Portland Ovations to Welcome Richard Stoltzman, David Deveau & Sarah Shafer to Hannaford Hall, 12/7

Portland Ovations presents two-time Grammy Award winning clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, pianist David Deveau and soprano Sarah Shafer at Hannaford Hall, USM Portland campus for an afternoon concert Saturday, December 7th at 3pm.

Two-time Grammy Award winning clarinetist Richard Stoltzman's virtuosity, technique, imagination, and communicative power have revolutionized the world of clarinet playing, opening up possibilities for the instrument that no one could have predicted. He was responsible for bringing the clarinet to the forefront as a solo instrument, and is still the world's foremost clarinetist. He performed the first clarinet recitals in the histories of both the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall, and, in 1986, became the first wind player to be awarded the Avery Fisher Prize. As one of today's most sought-after artists, Stoltzman has been a soloist with more than a hundred orchestras as well as a recitalist and chamber music performer, innovative jazz artist, and prolific recording artist. He has amazed critics and audiences alike in repertory spanning many musical genres performing and recording with such classical, jazz, and pop greats as Yo-Yo Ma, Gary Burton, the Canadian Brass, Chick Corea, Judy Collins, Eddie Gomez, Keith Jarrett, the King's Singers, George Shearing, Wayne Shorter, Mel Tormé, and Spyro Gyra founder Jeremy Wall.

David Deveau is an American classical pianist critically acclaimed internationally for his expressive and poetic interpretations of solo piano repertoire ranging from Haydn to the present. Born in Concord, Massachusetts, he has appeared as soloist with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops Orchestras, the San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Portland Symphony Orchestras, as well as many regional orchestras in the United States and abroad. He made his New York debut in 1982 at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, and has performed solo and chamber music recitals at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Merkin Hall and The Town Hall; the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Benaroya Hall in Seattle. He is Artistic Director of Rockport Music Festival (Massachusetts), and serves on the music faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Praised for her "luminous voice" and "intensely expressive interpretations," (The New York Times) soprano Sarah Shafer is quickly emerging as a sought-after operatic and concert artist. She recently made her professional operatic debut in the role of Barbarina and the cover role of Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Glyndebourne Festival and at the BBC Proms in London's Royal Albert Hall. During the 2012-13 season, she made her American debut with Opera Memphis singing Adina in L'Elisir d'Amore, she performed the role of Mary Lennox in the world premiere of San Francisco Opera's newly commissioned work The Secret Garden, and as Papagena in Opera Philadelphia's Die Zauberflöte. An avid performer of chamber music and lieder, Sarah recently appeared in recitals with legendary pianist Richard Goode, performing at venues including Town Hall in New York City. She also recently collaborated with renowned guitarist Jason Vieaux in a recital with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society performing works of Dowland and Britten.

One hour prior to the performance at 2 pm Ovations Offstage offers the pre-performance lecture Schubert on His Lonely Rock: Der Frühling Will Komen with Alice Swanson Etsy Professor of Music at Bates College, Bill Matthews presenting an introduction to the concert with a focus on the life and music of Franz Schubert.
Tickets for Stoltzman, Deveau and Shafer are $36 for Ovations' Members, $40 for the general public and a limited amount of $10 student tickets, are also available. The Maine Mall sponsors the Hannaford Hall Performance Series and the New England Foundation for the Arts, Maine Humanities Council and the Maine Arts Commission generously provide support. To purchase tickets, visit www.portlandovations.org, contact PortTIX at 207-842-0800 or stop by the box office window at Merrill Auditorium. About Portland Ovations.