Friday, Aug. 1, 2003 | 8:41 a.m.
The annual Las Vegas Music Festival begins tonight with the first of 17 classical performances that continue through Aug. 17 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and two area libraries.
Conceived as a way to bring promising young musicians together with world-class professionals, the event provides a learning environment with courses and seminars during the day and concerts at night.
Those evening shows are open to the public. Several, including tonight's presentation of works by Beethoven, Dvorak and Gershwin by the Las Vegas Music Festival Orchestra with Micahel Gilbert conducting, are free. Tickets for the rest are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors and military and free to local college and high schools students.
Sites scheduled to host are: UNLV facilities Artemus Ham Concert Hall and the Beam Music Center's Rando Recital Hall, the Summerlin Library Theater and the West Charleston Library Theater.
Musicians slated to perform include pianists Jerome Lowenthal, Vladimir Shakin and Daniel Pollack and ensembles consisting of participating young artists and faculty members.
Festival music director George Stelluto will conduct the Festival Orchestra with violinist Hilary Hahn on Aug. 17 to cap off the event, with a program of Shostakovich, Korngold and Tchaikovsky.
For more information on the event, including a detailed calendar of events, visit lasvegasmusicfestival.org or call 895-3949.
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