Dyad
Niv Ashkenazi, violin; Leah Kohn, bassoon
Ernest Bloch Prayer
Reena Esmail Nadiya
Niccolò Paganini Duetto No. 1
Rachel Epperly Webbed
Gernot Wolfgang Encounters
Dyad is an innovative violin and bassoon duo on a quest to explore uncharted territory. After meeting at Juilliard, they were inspired to create a new kind of chamber music. Unwilling to let a lack of repertoire stand in their way, they thrive on reimagining classic works as well as premiering new pieces. Through engaging, personal performances, they create connections between audience, performers, and music.
In their San Francisco debut, they present a program of five contrasting pieces that demonstrate the breadth of the repertoire for this unique duo. Paganini’s energetic Duetto no. 1, one of a set of three rarely-performed works the young composer wrote for this instrumentation, displays the virtuosity of both violin and bassoon. Nadiya, by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail, uses the style and vocabulary of Hindustani classical music to create a meditative journey. Encounters, by Los Angeles-based Austrian composer Gernot Wolfgang, incorporates the sounds of jazz and bluegrass on top of a strong rhythmic groove. The program also includes the duo’s own arrangement of Prayer, one of Bloch’s beloved works, and Webbed, a contemporary work commissioned by Dyad from Rachel Epperly.
For more information visit duodyad.com