SHEPHERD SCHOOL STUDENTS RETURN TO THE KENNEDY CENTER

Office of News and Media Relations
Jessica Stark
Media Relations Specialist
Email: stark@rice.edu

For the fifth year in a row, musicians from the Rice University have been invited to take center stage at one of the best-known venues in the country, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. Building on their school's legacy, eight students from the Shepherd School of Music will perform and participate in the Kennedy Center's Conservatory Project.

This year’s participants are Trio Destino: Graduate students Hilary Abigana, flute; Amy Chung, clarinet; and Rachael Young, bassoon. Harpist Sadie Turner, Baker College '08, and The Jasper String Quartet: Graduate students J Freivogel and Sae Niwa, violin; Sam Quintal, viola; and Rachel Henderson, cello.

The Conservatory Project was designed to introduce audiences to the top young musical artists in classical music, jazz, musical theater and opera from the nation’s leading undergraduate and graduate conservatories, colleges and universities. One of the project's founding participants, the Shepherd School has had students selected to perform every year since the program's inception in 2004.

"This year promises to be one of our strongest concerts yet," said Gary Smith, associate dean of music. "The opportunity for our extraordinary musicians to play at the Kennedy Center -- the national face of performing arts -- is rewarding and invaluable for them and for the Shepherd School."  

As one of only five music schools to participate in the project, Rice will kick off the program's weeklong series of concerts, performing works by Brett Keüper Abigaña, Carlos Salzédo and György Ligeti. The concert, set for 6 p.m. EDT May 18 in the center's Family Theater, is free and open to the public and will be streamed live on the Web. The streamed concert will be available at www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium under "Today's Performances."

This year’s participants are:

• Trio Destino: Graduate students Hilary Abigana, flute; Amy Chung, clarinet; and Rachael Young, bassoon
• Harpist Sadie Turner, Baker College '08
• The Jasper String Quartet: Graduate students J Freivogel and Sae Niwa, violin; Sam Quintal, viola; and Rachel Henderson on cello
  

The performances by the Shepherd School students are part of a series of concerts by students from Northwestern University School of Music, Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, Berklee College of Music and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.