Cellist and Kalamazoo native Anne Francis Bayless is thrilled to return to her hometown to perform as a member of the Fry Street Quartet, an award-winning ensemble she joined in 2000. In a conversation with Cara Lieurance, she says that they last appeared on the Fontana season exactly 20 years ago. The Fry Street Quartet is the quartet-in-residence at Utah State University, where they serve as the string faculty, but they also have freedom to prepare programs for frequent tours. She says growing up in Kalamazoo both gave her the inspiration and the preparation to become a professional musician, mentioning Suzuki teacher Grace Field and WMU professor Bruce Uchimura as influences.
Bayless also talks about the program, featuring works from the 18th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Two familiar composers appear: Haydn and Shostakovich. The newest work is an exploration of folk songs of the Americas by Clarice Assad, a celebrated Brazilian-American composer. It was commissioned by the Fry Street Quartet.
The concert is at 7:30 pm on Friday, Oct 13 in the Dalton Center Recital Hall at Western Michigan University. Tickets and more information are available at the Fontana website.
