The UD Master Players present: 'Home for the Holidays'

​The University of Delaware and School of Music’s Master Players Concert Series will include a free livestream concert, “Home for the Holidays: A Family Extravaganza,” at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12. A replay of this event can be viewed until 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 15 by registering on the Master Players Concert Series website.

The event, hosted by Master Players Director Xiang Gao, will feature leading UD music faculty, and their musician spouses, performing a program of classical and contemporary chamber music, including some holiday favorites. Exclusive features including in-depth conversations, fun facts and untold stories, will accompany the performances to create a unique and entertaining family-friendly experience (ages 5+).

Performers include UD faculty cellist Larry Stomberg with his wife, cellist Jennifer Stomberg; UD faculty violist Elias Goldstein with his wife, pianist Angela Draghicescu; UD faculty jazz pianist and percussionist Tom Palmer with his wife, jazz vocalist Ellen Lebowitz; and UD faculty trombonist Bruce Tychinski and his wife, UD Music faculty member and hornist Heidi Lucas.

The Dec. 12 concert is the third of six “virtual afternoon tea” concerts to be presented by Master Players in the 2020-21 season, entitled “re-stART @ Home.” Like almost all arts presenters, Master Players needed to retool its entire presenting strategy due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. To continue to bring the arts to its patrons, all concerts were re-conceptualized as livestream or webinar events, and all events were made free-of-charge to the public with the support of generous donors and foundations.

​The performers in the Master Players Concert Series serve as cultural ambassadors for the University of Delaware. Producing Artistic Director Xiang Gao, international artist and University of Delaware Trustees Distinguished Professor of Music, brings a rich and wide array of world-class musicians to the UD campus and to underserved local communities. The series’ hallmarks are its high artistic standards, the Delaware debuts of remarkable artists, and its diverse and distinctive programming. Master Players is proud to offer a large variety of public performances in numerous University venues and throughout the region.

This program is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Other sponsors include Vita Nova restaurant at the University of Delaware and the Marriott’s Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware. See a complete list on the Masters Players website.

Article by Melissa Kitchen; photos by Master Players Concert Series.

Published Dec. 11, 2020.