Bob DeVos

There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but UNC Asheville’s Music Department is offering up three free lunchtime concerts to satisfy your musical appetite. The performances, featuring a noted percussionist, a classical music duo, and an esteemed jazz guitarist, kick off the 2006-07 concert season. The events are open to the public and will be held in UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium.

River Guerguerian, an international concert and recording artist, will perform at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30. He will perform original music on a variety of percussion instruments from around the world inspired by his time living in the Himalaya Mountains. Guerguerian has performed professionally for 20 years with well-known musicians including Ziggy Marley, Chuck Berry and Oscar and Grammy winning composer Tan Dun. He has performed across the United States, as well as in Barcelona, Istanbul, Berlin, Rome and Hong Kong.

Bassist Steve Benne and pianist Charles Goan will perform at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6. Benne, the Knoxville Symphony principal bassist, and Goan, a retired associate professor of music from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, will perform pieces by Bottesini, Schumann, Boccherini and Kreisler. Previously, Benne performed as the principal double bassist for the North American Chamber Orchestra, while Goan spent 34 years teaching music appreciation to more than 3,000 students. Both now live in Knoxville, Tenn.

At 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13, jazz guitarist Bob DeVos will join UNC Asheville Music Department students and faculty to perform in the Chancellor’s Installation Week Jazz Concert. DeVos, considered a versatile guitarist, composer, and arranger, has performed at jazz festivals in many U.S. cities including New York, Miami Beach and San Francisco. In recent years, he has performed at renowned locations such as the Kennedy Center and the Blue Note. DeVos is currently a professor of music at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Penn.

The remainder of the season will feature some 19 performances with a general admission price of $5. Season tickets are available for $40 at the door of any show or by calling UNC Asheville’s Music Department at 828/251-6432.