As one of New York City’s
most in-demand violinists, Kelly Hall-Tompkins delivers classical and popular
music like you’ve never heard it before, Friday, May 19 at 8:00 p.m. at Diana
Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville.
Known for taking chances on
unfamiliar material as well as soaring through the classics, this musical
virtuoso’s career spans solo, chamber and orchestral performances. For this
Mainstage performance, she is joined by soloist and chamber musician Craig
Ketter, a leading pianist of his generation. Ketter performs with power and a style
that has garnered international renown since his first solo recital at the age
of ten. Together, Ketter and Hall-Tompkins bring a whirlwind performance of
classical and modern tastes by two leading musicians of their generation.
Winner of numerous classical music
competitions, and currently the actual ‘Fiddler’ violin soloist for the
Broadway production of Fiddler on the
Roof, Hall-Tompkins has been a featured soloist in over 100 Broadway
performances to date. Hall-Tompkins has many major television appearances and
is a significant collaborating partner with acclaimed fiddler, Mark O’Connor. Hall-Tompkins’
distinguished orchestral career has included extensive touring in the United
States including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and internationally
including Japan, Singapore, and Scotland.
For her Asheville performance,
Hall-Tompkins will perform the following works: Piazzolla’s “History of the
Tango”; John Williams’ theme from Shindler’s
List; “Pure Imagination” from the movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; movements from Sonata in B
flat by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George (the first classical composer
of African ancestry); and Richard Strauss’s Sonata in E flat.
A fascinating aspect of Hall-Tompkins’
virtuosity is that not only does she have perfect pitch, but she is also gifted
with synesthesia, a neurological condition in which stimuli to one sense
impacts another. In Hall-Tompkins’ case, specific musical pitches are also
perceived as a color. “I have a visual experience with music,” said
Hall-Tompkins. “E-major for me is not only white, but white light. B is red,
and C-sharp is yellowish shading into orange.”
Also a dedicated humanitarian, Hall-Tompkins
founded and directs Music Kitchen-Food for the Soul, which has, to date,
brought over 80 chamber music performances to homeless shelters from New York
City to Los Angeles. Remarkably, she also speaks seven languages.
Enhance Your
Experience: A free lecture and demonstration with Kelly Hall-Tompkins will
be held at Asheville Music School on Thursday, May 18 at 5:30 p.m. In her talk,
"What Color is C#?", Hall-Tompkins discusses her gift of synesthesia,
the ability to perceive sound as color, and speaks about how this affects her
as an artist. She will also talk about becoming a musician, practicing, and
performing. Recommended for ages 10 and up. More information at
www.dwtheatre.com/kelly-hall-tompkins.
Kelly Hall-Tompkins’ Asheville performance is made possible
by Performance Sponsor Parsec Financial; and by Mainstage Music Series Sponsors
Joel & Deborah Bohan Berkowitz, Henry LaBrun, Dianne & David Worley,
Omni Grove Park Inn, and Signarama; with additional support by Media Sponsors The Laurel of Asheville and WCQS 88.1
FM.
The Diana Wortham Theatre is located at 18 Biltmore Avenue. Patrons
enter the theatre through the breezeway between Marble Slab Creamery and White Duck
Taco, and into a large interior courtyard with multiple glass doors leading to
the theatre’s lower lobby and box office.
The intimate theatre seats just over 500 and boasts exceptional
acoustics and sightlines, making it the premier performance space in Western
North Carolina. The Mainstage Series is
supported by a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, a state agency. The Mainstage Series 2016/2017 Season
Sponsors are the Asheville Citizen-Times, Blue Moon Water, Creative Energy, 67
Biltmore Downtown Eatery & Catering, the North Carolina Arts Council, and
the Renaissance Asheville Hotel.
To obtain more information on the Mainstage Series or to
purchase tickets for the May 19, 2017 performance of Kelly Hall-Tompkins at the
Diana Wortham Theatre (Regular $32; Student $27; Child $20; Student Rush,
day-of-the-show with valid I.D. $10), call the theatre’s box office at (828)
257-4530 or visit www.dwtheatre.com.
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