EVENTS

Renowned violinist Kinga Augustyn performs solo violin works from Baroque to Modern, inside our historic observation dome!

This concert will be played on unaccompanied violin using period instrument pieces and will be presented in the unique acoustical splendor of the Custer Observatory dome. This intimate recital promises to be a most memorable experience. Not to be missed!

Following the concert, when the skies are dark, Observatory staff will provide guided tours of the night sky (weather permitting) through our many telescopes on site, including the apochromatic Zerochromat telescope in our historic observation dome. Immediately following the concert, for those interested in staying, Observatory staff will briefly talk about the history of Custer Institute and the apochromatic Zerochromat telescope installed in the observation dome.

$45 Adult, $35 Custer Observatory Member. Attendance to this intimate performance will be limited - reserve your seats early! Note: Guests must be able to climb two steep flights of stairs to access the observatory dome where the concert is being held.

PROGRAM

Johann Sebastian Bach - Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001

Fritz Kreisler - Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice, Op. 6

Grażyna Bacewicz - Polish Caprice (1952)

Astor Piazzolla - Tango Etudes No. 4 & 3 (1987)

Eugène Ysaÿe - Sonata No. 4, Op. 27

Karen Naifeh Harmon - Obsidian (2024)

Krzysztof Penderecki - Capriccio (2008)

Niccolò Paganini - Caprice No. 24, Op. 1

Polish-American Kinga Augustyn is a versatile New York City-based virtuoso concert violinist and recording artist. “Stylish and vibrant” (The Strad Magazine), and “beyond amazing, one hell of a violinist!” (The Fanfare Magazine), Ms. Augustyn has performed as a soloist with orchestras in the United States, Europe and Asia, and they include the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Queens Symphony Orchestra, Catskill Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin, Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum, and the Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra. She has toured China and performed at China’s most prestigious venues such as Beijing Poly Theater and Shanghai Oriental Art Center. As a recitalist and chamber musician Kinga has appeared at the Stern Auditorium and the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Aspen Music Festival, the Chicago Cultural Center, Teatro Ristori and Gran Teatro La Fenice. In addition to concerti with orchestras and recitals with piano, Ms. Augustyn frequently performs unaccompanied solo violin recitals and is also a member of the Baroque Virtuosity trio with lutenist Christopher Morrongiello and harpsichordist Rebecca Pechefsky.