Pre-2019 News and Events

This is a snapshot of events and announcements from the old homepage, going as far back as summer 2013.

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December 2018
Ode to Joy

The Last Movement
of Beethoven's Ninth
on the piano

Mozart
Piano Sonata no. 10 in C major, K. 330
Schubert/Liszt
Soirees de Vienne: Valse-Caprice no. 7
Beethoven/Liszt/Nacar
Symphony no. 9 in D minor:
Movement IV: Presto - Allegro assai

Monday, Dec. 10th, Cogut Institute
Saturday, Dec. 15th, RISD Museum
Sunday, Dec. 16th, RISD Museum

September 2018

Johann Sebastian Bach:
Goldberg Variations
Italian Concerto

Benjamin Nacar, piano

Sunday, Sept. 16th, RISD Museum
Friday, Sept. 21st, Cogut Institute
Sunday, Sept. 23rd, RISD Museum

April 27th-29th

The Spring 2018 Concert Series

featuring
Benjamin Nacar
Maya Ramchandran
Kenneth McPherson

Friday evening, April 27th, 7pm-8:30pm
Pembroke Hall, Brown University
Benjamin Nacar, piano
Works by Bach, Beethoven, Nacar, Brahms, Chopin

Saturday evening, April 28th, 7pm-9pm
Grant Recital Hall, Brown University
Maya Ramchandran, violin
Benjamin Nacar, piano
Transcriptions of works by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff

Sunday afternoon, April 29th, 2pm-3pm
Providence Public Library
Kenneth McPherson, vocals
Benjamin Nacar, piano
Selected songs by Tom Lehrer

All events free admission

February 2018

Book I: Feb. 3 & Feb. 4
Book II: Feb. 24 & Feb. 25
All performances 2-4pm
Main Gallery, RISD Museum

December 2017

The Christmastime Concerts

Ludwig van Beethoven:
Piano Sonata no. 31 in A-flat major, Op. 110
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:
Coronation Mass, K. 317 (arr. Benjamin Nacar)

Monday, December 4th, 12:30pm
Cogut Institute for the Humanities, Pembroke Hall Saturday, December 16th, 2:00pm
Sunday, December 17th, 2:00pm
RISD Museum

November 2017

Mozart at the Chopin Club

including
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Violin Concerto no. 5 in A major
Cadenzas and orchestral reduction by Benjamin Nacar
Irene Tang, violin; Benjamin Nacar, piano
Sunday, November 12th, 2:00pm
The Music Mansion

April 2017

Johann Sebastian Bach
Keyboard Concerto no. 1 in D minor
Benjamin Nacar
Journeys (2014)

Benjamin Nacar, piano
and the Spritzig Quartet:
Irene Tang, Hannah Lam, violins;
Dharsan Chandrakumar, viola; Melanie Ambler, violoncello

Friday, April 14th, 7:00pm
Brown's Cogut Center for the Humanities, Pembroke Hall

Event page

October 2016

The Halloween Concerts

Sunday, October 30th, 2:00pm (Children's Concert)
Providence Public Library

Monday, October 31st, 12:30pm
Brown's Cogut Center for the Humanities, Pembroke Hall

Event page

Complete concert playlist

Ken and Ben present
Our Favorite Songs by Tom Lehrer

with actor-singer Ken McPherson

Tuesday, October 18th, 7:00pm
Providence Art Club
Registration required

Event page

April 2016

Bach, Ravel, Strauss

Jesse Holstein, violin; Benjamin Nacar, piano

Johann Sebastian Bach:
Sonata for Violin and Keyboard in F minor
Maurice Ravel:
Tzigane
Richard Strauss:
Sonata for Violin and Piano in E-flat

Saturday, April 2nd, 2:00pm (Fundraiser for the Fred Kelley Memorial Scholarship)
UUSA Meetinghouse, Amherst, MA

Sunday, April 3rd, 3:00pm (Fundraiser for the Fred Kelley Memorial Scholarship)
Bell St. Chapel, Providence, RI

