Carthage faculty to perform Shostakovich Cello Sonata Saturday

Join the Carthage community for a cello concert at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, in the H. F. Johnson Recital Hall. Cello instructor Peter Thomas and pianist Matthew Bergey will perform the sonata that Dmitri Shostakovich famously composed in 1934. Professor Dimitri Shapovalov will frame its historical context.

From left to right: Peter Thomas, Matthew Bergey, and Dimitri Shapovalov. Peter J. Thomas has been a member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra since 2008 and has performed around the world as a multi-genre soloist, clinician, educator, and chamber musician. As an educator, he holds the position of adjunct cello instructor at Carthage, and he also maintains a private cello studio of gifted musicians. Originally from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where he was born into a family of musicians, Mr. Thomas began playing cello at age five at the American Suzuki Talent Education Center and received degrees at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and the Cleveland Institute of Music. His primary teachers were Lawrence Leviton, Tanya Remenikova, Joseph Johnson, and Stephen Geber.

Matthew Bergey has been a successful soloist, chamber music player, church musician, and piano teacher for the last 15 years in the Milwaukee area. Mr. Bergey and Mr. Thomas frequently collaborate together, having recently performed the entire Beethoven cycle for piano and cello.

This event is part of Carthage’s Art Symposium: “Beauty In Expression,” which includes film, music, and visual art.

Learn more about the symposium

Sponsoring Department, Office, or Organization:

Division of Arts and Humanities

For more information, contact:

Gabrielle Banzhaf: gbanzhaf@carthage.edu, 262-551-6215, JAC 210