Duo Aerius

Saturday 15th February 2025 1:45pm – 2:30pm

Duo Aerius

Chris Karwacinski – Violin and Chris Godhard – Guitar

Programme

Niccolò Paganini Sonata Concertata in A major

Béla Bartók Romanian Folk Dances

Will Frampton The Radiant Plan

Fritz Kriesler Preludium und Allegro

Niccolò Paganini Cantabile

Background

Duo Aerius formed at the Royal Northern College of Music in 2021 and they are already establishing themselves as an exciting new ensemble, pushing into new territory for Violin and Guitar, with unique repertoire commissions and arrangements.

Their resumé includes performances at venues such as, Forsyths Music Shop, Bolton Parish Church, Whitworth Art Gallery, Hale Synagogue, Didsbury Concert Series, Kendal Concert Series and the Enys Chamber Music Festival.

Biographies

Chris Karwacinski has a passion for all aspects of violin playing, in ensembles and as a soloist and he currently plays a 1847 Giovanni Dollenz violin, which is generously loaned to him by the RNCM.

Chris recently completed his Masters of Music in Violin Performance; with distinction, at the RNCM, studying with Benedict Holland. He is currently studying on the Quartet Studio Programme with the Aestus Quartet, under Donald Grant and Catherine Yates. He has a diverse academic background and achieved his undergraduate degree in Pure Mathematics at King’s College London, whilst simultaneously studying privately with violin professors Simon Fischer and John Crawford.

Chris also reached the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) Norman George Violin Prize final and was elected to perform in master classes for both Augustin Hadelich and Tasmin Little.

He enjoys a wide-ranging career in orchestral playing and has performed with the BBC Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata, Sinfonia Viva, and British Sinfonietta playing a mixture of classical, period, and modern music. Chris has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican, the Sage Gateshead, Symphony Hall Birmingham, and the Bridgewater Hall.

Chris also plays tuba and has been principal tuba of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, as well as principal E-flat tubist of championship section band, Redbridge Brass Band.

Chris teaches both music and maths at St. Mary’s Hare Park Private School, the Brentwood Cathedral Song School, and tutoring mathematics privately from GCSE to foundation degree level.

Chris Godhard is a classical guitarist based in Manchester. He has recently completed his undergraduate degree at the Royal Northern College of Music and is continuing his studies with a Masters Degree. Throughout his studies Chris has been under the tutelage of Craig Ogden, Rory Russle and Tom McKinney. He has attended and performed in master classes with world renowned guitarists such as Zoran Dukic, David Leisner, Gary Ryan and Steve Goss. Chris plays a Paul Sheridan classical guitar.

Born in Sheffield, Chris began playing the guitar at the age of 8 and instantly fell in love with the instrument. While in Sheffield, Chris was under the tutelage of guitarist and composer Nick Fletcher and was a member of the South Yorkshire Classical Guitar Society, where he performed works for guitar orchestra.

In September 2022, Chris won two special prizes in the Youth of Music International Competition and was given the opportunity to record in the Electrecord Studio in Bucharest as well as a solo recital at the Arcus Cultural Centre. Chris has also been awarded the Ian Spencer Fox Guitar Bursary, as well as granted financial support from the Waverly Fund and Help Musicians. In October 2022 Chris performed the piece “Unquiet” by Sally Beamish in a concert dedicated to showcasing her works. She enjoyed the performance and went on to say “Chris’s performance was outstanding, he brought a real vision to the piece”.

Chris has given solo performances in The Bridgewater Hall, Stoller Hall, RNCM Concert Hall and The Lord Mayor Suite in the Manchester Library. Chris has played in a range of ensembles such as guitar and violin duo, guitar and voice duo, guitar quartets, guitar and woodwind trios, symphony orchestras and jazz big band.

Next week’s Concert: Hot Club of Rainford – a complete change!


