Eve Pierce & Gordon Peery w/ Marji Gere & Dan Sedgwick

Eve Pierce and Gordon Peery touch on several decades of music, and an eclectic variety of genres, bringing in Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Dylan, Kermit the Frog, Brandie Carlilse, folk songs from the 1960’s and 70’s, and several Eve originals which defy description.

Eve has a chameleon-like gift to be inhabited by each song, to which she gives it her own unique flavor - sometimes complementing the original, and sometimes taking it to a completely different place. The results are mesmerizing, often amusing, delightful and entertaining.

Gordon’s piano (and occasional guitar) accompaniment finds openings in and around Eve’s singing for quirky embellishments and innovative progressions. His musical energy is at times subtle, and at other times flamboyant, all in service to the particular song.

Marji Gere is a Somerville-based violinist, teacher, writer, organizer, and collaborator across art forms. Her artistry and commitment to social justice have led her to connect with people of many ages, backgrounds, and dispositions in classrooms, concert halls, community centers and care facilities in and beyond her native Midwest and her adopted home of New England. In 2017, with mentorship from the directors of Somerville social organizations The Welcome Project and Mystic Learning Center, and funding from the Somerville Arts Council and the St. Botolph Club Foundation, Marji piloted the project that has become Around Hear: a free chamber music performance and education program for the residents, providers, and beneficiaries of the Somerville Housing Authority. Marji graduated from the University of Iowa in 2002 with Bachelor’s degrees in Music (violin performance) and English; in 2007, she earned a Master’s in Arts in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Between her undergraduate and graduate school experiences, she served as fellow of a US State Department program in Cyprus, where she investigated the role of chamber music in conflict resolution.

Born in Worcester, Dan Sedgwick is a Somerville-based pianist, composer, and teacher with wide-ranging musical interests and a whole-hearted dedication to chamber music. Together with violinist Marji Gere, he co-directs Around Hear, a free chamber music series and music education project based in the Somerville Housing Authority. Dan has worked as a music educator in academic institutions, summer programs, and community music programs, including the Harvard Music Department, Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, Project STEP in Boston, Xenharmonic Praxis Summer Camp (Hillsboro, WV and Salem, NY), and Brookline Music School. He has performed as guest pianist and composed chamber music for the Dilijan Chamber Music Series of Los Angeles, the Apple Hill Summer Concert Series of Nelson, NH, and the Sonad Glen Brook Workshop of Marlborough, NH. Dan holds master’s and doctoral degrees in music composition from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where his primary teachers were Kurt Stallmann and Karim Al-Zand. His primary mentors in piano performance include Eric Stumacher, Mark Manuel, and Jeanne Kierman Fischer.

The mission of AROUND HEAR is to enrich the life of the City of Somerville by offering innovative, uplifting, free chamber music concerts and community classes and workshops to generationally, culturally, and economically diverse audiences. Since our founding in 2017, we have collaborated with the Somerville Housing Authority, the Mystic Learning Center, The Welcome Project, and community-oriented artists to make our activities accessible to all, especially low-income citizens, children, seniors, recent immigrants, and people with disabilities.

Doors are at 7pm and music will start at 730. All ages, and seating is limited, and first come first served.

Host or Publisher Nova Arts