Arts at the Abbey Schedule

September 21, 2020: Music for Violin and Piano: Celebrating Beethoven and more

Kevin Lawrence, violin, and Dmitri Shteinberg, piano, of the NC University of the Arts Faculty present a duo recital featuring Sonatas by Beethoven whose 250th birthday we celebrate this year.

Praised for his “vibrant intensity,” (The Times, London) and playing “supremely convincing in its vitality,” (Cleveland Plain Dealer) violinist Kevin Lawrence has consistently elicited superlative responses for his performances throughout the United States and Europe. The Dutch press described him as “simply miraculous.” (Het Vaderland). He is heard in recordings on the New World label, featured on NPR’s “Performance Today,” and with renowned flutist Carol Wincenc on a CD of American flute quintets released by Bridge Records named as Critic’s Choice by American Record Guide. Lawrence is string chair at University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he has been a faculty member since 1990.

Dmitri Shteinberg has appeared in concert across North America, Europe, Russia, Bulgaria and Israel. His solo performances include the Jerusalem Symphony, The Italian Filarmonica Marchigiana, Israel Chamber Orchestra, and Israel Camerata Orchestra. In the United States, he appeared with the Baton Rouge, Richmond, Charlottesville, Salisbury and Manassas symphony orchestras. Chamber music appearances include the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Alice Tully Hall in New York and the Saunders Theatre in Boston. Shteinberg recorded for the Israeli ”Voice of Music” radio station, NPR, the Bavarian Radio, Summit Records and Sono Luminus labels.

Listen to Debussy Violin Sonata Last Movement.

October 19, 2020 – Carolina Pro Musica: Musical Surprises

Carolina Pro Musica presents a unique program of 18th century music entitled Musical Surprises. It features the works of little known composers including Ignatius Sancho, (who was also the first black to vote in England), Johan Roman, the Swedish Handel, J.M. Nunes Garcia from Brazil, le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (the Black Mozart). Isabella Leonarda and a newly discovered work by Telemann.

Carolina Pro Musica was founded in 1977 to perform “Early music” – using period instruments and voice in the styles of the musical periods in which it was written. They have Abbey Artists in residence since 2001.

Listen to Sweetest Bard by Sancho.

January 25, 2021: Solomon Eichner, concert pianist

Declared by the American Liszt Society as “A sensitive pianist, Solomon’s playing is poetic, beautiful and moving with deep feeling.” American pianist Solomon Eichner has performed in England, Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland and throughout the U.S. Eichner has won many piano competitions around the world and made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2016. He is on staff at Campbell University near Raleigh. Join him for a variety of music including Gershwin, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Kapustan, Debussy and Chopin.

Listen to Kapustin Jazz Prelude op.53 no.23.

March 1, 2021: Bechtler Ensemble
This program is dedicated to the late Fr. David Kessinger*

The Bechtler Ensemble will bring string trios from 20th century Finland, Hungary, and France as well as the beloved Austrian composer Schubert to Arts at the Abbey. Other composers featured on the program include Kodaly, Sibelius. Cras and Dohnanyi.

Tanja Bechtler is the artistic director of the Bechtler Ensemble that is currently in residency at Queens University and has a music series at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Arts, Central Piedmont Community College and at Queens University (all in Charlott The Bechtler Ensemble will bring string trios from 20th century Finland, Hungary, and France as well as the beloved Austrian composer Schubert to Arts at the Abbey. Other composers featured on the program include Kodaly, Sibelius. Cras and Dohnanyi.

The ensemble features Lenora Cox Leggatt, violin; Vasily Gorkovoy, viola, and Tanja Bechtler, cello.

Note: This concert replaces an earlier scheduled event on the same day at the same time. Because of the pandemic that ensemble decided it was not wise to tour at this time. We thank the Bechtler Ensemble for stepping in.

*Fr. David Kessinger, the most senior professed monk at Belmont Abbey, died February 7, 2021. A person of many talents and interests, he loved the arts, especially classical music. He was fond of Schubert. It is fitting we dedicate this program to him.

April 12, 2021 – Carolina Pro Musica: Spring Ayres

Enjoy the awakening season with Carolina Pro Musica and music by Landini, Janequin, Vivaldi, and Boismortier. The program of French and Italian music shares the genius of Vivaldi and his famous “Spring Concerto” from the Four Seasons. French composer Boismortier wrote four cantatas, one for each season. We’ll hear the complete Spring cantata for soprano, flute and continuo.

Listen to Vivaldi concerto.