The Northern Lights Music Festival (NLMF) is returning to St. Mary’s Hall next week for a chamber concert. The concert will be held on Wednesday, July 9th at 7:00 pm. It will include members of the NLMF performing faculty and featuring “Music for Cimbalom” performed by Moldovan virtuoso, Ivan Curtean. A cimbalom is a string instrument of the dulcimer family used in small music ensembles by central European Roma (Gypsies). It looks a bit like a grand piano, but without keys: it is played with various types of small hammers. Its sound can be ethereal or percussive depending upon the construction of the mallets used to play. Ivan Curtean is a master of this instrument that is heard frequently in Moldova, Romania and Hungary. He comes to the NLMF from Budapest to share the music of this fascinating instrument. The actual instrument was provided by the Czech Mission in Chicago. Eastern European composers like Bela Bartok or Zoltan Kodaly use this instrument in their compositions, and its unique sound is sometimes used in film scores.

The LVCC looks forward to the NLMF returning to Tower. Tickets may be purchased at northernlightsmusic.org or at the door for $15 adults, $5 children.