Mount Vernon Virtuosi Opens Season With Festive Opening, Plus Free Children's Concert

The Mount Vernon Virtuosi (MVV) opens its 2019-2020 season, led by Grammy-nominated conductor, cellist, and pedagogue, Amit Peled, with A Festive Opening on Saturday, September 7, 2019 at 4:00pm at Spencerville Adventist Church in Silver Spring, MD; Sunday, September 8, 2019 at 2:00pm at Bender JCC of Greater Washington in Rockville, MD; Saturday, September 21, 2019 at 5:00pm at Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains, VA; and Sunday, September 22, 2019 at 2:00pm at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, DC. The program includes Barber's Adagio for Strings; "Spring" from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons featuring violin soloist Nikita Borisevich; Jessie Montgomery's Strum for String Quartet arranged for string orchestra; and Shostakovich's Quartet No. 8 in C-minor, Op. 110. Amit Peled founded The Mount Vernon Virtuosi in 2018 to serve as a platform to nurture, support, and advise recent conservatory graduates through the pitfalls of starting a professional music career.

MVV also presents a version geared for children on Sunday, September 8, 2019 at 11:00am at Bender JCC. New this year, MVV has added special concerts for children and their parents free of charge on select Sundays at the Bender JCC. Families are invited to join the orchestra on an exploration into the mind, heart and soul of each composer presented. Each forty-five-minute presentation will end with an ice cream party for the musicians, children, and their families.

Peled says, "For the past twenty years, I have established myself as a leading soloist, pedagogue, and conductor in all corners of the globe. Sharing the love of music with the community has become one of my signature statements and goals as an artist. In 2018, I established the Mount Vernon Virtuosi Orchestra, hoping to reach even more people in the Maryland area by offering concerts at no charge. For the 2019/20 season we are able to add children's concerts to our mission, which is what I am most proud of as a musician and as a father of three kids. These special events will take place at the Bender JCC in Rockville, MD. The idea is to have the kids and their families join us on stage for a presentation of 45 minutes. I envision them sitting all around us, participating in the music making, and we truly hope to ignite in them the same love, joy, and excitement we feel while performing."

Program Information
A Festive Opening
Saturday, September 7, 2019 at 4:00pm
Spencerville Adventist Church | 16325 New Hampshire Ave | Silver Spring, MD
Tickets: Free, no RSVP required.

Children's Concert: Sunday, September 8, 2019 at 11:00am
Bender JCC of Greater Washington | 6125 Montrose Rd | Rockville, MD
Tickets: Free with RSVP
Link: www.benderjccgw.org/concerts

Sunday, September 8, 2019 at 2:00pm
Bender JCC of Greater Washington | 6125 Montrose Rd | Rockville, MD
Tickets: Free with RSVP
Link: www.benderjccgw.org/concerts

Saturday, September 21, 2019 at 5:00pm
Grace Episcopal Church | 6507 Main Street | The Plains, VA
Tickets: $25 General Admission, $15 Students
Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mount-vernon-virtuosi-tickets-68136300509

Sunday, September 22, 2019 at 2:00pm
Dumbarton Oaks | 1703 32nd Street, NW | Washington, DC
Tickets: Free with RSVP
Link: https://www.doaks.org/events/music/concerts

Program:
Barber - Adagio for Strings
Vivaldi - "Spring" from The Four Seasons
Nikita Borisevich, violin
Montgomery - Strum for String Quartet
Shostakovich - Quartet No. 8 in C-minor, Op. 110

About the Mount Vernon Virtuosi
Mount Vernon Virtuosi is an innovative chamber orchestra building a platform for artistic growth and professional development for young talented players. Founded in 2018 by virtuoso cellist Amit Peled, the ensemble cultivates dynamic musical growth by engaging with audiences of all ages in exceptional performances and community events. MVV is inherently experimental. Members train their voices as extensions of their instruments and vocalize Bach works in concerts. The group expands with guest musicians or reduces in size to a string quartet or a cello ensemble. All musicians train to speak articulately about themselves and the music.

Artistic Director Amit Peled conducts and performs with Mount Vernon Virtuosi in its mission to bring music to concert halls, schools, hospitals, and other local community venues. Through the generous donations of dedicated individuals, all regular season concerts in Maryland are presented free of charge. This model follows a long tradition of benefactors funding musicians to perform for non-paying audiences. The players bring years of study and financial investment in their abilities. Patrons sustain their continued practice and performance. This dynamic partnership makes classical music accessible and relevant.

Beginning with the 2019-20 season, the season lineup includes free-of-charge concerts for children and their relatives and friends. A strategic plan is underway to expand concerts into the Maryland and Greater Washington DC communities. Learn more at www.mountvernonvirtuosi.com.

Photo Credit: Israel Orange