Sarah Hagen hosts and performs in this intimate and casual concert series!
Socialize over coffee, tea, and goodies in the lobby, followed by a concert in the Studio Theatre. Sarah’s serious talent and enthusiastic approach to life and music allow her to bring an amazing array of artist friends to perform with her. You’ll feel like you are in her living room as she introduces the musicians and the music, sharing her stories and musical insights. The musicians are usually available for a chat after the performance.
The concerts in this series are:
October 22, 2015: Sarah Hagen and Philip Hansen (cello)
November 26, 2015: Sarah Hagen and François Houle (clarinet)
December 10, 2015: Sarah Hagen (piano)
January 14, 2016: Sarah Hagen and Martin Chalifour (violin)
February 25, 2016 Sarah Hagen and Nicolò Eugelmi (viola)
March 10, 2016: Sarah Hagen and Søren Bebe (jazz piano)
Programme:
Beethoven: Cello Sonata No.4, Op.102 No.1
de Falla: Suite populaire espagnole
Schumann: 5 pieces in Folk Style, Op. 102
About Philip:
Philip Hansen’s commitment to diverse musical genres, education, and community have earned him distinction as a performer, ambassador for music, and innovator in the arts. His intensely personal and colourful playing is showcased in performances from the Baroque to jazz and in every major work written for cello with orchestra.
Concurrent to his position as Principal Cellist of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Phil performs around the globe. As a US Department of State Cultural Ambassador to Russia, Phil was featured solo artist in concert halls from Moscow to the Pacific Far East. He has been artist-in-residence at both the Beijing and Shanghai Central Conservatories. Phil was a longtime faculty member of the Académie Internationale Musicale in Provence, France, focusing on historical performance practice. His solo CD of nuevo tango music, Bragatissimo, was researched and performed in Argentina and broadcast coast to coast on the CBC and National Public Radio (USA).
Launching in Spring 2014 is Phil’s newest concert venture, Seriously the Series. These concerts are designed for the chamber music connoisseur with programs to challenge both performer and listener, featuring diverse chamber works with cello in its various guises throughout musical history.
As an educator Phil coalesces the influences of his cello mentors: Steven Doane, Jürgen deLemos, Lynn Harrell, and Patricia Pinkston. His research into performance preparation and body mechanics culminates in the Cello Zen program (cellozen.com) whose retreat workshops are held each summer on Quadra Island, BC and which integrate an approach to cello playing suited equally to the professional artist as to the avid amateur. Around these workshops is the Quadra Island Festival of Chamber Music (quadrafestival.com) of which Phil is founder and Artistic Director; entering its fourth summer in 2014, the QIFCM draws top musicians to perform in breathtaking island settings.
Phil collaborated on and composed music for Charlie the Cello, a children’s book and stage production by author Deborah Nicholson which Phil has performed on stage with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.