Party Reservations

The ambition of this Round Table Society performance is to raise awareness of the importance of George Enescu's contribution to the universality of Romanian culture. George Enescu was the most famous Romanian composer, and one of the most significant composers of the 20th century. In 2005 we observe 50 years since George Enescu's passing (1881-1955). The public is also invited to participate during the concert in an original artwork silent auction, featuring paintings, sculptures and photography.

Funds

All proceedings from this concert will be donated by Round Table Society to support the upcoming premiere staging of Enescu's masterpiece, the Oedipus opera. The long awaited presentation of Enescu's masterpiece will mark its first performance in the Western Hemisphere; thus becoming the American premiere and a focal point of the 2005 worldwide events dedicated to the composer. The semi-staged opera will be presented on October 15, 2005 at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of the University of Illinois, as part of the university's festivities in honor of Enescu, who was composer-musician in residence from 1948 to 1950.

Artists

Two distinguished musicians Sherban Lupu, violin, and Ian Hobson, piano, will present a recital featuring the music of George Enescu for piano and violin. Born in Romania in 1881, Enescu is recognized as one of the most accomplished violinists of the last century. Less known are his extraordinary talents as conductor, pianist, pedagogue (Yehudi Menuhin, Arthur Grumiaux, and Ivry Gitlis were his students), and, above all, composer. Enescu's music is highly original, distilling traces of late romanticism and impressionism along with East-European folklore intonations, into a sophisticated personal style, which is both alluring and intellectually challenging.

Romanian born Sherban Lupu, is one of the world's leading performers of George Enescu's music, specializing in the music of his native Romania and Eastern Europe as well as the virtuoso romantic repertoire for violin. In the year 2000, Mr. Lupu received a lifetime achievement award from the Romanian Cultural Foundation for his efforts to promote Romanian culture and music internationally. In November 2002 Mr. Lupu was awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Academy of Music "G. Dima" from Cluj (Romania) and in January 2004 the President of Romania has conferred upon Sherban Lupu the title of Commander of the National Order of Merit and Service for his worldwide musical and cultural activities. Mr. Lupu is currently professor of violin at the University of Illinois and has been artistic director of the Gubbio Festival in Italy and associate concertmaster of the San Francisco Opera.

British-born pianist Ian Hobson is a musician of tremendous versatility who has earned a worldwide reputation as a soloist, conductor and teacher. The breadth of Hobson's repertoire demonstrates his extraordinary command of styles, scholarly vision, and keyboard prowess. His recordings and recital performances encompass a cross section of piano literature, ranging from a series of works from The London Pianoforte School to the complete cycle of Beethoven Piano Sonatas. Ian Hobson is a Swanlund Endowed Professor of Music and professor in the Center for Advanced Study at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. Hobson is a much sought-after judge for both national and international competitions, including serving as a juror for the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1997.

Location

The performance will take place Saturday, October 8th, at 6 PM in a 1200+ concert hall venue at Philadelphia Romanian Church of God, 1713 W. Sunnyside, in Chicago.

Tickets

Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased on our website or directly from the Round Table Society office, 2408 N Kedzie Blvd. Chicago, IL 60647. For more information contact RTS at office@roundtablesociety.org or call (773) 276-8199 between 9AM and 5PM.