We were thrilled to restart our concert series after a year’s hiatus due to road construction. For A Night In Italy, we hosted the Ossia Musical Foundation, led by Nora Williams with a baroque chamber quartet. The quartet included a violin, a viola, a cello, and an oboe. The musicians played on rare historic instruments including violins and violas by Stradivarius and Guadagnini. It was a delightful “salon” experience, with about 50 guests in attendance. We cleared a section of our store for seating and the performers had an Indian palace façade behind them as a backdrop. Not quite the Lyric but close! It was intimate and quietly spectacular. The concert lasted about 2 hours with two short breaks for refreshments.
About the instruments. Cremona, Italy was the epicenter of violin making, led by Antonio Stradivari. Antonio took his family’s atelier to the incredible heights we know, producing the world’s most precious violins (and a few violas and cellos). Our special thanks to Gabriel Ben-Dashan, the owner of Bein & Fushi, the world's premier violin dealer, based right here in Chicago. Paige Ben-Dashan, the executive director of the Stradivari Society was also present.
Quartet players from left: Pasquale Laurino (violin), Anna Velzo (oboe), Melissa Bach (cello), Nora Williams (viola).
Gabriel Ben-Dashan, the owner of Bein & Fushi
Golden Triangle co-owner, Doug Van Tress, with the players