The Wytheville Concert Series will kick off the 15th season on Saturday, October 5, 2024, at 7 p.m. in Snyder Auditorium.
Energetic and enjoyable performances have become a hallmark of the Wytheville Concert Series. On October 5, Violinist Kevin Matheson will perform two of the most beloved violin concertos of the romantic period, Mendelssohn’s Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 (1844) and Tchaikovsky’s Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 (1878). Longtime Hollins University piano faculty, Melia Garber, will play the piano reduction of the orchestral accompaniment. Rarely are the two concertos performed in the same program because both works are so technically demanding.
On Saturday, February 1, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. violist Bryan Matheson and pianist Melia Garber will perform lyrical romantic-era works by Glinka, Glazunov and Bartok’s famous Rumanian Folk Dances. The concert concludes with Shostakovich’s last composition, his Sonata for Viola and Piano (1975) which is sparsely written, jaunty and concise with a reference to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. Because of the viola’s dark and rich tone, this program is subtitled, “Chocolate for Your Ears.” This performance will also be held in WCC’s Snyder Auditorium.
Pianist Anna Billias, cellist Julia Goudimova and violinist Kevin Matheson will perform on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church. Anton Arensky’s Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor is a richly romantic work written in 1894 and will contrast with Beethoven’s lyrical and beloved Romance in F Major for Violin.
To close this season, the famous violin concertos by Brahms and Beethoven will be performed by Kevin Matheson. Date and location to be announced soon. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to support the Wytheville Concert Series and the Wytheville Community College Food Bank.
Wytheville Concert Series performances are presented by Wytheville Community College, St. Paul United Methodist Church, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Wytheville Presbyterian Church, the WCC Educational Foundation, and MacDowell Music Club and are under the artistic direction of Kevin Matheson.
For more information, please visit www.ClassicStringsDuo.com.
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