Renowned IU graduates to play sold-out Sunday concert at MAC

Violinist Joshua Bell might have had a visit to Bloomington in mind when he came up with the title track, “Short Trip Home.”\nBell and fellow IU graduate Jeremy Denk will make that trip when they perform at 4 p.m. Sunday in the Musical Arts Center.\nBell and Denk have been performing together for several years, averaging about one tour a year, Denk said. \n“We connect well musically,” he said. “When rehearsing, it is more listening to each other than talking.” \nBell and Denk’s upcoming performance will feature Giuseppe Tartini: “Devil’s Trill” Sonata; Sergei Prokofiev: Sonata in F Minor, Op. 80; Antonín Dvorák: Four Romantic Pieces, Op. 75; Camille Saint-Saëns: Sonata in D Minor, Op. 75. \nAn audience favorite is always Saint-Saëns, Denk said. \n“The audience goes nuts for it,” he said. \nHe also said he is looking forward to playing Prokofiev, because he and Bell have never performed it together. In fact, they are still in the process of developing the piece creatively. \nThe recital will simply be Denk on the piano and Bell on the violin. However, to all their fans, this duo’s performance is quite dynamic. Within two hours, the recital was sold out.\nThis is their first performance together in Bloomimgton. \n“(Bell) always looks forward to coming home to Bloomington. It’s his favorite place to perform,” said Bell‘s publicist and press representative for JAG Entertainment, Jane Covner.\nBell was born and raised a Hoosier. He grew up in Bloomington and attended IU to study the violin for his bachelor’s degree. After graduating, he went on to build an illustrious career. Among other achievements, he has already earned three Grammy Awards and has performed with top artists such as James Taylor and Sting. In conjunction with this performance, The Jacobs School of Music is proud to announce that Bell will also join the faculty in the fall.\nDenk received his master’s degree in piano at IU and later earned his doctorate at Juilliard. While on campus, he coached the opera. When he was only 26 years old, he became a faculty member at the Jacobs School of Music.\n“It was very intense to be suddenly teaching so many students,” he said. “It was long days teaching and then practicing five to six hours at night. I was in the music building all the time.”\nStill, he is fond of the Jacobs School of Music. \n“The music school is large, but there is a sense of family, continuity and tradition,” he said. \nDenk said he is excited to be back, because he loves IU’s campus. However, he wishes the recital was in the fall or the spring instead of the winter, because that is when the campus is most beautiful. He also misses his favorite hangout, the SOMA Coffee House on Kirkwood Avenue.\nFor those unable to reserve tickets, there will be two monitors in the Musical Arts Center lobby displaying the recital. The Jacobs School of Music is also excited to announce that the recital will be streamed live over the Internet. Alain Barker, director of marketing and publicity for IU’s School of Music, said to access the stream, users will need to be on a University-registered computer. The stream will be available at www.music.\nindiana.edu.