Armstrong Auditorium to Open 2015-16 Season With Violin Superstar Joshua Bell

Armstrong International Cultural Foundation begins its 17th performing arts season

EDMOND, OKLAHOMA – Armstrong International Cultural Foundation launches its 17th annual performing arts season with one of the most celebrated violinists of his era, Joshua Bell. The intimate recital titled “An Evening With Joshua Bell” will take place Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the Armstrong Auditorium in Edmond.

Bell has earned the title of “classical music superstar” after traveling the world, showcasing his restless curiosity, passion and multi-faceted musical interests. He was recently named the Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and is the first to hold this post since Sir Neville Marriner instituted the orchestra in 1958. The orchestra’s first recording with Bell as director, Beethoven’s 4th and 7th symphonies, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Classical chart.

“What an intimate evening this will be, listening to Bell perform on his 300-year-old Stradivarius,” said Ryan Malone, Armstrong Auditorium concert manager. “His passion and performance style will serve as a stunning season opener.”

Joshua Bell’s recital will feature works including Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Vitali’s Chaconne in G Minor and Fauré’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major. Additional works will be announced from the stage the night of the performance.

Bell has recorded more than 40 albums; his most recent releases include “The Red Violin Concerto”, “French Impressions,” the Defiance soundtrack, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and Romance of the Violin, which earned the 2004 Classical CD of the Year Award and led Bell to earn the Classical Artist of the Year Award.

“Armstrong Auditorium is the perfect venue for Joshua Bell’s recital. We couldn’t be more excited to showcase him in this phenomenal acoustic space,” said Shane Granger, house manager at Armstrong Auditorium. Granger noted the hall’s acoustical projection and balance of sound is among the finest in the world. “The ratio comparing volume of the performance hall to each seat surpasses great halls such as Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Boston’s Symphony Hall and Vienna’s Musikverein,” he said.

Tickets to An Evening With Joshua Bell begin at $45. For more information on ticket options, subscriptions, group rates or current exhibits, please visit www.armstrongauditorium.org or call 405-285-1010.

Featured in the lobby of Armstrong Auditorium is the “Seals of Jeremiah’s Captors Discovered” archaeological exhibition, which allows visitors to view and discover the history of ancient Israel’s rise under King Solomon, its collapse under King Zedekiah and the work of the prophet Jeremiah. The two clay seals join dozens of ceramic artifacts from Jerusalem during the First Temple period, including figurines, royal seal impressions and one of the largest ancient vessels ever found in Jerusalem.

Armstrong Auditorium

14400 S Bryant Rd
Edmond, OK 73034

Box office: 405-285-1010

– (published September 27, 2015)