Many listeners are familiar with Stravinsky’s most famous ballet, Rite of Spring, but the ballet Pulcinella displays a different side of Stravinsky’s style. This is a charming, melodious, graceful work in which the violin takes on the sung arias, as well as instrumental numbers, from the ballet, including a raucous tarantella and a graceful minuet. Stravinsky wrote this adaptation for himself to play on piano.

The Brahms Sonata No. 1 in G Major is sublimely beautiful music. This sonata, like Brahms Violin Concerto, Op. 77, owes a great deal to his dear friend Clara Schuman distinguished pianist and composer in her own right. When Brahms sent Clara a manuscript copy of this new work, she wrote back, “I must send you a line to tell you how excited I am about your Sonata. It came today. Of course, I played it through at once, and at the end could not help bursting into tears of joy.” Ten years later, she wrote a touching letter which included these words: "I wish that the last movement could accompany me in my journey from here to the next world.”

This sonata is one of the most lyrical compositions among all of Brahms’ instrumental works and is a joy to hear.

Violinist Megan Sahely performs regularly as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra member across the southeastern United States. She holds positions with the Tallahassee Symphony, the Pensacola Symphony, the Columbus Symphony, and Sinfonia Gulf Coast. Dr. Sahely’s recent performances include solo recitals at Florida State University, chamber music performances at the Lumino Festival at Music Mountain in Connecticut, and as a lecturer on Bach's solo sonatas and partitas with the EMMA Concert Series in St. Augustine. She has also performed with the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra as a concertmaster for outreach tours across Kentucky.

Dr. Sahely earned her Bachelor's of Music Education and Bachelor's of Music Performance degrees from the University of Kentucky, where she graduated summa cum laude. She earned the Master and Doctorate of Music from Florida State University, where she was a graduate teaching assistant for Dr. Benjamin Sung.

In addition to her performing activities, Dr. Sahely maintains a large private violin and viola studio as a faculty member with the Bach Parley String Academy. A proponent for string education in public schools, she has taught at the John F. Kennedy German-American School in Berlin, Germany, Edythe J. Hayes Middle School, Bryan Station Middle School, as well as her current position as Orchestra Director at Raa Middle School.

Dr. Sahely plays on an 1873 Honore Derazey violin with a modern Lee Guthrie bow.

Galen Dean Peiskee has established a multifaceted career as an accomplished chamber musician, soloist, orchestral pianist, choral accompanist and vocal coach. He has performed throughout the United States and internationally, and he is a founding member of both the Young-Peiskee Flute-Piano Duo and the Cerulean Trio. Peiskee made his Carnegie Hall debut in May 2017, performing music of Timothy Hoekman in Weill Recital Hall. Peiskee has a Doctor of Music degree in Collaborative Piano from Florida State University, where he earned his Master of Music degree in Accompanying.

All donations benefit the Bach Parley String Academy Student Scholarship Fund - donations may be made at www.BachParley.org/StringAcademy or accepted at the door. A $10 donation is suggested.

The Tallahassee Bach Parley is the umbrella organization for a non-profit music school, the Bach Parley String Academy.Founded in 2015, the String Academy offers violin, viola and cello lessons - and even offers ukulele classes.

For additional information about the Tallahassee Bach Parley, including the Bach Parley String Academy music school, visit www.bachparley.org.