Inspired by the Folk: The Romance Between the Violin and the Fiddle

TACOMA, Wash. – Violinist Maria Sampen is embarking on a new adventure in music—exploring how the instrument she is devoted to has been used in folk and traditional music.

In her upcoming concert, Inspired by the Folk: The Romance Between the Violin and the Fiddle, Sampen will begin this pursuit, performing a recital that includes a world premiere, a piece evoking the Jewish fiddle tradition, and works that combine Western classical music with folk traditions from America and Romania.

The performance by Sampen, University of Puget Sound’s director of strings, with guest artist Oksana Ezhokina on piano, will be held Friday, Jan. 30, starting at 7:30 p.m., in Schneebeck Concert Hall. The ticket information is below.

 “Over the coming year, I will be studying nonclassical influences on the violin repertoire, and eventually, I will be making a professional recording of several pieces that combine Western classical music with traditional folk and nonclassical elements,” Sampen said. “In this concert, I hope to share the different voices of the violin, from the refined tones of the classical sonata to the irresistible call of the fiddle.”

Roger Briggs, composer, conductor, artistic director of the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra, and faculty member at Western Washington University will attend the evening to hear the world premiere of his composition Tune My Heart. Reviewers have praised Briggs’ musical compositions as the most compelling and imaginative written in recent times.

The evening program will include:

Sonatensatz “FAE Sonate” Opus 5, Scherzo, by Johannes Brahms
Tune My Heart (variants on Asahel Nettleton’s Come Thy Fount of Every Blessing), by Roger Briggs
Baal Shem Suite (Three Pictures of Chassidic Life), by Ernest Bloch
Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Opus 25, for Violin and Piano (in Romanian folk style), by Georges Enescu

Maria Sampen, associate professor and director of strings at Puget Sound, is a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral performer, recording artist, and teacher. She has performed as a concerto soloist with orchestras across the United States and as a chamber musician in Europe, Asia, and North America. She is in demand as a performer of both standard and experimental works and frequently collaborates with our time's leading composers. Sampen is a Puget Sound Piano Trio member, The IRIS Orchestra, and the ensemble Brave New Works. A two-time recipient of the University of Puget Sound’s Thomas A. Davis Excellence in Teaching Award, Sampen maintains a full studio of students from the university and community. Her students have won top awards in competitions held by the American String Teachers Association and have led graduate programs. Along with her husband, Tim Christie, she spends her summers teaching and performing on Brevard Music Festival's faculty in North Carolina and Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival in Washington. Sampen holds bachelor's and doctoral degrees in violin performance from the University of Michigan and a Master of Music degree from Rice University.

Oksana Ezhokina, chair of piano studies at Pacific Lutheran University, frequently appears as a guest recitalist and chamber musician in concerts across the United States and abroad. The Russian-born musician has soloed with the Seattle Symphony, St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, and Tacoma Symphony orchestras and has premiered works for numerous composers. She has performed in venues including The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, and the Klasik Keyifler Festival in Turkey. Ezhokina is the artistic director of several classical music programs at the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts in Leavenworth, Wash., including the International Chamber Music Festival/Institute and Winter Piano Festival.

FOR TICKETS: Tickets are available online at tickets.pugetsound.edu or Wheelock Information Center, 253.879.3100. Admission is $15 for the general public; $10 for seniors (55+), students, military, and Puget Sound faculty and staff. The concert is free for current Puget Sound students. Group ticket rates are available for parties of 10 or more by calling 253.879.3555 in advance. Any remaining tickets will be available at the door.  

For directions and a map of the campus:pugetsound.edu/directions.

For accessibility information, please contact accessibility@pugetsound.edu or 253.879.3236, or visit pugetsound.edu/accessibility.

Press photos of Maria Sampen can be downloaded from pugetsound.edu/pressphotos.
Photos on page: Top right: Maria Sampen; Above left: The Violinist, by Adriaen van Ostade, 1673.

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