Lee University will welcome Isabelle Faust, violin, and Alexander Melnikov, piano, on Monday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m. in Pangle Hall for the next installment of the 2016-17 Presidential Concert Series.

“Isabelle Faust is one of the world’s top violinists, who in the last few years has been attracting attention all around the globe,” said series host Dr. Paul Conn. “We are lucky to have her and Mr. Melnikov schedule a performance here at Lee.”

The New York Times describes Faust and Melnikov as having a sound with “passion, grit, and electricity, but also a disarming warmth and sweetness.”

At an early age, Faust won the prestigious Leopold Mozart and Paganini competitions and was soon invited to appear with the world’s leading orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo.

Her skill captivates her listeners through insightful and faithful interpretations, because of attention to the historical context of the works. She continues to be one of the most sought-after violinists in the world and regularly performs or records with world-renowned conductors.

“Faust takes an intimate approach to the music and plays in a way that invites the listener in rather than in a way that demands attention by forcefulness,” says Nashville Music Review.

Melnikov has performed with ensembles such as the Freiburger Barockorchester, Orchestre des Champs- Élysées, and Concerto Köln, among others. He is known for his creative musical and programmatic decisions and a career-long interest in historically-informed performance.

According to Bavarian Radio, “His playing is always refined, yet resolutely committed…his great achievement is to be simultaneously both sensitive and full of character.”

In 2010, the duo won both a Gramophone Award and Germany’s ECHO Klassik Prize and was nominated for a GRAMMY® for their recording of the Beethoven Sonatas. Melnikov’s recording of the Preludes and Fugues by Shostakovich was also awarded the BBC Music Magazine Award, and in 2011, it was named one of the “50 Greatest Recordings of All Time” by the BBC Music Magazine.

Tickets for the concert are $15 for adults and $5 for children and seniors and can be purchased at the Lee University Box Office, located in Dixon Center, or by contacting (423) 614-8343, Monday-Friday, from 3-6 p.m.

For more information about the Presidential Concert Series, call the School of Music at (423) 614-8240.