The names Nick and Nora usually conjure up a detective duo of sorts from the creative mind of writer Dashiell Hammett and “The Thin Man” films. Wilton Library has discovered a different Nick and Nora -- Nick Revel and Nora Krohn, two talented violists who will be performing in a Connecticut’s Own concert on Sunday, October 28, from 4 to 5 p.m. This duo ferrets out rare viola duets, discovering compositions from the world of classical music to contemporary strains.
The program, called Folie à Deux, is defined as “a psychological condition where two individuals in a close relationship share the same fantastical delusion.” The musical Nick and Nora performing at the library are New York City-based violists who first engaged in this viola delusion in June 2012 in the living room of their apartment in Queens. Although the viola duo instrumentation is rare and repertoire is scarce, Nick and Nora continue their mission of discovering and performing unheard and under-appreciated works. Their goal is to commission living composers, one day turning the viola duo delusion into a viable instrumentation.
Nick Revel is a graduate of Wilton High School and the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY and strives to inject fresh perspective into the classical music scene through creative and interactive programming. He has been performing as a soloist, chamber musician, improviser, and orchestral violist, as well as actively composing and teaching. Nick has made appearances performing on stages in Berlin, Germany, Tokyo, Japan, in the Rochester International Jazz Festival, and in concerts all over New York City. In addition to performing, Nick has a budding career as a composer. He has been commissioned to write “Broken Lines,” a viola quartet, for the New York Viola Society, and choral works for a production of Medea with the Xoregos Performing Company. His music has been featured in concerts with the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra and with PUBLIQuartet as well as the Silver Bay Concert Series in Silver Bay, NY. His duet, Energy for violin and viola, was performed in a New York Composer’s Circle concert in 2011. A passionate teacher, Nick Revel reanimated the Norwalk Youth Symphony Chamber Music program in 2008 and continues to coach there. He has coached string quartets in Stamford, Connecticut’s very own Chamber Music Institute for Young Musicians three years in a row and has performed and presented improvisation workshops in public schools in New York and Connecticut.
Violist Nora Krohn graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 2006 from Brown University, where she earned a BA in Music and Hispanic Studies and was the recipient of the Buxtehude Premium and Muriel Hassenfeld Mann Premium in Music. She received her Master of Music in Viola Performance in 2008 from SUNY Purchase College, where she studied with Ira Weller. A busy freelancer in the New York area, Nora is the Assistant Principal violist of the Ridgefield Symphony and performs in a diverse range of venues and styles, from jazz to opera. In October 2011 she was featured as a soloist in Paul Hindemith's Trauermusik with NYC's Chelsea Symphony. In October 2012 she appeared on national television and radio in Japan as principal violist of the Balkan Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble dedicated to fostering peace and cultural dialogue through music.
The duo will be playing selections from Alessandro Rolla, Frank Bridge, Sydney Hodkinson and George Gianopoulos.
There is no charge for Connecticut’s Own concerts. Performances begin promptly at 4 p.m.; late arrivals will be asked to wait to enter the concert. Registration is highly recommended. Visit www.wiltonlibrary.org and click on Events or call 203-762-3950, ext. 213 to register. Wilton Library is located at 137 Old Ridgefield Road in the heart of Wilton Center.
