Twenty-four guests gathered for a special concert presented in music, words, and photographs. With two acclaimed musicians and over 100 historical photographs, author Thomas Wolf presented the compelling story behind his award-winning book, The Nightingale’s Sonata.

The tale took us from the shores of the Black Sea to the Tsar’s palace to Carnegie Hall to the White House and beyond. In it, Wolf recounted the life of Lea Luboshutz, the first internationally known female violinist, her incomparable Stradivarius violin (the “Nightingale”), and her multi-generational musical family of which he is a member. Against the odds of pogroms, the Russian Revolution, and the Holocaust, this Jewish family triumphed again and again.

The fascinating narrative told their personal stories while sketching the history of classical music in the 20th century. Through the adversity they faced, family members were linked by a remarkable piece of music, César Franck’s sonata for violin and piano, performed live during the program.

• Program
• About the Ensemble

Program

About the Ensemble

Thomas Weaver is an American pianist, composer, and educator. His extensive repertoire contains music of the past as well as new compositions, including many pieces written especially for him. A native of Marlton, NJ, he began his study of piano at the age of eight, giving his first public performance at the age of nine. He is currently based in Philadelphia.

Thomas Weaver maintains an active solo and chamber career that has included performances in the United States, Europe, and Asia. His playing has been hailed as displaying both “sensitivity” and “incredible dexterity.” Weaver has appeared in many concert halls, including those in New York (Carnegie/Weill Recital Hall, Greene Space, Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall), Philadelphia, Washington D.C. (Phillips Collection), Boston (Jordan Hall), Chicago, Nashville, Dallas, Berlin (Germany), Itami (Japan), the Tanglewood Music Festival, Red Rocks Music Festival, New York Chamber Music Festival, and others. Weaver has performed with a number of eminent musicians including Elmira Darvarova, Jess Gillam, Kenneth Radnofsky, Jennifer Frautschi, Gene Pokorny, and members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and others. Weaver is a currently a member of the Amram Ensemble, Trio Ardente, and New England Chamber Players.

Weaver is on faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he teaches Core Studies (harmony, counterpoint, and analysis), Keyboard Studies, and Supplementary Piano. He is a staff pianist and accompanist at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and at Mannes College. He holds a Master of Music degree in both Piano Performance and Composition from Mannes College, and a Bachelor of Music degree, summa cum laude, from Boston University. His primary piano teachers include Anthony di Bonaventura, Victor Rosenbaum, and Pavel Nersessian. His primary composition instructors include David Loeb, Dr. John Wallace, Dr. Martin Amlin, and Jonathan Coopersmith.