Winnsboro Center for the Arts has announced its premiere Sunday Classical Series, beginning Sept. 4 with the Mid-Texas Symphony Chamber Players.

“We are really pleased to be able to offer the Sunday Classical Series this fall,” said WCA President Mary White. “The program is varied and will provide a nice sample of the classical genre.  The intimate atmosphere of the Bowery Stage lends itself to informal and interactive concerts, and we’re hoping that is exactly what these will be.”

Oct. 9 brings bass Jared Schwartz and accompanist Mary Dibbern to the center.

A graduate of Bethel College and Eastman School of Music in New York, Schwartz has just recorded a third CD. He performs recitals all over the country and has a very active vocal studio in Dallas.

In 2011, Schwartz was selected as one of the top young voice teachers in the nation and was invited to participate in the National Association of Teachers of Singing’s (NATS) Intern Program.

One of his students was recently signed as an understudy and member of the chorus in “Hamilton,” the Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway smash.

His second CD, “Gabriel FAURÉ, Songs for Bass Voice and Piano,” debuted at #7 on the Billboard Traditional Classic chart last fall.

Schwartz just completed recording for his third CD, the world premiere of the songs of Ange Flégier.

Dibbern is an internationally renowned vocal coach and recital accompanist.

A Dallas native and Southern Methodist University graduate, Dibbern lived and worked in Paris for more than 30 years.

Last year, Dibbern translated “Massenet and His Letters” by Anne Massenet, from French to English (Pendragon Press).

In addition to her coaching and recital duties, Dibbern serves the Music Director of Education for The Dallas Opera.

This will not be Schwartz and Dibbern’s first trip to East Texas. They opened First United Methodist Church of Sulphur Springs’ Fine Arts Series.

Schwartz has sung at FUMC two additional times.

“What more could a music lover ask for?” asked Carol Allen, director of musical arts at FUMC and music director for North East Texas Choral Society. “A truly beautiful voice, masterful accompaniment and artful programming, presented by Mary and Jared! They are two of the most gifted performers I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing. Don’t miss this opportunity to see them perform.”

For their Winnsboro engagement, Schwartz and Dibbern will present songs from his three CDs, along with numbers selected especially for the WCA audience.

Classical guitarist Miguel Antonio, along with Vladimir Kaliazine on button accordion, will be in concert on Nov. 6.

“Miguel Antonio, gave a concert here last year which was very well received, so we are excited he is going to be back as a part of the series,” White noted.

Closing out the series will be Mount Vernon Music Chamber Trio on Jan. 15.

Mark and Ute Miller founded Mount Vernon Music in 2005. The couple are professional musicians, with busy performance schedules, along with their teaching studios in Dallas.

Mark plays violin, Ute the viola. Joining them on cello will be Jennifer Humphreys, a member of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

“How fortunate we are to have Mark and Ute Miller on the Bowery Stage,” White commented. “Their passion for bringing classical music to rural east Texas is unsurpassed.”

Tickets for the series will be $79 ($19.75 per performance) for premium seating at bistro tables; $59 ($14.75 per concert) for standard seating; and a limited number of economy seating at $39 ($9.75 per show).

All performances begin at 2:30 p.m.

“Offering these concerts as a series has helped us in our planning and allowed us to offer them at lower prices than we would if they were sold individually,” White noted. “And having the series on Sunday afternoons will not affect our traditional Bowery Stage programming for Friday and Saturday nights.

“Naturally, we’re hoping the series will be sold out well in advance, but we’ll just have to wait and see. We expect some overlap in attendance since a number of our supporters have expressed interest in broadening our programming, but we are also hoping the Sunday Classical Series will attract some who are new to the Center.

“Since our mission is to make the arts accessible to the community at large, we hope these concerts will help meet a need for some whom we haven’t served previously.

“It’s an experiment and I’m sure that we will learn from it, but, hopefully, it will be a big success!”

For more information, click here or call 903-342-0686.