Music Plus Begins New Season with 'String Fever'

St. James Church sanctuary will be alive Sunday, Sept. 22 with 43 strings playing simultaneously at the 3 p.m. opening concert of its Music Plus Series. 

In a foot-stomping, hand-clapping performance, the adult "Various Others Bluegrass Band" will join with the teenage "Fifth Avenue Strings" in a fusion of bluegrass, classical and original music, played both separately and together.  

The concert series is family-friendly, and all concerts are free.  At 2:30 p.m., a 20-minute pre-concert (20 minutes) will be presented by local piano students of Donna Amato and Sharron Schaefer. The 50-minute main concert begins at 3 p.m.  A dessert reception will follow the concerts.  

Fifth Avenue Strings
Fifth Avenue Strings (FAS) is a Pittsburgh-based youth string quartet (ages 13-17) who have entertained audiences at Heinz Hall, Carnegie Music Hall, the PA Governor's Mansion, Carnegie Museum of Art, Chante Music Festival, Pittsburgh Public Market, the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg, private weddings and area nursing homes.

They play classical, American and fiddle favorites and are fans of all genres of music.  The members represent Taylor-Allderdice, St. Bede, The Ellis School, and CAPA.  They began in 2008 as a violin quintet, all students of Mr. Devin Arrington whose studio was then located on Fifth Avenue (hence their name).

In 2012, FAS reorganized into a traditional string quartet, adding viola and cello to enhance the richness of their sound; and they commissioned the first of several pieces composed for them by a teenage composer/friend, Sasha Voinov. 
 
Various Others Bluegrass Band
The members of "Various Others Bluegrass Band" (VOBB)  first got together about six years ago.  Most of them met at the Tuesday evening Bluegrass Jams at the Starlite Lounge in Blawnox.  They began performing for audiences about four years ago and have since played at a number of private and community events and festivals such as National Road Days in Washington County, Rachel Carson Days and the January Ice Jam in Butler, Pa.

Members of the band are:  Jim Durham of Gibsonia, fiddle and vocals; Jeff Pfister, of Wexford, guitar and vocals; Caroline Mitchell of Pittsburgh, mandolin and vocals; Fred Manly of Economy, standup bass; and John Hanna of Economy, banjo, dobro and vocals.

The Music Plus Concert Series is a musical community outreach of St. James Church, 200 Walnut St.  Anyone with questions about the series, or to learn about opportunities for helping to underwrite the series, should contact Sharron Schaefer, Series Director, ats.schaefer@comcast.net

Join Patch for more community news or join us on Facebook and Twitter.