Chamber Music Pittsburgh – JUST SUMMER Concert – Miller-Porfiris Duo: Violin + Viola + Silent Films

Hope Academy families are invited to a JUST SUMMER concert featuring Miller-Porfiris Duo on Violin + Viola playing live to classic silent films, from the Great Train Robbery to Charlie Chaplin. Tickets have been generously donated to us by our partner, Chamber Music Pittsburgh. This performance is recommended for students whose attention span and behavior is equivalent to an 8 year old.

Please read about the performance, so that you know what to expect; and the etiquette guidelines, so that you understand the expectations; then  RSVP here by June 13.

Praised by critics for their “expressive grace and finesse” and playing that is “vibrant and focused,” the Miller-Porfiris Duo has been delighting audiences since 2005. Anton Miller, violin and Rita Porfiris, viola first met over 20 years ago while studying at the Juilliard School. The duo has given concerts and masterclasses at festivals and institutions across the United States, Central America, and Europe; recent residencies and masterclasses have seen them at Duke University, Kutztown University, the Foulger Festival, PointCounterpoint, the Iceland Arts Academy, the Chamber Society of Little Rock, Sheldon Friends of Chamber Music, Music on the Hill Rhode Island, and the St. George International Festival.

Committed to expanding the repertoire for violin and viola, in 2010 they commissioned and recorded 3 new works for violin and viola by Belize-born British composer Errollyn Wallen, Argentinean composer Mario Diaz Gavier, and American composer Libby Larsen for their debut CD “Five Postcards.” Their second CD, titled “Eight Pieces” (music of Bruch and Gliere), released in 2013, was deemed a “fine new recording” and praised for its “wonderfully smooth ensemble work” by Gramophone and Audible Audiophile magazines. Rita also received accolades for her transcription for violin and viola of Reinhold Gliere’s Eight Pieces Op. 39. Their third CD, “Divertimenti,” was released in early 2016 and has already received airplay on radio stations across the country. Highlights of recent seasons included sold-out performances of the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante, Bruch Double Concerto with Lincoln’s Symphony and a performance of the rarely performed Arthur Benjamin Romantic Fantasy for Violin and Viola with the Concert Artists of Baltimore.

Here is a video of  Miller-Porfinis playing along with a clip from The Great Train Robbery.

How to be a good audience member

It is important that audience members remain quiet during the performance. Since music is mostly a listening activity, any extra sounds that are not part of the music can get in the way and will distract and disturb the musicians and other audience members.

Before the Concert

• JUST SUMMER performances at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater are more casual and relaxed than concerts we’ve been attending at Carnegie Music Hall, so there isn’t a dress code. Just don’t wear anything that will be distracting (light up shoes, clanging jewelry, etc)
• Arrive no later than 7:00 pm to get your tickets. There is a mixer that starts at 6:30 pm, with snacks from The Livermore, so you are welcome to come early if you would like.

Before You Take Your Seat

• Take care of all rest room needs.
• Leave all food, drink, and gum outside, in the lobby.
• Leave all cameras and recording devices outside, as well. There are strict copyright guidelines about recording concerts.
• Turn off all cell phones, pagers, ipads, watch sounds, alarms, or anything that might make a noise. The only sounds that should be heard are the ones that appear in the musical score (and the audience reaction after the music).

Once You Take Your Seat

• A parent or guardian must sit next to each child.
• Remain seated and quiet while the musicians are playing. Do not get up during the concert or change seats.
• No talking, whispering, sighing, tapping or kicking feet, or rattling of programs or papers.
• Be sure to sit without fidgeting so you don’t distract your neighbors or the performers on stage.