Celtic to Classic concerts continue Aug. 17-18, 20-23

Two-time Grammy Award-winning cellist Jonah Kim will join the Celtic to Classical ensemble as it showcases music of dramatically different genres in upcoming performances at six venues throughout Southern Delaware.

A program of American Originals, featuring the music of American composers, will be offered at 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 17, at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Rehoboth Beach; and 4 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 18, at Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware in Lewes.

Framed by immigrant Antonin Dvorak’s “American String Quartet,” the program includes works by Stephen Foster, James Grant, Paul Machlis (a California native who writes in a traditional Celtic style), Sheridan Seyfried and Ya-Jhu Yang. Performers for the American Originals programs include violinists Moni Simeonov, Alexis Meschter and Sheridan Seyfried; violist Jessica Chang; cellist Jonah Kim; vocalist Anne Marie Stanley; and pianist Ya-Jhu Yang.

The Brahms and the Blues concerts, led by Kim, draw parallels between the soulfulness of Brahms and American-born blues. The program features movements from the German maestro’s “Piano Quintet in F Minor” and “Piano Trio in C Major” alongside the blues of Gary Moore, B.B. King and others.

The Brahms and the Blues program will be performed Tuesday, Aug. 20, at the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist, Milton; Wednesday, Aug. 21, at Epworth United Methodist Church, Rehoboth Beach; Thursday, Aug. 22, at St. Martha’s Episcopal Church, Bethany Beach; and Friday, Aug. 23, at Avenue United Methodist Church, Milford. All four performances begin at 7:30 p.m.

Joining Kim to perform Brahms and the Blues are pianists Sheridan Seyfried and Ya-Jhu Yang, violinists Moni Simeonov and Alexis Meschter, and violist Jessica Chang.

In lieu of ticketed admission, Celtic to Classical accepts freewill offerings at all performances, with suggested contribution of $15.

Celtic to Classical producer Sheridan Seyfried spent childhood summers in Lewes; he is the son of Rehoboth Summer Children’s Theatre founders Steve and Elise Seyfried. He studied composition at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music, and plays violin and piano.

Jonah Kim has performed as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the National Symphony, among many others. A graduate of The Juilliard School and The Curtis Institute, Kim is a sought-after soloist, chamber musician and teacher.

Ya-Jhu Yang is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. In addition to playing flute and piano, she is an accomplished composer and choir director, and a staff member of the Pennsylvania Girlchoir.

A native of Bulgaria, Moni Simeonov holds degrees from Yale University, the Eastman School of Music and the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. He has performed around the world and is on the faculty of the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach.

Violinist and Delaware native Alexis Meschter has performed across the United States, Canada and Europe. He was the 2016 winner of the Peabody Institute’s William Marbury Competition and recently held a position with the Buffalo Philharmonic as its youngest member. In June, he served as concertmaster of the Central City Opera Orchestra.

Jessica Chang is founder and executive director of Chamber Music by the Bay, which presents interactive concerts for diverse communities all over the San Francisco area. A graduate of Yale University, The Curtis Institute and The Juilliard School, she has performed on three continents and leads a dual career as a recognized expert in computer security.

Anne Marie Stanley made her professional debut at the Spoleto Festival in 2013. In 2015, she won first prize in the Philadelphia Orchestra Albert M. Greenfield Student Competition and The New York Lyric Opera Theatre National Vocal Competition. She holds degrees from Westminster Choir College and Rice University, and is continuing her studies with Bill Schuman.

CDs featuring selections from Celtic to Classical’s 2018 performances will be available for $15 following all concerts.

The Celtic to Classical summer performances are inspired by the musical eclecticism of Andrea Clearfield’s Philadelphia Salon concerts and motivated by a desire to find joy in different modes of musical expression.

For more information, go to www.celtictoclassical.com.