UNCG School of Music presents
The Varga Celebration

February 16-18, 2007

Download an Application Form

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Click here for the schedule of events

Click here for updated travel and check-in information

Direct all inquiries to Brooks Whitehouse at
cello_studio@uncg.edu or (336) 334-5518.

Mr. Varga is the eighth cellist to choose the UNCG Cello Music Collection as the permanent home for his own rich and varied cello music library. The original manuscripts to his over fifty transcriptions for cello ensemble and other combinations, including several unpublished works, are an important part of the Varga Collection. Among these manuscripts are his solo cello transcriptions of the Bach d minor and E major violin partitas, and cello/piano arrangements of the Schubert f minor Fantasy op. 103, and the Kodaly Galanta Dances (originally for orchestra). The collection also includes works written for the Varga Cello Quartet by Gunther Schuller, Robert Starer, and Meyer Kupferman, and other original cello quartets by Alain Kouznetzoff, Richard Heller and Arvo Paart. Varga has a legendary international reputation as soloist, recording artist, conductor and master teacher. He served as the Principal Cellist of the New York Philharmonic for eleven years under Dimitri Mitropoulos and Leonard Bernstein, and has appeared as soloist with orchestras across the USA, Europe, Japan, Australia, South America, and the former Soviet Union. As well as playing in the Borodin Trio, Mr. Varga spent twenty-five years as featured soloist, chamber musician, and master teacher at the Aspen, Chautauqua, and Shreveport festivals among others. He has numerous acclaimed recordings on the Vox, RCA, Columbia, Decca, CRI, Period, and MusiCelli labels. As a conductor he has led the Budapest and San Leandro Symphonies, and has also served as Director and conductor of the San Francisco University Symphony for 25 years. Mr. Varga retired in 2000 from the University of Houston, and for his career-long dedication to teaching Indiana University awarded him the distinguished title of "Chevalier du Violoncelle". As founder of the first cello quartet in America in the 1950’s, Mr. Varga is considered the father of the multi-cello ensemble, and his arrangements in this genre have been recorded by the Yale Cellos, Saito Cello Ensemble, CELLO for Sony/Phillips, MusiCelli, the Los Angeles I Cellisti, and by his New York Philharmonic Cello Quartet on DECCA Records. The sheet music to most of his arrangements is available from MusiCelli Publications. For a catalogue, write musicelli@yahoo.com.

View the catalog of Varga's work in pdf format.

Concerts, Master Classes and Teacher Training

Click here for a detailed schedule of events!

The UNCG School of Music and Jackson Library present the Varga Celebration, a weekend of concerts, master classes and presentations honoring the legendary cellist Laszlo Varga. Many of Mr. Varga's colleagues and former students will gather in his honor, including:

• Janos Starker, Indiana University
• Takayori Atsumi, American Cello Council
• David Garrett, Los Angeles Philharmonic
• Valerie Walden, Author of One Hundred Years of Violoncello
• Adaiha MacAdam-Somer, San Francisco College of Music
• Manuel C. Capote, Conductor, Youth Orchestras of Palm Beach County
• Jerome Kessler, Conductor, I Cellisti and Topanga Symphony
• Beth Vanderborgh, Greensboro Symphony Principal Cellist

Mr. Varga will be giving a recital of his own transcriptions for cello and piano of works by Bach, Brahms, Mozart and Kodaly, and cellists and cello ensembles from around the country will be showcasing his transcriptions and other ground-breaking works for cello. If you have questions about this event please contact Celebrations Director Brooks Whitehouse at cello_studio@uncg.edu or call 336-334-5518. This web site will be updated periodically with news regarding this event.

Other highlights of the Varga Celebration include:

• An Opening Night Gala concert in which Laszlo Varga conducts his arrangements of Strauss, including the Cello Sonata arranged as a chamber concerto, and a small ensemble version of Don Quixote.
• A viewing of the Varga Cello Music Collection at UNCG's Jackson Library, home of the largest body of cello music in the world.
• A presentation by cellist and celebrated author Valerie Walden, “From Romberg to Varga: A Historical Perspective.”
• A panel discussion with Mr.Varga, Janos Starker, and Takayori Atsumi.
• Periodic cello choir showcase interludes, featuring ensembles from around the country performing Varga arrangements. Cello ensemble heads interested in participating should contact Brooks Whitehouse ASAP at cello_studio@uncg.edu .
• Featured performances of unusual repertoire for cello performed by friends and colleagues of Mr. Varga.
• A finale concert in which Mr. Varga conducts the Celebration Cello Orchestra in his multi-cello version of Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis. To join the orchestra, see the requirements on the application form.

Tickets to all concerts are free to registered participants, and available to the general public as of January 10 th at the UNCG Box Office (336) 334-4849.

* Participants in master classes are selected by taped audition. See application panel for details.

Travel and Hotel Accommodations:

Click here for updated travel and check-in information.

Discount conference rates of $92 per night (max. 2 people per room) are available for rooms at the Greensboro Marriott (800) 228-9290 or (336) 379-8000. Discounts available until January 24th . When booking the room, please identify yourself as part of “Varga Celebration Block” to get the special rate.

Conference rates of $85 per night plus tax are now available at the Best Western Windsor Suites. Call (336) 294-9100, and ask for rooms under the "UNCG Varga Celebration Block." Up to four people are allowed per room. The hotel is located at the High Point Road exit (217) off of I-40.

For further information on travel, accommodations, or area attractions, please contact:

Sue Meschan, Travelink American Express

(800) 406-9943, ext. 5987, (336) 272-9943, ext 5987 Fax (336) 272-3560

smeschan@trvlnk.com

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