This ensemble formed in 2007 with a goal “to promote peace and cultural understanding through musical collaboration.”

All five musicians have experienced life and performed in countries including Brazil, Australia, France, the Netherlands and Portugal.

Group members are Lynne Mackey, pianist; Joan Griffing, violinist; Diane Phoenix-Neal, violist; Beth Vanderborgh, cellist; and Luciano Carneiro, bassist.

Now, “Musica Harmonia” is launching an effort to promote appreciation of classical music with two local programs, one of which is especially designed for children and their parents.

The chamber music ensemble will perform the playful “Trout” Quintet by Franz Schubert 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18, in Martin Chapel of the seminary building at EMU.

Folk Music and Storytelling

Bill Wellington, folk musician and storyteller from Staunton, will tell lighthearted anecdotes designed for children and their parents between movements of the Schubert piece. He describes his role in the performance as “a cross between Danny Kaye and Leonard Bernstein.” Wellington has entertained audiences, including youngsters, for more than 30 years and is creator of Radio WOOF, a unique series of audio recordings for children.

Dr. Griffing described the Schubert work as “an evocative tale composed in 1819 of a fish caught by a wily fisherman.

“We encourage children and parents to come together to this fun, yet educational program that aims to promote an early appreciation for classical music,” Griffing said.

Brahms and Brazil

Bass player Luciano Carneiro, who currently lives in Brazil, will present an hour of music and conversation 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, in Martin Chapel. He and Lynne Mackey will perform an arrangement of the Brahms’ “Sonata in E Minor for cello and piano” in addition to some shorter pieces by Brazilian composers.

Carneiro will also talk about his music and his international experiences.

Griffing said the ensemble members met at the annual Eastern Music Festival held each year at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C., and decided to collaborate in additional settings. “We hope this is only the beginning of working with more musicians from around the world,” she said.

Griffing is chair of the music department at EMU and concertmaster of the annual Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival. Dr. Mackey is associate professor of music at EMU and performs regularly as a lecture-recitalist.

Dr. Phoenix-Neal is assistant professor of music at Fayetteville (NC) State University, where she directs the FSU community string ensemble and founded a string program for children. Dr. Vanderborgh, a member of the Guilford College faculty, is principal cellist of the Greensboro (NC) Symphony Orchestra and the Winston-Salem Symphony. Dr. Caneiro is professor of double bass at the Universidade Federal da Paraiba in Brazil and plays with several symphony orchestra in his native country and in the US.

More Info

The ensemble plans to give additional programs in January at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, Mary Washington University, Guilford College and Fayetteville State University.

Admission to both programs is free; donations will be accepted. For more information, call the EMU music department at 540-432-4225.

Joan Griffing, music professor and department chair, and Lynne Mackey, associate professor of music

Joan Griffing, violinist, and Lynne Mackey, pianist, will play a varied repertoire including music by Piazzolla, the Argentinian composer known for his tangos, and Milhaud, a French composer influenced by his visits to Brazil.

They will be assisted by Leslie Nicholas on clarinet and Lisa Wright on cello.

Dr. Griffing teaches violin and viola, coaches chamber music and conducts the EMU orchestra. She is also concertmaster of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Orchestra and the Shenandoah Symphony Orchestra and is a violinist with the Virginia Symphony and the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, N.C.

She earned her bachelor and master of music degrees from Indiana University and her doctor of musical arts degree in violin performance from Ohio State University.

Dr. Mackey has performed in solo and chamber music settings in the United States and the Netherlands and is currently on the tour roster of the Virginia Commission for the Arts. She is a member of the Gee-Mackey Duo with cellist David Gee, a duo formed in 2004 that performs widely in the Mid-Atlantic states.

A graduate of The Juilliard School, Mackey holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music.

Admission to the program is free; donations are welcomed for the EMU music student scholarship fund.

The duo will perform "Three Batatelles for Viola and Piano" by contemporary composer Don Freund, "Sonata for Viola and Piano Op. 147" by Dmitri Shostakovich, "Seven for the Flowers Near the River," composed in 1988 by Stephen Paulus and "Variations on ‘My Favorite Things’" by Mark Kuss.

Violist Scott Rawls

Dr. Rawls currently serves as associate professor of viola and chair of the instrumental division in the School of Music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Under the baton of maestro Dmitry Sitkovetsky, he plays principal viola in the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra.

He is active as guest clinician, adjudicator, and master class teacher at universities and festivals in America and Europe. During the summers, Rawls plays principal viola in the festival orchestra at Brevard Music Center where he also coordinates the viola program. He holds a bachelor of music degree from Indiana University and M.M. and D.M.A. degrees from State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Pianist Phillip Bush

One of the busiest chamber musicians among American pianists, Bush has performed and recorded with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Kronos Quartet and the Miami String Quartet. In 2001, he made his concerto debut at Carnegie Hall with the London Sinfonietta. He can be heard frequently on public radio in the U.S., including appearances on "Saint Paul Sunday" and on nationwide live television broadcasts via the Classic Arts Showcase.

From 2002 to 2004, Bush taught piano and chamber music at the University of Michigan. In addition to a full performing schedule, he continues to give masterclasses for young musicians across the country. He is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory, where he studied with Leon Fleisher.

Admission to the concert is a suggested $5 donation at the door.

Joan Griffing, music department chair, will present a faculty violin recital 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25 in of the seminary building.

Dr. Griffing and guest artist Jeanne Johnson will perform works from the Baroque era. Their repertoire will include “Concerto in d minor for 2 violins” by J.S. Bach, “Sonata in C Major, Op. 4#1 by Archangelo Corelli and “Sonata in d minor (La Folia)” by Antonio Vivaldi and works by other composers.

John W. Fast, assistant professor of music at EMU, will accompany the duo on harpsichord.

A member of the EMU music faculty since 1996, Dr. Griffing teaches violin and viola, coaches chamber music and conducts the EMU-community orchestra. She is concertmaster of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival held each June on the EMU campus.

Griffing earned bachelor