"Lunch Bunch" Concert Coming Up June 16

The year's first performance of the "Music for the Lunch Bunch" series has been scheduled for Wednesday, June 16th at 12:15 pm at The Clayton Center.

Nate Leyland will perform on cello, and his wife Anne Leyland will perform on violin.

The Music for the Lunch Bunch is a series of summer concerts held every Wednesday at 12:15 pm, featuring local artists performing a variety of music, with particular emphasis on classical music. The concert series is grassroots funded by the Johnston County Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council. There is no admission charge but donations are accepted.

Anne Leyland, a native of Pensacola, Florida, began her violin studies at the age of six with Anna Tringas, a former pupil of the late Ivan Galamian. She continued her studies at the Meadowmount School of Music, Louisiana State University, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and Carnegie- Mellon University, where she obtained her Bachelor of Music degree with honors. Among her teachers was the late Fritz Siegal, former concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Mrs. Leyland has performed as soloist with the Pensacola Symphony, Ft. Myers Symphony, Congress of Strings Orchestra, and the Louisiana State University Orchestra.

She has performed as first violinist in numerous orchestras, including the Pittsburgh Opera and Ballet Orchestra, and the Charleston Symphony. As a free-lance performer, she was first violinist with the Pittsburgh based Mezzanine String Quartet. Currently, Anne is concertmaster of the Durham Symphony and Tar River Symphony Orchestras and performs regularly with the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle and the Fayetteville Symphony. Among her faculty appointments have been positions with Chatham College and Arts in the Parks in Pittsburgh, and she has maintained an active private studio since 1984. She is Instructor of Violin at Saint Mary’s School, where she also directs the String Ensemble as well as the Honors String Trio. She also teaches at the Ravenscroft School.

Nathan Leyland, was born in Butler, Pennsylvania, later moved to Lynchburg, Virginia and began his cello studies in the public schools at the age of nine. After moving to Ohio he began studies with Richard Bell, associate principal cellist with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and in Connecticut studied with Laura Kane, former principal cellist of the Hartford Symphony. Nathan attended the Manhattan School of Music where he studied with Tchaikovsky Competition gold medalist Nathaniel Rosen, a former student and teaching assistant to the late Gregor Piatigorsky.

Nathan has performed as soloist with the Hartford Symphony , Manchester Symphony Orchestra, The Southeastern Ohio Symphony Orchestra, Des Moines Symphony Orchestra, and the Welsh Hills Chamber Orchestra. He began his professional career at the age of 20 by becoming the cellist in the Pioneer String Quartet of the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra. In addition to that appointment, he was also the symphony’s principal cellist. Nathan moved to North Carolina in 2001 and began performing regularly with some of the area's professional ensembles, including the Carolina Ballet, North Carolina Opera, North Carolina Master Chorale, and Durham Choral Society. Currently, he is the principal cellist of the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra, the Fayetteville Symphony and the Tar River Symphony Orchestra and is a member of the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle and the Mallarme Chamber Players.

The program's 26th season will continue on June 23rd with Dr. Don Parker on percussion and Dr. Sheryl Lynch Parker on trumpet. The performance will begin at 12:15 at the First Presbyterian Church in Smithfield.

For additional information on upcoming performances, please contact the Johnston County Arts Council at 919.553.1930 or info@johnstoncountyarts.org