Juilliard in Aiken returns in March

The fourth annual Juilliard in Aiken Music Festival is slated to appear on a dozen local stages in less than two months.

The whirlwind of world-class dance and music will showcase 15 public performances, as well as 20 outreach programs for students in regional schools from March 10-16.

Dr. Sandra Field, president of Juilliard in Aiken, said the lineup of March events for Aiken's one-of-a-kind collaboration with the prestigious performing arts school is even more extensive than last year's.

"For 2012, we're offering daily matinee and evening performances and two showcase concerts," Field said. "We've also expanded the outreach program to children of all grade levels - elementary, middle, high school and college-age students."

The events will kick off Saturday, March 10, with a gala concert in the ballroom at Joye Cottage.

The week that follows will include a historical performance ensemble, organ recital, jazz performances, a piano trio with a vocal quartet, dance at the URS Center for the Performing Arts, a percussion ensemble performance and two Finale Showcase concerts.

When not performing for the public, the 35 visiting Juilliard artists will visit area schools - many of them in underprivileged communities - in Aiken, Richmond and Allendale counties.

There, they will work closely with the students, presenting performances, conducting classes and providing one-on-one instruction.

Field said that, in the three years of the festival's existence, Juilliard artists have worked with more than 8,000 area students. She emphasizes that the outreach program goes beyond simple exposure.

"The performers are actually teaching," she said. "They're also acting as mentors and role models."

Sure to wow young and old alike this year are Juilliard's "pre-college students," 10-year-old violin virtuoso Elli Choi and 17-year-old Taeguk Mun on cello.

Both have played with major orchestras in Europe, North America and the Far East. Choi is the youngest recipient of an instrument from the Stradivari Society in Chicago. The diminutive violinist is playing a three-quarter-sized violin made by Joseph Rocca of Turin, Italy, in 1852.

The two sensational young stars will perform at the Aiken County Historical Museum in the festival's Trustees Featured Performer Series.

Another bright star who will perform is Jennifer Sheehan.

A Juilliard graduate, Sheehan is described as "special, sensational, smashing," in Cabaret Scenes magazine and headlines a critically acclaimed show, "You Made Me Love You - Celebrating 100 Years of the Great American Songbook."

The recipient of numerous awards, Sheehan made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2010 and will host the Aiken Music Festival's final two concerts.

Field said the relationship between Aiken and Juilliard is one in which Aiken residents can take great pride.

"We are so fortunate to have Juilliard come to Aiken," she said. "We have the nation's most celebrated performing arts conservatory sending its students here not only to perform but also to teach. They spend time on our stages, in our downtown and in our schools. And this is the only place in the world where that happens."

Tickets for Juilliard in Aiken go on sale Monday.

To purchase tickets to the festival, visit www.juilliardinaiken.com.