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Please Join Us in Ojai, CA for an Extraordinary Musical Experience in a Setting of Extraordinary Beauty!Chamber On The Mountain presents
DYAD: Niv Ashkenazi, Violinist and Leah Kohn, Bassoonist
Sunday, April 12, 2026 / 3 pm
Logan House, at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts in Upper Ojai
8585 Ojai-Santa Paula Rd.
Ojai, CA 93023
(805) 646-3381
Program
Prayer – Ernest Bloch (arr. Dyad)
Arias from The Marriage of Figaro – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (arr. Dyad)
Duetto no. 2 per violino e fagotto – Niccolo Paganini
Blue Skies – Irving Berlin (arr. Dyad)
Of Two Minds – Bruce Babcock
Selections from Two Part Inventions – Johann Sebastian Bach
Danse Macabre – Camille Saint-Saëns (arr. Dyad)
Favorites from George Gershwin – George Gershwin (arr. Dyad)
Meet the Artists! A lovely reception will be held immediately following the performance. Mingle and enjoy delightful refreshments while taking in a spectacular view of Topa Topa Mountain!
Tickets $40.00 at https://www.chamberonthemountain.com/
This performance is underwritten, in part, by the Monimos Foundation.
About Dyad:
Dyad is an innovative violin and bassoon duo on a quest to explore uncharted territory. After meeting at Juilliard, they were inspired to create a new kind of chamber music. Unwilling to let a lack of repertoire stand in their way, they thrive on reimagining classic works as well as premiering new pieces.
About Niv Ashkenazi, Violinist
Virtuoso violinist Niv Ashkenazi has captivated audiences with his heartfelt musicianship and emotional performances. Praised for his “extremely colourful interpretations, characterized by maturity and authority” (Pizzicato Magazine), he has made several Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center appearances, and has performed in Europe, the Middle East, and across North America. His conviction that the impact of music serves people beyond the concert stage motivates him to collaborate on projects that create a strong emotional bond with his audience.
Niv was the first ever Artist in Residence at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya). His debut album, Niv Ashkenazi: Violins of Hope, the first solo album recorded on one of the Violins of Hope, was released in March 2020 on Albany Records. It has received international critical acclaim and was named one of the 10 best classical recordings of 2020 by the Chicago Tribune. Niv was one of the featured soloists, alongside Yo-Yo Ma, for the soundtrack of the PBS documentary Harbor from the Holocaust.
Niv has performed chamber music with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Juilliard String Quartet, Cavani Quartet, and Ariel Quartet. Other performance highlights include solo recitals at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall, Terrace Theater, and Millennium Stage, The Soraya, the Granada Theatre, and the Perlman Music Program Alumni Recital Series.
One of his most rewarding projects has been an ongoing involvement with Violins of Hope, a collection of instruments that survived the Holocaust and have been restored. Niv is the only musician with one of these instruments on long-term loan. His performances and educational work led him to be recognized by the City of Los Angeles in 2021 for his humanitarian work. He has had residencies and engagements in Florida, Ottawa, Toronto, New Jersey, Connecticut, Alabama, and across California. During the global COVID-19 pandemic, he was able to reach tens of thousands of students and adults through virtual and pre-recorded performances. His performances and educational work with Violins of Hope have been featured on ABC7, Good Day LA, Spectrum 1 News, Telemundo, in the Los Angeles Times, and other major news outlets.
Dyad, his innovative violin and bassoon duo with bassoonist Dr. Leah Kohn, recently gave a Kennedy Center debut and has performed on concert series throughout California and on the East Coast. Their arrangement of Bloch’s Prayer is published by TrevCo Music Publishing. They presented and performed at the 2021 Meg Quigley Vivaldi Symposium and the 2022 International Double Reed Society conference. Dyad has collaborated with dance companies TranscenDance in New Jersey and Lineage Dance Company of Pasadena to present programs that combine music, dance, and storytelling. Dyad has also worked with Street Symphony, an organization that brings music to underserved communities, to present programs at the Midnight Mission on Skid Row, the Weingart Center, and Men’s Central Jail.
Niv has appeared as a soloist with the Long Beach Symphony, Culver City Symphony Orchestra, and Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra among others. He has been a guest artist and given masterclasses at La Sierra University, California State University Northridge, and Westmont College. Niv has been invited to perform at the Lake George Music Festival, Perlman Music Program’s Chamber Music Workshop, Music Academy of the West, Keshet Eilon Summer Mastercourse in Israel, and iPalpiti Festival of International Laureates.
Niv is revolutionizing violin education with Eye for Technique, an innovative project that uses slow motion technology to develop decision-making and enhanced artistry. This work led to him being the recipient of Music Academy of the West’s 2023 Alumni Enterprise Award. Designed to help intermediate to professional musicians, Eye for Technique has helped students from Curtis, Rice, USC, and CSUN, among others.
Niv holds both a B.M. and M.M. from The Juilliard School, where his teachers included Itzhak Perlman and Glenn Dicterow.
About Dr. Leah Kohn, Bassoonist
Bassoonist Leah Kohn is a versatile musician with a passion for unusual repertoire. She is also an active performer on the baroque bassoon and contrabassoon, and the co-founder and director of Oak Hill Music Festival, a chamber music festival serving the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont. Dyad, her duo with violinist Niv Ashkenazi, has performed on concert series throughout California and at many venues on the East Coast, including a recent performance at the Kennedy Center.
As well as freelance and studio work in Los Angeles, Leah has performed at the Lake George Music Festival, as a fellow at the Norfolk Music Festival, at several programs at the Banff Centre, and at Fresh Inc. Festival with Fifth House Ensemble.
As an educator, she is on faculty at California State University, Northridge, and maintains a private teaching studio in Los Angeles, as well as coaching for several local youth orchestras.
She received her D.M.A. from the University of Southern California as a student of Judith Farmer, with an academic field in musicology and elective fields in Arts Leadership and early music. She holds an M.M. from The Juilliard School and a B.M. from the Manhattan School of Music, both as a student of Frank Morelli.
We hope to see you on April 12, 2026 at 3 pm for this wonderful concert!
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Event Venue
8585 Ojai-Santa Paula Rd, Ojai, CA, United States, California 93023
Tickets
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