This Sunday, October 24th at 2:30PM the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg in collaboration with Prairie Debut will be presenting violinist Kerry DuWors, and pianist Katherine Dowling in a concert of romantic works by Brahms and Robert and Clara Schumann.
The concert is at Fort Garry Mennonite Brethren Church at 1771 Pembina Highway, and can be seen live or live-streamed for $20.00.
The creation of this concert was made possible largely with the help of the organization Prairie Debut. As pianist Katherine Dowling says ”Prairie Debut had put out a call for their ‘Close to Home’ concert series, which was aiming to connect prairie audiences with prairie based performers…particularly with all of the travel restrictions that we have all been experiencing through the pandemic and the unpredictability that it creates for a touring artist.”
For those unfamiliar with Prairie Debut, they are a jewel of the Canadian music scene that has been around since 1997. The main objective of the organization is to connect classical and world music performers with communities throughout the prairies and the Yukon. Prairie Debut provides classical and world music to more than 80 communities throughout Canada.
It was through Prairie Debut’s marvelous coloration with the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg that helped to make this concert possible. This is the first live concert that the Women’s Musical Club has had in a long while, since the beginning of the pandemic lockdown, and the WMCW could not be more thrilled to be presenting these two amazing artists.
Kerry DuWors is Associate Professor of violin at Brandon University, and Katherine Dowling is Assistant Professor of piano at The University of Regina, and have been performing together for more than a decade as their paths have crossed. It is clear that they enjoy performing together. As DuWors states “Musically speaking it absolutely transcends all borders or locations or times…and the pandemic gave us the time to think ….okay what can we do, what’s possible, how do we connect again with the music and with each other.”
For violinist Kerry DuWors and pianist Katherine Dowling, this was the perfect opportunity to put together a program made up of some of their dream pieces. “We kind of keep a list running of dream pieces that we would like to play together when time and schedules permit…so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to drill down on some of those dream pieces and put them into a program that would be really tailored for prairie audiences,” says Dowling.
As it turns out, DuWors and Dowling’s dream pieces ended up creating a program that is full of romantic goodness! The concert centers around the relationship of three key figures in 19th century music, Johannes Brahms, and Robert and Clara Schumann. These composers’ lives were intertwined and not only on a musical level but on a personal level as well. As DuWors states “Really there is no other example I can think of in the history of music that is like the relationship that Robert and Clara had…and then adding in the relationship they had with Brahms, and that whole circle of their friends and musical artists. It’s very fascinating… and that is the heart and soul of this concert.”
The concert will consist of Brahms’ 2nd Violin Sonata, Robert Schumann’s 1st Violin Sonata, and Clara Schumann’s 3 Romances for Violin. In addition, they will be performing gorgeous work by Canadian Composer Marjan Mozetich called “L’esprit Chantant”
This is sure to be a phenomenal concert performed by two of the prairie’s finest musicians. The Concert is on Sunday, October 24th at 2:30pm and costs $20.00. It takes place at Fort Garry Mennonite Brethren Church at 1771 Pembina Hwy, but can also be live-streamed. All in person attendees need to show proof of vaccination, and wear masks at all times. For more information click here:
To see Chris Wolf’s conversation WITH Kerry DuWors and Katherine Dowling click here: