Acclaimed Oakton Six Piano Ensemble to perform concert

The internationally-acclaimed Oakton Six Piano Ensemble, conducted by Skokie resident Glenna Sprague, will perform selections from the classical, ragtime and popular repertoire at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 27, and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 28, at Oakton Community College's Footlik Theater, 1600 E. Golf Road, Des Plaines.

This year's concerts will include the "Overture" and "Habanera" from the opera "Carmen" by Bizet; "Spanish Dance" by Moszkowski; "The Strenuous Life Rag" by Joplin; and "Oakton Toccata," composed by Robert Vandall as a tribute to the ensemble in 2008.

Other featured selections include works by acclaimed composers Bach, Handel, Mozart, Schumann, Szymanowska and Sousa.

"The rich, layered sound of the ensemble compares to that of an orchestra, with each member playing a different part of a composition as the melody transfers from pianist to pianist," Sprague says. "Every year it's a delight to perform before sold-out crowds across the country."

Unique in the world of music, the Oakton Six Piano Ensemble has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe, including the 32nd World Conference of the International Society for Music Education at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow.

Founded and conducted by Sprague, Oakton professor and coordinator of music, the Oakton Six Piano Ensemble has delighted audiences for more than 25 years.

Members include Marianne Pyster of Chicago, Beatriz Levi of Northfield, Hue Jang of Northbrook, Nathaniel Sugatan of Niles, Jason Nelson of Evanston, and Iryna Dovzhyk of Chicago.

Critics from Honolulu to Vienna, Austria, have hailed the ensemble as "extraordinary," "innovative" and "technically superb."

Tickets are $17 for general admission, $14 for seniors and students and $12 for groups. Tickets include a post-concert reception. Call (847) 635-1900 to purchase tickets or order online at www.oakton.edu/tickets.