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Message from Leadership

Master Players Concert Series

A Message from the Director and Advisory Council Chair of Master Players

Dear friends,

WELCOME to Master Players’ 21st season featuring many of the world’s top musicians. After selling out every concert last season, we hope you will use the information on our website​ to reserve your 2024-2025 Season concert tickets for in-person or live stream experiences.

WE ARE HONORED to work with Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Debra Hess Norris, Senior Associate Dean for the Arts Suzanne Burton, and Interim Director of the School of Music Daniel Stevens. Together, we bring memorable musical experiences to the community of Newark and University of Delaware.

OUR MISSION is to present great live performances, provide music education to students and the general public, and create new music. For millennia, music has unified people and made them feel part of something greater than the sum of their parts. Our 2024-2025 season events celebrate that unifying power. We endeavor to provide our audiences with a space for reflection and comfort, helping them experience commonality through music, during this divisive time. In this world of conflict, we hold the hope that peace is on its way to all people on this Earth.

WE HAVE PROUDLY offered top-notch musical experiences at an astonishingly affordable price for over 20 years. This season, we have been compelled to revamp our pricing structure due to the increasing cost of bringing high-quality international artists to you. This is not a decision we made lightly, and we hope you will continue to enjoy our concerts which still cost far less than attending a world class concert in any major city in the U.S.

PLEASE SUPPORT this beloved concert series by making a donation on our website​.​ On behalf of our Advisory Council members and staff, we thank you for valuing music, that most beautiful and most universal language. We look forward to seeing you at our concerts.

Yours in music,

Michael Luck

Chair of the Master Players Advisory Council

Xiang (Sean) Gao

Producing Artistic Director ​

Photo of President Dennis Assanis & First Lady Eleni Assanis President Dennis Assanis & Mrs. Eleni Assanis ​President Dennis N. Assanis and Mrs. Eleni Assanis This is the 20th year for the Master Players Concert Series at the University of Delaware, and we could not be more excited about this wonderful season of outstanding performances by some of the world’s most talented musicians. Every year, the MPCS brings a diverse lineup of concerts to our community, offering something for every taste. The University is extraordinarily proud to host and support this unique gem. We are both lifelong admirers of music because it so beautifully expresses thoughts and emotions that words can never adequately convey. Whether played on instruments or sung by a vocalist, music emerges as something far greater than a collection of individual notes. And when we listen to it being performed live — whether in person, online or even at a later time — we connect on a deep level with each other and the musicians. Through the enjoyment of music, our differences fade away, and our community grows stronger. The artists featured in the 2023-24 season truly exemplify the tremendous talent and virtuosity that have been hallmarks of MPCS for two decades. From jaunty favorites to more pensive compositions … from rising stars to a choir founded more than 500 years ago … the performance series celebrates the broad array of music today. The season closes with a can’t-miss concert of masterpieces and new music performed by Founding Artistic Director Xiang Gao and his world-class musician friends, including UD’s ensemble-in-residence 6-WIRE. Your generous support — as well as your engagement as an audience member in live performances — has made MPCS a success for so long. We look forward to enjoying this season’s performances with all of you. ​ Sincerely, Dennis and Eleni Assanis President and First Lady of UD
​President Dennis N. Assanis and Mrs. Eleni Assanis

President Dennis Assanis & First Lady Eleni Assanis

We are so excited to invite you to take part in the 21st season of the Master Players Concert Series (Master Players) at the University of Delaware. As lifelong admirers and aficionados of music, we look forward to the concert series every year. There is something so special about live performances and becoming immersed in the talent and expressiveness of the artists - whether they are performing in groups, as solo performers, with instruments or with voices. More importantly, experiencing music together helps unite us as a community, through our shared inspiration and enjoyment.

Each year, Master Players brings an outstanding and diverse group of concerts and performances by some of the world’s most talented musicians to the UD community. The University is extraordinarily proud to host and support this unique series.

The 2024-25 program includes a wide array of musical styles - a world-renowned gospel choir, a prize-winning saxophone quartet, a classical piano recital, and more. The season culminates with a return of the crowd-favorite “iMusic” concert, featuring music performed by Founding Artistic Director Sean Gao together with a group of exceptional musicians.

Thank you for your generous support and engagement which continues to make Master Players a success each year. This will be an incredible season, and we are looking forward to enjoying this year’s performances with you.​

Sincerely,

Dennis and Eleni Assanis

President and First Lady of UD

Headshot photo of Suzanne Burton
​Senior Assoc​iate Dean for the Arts Suzanne Burton

Greetings!

Welcome to the 2024-25 season of Master Players! This year promises to follow the tradition of excellence established by its founding director, Sean Gao. The professional concert series at the University of Delaware provides exemplary musical performances of the traditional juxtaposed with those that explore music’s boundaries. Professor Gao’s innovative approach blends impressive talent with carefully crafted programming of high caliber artists. In addition to producing extraordinary concerts, community outreach is an important part of Master Players’ mission.

The Backstage Pass initiative for college students is a fantastic way to enhance their concert experience and meet with talented musicians after concerts. The inclusion of educational presentations like “Creating Shanghai Sonatas,” a lecture concert, underscores the organization’s commitment to using music as a vehicle for promoting understanding, acceptance, and inclusivity throughout the community and beyond. I invite you to join us this season and experience a powerful means of expression and transformation, music.

Sincerely,

Suzanne L. Burton

Senior Associate Dean for the Arts, College of Arts and Sciences​

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