The Austin College Music Department will present An English Cello Turns 100, a recital by guest cellist Leslie Whelan and pianist John McGinn, Austin College associate professor of music, at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Clifford J. Grum Sanctuary of Wynne Chapel. The recital is free and open to the public. Masks for COVID safety are required on the campus.
Marking a century since her instrument was crafted by the celebrated English luthier William Robinson, Whelan will be joined by McGinn in Ernest Bloch’s Prayer (1924), Samuel Barber’s Cello Sonata in C minor, op. 6 (1932), and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Cello Sonata in D minor, op. 40 (1934).
McGinn also will perform his solo piano piece, Autumn Leaves (2015), which was dedicated to Professor Emeritus Clyde Hall and his wife, Ginny.
Whelan moved to Texas in 2014, and has performed widely as a chamber and symphonic cellist, is a certified Suzuki instructor, and is the education director of the Sherman Symphony Orchestra, where she seeks to make music accessible to all. She received degrees in cello performance from Ithaca College and the University of Maryland.
McGinn earned a doctorate in musical arts with a specialty in composition from Stanford University. He has composed, performed, and recorded extensively in addition to teaching at Austin College since 2008.He spent several years teaching at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, before joining the Austin College faculty.