Classical Music Sundays is a series of free classical music concerts held at 2:30 p.m. the third Sunday of the month, September through April. Each concert features world-class performers, great music, and discussions about the repertoire, composers and much more.
The goal of this series to to show that classical music ia very accessible, fun, and can be understood and loved by everyone. Dr. Bernado Scarambone, a music professor at Eastern Kentucky University, coordinates and emcees each performance.
For more information, contact: 231-5515 and theater@lexpublib.org. Or visit the library’s website, www.lexpublib.org/calendar
Thanks to the Lexington Public Library for sponsoring these concerts!
Most Recent Concert
September 2023 Concert
Program
Performers: Tze-Ying Wu, viola, and Ethan Young, cello.
Wu is an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky School of Music. She has performed with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra and Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra. She is a member of the Formosa Trio, a chamber ensemble that includes harp, flute, and viola.
Young is an instructor at the UK School of Music. He has performed with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, the Kent Blossom Chamber Orchestra, the Indiana University Baroque Orchestra, the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra, the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra, and the New World Symphony. He has been a member of the Rockefeller String Quartet, an ensemble formed by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.
Music:
Ludwig van Beethoven, Eyeglasses Duo for Viola and Cello: Duet mig zwei obligaten Augengläsern, WoO 32. Composed in 1796-7 but only published in 1912. Probably written for himself on viola and cellist Baron Nikolaus Zmeskall von Domanovecz, one of the first people Beethoven met when he arrived in Vienna and subsequently a lifelong friend. Beethoven teased the baron for “the weakness of your eyes,” which might explain the unusual title.
Rebecca Clarke, Two Pieces for Viola and Cello: Lullaby and Grotesque. Clarke (1886-1979) was an English composer and accomplished viola player who composed chamber music but was best known for her composed songs. She composed this piece circa 1916, with its two contrasting movements, as a concert piece for herself and cellist May Mukle.
Caroline Shaw, Limestone and Felt. Shaw (1982- ) is a composer, violinist, and vocalist who has received a Pulitzer Prize in Music and several Grammy awards for her contemporary classical music. This piece for cello and viola presents a contrast in sounds to match the contrasting materials named in the title.
Paul Wiancko, American Haiku. Wiancko (1983- ) also worked in contract with this viola-cello duo, incorporating Appalachian fiddle, percussion, and Japanese folk-inspired melodies. He has composed chamber music for a number of string quartets including San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet of which he is the newest member.
Previous Concerts
You can find a collection of past concerts on the KMTA YouTube Channel.
Thanks again to the Lexington Public Library for their generous help with this concert series!