For Tuesday's sold out performance, Bell will play three major works by classical composers Johannes Brahms, Edvard Grieg and Franz Schubert.
"It's a solid program," music professor Steve Swayne said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "Brahms and Schubert are two of the great composers in the Western tradition."
Bell will open the concert with Brahms' "Violin Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano in A Major." Next, he will play Schubert's "Fantasy in C Major, Op. 15, for Violin and Piano," more commonly known as the "Wanderer Fantasy." Both works contain four separate movements and feature intricate conversations between the violin and piano.
After an intermission, the audience will hear Greig's "Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano in G Major."
Bell told the Miami Herald that he chose Grieg's piece for the tour because "I always like to have at least one big piece that I've never done before." Bell said he hopes to reinvent the first two pieces, which he has played many times over the years.
Bell is collaborating with British pianist Sam Haywood on his tour.
Richard Fu '13, who plays the piano for the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra and the Dartmouth Wind Symphony, will turn the pages for Haywood during Bell's performance.
To prepare, Fu said he will attend a practice with Haywood and Bell to run through the program.
In addition, Fu said he has practiced on his own.
"I got some recordings and I've been listening to them so I know what's going on," Fu explained.
Although the music Bell is playing is well-known, the artist himself is of equal if not greater interest to the Dartmouth community.
"It was a good move on the part of the Hop to bring someone that was widely known not only to the musicians but to the Dartmouth student population at large," Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra violinist Damaris Altomerianos '13 said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
Altomerianos explained that Bell has a broad fan base, ranging from classical music buffs to fans of other musical genres.
"His best quality as a figure is his ability to attract the people who usually wouldn't go to these concerts," Altomerianos said. "There's a lot of beauty in people who bridge the community of non-musicians to classical music."
As a popular crossover classical musician, Bell maintains a high profile by branching out into other areas.
"He's not one of those musicians who gives two concerts a year, makes one recording every three years and just sits at home and does all that obscure stuff," Fu explained. "He maintains a high profile and that's part of the reason for his popularity."
Bell has achieved popular acclaim by collaborating with performers including Sting and Kristen Chenoweth, according to Swayne.
However, Swayne said the pop culture buzz surrounding Bell is not the only reason that audiences are flocking to see and hear his concerts.
"He's one of the top violinists in the world right now," Swayne said. "That's why people want to see and hear him."
Regardless of whether they are more drawn in by Bell's dynamic persona or technical skills, students are clearly excited about the musician's visit to the Hop, judging by the ticket sales.
"It's going to be a very popular concert," Altomerianos said. "People are really hyped up about it."
After performing the three major works from the set program, Bell will play several encores from memory, which he will choose on the spot and announce from the stage.
