Groupmuse in New York, or how to learn a mountain of notes in a few weeks and enjoy it…

I’m excited to present to you an intriguing and varied repertoire, of new music from the Canadian composer Ana Sokolovic and the Cuban guitar virtuoso and composer Leo Brouwer, whose solo viola sonata gets its world premiere here! This on the platform known as Groupmuse, a social network for musicians which presents classical concerts in informal setting, and in these pandemic times, online.

Works by Shostakovich (music from the motion picture “The Gadfly“) and Prokofiev (from his ballet “Romeo and Juliet”), adapted for viola and piano, conclude the program. I am playing with the terrific pianist Miki Aoki.

Ana is a longtime friend who taught me harmony and counterpoint in high school back in Serbia, so we go way back, and she is now one of Canada’s most distinguished composers. I grew up listening to Leo Brouwer’s music, so his works and his guitar playing (my brother studied classical guitar when I was little) are close to my heart.

I wish to thank the team at Tarisio Fine Instruments in New York for letting us use their performance space for rehearsals and the livestream. Absolutely indispensable in Covid times, when nearly all concert venues are closed.

To watch the video of the livestream, click here!