The Meiravi Quartet.
ABINGTON, Pa. — The Penn State Abington chamber group, the Meiravi Quartet, will make its public debut at a free concert on April 5. The ensemble is the campus' first quartet-in-residence and will perform two public shows each year.
Abington music instructor Peter Nocella founded Meiravi and serves as it violist. He will lead a diverse program at the concert that includes:
- Shostakovich String Quartet No. 1. Roy Robson, Russian scholar and head of the Division of Arts and Humanities at Abington, will offer opening remarks on the political turbulence in the world in the 1930s, when Shostakovich developed the piece. The composer wrote, “I visualized childhood scenes, somewhat naïve and bright moods associated with spring.”
- The prelude to Nocella’s opera-in-progress as well as his composition the "Ninth Street Festival Overture," celebrating his roots in South Philadelphia’s Italian Market.
- "Three Preludes" by George Gershwin, an example of jazz-inflected American classical music of the early 20th century.
- "Libertango," a revolutionary melding of classical music and jazz into traditional tango by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla.
Russian pianist and composer Dmitri Shostakovich in the 1940s.
About chamber music and the Meiravi Quartet
One of the joys of chamber music is its intimacy as chamber players engage in a lively or reflective musical conversation.
“The audience gets up close and personal with the chamber quartet. You can watch their expressions and listen carefully as the conversation unfolds,” Nocella, the former music director and conductor for the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, said.
Nocella’s cohorts in the Meiravi Quartet are violinist Igor Szwec, concertmaster of the Academy of Vocal Arts Opera Orchestra and music faculty at Abington; violinist Gregory Teperman, a member of the Academy of the Vocal Arts and Philly Pops orchestras; and cellist Vivian Barton Dozor, a performer with various ensembles in the region.
The concert, presented by Penn State Abington Cultural and Community Events, begins at 7:30 p.m. April 5 in the Sutherland Auditorium.
