“Michael Rusinek and Nancy Goeres have performed together in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for 21 years and have been a couple for 18 of those years,” writes Jeremy Reynolds in Tuesday’s (6/4) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “On Thursday, the pair will perform the world premiere of a double concerto for clarinet and bassoon by Jonathan Leshnoff. Goeres, who has been with the orchestra since 1984 as principal bassoon, met Rusinek when he joined the orchestra as principal clarinetist in 1998…. The concerts, which will be recorded for future release, will also feature Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 … Music director Manfred Honeck will conduct…. Honeck approached Rusinek and Goeres, who are not married, about performing together as soloists in 2017. As there is not much music written for clarinet and bassoon and orchestra, Honeck suggested commissioning a new work…. As principal clarinetist and bassoonist, Rusinek and Goeres sit side by side … It is not uncommon for couples to perform in the same orchestra, but it is rare for them to perform as soloists in a concerto.” Said Goeres, “Walking out onstage together to play a new piece that no one has ever heard is going to be an off-the-charts experience.”
In photo: composer Jonathan Leshnoff.
Posted June 6, 2019
