Artist Series 2024 | Cello Kaleidoscope
Dr. Bethany Thompson starred in this year’s Artist Series, “Cello Kaleidoscope: Colors of the Unfamiliar.” For the first half of the concert, she entertained the audience with solo performances of various cello selections. For the second half of the concert, Thompson welcomed Mrs. Ruth Bachorik to accompany her on the piano.
Performers
Dr. Bethany Thompson earned her doctorate in cello performance from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. During her studies, she researched the ways music can benefit youth in detention. Currently, she directs string programs in the Florida Juvenile Justice system. She started a similar program in North Carolina, and the String Research Journal has featured her research. In addition, she performs in various venues, including pediatric wards, retirement communities, and juvenile and adult prisons. Internationally, she taught string performance and music theory in the Philippines for four years.
Mrs. Ruth Bachorik learned piano in childhood and taught piano throughout high school. She holds a B.S. from Pillsbury Baptist Bible College and a M.M. in Piano Performance from Bob Jones University. For the last twenty-one years, she taught music and ministry classes at a Bible college in the Philippines where she met Thompson. Currently, she works on faculty at Maranatha alongside her husband Dr. Doug Bachorik, the head of the Maranatha Music Department.
Performances
Reflecting her theme “Cello Kaleidoscope,” Thompson displayed the wide variety of styles and repertoire the cello has to offer. She performed pieces familiar to many celloists such as Suite No. 1, Mvt. VI: Gigue by Bach. She also featured pieces from less familiar composers, including a four-movement selection from Piatigorsky. Along with classical works, Thompson played traditional tunes from “The Hundred Pipers” to “Bile Them Cabbage Down.” For musical lovers, Thompson and Bachorik offered a medley of “On the Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady and the title theme from The Sound of Music. Thompson honored her accompanist’s family with “Corrente,” a piece composed by Bachorik’s daughter, Alicia Bachorik Armstrong.
“The thing that impressed me most about Dr. Thompson’s performance is her love for performing,” reflected Lucas Moffitt, a cellist himself. “She connected so well with the audience simply through her evident love of the cello. Her goal was obviously to cause the audience to enjoy the variety of music that she chose to perform.”
Click here to see photos of the concert.
For a limited time, you can view a recording of the concert below.