Recently engaged RPO musicians Grace Browning (harp) and Benjamin Krug (cello) return to the beautiful Hochstein stage for their debut performance together on the radio waves. When the pandemic began, Browning and Krug began making music in their living room, playing concerts over Zoom, in backyards, and at vaccination centers. Missing the sounds of their beloved orchestra, they began transcribing everything they could get their hands on – from opera scores to popular music and everything in between – and discovered a new world of musical possibilities.
The program for this concert includes a set of works by the French composers Fauré, Saint-Saëns, and Debussy; "Meditation" from Massanet's opera Thaïs; William Grant Still's "Bayou Home;" "Pas de Deux" ("Steps for Two," appropriately) from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker; and "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen, among other works.
Read the online program notes.
Praised for his “directness of expression” (Rochester City Newspaper), Benjamin Krug is a tenured cellist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Suzuki cello instructor at The Hochstein School. In recent summers, he has performed with the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, Chautauqua Festival Orchestra, and Finger Lakes Opera.
Appearing for the third time on WXXI's Live from Hochstein in the past year, Grace Browning has quickly established herself as a versatile ensemble harpist, dynamic soloist, and community-building teaching artist. Equally at home with both symphonic and operatic worlds, Grace joined the RPO as Principal Harpist in 2017 and performs with the Santa Fe Opera every summer since her appointment in 2015. She can be heard on both ensemble’s GRAMMY award-winning albums: The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs and American Rapture.
The Hochstein School’s free noontime Live from Hochstein concert series will be hosted by WXXI Classical’s Mona Seghatoleslami and broadcast live on WXXI Classical. Listen to the concert at WXXI-FM 91.5, WXXY 90.3, or online at https://www.classical915.org/.
* Proof of vaccination is required for audience members (children age 11 and under must be accompanied by a vaccinated adult). All patrons will be required to wear masks. Please refrain from bringing food/drink into the hall so that we can all remain masked.
See the full safety protocols at https://hochstein.org/Calendar/Live-from-Hochstein.
Sidney and Barbara Sobel have generously provided continuous underwriting of the Live from Hochstein Broadcast & Concert Series since 1993. Live from Hochstein is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.
This concert is part of Public Radio Music Day, a nationwide celebration uniting public radio music stations, fans, artists, and other members of the music industry to celebrate and spread the word about public radio’s special role in America’s music scene. To learn more about what WXXI has planned, visit the WXXI website.