UC Clermont College is hosting a benefit concert in partnership with the Clermont Philharmonic Orchestra and Clermont Festival Chorale on Nov. 14 in the Kruger Auditorium located on campus at 4200 Clermont College Dr. in Batavia.

The purpose of this concert is to raise awareness for the arts in Clermont County and raise money for a new Fine Arts Lab on campus.

The Clermont Festival Chorale will kick off the event at 2 p.m. with “Welcome to the 60’s” – a concert of vocal music. The Clermont Festival Chorale (CFC) was founded in January 2006. CFC’s mission is to bring choral music programs to the greater Clermont community. http://clermontfestivalchorale.org/

Beginning at 3 p.m., the Clermont Philharmonic Orchestra will take the stage to present “Rhapsody in Blue” featuring renowned pianist Michael Chertock.

Chertock received bachelor and master of music degrees from UC’s College Conservatory of Music, where he studied piano with Clifford Herzer, Robert Weirich, Frank Weinstock and James Tocco.

Locally he conducts the Blue Ash-Montgomery Symphony and is artistic director of the Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions for the Linton Chamber Music Series, an interactive music series geared toward children ages 2 to 5. He is member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. As an orchestral soloist, he has worked with James Conlon, Jaime Laredo, Keith Lockhart, Erich Kunzel and Andrew Litton.

Solo performances include the Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Pops, l’Orchestre Symphonique du Montreal, Toronto Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Chattanooga Symphony, Utah Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony and the Dayton Philharmonic. He has presented recitals and made chamber appearances at the Linton Chamber Music Series, Mayor’s 801 Plum Series, Steans Institute of the Ravinia Festival and Grand Tetons Music Festival. For radio and TV, he has given recitals with Mark Oswald, Alyssa Park, Larry Combs, Eddie Daniels and Ricardo Morales-Matos. His recordings include Cinematic Piano, Chamber Music of Frank Proto, Palace of the Winds, Christmas at the Movies, Love at the Movies and CSO’s Festival Prelude for Organ and Orchestra, on which he was the organ soloist. In 1991 he was awarded the silver medal at the World Piano Competition of the American Music Scholarship Association. Other awards include the 1989 Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition prize, 1993 St. Charles International Piano Competition grand prize, the 1988 and ‘90 winner of the CCM Concerto Competition and first prize in the 1990 Rildia Bee O’Bryan Cliburn Competition. Before coming to CCM, he was a visiting professor at Miami University.

Ticket Price: $10-Student/Senior $20-General Admission or $40-VIP Experience

Online Tickets: www.regonline.com/rhapsodyinblue

Questions: dana.parker@uc.edu or 513-558-9964

Sponsors for the event include: Gold Sponsors- Cincinnati United Contractors, Santoro Engineering and Bronze Sponsor – Edward Jones.

Directions to campus: http://www.ucclermont.edu/about/directions.html