Courvoisier-Feldman duo to perform Oct. 31 in Zankel

Swiss composer and pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and U.S. violinist Mark Feldman will perform in concert at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, at the Arthur Zankel Music Center.

Courvoisier and Feldman have been an item, musically and personally, for more than 15 years. John Fordham, writing in The Guardian (Aug.1, 2013), notes that the pair's music demonstrates a sense of familiarity, pleasure and confidence. "They are both finely tuned virtuosi whose projects sound like edgy classical chamber music as much as improv or jazz," wrote Fordham.

Courvoisier is a pianist, composer, sideman and bandleader. Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, she moved to New York in 1998 and has lived in Brooklyn since that time. Courvoisier has led several groups over the years and has recorded more than 40 records for different labels, notably ECM, Tzadik and Intakt records.

Feldman got his start as a fiddler in Nashville, playing for the likes of Loretta Lynn and Ray Price before moving to New York and working with such avant-garde composers as John Zorn. He has performed and recorded the Complete String Quartets of John Zorn (Tzadik Records) and his own works for String Quartet Book of Tells (Enja Records). Currently he is a member of guitarist John Abercrombie’s ECM chamber jazz quartet, along with Joey Baron and Marc Johnson. In concert Courvoisier has performed with Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Paul Bley, Billy Hart, Lee Konitz, Joe Lovano, Anthony Davis, and Wolfgang Puschnig among others.

Admission for the Oct. 31 concert is free for students and children, $8 adults, and $5 seniors and Skidmore community. For advance reservations or more information, please click here or call the Zankel box office (518) 580-5321 for more information. The Zankel Music Center is wheelchair accessible and offers listening devices for the hearing impaired.