Wednesday, April 13th, 12:30pm
Cogut Center, Brown University, Providence, RI

Sunday, April 17th, 2pm
Main Gallery, RISD Museum, Providence, RI

February 2016

Community MusicWorks' Sonata Series

with violinist Kate Outterbridge
and violist Hannah Ross

Violin Sonata no. 7 in C minor
by Ludwig van Beethoven
Lachrymae, op. 48
by Benjamin Britten

Thursday, February 18th, 7pm
RISD Museum

December 2015

The Hammerklavier Sonata
by Ludwig van Beethoven

Recital with introductory talk by
Benjamin Nacar, piano

Saturday, December 5th, 2pm
RISD Museum

Wednesday, December 9th, 12:30pm
Brown's Cogut Center for the Humanities

Sunday, December 20th, 2pm
RISD Museum

November 2015

An evening of Music and Film

presented by
Temple Emanu-El, Providence

Screening of The Return of the Violin
followed by a performance of
Johannes Brahms' Violin Concerto, movements 2 and 3
Maya Ramchandran, violin
Benjamin Nacar, piano

Event poster

Saturday, November 21st, 7:30pm
Temple Emanu-El

May 9th, 10th, 12th:
Opera According to Liszt

Transcriptions and Paraphrases of Verdi and Wagner

Benjamin Nacar, piano

Rigoletto paraphrase (Verdi-Liszt)
Miserere from Il Trovatore (Verdi-Liszt)
Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde (Wagner-Liszt)
Tannhäuser overture (Wagner-Liszt)

Saturday, May 9th, 2:00pm and
Sunday, May 10th, 2:00pm
RISD Museum

Tuesday, May 12th, 12:30pm
Brown's Cogut Center for the Humanities

May 1st:
Brown Wind Symphony concert

Featuring the world premiere of
the Bruin Overture
by Benjamin Nacar

The Brown University Wind Symphony
Matthew McGarrell, conductor

Friday, May 1st, 8:00pm
Salomon Center (Room 101) on the Main Green, Brown University
Free and open to the public

April 16th, 2015

with violinist Shawn LeSure in
Community MusicWorks' Sonata Series

RISD Museum

March 14-16th, 2015

Dreams of Homer: New Music by Ben Nacar

performed by Ben Nacar and Friends

Permanent link to this event: http://www.bennacar.com/events/march-2015-original-music/

Homeric Rhapsody
Freely after Books 1-4, 9, 16, 18-20, 22 and 24 of Homer's Iliad
Maya Ramchandran, violin; Benjamin Nacar, piano

Dodecatet
for string sextet plus wind quintet plus piano
I. Allegretto
II. Lento - Presto - Tempo I
III. Fuga. Allegro con brio
Natasha Bluth, flute; Isaac Suh, oboe;
Benjamin Wesner, clarinet; Zach Spector, bassoon;
Gail Clarke, horn; Benjamin Nacar, piano;
David Weinberger, Alex Hirsch, violin;
Tiffany Chen, Ryan Roelke, viola;
Shawn Tsutsui, Paula Li, violoncello

Saturday, March 14th, 2:00pm and
Sunday, March 15th, 2:00pm
RISD Museum

Monday, March 16th, 12:30pm
Brown's Cogut Center for the Humanities

December:
In the Spirit of the Season

Benjamin Nacar, piano

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Kyrie and Gloria from the Coronation Mass (arr. Benjamin Nacar)
Franz Schubert: Impromptu in B-flat major
Sergei Rachmaninov: Polka de W. R.
Franz Liszt: Consolations nos. 2 and 3
Johann Sebastian Bach: Toccata in C major (arr. Ferrucio Busoni)

Wednesday, December 10th, 12:30pm
Cogut Center for the Humanities, Pembroke Hall (Brown University)

Sunday, December 14th, 2:00pm and
Sunday, December 21st, 2:00pm
RISD Museum

October and November:
Bach, Chopin, Liszt

Benjamin Nacar, piano

Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita no. 6 in E minor
Frederic Chopin: Ballade no. 3 in A-flat; Ballade no. 4 in F minor
Franz Liszt: Les Preludes (arr. by Benjamin Nacar)

Friday, October 31st, 12:30pm
Cogut Center for the Humanities, Pembroke Hall (Brown University)

