Famed cellist to be honored during American Music Festival

The American Music Festival continues its 27th season at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at the History Museum of Carteret County in Morehead City with Amit Peled in a unique homage to Pablo Casals.  

Mr. Casals, who died in 1973, is regarded as one of the greatest cellists of all time.
The program will feature excerpts from popular cello works, works that Mr. Casals himself might have played for the audience.

Mr. Peled will be accompanied by the pianist Noreen Cassidy-Polera, who ranks among the most highly regarded chamber artists performing today and maintains a career that has taken her to every major American music center and abroad to Europe.

Mr. Peled’s concert will provide a combination of well-known classical music, a close connection between the artists and their instruments and evoke a long musical tradition.

The instrument for the concert will be the 1733 Goffriller cello. This instrument was used by Mr. Casals and was loaned to Mr. Peled by Mr. Casal’s widow, Marta, so the instrument could be brought to life again.

Mr. Peled has performed as a soloist with many orchestras and in the world’s premier concert halls.  He has also been featured on TV and radio stations throughout the world, including NPR’s “Performance Today.”

When not performing, Mr. Peled is a professor at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University.

A local nonprofit organization, the American Music Festival has been providing music to Carteret County and Eastern North Carolina for the last 27 years.

A portion of the ticket proceeds and donations to the American Music Festival go to provide music outreach programs for county school children.

Tickets, which can be purchased at the door, are $30. Call 252-728-6152 for reservations.  
The next concert in the series is Saturday, Feb. 18, at the museum with a performance by The Horszowski Piano Trio.
They will be performing works by Mendelssohn and Beethoven.