Adam Golka

Yehuda Hanani

Philip Thompson

Giora Schmidt

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center

The Wailin’ Jennys

**Event Title:** Close Encounters With Music: Virtue and Virtuosity

**Date and Time:** Sunday, November 5, 2023, at 4:00 pm

**Location:** Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230

**Ticket Prices:** $28 for Upper Balcony, $52 for Orchestra and Mezzanine

**Description:** Dive into an evening where virtue meets virtuosity at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. This unique musical event explores the intricate relationship between the inherent goodness of music and the exceptional skill of its performers. Featuring works that glorify the capabilities of their respective instruments and the prowess of the musicians, the program promises to stun and titillate audiences in the Romantic tradition of Paganini. Expect to witness the violinist's tight-rope walk on strings, performing feats that seem to stretch the instrument's capabilities to their limits.

The evening will showcase the dazzling compositions of Sarasate and Saint Saëns, including a performance of the gorgeous Rondo Capriccioso on the cello, a task exponentially more challenging than on its original instrument. The event will also introduce the audience to the works of Russian/Ukrainian composer Nikolai Kapustin, whose Preludes blend jazz and classical forms into a red-hot fusion that promises to captivate.

With a focus on pyrotechnics and acrobatics, mastery of content and form, and the magic that comes when craft meets ideal, the program explores fundamental questions about the nature of art. The event culminates with the emotionally compelling and ineffably beautiful Brahms Piano Trio Op. 8, promising an evening of unforgettable musical experiences.

**Performers:** Adam Golka on piano, Giora Schmidt on violin, Yehuda Hanani and Philip Thompson on cello, will lead the audience through this exploration of music's power to evoke both virtue and virtuosity.

**Additional Information:** For more details or to purchase tickets, please visit the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center website or contact them at 413-528-0100. Join us for an evening that celebrates the extraordinary capabilities of music and musicians alike.