Downstair Cabaret Theatre Will Present FRON TRAGEDY TO TRANSCENDENCE

Downstairs Cabaret Theatre is pleased to announce 2 performances only of From Tragedy to Transcendence: Bach, Casals, and the Six Suites for Cello Solo, featuring Steven Hancoff. On the very day that Pablo Casals' father bought the 13-year old child his first cello, Casals came upon a dusty manuscript of Bach's Cello Suites in an obscure second-hand bookstore near the Barcelona docks. No one had ever actually played the Cello Suites from the time Bach composed them in 1720. Casals practiced them daily for 12 years before he had the courage to present one in public. Now world-renowned jazz guitarist Steven Hancoff brings Bach, Casals and the Six Suites for Cello Solo back to glorious life through his remarkable acoustic guitar transcriptions in this telling of the Life of Sebastian Bach, his Legacy, and the Life of Pablo Casals. Performances are Saturday, July 16 at 8:00pm and Sunday, July 17 at 2:00pm at Downstairs Cabaret at Winton Place, 3450 Winton Place, Brighton-Henrietta (convenient free parking and handicapped accessible). Tickets are $25 general admission and may be purchased in advance by calling (585) 325-4370. Discounts are available for seniors (age 60 and above), groups (10 or more), full-time students (age 22 and under), military personnel, and DCT Members. The performance runs 2 hours with one 10-minute intermission. More information is available at www.DownstairsCabaret.org and www.stevenhancoff.com.

Steven Hancoff is a renowned guitarist and author widely acknowledged for his expertise in Ragtime, Tin Pan Alley, New Orleans Jazz, and Duke Ellington. Jazz Review Magazine called him "an interpretive master who plays with fluidity, grace and passion." For fifteen years, he toured throughout 50 countries representing the U.S. as an official Artistic Ambassador. Eight years ago, he began transcribing Bach's masterpiece Six Suites for Cello Solo for acoustic guitar. He expanded the project to include information about the fascinating composer's life and throughout this monumental endeavor, interacted with 335 contemporary artists and foundations worldwide who contributed images to the project making this the largest collection of Bach-inspired art ever collected in one place. Hancoff was invited to present the story - the life of Bach, the circumstances of his life when he created his masterpiece, his legacy, the role of the Mendelssohn family in saving his music, and Pablo Casals' rediscovery and subsequent recording of the suites. He created a multimedia presentation entitled From Tragedy to Transcendence - Bach, Casals and the Six Suites for Cello Solo and begins his national tour of the production at Downstairs Cabaret Theatre in Rochester.

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