On March 4-6, The UNCG School of Music will present The Greenhouse Celebration, honoring legendary cellist Bernard Greenhouse in his 90th year. Many of the finest cellists from North Carolina, the United States and abroad will join Greenhouse for three days of public concerts, master classes and presentations at UNCG.

As a soloist, a former cellist of the Bach Aria Group, and a 32-year founding member of the Beaux Arts Trio, Greenhouse has won a reputation as one of the major interpreters of his instrument. During the height of his career, he gave 200 performances a year. The New York Times once called the Beaux Arts Trio, “the leading piano trio in the world today.”

“His impeccable artistry, combined with a sound that is at once noble and achingly human, has touched audiences around the world for more than 60 years, and had a profound effect on generations of cellists,” said Brooks Whitehouse, professor of cello at UNCG and director of the celebration.

More than 140 cellists, some from as far away as Germany, Brazil and New Zealand, are registered to teach, study and/or perform at this year’s event. Participants will include Paul Katz of the Cleveland Quartet, Timothy Eddy of the Orion String Quartet, Steven Doane of the Eastman School of Music, Qiang Tu of the New York Philharmonic, Jonathan Miller of the Boston Symphony and many more. Greenhouse will teach a master class on Saturday afternoon (an event included in the Saturday matinee ticket), and though retired as a performer, he has been known to perform impromptu on such occasions.

“For these three days of the year, Greensboro will be at the center of the cello world,” said Whitehouse. The Greenhouse Celebration builds on the success of last year’s successful tribute to cellist Luigi Silva, and future celebrations at UNCG are already in the planning stages. Each event pays tribute to a different cellist represented in the Jackson Library’s world famous Cello Music Collection. Through these events, UNCG is establishing itself as a major center for the study and performance of the cello literature.

The weekend will begin at UNCG’s Jackson Library Special Collections, home of the largest collection of cello music in the world. There will be an open house display from the Greenhouse Cello Music Collection, along with selected material from the six other cellists represented in the collection.

At 7:30 p.m. Friday, the music begins with an Opening Gala Concert at West Market Street United Methodist Church, featuring the music of Bach, Ravel, Schubert, Arensky and Tchaikovsky. Among the performers will be the Ciompi Quartet with cellist Rolf Gjeltsen of the New Zealand Quartet, and UNCG faculty members Brooks Whitehouse, John Fadial, Scott Rawls and Janet Orenstein.

Two concerts will be given on Saturday in the School of Music Recital Hall. The 2 p.m. Celebration Cello Matinee features the 20-piece Celebration Orchestra of Greenhouse colleagues with cellists from several N.C. universities, and the North Carolina and Greensboro Symphonies. This concert will also feature Tilmann Wick of Hanover, Germany, playing Greenhouse’s prized instrument, the Countess of Stanlein ex-Paganini Stradivarius cello of 1707. The 7:30 p.m. Evening Extravaganza features Eddy, Katz, Miller and Kalish (mentioned above) in Beethoven’s “Magic Flute” Variations, the Carter Sonata (written for Greenhouse) and Dvorak’s beloved “Dumky” trio.

The weekend closes with the Grand Finale concert, held Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Highlights include Qiang Tu of the New York Philharmonic playing Chopin’s “Polonaise Brilliante,” Steven Doane playing “Suite for Cello Op. 72” by Benjamin Britten, and Gustavo Tavarres of Triangulo of Brazil performing his own transcriptions of Brazilian popular music.

For complete programs and schedule information visit www.uncg.edu/mus/greenhouse, or call Brooks Whitehouse at (336) 334-5518. For concert tickets, call (336) 334-4849.