August 15, 2003–August 14, 2011 News Archive, Southeast Missouri State University

KRCU Presents Classical Guitar Concert in Celebration of Valentine’s Day

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., Jan. 31, 2011 -- KRCU will present “Sweets and Strings,” a special Valentine fund raiser featuring classical guitarist Patrick Rafferty and soprano Erika Beasley, on Friday, Feb. 11.

The performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Robert F. and Gertrude L. Shuck Music Recital Hall, one of the finest chamber music venues in the region, located on Southeast Missouri State University’s River Campus.

The concert will primarily focus on several major works for solo guitar. Two fantasias by the English lute virtuoso John Dowland will begin the concert. Rafferty’s performance will be anchored by the guitar tour-de-force, Dionioso Aguado’s brilliant “Andante and Rondo” in A Minor. Also to be included are works by Mauro Giuliani, Gaspar Sanz, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Eduardo Sainz de la Maza.

Following the solo guitar portion of the concert, Rafferty will be joined by the highly regarded soprano, Erika Beasley, for a specially programmed set of Valentine favorites. Songs by Etta James, Patsy Cline and Christina Aguilera, among others, will be performed.

“This is a new event for us at KRCU,” says General Manager Dan Woods. “We’re excited to offer it to our listeners and to celebrate Valentine’s Day with two very talented musicians.”

Following the concert, guests will enjoy a selection of desserts in the Rosemary Berkel and Harry L. Crisp II Museum. Tickets are $30 and are available at the KRCU Studios during regular business hours and at the River Campus Box Office. Student tickets are $10 with a valid university ID. Proceeds from the concert will benefit KRCU.

“Sweets & Strings” is being sponsored by Saxony Village Retirement Community, Ms. Muffin Café, Stereo One, Heartland Eyecare, Down to Earth Satellite Systems, Dwight Johnson, DDS and The Print & Pixel.
KRCU Development Director, Amanda Lincoln, says “This concert serves two purposes: to provide an evening of beautiful classical guitar music to our community and to raise money for our station. KRCU relies on the support of our listeners for a significant portion of our budget. We truly appreciate our corporate sponsors and hope to have a great turnout on the night of the event.”

As the area’s source for diverse musical programming and award winning NPR news, KRCU strives to continuously excel in providing the highest quality public radio programming to Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois. Nearly 1.9 million people within the listening area have the opportunity to tune in to KRCU 90.9 FM which is a 6,500 watt station located in Cape Girardeau and KSEF 88.9 FM, a 20,000 watt repeater station located in Farmington. The station broadcasts 24 hours a day from the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. More information is available at http://www.krcu.org/.

Patrick Rafferty
Rafferty began his studies of the classical guitar in 2000, earning a bachelor of music degree in guitar performance from Southeast Missouri State University in 2004 where he studied with Jeffrey Noonan. He continued his studies at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, earning a master of music degree in 2006 and the Graduate Performance Diploma in 2008 under Julian Gray.

In May 2008, Rafferty was voted the top graduate performer by his peers at Peabody. As a soloist, he has appeared with the Gateway Orchestra of Debary, Fla., and the Southeast Missouri State University Orchestra in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

While a student at Southeast, Rafferty won several performance awards, including the Southeast Missouri State University Concerto Competition in 2004 and first place in the Missouri Music Teachers Association in 2003.

He currently teaches classical guitar as an adjunct faculty member at Southeast Missouri State University.

Erika Beasley
Beasley graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a bachelor of music in vocal performance in 2005. While at Southeast, she participated in several elite choirs, including University Choir, Cantus Choralis and All-Collegiate Choir. Beasley also was cast in several leading roles for Southeast's Opera Workshop performances.

She now teaches private voice lessons at the Southeast Missouri Music Academy. In her free time, Beasley enjoys singing classic country tunes with her band The Biggest Car in the County.