Oboe, English horn, & double bass
Friday November 22 at 7:30 pm
Classical, folk, and pop music influence the Vecchione/Erdahl Duo, Carrie Vecchione, oboe/English horn, Rolf Erdahl, double bass. The duo first performed together in 1999 premiering Timothy Goplerud’s tango for English horn and bass, “It Takes Two . . .” for the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructor’s Conference.
“We started as a married couple looking for repertoire written for our instrumentation of oboe/English horn and double bass. We discovered very little had been written for the combination. Fortunately, we had good, prolific composer friends, and continue to find new composers and performing opportunities. The wide range of styles and expression and the high quality and appeal of the music written for us convinced us of the possibility to pursue a career as a duo specializing in new music for oboe and double bass.
Playing as a duo has become our focus as performers. In the past few years we have effectively created a new repertoire for oboe/English horn and double bass duo by our commissions and performances. Our efforts have been recognized by recital series engagements, a Minnesota Public Radio Talking Volumes broadcast, and Subito, Encore, and Jerome Composers Commissioning Grants from the American Composers Forum. Our debut 2008 recording, “It Takes Two . . .” for Centaur Records features all original works for oboe and bass duo, all but one expressly written for us. In 2012 we recorded two albums featuring the music of composer Margi Griebling-Haigh, Askelad and the Seven Silver Ducks, a book/CD retelling a classic Norwegian folktale, illustrated by the composer, and, joined by pianist William Eddins and narrator, Steve Staruch, The Story of Babar the Little Elephant, a musical accompaniment to Jean de Brunhoff’s classic children’s story. We perform recitals and educational programs around the country, and widely throughout Minnesota.
Our approach to programming is to draw audiences into our musical journey. Our repertoire is virtuosic and demanding, yet accessible, with folksong, jazz, tango, and literary inspirations. By the end of the recital, our goal is to have made chamber music and new music comprehensible, engaging, and enjoyable for our audience. We perform music that catches their ear as the ink dries and sends them out the door humming a new tune.”
Thank you to all of our fall concert series sponsors, and to Toni Ebner, special sponsor of Vecchione-Erdahl.
