For many cities, Appalachian music is an import. In Cincinnati, it is part of the city’s cultural DNA. Bowtie Bluegrass places classical and bluegrass traditions on the same stage, not as opposites, but as musical languages that have always borrowed from and reshaped one another.

Grammy-nominated violinist and Kentucky native Tessa Lark joins concertnova and Cincinnati cellist Sonya Moomaw, whose playing also moves between classical and bluegrass traditions. The program travels through virtuosic solo music, American chamber works, Appalachian melodies, and arrangements that reveal folk traditions running through classical music, before returning to its roots with a collaborative jam session.

The evening begins with Kentucky- and Appalachian-inspired food, followed by the concert and a relaxed after-party. Proceeds support concertnova’s artist-led, immersive, and interdisciplinary programming.

ITINERARY

5:30 - cocktail hour
6:15 - dinner
7:15 - concert
8:30 - event end

PROGRAM

YSAŸE: Sonata No. 4, III. Finale
LARK: Appalachian Fantasy
Tessa Lark, violin

Duo for violin and cello, TBA
Tessa Lark, violin and Sonya Moomaw, cello

GEORGE WALKER: Lyric for Strings
DVOŘÁK: American Quartet, II. and IV.
Tessa Lark violin, Sonya Moomaw, cello + concertnova musicians

BLUEGRASS JAM SESSION
Tessa Lark, violin, Sonya Moomaw, cello + concertnova musicians

DRESS CODE

Cocktail: Appalachian Chic with Jewel Tones and Plaid

Bowtie Bluegrass

An Appalachian Classical Concert Gala