Join me at the Golden Triangle on Thursday, February 2nd for a chamber music performance in the Italian Baroque style featuring an Oboe Quartet (violin, oboe, viola, and cello). Doors open at 6pm and the concert begins at 6:30pm.

Ossia Musical Forum presents an oboe quartet featuring repertoire from the era when string instrument creation was reaching its zenith. Cremona, Italy, was the epicenter of violinmaking  led by the famous Antonio Stradivari, whose family included generations of furniture makers. Antonio took this ancestral DNA to the incredible heights that we now know as the world’s most gorgeous and precious violins — as well as a few violas and cellos. The plaintive sound of the oboe from the woodwind family creates beautiful layers of sound to complement the strings beautifully.

Thank you to the Stradivari Society for lending fine Italian instruments for this performance.

Repertoire

Our program features Corelli, Boccherini, and Vivaldi. As a nod to Groundhog Day, we will likely begin and end the performance with the famous Boccherini minuet. 

Performers

Ossia Musical Forum has assembled a special quartet for this event with the following players:
Pasquale Laurino, violin
Nora Williams, viola
Melissa Bach, cello
Anna Velzo, oboe

Pasquale Laurino, Violin

Born in Brooklyn, NY and trained as a violinist and conductor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Indiana University, his principal teachers were Thomas Moore and Franco Gulli. Maestro Laurino enjoys a multi-faceted career as a conductor, violinist, educator, clinician and entrepreneur. He is the associate conductor of the Milwaukee Ballet, conducting the perennial favorite, Nutcracker, for many seasons at the Marcus Center. Maestro Laurino conducted the world premiere of Michael Pink's Peter Pan and Dorian Grey was well as ballet favorites Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, and Coppelia. Guest conducting appearances include the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, the Elmhurst Choral Union, LʼOpera Piccola, Light Opera Works, the Sheboygan Symphony, the Skokie Valley Symphony and the Skylight Opera Theatre. He was named artistic director and conductor of the Racine Symphony Orchestra in 2011.

Nora Willams, Viola

Artistic Director at Ossia Musical Forum, violist, Nora Williams “…brings excitement and passion to every work she performs.” A varied performer with a penchant for chamber music, Nora delights in exploring and introduciing her audiences to hidden gems in the chamber music repertoire. During the pandemic, Nora presented several small house concerts to audiences starved for live music. Over the past year, Nora stepped into her first venture as a film producer, co-producing the dance film Prohairesis, which is due to premier in the spring of 2023. Nora is past principal viola with the Highland Park Strings, founder and violist with the contemporary string quartet, Red Riding Hood, guest soloist with the South Loop Symphony, and past principal viola and soloist with the Bach and Beyond Chamber Orchestra. Nora spent seven years as a member of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, and has made appearances with the Northwest Indiana Symphony, the New Philharmonic, Chicago Chamber Orchestra, da Corneto Opera, L’Opera Piccola and Light Opera Works. Nora has maintained a private teaching studio in Chicago since 1998.

Melissa Bach, Cello

A native of Duluth, Minnesota, Melissa Bach is an active orchestral and chamber musician in the Chicago area, performing with New Philharmonic, Chicago Sinfonietta, Northwest Indiana Symphony, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Opera Theater, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, International Chamber Artists, and Quartet Parapluie, for which she is a founding member. Outside of classical music, Ms. Bach spends a great deal of time in recording studios, recording many styles of music. No stranger to the pop/rock world, she appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman with Bright Eyes, while on the U.S. portion of a world tour. Ms. Bach has also performed live with Peter Gabriel, Idina Menzel, Michael Bublé, Barry Manilow, Kanye West, Kishi Bashi, Sleeping At Last, and Pinetop Seven, among others. She received her Bachelor’s degree with highest honors from DePaul University, where she studied with Christopher Costanza.

Anna Velzo, Oboe

Anna Velzo is the Principal Oboe with the International Chamber Artists. As an active freelancer, she performs with groups around Chicago including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Opera Theater, and Camerata Chicago Chamber Orchestra. She was Principal Oboe, as well as Soloist, with the New Millennium Orchestra, and has performed regularly on 98.7FM WFMT. Ms. Velzo also performed oboe and English horn, as well as recently Soloist, in the St. Barth Music Festival in the French West Indies, next to celebrated artists such as Mathieu Dufour — Principal Flute of the Berlin Philharmonic, Jelena Dirks — Principal Oboe of the St. Louis Symphony, and Charles Stegeman — Concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra. In September 2010, she released her debut album Escale. Ms. Velzo is known for her innovative classical projects as well as collaborations with other artists from other genres; while studying in New York, she founded and led the world music group, Anna and the Post Road Band.

In addition to being a performing and recording artist, Anna has a passion for teaching and educational outreach. Ms. Velzo is currently on the oboe faculty at DePaul University School of Music, along with Mr. Alex Klein. She holds a full private studio at First Conservatory of Music in La Grange, Illinois, and offers master classes and group coaching in the Chicago area. Anna also has co-taught and designed a curriculum for the Double Reed Boot Camp at First Conservatory in the 2015 and 2016 summers. Ms. Velzo attended the Manhattan School of Music and DePaul University. Her principal teachers included Alex Klein, Joseph Robinson, Bob Morgan, Glen Danielson, and Daniel Williams.