Violinist, pianist to grace BU stage in new year

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This article was published 23/12/2022 (1162 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Musical group duo526, made up of Brandon University School of Music professor Kerry Duwors and Futuba Niekawa, is set to perform their next concert in Brandon on Jan. 6.

DuWors, who plays the violin, and Niekawa, who plays the piano, will perform an hour-long musical journey throughout Europe, featuring the works of Ludwig van Beethoven, Joaquin Turina and Gabriel Fauré at the Lorne Watson Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m.

The event showcases the integrity and quality of musical education at the university, said BU dean of music Greg Gatien.

“I think it reflects very well on the School of Music, that our faculty are so prominently out in the world, playing with world-class musicians and bringing those folks into our school so that our students get to hear music modelling and our community is enriched with music on the highest level,” Gatien told the Sun.

The group’s last performance at BU was in 2017, said Niekawa, a faculty member at India University’s Jacobs School of Music, in a press release issued by BU on Thursday.

“We are very much looking forward to being back on the Lorne Watson Recital Hall stage together once again and playing on the School of Music’s new Steinway grand piano.”

The two musicians have had a special musical connection ever since they first performed together more than 10 years ago, and have continued to grow together as musicians and as a duo, DuWors said.

“For this performance, we chose works from three incredible composers that inspire and challenge us, and while we have played across the globe, there is nothing better than playing in front of a home audience in Brandon.”

Founded in 2011, duo526 has performed across Canada, the United States and Japan, and has recorded music for Navona Records. They held a summer Sonata Seminar mentorship program in 2018 at both BU and the Jacobs School of Music. Their most recent album, “Duo Fantasy,” was released in 2019.

Musical expression has always been a vital part of the human experience, Gatien said, which is why he believes it’s so important to attend such live performances.

“Music is a crucial part of how humans are hardwired, and when we have people who are able to do that on a really high level, it really does connect people to their communities. It connects people to their past, and it allows people to imagine their futures in different ways.”

Music is also a powerful tool for building community, Gatien said, and musicians should be honoured for the work they do in helping those connections happen.

“When we think about why we have musicians in our community, it’s that they really do have a unique position and one I think us easy to overlook, because we do tend to celebrate our athletes more than our musicians. We celebrate our business leaders, but musicians are so important.”

Gatien can’t think of a better way to ring in 2023 than by taking in duo562’s performance, he said. Tickets will be available at the door or at the School of Music office.

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