Brooklyn-based orchestra The Knights and its passion for musical discovery, engaging listeners, and defying musical boundaries fuses onstage with the flawless technique of acclaimed violinist Gil Shaham for an evening of music from composers Rebel, Prokofiev, and Beethoven at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 26.

Presented by the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, the performance will be held in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Moss Arts Center’s Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall.

The Knights evolved from late-night chamber music reading parties with friends into an orchestral collection dedicated to programming that showcases the players’ roots in the classical tradition and their passion for artistic discovery. Shaham is known as an American master of the violin, having received the coveted Avery Fisher Prize in 2008 and 2012.

Shaham’s exploration of the violin concertos of the 1930s spurred the collaboration between the violinist and the orchestra, resulting in a brand new recording of Prokofiev’s G Minor Violin Concerto, which will be part of the evening performance. The Knights will also perform Rebel’s “Les Caractères de la Danse” and Symphony no. 3, op. 55, “Eroica,” by Beethoven. 

The Knights’ 2015-16 season kicked off at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in New York City, a regular stop for the ensemble, with a performance featuring cello superstar Yo-Yo Ma. In recent years, The Knights have toured North America in various shapes and sizes with incredible guests, including banjo virtuoso, Bela Fleck; the first lady of the pipa, Wu Man; and Iranian hammered dulcimer wizard, Siamak Aghaei.

Violinist Colin Jacobsen and cellist Eric Jacobsen, who are also founding members of the string quartet Brooklyn Rider, serve as artistic directors of The Knights. In 2012, the Jacobsen brothers were selected from among the nation’s top visual, performing, media, and literary artists to receive a prestigious United States Artists Fellowship. The Knights’ roster includes diverse talents, featuring composers, arrangers, singer-songwriters, and improvisers, who bring a range of cultural influences to the group, from jazz and klezmer to pop and indie rock music.

One of the world’s foremost violinists, Shaham has performed with the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, New World Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Chicago Symphony, and Philadelphia Orchestra. Shaham already has more than two dozen concerto and solo CDs to his name, including bestsellers that have earned multiple Grammys, a Grand Prix du Disque, Diapason d’Or, and a Gramophone Editor’s Choice award.

The Center for the Arts will host a Tweet Seats Master Class during the performance with select Virginia Tech students. Designed to provide students and faculty a new way to make connections and discoveries through the arts and introduce a new dimension to the class experience, this Twitter-based educational discussion will be led by Tracy Cowden, Virginia Tech faculty chair of music and associate professor of voice and piano. Following the performance, participating students will meet with the visiting artists during a reception.

Tickets

Tickets are $25-55 for general public and $10 for students and youth 18 years old and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.

Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Kacy McAllister at 540-231-5300 or email kmcallis@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.

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