West End Ensemble plans concerts

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The West End Ensemble, a group of classical musicians, has put together a spring series of performances, according to founder and director Vincent Scacchetti.

All concerts will be at Cedar’s West End, 702 Steel St., on the West Side. Doors open at 8 p.m. and admission is free.

Here is the schedule:

Sunday: The ensemble will present a concert featuring soloist Hristo Popov on violin, who will perform several favorites for violin and orchestra including “Spring” from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”; “Meditation” from “Thais” by Jules Massenet; and “Zigeunerwesien” by Pablo de Sarasate.

Director will be Michael Gelfand, who is a professor of cello at the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University, principal cellist of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. Gelfand is also the music director of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra.

April 27: The Dana Brass Quintet, which is composed of YSU faculty members, will perform a set of various selections ranging from Baroque to modern.

May 11: Smiliana Lozanova, a violinist, will present the 12 Caprices, Opus 1 of Bulgarian violinist Petar Hristoskov.

Included in the performance will be a discussion of the idiomatic components of Bulgarian folk music for violin.

Afterward, Scacchetti and several members of the West Virginia and Canton symphonies will join Lozanova in a performance of Shostakovich’s 7th String Quartet and Dvorak’s “Terzetto” for two violins and viola.