A prelude to concert #2 in this year's Winter Chamber series, Stephen Balderston will discuss the Cello and Harpsichord Sonatas of Bach, with a focus on the Sonata No. 2, which is featured in the evening's 7:30 p.m. concert.

Admission is free.

Stephen Balderston joined the DePaul School Of Music faculty as String Coordinator and Professor of Cello after twenty successful years as an orchestra and chamber musician. Balderston was Assistant Principal Cello with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for ten years after ten years with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. He performed as soloist with both orchestras and was an artist-in-residence at Washington University. Balderston began his studies on the cello with Gabor Rejto in his native southern California, and earned both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Lynn Harrell. A sought-after soloist, chamber musician and coach, Balderston participates in clinics, chamber music concerts and festivals throughout the U.S. and abroad. In recent years, Balderston has performed solo works and chamber music with Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez, Christoph Eschenbach, Lynn Harrell, Yo-Yo Ma, Menahem Pressler, Gil Shaham, and Pinchas Zukerman. He debuted as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Bobby McFerrin in 2000. He has been a featured artist at the Ravinia Festival, Bargemusic in New York City, and the Affinis Music Festival in Japan. Additionally, he has participated in the OK Mozart International Festival in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, the Santa Barbara Chamber Music Festival, and the International Music Festival in Shanghai, China. In August 2001, he served as Principal Cello at the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He has performed the Elgar and Dvorák concertos with local orchestras including the Elmhurst Symphony and the Lake Shore Symphony, and was featured with the North Suburban Symphony and the Salt Creek Sinfonietta in 2005. He is a frequent guest artist with the Chicago Chamber Musicians and the Chicago String Quartet. He is the cellist for the Evanston Chamber Ensemble and a founding member of Callisto Ensemble in Chicago.