Name: Shostakovich & Dvořák, Agony & Ecstasy: Stefan Jackiw, Raphael Bell & Andrew Armstrong at The JMAC
Start: 2026-01-07T19:00:00-05:00
Location: JMAC

$Shostakovich & Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, Agony & Ecstasy: Stefan Jackiw, Raphael Bell & Andrew Armstrong at The JMAC$

Andrew Armstrong brings his dynamic and hugely popular music series from Tuckerman Hall to our more intimate space at JMAC. A Worcester resident, husband, father of three, and pianist in demand around the world, Armstrong has quickly become a Worcester household name with his warm, unpretentious, fun, funny, and briefly educational remarks about the music we are about to hear. Not to mention the world-class artists who come to join him. January 7 brings violinist Stefan Jackiw who has soloed with nearly every major orchestra on the planet, and cellist Raphael Bell coming to us from his home in Belgium. Three great friends, three great musicians, working together as a team to bring to life the most urgent and eloquent thoughts and feelings of composers from a century ago and more. No amps, no social media, no hocus pocus -- just neighbors and community, in the raw, sharing an authentic, gripping experience of highs and lows, romance, tragedy, and sometimes what you would swear is rock & roll, thanks to the music of Shostakovich.
Dvorak's Dumky Trio starts our concert off with what you might call a flight of music -- six little tasting plates, six little dances that somehow manage to play like epics despite their brevity. After an intermission with refreshments for sale, we'll dive headlong into Shostakovich's devastating Piano Trio No. 2, one of the most powerful musical statements ever made, in this case by a man under the thumb of Stalin's totalitarianism. This will be a night to remember forever. Reception in the lobby, following!