpected scheduling conflict for Matt McClung. A versatile percussionist and marimba soloist, Flurry treats audiences to a blend of consummate musicianship and captivating performance style. She is an award-winning concerto performer and has performed with the Detroit, Baltimore, Spokane, Phoenix, Toledo, and Annapolis Orchestras as well as with orchestras across southeast Michigan. Flurry has also been guest timpanist with the Michigan Opera Theater, Mannheim Steamroller, Phoenix Symphony and she served as principal timpanist with the Flint Symphony Orchestra for over a decade. She currently is principal timpanist with the Flagstaff Symphony.
Flurry recorded with Summit Brass and the Flint Symphony Orchestra and received national attention as a founding member of Harpbeat, a percussion and harp duo. The group toured the central states, made solo appearances with orchestras, and released three recordings to critical acclaim in parenting and family fun magazines.
“We are very fortunate to have these exceptional musicians join us,” said Lynn Payette, the Hot Springs Music Festival Chorus and Communications Director. “Both of them bring a wealth of experience and a creative perspective our audiences and our student apprentices will enjoy tremendously.”
Call 623-4763 or visit http:// www.hotmusic.org for more information or to reserve festival passes.