Sunday, November 2nd, 2:00pm and
Sunday, November 9th, 2:00pm
RISD Museum

The Week of Independence Day

Benjamin Nacar, piano

Permanent link to this event: http://www.bennacar.com/events/week-of-independence-day-2014/

Antonín Dvořák: Symphony no. 9, From The New World
(arr. by Benjamin Nacar)
John Philip Sousa: The Stars and Stripes Forever
(arr. by Vladimir Horowitz)

Sunday, June 29th, 2pm
RISD Museum

Wednesday, July 2nd, 12:30pm
Cogut Center for the Humanities, Pembroke Hall (Brown University)

Sunday, July 6th, 2pm
RISD Museum

The May Concerts

Benjamin Nacar, piano

Monday, May 5th, 12:30pm, at Brown's Cogut Center
Saturday, May 10th, and Sunday, May 11th, both 2:00pm, at the RISD Museum

Johann Sebastian Bach
French Suite no. 5

Ludwig van Beethoven (arr. Franz Liszt)
Symphony no. 6: Movement I

Richard Strauss
Fnf Klavierstcke

Franz Schubert (arr. Carl Tausig)
Marche Militaire

March 2014

The Last Three Beethoven Piano Sonatas at Providence College

Part of the PC Keyboard Festival

Sunday March 30th, 3pm
Ryan Concert Hall
Smith Center for the Arts
Providence College (Directions)

Sonatas nos. 30, 31 and 32 (Opp. 109, 110 and 111)
by Ludwig van Beethoven
Benjamin Nacar, piano

March 2014: Expedition
for Piano and Strings
by Ben Nacar

performed by Ben Nacar and Friends

Permanent link to this event: http://www.bennacar.com/events/march-2014-original-music/

Saturday, March 15th, 2pm
First Unitarian Church of Providence

Sunday, March 16th, 2pm
RISD Museum, Main Gallery

Program
Ben Nacar, pianist and composer

Sonata for Cello and Piano (2012)
with Lauren Latessa, cello

Haiku no. 4
with Matthew Slesinski, violin
Haiku no. 3
with Shawn Tsutsui, cello
Fifty-Three from Les Nuits de Paris
with Matthew Slesinski, violin; Shawn Tsutsui, cello

Journeys: A Tale of High Adventure
for Piano and String Orchestra
with
EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks, Matthew Slesinski,
Andrew Nixon, Eimi Satoh, violin;
Grace Stokan, Ryan Roelke, viola;
Kathryn Schulz, Shawn Tsutsui, cello;
Anant Gharpure, bass

Both concerts free and open to the public.

Saturday, January 25th, 4pm: Fundraiser for the Newport String Project

Emmanuel Church, Newport, RI

Stravinsky: Suite Italienne
Ealain McMullin, violin
Benjamin Nacar, piano

Brahms: Piano Trio no. 1
EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks, violin
Lauren Latessa, cello
Benjamin Nacar, piano

The Last Three Beethoven Piano Sonatas

(Beethoven turned 243 on December 16th)

Sonatas nos. 30, 31 and 32 (Opp. 109, 110 and 111)
by Ludwig van Beethoven
Benjamin Nacar, piano

Saturday, December 7th, 2pm
RISD Museum

Wednesday, December 11th, 12:30pm
Brown's Cogut Center for the Humanities, Pembroke Hall

Sunday, December 15th, 2pm
RISD Museum

Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman

a childrens' mini-musical
Phoebe Nir, librettist and director
Benjamin Nacar, composer, music director and accompanist
starring Richard Whitehead, Rihana President,
Jonathan Abrams, and Lucy Bates-Campbell

Two public performances Sunday, October 27th:

3pm
Providence Athenaeum

8pm
Crystal Room, Brown Alumnae Hall

The July Concerts

Orchestral Music On The Piano:
Beethoven's 5th Symphony (arr. Franz Liszt)
and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture (arr. Benjamin Nacar)

Sunday, July 21th, 2pm
RISD Museum

Wednesday, July 17th, 12:30pm
Cogut Center for the Humanities, Pembroke Hall (Brown University)

Sunday, July 14th, 2pm
RISD Museum