The Valley Concert Society presents violist Molly Carr and pianist Anna Petrova for two concerts and a master class in Abbotsford this month.
Carr plays viola in the prestigious Juilliard String Quartet and is on faculty at that venerable music school.
Bulgarian pianist Petrova, professor at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, is the recipient of top honours and awards at numerous international competitions.
Together the Carr-Petrova Duo has performed around the world, including Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Their performances have earned rave reviews in places such as Strad magazine, the BBC, and Spain. A recent performance in Carnegie Hall was described as “categorically astonishing in beauty.”
Carr is the founder and CEO of Project: Music That Heals Us, an organization dedicated to bringing high-quality live music to marginalized communities. The duo has travelled the world visiting refugee camps and making musical connections.
The feature event in Abbotsford is on Friday, Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Matsqui Centennial Auditorium.
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The program will showcase the music from talented women throughout history, ranging from three romances by Clara Schumann to an arrangement of Beyoncé’s Halo.
Florence Price’s sprightly Elfentanz and Amy Beach’s evocative Romance share the spotlight with two new commissioned works.
The program closes with Rebecca Clarke’s Sonata for Viola and Piano, one of the great works for this instrument. The duo’s recording of this piece has been hailed as “the best interpretation of this sonata to date.”
A shorter concert by the duo is held Thursday, Feb. 22 at 3:30 p.m. at Cascade Community Church free of charge for the community served by the Salvation Army.
Carr is also a distinguished music teacher and will lead a master class on Saturday, Feb. 24 at Peace Lutheran Church starting at 1:30 p.m.
She will work with four outstanding string students from the Fraser Valley. The public is welcome to attend and enjoy the interaction between students and teacher.
Tickets are available online at valleyconcertsociety.com. Tickets for the full concert on Friday are $32 for adults/seniors and $20 for students. To attend the master class, the cost is $10. There is a discount available to attend both events.
Call 604-289-3377 for more information.