Dvorak’s Sunny Bohemia

PERTTU Nimue and her Fairies Southern U.S. Premiere
DVORAK Cello Concerto 
DVORAK Symphony No. 8

Immerse yourself in an evening of Bohemian melodies, crowned by Antonin Dvořák’s beloved Cello Concerto as performed by cellist, David Calhoun. This masterpiece is both exhilarating and profound and pushes the instrument’s boundaries to deliver some of Dvroak’s most soulful, heart-achingly beautiful music you’ll ever experience. Before his departure to the “new world,” Dvorák composed his life-affirming Eighth Symphony. The Eighth inhabits a sunny, pastoral world filled with Bohemian folk melodies, rustic peasant dances, distant horn calls, and echoes of the birdsongs of the forest. It’s an enchanting world of exuberant celebration and quiet, lamenting nostalgia.  Rounding out the concert, is the Southeastern U.S. Premiere of Dan Perttu’s Nimue and her Fairies, an enchanting tone poem inspired by the stories of King Arthur and the fairy-like enchantress, Nimue.

Cellist David Calhoun has attracted the notice of today's visionary musicians, including David Amram, who sums up his credentials thus: "David Calhoun is what American music needs now . . . [he has] extraordinary talents as a virtuoso soloist and ensemble expert." His far-ranging career has included solo performances live in-concert with Liza Minnelli at Carnegie Hall, in scenes with the Martha Clarke Dance Company as both soloist and dancer, and chamber music collaborations with great violinists such as Ani Kavafian, Sydney Harth and Eric Friedman, the pianist Menahem Pressler and the Shanghai String Quartet. On the international stage Mr.Calhoun was featured as soloist with orchestra and chamber musician at the Tchaikovsky Festival in Tchaikovsky’s childhood home of Izhevsk, Russia. In the year 2000 he was honored to accept the invitation to perform a private millennial concert of solo Bach for Cardinals and clergy of the Vatican in Rome. He also has given concerts in Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, France, Canada and Mexico. Mr. Calhoun has led a delegation of young artists to perform as soloists with the Israel Chamber Orchestra in Tel Aviv, Israel, in a concert to benefit foster homes.  Mr. Calhoun was appointed principal cellist of the Space Coast Symphony in 2025 by Maestro Aaron Collins, and is principal cellist of the Brevard Symphony, the Villages Philharmonic, and The Florida Philharmonic. He has performed as principal cellist with the American Symphony at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, the American Ballet Theater at the Metropolitan Opera House, the New York Choral Society at Carnegie Hall, the Brooklyn Philharmonic at BAM, the American Composers Orchestra at Zankel Hall, the New York City Opera on tour, Musica Sacra at St. John the Divine, SONYC, etc. Mr. Calhoun has toured with Orpheus and with the Metropolitan Opera in Japan, and collaborates annually in chamber music concerts with members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra at Classical Tahoe. Mr. Calhoun has performed chamber music regularly in New York’s most prestigious venues, including Bargemusic, Carnegie Weill, the Brooklyn Museum Chamber Series, the Look and Listen Festival, the Seacliff Chamber Players, at Symphony Space as soloist, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where for 15 years he was tenured in year-round residence with the Orion Piano quartet. He has been a member of the acclaimed Kinor Quartet in residence at the annual World Bank Mozart Festival in Washington, D.C. , and the Omni Ensemble.

David Calhoun has been an active performer in New York’s vibrant music scene which has included many television, movie, and radio performances. He has recorded for RCA and has performed frequently, including the Kodaly Duo and the Debussy Sonata, on live broadcasts for radio stations WQXR and WNYC in New York City. He can be heard as the cello soloist in Bill Moyers’ PBS series “The Power of Myth.” He was invited by Philip Glass to record the first solo recording of Philip’s cello concerto “Naqoyqatsi” at Looking Glass Studios. In the popular vein, he has played numerous Broadway shows in New York (Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Showboat to name a few) and cast recordings, and toured as solo cellist for stars such as Liza Minnelli, Rod Stewart and Willie Nelson. He has appeared several times on the Letterman Show and shows such as “One Life to Live”. A participant at the Manchester Music Festival, the Mostly Mozart Festival, the Chautauqua Festival, the Bard Festival, Waterloo Festival, Garret Lakes Festival, Summertrios, Mr. Calhoun is currently a resident artist of Classical Tahoe. His solo performance on the 2021 Naxos cd of works of John Gottsch was hailed by Gramophone as “fine solo work, committed and colourful" and “Glorious performance of the Bach Suites” (Allegro Magazine 2017)

Daniel Perttu is Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, where he is also the Coordinator of the Music Theory Program.  Previously he served as on the faculty at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where he was the Coordinator of the Music Theory Division.  His music has been performed in Europe, Asia, and throughout the United States. Performances of his music have occurred in arts festivals, new music festivals and concerts, solo recitals at the international, national, and regional levels, Society of Composers conferences, and College Music Society conferences. Recently, Perttu's music has been released on the Navona records label; one of his orchestral pieces is the title feature of the CD entitled Light and Shadow. Critics have characterized this piece as "blending mystery, action, and excitement," and have praised it as being "fantastic" and "superb." In addition, his fantasy for flute and piano, Gloamin, was recently released on the album entitled Lock and Key. Besides his CD releases, Perttu's music has been published by Editions Musica Ferrum, based in Athens, Greece, as well as BRS Music, Inc. (Indianapolis) and Dorn Publications (Boston). Perttu has also received various commissions and awards from throughout the country, the most recent of which was for the premiere of a piece or the Greenville Symphony Orchestra and Shenango Valley Chorale in northwestern Pennsylvania.

Daniel Perttu completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at The Ohio State University, has a Master of Arts degree in composition, and a Master of Music degree with a double major in instrumental conducting and bassoon from Kent State University.  A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and Pi Kappa Lambda, he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree Williams College with a double major in music and English.  From Williams he graduated magna cum laude.  He has studied composition privately and in master classes with Thomas Wells, Donald Harris, Thomas Janson, Frank Wiley, Robert Rodriguez, Bright Sheng, Claude Baker, Don Freund, David Cutler, Gunther Schuller, and Samuel Adler.