Mayo Clinic Announces Three Rosemary and Meredith Willson Harmony for Mayo Program Concerts in May

Friday, April 25, 2008

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Now celebrating its 10th year of performances, the Rosemary and Meredith Willson Harmony for Mayo Program features weekly music concerts for the enjoyment of Mayo Clinic patients, staff and the Rochester community. May's concerts will be held on Mondays from 12:10 to 1 p.m. at locations around the Mayo Clinic campus.

The schedule is: May 5: Shubhendra Rao will perform sitar music in Barbara Woodward Lips Atrium, subway level, Rochester Methodist Hospital, Charlton Building, 10 Third Ave. N.W. He will be accompanied by Biplab Bhattacharya on the tabla. Under his father's tutelage, Rao began playing the sitar as a 3-year-old. Rao has performed at major music festivals throughout India. He has served as a guest lecturer about Indian music at leading universities around the world. In the Midwest, he has performed at the Walker Arts Centre in Minneapolis and the Des Moines Civic Centre in Iowa.

May 12: Choral Arts Ensemble of Rochester will perform in Hage Atrium, subway level, Siebens Medical Education Building, 100 Second Ave. S.W.

To honor Minnesota's sesquicentennial on May 11, Choral Arts Ensemble will trace the state's rich choral heritage through the works of its composers, including Dominick Argento, Stephen Paulus, Dave Cherwien, Libby Larsen, Abbie Betinis, and Kenneth Jennings. The group also will sing "Old Waters" by J. David Moore and "Musica Dei Donum Optimi" by Stephen Chatman — pieces the group premiered. Now in its 23rd season, Choral Arts Ensemble is directed by Michael Culloton.

May 19: Ariane Lydon will perform Celtic-influenced music in Barbara Woodward Lips Atrium, subway level, Rochester Methodist Hospital, Charlton Building, 10 Third Ave. N.W. Born in Sussex, England, Lydon combines her virtuosic voice and skills at playing the 12- and six-string guitars, keyboards, Celtic harp, and bodhran. During the last 12 years, she has performed in 40 states. Her most recent recording is "Still She Moves."

May 26: Memorial Day, no concert.

Sponsored by Mayo Clinic Center for Humanities in Medicine, the Rosemary and Meredith Willson Harmony for Mayo Program is coordinated by Choral Arts Ensemble of Rochester. The series is generously funded by Rosemary Willson in memory of her late husband, Meredith Willson, who wrote the Broadway musical "The Music Man." The gift is made in gratitude for the couple's care at Mayo Clinic. More information about the Rosemary and Meredith Willson Harmony for Mayo Program can be found online (www.mayoclinic.org/humanities-in-medicine).

###

To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. MayoClinic.com is available as a resource for your health stories.