Excelsior! Trio to play VCSU

At 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 4, Excelsior! Trio will perform in concert at Valley City State University. The performance will take place in Froemke Auditorium, located in Foss Music Hall on the VCSU campus.

Admission is $5 for adults and VSCU students and faculty along with children are admitted free.

Excelsior! Trio performs a mix of classical, jazz, folk and contemporary chamber music. The combination of flute, saxophone and piano results in a variety of sound, timbre and styles.

The trio performs compositions and arrangements by member Russ Peterson and recently commissioned a new piece, “The End Unplugged,” by Jorge Variego, VCSU’s composition/woodwind instructor. A future commissioning project is planned with David Maslanka.

Trio members Deb Harris (flute), Russ Peterson (saxophone) and Jay Hershberger (piano) all teach together at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., and are principal players in the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony.

Since officially forming the group in 2009, Excelsior! Trio has performed around the country and world, including appearances at the World Saxophone Congresses in St. Andrews, Scotland and Athens, Ga., and the National Flute Association Convention in Anaheim, Calif.

Other notable concerts include the Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenza, Italy, and numerous concerts at colleges, public schools and community arts series in Ohio, Minnesota and North Dakota. Their 2013 tour will take them through North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa.

Tags: diversions, performances