Violin/Piano Duo Programs

This program explores 100 years of the magic that happens at the intersection of classical and jazz. From danceable rhythms and hummable familiar tunes, to the discovery of  tantalizing new expressions of Boogie-Woogie and the blues, “who could ask for anything more?”

Experience works by (and the fascinating stories of) brilliant female composers. This emotionally and stylistically wide-ranging program offers listeners a surprising array of works from the early and mid-20th century, plus exciting new compositions by living women composers.

In this era of climate crisis, when caring for our fragile planet is more important than ever, how can music play a role? The works on this program, old and new, portray our connections to the natural world. This program  inspires an appreciation of Earth’s beauty, and offers an oasis for reflecting on our commitment to its stewardship.

Beethoven’s 9th Sonata has an intriguing backstory: originally dedicated to, and premiered by, the great Afro-British violinist George Bridgetower, the work ended up being dedicated to violinist Rudolphe Kreutzer (who deemed the work unplayable). Kreutzer became a celebrated figure while Bridgetower faded into poverty and obscurity. The Beethoven sonata is paired with Vijay Iyer’s 2015 work Bridgetower Fantasy, a collection of musings about Bridgetower. Iyer imagines him as “an ambiguous figure who, in embodying difference, provoked inspiration, fantasy, desire, anger and, finally, erasure.”

​Fascinated with folk music from foreign lands, Czech composer Dvorak and Afro-British composer Coleridge-Taylor were both deeply moved and influenced by the music they heard while visiting America.Ravel was so entranced after hearing Hungarian gypsy violinist Jelly D'Aranyi that he ran home and transcribed what he had heard, creating the wild, impressionistic show-piece, Tzigane. The results of exposure to (and free play with) these foreign folk styles are fresh and original compositions that continue to move and delight us.

​Adoration is a reverential love that can be religious, romantic, familial, or a general sense of the love and respect that we want to cultivate in our lives. This emotional thread ties together the program, which, in keeping with Kyle Walker’s  Bach to BlackNotes project,  juxtaposes the works of Bach with music we find equally wonderful, but which has unfortunately fallen through the cracks of music history.