New Ulm Chamber of Commerce staff stand with cutout of International known cellist Amit Peled. Peled will be holding a performance in New Ulm, Sunday May 4. Anyone who takes a photo of themselves with the cutout of Peled may get 50% off ticket to the New Ulm show. (L to R): Mae Geidel, Sarah Warmka, Amit Peled [cutout], Crystal Johnson and Elyza Moy.

International renowned cellist Amit Peled will perform with the Mankato Symphony Orchestra for two concerts.

The first performance is 4:30 p.m. Sunday, April 27 at Bethany Lutheran College’s Trinity Chapel in Mankato and the second performance is 3 p.m., Sunday May 4 at New Ulm High School Auditorium.

The first concert on April 27 features cello and piano duets by Johannes Brahms and Richard Strauss. Peled will be joined by pianist Bethel Balge, a frequent performer in chamber music recitals around the state of Minnesota. The concert is a special offering, sponsored by the Mankato Area Foundation (MAF).

All ticket revenue from the concert will be returned to the MAF in support of the Mary E. Suedbeck Fund for the Encouragement of the Arts. In addition to ticket revenue, gifts in support of the Young Artist Competition may be sent directly in care of the Mankato Symphony at PO Box 645, Mankato, MN 56002.

The concert on May 4 features Amit Peled as a soloist, performing the monumental B Minor Cello Concerto by Anton Dvorak with the MSO in the New Ulm High School Auditorium. The final piece on the May 4 program is Symphony No.2 by Jean Sibelius, a work completed in 1902, soon after Sibelius’ famous tone poem ‘Finlandia’ was written.

Amit Peled is acclaimed as one of the most exciting and virtuosic instrumentalists on the concert stage and he has performed at Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center in New York, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., Salle Gaveau in Paris, Wigmore Hall in London and the Konzerthaus Berlin.

Peled has released over a dozen recordings on the Naxos, Centaur, Delos, and CTM Classics labels. Musical America named Peled one of the Top 30 Influencers of 2015.

The audience is encouraged to arrive by 2 p.m. on May 4 for a special Q & A with MSO Music Director and Conductor Ernesto Estigarribia Mussi and Amit Peled. The Q & A will be held in the lobby outside the auditorium and led by Minnesota Public Radio host Valerie Kahler. A freewill offering is encouraged for snacks and drinks provided by SweetHaven Tonics.

To reserve the best seats, purchase online at MankatoSymphony.org or contact the box office at 507-933-0441. Tickets are also available at the door on the day of the concert.

Mankato Symphony Orchestra is running a special promotion in partnership with the New Ulm Area Chamber. A life-size cutout of Peled is on display in the Chamber office. Anyone who poses with the cutout of Peled and submits their photo using the QR code on the cutout will receive 50% off the cost of a ticket. The cutout will be display starting Monday, April 28. ahead of the New Ulm performance.