Luna Piano Duo

Saturday 8th February 2025 1:45pm – 2:30pm

Luna Piano Duo – Graziana Pressice and Amy Butler

Programme

Gioachino Rossini, arr. Arnold Schönberg Overture to ‘The Barber of Seville’

Eduardo Burnay, arr. Sandy Clark Fado Burnay

Lester Hough Concertante (World Premiere **)

Sérgio Azevedo Les Promenades (selection)

i. Promenade
ii. Lisboa: Helena e Arpad
iii. Dreaming of St Petersburg

George Gershwin, arr. Henry Levine Rhapsody in Blue

Background

The Luna Piano Duo is a recently established ensemble, although individually both Amy Butler and Graziana Presicce have been performing on numerous occasions and contexts. The piano duet was formed not long after their very first meeting – the recording of an online concert during lockdown. Both their friendship and musical collaboration grew since. The duet was thrilled to receive a special commission through Howdenshire Music, premiering a new work by York-based rising talent Frederick Viner, Fado Fantasy, in a sold-out event celebrating the ancient friendship between England and Portugal. Other performance appearances include Hornsea Music Society; Bournville Lunchtime Concerts; York Unitarian Concerts; and Humber Street Piano Sessions (Hull). The Duo is currently working towards their first recording and release in 2025.

Biographies

Amy Butler studied with British concert pianist Martin Roscoe and gained a First Class Master’s degree from the University of Oxford. She has a particular passion for chamber music and especially enjoys working collaboratively with other musicians. Regular duo partners include award-winning artists: violinist Boglárka György, flautist Chris Hill and tenor Steven Goulden. Amy has performed extensively for many venues and music societies across the UK, with recent highlights including Stratford-upon-Avon Music Society, Wye Valley Chamber Music, North Westmorland Arts, Warwick Arts Centre, Weymouth Chamber Concerts, St. Mary’s Perivale, the Eric Coates Society and the Guild of Musicians and Singers (London).

“…this was a rewarding recital of great musical integrity in which the players’ virtuosity and technical skill was directed towards realising the composers’ intentions” – Paul Conway, Musical Opinion.

Amy is a staff pianist for the East Riding Music Hub and accompanist for Beverley Male Voice Choir and Snaith & District Choral Society. She is also a co-founder of Howdenshire Music, a classical concert series based in Howden, East Yorkshire.

Graziana Presicce is an Italian pianist based in Yorkshire. She completed a scholarship-funded PhD in Music Performance at the University of Hull (2020). Graziana graduated in 2012 with a First Class BA Music Degree at the University of Hull, where she was awarded the Sir Thomas Beecham Music Scholarship and Special Prize in Music. The friendly atmosphere and the privilege to study piano under the guidance of Irina Glushenkova encouraged her to pursue her studies in Hull further, completing a Master course with Distinction (2014). As a performer, Graziana actively engages in recitals, both as a soloist as well as accompanist. In March 2017, she performed what is believed to be the recorded premiere of works by the Hull-born composer Ethel Leginska, alongside baritone Lee Tsang. The events, part of Women of the World Festival and Hull City of Culture 2017, were also featured on BBC Radio 3’s Music Matters.

Graziana is grateful to be a Launchpad 2022 supported artist and to be the recipient of the St. Hugh’s Foundation‘s Artists Respond award. She has had the pleasure of performing as part of the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra on various occasions and was delighted to be invited as soloist at their May 2023 performance.

**Postscript

Lester Hough B Mus, Cert Mus, PGCE, MISM is the principal teacher and a director at Hull Piano School. Lester travelled from East Yorkshire to be present for the World Premiere of his piece Concertante and received an appreciative ovation.

Next week’s concert – Duo Aerius, Guitar and Violin


WACIDOM – a short note about us

WACIDOM is a voluntary run music society and charity that holds free lunchtime concerts on Saturday afternoons at Holy Trinity Church in Warrington Town Centre. All our concerts are funded by donations.

Our main aim is to offer opportunities to young student musicians, most often from the Royal Northern College of Music and Chetham’s School of Music, but sometimes further afield. We also support musicians at the start of their careers as they build repertoire, confidence and platform skills.

In 2024 we celebrated our 500th free concert which was played by Patron, Leon McCawley and Patron, Sir Stephen Hough kindly offered to play a December concert, to bring our celebratory year to a close.

Sir Stephen asked that donations were to go to WACIDOM to support our work with young and aspiring musicians. He was there once!

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