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College performances set
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Corey Cerovsek is a world-renowned violinist who will perform at Bethany Lutheran College this fall. Submitted photo
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World-renowned violinist at Bethany
MANKATO — Adrian Lo caught a glimpse of Corey Cerovsek from time to time at Indiana University, where Lo was working on his master’s degree 20 years ago.
Cerovsek stood out to him for a number of reasons. For one, the undergraduate was one of the finest violinists he had ever heard. He also had a sweet temperament and was quite charming, as Lo recalled.
Most noticeable, however, was the fact that Cerovsek was just 12 years old.
“Corey’s was just this young mind probing everything,” said Lo, a music professor at Bethany Lutheran College. “A prodigy.”
Now 35, genius intact and ever growing, Cerovsek is one of the highlights of this fall’s performance series at Bethany. As always, area colleges have lined up a diverse and renowned list of guest artists visiting campuses this fall, from pop bands to blues pianists. Gustavus Adolphus College and Minnesota State University, for example, have scored some major performers this season, with Ladysmith Black Mambazo and The Nadas, respectively, among others.
Cerovsek of Paris doesn’t perform at Bethany until Nov. 29, but Lo has been anticipating the event for months. He has followed Cerovsek’s career and listened as his talent blossomed beyond any realm of Lo’s capability, or anyone else he knows, for that matter.
After earning bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and music at age 15 at Indiana University, master’s degrees in both at age 16, and having completed his doctorate in mathematics and music at age 18, he went on to study piano and frequently performed in concert on both instruments.
During the past 10 years he has performed with orchestras and given recitals throughout the world. His Corigliano Violin Sonata, with Andrew Russo on the Black Box label, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2006.
The precision involved in his playing — the flawless, extremely difficult notes that come from Cerovsek’s violin — is enough to make Lo shake his head and wonder at the mind behind such beautiful music every time he hears it. It’s perfect, as if Cerovsek is capable of seeing deeper into the music, solving it like some kind of mathematical problem.
“I have a feeling there is something eternal in the realm of numbers that is reflective of the eternalness of music,” Lo said. “What kind of mind is capable of seeing some of these resonances?”
Gustavus Adolphus
Al Behrends, director of fine arts at Gustavus, is equally excited about Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who will perform on campus Sept. 28 in Christ Chapel. The ensemble has performed South African vocal music to audiences around the world for 20 years.
“The early interest in this concert has been strong and I hope to make it a southern Minnesota fall highlight,” Behrends said.
Joseph Shabalala and Ladysmith introduced themselves to the world 20 years ago during a collaboration with Paul Simon on his album “Graceland.” Since then the ensemble has performed in front of two Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies, Pope John Paul II, South African Presidential inaugurations, the 1996 Summer Olympics and many musical award shows.
The ensemble has recorded more than 40 albums and is referred to as the musical voice of traditional culture in South Africa.
Minnesota State University
Opening MSU’s performance series today is blues pianist Scottie Miller. Miller was nominated for “Best-Unsigned Blues Recording” in 2007 by the IBC/Blues Foundation in Memphis. He was a top-five finalist in the “Solo/Duo” category at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2005.
Miller performs “New Orleans/Delta/
Barrelhouse/piano blues, with rich and soulful vocals,” according to Dale Haefner, director of the MSU performance series.
“His piano playing re-kindles the long lost styles and spirits of legendary players like Professor Longhair, Otis Spann and Pinetop Perkins,” Haefner wrote about Miller.
Among MSU’s other guest artists are Catfish Keith, a blues singer/songwriter and bottleneck slide guitarist, and The Nadas, an alternative-rock quartet.
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