Desert Daily Guide. March 1.

Desert Hot Springs High School–the second
large ensemble we’ve been able to include on
our season.”The March 17 concert, Trailblazers,
shines a spotlight on music from the late 19th
and early 20th centuries by Henriëtte Bosmans,
Ethel Smyth, and Dora Pejačević–women who
were unabashedly themselves, defying the social
expectations of their time against the backdrop
of world wars and a global pandemic. Originally
written for cello and piano, all three sonatas are
presented here in new arrangements for viola
and piano, marking a significant contribution
to the viola repertoire. All three sonatas are
featured on the new album, Trailblazers, from Acis
Productions.
Violist Molly Gebrian prioritizes the works of
living composers and those who have traditionally
been excluded from the culture of classical music.
She holds degrees in both music and neuroscience
from Oberlin College and Conservatory, New
England Conservatory of Music, and Rice
University. Previously, she was the viola professor
at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and the
University of Arizona. After a decade of teaching
viola at the collegiate level, she will join the faculty
at New England Conservatory of Music in Fall
2024 to teach courses on the science of practicing.
Called “phenomenal” by the late music critic Alan
Rich, and hailed as one of the “local heroes” of
the Los Angeles music scene (LAcitybeat.com),
pianist Danny Holt performs around the globe
in concert halls (Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney
Concert Hall, Hollywood Bowl), clubs (Joe’s
Pub, The Blue Whale, Copenhagen Jazzhouse)
art galleries (MASS MoCA, Hammer Museum),
churches, living rooms, and wherever else he
can find a piano and someone to listen. He has
performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic,
Blue Man Group, the Bang on a Can All-Stars, the
California EAR Unit, and the Calder Quartet. He
is the Founder & Artistic Director of Desert Hot
Springs Classical Concerts.
WHAT: Desert Hot Springs Classical Concerts
Molly Gebrian (viola) & Danny Holt (piano):
Trailblazers
WHERE:Grace Church 17400 Bubbling Wells
Road, Desert Hot Springs, CA, 92241
WHEN: Sunday, March 17, 2024 4:00 – 5:00 PM
WHO: Molly Gebrian (viola) | www.mollygebrian.com
and Danny Holt (piano) | www.dannyholt.
net
On March 21, the Wisconsin Wind Orchestra
presents Play of the Imagination, a program that
encourages listeners to engage the imagination
through expressive, evocative music and highly
descriptive titles. Conductor Lawrence Dale
Harper established the Wisconsin Wind Orchestra
in 1995 as one of the few professional wind
ensembles in the world. The WWO is committed to
expanding the repertoire for winds through commissions,
and has given the premiere performance of several works by
prominent American and European composers.
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