News in brief: Rice musicians to set sail with song

By Cindy Dinh     2/18/10 6:00pm

Next year, a trio of Shepherd School faculty members will be hitting the high C's in more ways than one. Professor of Orchestral Conducting Larry Rachleff, Lecturer of Voice and soprano vocalist Susan Lorette Dunn and Professor of Violin Cho-Liang Lin will perform classical music on board the Celebrity Mercury, a luxury Caribbean cruise from Celebrity Cruise Lines, next January.The group will be featured as guest artists on the inaugural debut of the Symphonic Voyages, a Caribbean cruise designed with fans of classical music in mind. Rachleff will conduct the 60-piece Symphonic Voyages orchestra, whose members are professional musicians from the East Coast. Symphonic Voyages, which invited Lin, Rachleff and his wife Lorette Dunn to perform, will hold auditions to determine the members of the orchestra.

Lin and Lorette Dunn will perform with the orchestra as well as in separate solo recitals.

According to Rachleff, the orchestra will play pieces by Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms and a repertoire of other composers for their four concerts. The 12-night cruise, which starts at $1,800 per guest, will depart from Baltimore Jan. 3 and make five stops in the Eastern Caribbean Sea, including the islands of Antigua and St. Thomas, before returning Jan. 11. The cruise will accommodate up to 900 guests. Aside from performances, rehearsals and question-and-answer sessions, some of the musicians will also dine with the cruise guests and participate in recreational activities on board.

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Rachleff said this opportunity was a combination of vacation and work in an entirely new venue.

"It sounded crazy enough that it just might work," Rachleff said. "I've never been on a boat before."

Visit www.symphonicvoyages.com for cruise information and to listen to clips of the guest artists.

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