The Sheldon Presents COLORS OF RUSSIA Concert 3/9

The Sheldon presents "Colors of Russia" featuring David Halen, violin, Miran Halen, soprano and Natasha Paremski, piano, Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 8 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. Inspired by Russian-born painter Marc Chagall's Snowing, from the collection of the St. Louis Art Museum , colorful Russian music is performed by Symphony Concertmaster David Halen and Moscow-born rising star pianist Natasha Paremski with soprano Miran Halen. The program will include Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition in its original form for solo piano, Prokofiev's Sonata for Violin and Piano, Rachmaninoff Preludes, and Arensky's Piano Trio. Join us at 7:10 for a pre-concert talk with pianist Peter Henderson.

David Halen served as Assistant Concertmaster with the Houston Symphony Orchestra under Sergiu Comissiona and Christoph Eschenbach until 1991. He then came to St. Louis , where he was permanently named Concertmaster in September 1995. As co-founder and artistic director of the Innsbrook Institute, Halen coordinates a weeklong festival in June of exciting musical performances and an enclave for aspiring artists. His numerous accolades include the 2002 St. Louis Arts and Education Award for Excellence, and an honorary doctorate from Central Missouri State University and from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Halen plays a 1753 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin, made in Milan .

Soprano Miran Halen has garnered widespread praise as a versatile singer of opera, symphony, chamber and recital music. She has sung in more than 30 productions of Houston Grand Opera, and has performed at the Salle Cortot in Paris, the Aspen Music Festival, the Innsbrook Music Festival, the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City , the Booneville Missouri Music Festival, KFUO's "From the Garden Live," and a benefit concert celebrating the 30th anniversary of the St. Louis Children's Choir.

With her consistently striking and dynamic performances, 22-year-old pianist Natasha Paremski reveals astounding virtuosity and interpretive abilities. With a strong focus on new music, Paremski's growing repertoire reflects an artistic maturity beyond her years. She studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music before moving to New York to study with Pavlina Dokovska at Mannes College of Music, from which she graduated in 2007. She continues to perform with major orchestras including a return engagement with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, appeared at Lincoln Center in the fall as part of the "What Makes it Great?" series with Rob Kapilow, and will tour the U.K. with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Tickets for "Colors of Russia" are on-sale now! Tickets are $30 orchestra/$25 balcony/$15 student. Call MetroTix at 314.534.1111 or visit www.TheSheldon.org. For more information, contact The Sheldon during normal business hours, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.