The Lee University School of Music will kick off its annual Performing Arts Series (formerly known as Squires Recital Series) with “An Evening of Baroque Music" on Monday at 7:30 p.m. The concert will be held in the Lee University Chapel.

The concert will feature several pieces of program music from the baroque era, including a sonata by Kuhnau that tells the biblical story of Gideon and a short work by Rameau about the mythological Cyclops.  Both works will be performed on harpsichord by Dr. Phillip Thomas, a music historian and chair of the Department of Instrumental Music.  

The concert will be the community debut of this harpsichord, completed by Atlanta-based builder Adam Decker. The instrument will be heard throughout the entire program, including a rendition of Vivaldi’s well-known Sonata in E minor by Thomas and cellist Ishan Kartal, a member of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and Lee’s instrumental faculty. 

The centerpiece of the program will be Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, featuring Associate Professor of Music Xiaoqing Yu on violin, faculty member Janet Hale on flute, and Thomas as soloists.  They will be accompanied by a chamber orchestra under the direction of Artist in Residence Robert Bernhardt, who is also Conductor Emeritus of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. 

Yu also serves as concertmaster of the Greenville, S.C. Symphony Orchestra.  Hale is principal flute in the CSO. 

The concert’s finale will feature four members of the vocal faculty: Professor of Music Jim Burns, bass, Assistant Professor of Music Andrea Dismukes, alto, Assistant Professor of Music James Frost, tenor, and Assistant Professor of Music Loralee Songer, soprano.  They will join Bernhardt and the orchestra for selections from Bach’s cantata A Mighty Fortress is our God.  

Burns has served as a worship leader and soloist in many capacities. Dismukes performs regularly with Choral Arts of Chattanooga. Frost has performed in various European opera houses and festivals, with over 120 roles to his credit. Songer has earned a reputation as an award-winning concert and opera performer. 

Also singing on the final section of the cantata is the Lee University Chorale under the direction of Dr. William Green, Dean of the School of Music.  Admission is free and open to the public. This is a non-ticketed event.  

Lee University Chapel is on the corner of 11th and Ocoee Streets. For more information, contact the School of Music at 614-8240.