The Richmond Symphony Presents DON QUIXOTE Tonight

Richmond, Virginia -- Take a virtual journey of sound with Maestro Steven Smith and the Richmond Symphony tonight, January 11th 2014 at 8:00pm during Don Quixote at the Carpenter Theatre at Richmond CenterStage!

The theme of swords is carried throughout the evening with pieces by Wagner, George Walker, and Strauss. This exciting night includes the enchanting story of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza as they 'tilt at windmills.' Strauss portrays the character Don Quixote with solo cello, Neal Cary, and Sancho Panza with solo viola, Molly Sharp.

Tickets start at just $10 online at richmondsymphony.com or 1.800.514 ETIX. $7 college student tickets available at the Richmond CenterStage box office with valid student ID. Altria Masterworks concerts are FREE for children 18 and under with a paid adult (ticket required.)

Make it a night out! Join us for a pre-concert talk led by Steven Smith at 7pm. With your ticket, enjoy 10% off at 525 at the Berry Burk or Bistro 27.

This concert is sponsored by Altria and the Richmond Times Dispatch.

About the Richmond Symphony

Founded in 1957, the Richmond Symphony is the largest performing arts organization in Central Virginia. The organization includes an orchestra of more than 70 professional musicians, the 150-voice Richmond Symphony Chorus and more than 200 students in the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra programs. Each season, more than 250,000 members of the community enjoy concerts, radio broadcasts, and educational outreach programs. The Richmond Symphony is partially funded by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

About Neal Cary

Neal Cary has been praised for his "robust tone and high-romantic phrasing," and the "tremendous amount of emotion and heart" he brings to his performances.

He has been principal cellist with the Richmond Symphony since 1988, and has served as principal cellist of the Williamsburg Symphonia since 2002. In 1984, he joined the faculty of the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina, and has served as principal cellist there every summer since 1988. In August of 2012, Neal Cary was a member of the All Star Orchestra - an orchestra comprised of some of the finest musicians in the United States. This orchestra was created for the production of 8 television programs which aired in the Fall of 2013 on various PBS stations throughout the country (but unfortunately not in the Richmond area).

In addition to his symphony work, Neal Cary has been on the performing artist faculty at the College of William and Mary since 1991. Since 1989, Neal Cary has been a member of the Richmond Chamber Players which performs in Richmond on eachSunday in August.

Previous to his employment in the Richmond area, Neal Cary was co-principal cellist of the Kansas City Philharmonic and assistant principal cellist of the Tulsa Philharmonic, the San Antonio Symphony, and the Denver Symphony orchestras. From 1994 -98, he was on the adjunct faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University. While a student at Juilliard, he was a chamber music teaching assistant to Earl Carlyss and Claus Adam in 1980-81. While a student at Meadowmount during the summers of 1980 and 1981, he was a chamber music teaching assistant to Joseph Gingold.

Neal Cary's major teachers have included Pat Ficarra, Robert Newkirk, Channing Robbins, and the world-renowned Leonard Rose. Mr. Cary holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Catholic University, and a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School of Music.

Notable recital performances in the Richmond area include performances from memory of the 40 Popper Études and all the Bach Suites for Solo Cello. Mr. Cary has completed a "performance edition" of the Popper Études (as yet unpublished) and is working on a companion book which explains how to practice these études. He has also completed an unpublished edition of the Bach Suites for Solo Cello, based on three surviving copies of Bach's manuscript.

Concerto performances include nearly 50 performances of most of the major cello concertos, unusual works, and a world premier with orchestras on the East Coast. YouTube videos of Mr. Cary include a live performance of the Elgar Cello Concerto, a performance of the Saint-Saëns Concerto No. 2, and a video lesson on the Saint-Saëns. Upcoming performances in the area include performances of the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Williamsburg Symphonia on January 27th and 28th.

In addition to his musical endeavors, Neal Cary is a staunch supporter of religious liberty, freedom from religion, and state/church separation. In furtherance of these goals, he has served on the board of American Atheists since 1995, and has been Chairperson since 2009. From 1996 through 2001, he was the National Outreach Director of American Atheists where he headed the American Atheists Volunteers, and organized a new national system of State Directors geared toward Atheist activism. He wrote the "American Atheists Activists Handbook" and the "State Director Handbook." As National Outreach Director, he began the annual American Atheists Letter to the Editor Competition in 2000 and ran it through 2010.

Neal is married to Catherine Cary, a violinist in the Richmond Symphony. They have two children -- daughter Emma and son Alan.

About Molly Sharp

Molly Sharp is the Principal Violist of the Richmond Symphony and has played with the orchestra since 1993. In addition to playing in Richmond, she has played with the Nashville Symphony, Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra, and the Cascade Music Festival in Bend, Oregon. Ms. Sharp received a Bachelor's Degree from Vanderbilt University/Blair School of Music. She received her Master's Degree in 1992 from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Chamber music studies have included summers at the Taos School of Music and the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival-Yale Summer School of Music. Ms. Sharp is a member of the Oberon String Quartet, which is in residence at St. Catherine's School in Richmond. In addition to playing the viola, she also plays fiddle with the Trevillian Ramblers. She holds The Mary Anne Rennolds Chair.