Program
| Composer | Work | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Fritz Kreisler | Viennese Rhapsodic Fantasietta | 1948 |
| Erkki-Sven Tüür | Piano Sonata No. 1 | 1985 |
| Edvard Grieg | Violin Sonata No. 1 in F major, Op. 8 | 1865 |
| Intermission | ||
| Fritz Kreisler | Slavonic Fantasy | 1914 |
| Arvo Pärt | Fratres | 1977 |
| George Enescu | Violin Sonata No. 3 in A minor, Op. 25 | 1926 |
About the Artists
Hans Christian Aavik
Hans Christian Aavik is the 1st prize winner of the 2022 Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition and recipient of the Usedom Prize. Named “One to Watch” by Gramophone, he is praised for his “probing intellect and curiosity” combined with “an extroverted charisma” (Bachtrack).
Already well established as a soloist at home in Estonia,Hans Christian Aavik performed Bruch’s violin concerto with the Estonian Festival Orchestra and Paavo Järvi at the 2024 Pärnu Music Festival. In 2023/24 he also curated his own concert series with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, revolving around Mozart’s five violin concertos, and performed Beethoven’s violin concerto with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra under Olari Elts. Recent international engagements have included chamber music performances at the Wigmore Hall, Köln Deutschlandfunk Kammermusiksaal and Kölner Philarmonie.
Hans Christian Aavik returns to the Pärnu Music Festival in July 2025 as soloist in Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa and joins Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra for further celebrations of the composer’s 90th birthday this autumn, appearing as a soloist alongside Midori at the Vienna Konzerthaus, Zürich Tonhalle, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie and New York Carnegie Hall.
Karolina Aavik
Karolina Aavik is an acclaimed Estonian pianist. Dedicated mostly to chamber music, she performs regularly in Estonia, Germany, and throughout Europe.
Her debut album focused on works by Bach, Schubert and Pärt. Recorded with violinist Hans Christian Aavik, the album was launched in 2021 at the Arvo Pärt Centre in Tallinn. For Deutsche Grammophon’s “Rising Stars” series on STAGE+, the duo recorded George Enescu’s Violin Sonata No. 3 and works by contemporary American and Estonian composers Morten Lauridsen and Eduard Oja.
Estonian music features regularly in Karolina’s recital programmes and was the focus of one of two concerts she performed with Hans Christian Aavik at the 2022 Usedomer Festival in Germany. In 2023 and 2024, they premiered several new works during a residency for the Estonian Cultural Endowment, including a violin and piano concerto written especially for them by Tõnu Kõrvits.
Currently completing her studies at the Frankfurt Academy of Music and Performing Arts with Prof. Angelika Merkle, Karolina has received additional valuable guidance in Vienna from Prof. Christoph Eggner and Prof. Jevgueni Sinaiski. She has also been greatly influenced by Sten Lassmann, Sophia Rahman, Erik Schumann, Steven Isserlis, Antoine Tamestit, and many others.
Karolina Aavik is supported by Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now, Frankfurt am Main.
About the Concert
The performance begins at 2:00 pm. Join us an hour earlier for a pre-concert discussion about the music on the program. After the performance, you’ll have an opportunity to meet the artist(s) and learn about their backgrounds, interests, and career plans.
The address of the venue is 103 North Road, Wakefield, Rhode Island 02879. Driving time from Providence, Newport, Westerly, and southeastern Connecticut is under an hour, and Amtrak’s Kingston Station is only five miles away.
The suggested contribution for this concert is $40 per person, collected at the door. We accept cash, personal checks, and cards. Checks should be payable to “Core Memory Music”. All contributions go directly to our performing artists. To make your contribution in advance, click here.
Children under 18 are welcome to join us free of charge.
If you’d like to attend this concert, send us an email with the full name of each person in your party. If seating is still available, we’ll confirm your reservation. If you can’t attend the concert, we invite you to listen to the audio livestream (no reservation required).