Winter may have settled over the Alleghany Highlands, but inside Herter Hall at Garth Newel it’s the music that warms the heart and buoys the soul. Our Pub Series returns this February, offering the intimate flavor of a neighborhood gathering and the intrigue and electricity of music by living composers.
Forget the idea that classical music belongs behind velvet ropes and leave your mother-of-pearl opera glasses at home. In our barn-turned-living-room, grab a beer, pull up a chair, and hear works that remind us why our art form is still splendidly alive.
Read on as our own violist, Fitz Gary shares more about our 2026 Pub Series and what makes these winter gatherings one you won’t want to miss.
P.D.Q. Bach, Brats, and Belgian Beer
For our first Pub concert, toe-tapping turns knee-slapping as we explore the humorous (putting it mildly) music of PDQ Bach. We celebrate the life of composer and parodist Peter Schickele (1935-2024) who originated the fictitious, “forgotten” son of J.S. Bach and “uncovered” PDQ’s works for five famously hilarious and creative decades.
From kazoo to slide whistle, this mock-Bach has delighted and amused audiences through clever works such as Fanfare for the Common Cold, Grossest Fugue, and Erotica Variations, the latter of which we will perform on ridiculous “instruments” that we definitely didn’t go to school for like lasso d’amore, fog horn, and more!
Ok, back to being extremely serious and scholarly…
Also on the program, a beloved work by American composer Stephen Hartke called The King of the Sun guides us on an art tour with Spanish painter Joan Miró. Each movement takes its name from a Miró painting, such as Personages in the Night Guided by the Phosphorescent Tracks of Snails, or Dutch Interior, the heart of the work. This particular movement, Dutch Interior, is marked “Phantasmagorically”, to inform the performer of its fluid nature. (Like I said, back to serious “Classical Music”…). Here’s a snapshot of the work in the composer’s own words:
“[A] canon also appears in the fourth movement, The Flames of the Sun Make the Desert Flower Hysterical, now compressed into the bright, violent chords that open the piece, and then returning at the end in a direct quotation that breaks off abruptly as soon as the first serious contrapuntal ‘error’ is heard.The remaining movements deal with other issues, among them the recurrent ‘snail music’ heard first at the very beginning of the work and in several other movements thereafter. Thus just as Miró’s painting is both whimsical and serious, I have sought to accomplish the same thing in my music.”
Hmm, some of that was over my head, too…let’s explore it together on February 7 with brats and a Belgian beer provided by Chef Josh!
A quick note on Valentine’s
There’s probably tons to say about that program, but let’s not get all lovey-dovey today. Our own Jeannette Fang will be joined by violinist Jennifer Curtis for an intimate sound journey through romance! Our Valentine’s packages are sold out, but the concert is still open to all. If Valentine’s Day is a bit too sappy for you, come to our final Pub concert February 21:
Tower, Tamales, and Tito’s Tequila!
A towering (had to) stalwart of today’s composers, we bring Joan Tower’s White Granite for Piano Quartet into the limelight. This striking piece contrasts the sheer power of the ensemble with a crystalline and perhaps delicate quality, mirroring the gravity and enormity of our world while unearthing its fragility.
Also on the program is a short work for viola and cello called Limestone and Felt by American composer Caroline Shaw, a favorite here at Garth Newel and around the world. In her own words:
“Limestone & Felt presents two kinds of surfaces – essentially hard and soft. These are materials that can suggest place (a cathedral apse, or the inside of a wool hat), stature, function, and – for me – sound (reverberant or muted). In limestone & felt, the hocketing pizzicato and pealing motivic canons are part of a whimsical, mystical, generous world of sounds echoing and colliding in the imagined eaves of a gothic chapel. These are contrasted with the delicate, meticulous, and almost reverent placing of chords that, to our ears today, sound ancient and precious, like an antique jewel box. Ultimately, felt and limestone may represent two opposing ways we experience history and design our own present.”
We always are excited to present these Pub Series concerts with creative works, often from our peers. And we love to hear your reactions to these wonderful new works! As an added bonus, we’ll present another work by PDQ Bach on this program: Sonata for Viola Four-Hands, which Teresa and I will be…performing – in every sense of the word. A quick youtube search shows the hilarity which can and will ensue!
Not a day at the Museum
If you enjoy music behind museum glass, these concerts are not for you. To that end, we present these concerts in the round. The ensemble moves to the center of the hall with audience members encircling us, creating new vantage points as the music comes alive. Music is not made for a wall with spotlights or to be handled carefully with white gloves. We’ll chat about each piece before we play, because we believe music is more than an art form – it’s a conversation.
At Garth Newel, mise-en-place takes on a whole new meaning for us with the experiential gestalt we strive for with every performance. So as we are putting the final touches on the music, food, and campus, mark your calendars this February for these immersive concerts. Your presence truly lights up the space. We can’t wait to welcome you back to our cozy hall!
Tickets are still available for both Pub Series concerts (Pay-as-you-wish with pub fare available for purchase) as well the Valentine’s Day Recital and optional four-course meal!
February 7 – PDQ Bach, Brats, and Belgian Beer
