SONOSYNTHESIS: Little & Fierce | a benefit concert for BRAFB

And though she be but little, she is fierce.
(Helena, Act 3 Scene 2 in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream)

A delightful, sometimes quirky program featuring flute and tasteful piccolo with piano | proceeds support Blue Ridge Area Food Bank

Cari Shipp, flute & piccolo; Jeremy Thompson, piano

Join us in this beautiful, intimate performance space for wine and hors d'oeuvres at 6:30 PM with the program beginning at 7:00.

Program:

Mel Bonis - Sonata, Op. 64
Frank Martin - Ballade
Germaine Tailleferre - Prelude
Amanda Harberg - Sonata for piccolo and piano
Gary Schocker - Gist for piccolo and piano

THIS CONCERT:

This is the seventh time Cari Shipp and Jeremy Thompson will be playing together, and the eighteenth concert in the SONOSYNTHESIS benefit concert series. The "little and fierce" quote from A Midsummer Night's Dream lends itself well to both the piccolo and it's player!

THE BENEFITTING ORGANIZATION:

We are thrilled to be supporting once again the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. From their website:

Our vision: Nourishing food and good health—for everyone, every day. This non-profit that started in 1981 as a “rural experiment in food banking” has grown to become the largest hunger-relief organization in central and western Virginia.

As a community food bank, we rely on generous community support to meet our mission. In fact, the Food Bank family includes hundreds of partners, more than a thousand active volunteers, and thousands of food and financial donors, in addition to a cadre of passionate staff.

The cost of each ticket supports both the musicians and BRAFB, but additional donations are welcome at the concert going directly to BRAFB.

THE VENUE:

801 Park Street, or North End, is the beautiful and historic home owned by Daniel Krasnegor and Kristin Jensen. They have hosted concerts for Early Music Access Project, Victory Hall Opera, and of course, SONOSNTHESIS Benefit Concert series. We are delighted to be playing in this warm, welcoming space once again. Free street parking is available and feel free to use Park Hill for drop offs as needed.

THE CONCERT SERIES:

SONOSYNTHESIS is a benefit concert series in Charlottesville, Virginia founded and produced by Cari Shipp. "Sonosynthesis" means fusion of sound: the fusion of sound and support for local organizations, the fusion of sound by bringing musicians together, and fusing the community with high quality classical music, creatively programmed and presented. This is the eighteenth concert in the series since its inception in 2017.

THE MUSICIANS

Cari Shipp, a performer at heart, enjoys time on the orchestral, chamber, and solo stage. She has appeared with orchestras such as the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, Charlottesville Symphony, Charlottesville Opera Chamber Orchestra, Opera on the James, and Lynchburg Symphony. As a soloist she has been featured in concerts throughout Central Virginia, Washington DC, and Baltimore. She served three years as principal flute with the Hunt Valley Symphony Orchestra and performed Mozart’s Concerto in G Major with the orchestra in 2015, and performed the Bach Orchestral Suite in B minor with the Blue Ridge Chamber Orchestra in 2024.

In 2017 she started her own benefit concert series, SONOSYNTHESIS, through which she has produced and performed thirteen solo concerts benefitting local organizations. Through this series she has been honored to collaborate with elite musicians such as Jeremy Thompson and Colin Davin.

After graduating from the Interlochen Arts Academy, she completed her Bachelors of Music in flute performance from the University of North Texas under the tutelage of Dr. Mary Karen Clardy and her Masters of Music in flute performance from the Peabody Conservatory under Laurie Sokoloff. She has been featured in master classes with Jeanne Baxtresser, Marina Piccinini, Jim Walker, Trudy Kane, Mark Sparks, Mathieu Dufour, Paul Edmund-Davies, and more.

She maintains a full private lesson studio in Charlottesville, VA where she lives with her husband, dog, and two cats. When not teaching or performing she enjoys long hikes and longer books.

Jeremy Thompson was born in Dipper Harbour, a small fishing village in New Brunswick, Canada. He furthered his studies at McGill University in Montreal, studying piano with Marina Mdivani who was herself a student of Emil Gilels.

He began his organ studies while he was in Montreal, among the many incredible instruments of that city. He was fortunate to have the opportunity to continue his studies with Dr. John Grew. In 2005, he earned a Doctorate of Music in piano performance from McGill, where he held two of Canada’s most prestigious doctoral fellowships.

He has appeared frequently with orchestras including the Saint Petersburg State Academic Orchestra, the Saratov Philharmonic Orchestra, the Georgian National Orchestra, the Charlottesville Symphony, the North Carolina Symphony and the McGill Symphony Orchestra. He has performed extensively throughout North America in both solo and chamber music settings, and has also completed three tours to the former Soviet Union.

Thompson enjoys performing music from all eras, yet specializes in highly virtuosic repertoire. He has focused recently on several recording projects, including a 2 CD set of the organ music of Karl Höller on the Raven CD label. He recently released a recording of the piano music of Vasily Kalafati on the Toccata Classics label. Previous recordings include an album of the piano music of Scriabin on the MSRCD label, and a recording of contemporary piano music from Quebec on the McGill label.

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