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Violinists offer strings of peace

Kimberly Nicoletti

BRECKENRIDGE –  Music is often described as the universal language, and Tuesday night, the message musicians will send is “peace.”

Violinists Jason and Kyoko Horowitz and pianist Debra Ayers will perform a night of dramatic Brahms sonatas in a plea for peace. They chose Johannes Brahms’ “Sonata in A-Major, Opus 100” and “Sonata in D-Minor, Opus 108” because the two pieces describe ranges of emotions everyone has in common.

“Sonata in D-Minor,” performed by Kyoko Horowitz and Ayers, is a dramatic, stormy piece filled with passion and intensity. Brahms wrote it in 1886, at age 50, when his depression related to growing up in poverty and being ill came out in his music.



“It’s a very lonely piece,” Kyoko Horowitz said. “It’s more inner. His private life (was) becoming darker and darker.”

“Sonata in A-Major,” performed by Jason Horowitz and Ayers, complements the other side of Brahms’ personality. Brahms wrote the bright, lyrical piece without one aggressive note. The first movement begins with a bittersweet, waltz-like characteristic. The second movement weaves slow and dance-like qualities together, and the piece concludes with an eruption of warmth and friendliness.



“The pieces come full circle and complement each other,” Jason Horowitz said. “They explore all of the possible directions people can take. We chose them as a plea for peace and to emphasize the common ground between people of all cultures and religions.”

The Horowitzes moved to Colorado in September from Miami, where Jason Horowitz was a member of the New World Symphony in Miami. He moved to Denver after securing a position as the assistant concertmaster of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.

He met his wife while working and studying in Germany. Kyoko Horowitz is a violinist in the Breckenridge Music Institute Orchestra, has given solo recitals at the renowned Osaka Opera House and was also a member of the New World Symphony.

Ayers, the director and artist in residence at Colorado Mountain College’s Center for Excellence in the Arts, will provide piano accompaniment. She has worked with the Aspen Music Festival and school and has served as a coach and panelist for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, the Colorado Federation of the Arts and various piano competitions.

The Breckenridge Music Institute and the Colorado Mountain College Center for Excellence in the Arts present the Brahms sonatas at 7 p.m. Tuesday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Breckenridge. General admission tickets are $10 and may be purchased by calling (970) 453-9142 or at the door (depending upon availability).


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