Two of Middlebury College's favorite classical musicians, cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han, return for a Feb. 21 concert

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. ? Aptly dubbed “America’s power couple of chamber music” by The Wall Street Journal, cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han will return to Middlebury College for a recital of sonatas at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 21, in the Concert Hall in the Center for the Arts.

Over the past 20 years, Finckel and Han have performed numerous times at the college. When not appearing with each other as a duo, Han has performed as a soloist and chamber musician, and Finckel as a cellist with the Grammy Award-winning Emerson Quartet.

Their Feb. 21 concert will feature sonatas by Rachmaninoff (opus 19) and Prokofiev (opus 119), as well as Lera Auerbach’s Sonata no. 1, composed especially for Finckel and Han. They will perform the same program at their debut concert at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York City the following week.

Currently on a United States tour, Finckel and Han have performed recitals all over America, including major venues such as Lincoln Center, Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, Atlanta’s Spivey Hall, Aspen’s Harris Concert Hall, and the University of Chicago’s Mandel Hall. They have toured Europe, the Far East, Mexico and Canada, always to critical acclaim.

When performing together, Finckel and Han often appear at a variety of music festivals, including those in Aspen and Santa Fe. Their repertoire is balanced between the classics and contemporary works with their recitals featuring a growing number of works composed especially for them as a duo, such as the piece by Russian-born Auerbach that they will perform at the Middlebury concert.

Together and in separate endeavors, Finckel and Han have made their mark on the classical music world where they are renowned for their work as concert performers, recording artists, educators and cultural entrepreneurs. Critics continually remark on their flair and style, their energy, and their onstage chemistry. The Los Angeles Times calls them “an inspired pairing.” The Chicago Sun-Times declared: “When a pair of genuine artists explodes on the stage, exuding not only glamour and theatrical flair but also superb musical insight, the audience’s thrill is twofold.”

“On the recording scene, Finckel and Han are known for their signature label, ArtistLed, a musician-directed and internet-based recording company. Their recordings to date include Beethoven’s complete sonatas for piano and cello, Russian classics, and works by Schubert, Strauss and Chopin.

Beyond the concert stage, Finckel and Han devote much time to music education. For the past several years, they have worked as artistic directors for Music at Menlo, a summer chamber music festival that they launched in California’s Silicon Valley, which has received acclaim for its programming, featured artists and workshops for young chamber musicians. They also serve as artistic directors of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

The couple lives in New York City with their daughter.

Their performance is sponsored by the Middlebury College Performing Arts Series.

Please note: Only student-priority seating remains available for the concert. These seats are for Middlebury College students only and each student is allowed only one ticket. If any tickets are returned or released, they will be made available for sale to all other patrons starting at noon on the day of the show, on a first-come, first-served basis. The Center for the Arts Box Office will also take an in-person waiting list starting at 6:30 p.m. that evening at the box office window.

The Center for the Arts is on South Main Street (Route 30). Reserved seating tickets for the performance are $12 for general admission and $10 for seniors. A pre-performance dinner will begin at 6 p.m. at Rehearsals Cafe in the Center for the Arts. Reservations are required. For tickets or dinner reservations, contact the Middlebury College Box Office at 802-443-6433. Online tickets and information are available at www.middlebury.edu/arts