Pentecost Concert 2023 Reviews

Attending a world-class concert in a small country church was a great pleasure! Little Fork Episcopal Church , in Rixeyville, VA, the only surviving Colonial Era church in Culpeper County, provided an excellent venue. The program ranged from classical to jazz. Opening the concert, Diego Quitanar-Pena, only a junior at the Highland School, demonstrated his promising future as a violinist as he played Cesar Frank’s Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano, with Ben Grove on the piano.
The solos by Collette Simone, a talented voice major at Belmont University, showed her wide range of repertoire, from eighteenth-century Italian songs to 1940s jazz standards. The climax of the concert was Ben Grove’s rendering of the first movement of Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor. His technical mastery, as well as his creative expression, combined for a sparkling performance. The entire concert was a moving experience for all who attended. – Jon Perry
On June 4 we went to an incredible musical Event at Little Fork Episcopal Church. It was organized by our director, Ben Grove, and it included; three songs sung by Coleen Semon, (who showed she could do classical as well as jazz), a violin sonata played by Diego Quintanar-Peña,(the PSO youth Orchestra winner), two small orchestra pieces, and the piece de resistance the Famous Grieg piano concerto in A minor with Michael Hughes conducting. It was truly a magical experience to hear the famous Grieg piano concerto, played so superbly by Ben Grove in the historical setting of the 225 year old church. Thank you to all the musical talent that made this possible. – Beth Turner