Gustavus Adolphus College

To most people, “making beautiful music together” is a nice expression. For some musical couples, it’s their chosen path in life. The Vecchione/Erdahl Duo, Carrie Vecchione, oboe/English horn, and Rolf Erdahl, double bass, brings their unique blend of timbres and tunes to a faculty recital at Jussi Bjorling Recital Hall on the Gustavus Adolphus College campus, Sunday, March 2, 2008, at 7:30 pm. The recital is free and open to the public.

The program consists entirely of original music for oboe and double bass duo, mostly composed expressly for the Vecchione/Erdahl Duo in the past decade. Composers include Timothy Goplerud, Adrian Mann, Andrea Clearfield, Dinos Constantinides, Vernon J. Sandoz III, and Shane Monds. Musical inspirations range from Italian folk songs to Argentinean tangos to jazz. Literary inspirations range from Pablo Neruda’s poetry to Kate DiCamillo’s 2006 The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

The Duo sees their recital as a musical journey, giving the audience an inside look at how groups and pieces come about. The first task facing them when they started performing together in 1999 was finding pieces to play. At that time, there were only three or four published works for oboe/bass duo. Since then they have had more than a dozen works written for them in a wide variety of styles. They perform across the country as recitalists, orchestral musicians, and educators. Recent recognition includes commissioning, performing, and recording grants from the American Composers Forum, a recording contract with Centaur Records, and audience accolades for their recitals.

As Pages of Music with Rolf and Carrie, they have developed a series of educational programs linking music and children’s literature. In that role, they are Roster Artists for Young Audiences of Minnesota, and Partnering Artists with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s CONNECT Program to the schools and the Duluth-Superior Symphony’s Community Engagement Program.

Outside their duo activities, they maintain active schedules, both individually and together. They are married and parents of Ada (7) and Ella (4). Carrie teaches oboe at the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, and freelances in the Twin Cities, including substitute work with the Minnesota Orchestra; Rolf is bass instructor at Gustavus Adolphus College and Lutheran Summer Music, is Principal Bass of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra and a substitute with the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Sunday’s recital begins at 7:30 p.m. in Bjorling Recital Hall. It is free and open to the public.