LIHU‘E — Duo Diorama of Chicago was set to perform on Kaua‘i in an event presented by the Ebb and Flow Arts (EFA).
Unfortunately, EFA had to cancel the concert just days before COVID-19 shut down the island because of the pandemic.
Now, thanks to a grant from the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, the EFA will be able to pick up where it left off.
As part of its 25th anniversary season, Ebb &Flow Arts will present Duo Diorama — Minghuan Xu on violin, and Winston Choi on piano — on June 1 at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Lihu‘e. A free pre-concert discussion will start at 6 p.m.
The concert will feature the husband and wife duo playing the works by Bela Bartok, Alfred Schnittke, Dmitri Shostakovich, John Corigliano, Augusta Read Thomas and Robert Pollock, a composer/pianist who is the president of EFA.
“We are thrilled to present Duo Diorama once again,” Pollack said. “They are leading exponents of modern music. They are a husband and wife team. They spend countless hours learning the most challenging modern music. Their ensemble is superb.”
Pollock said they will perform one of his works, “Serenade.”
“They have performed this piece about six times, on the mainland, and on Maui,” Pollock said. “I am very happy that their performance has become quite assured following repeated renditions.”
“Attendees will hear modern works as they are supposed to be played,” Pollock said. “Not under-rehearsed as is often the case. We let our audience know that the avant-garde is vital to a healthy thriving art form. A wealth of musical compositions, and a rich heritage of 20th and 21st century music is part of the musical landscape.”
Duo Diorama is part of the EFA’s annual multi-day, multi-site, international North, South, East, West Festival 2024.
The event is produced, in part, with support from the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Korean American Foundation Hawai‘i, AHS Foundation, John R. Halligan Charitable Fund, Roger Shapiro Fund for New Music, Edward T.Cone Foundation, Amphion Foundation, BMI Foundation, The Kosasa Foundation, Vendetti Productions and private contributions.
“Our next events are on Maui and in Honolulu,” Pollock said. “Alexandra Dossin, pianist opens Aug. 23 and 25.”
