On Friday, the Marilyn Horne Museum and Exhibit Center will present a concert for strings and organ at the historic Church of Ascension in downtown Bradford.
The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.
Performing that evening will be Pittsburgh-based Nicole Oswald on violin and Robert Kaufman on cello. Oswald is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree under world-renowned violinist, Andrés Cárdenes at the Carnegie Mellon School of Music in Pittsburgh. Making her solo debut at the age of 10, Oswald has since performed and taught throughout the United States and Europe.
Kaufman is a professional cellist, holding a Master of Music from the famed Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University. He began his music education at age 6 and began studying cello when he was just 9 years old. He has since performed around the world and teaches privately in addition to working with students at public schools in Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Accompanying the strings will be Adeline Angevine, 20-year resident organist at Church of Ascension. Angevine began playing the piano at age 5 and been playing organ for over 45 years. For the past 20 years, she has played for the Missoula Children’s Theater, presented annually by the Bradford Creative and Performing Arts Center.
In November of 1934, the year Marilyn Horne was born, the Church of Ascension signed a contract for a new organ to be built and installed by the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company of Boston. In March of 1935, the organ was completed with a whopping 1,481 pipes. The cost was $9,000; a hefty sum in Depression-Era Bradford. This past summer, the organ underwent a major refurbishment at a total cost of $96,000. Today the organ has a total of 1,818 pipes and 25 chimes.
The Church of Ascension is located just one block from the Marilyn Horne Museum. Marilyn Horne and her sister Gloria were members of the church choir. The building stands as a landmark to the remarkable career of the celebrated opera star. The museum is delighted to incorporate the history of the church and its illustrious organ into its education and outreach programming with this free concert, which has been underwritten in part by a generous gift from Pennsylvania Skill.
Light refreshments will be offered prior to the concert, beginning at 7 p.m.
