The Georgia Southern Symphony String Camerata, under the direction of Dr. Steven Elisha, will hold a final benefit “send-off” concert before beginning its summer tour of Germany, on Saturday, May 11 at 2:00pm, at the First Presbyterian Church (1215 Fair Road, Statesboro).
The program features Dr. Larisa Elisha, violin, and Dr. Steven Elisha, cello, performing the Double Concerto in C Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach. Dr. Terre Johnson will perform as harpsichord/continuo. Other works on the program include Julius (Gyula) von Beliczay’s String Serenade, Maurice Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte, Florence Beatrice Price’s String Quartet in G Major arranged for String Orchestra, and Béla Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances.
In December 2023, The Georgia Southern Symphony String Camerata was awarded a prestigious $54,870 grant by the Halle Foundation in Atlanta for a tour of Germany. The 18 members of the camerata have been working diligently all semester to perform in Berlin, Halle an der Saale, Leipzig, and Bamberg, Germany. The original grant was only meant to cover 15 students, but as there will now be 18 participants, including a faculty member and two alumni, the Halle Foundation has generously agreed to fund a $10,000 matching grant to cover additional costs.
The Georgia Southern Symphony String Camerata, and the Magnolia String Quartet, directed by Dr. Larisa Elisha, will depart for Germany on May 20th and fly to Berlin, where rehearsals and concerts will begin. After Berlin, the Camerata will travel to Martin Luther Universität (MLU) in Halle an der Saale for a short residence where the participants will have the opportunity to practice for the concerts and engage in collaborative projects, including rehearsals with the MLU orchestra. At the end of the stay in Halle, the Camerata will perform at the Aula Concert Hall. Halle is the birthplace of Georg Friedrich Händel and the students will be able to visit his birth home and view the historical music instrument museum housed there.
After leaving the MLU, the students will have the opportunity to travel to Leipzig, which is the city of Bach, Mendelssohn Bartholdy, and Telemann, among others. In Leipzig, the Camerata and Magnolia String Quartet will play an invited concert at the Bach Museum’s Summer Hall. The final Concert will take place at the Neue Residenz Kaisersaal (Prince Bishop’s Apartment) Bamberg, Germany.
The Georgia Southern Symphony and String Camerata, a premier ensemble of the Gretsch School of Music, has been a recipient of an Emmy Award and featured in performances throughout the State and Region, including the Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conferences, the Georgia Governor’s Mansion, as well as at the Performing Arts Center and Carol A. Carter Recital Hall on the Statesboro Campus, Fine Arts Auditorium (Savannah), the Dublin (Georgia) Arts Council Gala and Vidalia’s historic Pal Theater.
The benefit concert in support of the Camerata Tour provides an opportunity, presented by the Halle, that any contributions made will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $10,000. Please come and support the Georgia Southern Symphony.
To support the tour and be a part of the matching gift, contributions can be made using this link.
Checks can be made out to:
Georgia Southern University Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 1107
Statesboro, GA 30459
Memo line: "Strings Camerata to Germany" trip/Fund 0629
