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Violinist Elektra Kurtis-Stewart Plans Performance at Scarsdale Recital

SCARSDALE, N.Y. -- Violinist, educator and composer Elektra Kurtis-Stewart will be the featured artist at Hoff-Barthelson Music School’s HB Artist Recital Series on Sunday, Jan. 29, at the Greenville Community Church in Scarsdale.

Elektra Kurtis-Stewart, photographed by George Madarasz.

Elektra Kurtis-Stewart, photographed by George Madarasz.

Photo Credit: Contributed

Kurtis-Stewart will be joined by members of the ensemble PUBLIQuartet  in a program of original compositions, interpretations and improvisations of romantic virtuosity, world music flair, and cutting-edge modern sound, according to a release from Hoff-Barthelson Music School.

The members of PUBLIQuartet are Curtis Stewart, violin; Jannina Norpoth, violin; Nick Revel, viola; and Amanda Gookin, cello. The program is subject to change.

When speaking of the PUBLIQuartet, Kurtis-Stewart said, “Expect to be transformed by a new generation of string players with a refreshing perspective on contemporary classical music. I am excited to perform with them and proud to have them play my music.”

Admission to the recital is $18, $15 for seniors (65-plus) and free of charge to HBMS students and students 18 years of age and younger.

Tickets will be available for purchase at the door, or can be ordered by calling (914) 723- 1169, or by e-mailing hb@hbms.org. Tickets to a series of three or 10  recitals are available at a reduced rate.

Kurtis-Stewart’s life’s mission is to bring the diverse cultures and styles of her experience together, creating a new current in New York contemporary jazz, the release said.

She grew up in Warsaw, Poland as part of a family of Greek refugees from Egypt. During her youth, Kurtis-Stewart listened mostly to avant-garde contemporary music created in the 1960s and 1970s, jazz recordings from the United States, Bartók and the folk music of Greece, Africa and Tibet.

Kurtis-Stewart eventually made New York City her home where she has performed with and observed the work of many jazz luminaries and contemporary jazz composers, including Henry Threadgill, Steve Coleman, Bob Stewart, Lester Bowie, Leroy Jenkins and Billy Bang.

She also toured with the Cuban bassist Cachao López and studied Arabic classical music with Simon Shaheen while performing in his Near Eastern Ensemble.

All these influences come together in Kurtis-Stewart's compositions. Her music expresses her view of the world through the lens of her own special style and technique, the release said.

The recital will begin at 5 p.m.

The Greenville Community Church is at 270 Ardsley Rd., Scarsdale.

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