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The Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music at Â鶹ÊÓƵ will present a guest artist recital featuring Christopher Adkins, principal cellist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, at 7:30 p.m, Friday, Jan. 27, in the Rothwell Recital Hall. The program includes two of the great 20th-century Russian cello sonatas, the D minor sonata of Dmitri Shostakovich and the G minor sonata of Sergei Rachmaninoff. Admission is free and open to the public.

Adkins will be accompanied by two Â鶹ÊÓƵ music faculty members, Jacob Clark and Sujung Cho.

"Mr. Adkins is a top-tier cellist, and having him here to perform at Â鶹ÊÓƵ is a fantastic opportunity for our students and the public to hear a great musician,” said Clark, assistant professor of piano. “Personally, it is a tremendous honor for me to be able to work with him on the Shostakovich sonata, and I know Dr. Cho feels the same way about working with him on the Rachmaninoff piece."

Adkins received his musical training at the University of North Texas and at Yale University, where he studied with the distinguished pedagogue Aldo Parisot. During his tenure at Yale, Adkins held the position of principal cellist with the New Haven Symphony. Upon receiving his Master of Music degree, he assumed the duties of assistant principal cellist with the Denver Symphony. In 1987, he returned to the Dallas Symphony to occupy the chair once held by his former teacher, Lev Aronson.

In addition to his duties with the Dallas Symphony, Adkins serves on the faculty of Southern Methodist University and the University of North Texas. He remains an active recitalist and chamber musician. A member of a large musical family, he has, with six of his brothers and sisters, formed the Adkins String Ensemble, whose performances were praised by the Dallas Morning News as among the ten best concerts of the year.

For more information, contact the Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music at (409) 880-8144.