Arcady Music Festival to mix East with West

BANGOR – Bringing together East and West with music calls for mixing Mozart and Gershwin, then throwing in a healthy amount of traditional Indian music.

The presentation requires two concert pianos and a stage that elevates musicians performing on the sitar, tabla and surbahar.

The resulting mix is what audiences will hear at the next Arcady Music Festival performance scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5, at Minsky Hall on the University of Maine campus. Tickets are $13 in advance, or $15 at the door. For information, call 288-2141 or 288-9500.

An annual offering, this year’s East Meets West concert brings together pianists Steven Lubin and Masanobu Ikemiya performing two Mozart sonatas written for two pianos. Then, leaping musically across the centuries, the pianists play Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm.”

Steven Lubin has performed as a soloist in many of the world’s greatest concert halls. He has received worldwide critical acclaim for his artistry, musical originality and technical excellence.

Masanobu Ikemiya, director of Arcady Music Society, is hailed as an artist who inspires audiences with his joyous and expressive tone.

The second half of the concert belongs to Indian musician Shafaatullah Khan who will perform traditional Indian music. Masanobu Ikemiya will join him and the two will improvise on Indian and Western tunes.

Shafaatullah Khan, a descendant of Mogul Emperors, is a member of one of India’s most respected and renowned families of musicians. He possesses the ability to perform on three different instruments at once – the sitar, tabla and surbahar.

The concert includes a pre-concert lecture at 6:30 p.m.

As a special event, 9-year-old Arcady Youth Competition winner, Henry Chen of South Berwick, will play several piano pieces.

A pre-concert dinner, catered by Taste of India restaurant of Bangor, will be served at the Bodwell Lounge in the Maine Center for the Arts at 5 p.m. Dinner is $12 and must be reserved by Friday by calling either Emily Bean, 942-0214, or Sheila Pendse, 866-7575.