Highland Park High School graduate Bryan Hayslett, who is a cellist that is currently completing his Master of Music degree at The Boston Conservatory, is performing on a four-city tour, and the final concert will be in Dallas this weekend.
Hayslett will be performing a variety of music on his cello, while being assisted by pianist Sally VanderPloeg, during a recital at 3 p.m. March 3 at Bethany Lutheran Church, which is located at 10101 Walnut Hill Ln. in Dallas.
The music that Hayslett will be performing includes Bach's Fifth Suite for Solo Cello, Shostakovich's Cello Sonata, Lukas Foss' Capriccio and a new piece that was written for Hayslett by composer and faculty member at The Hartt School, David Macbride.
"I know the idea of a piece by a living composer can be frightening to many concert-goers, but the Macbride is a real gem," Hayslett said. "It's very short in duration and does not employ the dissonances and aural strains found in some contemporary classical music. The piece is rhythmically driven with Asian musical undertones, and David describes the piece as reminiscent of a walk on a brisk, sunny day."
The piece written by Macbride was scored for cello and will be accompanied during the performance by three prerecorded cello tracks, which will be played through speakers.
Hayslett said that he started learning how to play the cello when he was in fifth grade at McCullough Intermediate School. Hayslett participated in the school's orchestra and took private lessons with teacher Rebbeca Seiver, who is someone he credits for helping inspire him to pursue music.
"I know her influence and enthusiasm had a profound effect on me," Hayslett said.
Hayslett made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2009 after winning the Alexander & Buono International String Competition and played there again in 2010 as a repeat top prize laureate. Now, Hayslett performs with The Generous Ensemble, which is a contemporary music group based out of Hartford, Connecticut.
The four cities that Hayslett is performing in for this solo tour include Boston, Hartford, Albany and Dallas.
"I am especially excited for the Dallas performance because I have not given a concert in Dallas since I was in high school," Hayslett said. "It will be a fun concert for me and audience members alike."