HISTOIRE: Featuring Violin and Piano in Recital
Our first of three concerts in our Park Center Chamber Series featuring violinist Hannah Kennedy and pianist Casey Rafn for an evening of glorious French music spanning from the 1700s to today. French composers throughout history have relied on color and texture to create distinct sound worlds, resulting in music that is incredibly emotionally expressive.
This program showcases those expressions, in particular the Impressionistic style, which includes music of Claude Debussy, Olivier Messiaen, Lili Boulanger, and more. This evening will be a musical journey filled with beauty, history, and maybe even a few surprises.
TICKETS: $25 advance, $30 door and $5 students (17 and under)
Donations to benefit The Park Center are appreciated. The Park Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation registered in Wisconsin. Our operations are supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Hannah Kennedy BIO:
Violinist Hannah Kennedy is a committed collaborator and recitalist known for creative and thoughtful performances. She is the Assistant Concertmaster of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra and a core member of Lyra Baroque Orchestra. She also performs with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, La Grande Bande, 10th Wave Chamber Music Collective, STRINGenius, and served as a member of the Altius Quartet for the 2020-2021 season. She teaches privately at Songs with Sarah and directs a beginning chamber music camp in the summers. Hannah participated as a virtual performer fellow in the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Music Academy, and has performed with COmpass Resonance Ensemble, ProMusica Colorado Chamber Orchestra, and the Fort Collins and Cheyenne Symphony Orchestras. She was awarded first prize in the 2020 Bruce Ekstrand Competition and presented J.S. Bach’s Chaccone as an Ekstrand semi-finalist in 2019. Festival appearances include Madeline Island Chamber Music (’11. Fellow ’19), Stringwood Chamber Music Festival, and Twin Cities Baroque Instrumental Program. While at Madeline Island, Hannah worked with members of the Arianna, American, Dover, and St. Lawrence String Quartets.
She has also performed in masterclasses with members of the Tákacs, Enso, Pacifica, Arianna, Juilliard, Brentano, Jupiter, and Pro Arte String Quartets, and the Smetana Trio. Hannah obtained her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where she attended as an Eileen Phillips Cohen String Quartet Fellow, and as a student of Nobuyoshi Yasuda. She received a Master’s degree at CU Boulder as a student of Harumi Rhodes and Edward Dusinberre of the Takács Quartet. She continued her studies with Ms. Rhodes and Mr. Dusinberre, completing an Artist Diploma in solo violin and serving as Teaching Assistant to Dr. Robert Hill. Hannah lives in Chaska, MN with her husband, Nick, and their dog, Lacy.
Casey Rafn Bio:
Pianist Casey Rafn enjoys a varied career as a collaborative pianist both in the United States and abroad, in Europe and Latin America. He is a member of Trés, whose saxophone-piano trio was nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Instrumental Album for their album Romance al Campesino Porteño. He is interested in new music and working with composers, and has been called a "great collaborator" by composer Libby Larsen, having premiered works by Larsen, Steve Heitzig, Angélica Negrón, Miguel Zenon, and many others. He plays for the Basilica of St. Mary as well as VocalEssence. He often collaborates in concert or recordings with members of the Minnesota Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and University of Minnesota School of Music faculty, including recordings with saxophone professor Preston Duncan. As a piano soloist he took top prizes at the International Liszt-Garrison Competition in Baltimore and has appeared in concert with the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra.