The final concerts of the Cassatt String Quartet's residency at UB and an appearance by acclaimed violinist Elmar Oliveira with the Slee Sinfonietta will be among the highlights of the concert schedule to be presented by the Department of Music in April.

In concluding a successful three-year residency at UB, the Cassatt will perform two concerts in Slee Concert Hall on the North Campus.

The quartet will perform the final installment of the annual Slee/Beethoven String Quartet Cycle-including Op. 18, No. 4, Op. 135 and Op. 59, No. 2-at 8 p.m. April 6, and will perform the last concert of this year's Slee/Visiting Artist Series at 8 p.m. April 28.

Acclaimed local pianist and chamber music aficionado Stephen Manes will join the Cassatt April 28 in a performance of Shostakovich's Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57.

Manes, professor and chair of the Department of Music, and the Cassatt have enjoyed a number of successful collaborations during the quartet's residence at UB.

During the April 28 concert-designated as this year's Tzetzo Memorial Concert in memory of Basil Tzetzo, long-time concert patron and supporter of Slee Hall-the quartet also will perform Mozart's Quartet in E Major, K. 428 and Dvorak's famous String Quartet in F Major, Op. 96 ("The American").

The Cassatt String Quartet was chosen to be the Slee Quartet in Residence in the spring of 1998 following a rigorous audition and interview process. It has performed the Beethoven Cycle each year, as well as several Visiting Artist Concerts, and made a number of appearances with the Slee Sinfonietta.

While in residence at UB, the quartet also visited many Buffalo-area schools, presented two youth concerts at UB and offered several master classes and open coaching sessions, and visited many classes on campus.

Oliveira, who performed a solo recital on March 24 in Slee, will return to the concert hall at 8 p.m. April 3 to join the Slee Sinfonietta, conducted by Magnus Mårtensson, in a performance of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E-minor, Op. 64.

The Slee Sinfonietta also will perform Fuga (Ricercata) a 6 voci (from "The Musical Offering") by Bach and orchestrated by Anton Webern. The final piece of the night will be Stravinsky's Pulcinella Suite.

An open rehearsal of the program with Oliveira and the Slee Sinfonietta will be featured as the music department's Brown Bag Concert for April. The rehearsal will be held at noon April 3 in Slee.

Oliveira has taken his place as one of the most commanding violinists of our time, with an unsurpassed combination of impeccable artistry and old-world elegance. Among his generation's most honored artists, he is the first and only American violinist to win the Gold Medal at Moscow's Tchaikovsky International Competition.

Other performances scheduled for April include appearances by the UB Opera/Music Theater Workshop, with Dora Ohrenstein, director, at 8 p.m. April 20 and 2 p.m. April 21 in the Black Box Theatre in the Center for the Arts; the UB Jazz Ensemble with Sam Falzone, director, at 8 p.m. April 22 in Baird Recital Hall; the UB Contemporary Ensemble, Magnus Mårtensson, conductor, at 8 p.m. April 24 in Slee; UB Concert Band, Jon Nelson, conductor, at 8 p.m. April 25 in Slee, and the UB Choir and UB Chorus, Harold Rosenbaum, conductor, at 8 p.m. April 26 in Slee.

Rounding out the concert schedule will be a faculty recital by the Baird Trio, featuring Movses Pogossian on violin, Jonathan Golove on cello and Manes on piano, at 8 p.m. April 18 in Slee; concerts of student-performed pieces at 8 p.m. April 16 and April 23 in Baird; a performance of the UB Symphony, Mårtensson, conductor, at 8 p.m. April 27 in Slee and a concert by the UB Saxophone Ensemble, Harry Fackelman, conductor, at 3 p.m. April 29 in Slee.

In addition, a special program of real-time, interactive, computer music will be performed at 8 p.m. April 11 in the Drama Theatre in the Center for the Arts.

Single tickets for most concerts sponsored by the Department of Music range from $5 to $12. Discounts are available for seniors, students and UB faculty, staff and alumni for the more expensive concerts.

Tickets may be obtained at the Slee Hall box office from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, from the Center for the Arts box office from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and at all TicketMaster outlets.

The full slate of Slee Hall concerts is available online at http://www.slee.buffalo.edu.