Callie Brennan & Laura Kargul in Concert at Meetinghouse Arts

Callie Brennan and Laura Kargul in Concert

Violinist Callie Brennan and pianist Laura Kargul made their duo debut this year by carrying on the tradition of the annual Valentine’s Day Concert, a popular Maine event introduced and established over a decade ago by the Lantz-Kargul Duo. Brennan, a former student of Ronald Lantz, recently filled the Portland String Quartet position vacated by his retirement in 2022. Their varied program will center on the rarely performed masterpiece by French composer Jacques de La Presle, his Sonata for Violin and Piano, an ecstatic work written in the heat of passion for his young fiancée. Also on the program are works by Ernest Chausson, Christian Sinding, Jean Sibelius, Joseph Canteloube and Astor Piazzolla. This brilliant new duo will present not only poetic, heartfelt and bold performances of these works, but also deliver humorous and insightful remarks along the way. A unique and exciting evening to remember!

A Maine native, violinist Callie Brennan spent her childhood writing short stories, practicing fiddle tunes, and tracking mud all through the house. A student of former Portland String Quartet violinist and founder Ronald Lantz, she developed a passion for chamber music at a young age. Callie earned a Bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the University of Colorado, where she studied with celebrated violinists Lina Bahn and Harumi Rhodes. In 2016 she moved to London, UK, where she completed two Master’s degrees in music and violin performance at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama.Having recently moved back to Maine, Callie now holds a position with the Portland Symphony Orchestra and has fulfilled her long-time dream of joining the Portland String Quartet. When not practicing or dashing off to rehearsal, she spends her time trail running, beach walking, and eating alarming amounts of chocolate.

Laura Kargul has concertized as a soloist and chamber musician for over 40 years, having performed to critical acclaim in venues across Europe and the United States. Her 1985 debut in Europe was an immediate triumph, hailed by the Rotterdams Nieuwsblad as “one of the most remarkable debut recitals recently given in our country.” The following year she played at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw and earned immediate recognition as “a world class pianist: This is playing that belongs on our great concert stages.... almost feverishly inspired, so controlled and so thrilling.” (Haagsche Courant, The Hague) Subsequent solo tours included concerts in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Serbia, Switzerland and the West Indies. As a guest of numerous international music festivals, Kargul has appeared as a soloist at the Schleswig-Holstein, Nordhessen, and Eisenacher Summer Music Festivals in Germany and the Lesvos Arts Festival in Greece. She has recorded for radio in France, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as for PBS radio and national television in the United States.

Saturday, June 6, 2026 @ 7:00 PM. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Student tickets are $15. View more upcoming events by visiting MeetinghouseArts.org

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