2021 Featured Performances and Connection Events

Concert performances and live virtual events will be available only during the conference.

Conference Program Guide - Printable PDF

Virtual Connection Events

The conference will provide many opportunities for you to connect virtually with your peers around the country and the world.

-  Live jam sessions

-  Live facilitated topic discussions and roundtables

-  Live music reading sessions and research poster session

-  Live state chapter connection events

-  Interactive virtual exhibit hall

-  More

See the conference program


Carpe Diem String Quartet
Wednesday, March 3
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm EST

One of the most unique and sought-after chamber ensembles on the concert stage today, the Carpe Diem String Quartet is a boundary-breaking ensemble that has earned widespread critical and audience acclaim for its innovative programming and electrifying performances. Carpe Diem defies easy classification with programming that includes classical, Gypsy, tango, folk, pop, rock, and jazz-inspired music. The quartet appears on traditional concert stages (from Carnegie Hall in New York City to Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Japan) as well as unconventional venues (from Poisson Rouge in New York City to The Mug & Brush in Columbus, Ohio). Carpe Diem has been awarded five transformative grants from the PNC Foundation for their community outreach in Central Ohio.

Carpe Diem has become one of America's premier “indie” string quartets without sacrificing its commitment to the traditional quartet repertoire, and continues to rack up accolades and awards.

Learn more

Video message from Carpe Diem
University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra
Thursday, March 4
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm EST

Founded in 1918, the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra is a 100-member all-student orchestra presenting more than 50 concerts each year, including classical, chamber, and education concerts. The group is made up of undergraduate and graduate students from across the United States, Asia, South America, and Europe.

The orchestra performs regularly with world-renowned concert artists including Itzhak Perlman, Lang Lang, Sarah Chang, Gil Shaham, Lynn Harrell, Marvin Hamlisch, Denyce Graves, Christine Brewer, Pink Martini, Ronan Tynan, Mark O’Connor, Wynonna Judd, Keith Lockhart, and Arlo Guthrie. They have performed at Carnegie Hall in New York and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., regularly tour the state of Kentucky, and have played in major concert halls throughout China including Shanghai, Tianjin, Hangzhou, Yangzhou, and Beijing.

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The Moxie Strings
Saturday, March 6
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm EST

Hailed by The Grand Rapids Press as “top-notch, instrumental wizardry,” The Moxie Strings offer listeners the unique opportunity to experience some of the world’s best-known instruments through an electric, innovative lens. Diana Ladio and Alison Lynn hold Bachelor of Music degrees in music performance and music education, which have given each the technical foundation to explore the limits of her instrument and helped the group build a reputation for musical excellence.

Alison performs on a newly-invented, electric cello, and Diana on a contemporary 5-string violin. Both use a variety of audio effects pedals. The Moxie Strings compose the majority of their pieces and arrange melodies from many countries, resulting in a genre-blurring blend of ear-catching, mainstream melodies and foot-stomping, rock-influenced rhythms. The band’s polished, high-energy show continues to redefine strings’ role in contemporary music, and offers audience members a diverse, fun, musical experience.

Learn more

Video message from The Moxie Strings
A Far Cry
Sunday, March 7
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm EST

In a program that celebrates A Far Cry’s unique artistic values, they will perform their signature piece, the Tchaikovsky Serenade, from memory! Democratically run and self-conducted, A Far Cry musicians rotate leadership on and off the stage, bringing fresh perspective to every piece of repertoire they perform. For the Tchaikovsky, one of the group’s earliest and most often concertized works, this means that layers of interpretation have accumulated—adding ever more depth to the collective memory of an old favorite. And, there’s nothing that deepens the relationship with a piece of music (and with each other) quite like playing it together by heart. They will open the program with the fresh classicism of the Bologne, which gives a nod to Tchaikovsky’s deep admiration of Mozart.

Learn more

Video message from A Far Cry