Arts at the Abbey — both live and live streamed concerts

Belmont Abbey College presents concerts at the beautiful Abbey Basilica, 100 Belmont-Mt. Holly Rd. Belmont. Each of these concerts is free for all, but donations are accepted. The college is off exit 26 from I-85, and very close to Charlotte in nearby Gaston County.

All concerts are at 8 p.m. unless otherwise indicated.

The concerts will be held live in the Basilica, for very limited audiences. If you want to attend live, please call 704-461-6012 or email abbeyarts@bac.edu.

Or, you can watch the live stream at belmontabbeycollege.edu/artslive/

It’s free to watch either way.

Arts at the Abbey schedule.

2020/2021 season

September 21, 2020: Music for Violin and Piano: Celebrating Beethoven and more

Kevin Lawrence, violin, and Dmitri Shteinberg, piano, of the NC University of the Arts Faculty present a duo recital featuring Sonatas by Beethoven whose 250th birthday we celebrate this year.

Praised for his “vibrant intensity,” (The Times, London) and playing “supremely convincing in its vitality,” (Cleveland Plain Dealer) violinist Kevin Lawrence has consistently elicited superlative responses for his performances throughout the United States and Europe. The Dutch press described him as “simply miraculous.” (Het Vaderland). He is heard in recordings on the New World label, featured on NPR’s “Performance Today,” and with renowned flutist Carol Wincenc on a CD of American flute quintets released by Bridge Records named as Critic’s Choice by American Record Guide. Lawrence is string chair at University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he has been a faculty member since 1990.

Dmitri Shteinberg has appeared in concert across North America, Europe, Russia, Bulgaria and Israel. His solo performances include the Jerusalem Symphony, The Italian Filarmonica Marchigiana, Israel Chamber Orchestra, and Israel Camerata Orchestra. In the United States, he appeared with the Baton Rouge, Richmond, Charlottesville, Salisbury and Manassas symphony orchestras. Chamber music appearances include the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Alice Tully Hall in New York and the Saunders Theatre in Boston. Shteinberg recorded for the Israeli ”Voice of Music” radio station, NPR, the Bavarian Radio, Summit Records and Sono Luminus labels.

October 19, 2020 – Carolina Pro Musica: Musical Surprises

Carolina Pro Musica presents a unique program of 18th century music entitled Musical Surprises. It features the works of little known composers including Ignatius Sancho, (who was also the first black to vote in England), Johan Roman, the Swedish Handel, J.M. Nunes Garcia from Brazil, le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (the Black Mozart). Isabella Leonarda and a newly discovered work by Telemann.

Carolina Pro Musica was founded in 1977 to perform “Early music” – using period instruments and voice in the styles of the musical periods in which it was written. They have Abbey Artists in residence since 2001.

January 25, 2021: Solomon Eichner, concert pianist

Declared by the American Liszt Society as “A sensitive pianist, Solomon’s playing is poetic, beautiful and moving with deep feeling.” American pianist Solomon Eichner has performed in England, Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland and throughout the U.S. Eichner has won many piano competitions around the world and made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2016. He is on staff at Campbell University near Raleigh. Join him for a variety of music including Gershwin, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Kapustan, Debussy and Chopin.

March 1, 2021: Ensemble Aubade – music for flute, viola and piano

Ensemble Aubade (Peter H. Bloom, flute; Francis Grimes, viola; and Mary Jane Rupert, piano) will perform exuberant chamber music spanning many styles and centuries including C.P.E. Bach and Carl Maria von Weber.

Based in Boston, the ensemble performs across the United States. The group has been hailed for “intensity, imagination, skill, and finesse” (St. Lawrence University), and praised for “rich interpretations and beautiful contrasts played sensitively and virtuosity” (West Claremont Center for the Arts). Their music has been called “dynamic, expressive, richly colored and affecting” (Sisters of Loretto, Kentucky).

April 12, 2021 – Carolina Pro Musica: Spring Ayres

Enjoy the awakening season with Carolina Pro Musica and music by Landini, Janequin, Vivaldi, and Boismortier. The program of French and Italian music shares the genius of Vivaldi and his famous “Spring Concerto” from the Four Seasons. French composer Boismortier wrote four cantatas, one for each season. We’ll hear the complete Spring cantata for soprano, flute and continuo.

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