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Special Guests
Saturday, December 9, 2000
RICKY SKAGGS was born in eastern Kentucky in 1954. Already an accomplished singer and mandolin player by the time he reached his teens, he and his friend, late country singer Keith Whitley, were taken under the wing of bluegrass pioneer Ralph Stanley in 1971. Skaggs performed and recorded with J.D. Crowe & The New South, and also served a stint as bandleader with Boone Creek before turning his attention to country music in the late ’70s. He spent time playing in Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band, then struck out on his own with the release of Waitin’ For the Sun To Shine, which was released in 1981. He hit the top of the country charts and stayed there for much of the ’80s, racking up eight Country Music Association awards and four Grammys before deciding to return to bluegrass. His 1997 release, Bluegrass Rules (Rounder Records) set a new standard for bluegrass and earned the International Bluegrass Music Association’s 1998 Album of the Year honor, as well as a 1999 Grammy nomination. Other recent recordings include Ancient Tones (Rounder) and Soldier of The Cross (Skaggs Family Records). His latest CD, Big Mon: The Songs of Bill Monroe (Skaggs Family Records), is a tribute to Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass, and features performances by John Fogerty, Bruce Hornsby, Charlie Daniels, and Joan Osborne. In October, Skaggs and his band Kentucky Thunder, were named the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Instrumental Group of the Year, the third time they have received that honor. Performing with Skaggs this evening are Kentucky Thunder: Mark Fain (bass); Jim Mills (banjo); Paul Brewster (guitar); Darrin Vincent (guitar); Clay Hess (guitar) and Bobby Hicks (fiddle).
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GARRICK OHLSSON was born in White Plains, New York, began studying piano at the age of eight, attended the Westchester Conservatory of Music, and at age 13 entered The Juilliard School. He won the top prizes at the 1966 Busoni Competition in Italy and the 1968 Montreal Piano Competition, and then was propelled into worldwide fame with his 1970 Gold Medal triumph at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Ohlsson has completed nearly a dozen tours of Poland, where he has become virtually a national hero. The bulk of his 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons was devoted to the complete solo piano works of Chopin, cycles that played to sold-out houses across the nation and were later recorded for Arabesque. His most recent Arabesque CD is a recording of Chopin’s Polish Songs with contralto Ewa Podles. In addition to Chopin, Ohlsson’s extensive concerto repertoire includes more than 70 works for piano and orchestra, ranging from Haydn and Mozart to 20th-century masters. In addition to his many concert and recital dates, he is an avid chamber musician, and has collaborated with the Cleveland, Emerson, Takacs, and Tokyo String Quartets, among other noted ensembles. Together with violinist Jorja Fleezanis and cellist Michael Grebanier—is a founding member of the San Francisco-based FOG trio. Ohlsson recently concluded a tour with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, as well as a number of joint recitals with violinist Hilary Hahn, and with Ewa Podles. Tonight, as well as Monday and Tuesday nights, he will play Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 with the New York Philharmonic.
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