Details
Due to the coronavirus situation, Classical Drinking in March and April 2020 is canceled. The concerts will be rescheduled as soon as possible, hopefully in mid to late May 2020.
April 11, 2020 from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. Classical Drinking with The Great American Trio: Celeste Shearer on horn, Dena Kay Jones on piano, and Jim Shearer on tuba.
This is the sixth and final installment of a new six-part live music series that features regional musicians in a relaxed atmosphere. Dry Point Distillers offers a cash bar with cocktails and non-alcoholic options. Cost: $15 at the door or in advance at daarts.org or at DAAC office 575-523-6403.
Celeste Shearer plays horn with the Roswell Symphony Orchestra and the Southwest Chamber Consortium. She was a member of the El Paso Symphony from 1984 to 1991 under Maestro Abraham Chavez, and she continues her association with EPSO today serving as a regular substitute. Celeste has also performed with the Lubbock Symphony, Las Cruces Symphony, Amarillo Symphony, and the New Mexico Philharmonia. In 1989 she received a fellowship to attend the prestigious Tanglewood Institute, where she studied with the Empire Brass Quintet. Most recently, she has premiered a series of new works for horn, tuba, and piano with the Shearer-Rowe Trio. Along with her husband, Jim, she has recorded a CD for the Summit Record label titled Haunted America Suite (Music for Horn, Tuba, and Piano), released in January 2015. She also has a new solo release planned for Summit Records that will be released in 2019 titled Sultry and Eccentric: The Music of James Grant. Continuing in her family’s long musical tradition, Mrs. Shearer is a third generation music teacher. She taught middle school band for 20 years in the El Paso I.S.D. and is currently Director of Bands at Mesa Middle School in Las Cruces, NM.
Dena Kay Jones has performed as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and in Spain, Italy, Mexico and Canada. She is also a frequent performer of solo and chamber music at various venues within the El Paso, Texas vicinity. In addition to maintaining a widely varied repertoire from the standard piano literature, Ms. Jones has focused her energies in performance and research of the Spanish piano repertoire. In particular, her interest in this music has led her to focus on lesser-known Spanish piano works written from 1900-1950. She is sought out for her work, opinions and interpretations of this particular canon of piano music. Dr. Jones also is a member of the Great American Trio, which performs music from the Americas written for horn, tuba and piano. She joined the music faculty of the University of Texas at El Paso in 2002, where she is professor of applied piano, chamber music and class piano. She also is a faculty member at the Orfeo Summer Music Festival, held annually in Vipiteno/Sterzing, Italy.
With this new Classical Drinking music series, Artistic Director Jim Shearer
aims to “de-mystify” classical music by offering audience-friendly selections in a relaxed environment. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at the door or in advance on-line. A cash bar will be offered by Dry Point Distillers with yummy cocktails and non-alcoholic options. Audience members are encouraged to ask questions and interact with the musicians throughout the evening.
Classical Drinking music events that will take place on the Second Saturday of the month from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. Classical Drinking will follow the monthly Second Saturday 10-10 Arts Hop gallery opening from 4-7 p.m. at the DAAC Arts & Cultural Center.
The full 2019-2020 series schedule is as follows:
Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019 La Catrina String Quartet with special guest Jim Shearer
Saturday, October 12 Marcos Cavalcante, classical guitar, Hyerim Mapp cello, and Madelyn Moore on Clarinet
Saturday, November 9 Dena Kay Jones, solo piano
No events in December or January
Saturday, Feb, 8, 2020 Erik Unsworth, Double Bass, Dena Kay Jones on piano
Saturday, March 14 Sarah Daughtrey, vocals with Dena Kay Jones on piano
Saturday, April 11 Piano Trio with Dena Kay Jones, Jim Shearer on tuba, and Celeste Shearer on French horn