Music Worcester Features Two Unique Chamber Music Events in October

Music Worcester presents an eclectic pair of chamber concerts in October, with The Gavilán Brothers, October 15th and mandolin player Avi Avital and accordionist  Hanzhi Wang October 22nd.  

The Gavilán Brothers will perform a recital following a screening of the 2020 film Los Hermanos, Sunday, October 15th at 4PM at The Robert R. Jay Performing Arts Center at St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury.  The award-winning documentary details the brothers’ start in Cuba to their international careers today.  Virtuoso Afro-Cuban-born brothers—violinist Ilmar and pianist Aldo—live on opposite sides of a geopolitical chasm a half-century wide. 

Tracking their parallel lives in New York and Havana, their rare poignant reunions, and their momentous first joint performances, Los Hermanos/The Brothers offers a nuanced, often startling view of estranged nations through the lens of music and family.  The film features  an electrifying, genre-bending score, composed by Aldo López-Gavilán, performed with his now American brother, Ilmar, and with guest appearances by maestro Joshua Bell and The Harlem Quartet.

Violinist Ilmar Gavilán has had a distinguished career, winning the Sphinx Competition as a young artist and going on to be a founding member of The Harlem Quartet.  Pianist Aldo López-Gavilán is accomplished in both the classical and jazz worlds as a recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber-music collaborator, and performer of his own inspiring jazz compositions.

Mandolin player Avi Avital and accordionist  Hanzhi Wang will perform the Annual Jean McDonough Concert for the 2023-2024 Season, Sunday, October 22nd  at the BrickBox Theater in downtown Worcester’s Jean McDonough Arts Center. 
 

The first mandolin soloist to be nominated for a classical Grammy, Avi Avital has appeared several times at Carnegie Hall, and recently with many of the major orchestras throughout North America. He is a driving force behind the reinvigoration of the mandolin repertory. 

Praised for her captivating stage presence and performances that are technically and musically masterful, the groundbreaking young musician Hanzhi Wang is the first accordionist to win a place on the roster of Young Concert Artists in its 58-year history.  They will perform a program that includes Kreisler Praeludium and Allegro, Bartok Romanian Folk Dances (selections), Stravinsky Suite Italienne from Pulcinella, Bach Chaconne from Partita No. 2, and Saint-Saens Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso.