Levine Presents: The Poignant Pull of Folk Tunes 

Folk traditions, melodies, and dances have bound together cultures throughout history. Faculty members Melinda Baird, Seth Castleton, and Erin Durham Wright, alongside guest artists Shaundra Baird Culatta and Caroline Castleton, present an evening of Romantic and Early Modern works inspired by folk music in Europe.

This program will feature Béla Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances for Violin and Piano, which was influenced by the folk melodies recorded during his travels in Romania, the somber, slow lament alternating with high-kicking village folk dance in Antonín Dvořák’s Piano Quintet No. 2, and the Jewish-inspired folk tune in reaction to the horrors of WWII in Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2.

Featuring: Erin Durham Wright, violin; Shaundra Baird Culatta, violin; Caroline Castleton, viola; Seth Castleton, cello; and Melinda Baird, piano

Levine Music gratefully acknowledges the support of the Montgomery County Government, the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County, and all our generous donors.