Category Archives: Main

Sakura for Solo Violin

We’ve just released the official video for Sakura, filmed at the historic Maymont Japanese Garden in Richmond, VA! Since 2019, Maria’s creation for solo violin has been part of ABRSM’s violin curriculum which is taught in 93 countries. Want to play Sakura? Buy it at our STORE.

Join us in St. Cloud!

We had a wonderful time chatting with Kelly Cordes on Minnesota’s New Country Radio 98.1. She put together this insightful article on why your family should join us this September 10! Click the pic to check it out (and listen to our interview):

This is our live show

We performed for a couple-thousand audience members at the Florida Music Education Association’s Annual Conference and, as luck would have it, we found a camera crew willing to fly down the aisles alongside us! We are so grateful to them for capturing our show… and to FMEA and Canada Council for the Arts for making this performance and video possible.

Telling a story with instruments…

Humanity is Maria’s response to hearing the cries of children separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border. She chose the violin & flute to tell the story of a mother and her young son – of hope for a shared future that compels them to run, desperately trying to keep a hold of each other in the face of a world that pulls them apart. Thank you to the Ontario Arts Council for making this composition possible.

Ableton Live in Action!

Making the switch from bulky pedals to Macbook Pro + Ableton Live was a challenge… and Power was the perfect piece to debut our new setup!  Being able to record, loop, stop and reintroduce lines in real time has never been so fun.  Thank you to the New York State School Music Association for featuring us at their Annual Conference.

Awesome live photos

We have discovered the perfect live music photographer – Ashlee Wilcox!  She must’ve been as sweaty as we were, contorting to capture shots from every angle of our show for the National Association for Music Education.  Click the photo for our favorite picks.

Ashlee Wilcox

Our first music video!!!

Of course, the day we decided to shoot our video, it rained!  We took it in stride, though, and even wrested a few dry minutes from the weather gods to whip out the drone!  Frizzy hair, muddy feet, rain-infested instruments… it’s all featured in our collaboration with cinematographer Umit Gulsen.  Without further ado, we proudly present:

Why We Perform

Our Corpus Christi audience’s energy made us giddy with excitement – they have set the bar HIGH for Texas.  What a lovely introduction to this state… and this was just mid-concert!

 

Play Harder Series: Saving the Environment with Music (Entry 6)

Staying passionate about climate change is an uphill battle. Show me an image of starving children, animal abuse or yet another shooting and my heart jolts: “This must be stopped,” my brain (or voice) yells as I see red. But climate change? It’s the reverse – a brain-to-heart process of reminding myself, “Yes, this is what I should get fired up about, this is the biggest threat facing mankind!”

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Play Harder Series: Help Me, I’m an Artist (Entry 5)

I have always made my living as an independent performing artist.  A 9-to-5 job is as foreign to me as waking up early, establishing a routine or even teaching a student regularly. We artists share one thing in common – we need help!  Funding, booking, housing, brainstorming, bartering, watching, listening, feedback, encouragement… our success depends upon asking and receiving.

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Bach in Ireland!

With 3 cameras on hand, Terry Currie did a beautiful job of capturing our performance of Bach in Ireland. Thanks to a long flight from NYC to San Francisco and the availability of an electrical outlet (go Delta!)…

Maria Editing Small

…Maria had a moment to edit together the shots and produce this video that we’re very excited to share with you:

New Season, New Videos!

After a magical summer away (more about that soon) WE ARE BACK!  We’re putting together some videos from our performances and adventures… here’s the first.  The theme from one of Maria’s favorite childhood movies – Tonari no Totoro – with a twist at the end!

2014/15 Season Coming Soon

We’re really looking forward to our line up of concerts, workshops and residencies starting in September 2014 – we’ll be touring the South for the first time in addition to returning to the West Coast, Rockies, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, East Coast and (way) up North!  Keep an eye on our calendar as we’ll be posting dates over the next few weeks…