From today through Saturday, music lovers in Statesboro will be offered a rare treat: free concerts featuring performances by Georgia Southern visiting Professors Chiao-Ling Sun, violinist, and Fu-Chien Cho, pianist, from the National Taiwan University of the Arts.

Held in conjunction with the upcoming East Meets West Statesboro International Festival, the first concert will be held at the Averitt Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. today. It will feature pianist Michael Braz performing Johannes Brahms' Violin Sonata No. 3 with Sun, as well as a collection of Taiwanese folk pieces.

The second concert, on Friday, will be held at the Carol A. Carter Recital Hall on the Georgia Southern campus. Starting at 7:30 pm, the performance features Cho and Sun, along with GSU's Elaris Duo, and includes Mozart's String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K. 465, and Schumann's Fantasy Opus #17.

The final concert will be held at Mill Creek Regional Park on Saturday, as part of the annual International Festival. Starting at 11:30 a.m., it will feature performances by Sun and Cho, along with Steven and Larisa Elisha (who comprise the Elaris Duo) and Braz.

GSU Music Department Chair Dr. Steven Harper said: "Although the title 'East Meets West' might lead us to conceptualize distinct cultures encountering one another, we have really tried to emphasize the degree to which East and West are bonded by a common love of great music."

The events are sponsored by Georgia Southern University's Department of Music, Center for International Studies and Campus Life Enrichment Committee in collaboration with the Averitt Center for the Arts, the City of Statesboro, the Statesboro Downtown Development Association and the Statesboro-Bulloch Parks and Recreation Department.