WILLIAMSBURG — A yearly staple, The Ewell Concert Series returns Feb. 10 with a range of performances from classical to modern, avant-garde fare.
Sponsored by William & Mary, the series features performances from traditional American music, as well as musicians from around the globe.
Here is the lineup for the 2023 series:
Feb. 10 — Williamsburg Regional Library — Kadencia
Kadencia is a 13-piece orchestra comprised of professional musicians that have toured with some of the best local and internationally renowned bands in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region.
According to a concert series announcement, Kadencia’s music and sounds pay homage and follow the traditions of Plena from Western Puerto Rico. The lyrics of its songs are narrative in nature and describe various aspects of Puerto Rican society, culture, and traditions.
Kadencia’s leader utilizes Bomba and Plena’s long-rooted storytelling traditions to vividly capture multiple aspects of the Puerto Rican experience on the U.S. territory and on the U.S. mainland.
Feb. 24 — Wren Building Great Hall — Wren Masters
The Wren Masters baroque ensemble will present the program, “Baroque Brilliance,” which features music by virtuoso composer-performers of the eighteenth century. The program includes music by Telemann, Marin Marais, Buxtehude, and J.S. Bach.
The Wren Masters are a local Williamsburg group specializing in historical performance of 17th- and 18th-century music played on harpsichord, recorder, baroque violin, and viola da gamba. The ensemble is sponsored by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and drawn from current and former William & Mary music faculty and Colonial Williamsburg.
Mar. 3 — Williamsburg Regional Library — Fanoos Family Band.
The Fanoos Family Ensemble was re-established in freedom in 2022 following its members’
flight to freedom in the U.S. from Taliban threats.
According to a press release, the group is composed of members of the renowned musical Fanoos family, joined by special musical guests. The group performs songs in the Afghan classical style, at the crossroads of Persian poetry, Hindustani rhythms, and Central Asian harmonies. They perform on traditional Afghan and classical Western instruments, and their Afghan source material is fused with contemporary sounds and enriched with original improvisations.
Mar. 24 — Ewell Recital Hall — Liana Paniyeva.
Hailed by the New York Concert Review as “a wonderful pianist”, and one with “tender regard for the music, a captivating inwardness” by Fanfare Magazine, Liana Paniyeva has won prizes in numerous competitions internationally and has performed at festivals in Norway, Hungary, Austria, Canada, England, Italy, Syria, South Africa, and Israel. Her recitals have taken her to Carnegie Hall, Worcester’s Mechanics Hall, the Myra Hess Concert Series in Chicago, to note highlights.
April 7 — Williamsburg Regional Library —
Imani Winds.
Imani Winds has been creating music for over two decades and has been nominated for the Grammy award twice. The group’s performance is described as “a revolution and evolution of the wind quintet through their dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations and outreach endeavors that have inspired audiences of all ages and backgrounds.”
The ensemble’s playlist embraces traditional chamber music repertoire, and as a 21st-century group, Imani Winds is devoutly committed to expanding the wind quintet repertoire by commissioning music from new voices that reflect historical events and the times in which we currently live, according to the release.
April 28 — Williamsburg Regional Library — Victor Haskins.
Victor Haskins is a multi-instrumentalist, multidisciplinary artist, international performer, composer, improviser, bandleader, and educator. Haskins creates transformative, sound-based works which channel the power of human connection, immediacy, and inventiveness to engage with time and space, according to the announcement.
All of the concerts in the Ewell Concert Series are free and open to the public. Shows start at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. No ticket is required for entry.
