HS Alliance
Later this month, locals will be able to hear a real Stradivarius during a chamber music concert at the Episcopal Church of Christ Cathedral in Salina.
The Mid-America Performing Arts Alliance (MAPAA) presents the concert, featuring the 1728 Stradivarius “Artot” at 7 p.m. on April 30 at the church, 138 S. Ninth St.
The violin is on loan from the Juilliard School and Christina Bouey, violinist and founding member of the Ulysses Quartet, the school’s resident graduate string quartet, will play the instrument.
Joining Bouey will be Kansas native and cellist Jesse Henkensiefken, who is the executive director of MAPAA. Henkensiefken previously served as Director of Orchestras and String Studies and other miscellaneous roles at Kansas Wesleyan University between 2014 and 2019 and served as Assistant Conductor and Principal Cellist at the Salina Symphony.
Pianist Tatiana Tessman, artistic director of MAPAA, will also join the performance. She has performed as a soloist and with orchestras around the world and has received numerous awards in Europe, the United States and Latin America. She also spent time at KWU as Artist-in-Residence and Director of Keyboard Studies from 2014-2020.
On the program, piano trios by composers Dmitri Shostakovich and Félix Mendelssohn, as well as the “Violin Sonata No. 1” by Camille Saint-Saëns.
Royce Young, who was the cathedral’s music director for 46 years before retiring and is helping spread the word, said it was a unique chance to hear great music and great performers.
“They’ve played all over the world,” Young said. “(This is) a great opportunity for the people of Salina and surrounding communities to hear and experience an exceptional concert.”
The cathedral has had musical performances in the past, and Young said each time people were surprised.
“People would just leave the cathedral and say ‘my, what did I just hear,'” Young said. “When they play their instruments and stuff, you just can’t imagine these (performers) producing for you. It’s amazing.”
Tickets for the concert are $45 for general admission, $35 for seniors and military, and $25 for students. They can be purchased by visiting the MAPAA website