The Desert Hot Springs Classical Concert Series will conclude in April with two concerts at Grace Church, it was announced Thursday.
The free concert series will continue on April 3 at the church with a performance from flute and piano duo Bethany Pflueger and Gary Berkson, and will conclude on April 24 with a concert by violin and piano duo Benjamin Hoffman and Irene Kim. The concert series made its return in February for the first time since 2020.
“Since February, we have been thrilled to present live, in-person concerts again after a nearly two-year hiatus,” said Desert Hot Springs Classical Concerts Founder and Artistic Director, Danny Holt.
“We’re wrapping up our eighth season with two concerts featuring duos: celebrating the joy of people making music together. After the experience of the pandemic, musicians are more grateful than ever for the opportunity to make music with one another in person and with a live audience.”
The April 3 performance will be held at Grace Church from 4 to 5 p.m. Bethany Pflueger currently serves as principal flute with the Peninsula Symphony. In 2005, she earned a Grammy award for a recording with the Southwest Chamber Ensemble. Gary Berkson recently concluded twelve years as the music director and conductor of The Peninsula Symphony. He also has served as music director of the Desert Symphony, and as resident conductor of the Royal Swedish Ballet and Royal Swedish Opera. Their program features music spanning the 18th to the 20th centuries.
The April 24 performance will also be held at Grace Church from 4 to 5 p.m. Benjamin Hoffman has performed in many of the premier halls of the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Wiener Konzertverein, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Seoul Arts Center, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. Irene Kim, a critically acclaimed prize-winner of international competitions, has performed across the globe in Europe, Asia, North America and Australia appearing in venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress. The duo will share their favorite pieces from the violin and piano sonata repertoire.
Admission to all concerts are free and audience members will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination and wear a mask.
To learn more about the concert series, go to dhsclassicalconcerts.org.