UK Symphony Orchestra and Violinist Zachary DePue to Perform Shostakovich, Beethoven

Hear Zachary DePue talk about music and his work as concertmaster with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 23, 2016) — The critically acclaimed University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro John Nardolillo, will perform next with violinist Zachary DePue, who is known for his virtuosic and high‐energy performances. The concert with DePue will begin 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, at the Singletary Center for the Arts.

The December concert will feature DePue accompanied by the UK Symphony Orchestra on Dmitri Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1. The orchestra will also perform John Luther Adams' "Dark Waves" and Ludwig van Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. 

Violinist Zachary DePue balances his roles as Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) concertmaster, soloist, chamber musician, fiddler, community leader and mentor with passion and dedication. A rising star among both classical and crossover music fans, he was appointed concertmaster of ISO in 2007 and became one of the youngest concertmasters in the country.

DePue graduated in 2002 from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with renowned violinists Ida Kavafian and Jaime Laredo. He served as concertmaster of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra before becoming a violinist in The Philadelphia Orchestra. Prior to entering Curtis, he attended the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with William Preucil, concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra.

With an innate talent for improvisation and arranging, DePue found much of his inspiration from his three older brothers, all violinists and fiddlers. In 1985, the four classically‐trained brothers formed their own acclaimed group, The DePue Brothers, which combines classical and bluegrass for an eclectic, fun concert experience. The group’s father is Wallace DePue, a composer and professor emeritus at Bowling Green State University.

DePue is also a founding member of Time for Three, ISO’s first ever ensemble-in-residence, alongside his fell Curtis colleagues, violinist Nick Kendall and double bassist Ranaan Meyer. With its dynamic energy and mash-ups of bluegrass, jazz and classical music, Time for Three has reinvented the ISO’s Happy Hour Series and has introduced new audiences to the symphony experience.

Founded in 1918 and made up of undergraduate and graduate musicians from across the United States, Asia, South America and Europe, the UK Symphony Orchestra has long served as one of the university’s most prominent musical ensembles. This year they continue that tradition with performances of some of the greatest works in the orchestral repertoire, alongside contemporary works which push the boundaries of orchestral music. Concerts will feature music by the likes of Beethoven, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and George Gershwin, and by modern composers John Adams and current UK student Logan Blackman. The orchestra will also continue its partnership with UK Opera Theatre, performing next in the program's production of "The Barber of Seville."

John Nardolillo has appeared with more than 30 of the country’s leading orchestras, including the Boston Pops, the National Symphony, and principal orchestras of Seattle, San Francisco, Detroit, Atlanta, Dallas, Milwaukee, Utah, Columbus, Indianapolis, Oregon, Fort Worth, Buffalo, Alabama, Louisville, Missouri, North Carolina, Toledo, Vermont, Columbus, Omaha and Hawaii. He also recently conducted concerts at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia; and Carnegie Hall in New York. Nardolillo made his professional conducting debut in 1994 at the Sully Festival in France, and has since made conducting appearances in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and China. He has led major American orchestras in subscription series concerts, summer and pops concerts, education concerts and tours, and for television and radio broadcasts. In 2004, Nardolillo joined the faculty at the UK School of Music, where he is currently serving as the director of Orchestras.

Doors for the UK Symphony Orchestra concert with Zachary DePue open 7 p.m. with music beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $5 for students, and free for UK students with a valid ID before the day of the performance (at the Singletary Center ticket office only). Tickets are available through the Singletary Center ticket office online at www.scfatickets.com, by phone 859-257-4929, or in person at the venue.

UK Symphony Orchestra is part of the UK School of Music at the UK College of Fine Arts. The school has garnered a national reputation for high-caliber education in opera, choral and instrumental music performance, as well as music education, composition, and theory and music history.