Celebrate Bach’s 339th birthday with music and insight from cellist Sophie Shao. Her performance begins at 12:00 p.m. in the West Building, Main Floor, Gallery 32, where she is joined by Philip Kennicott, author of “Counterpoint: A Memoir of Bach and Mourning”. At 1:00 p.m. in the West Garden Court, Shao continues with a program featuring two of Bach’s majestic cello suites, No. 2 in D minor (BWV 1008) and No. 6 in D major (BWV 1012), plus more.
Bach is frequently described as the world’s greatest composer by our most influential artists and thinkers. Aaron Copland had said: “If one were asked to name one musician who came closest to composing without human flaw, I suppose general consensus would choose Johann Sebastian Bach.”
About Sophie Shao
Cellist Sophie Shao, winner of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and top prizes at the Rostropovich and Tchaikovsky competitions, is a versatile and passionate artist praised by publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post. Shao’s solo appearances include performances at the Houston Symphony, the American Symphony Orchestra in New York, Taiwan’s National Symphony Orchestra, Ukraine’s National Symphony Orchestra, the Pacific Symphony in Orange County, California, and the BBC Concert Orchestra in London. A native of Houston, Texas, Shao began playing cello at age six. She has a BA in religious studies and an MM from Yale University, and is on the faculty of the University of Connecticut.
