Duo to open Music Mansion First Friday series

PROVIDENCE – The Music Mansion will kick off the 2019 Season of First Fridays on Friday, Feb. 1, at 8 p.m.with a performance by Primary Duo and a special introduction to its pianist, 2019 Music Mansion Artist-in-Residence, Sarah Bob.

With percussionist and composer Aaron Trant, the duo will perform a broad range of warm and invigorating solos and duos from the 20th and 21st centuries.

Suggested donation and refreshments provided. Free street parking is available.

Program includes: “Avoidance Tactics #1 for Piano and Percussion” (1999) by Curtis K. Hughes, “Billie’s Song” (1976) by Valerie Capers, “Waltz for Debby” (1956) by Bill Evans, “Gong Tormented” (2007) by Eric Moe, “Never Has Been Yet” for vocalizing solo pianist (2017) by Shaw Pong Liu, based on the poem “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes; “Improvisation by Aaron Trant For Two” (2007) by Jonathan Bailey Holland, “Für Alina” (1976) by Arvo Pärt, and “Unsafe (At Any Speed)” (2001) by Roshanne Etezady.

With vitality and grace, Primary Duo continues to be on the cutting edge of today’s music. Pianist Sarah Bob and percussionist Aaron Trant have been bringing their varied combination of rhythmic lyricism to concert halls since 2000. The Duo’s rep- ertoire ranges from masterworks of the contemporary genre to self-commissioned world premieres.

Bob and Trant lead active performance lives outside of Primary Duo and are able to bring a rich combination of improvisation, jazz, classical, and popular genres to the concert stage. Together their sounds blend into music that is both on the fringe and enjoyable for any audience.

Primary Duo can be heard on Cauchemar Records.

Mary K. Hail Music Mansion’s mission is to enrich the cultural life of Rhode Island by providing a unique and distinguished concert hall and reception facility in a beautiful, Neo-Georgian manor home, for musical events and other gatherings with a musical component. The Music Mansion is one of the cultural treasures of Rhode Island. For almost a century, the hall has been filled with the sounds of beautiful music, from children playing in their first piano recital, to professional musicians delighting a Sunday afternoon crowd with masterpieces by Mozart or Bach or contemporary works of today.