Acclaimed cellist Alexander Hersh will move you with Dvořák’s “Cello Concerto”

A soaring cello concerto, a celebrated guest artist and the beginning of a milestone season await as the Carmel Symphony Orchestra (CSO) launches its 50th Anniversary season with HORIZONS: The Promise of a Vast Land, presented by Pedcor Companies, at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Payne & Mencias Palladium.

Acclaimed cellist Alexander Hersh joins the orchestra for Antonín Dvořák’s powerful and deeply expressive Cello Concerto.

Hersh quickly established himself as one of the most exciting and versatile talents of his generation. He has appeared as soloist with the Houston Symphony and Boston Pops and has received top prizes and awards in numerous international competitions, including the Astral Artists National Auditions, National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artists Competition, Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and Borromeo String Quartet Guest Artist Award.

A passionate chamber musician, Hersh has performed throughout the United States and Europe at festivals including Marlboro, Ravinia, Music@Menlo, Caramoor, IMS Prussia Cove, Lucerne, Kneisel Hall, and the Amsterdam Cello Biennial. His repertoire encompasses the complete string quartets of Bartók and Berg as well as much of the chamber music canon. Following his performance at the 2017 Queen Elisabeth Cello Competition, Belgian Radio’s Musiq3 praised his “scenic presence and charm.”

Hersh is co-artistic director of NEXUS Chamber Music, a Chicago-based collective dedicated to bringing exceptional chamber music to intimate and unconventional venues while presenting both standard and lesser-known works.

A fourth-generation string player, Hersh was raised in Chicago and began playing cello at age five. He studied with Steve Balderston, Hans Jørgen Jensen, Laurence Lesser, Paul Katz, and Kim Kashkashian, and studied with Nicolas Altstaedt at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik Berlin. He holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from New England Conservatory, where he graduated with academic honors. Hersh performs on a G.B. Rogeri cello generously loaned through Darnton & Hersh Fine Violins in Chicago.

Learn more at AlexanderHersh.com.

Click here to find your best seats to see HORIZONS on Saturday, Oct. 10. You can also call the Fifth Third Bank Box Office at (317) 843-3800 for assistance.