St. Thomas to host free Sunday cello concert

Published 6:47 pm Friday, October 5, 2018

The music of Johann Sebastian Bach will pay a visit to North Carolina’s oldest church.

Celebrated cellist Emanuel Gruber will perform Sunday at 3 p.m. at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Bath.

Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major and Suite No. 5 in C minor are on the program, according to St. Thomas rector Rev. Diane Tomlinson.

Gruber currently teaches cello and chamber music at East Carolina University, but his career spans decades of performances across the globe, and accolades such as the Concert Artists’ Guild Auditions award early in his career to Pablo Casals Prize by the Philharmonic Orchestra.

According to “Music Journal,” the cellist exhibits “authority, sensitivity to musical values, wide dynamic range, and great mastery of his instrument;” and has an “extraordinary capacity for projecting the deepest meaning of the music,” according to the Jerusalem Post.

Gruber has served as principal cellist of the Israel Chamber Orchestra and co-principal of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, as well as being a member of Sequoia Quartet, Camerata Trio, Tel Aviv Piano Quartet, and leader of the Israel Cello Ensemble, according to his bio.

Gruber has performed in many major festivals worldwide, a jury member of international cello competition and shared his skill teaching at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem.

St. Thomas regularly opens its doors for performances — the Beaufort County Choral Society brings its twice-yearly concerts to the church.

St. Thomas is located at 101 Craven St. in Bath. Sunday’s concert is free and open to the public.