LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 6, 2009) − Nothing sounds sweeter than spending Valentine’s Day listening to the sounds of Stravinsky, Mendelssohn and Elgar. Local audiences can do just that as premier violinist Gil Shaham takes the stage with the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, conducted by John Nardolillo, at 7:30pm Saturday, Feb. 14, at Singletary Center for the Arts Concert Hall.

Shaham is one of the most acclaimed and beloved of today’s violinists, widely praised for his rich and lustrous tone, engaging personality and expressive music-making. A favorite soloist of many of the world’s top orchestras and conductors, Shaham has recently embarked on a worldwide tour. The tour will have him playing alongside such famed orchestras as Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orpheus, New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Among Shaham’s many concerto and solo CDs are a number of best sellers that have earned prestigious awards, including multiple Grammys, a Grand Prix du Disque, a Diapason d’or and Gramophone Editor’s Choice. He is also the recent recipient of the Avery Fisher Prize (pdf), awarded for outstanding achievement and excellence in music. Shaham’s name will join 19 previous Avery Prize recipients, including Lynn Harrell, Yo-Yo Ma, Emanual Ax, Midori and Joshua Bell.

Shaham, born in Champaign-Urbana, Ill., in 1971, moved to Israel with his parents at 7 years old. With annual scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, he began violin studies with Samuel Bernstein of the Rubin Academy of Music. In 1982, after taking first prize in Israel’s Claremont Competition, he became a scholarship student at Juilliard. Shaham also studied at Columbia University.

Watch a selection of performances by Shaham on YouTube.

The UK Symphony Orchestra has been featured on a number of successful CD projects in recent years and performed alongside some of the world's finest musicians. Among its CD credits are "In Times Like These," recorded live with famed folk icon Arlo Guthrie; the cast recording of Thomas Pasatieri's "The Hotel Casablanca" with UK Opera Theatre; "Music of the Horse," a collection of equestrian-inspired music sponsored by UK School of Music and the Keeneland Foundation; and the premier recording of "Epoch: An American Dance Symphony," by composer George Frederick McKay for the Naxos label. Beyond Guthrie, the orchestra has performed with such prominent soloists as Mark O'Connor and Lynn Harrell.

Tickets for this event are based on seating location and range from $32 to $25. A processing fee also will be applied upon purchase. Tickets for the Gil Shaham and UK Symphony Orchestra concert can be purchased through the Singletary Center ticket office at (859) 257-4929 or online.