FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (9/06)
Contact: Kelsey Johnson, Centenary News Service, 318-841-7265

"The Gift of Melody" Cello Duets Concert to be Held at Centenary Sept. 24

SHREVEPORT, LA — The Hurley School of Music at Centenary College will present guest cellists Paul Christopher and Ruth Drummond in "The Gift of Melody: The Cello Duos of Jacques Offenbach" at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24 in Anderson Auditorium of the Hurley Music Building.

The duo released a compact disc by the same title in 2004 on the Human Metronome label. The second recording in the series, "The Perfect Gift," was released in 2005, and the third will be recorded this fall with a release scheduled for a later date.

Christopher is an assistant professor at Northwestern State University and the principal cellist of the Longview Symphony Orchestra. He is also a member of the Sylvan Chamber Ensemble, which is on the Texas Commission of the Arts touring roster. Prior to his appointment at Northwestern, he served 15 years as the principal cellist of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra and Shreveport Opera and was a member of the Premier String Quartet.

Drummond, principal cellist of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, is a member of the Premier String Quartet and cellist in the Evangeline Piano Trio. She is also a longtime member of the Baroque Artists of Shreveport. During the summer months, she is the principal cellist of the Shreveport Summer Music Festival and Opera East Texas.

The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Hurley School of Music office at 318-869-5235.

---

Centenary College of Louisiana fosters a rich intellectual and social atmosphere. Students work within a strong community to create personalized, distinctive experiences. Building lives of integrity, our students explore the unfamiliar, invent new approaches to understanding, and connect their work and lives to the world at large. Centenary students enjoy a vibrant college life and achieve superior preparation for futures still unimagined. Centenary traces its founding to 1825 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

- 30 -