Violin virtuoso

After a rush to the ticket office several weeks ago, the Musical Arts Center was packed this past Sunday for three-time Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell and acclaimed pianist Jeremy Denk’s free performance. \nBell, who will join the IU Jacobs School of Music faculty next fall, is widely known for performing with the world’s top orchestras and conductors around the world, as well as appearing on such shows such as “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”, “The Tonight Show”, “CBS Sunday Morning” and “The Today Show”, according to Bell’s Web site.\nDressed in all black, both men took the stage to a silent audience. Performing a two-hour concert, Bell and Denk dazzled the crowd with pieces such as Antonin Dvorak’s “Four Romantic Pieces,” Op 75 and Camille Saint-Saens’s Sonata in D Minor, Op. 75.\nUsing a combination of plucking and working the bow, Bell played four movements per piece with Denk’s accompaniment on the piano.\n For those who did not get tickets, the Jacobs School provided a live video-stream of the concert on the music school’s Web site. Only computers on campus and computers able to connect to the University network could log on. \n“The show was pretty good; it is the best they have had at the MAC this year,” sophomoreJames Sullivan said.\nBell, who earned a master’s degree in music from IU and has taught at the Jacobs School in the past, will teach as a senior lecturer in the String Department this fall. \n“Having name recognition is a huge benefit; it will draw more students and names to the school,” freshman Elisabeth Gawthrop said.\nThe Musical Arts Center provides many events to students and the public each semester, but Sullivan said Bell was an excellent choice. \n“I have seen (Joshua Bell) on TV when he played a concert in New York,” Sullivan said. “He has an outstanding reputation.”