2023-24 Hoff-Barthelson Music School Faculty Concert Series Begins Next Month

Members of Hoff-Barthelson Music School’s Faculty take the stage to kick-off the 2023-2024 HB Artist Faculty Performance Series on Friday, October 13, 2023, at 7:30 pm in the School’s Joan Behrens Bergman Auditorium, 25 School Lane, Scarsdale, New York. The concert will feature works by Johannes Brahms, Ottorino Respighi, Franz Schubert, Anna Amalia and Carl Vine performed by some of the School's distinguished faculty members.

The program includes Brahms' Zwei Gesänge Op. 91, a set of two songs for mezzo-soprano, viola, and piano. The songs are based on poems by Friedrich Rückert and Emanuel Geibel, and express the themes of love, longing, and nature. The performers are Andrea Saposnik, mezzo-soprano; Andrew Gonzalez, viola; and guest artist Lauren Ninoshvili, piano.

Saposnik will also perform Respighi's Il Tramonto, a lyrical and dramatic setting of a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The poem tells the story of a young woman who dies of grief after losing her lover. The singer is accompanied by a string quartet composed of April Johnson and Laura Giannini, violins; Andrew Gonzalez, viola; and Peter Seidenberg, cello.

Schubert's Piano Trio in B flat Major No 1, Op. 99, is one of his most popular and beloved works. The trio is full of melodic richness, harmonic variety, and emotional depth. The performers are April Johnson, violin; Peter Seidenberg, cello; and Tomoko Uchino, piano.

Also on the program is a rare gem: the Sonata in F Major by Anna Amalia, Princess of Prussia. Anna Amalia was a sister of Frederick the Great and a patroness of music and arts. She composed several works for flute and keyboard, including this charming sonata that showcases her elegant style and musical taste. The performers are Donna Elaine, flute; and Tomoko Uchino, piano.

Elaine and Uchino will also perform contemporary composer Carl Vine’s Sonata for Flute and Piano. Vine is an Australian composer who is known for his eclectic and expressive music. The sonata is a virtuosic and vibrant work that explores the timbral and rhythmic possibilities of the flute and piano.