Violinist Tessa Lark & Bassist Michael Thurber Perform Bach Inventions And Original Duos On New Album Out Today

Last night, at their performance in the David Rubenstein Atrium for Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival, the award-winning violinist Tessa Lark and virtuoso composer and bassist Michael Thurber announced the release of Invention, their debut recording as a duo. Invention is anchored by J.S. Bach's Two-Part Inventions and fuses the pair's classical and American music influences into a wholly original sound.

Recorded by GRAMMY-award winning producer Silas Brown, Invention "is an attempt to capture all of our musical influences in one cohesive body of work," says Lark. "In deciding what repertoire to record, our minds immediately went to J.S. Bach."

Bach's music has always been a musical home base for Lark and Thurber and a benchmark of musical perfection, with his Two-Part Inventions occupying a central place in their hearts. "These beautiful bite-sized works of counterpoint illuminate the full expressive possibility for two musical voices," says Thurber. "You can hear these melodies laugh, mourn, swoon, and argue as they meticulously intertwine."

In the spirit of these Inventions, Lark and Thurber 'invented' their own set of duos. Just as Bach's Inventions are explorations in counterpoint, their own duos explore the full range of what is possible with their specific two voices. Both the violin and bass have played an integral role not only in Western music but in American music from Appalachia to New Orleans. In their original compositions, Lark and Thurber explore these different styles and dive into their own musical heritage -- as classical musicians, but also as Americans.

In addition to the Mostly Mozart performance, Lark and Thurber will bring their charismatic live show to audiences around the country throughout the 2019-20 season. Highlights include a debut concert at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia with legendary flautist Marina Piccinini, performances in Kentucky and Maine and a live guest-hosting appearance on NPR's From The Top, the show where Lark and Thurber first met years ago.

Lark and Thurber began their duo collaboration in 2016 after a one-off performance at an event for WQXR in New York City. The two quickly realized how much they had in common musically. "This duo is a place for us to explore our varied musical influences," explains Lark. "I grew up in Kentucky playing bluegrass long before I started my career as a classical musician, so I've always longed for an outlet to integrate my American music roots into my performances." Thurber adds, "Our diverse musical appetite is what has always drawn Tessa and me together. The fiddle and bass are both such versatile instruments that have played vital roles in so many different musical traditions around the world. It feels very natural to explore the full range of our musical heritage and not be bound by genre."

Both Lark and Thurber enjoy successful careers of their own outside of the duo. In the classical music world, Tessa has earned a 2018 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, a 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Silver Medal in the 2014 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, and a First-Place finish in the 2012 Naumburg International Violin Competition.

Michael has a reputation for great versatility as a musician and performer. Whether he's playing bass on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, composing music for the Royal Shakespeare Company, co-founding the smash YouTube channel CDZA, or hosting his "Thurber Theater" variety show at Joe's Pub, his musical voice defies genre and category.

In their respective careers thus far, Tessa and Michael have had the privilege of collaborating with some of the world's leading musicians in a wide variety of genres -- to name just a few: Mitsuko Uchida, Edgar Meyer, Itzhak Perlman, and Mark O'Connor (Tessa), and Yo-Yo Ma, James Taylor, Vulfpeck, Jon Batiste, and Cee Lo Green (Michael).

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