To usher in some joy and light during the bleak midwinter, we present a brand new A&R music video, featuring our cover of Coldplay's Viva La Vida! (Special thanks to the awesome folks at Midland College!)
appearing at chicago ideas week
We're thrilled to be a part of Chicago Ideas Week on October 11th and 12th. The first session, titled "Music: Tuning In" is presented by WBEZ. Greg and I will speak on the art of music and its digital future with Frightened Rabbit, Lupe Fiasco and other luminaries. The second session, "Edison Talks" pairs us with other visionaries such as Lance Armstrong and Diane von Furstenberg Tickets for both sessions can be purchased below. We can't wait!
NPR'S Song of the Day!
Exciting news to kick off the spring season: the Anderson & Roe Piano Duo's cover of "Billie Jean" is NPR Music's "Song of the Day"! Listen to it here: A Speechless 'Billie Jean'
The erlking has entered the building (the Steinway Factory, in this case)
And now, we finally present our video of DER ERLKÖNIG:
“Der Erlkönig” tells a harrowing tale of pursuit and possession by an ineluctable force (Death). In creating this video, we wanted to pay tribute not only to the overwhelming intensity of Schubert’s song and Goethe’s text, but also to our unique setting: the historic Steinway Factory in NYC.
Carmen alfresco
Carmen. The very name immediately conjures up the irresistible melodies of Bizet’s beloved opera as well as the dramatic story of its tempestuous heroine. For our latest video, we found the perfect venue: the historic Asolo Theater, a bona fide 18th century jewel of a theater located in Sarasota’s Ringling Museum. We wanted this video to have a cinematic feel to reflect the epic drama of the opera. So in addition to live performance footage from our two recitals in the Artist Series of Sarasota, we incorporated a variety of scenarios, outfits, and locales into the production. Besides the elaborate Asolo Theater, we filmed in the breathtaking hills of Lafayette, California. What made this place particularly special was its personal meaning to Greg, as he got married there just two days prior to our shoot. (Speaking of which, the wedding ceremony was an absolutely beautiful, joyous occasion!)
Our alfresco video shoot took place on a picture-perfect, cloudless summer afternoon in early August. We pushed two upright pianos onto the patio of the house, and a handful of our friends and Greg’s parents joined us, just leisurely lounging in the background as Greg and I tore through the piece. The highlight of the shoot was the spectacular sunset at dusk, which we fortunately caught on film. The sun made its descent into the vast horizon just as we finished playing through the piece -- perfect timing!
As for the Fantasy itself, it is a kaleidoscopic mishmash of our favorite themes from the opera. With this composition, we aimed to push the virtuosic possibilities of two pianos to the hilt. We hope you enjoy our theatrical transcription, performance, and video of Carmen.