Three great Canadian artists take the Vancouver Island Symphony soaring to new heights with Masterful Messenger, the grand finale to its 11th season, Symphonic Spirit on Saturday, 7:30 p.m. at The Port Theatre.
Special guest Corey Cerovsek is the Vancouver born prodigy who has become a world-class violinist and virtuoso and a masterful messenger of music through his "Milanollo" Stradivarius violin. Cerovsek began his violin studies at the age of five. At age nine he won the grand prize over 3,000 other musicians in the Canadian Music Competition. He graduated at 12 from the University of Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music with a gold medal for the highest marks in strings. That same year he was accepted by Joseph Gingold as a student and enrolled at Indiana University, where he received bachelor's degrees in mathematics at age 15, completed his masters in both at 16 and his doctoral at age 18.
Cerovsek, who is known for his beautiful tone, deep and profound interpretive abilities will be performing the Violin Concerto by Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian. This particular performance allows globetrotting Cerovsek the opportunity to take a few days holiday from his hectic travels to visit Long Beach.
"I haven't been there since I was six years old, so I'm going to rediscover Vancouver Island," he said.
This concert is also going to be a totally profound experience for a composer and a conductor. The composer - Jason Nett, graduate of Departure Bay Elementary and Woodlands Secondary, composer-in-residence for the VI Symphony and one-time student of the conductor, is coming home to Nanaimo to hear the VI Symphony in their debut performance of his composition Sol.
The conductor -- Gerald van Wyck, assistant conductor with the VI Symphony and one-time teacher to the composer, is going to be conducting that very piece in his own debut at The Port Theatre.
"This is a very special occasion for me," says van Wyck. "And doubly thrilling in that I get to do a work by Jason Nett. Jason is quite an extraordinary composer and musician. The audience is truly going to love his piece. Now the cycle is complete. The student has become a colleague and teacher, and there's no greater thrill than to stand equally on the podium with that relationship. It's a wonderful fulfillment."
Maestro Marlin Wolfe and the VI Symphony will be concluding the evening with the uplifting Symphony No. 2 (Little Russian) by Tchaikovsky.
Tickets are available at The Port Theatre Ticket Centre and by calling 754-8550.