St. Clement Church will usher in the New Year with the inaugural recital of its Musical Arts Series on Thursday, January 24, 2008, at 7:30 p.m.

According to St. Clement’s Director of Music, Jeffrey Moellman, pianists Andrea McAlister and Heidi Began, violist Scot Buzza, and mezzo-soprano Fenlon Lamb will present works by Brahms, Debussy, Dvorák, Gershwin, and Joplin.

“I view hosting the recital as a means of outreach to the Lakewood community and a natural extension of our preexisting music ministry,” said Mr. Moellman. “Furthermore, I have not seen many other classical music concerts in the vicinity, much less many featuring musicians of such high caliber.”

Pianist Andrea McAlister is Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Previously, she taught at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, where she also received her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. Dr. McAlister has performed in festivals and recitals throughout the United States and Canada, including the Aspen Music Festival and the Rome Festival, as well as with the Cleveland Chamber Symphony.

Scot Buzza’s career includes solo performances with orchestras in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and Venezuela. He is a former principal violist with the Tokyo Philharmonic and former soloist-principal violist with the Chamber Orchestra of Barcelona, Spain. He is a regular performer with both the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Regularly earning critical acclaim for her “dynamic, rich vocal sound,” and “polished acting abilities,” mezzo-soprano Fenlon Lamb has performed with The Cleveland Orchestra, Apollo’s Fire, Opera Cleveland, and recently completed a concert tour in Asia. A graduate of the Peabody School of Music with a Masters in Vocal Performance, Ms. Lamb will make her Seattle Opera debut this season.

Heidi Williams Began is an active teacher, performer, and adjudicator in the Cleveland area. She earned her Master of Music in Piano Performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Ms. Began has won or placed in numerous piano competitions, including First Prize in both the Greensboro Music Academy Piano Competition and the Meredith College Concerto Competition. aside from her performance engagements, Ms. Began is proprietor of the Cleveland-area Williams Piano Studio.

Father John Ocilka, Administrator of St. Clement Church, said “the event continues the rich tradition of the Catholic Church in hosting recitals of classical and sacred music. We are glad to be able to use St. Clement as a venue to present this program.”

This recital is open to the public, free of charge, and families with children are welcome. A free-will offering will be accepted at the recital’s conclusion and a reception with refreshments will allow audience members to meet the artists.

St. Clement Roman Catholic Church is located at 2022 Lincoln Avenue (at Madison Avenue) in Lakewood. Ample parking is available at the rear of the church. For more information, call 216.226.5116 or visit www.saint-clement.net.