French cello virtuoso Jean-Guihen Queyras will perform some of J.S. Bach’s most beloved music, the six suites for unaccompanied cello, at the Mahaney Center for the Arts on Friday, Nov. 2. Queyras is noted not only for his exquisite skill, but also for his passionate dedication to the music itself — his humble and unpretentious treatment of the score reflects its clear, undistorted essence.
This special concert, including all six suites, will offer audiences a full experience of Bach’s glorious cello repertoire. To accommodate the longer concert, the curtain time has been moved up to 7 p.m., and the evening will also include refreshments at intermission.
Queyras first performed in Middlebury in 2010. “It was when I heard him perform as a 2015–2016 Wigmore Hall Artist in Residence. Jean-Guihen programmed a powerhouse collaborative concert, much in the style of one of our Sophie Shao and Friends events. It was absolutely breathtaking,” said Performing Arts Series Director Allison Coyne Carroll.
About Jean-Guihen Queyras
Although born in Montreal, Queyras moved with his family to Algeria when he was five years old, then settled in France three years later. He had lessons with legendary cellist Pablo Casals, who he says taught him about “speaking” the cello and the importance of right-hand technique. (Casals, coincidentally, is also an alumus of the Middlebury College Performing Arts Series, having played here in 1922.) Queyras went on to play as soloist with Pierre Boulez’s Ensemble Intercontemporain for 10 years.
Queyras is a founding member of the Arcanto Quartet and forms a celebrated trio with Isabelle Faust and pianist Alexander Melnikov (who will perform at Middlebury College in March.) He appears often with renowned orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, working with conductors such as Iván Fischer, Oliver Knussen, and Sir Roger Norrington.
Queyras holds a professorship at the University of Music Freiburg and is Artistic Director of the Rencontres Musicales de Haute-Provence festival in Forcalquier. He plays a 1696 instrument by Gioffredo Cappa, made available to him by the Mécénat Musical Société Générale.
This is the real deal. Come see Jean-Guihen Queyras perform this Friday at the Mahaney Center for the Arts’ Robison Hall. Reserved seating tickets are $28 for adults; $22 for Middlebury College faculty, staff, emeriti and alumni; $10 for youth; and $6 for Middlebury College students; and are on sale at 802-443-MIDD (6433) or at middlebury.edu/arts/tickets.