CONTACT: Brad White
Marketing and Publicity Manager
Center for the Arts, Pepperdine University
24255 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90263
(310) 506-4055
brad.white@pepperdine.edu
BOX OFFICE: (310) 506-4522
http://arts.pepperdine.edu/

Photos available upon request

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY
CENTER FOR THE ARTS
2010-11 Stotsenberg Recital Series

presents

SARAH E GELLER, VIOLIN
CHERYL TSCHANZ, PIANO

Sunday, February 20, 2011, 2 p.m.
Raitt Recital Hall, Pepperdine University
24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA

Violinist Sarah E Geller and pianist Cheryl Tschanz, who have captivated audiences for more than a decade with their dynamic rapport, perform at Pepperdine's University's Raitt Recital Hall at 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 20, as part of Pepperdine's 2010-11 Stotsenberg Recital Series.

Their program, titled "Souvenirs," includes Sonata No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 23, by Beethoven; Nocturne and Cortege by Lili Boulanger; Selections from Four Souvenirs by Paul Schoenfield; Seguida Espanola by Joaquin Nin; Bordel and Adios Nonino by Astor Piazzolla; and Pampeana No. 1 by Alberto Ginastera.

Tickets, priced at $25 for the public and $10 for full-time Pepperdine students, are available now by calling (310) 506-4522. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787. Information online: http://arts.pepperdine.edu/ or http://www.sarahegeller.com/

Sarah E Geller

Described as "a consummate artist perform[ing] with convincing vigor and passion," Geller has performed to critical acclaim in many prestigious venues as soloist and collaborative artist. Beloved by listeners from coast to coast, she continually draws capacity audiences with her rich sound, palette of tone colors, and innate ability to deliver musical messages with a compelling yet gentle touch.

Geller creates one-of-a-kind programs as soloist and founder of her ensemble, SEGUE. She often juxtaposes both the masterworks and unknown gems of the great composers with Latin and jazz-influenced works, notably those by Schoenfield, Gershwin, Ginastera, and Piazzolla. Well-seasoned and novice concertgoers alike comment that her playing invokes in them new feelings and understandings. It is as if her playing spins an invisible thread that connects her music to each audience member.

Performing extensively in her hometown of New York City and beyond with pianists Wenhan Anderson and Cheryl Tschanz, Geller's 2010-11 season highlights include a performance on the St. Andrew Music Society series in Manhattan and SEGUE performances at Unison Arts Center in New Paltz, NY, and on the Town of Oyster Bay Distinguished Artist Series on Long Island.

In previous seasons Geller has appeared in recital at Chipola College in Florida, Gainesville Pro Musica in Georgia, and The Strad for Lunch in Manhattan. She also performed as guest artist with the Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company and the Roxy Cross Quintet at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City. Additional engagements have included an artist residency at Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute and six consecutive invitations to perform on the Donnell Library Series in Manhattan.

Since receiving the Helen Airoff Dowling Award for "outstanding undergraduate violinist" upon graduation from the Manhattan School of Music, Geller made her Carnegie Hall solo recital debut as a winner of the Artists' International Special Presentation Award.

Following a scintillating 2009 debut of "Ritmo, Color y Pasión," a Latin American and flamenco program for violin, guitar, and flamenco dancer, on the Donnell@LPA series, SEGUE performed before a sold-out crowd on the Evergreen Museum and Library series in Baltimore this past season. Geller created SEGUE in 2005 to feature a flexible combination of award-winning artists, musicians, and dancers after her stunning success premiering Jeffery Story's Driven for solo violin and dancer at New York's Merkin Concert Hall on Artists' International Alumni Series.

Dedicated to educating the next generation, Geller, a School for Strings (SFS) certified Suzuki teacher, served as director and head violin teacher for a decade at SFS at P.S. 116 in Manhattan, an outreach Suzuki violin and cello program. She continues to teach as a faculty member at School for Strings.

While still a young violin student in her native Maine, Geller became known not only for her playing but also as a teacher who skillfully reaches children both musically and personally. Now, at her Suzuki studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Geller displays her exceptional ability to inspire and nurture diverse groups of children.

She furthers her own studies with Joey Corpus. Her former principal teachers include Michael Gilbert, Patinka Kopec, Gregory Fulkerson, and Lawrence Golan.

Cheryl Tschanz

Tschanz's ability as a pianist was recognized early. As a four-year-old, she began piano studies with Ruth Watson Cable, a student of Rosina Lhevinne. At six, she transferred to the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Ruth Edwards (piano) and Alvaretta West (theory). When she was seven, Clavier magazine described her as having "startling qualities of great talent."

She made her major orchestral debut at age 11 as guest soloist with the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. Her solo and chamber performances have taken her to concert halls throughout the United States, Canada, France, Italy, and Finland. Reviewing her New York performances at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, The New York Times described her as a "wonderful young pianist" whose "playing is full of character and a pleasure to hear." After conducting her, the late Jindrich Rohan of the Prague Symphony said, "She has all the prerequisites of professional success: Great technique, musical intelligence, and dramatic playing. She isn't just playing notes but projecting real feeling and expression."

Tschanz was the first recipient of the prestigious Thayer Fellowship for the Arts. She has also been honored as a Fellow of the Tanglewood Summer Festival. She has received numerous prizes at international piano competitions, including the University of Maryland International Competition (Loren Eiseley Prize), Cleveland Symphony Orchestra Competition (First Prize), Indiana University Concerto Competition (First Prize), Beethoven Foundation Fellowship (finalist), and Piano Teachers Congress of New York International Competition (Second Prize).

Tschanz studied with Lillian Freundlich at the Peabody Conservatory. She received bachelor's and master's degrees from Indiana University, where she studied with Boris Berman, Stephen Bishop, Zadel Skolovsky, and Abbey Simon. She holds a doctorate from State University of New York at Stony Brook, where she studied with Gilbert Kalish.

A dedicated teacher for over 30 years, Tschanz was a professor of music from 1991-2008 at Colby College, where she directed the piano and accompanying programs.

She currently lives in Orlando, Florida, where she maintains a private teaching studio, is on the staff of Florida Southern College, and has an active performance schedule as a soloist and chamber musician.

Now in its 18th season, the Stotsenberg Recital Series is funded by Dorothy D. Stotsenberg of Malibu. Recitals are usually presented in the acoustically superior and intimate 118-seat Raitt Recital Hall, donated to Pepperdine by the late Broadway star John Raitt and his wife, Rosemary, who co-founded the Pepperdine Center for the Arts Guild.

The final recital in the 2010-11 series will be performed by pianist Ran Jia on March 20.

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