Community Concerts
This concert is free and open to the public.
Performer Information
Laurie Patton
Laurie Patton became a professional musician at age 13 when playing in the pit orchestra with the Children's Theatre Company. She continued to play in a freelance capacity for many years and also taught private flute lessons. She attended the University of Minnesota and the New England Conservatory of Music.
These days Laurie plays in chamber ensembles and subs on flute/piccolo with the First John Phillip Sousa Memorial Band. Laurie is co-producer and host of Baby Blue Arts Presents, a music television series and website featuring Minnesota musicians. Every year, Baby Blue Arts is pleased to videotape a program featuring first place winners from the Thursday Musical student competition. To see and hear many wonderful performances by Minnesota musicians, please visit www.BabyBlueArts.com
Artu Duo: Ruth Marshall, cello; Garret Ross, piano (Thursday Musical debut)
Cellist Ruth Marshall maintains a diverse career as a performer and a pedagogue. As an orchestral musician, she is principal cello of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra (Springfield IL), a member of the Britt Festival Orchestra (Jacksonville OR), and a regular substitute with the Indianapolis Symphony in Indiana, and the Columbus Symphony in Ohio. Ruth is very active as a chamber musician. In addition to playing in MCSQ, she frequently performs as the “Artu Duo” with pianist Garret Ross across the United States, as well as in Canada and the UK. Ruth is a devoted cello teacher, and has been on the faculties of DePaul University, Butler University, and Illinois State University, and Eastern Illinois University.
Ruth holds undergraduate degrees in Comparative History of Ideas and Music Theory from the University of Washington, and graduate degrees in cello performance from DePaul University in Chicago IL. She was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and was a student at the Aspen Music Festival, the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Aldeburgh Music Festival, and the Festival-Institute at Round Top.
Pianist Garret Ross enjoys an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. With a perpetual interest in chamber music, Ross is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Apollo Chamber Music Festival in Houston MN, now in its fifth year. Most recently, Ross has presented solo recitals at the Roerich Museum in NYC, and the Young Masters Recital Series in Valley Cottage NY.
Ross currently teaches at the Cyprus Music School and maintains a large private studio in Minneapolis. He attended NYU’s Steinhardt School, the University of Minnesota, and Bethel University in Saint Paul, MN. His principal teachers were Eteri Andjaparidze and Alexander Braginsky. Both Andjaparidze and Braginsky studied at the Moscow Conservatory where their teachers, Vera Gornostayeva and Teodor Gutmann, respectively, were students of Heinrich Neuhaus.