This Friday, February 16, the Brooks-Nebyu Duo will take the stage at Houghton College as part of the 2017-2018 Artist Series. According to Houghton College’s website, this duo is comprised of pianist Bethany Brooks and violinist Samuel Nebyu.
Brooks and Nebyu recently recorded an album together, called “Music By Composers of African Descent.” The Violin Channel called this work “cross-cultural and groundbreaking,” highlighting the ways in which this album celebrates Nebyu’s biracial heritage. Nebyu said recording the album was a meaningful experience: “It gave me the opportunity to reveal unknown composers and their music to new audiences.”
Naomi Tripp, a junior piano performance major, expressed excitement about seeing the Brooks-Nebyu Duo perform. “Hearing artists that have started their study at Houghton and those that haven’t will be a good experience for the music students here,” she said. Tripp also said she values the opportunity to “see professionals at work” in her area of study.
Sarah Madden, a junior music student with a concentration in violin, had a different perspective. “I have mixed feelings about the artist series,” she said, citing the time commitment required of music students in attending the artist series. “It’s important for us musicians to listen to professionals and become inspired by their skill, but often it is seen as a chore to go to these events. Many students get annoyed when they have to give up a large chunk of their Friday nights for this,” she said. While critical of the length of these concerts, Madden noted “There have been a few artist series [concerts] that truly have been enjoyable.”
Brooks began her career at Houghton, where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance. She went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London and at Temple University, where she earned a Master of Music degree in collaborative piano and chamber music. Today, Brooks works as a freelance pianist and piano teacher in the greater Philadelphia area. According to the website of Csehy Summer School of Music, a Houghton-based music program, Brooks began serving as faculty at Csehy in 2002. Brooks is also a staff pianist at the Crescendo Summer Institute in eastern Hungary, according to the organization’s website.
Among other pursuits, Brooks has performed as a soloist and collaborative artist in Philadelphia, New York, Nashville, London, Mexico City, Odessa, and Istanbul. She is a frequent pianist for the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra and the Pennsylvania Philharmonic. Csehy’s website notes that Brooks’s musical tastes vary widely. “She became active in the Philadelphia folk and rock music scene in 2006 and has drawn from this experience in her role as Director of Musical Worship at City Church, a congregation in West Philadelphia,” according to her faculty profile. Her solo recording project, Quarry Street Hymnal, reflects both classical and folk influences and is the product of more than a decade of writing new music for old hymn texts.
Nebyu was born in Hungary but grew up in Asia and Belgium. According to New York Public Radio, “After seeing a poster with a picture of a violin in a Belgian museum at age six, he was inspired to learn the instrument.” By age 15, Nebyu was part of the Young Talents Program at the Brussels Royal Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Igor Oistrakh and served as violinist-in-residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel. New York Public Radio states “He has performed at many renowned festivals, including the Mozarteum, the Eilat Music Festival in Israel, the Ravello Festival in Italy, and the Summit Music Festival in New York.” Currently, Nebyu is studying at Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University under Eduard Schmieder.
The Brooks-Nebyu Duo will perform tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Wesley Chapel. The performance is open to the public, and $10 tickets for children and $20 tickets for adults can be purchased at the door.