The Valley Concert Society presents Trio Voronezh in concert on Thursday, Jan. 23.
The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. at Matsqui Centennial Auditorium, 32315 South Fraser Way.
The trio were last in Abbotsford in 2012 and were an immediate hit with the audience, both for their musical virtuosity and for their entertaining stage presence despite the language barrier.
The trio are named for the Russian city, with a population of over one million, from which they hail and where they studied in the conservatory.
They play on traditional Russian instruments. Sergei Teleshev is an award-winning performer on the bayan, a button accordion.
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Valerie Petrukhin plays the enormous bass balalaika beside which Vladimir Volokhin’s domra, similar to a mandolin, looks tiny.
The trio were introduced to an American audience at the 1996 Oregon Bach Festival and were immediately invited back. Since then, they have performed with a diverse range of musicians from symphony orchestras to jazz musicians like Doc Severinson.
The program will feature a wide diversity of styles ranging from classical works by Bach and Tchaikovsky to traditional Russian works by Tsygankov and Chernikov.
They will play a variety of dance music: Khachaturian’s beloved Saber Dance, a polka by Strauss, an Argentinian tango, and a Russian waltz.
Their sense of humour will come out in Anderson’s Fiddle Faddle, Besame Mucho by Velasquez and Voronezh Cowboy.
Tickets are available online at valleyconcertsociety.com at $28 for adults and $15 for students. Call 604-289-3377 for more information.