Saturday, October 29, 7:30 pm

"After last season's Journey on the Orient Express, this concert marks the beginning of a season devoted to music that exemplifies the Spirit of the Americas. Also, each of these three composers had their homeland in mind with the composition of each work."

~Maestro Wheatley's thoughts on the meaning of "Homeward Bound"

Pre-Concert Chat - You're invited to arrive a little early to join Maestro Wheatley and guest artist, Jennifer Higgins Wagner, for an intimate pre-concert chat. Theater doors open at 6:40 pm for general seating, with the chat beginning at 6:45 pm. When the chat concludes, attendees will leave the theater and re-enter with their ticket to take their reserved seats for the concert.

Arturo Márquez
Danzón No. 2

Alberto Ginastera
Estancia (“Ranch”), Op. 8a

Antonín Dvořák
Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104

ARTIST BIO

Jennifer Higgins Wagner, Cello

Jennifer was 7 years old the first time she heard a cello and it was love at first sound... even at that young age, she knew Cello (with a capital "C") was exactly what she wanted to do. 5 years (and lots of reminding her parents of that fact) later, she finally had a cello placed in her hands. After just two years of study, she was accepted by audition to join the prestigious Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra under H. Teri Murai and began studies with the late Jack Kirstein, the founding cellist of the LaSalle String Quartet, becoming his last student. She continued her tutelage with Laura McClellan, and was invited to join the Starling Chamber Orchestra, with whom she toured Germany and performed at the opening concerts of the Aspen Music Festival two summers in a row. One year later, at the age of 17, she made her solo debut with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and went on to earn her Bachelor's Degree in Cello Performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. While at CCM, she studied with Yehuda Hanani and Lee Fiser, as well as performed in master classes with Janos Starker, Paul Katz and the Tokyo String Quartet. She was a founding member of the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra and continues to perform with local ensembles, including appearances as the featured soloist with the Seven Hills Sinfonietta, the Cincinnati Metropolitan Orchestra, and the Skagit Symphony. Her summers have been spent studying and performing at the Kinhaven Music School with Wayne Foster Smith and at the Aspen Music Festival.

In 2007 Jennifer brought her passionate and energetic playing to Cincinnati’s coffee house music scene performing in a variety of crossover styles. With her folk/pop/blues duo, Lines & Spaces, she made a history-making appearance at the Eden Song Folk Music Festival as the only group to get a standing ovation in the 30 years the festival has existed, and in 2008 Jennifer was invited to perform with Crosby Still Nash & Young at the Sundance Film Festival. Other projects have included performances in the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, as well as a great deal of work in the recording studio for local artists and as a featured performer on independent film scores.

In addition to her performance schedule, Jennifer is a devoted teacher. She has managed her own private studio since 1997, and she has also taught for the Suzuki Cooperative of the Cincinnati Public Schools, the inner-city Let it Shine arts program in Covington, KY, the Wyoming City Schools, and was on the faculty of Earlham College from 2003-2018. She is currently Assistant Director of the Cincinnati Suzuki School and Head of the Suzuki Cello Program at the Wyoming Fine Arts Center. Her students have won many awards and been accepted to conservatories across the country.

Jennifer plays on a petite cello made c. 1790 in Paris by Grosselet. She has named the instrument Napoleon, because it is little, but makes a big noise.