Kim Souther, cellist and director of preparatory music at 91短视频 (91短视频), will kick off the Music Faculty Artist Series with a recital on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m.. The concert’s premiere selection is the “Suite for Cello and Jazz Piano Trio” by French jazz icon Claude Bolling.

Souther will be accompanied by Professor David Berry, music department chair, on piano; recent alum Joseph Harder ’20 on drums; and Cole Sheffer on bass. The recital will be livestreamed from Martin Chapel on .

The event is, in part, a tribute to Bolling, who passed away last month. , and made his first recording at age 18. for his piano virtuosity, his film score compositions, and his crossover compositions that blended jazz and classical music.

Souther will also perform two original works 鈥� “Missing You” and “Come Thou Font” 鈥� and a traditional fiddle tune 鈥� “Boatin’ Up Sandy” 鈥� as short encores following the “Suite for Cello and Jazz Piano Trio.”

“Claude Bolling was quite famous for structuring his concerts this way, so I thought it would be fun to offer up one last little tribute to the late composer by mimicking his program style,” Souther said.

“Missing You” was one of Souther’s first compositions after she began to experiment with “multi-style,” in which she layers the cello riffs upon themselves with a looper pedal. 

“I wrote this composition while living in Wisconsin and feeling the distance between myself and my family who live in Richmond,” Souther said. “Come Thou Font,” an original arrangement for cello, looper pedal, delay, and chorus pedal, is another musical experience that beautifully melds modern technology with Souther’s strings.

Read more about the musicians below:

Kim Souther is a genre-bending, nationally acclaimed cellist, touring artist, and educator. In addition to leading the Shenandoah Valley Preparatory Music program at 91短视频, she teaches world music and music education. Souther has performed alongside the likes of Trans-siberian Orchestra and Sarah Jarosz, and played and created music with artists from all over the world in the .

David Berry鈥檚 performances have been featured in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, as well as live radio broadcasts of New York City-based WQXR. Berry was the Grand Prize Winner of the Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition and a prize winner in the Thousand Islands International Piano Competition. He has collaborated with members of the nation鈥檚 leading orchestra鈥檚 including the New Jersey, Houston, Dallas and Seattle symphonies. Berry has also toured regularly as a member of the Ritz Chamber Players, Harlem Chamber Players, and Core Ensemble.

Joseph Harder is a Harrisonburg native and 2020 graduate of 91短视频. He is currently a climate futures fellow with the Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions, carrying out research investigating expressions of the natural world in Mennonite hymnals. Joseph is also involved in a variety of music groups around town, most notably, Prince Bellerose.

The Prep Music Program encompasses instrumental music instruction, Musikgarten, Shenandoah Valley Youth Symphony, and Harrisonburg City School Strings Program.

Souther will also teach a world music course and a course in music education. A graduate of Shenandoah University and James Madison University, she fills the administrative director position which had been open since September 2018.

Souther鈥檚 skills and experience show incredible range, from teaching choir and African drumming to middle and high school students to performing alongside the likes of Trans-siberian Orchestra and Sarah Jarosz. She鈥檚 also earned of cello performance beyond its classic roots, for example, into bluegrass improvisation.

Watch her perform 鈥淥rma鈥�:

“What is special about Kim is that she has a perfect mix of traditional musical training and innovative impulse,鈥� said Professor David Berry, chair of the music department. 鈥淣ot every cellist is just as at home in classical concertos and improvising bluegrass and rock music! Her ability to work both inside and outside of the box will bring an exciting new energy to the music department and preparatory program.”

Souther loves helping students achieve their potential, and she knows that it starts with the student-teacher relationship.

鈥淭here is nothing that compares to watching a student figure things out and push through the difficult parts of their education, whether it be technical on an instrument or understanding key concepts of education and applying them,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 love walking through another musician鈥檚 journey as a support, a cheerleader, and an educator.鈥�

One genre cannot contain her. 鈥淚 love that one weekend I am playing classical, the next rock, the next bluegrass and folk.  It keeps it interesting and it keeps me fulfilled musically,鈥� Souther said.

One of Souther鈥檚 most formative experiences 鈥� 鈥渢ruly life-changing, she says 鈥� was playing in the program.

鈥淭here is nothing like breaking down all of the barriers between countries by playing music together,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 spent time creating music with musicians from Iran, Pakistan, Israel, Spain, France, Brazil, England, Mexico, and so many more. I learned about their culture and the role music plays in it. I swapped folk and bluegrass tunes and played their instruments.鈥�

While playing with the Silk Road ensemble, she also met legendary cellist Yo Yo Ma.

鈥淗e took time to sit down with me, gave me advice I use to this day, told me he believed in what I was doing, and inspired me to dream big.  He could have dismissed me immediately. I mean, c鈥檓on, he’s Yo Yo Ma! But he chose to invest. That was the biggest takeaway that I’ve ever received,鈥� Souther said. 鈥淣o matter how well you do in life, stay humble and invest in the next generation the way you hope someone would invest in you.鈥�

Watch Souther perform with Sarah Jarosz and other Global Musician Workshop instrumentalists.

Souther was previously the choral director and music teacher in the Sevastopol school district in Sturgeon Bay, Wis. She was a cellist in the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra in Appleton, Wis., the Weidner Philharmonic at University of Wisconsin 鈥� Green Bay, and several other groups. 

Souther has directed various orchestras, choirs, studios, and music venues, and is a member of the American String Teachers Association, National Association for Music Education, Bay Area Music Teachers, and American Society of Composers and Performers.