Violin, cello, and piano will take center stage at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 4106 JFK Boulevard in North Little Rock, at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 17, when Festival of the Senses presents “Two Romantics: Virtuosity & Melody” featuring works by German composers Friedrich Hermann and Johannes Brahms. The concert is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception in the Parish Hall to meet and greet the musicians.
The performers for this program of 19th century Romanticism will be violinist and concertmaster Andrew Irvin and principal cellist David Gerstein of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and ARmusica pianist Julie Cheek, playing Hermann’s Grand Duo Brillant for Violin and Cello, Opus 12, in three movements—Allegro con fuoco, Adagio, and Allegro moderato—and the Brahms Piano Trio 1, Opus 8, in B Major.
Since 2002, Andrew Irvin has been a concertmaster for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, where he was instrumental in the creation of its highly successful online “Bedtime with Bach” concert series in 2020, which has reached music lovers around the globe through the internet. He teaches privately and is in demand as a chamber music player across the U.S. as a member of the Camino Trio, recording on the Potenza label. He has also recorded on the Naxos label with the Hot Springs Music Festival, a free summer program for young musicians entering the professional realm, and has concertized on his 1765 Gagliano violin throughout America and Europe. Festival of the Senses fans know him as cofounder of the duo ARmusica.