Acclaimed pianist Garrick Ohlsson joins Poland’s internationally renowned Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra for a Feb. 19 concert at North Central College.

The performance begins at 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, in North Central College’s acoustically stunning Wentz Concert Hall at the Fine Arts Center, 171 E. Chicago Ave, Naperville. Tickets are $75 and $65; call the North Central College Box Office at 630-637-SHOW (7469) or visit northcentralcollege.edu/showtix.
Since winning the 1970 Chopin International Piano Competition, Ohlsson has established himself worldwide as a musician of magisterial interpretive and technical prowess. In addition to his reputation as among the world’s foremost exponents of the music of Frederic Chopin, Ohlsson commands a broad repertoire that includes masterful interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert.
“With the imprimatur of the Chopin competition and the interpretive acuity that helped him win it, he has built an unassailable reputation as a Chopin pianist whose recordings of the composer’s works belong in every Chopin lover’s collection,” The New York Times said in a Jan. 13, 2012, article about Ohlsson. “Yet he has confounded those who would bind him to Chopin by exploring a huge repertory.”
Ohlsson will perform Karol Szymanowski’s Concert Overture in E major, Op. 12 and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 with the Wroclaw Philharmonic Feb. 19. The program includes the orchestra’s performance of Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 7 in D Minor, Op. 70.
Since its inception in 1954, the National Forum of Music (NFM) Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra has drawn on the rich traditions of its home city in Poland, which has played host to great artists such as Wagner, Brahms and Mahler.
The Wroclaw Philharmonic was established by Adam Kopycinski and Radomir Reszke and owes its professional development to its director-conductors. The Wroclaw Philharmonic’s current general director is Andrzej Kosendiak, a conductor and proponent of early and choral music as well as the initiator of numerous musical festivals and competitions.
The artistic director is Maestro Jacek Kaspszyk, former artistic and general director of the Polish National Opera and a leading guest conductor with orchestras, including the London Symphony and Chamber Orchestra of Europe. His experiences have given Wroclaw audiences the opportunity to fully appreciate the power and beauty of the masterworks performed.
During its 2011-2012 season, Wroclaw Philharmonic musicians will perform works by such composers as Shostakovich, Kolar, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Prokofiev, Stravinsky and J. Strauss, as well as contemporary pieces.
Major soloists appearing with the Wroclaw Philharmonic have included Martha Argerich, Midori, Juan Diego Florez, Ramon Jaffé and Peter Jablonski. The orchestral soloists are graduates of prestigious European music academies, educated under the guidance of respected artists and teachers. Wroclaw Philharmonic players are not only professional musicians, but passionate aficionados of music representing several generations.
The ensemble performs about 100 programs per season in renowned concert halls throughout the world, including Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York, the Musikverein in Vienna and Festspielhaus in Salzburg.
The Philharmonic also records for radio and television and has many CD recordings to its credit. In 2009, the Orchestra was awarded a Gold Disc for its recording of its DVD, “Symphonically Perfect.”

Explore the sound— North Central College presents “Explore the Sound IV: Untraveled Worlds” in identical Feb. 22 and 24 concerts that invite listeners to hear several of the College’s choral and instrumental ensembles and discover the stunning acoustics of Wentz Concert Hall.
Ensembles will perform in every possible location—from the side balconies, aisles, sound chambers, side stairways, loft, stage and more. “Explore the Sound IV” will take place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22 and Friday, Feb. 24, in Wentz Concert Hall at the Fine Arts Center, 171 E. Chicago Ave. Tickets are $5/adults, $3/students and senior citizens; call the North Central College Box Office at 630-637-SHOW (7469) or visit northcentralcollege.edu/showtix.
The program will feature the College’s 50-voice Women’s Chorale and the 20-voice mixed Chamber Singers—both under the direction of Ramona Wis, Mimi Rolland Professor in the Fine Arts, professor and chair of music—and the 55-voice Cardinal Chorus, under the direction of Jacqueline Schutt, visiting instructor of music.
The choral ensembles will be joined by the Flute Choir, directed by lecturer of music Marie Bennett, and the String Ensemble, directed by lecturer of music Mara Gallagher.
Additional performances include Barbara Vanderwall, adjunct assistant professor of music, Frank Caruso, instructor of jazz and classical piano, Jonathon Kirk, assistant professor of music, student percussionist Brian Riordan and guest harpists.
“The focus of Explore the Sound is a seamless performance of a wide variety of choral and instrumental music, performed from virtually every nook and cranny in Wentz Concert Hall,” Wis says. “With theatrical lighting and unusual staging, Explore the Sound is more of a sound and visual experience than a traditional concert and always features surprises for the audience.”
Highlights of this year’s program include Paul Halley’s “Untraveled Worlds,” based on the Alfred, Lord Tennyson poem which gives this year’s concert its subtitle; Stephen Hatfield’s wordless “La Lluvia,” complete with a percussive “rainstorm” created by the performers; Eric Whitacre’s evocative “Little Birds” and beautiful “Five Hebrew Folk Songs”; Ivan Hrusovsky’s challenging “Rytmus”; and a new composition by faculty composer Jonathon Kirk, assistant professor of music, featuring Bennett on flute.
The performances will feature a variety of flute, string and piano pieces, as well as music using electronic sound sources.
“Explore the Sound” is hosted by the Women’s Chorale and evolved from an off-campus series of annual concerts the Chorale gave in Oak Park with invited faculty and student guests. This year’s event is a fundraiser for the Women’s Chorale’s upcoming tour of Ireland in June, with proceeds going to help offset costs for the singers, who are paying their own way.