Self-conducted string orchestra A Far Cry takes Vilar Center stage Wednesday night

BEAVER CREEK — A Far Cry, the self‐conducted, string orchestra whose most recent performance was described as “one of the more transporting concerts of the year” (Boston Globe) comes to the Vilar Performing Arts Center (VPAC) on Wednesday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m.

Operating with rotating leadership and no conductor, A Far Cry is generating enthusiasm not only in the concert hall, but also with its innovative model and its entrepreneurial approach.

A Far Cry's program at the VPAC will include four pieces, beginning with Gabriela Lena Frank's Leyendas: “An Andean Walkabout.” Frank wrote Leyendas in 2001 for string quartet, and then two years later reworked it for string orchestra. The composition is a blend of the traditions of Western classical music, with its expectations of scope and structure, and Andean folk music, with its vibrant rhythms and personalities.

A Far Cry plays the Vilar Center on Wednesday.

For Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's sparkling Concerto no. 11 in F major, A Far Cry will be joined by Joel Fan, a pianist well known for his role in Yo‐Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble. The New York Times recently remarked on his “probing intellect and vivid imagination,” qualities which have also contributed to two Billboard top 10 solo albums and a global career.

Following Mozart, A Far Cry will perform Dvořák's “Nocturne” in B major, a serene and flowing piece animated in its middle section, in which fragments of melodies move from one set of instruments to another, creating contrast in both pitch and timbre.

The evening's program will conclude with Tchaikovsky's “Serenade for Strings,” which offers a glimpse of the brighter side of Tchaikovsky, both graceful and elegant with none of the angst-ridden moments in which he so often indulged. It originally premiered in 1880, immediately became an audience favorite and remains as most definitive compositions of its era.

A Far Cry is based out of Boston, Massachusetts, with a highly visible, central and accessible storefront space in Jamaica Plain, the orchestra "performs" for the neighborhood with every rehearsal and event. A Far Cry has enjoyed a quick ascent to the highest ranks of the next generation of classical ensembles.

Tickets for A Far Cry string orchestra with Joel Fan, piano are $55 and are available online at vilarpac.org, by phone at 888.920.ARTS(2787) or in person at the Vilar Center box office in Beaver Creek.

The Vilar Performing Arts Center is a project of the Vail Valley Foundation. For more information on the Vail Valley Foundation, visit vvf.org.

Evening Repertoire

FRANK Leyendas: “An Andean Walkabout”

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 11 in F major, K. 413

DVOŘÁK “Nocturne” in B major, Op. 40

TCHAIKOVSKY “Serenade for Strings” in C major, Op. 48

IF YOU GO:

What: A Far Cry string orchestra with Joel Fan, piano

When: Wednesday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Vilar Performing Arts Center

Cost: $55

More information: 888-920-2787 or www.vilarpac.org