I wanted to let you know who is playing on this concert so here is a bit of information about Nishan, piano, Ann Marie, violin and Jerry, piano.
Nishan Aghababian: I first met Nishan while we were sorting through the music and household of my longtime pianist, Jeff Farrington, after his death. Nishan and Jeff were longtime friends who had studied with many of the same teachers and have similar playing orientation. Over the past two years, I’ve greatly enjoyed working with Nishan and am continually impressed by his musical insight and sensitivity.
When we began rehearsing the Debussy Sonata—a piece I once performed with Jeff—I thought I knew it well. But Nishan’s fascination with the harmonies and his thoughtful respect for the music made me reexamine familiar sections and find new colors and freshness in them.
Nishan is not only a masterful pianist but also wonderfully funny, making every rehearsal a real pleasure.
Ann Marie Pocklembo: Ann Marie and I met through my chiropractor, who sometimes mentioned that he had another musician patient—a violinist—with the same kinds of overuse issues I had. I invited her, through him, to one of my performances, and she came. Afterward, she suggested we play together, and here we are—for the second time—performing the Glière duos for violin and cello.
Ann Marie is a wonderful violinist. I still remember our first rehearsal on the Gliere: as she played the Lullaby, I was so moved by its beauty that I found myself in tears. Along with her busy performing schedule, she teaches high school orchestra, and it’s always fun when she drops a “teacher comment” mid-rehearsal. I’ll laugh, and she’ll say, “You have to entertain them or they ignore you.” We’re all fortunate to have teachers like her nurturing young musicians.
Jerry Muntz: Jerry was my neighbor for 11 years. I was giving house concerts for the first few years I lived there in another of my neighbor’s houses. Jerry and his wife Phoenix and Paul and I became fast friends and Jerry suggested we play together. He had Bach’s C major prelude prepared and I played the Ave Maria on top of that in a well known “mash up”. When it became clear that Jerry knew his part, I asked him to join me in my upcoming house concert and he was great! We have been performing together ever since.
For a little more information about these folks, read the program notes!