Local violinist Liesl Schoenberger brings her talent to Southeast Missouri State University River Campus

On a cold Sunday afternoon, Cape Girardeau's homegrown violin virtuoso Liesl Schoenberger used the warm confines of the Shuck Recital Hall to bring her audience the snappy tempo of Fritz Kreisler's 1910 Vienna, the sad longing of a waltz beat from Johannes Brahms and the toe-tapping joy of a Texas swing tune.

For most of 90 minutes, both solo and with piano accompanist Matt Yount, Schoenberger showed why she has been the delight of local audiences since she gave a recital in Old St. Vincent's Church in November 1995 at age 11. Today, after years of dedication to her art, Schoenberger is an Artist Diploma Candidate at Yale University, the next step in a course of study that began at age 2 1/2 and most recently brought her a master's degree from Indiana University.

As part of the Chamber Music Sundays at Three series, Schoenberger made her second appearance at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus. All but a handful of the more than 200 seats on the main floor were filled, and her father, Dr. John Schoenberger, a physician, recorded the performance from the balcony.

After the intermission, Schoenberger told the audience that Brahms's Sonata No. 1 in G Major and Eugene Ysaye's Sonata No. 3 in D minor "Ballade" were the meat of the performance, and the post-intermission pieces by Kreisler and Dvorak were "delicacies" served up for dessert.

And for the encore, it was time for "Dragging the Bow," a traditional Texas swing number usually associated more closely with old-time greats Bob Wills or Harry Choates.

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.comLiesl Schoenberger warms up in the green room before performing in Shuck Recital Hall Sunday at the River Campus.

But that music is as much a part of Schoenberger's repertoire as the classical numbers. She's played at Carnegie Hall, with symphony orchestras and won old-time fiddling contests, doing so well she has played at the Grand Ole Opry.

Now, as her schooling is drawing to a close, Schoenberger said she's drawn in many directions. "There are so many paths that could open up. That's the beauty and scariness of being in this field," she said after greeting longtime friends and fans after the performance. "I could teach, get my doctorate. Or maybe join a rock band."

The Ysaye piece is a solo sonata. Her fingers flew over the strings as the music's high and low moods created soaring contrasts, with the notes coming so fast at times it seemed to be the soundtrack of a movie chase scene.

In Kreisler's "Tambourin Chinois," meant to evoke an oriental feel, Schoenberger transported her audience to a bustling Chinese market, then slowed as though on a pleasant stroll through a finely sculpted garden.

"Programming a recital is a task in and of itself," Schoenberger said. "I try to pick a variety of things. I pick something for the layperson's ear."

Before the performance, Dr. Schoenberger talked in a brief interview about raising his daughter. "I enjoyed every minute of it," he said. "My wife enjoyed every minute of it."

As she grew more proficient, she would graduate from teacher to teacher, finally in high school spending years studying under Mimi Zweig from Indiana University before attending that school for her undergraduate and master's degree work.

Dr. Schoenberger recalled that his daughter won an early fiddling competition at age 9, beating eight men with many decades of experience between them. The next year, he said, the competition suddenly had a junior category. "We met a heck of a lot of nice people at fiddle contests," he said.

The chaotic atmosphere at those events, and the noisy nature of a practice room, has taught Schoenberger to ignore distractions as she performs. A few loud coughs on a winter's day don't faze her, she said.

"You don't make music in a silent environment," she said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

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Liesl performs Brahms