When: Wednesday April 12 7:30pm

Where: at the home of Strumenti.com co-founder Jim Kelly in Upper Northwest DC (address to be provided to registered guests)

Bubbly beverages and light food provided

Please RSVP:

About Melissa White

Melissa White is a first-prize laureate in the Sphinx Competition, and co-founder of the New York-based Harlem Quartet with whom she has worked with such classical-music luminaries as Itzhak Perlman, Ida Kavakian, Paul Katz, and Anthony McGill. She has performed with such leading U.S. ensembles as the Cleveland Orchestra, the Boston Pops, the Louisville Orchestra, and the Atlanta, Baltimore, Colorado, Detroit, and Pittsburgh symphony orchestras.

Ms. White made her Aspen Festival Debut in August 2022 as featured soloist and conductor with an evening of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Bach’s A Minor Concerto No. 1. The Aspen performance was her first opportunity to play this Gagliano violin in public.

About the “Oliveria” Gagliano violin

This instrument was previously owned and played by Elmar Oliveira, one of the leading violinists of our generation, on a Grammy-nominated recording. The Gagliano family dynasty of luthiers became by far the most prolific and skilled in violin-making in and around Naples during the 18th century. Ferdinando Gagliano, the oldest son of Nicolo Gagliano, is believed to have been most active in building instruments from c1770 to c1795. His violins are notable for strong tonal characteristics as compared to other members of the Gagliano family.

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photograph of Melissa White by Natalie Black