Category Archives: Concerts

September 2017 Concert Recap

We began our autumn engagements last month with one final round of rehearsals and a concert at Central Connecticut State University on September 19-21, which concluded our artist residency from 2016-2017.

What a fulfilling experience to work with composition faculty Brian Kershner and Charles Menoche bringing their pieces to life! These CCSU premieres are now available to watch streaming on our YouTube channel.

With composition faculty Brian Kershner (left) and Charles Menoche (right) after the Sept. 21 premiere of their new works at CCSU.

The weekend after CCSU found us at Chowan University in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, on September 29, where we presented a workshop on entrepreneurial chamber music for the music industry students and performed a concert on the university’s Friends of Music concert series. We really enjoyed engaging with the students and community members in this lovely college town; everyone we worked with was generous and enthusiastic about new music and our instrumental combination. Thanks to department chair Mary Hellmann for inviting us!

With Chowan University music faculty Mary Hellmann and Ben Thorburn after our concert on Sept. 29.

Apple Orange Pair in Florida!

Fort Lauderdale from the air!

Fort Lauderdale from the air!

While we didn’t get to go to the beach, we nonetheless enjoyed our quick weekend trip to Fort Lauderdale. It was an honor to be invited to perform on Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church’s Sunday afternoon concert series, and CRPC’s organist Chelsea Chen was a fabulous host.

with Chelsea Chen at Coral Ridge

with Chelsea Chen at Coral Ridge

Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, for those unfamiliar with it, is known around the US (and outside the US) for hosting world-class musical events, as well as employing world-class artists. Diane Bish, “the first lady of the organ” who popularized organ music on TV through her program “The Joy of Music,” served for many years as organist in residence at CRPC. It was truly an honor to be invited to perform a full-length concert at this very large, very well-known church in south Florida!

Inside Coral Ridge Presbyterian's main sanctuary

Inside Coral Ridge Presbyterian’s main sanctuary

Coral Ridge's famous 300-foot tower

Coral Ridge’s famous 300-foot tower

As you can see, the sanctuary is enormous! The church is equally renowned for its unique architectural style as it is for its music. Due to acoustics and the small nature of our group (only two instruments and no organ!), we performed our concert in the smaller chapel.

Apple Orange Pair performing in Coral Ridge's chapel

Apple Orange Pair performing in Coral Ridge’s chapel

We were impressed at how large our audience was, even though we were in a smaller space, and we even got to meet some young harpists who heard about our concert thanks to the Harp Column and their private teachers!

With young musicians from the audience!

With young musicians from the audience!

The day before our concert, when we weren’t rehearsing, we ventured into Coral Gables nearer Miami to get a taste of south Florida living. Colleen had picked up a last-minute gig at the Biltmore to cover for a friend who was getting married that weekend. It was super fun to put on a fancy dress and play a historic gold Lyon and Healy harp (from 1915) for the tea at the Biltmore for a few hours! Afterwards, we met up with a friend from Connecticut Summerfest who happened to be in Miami the same weekend and we explored the local taco scene. Delicious!

Colleen subbing for tea at the Biltmore

Colleen subbing for tea at the Biltmore

As you can see, we had a great time in Florida. We hope to be back again some day soon!

March 2016 Concerts in Virginia

We are pleased to return to Virginia in March to perform two concerts. On MARCH 12 at 7PM we will give a concert at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. Special thanks to harpist Grace Bauson for hosting us! On MARCH 15 at 7:30PM we will perform at Virginia Commonwealth University, where Colleen is instructor of harp and music theory. Joining us will be friend and fellow VCU instructor Stephanie Fairbairn Ycaza for a special horn, tuba, and harp trio. We will also be presenting master classes at both universities. Looking forward to working with the students and performing for the communities in Fredericksburg and Richmond!

Honored to be an Ensemble-in-Residence at Connecticut Summerfest, June 2016

We are honored to be one of three ensembles-in-residence at the inaugural season of Connecticut Summerfest! Connecticut Summerfest is a weeklong contemporary classical music festival for the education and career advancement of emerging composers and performers. Our good friend and composer Aaron N. Price and Gala Flagello have started this visionary program to meet the needs of their fellow emerging composers, and are able to host the festival right where they met at The Hartt School in West Hartford, CT. The first season of Connecticut Summerfest runs from June 9-15, 2016. We are pleased to join two other ensembles during our residency, Deciduous Trio and Resound Duo. Stay tuned for concert announcements, since all performances will be free and open to the public!

Apple Orange Pair in Philadelphia, April 25-26

Philly April 26 Poster2On Saturday, April 25, we will be featured artists at the American Harp Society’s Mid-Atlantic Harp Day at the Chateau at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, where we are presenting a masterclass and concert. The harp day is open to harpists of all levels. Visit the website for the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Harp Society to see all the interesting talks and masterclasses scheduled, as well as registration information. We’re looking forward to seeing many harp players from around the region!

We will also make our public concert debut in greater Philadelphia on Sunday, April 26, presenting “New Music for Horn and Harp” at Grace Presbyterian Church at 444 Old York Rd, Jenkintown, PA. The concert is free with no tickets required. Parking is available at the church. Check out the Facebook event for more details and to RSVP. Help us spread the word about Apple Orange Pair in Philly by sharing news of this performance with friends and family in the area!