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Join Memphis Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Barrie Cooper and pianist Brian Ray of Rhodes College for the first Spotlight Concert Series performance. The Spanish-themed program features works by Joaquín Turina, Eugène Ysaÿe, and more.

Spotlight Concert Series showcases members of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in the intimate Green Room at Crosstown Arts. The series provides the Memphis community the opportunity to get to know and learn more about the talented musicians that make up the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Each month will feature a different musician or small chamber group as soloist or featured ensemble.

$10 at the door | $7 on Eventbrite in advance | $5 at the door with student ID

About the musicians:
Barrie Cooper is Acting Concertmaster of the Memphis Symphony. She started violin studies at four with John Kendall at the Suzuki program of Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. She also served as Kendall’s assistant, traveling across the US and Japan to workshops and conferences. Barrie studied viola (because none of her friends would) in order to join the Più Mosso Quartet, which gave numerous concerts in the Midwest and East Coast. For two years, she was Principal Viola in the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra. After attending Ithaca College, Barrie graduated from Peabody Conservatory, where she won the Marbury Violin Competition and the Josef Kasper Prize for excellence in violin performance. Barrie has spent the last 14 summers as Principal Second Violin at the American Institute of Musical Studies orchestra in Graz, Austria. A die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan, she shares her home with two beautiful dogs and five wonderful cats.

In addition to private piano instruction at Rhodes College, Brian Ray is the departmental collaborative pianist and also teaches piano classes at the University of Memphis. He has been a soloist with the University of Memphis Orchestra and the Memphis Civic Orchestra and has performed extensively as an assisting pianist in voice recitals. His most recent collaborative ventures have included art song recitals of works by Richard Hundley, Samuel Barber, Libby Larsen, and Rebecca Clarke. He has been a student of Allison Nelson and Joan Gilbert. His areas of research include the piano works of Joseph Marx, piano repertoire of the 20th century, works for piano ensemble, and harpsichord.