International Musicians Coming to Presbyterian College
In October, musicians from around the world will perform at Presbyterian College. First will be the Scottish Gaelic folk singer, Julie Fowlis, who performed the hallmark song “Touch the Sky” in Disney’s movie “Brave.” Then Jun Matsuo, a Japanese pianist, returns to PC’s campus to perform her concert “Musical Portraits.” And lastly is the Cuban choir group, Coro Provincial de Villa Clara, making their U.S. debut at PC.
From Scotland hails the awarded Fowlis, a singer who The Scottish Herald acclaims as “embrac[ing] the lilty, nostalgic romance of traditional Gaelic mouth music.” Fowlis has won numerous awards and distinctions, including the Gaelic Singer of the Year and Album of the Year at the 2007 and 2014 Scots Trad Music Awards, as well as her award as Scotland’s Gaelic Ambassador, bestowed by the Scottish Parliament in 2008. She is the first person ever to receive this award.
Fowlis has collaborated with many notable musicians, such as Bill Whelan, James Taylor, and Stuart Duncan, and has performed all over the world, including Edinburgh Castle and the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Fowlis will perform adaptations of songs from her native Scottish Gaelic tradition at 7:30 p.m., on Oct. 19, in Edmunds Hall.
Next comes a solo and collaborative performer who has performed concerts across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Matsuo currently serves as an adjunct lecturer at the State University of New York, Plattsburgh, where she teaches seminars for the Honors Center. She has previously served as assistant professor of music at PC and at Coker College and was named a Steinway artist in 2012.
Matsuo’s recital, “Musical Portraits,” features musical compositions inspired by real people or fictional characters. The concert will feature works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann, Claude Debussy, and Virgil Thomson. She will perform at 7:30 p.m., on Oct. 26 in Edmunds Hall.
Last in the international musical events arriving at PC’s campus is Coro Provincial de Villa Clara, a choir group made up of 35 young professional singers and their conductor and leader. These representatives of Cuba’s artistic community will share their Cuban culture through song and fellowship at 7:30 p.m., on Oct. 27 in Edmunds Hall.
For more information regarding these performances, contact Beverly Davis at bdavis@presby.edu or by phone at 864.833.8470.