LPO Fute and Strings Quintet to close St. John’s series

The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra Flute and Strings Quintet will close out this season’s Music at St. John’s Concert Series April 15.

The concert, which is part of Nicholl’s State’s “Jubilee: A Festival of the Arts and Humanities,” will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 718 Jackson St., in Thibodaux. The performance begins at 3 p.m.

Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students, and free to young people.

Julie Prado, who will retire as president of the board of the Concert Series after this concert, said that the musicians in the quintet have the reputation of being outstanding members of the Philharmonic.

“I’ve been board president for four, maybe five years,” Prado said. “It’s something that made me very happy and brought me a lot of satisfaction. I’ve enjoyed working closely with the board and making contact with the wonderful artists who have performed.”

During Prado’s tenure, the Concert Series board has strived to offer a diverse musical selection. This season, for instance, featured a pipe organist, harpist, jazz clarinet player and now the string quintet, she said.

With the April performance, Prado finds herself leaving the president role on a high note.

“We have a wonderful friend in Mr. Dean Miller, who is the principal flutist with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra,” she said. “He put this quintet together and, now, he has agreed to bring the group to Thibodaux to perform in our Music at St. John Concert Series.”

The quintet features Miller, Richard Woehrie, Ann Cohen, Yuki Tanaka and Elizabeth Overweg.

Miller has been the principal flutist of the LPO and the New Orleans Symphony since 1969. He studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and received a Fulbright Grant for advanced study in Vienna, Austria.

Woehrie, violist, has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in viola performance from the Juilliard School.

Cellist Cohen graduated from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music in Ohio and studied with several master cellists. She has participated in the Blossom Festival in Ohio and the Tanglewood Festival.

Tanaka, a violinist, holds degrees from the Toho School of Music and the University of Southern California. She has given many solo recitals in Japan and in the United States. She is also associate concertmaster with the LPO.

Overweg, also a violinist, holds degrees from Barnard College/Columbia University and the Manhattan School of Music. She has also finished a graduate program with the Nightingale String Quartet in Reno, Nev.

Prado said that tickets are available at the door and no reservations are needed. For additional information, call (985) 447-2910.

Julie prado

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