Academy Concerts

Academy Concerts presents Duo Pragma on Mother's Day for our final event of the concert season! May 10th - 2:00 pm at Central Presbyterian Church in Tarentum - Click the link attached to this post to reserve your seats and/or make a donation!

Based in Pittsburgh since Fall of 2022, Duo Pragma (Greek for enduring love) finds its purpose
through musical partnership and commitment. The husband-wife duo, formed by Andrew “Gio”
Giordano (violin) and Nathália Kato (piano), is committed to values of expansion and inclusivity
in their chamber music projects and joint teaching studio.
In addition to the standard violin-piano repertoire, Duo Pragma often performs rarely-heard
repertoire by both well-known and historically marginalized composers. Bringing lesser-known
works to life is an important way Duo Pragma creates their own voice in the chamber music
world. As passionate teachers, Gio and Nathália apply these values to teaching their students,
encouraging them to explore diverse sets of repertoire, which adds to their fulfillment and life-
long musical journey.
Outside of performing and teaching as a duo, Gio and Nathália are both active musicians in the
Pittsburgh area. Gio is a violinist in the Beo String Quartet, which performs an extensive range
of repertoire both in the United States and internationally. Nathália is an Adjunct Professor at
Duquesne University and serves as a vocal coach and staff pianist, and is highly sought after in
the Pittsburgh area for her expertise in collaborative piano working with several vocal ensembles
and instrumentalists throughout Western Pennsylvania.

CORRECTION: A recent post of ours mistakenly listed the time of our upcoming Trio Sine Nomine concert on Sunday as 2:00 pm. It is in fact at 1:00 pm! We apologize for the confusion. For more information, please click the event link below.

THE CONCERT IS AT 1:00, NOT 2:00

The words "Trio Sine Nomine" are best read and pronounced in Romantic languages like Latin, Spanish, or Italian. Literally, perhaps cheekily, "A Trio Without a Name" is thus named.

THIS SUNDAY 2:00 at Old St Luke's in Carnegie, PA, Trio Sine Nomine presents "Songs and Dances" including:

- a trio by Joseph Haydn that features a set of variations on a songful tune, followed by two dance-like movements,
- Wrong Mountain Stomp: the story of Jenny, who leaves her Mama and boyfriend Billy in the Appalachians to pursue a life of adventure in the Rockies, and
- the Trio in G major by Beethoven, Opus 9 #1, which among its marvels features a glorious slow movement and a skittering, racing finale.

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In addition, Lydia and Adam will play a spectacular arrangement of Astor Piazolla’s Libertango, and Warren will offer a mysterious lyrical piece by Alan Hovhaness for viola alone called Chahagir.

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Old St. Luke's is a beautiful old stone church, quite intimate, with a fabulous acoustic. It is an ideal chamber music environment. Seating is limited, so advance reservations are recommended. Please click the "ticket" link to reserve your seats. Suggested donation is $20 but any amount is welcome.

We are putting on TWO concerts at once this Sunday! Please visit this very page for more info. Both concerts are FREE with suggested, but in no way obligatory donation of $20.

ALLEGHENY UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH
4/19 at 2:00 pm - Sitarist Michael Griska - Traditional Indian Music

Michael Griska will take you on a musical and spiritual journey. Michael is a master of Hindustani music - North Indian music - and on his many-stringed sitar he will lead you from the slow, contemplative opening of a raga to a fast, thrilling finale. Hindustani music is nearly 100% improvised, so every performance of a raga is utterly unique.

FIRST UNITED METHODIST GREENSBURG
4/19 at 2:00 pm - Academy String Quartet - "Domestic or Imported Lyricism"

In this performance by the Academy String Quartet, the famous "Adagio for Strings" by Samuel Barber is matched with his friend George Walker's "Lyric for Strings". A fake Haydn piece(!) - the well-known Serenade, actually written by Roman Hofstetter - is put in perspective with a real Haydn quartet, Opus 9, #2. Plus the quartet will perform a charming, quirky piece by Elaine Fine, titled In an "Old House in Paris," based on Ludwig Bemelman's beloved book, Madeline, with Donna Penoyer as narrator.

Don't forget, TONIGHT the Academy String Quartet presents "Domestic or Imported Lyricism" at Sewickley United Methodist Church! The concert begins at 7:30. Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted for the benefit of the Charles Wesley Music Foundation.

Hearing Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" performed live is a Once in a Lifetime experience for some. You can hear it live, for free, this coming Monday 7:30 at Sewickley United Methodist Church!

The Academy String Quartet will perform this moving work in its original home, as a movement in his Opus 11 String Quartet. You may hear why Barber later adapted this "Mega Hit" for String Orchestra.

From Wikipedia:

"In January 1938, Barber sent an orchestrated version of the Adagio for Strings to [famed conductor] Arturo Toscanini. The conductor returned the score without comment, which annoyed Barber. Toscanini sent word through Menotti that he was planning to perform the piece and had returned it simply because he had already memorized it."

The term "lyricism" is frequently used in discussions of Classical music. Most commonly, this means a melody has a singing, flowing, nearly effortless quality to it (and frequently applies when there is no literal singer present!)

Much of the lyricism in our upcoming program "Domestic and Imported Lyricism" is provided by Academy String Quartet first violinist Jorie Butler-Geyer. She is a frequent collaborator with Academy Concerts. If you have not yet heard her gorgeous playing, this coming Monday the 13th at 7:30 pm is your chance! The concert takes place at Sewickley United Methodist Church.

Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted to support the ongoing work of the Charles Wesley Music Foundation.

A busy and music-filled April is just around the corner! More info coming soon, but you can always check our website under "Concerts by Venue" to see upcoming events and reserve your seats: "academyconcerts dot org" (clickable link in comments to avoid algorithm suppression!)

4/13 at 7:30 pm - "Domestic and Imported Lyricism" with the Academy String Quartet at Sewickley United Methodist Church

4/19 at 2:00 pm - "Domestic and Imported Lyricism" with the Academy String Quartet at First United Methodist Church in Greensburg

4/19 at 2:00 pm - Traditional Indian Music with Michael Griska at Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church on the North Side

4/26 at 2:00 pm - "Songs and Dances" with Trio Sine Nomine at Old St. Luke's in Carnegie

This Sunday 2pm! "Wintergrace" with Ellen Gozion, an exploration of Appalachian music fit for Advent. for our website, concert info, and seating!