DUC Chamber Series begins Sept. 27

Mark Sparks, St. Louis Symphony principal flute, joins pianist Peter Henderson

Flutist Mark Sparks (left) and pianist Peter Henderson will launch the Danforth University Center’s fall Chamber Music Series Tuesday, Sept. 27.
Flutist Mark Sparks (left) and pianist Peter Henderson will launch the Danforth University Center’s fall Chamber Music Series Tuesday, Sept. 27.

Though best remembered for his concerti for solo violin, the German composer Max Bruch (1838-1920) also created works for instruments only rarely featured in principal roles. His “Romanze” for viola and orchestra (1911) is a hidden treasure of late Romanticism.

At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27, Mark Sparks, principal flute for the St. Louis Symphony, will join pianist Peter Henderson for a new arrangement of Bruch’s “Romanze.”

The performance — which will launch the Danforth University Center’s fall Chamber Music Series — also will feature new arrangements of Gabriel Fauré’s “Élégie” (1880) and Claude Debussy’s “Afternoon of a Faun” (1894), among other works.

Sparks was appointed principal flute by late conductor Hans Vonk in 2000. A frequent soloist with the St. Louis Symphony and other orchestras, he has performed across the United States, Europe, Scandinavia, South America and Asia. He has appeared as guest principal flutist with many ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Detroit Symphony and the Bergen (Norway) Philharmonic.

Henderson, director of the music program at Maryville University, frequently performs with the St. Louis Symphony as an ensemble keyboardist and made his debut as a subscription concert soloist in January 2008. An advocate of new music, he recently recorded the CD “Twenty-Four Studies in African Rhythms: Works for Piano by Fred Onovwerosuoke” (2015).

DUC Chamber Music Series

Nina Ferrigno
Nina Ferrigno

The Chamber Music Series will continue Oct. 10 with pianist Nina Ferrigno and musicians of the Missouri Chamber Music Festival performing works by Mozart and Schubert.

Nov. 2 will feature a performance by Chris Dwyer, second horn with the St. Louis Symphony, and his wife Laura Dwyer, a former principal flute with the Sarasota Opera Orchestra. Joining the Dwyers will be Allegra Lilly, principal harp of the St. Louis Symphony, and her fiancé, trombonist Tyler Vahldick.

St. Louis’ acclaimed Perseid String Quartet will conclude the series Dec. 1.

All performances are free and open to the public. The Danforth University Center is located at 6475 Forsyth Blvd. For more information, call 314-935-5566 or email daniels@wustl.edu.

The Perseid String Quartet
The Perseid String Quartet
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