- April 19, 2024
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The EMMA Concert Association, originally the Emil Maestre Music Association, was started by a small group of music lovers in April 1979. The organization was named after a famous Spanish cellist, Emil Maestre, who retired to St. Augustine. The goal was to enhance the musical atmosphere of St. Augustine and the surrounding area.
More than 30 years later, the non-profit, volunteer-based organization is still filling out the mission set forth by the founders to provide quality music and dance performances at affordable ticket prices.
“Each year, we scour the world for performances that we believe St. Augustine and the surrounding counties would like to see,” said Ellen Grolman, a cellist, who has been a member of the board since she retired to St. Augustine from teaching.
Every concert season EMMA produces an evening series of six performances, an afternoon series of four performances, two holiday pops concerts and one free concert for the community combined with the EMMA annual meeting. Besides these big productions, each fall EMMA produces a series of Music Masters - Words and Music presentations at the Flagler Room in the main building of Flagler College. Flagler College’s Lewis Auditorium became EMMA’s permanent home in 1993.
“I knew that with retirement I didn’t want to keep performing, but music is a huge part of my life,” Grolman said. “I was so impressed with the quality of performances that I attended when I visited here, I knew I really wanted to be involved in keeping that going and sharing that mission that EMMA has had for so long.”
EMMA’s concert series, which focuses on classical forms of music and dance, is nearing the end of its season with just two Sunday afternoon concerts left before the free show to wrap up the year.
The Karkowska Sisters Duo will hit the stage 2 p.m. March 30 for a concert “Virtuosity Through the Ages.” The sisters are an internationally acclaimed, award-winning ensemble. Anna Karkowska, violin, and Kasha Karkowska, piano, have performed in many prestigious concert halls including: Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, Gusman Center for Performing Arts in Miami, National Grand Theater in Warsaw, Poland and National Center for the Arts in Mexico City, Mexico.
“They are very impressive technically,” Grolman said. “The duo is a very good representation of a classical music virtuoso performer.”
While it is unusual for the series to host two duos in a row, that’s exactly what will happen, when the Cavatina Duo take the stage the following Sunday. Eugenia Moliner, flute, and Denis Azabagic, guitar, play music from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and contemporary periods. A high point of their concerts is music inspired by the folk traditions of their native lands of Spain and the Balkans.
“If you like any kind of guitar or flute, there is going to be something you love with this duo,” Grolman said.
The season will end May 4 with a free concert by pianist Matthew Young, a student at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
IF YOU GO:
What: Karkowska Sisters Duo
Where: Lewis Auditorium, Flagler College, 14 Granada St., St. Augustine
When: 2 p.m. Sunday, March 30
Tickets: $30, call 904-797-2800 or visit emmaconcerts.com
What: Cavatina Duo
Where: Lewis Auditorium, Flagler College, 14 Granada St., St. Augustine
When: 2 p.m. Sunday, April 6
Tickets: $25, call 904-797-2800 or visit emmaconcerts.com
What: Matthew Young
Where: Lewis Auditorium, Flagler College, 14 Granada St., St. Augustine
When: 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4
Tickets: Free
