Sally and Evan Hirsch Piano Duo, Tuesday, October 29, 7:30PM, Spaulding Aud., Hopkins Center for the Arts

Hop pianist in residence Sally Pinkas and her husband, Evan Hirsch, ply us with dance-based selections in this program of four-handed piano works. You’ll hear the graceful and enigmatic 20th-century harmonies of Darius Milhaud’s Scaramouche (1937) and Samuel Barber’s Souvenirs (1951); glorious Latin American dances in William Bolcom’s Recuerdos (1993); Joseph Horovitz’s Concerto for Dancers, which depicts an accidental and ultimately romantic meetings of ballet and calypso dancers; and a suite of “three little dances,” including Hirsch’s own Sally’s Waltz.

Pinkas and Hirsch thought they were doing a one-off when they made their debut as duo in a 1994 Valentine’s Day concert. Their audience’s enthusiasm convinced the two, already married but pursuing separate careers, to continue their collaboration. They made their European debut at the Officina Musicale Scotese in Abruzzo, Italy, and have since performed widely in France, Bulgaria, Nigeria, China, Thailand, Russia and Israel.  The Duo has collaborated with and recorded the works of American composers Daniel Pinkham, Peter Child, Thomas Oboe Lee, Kui Dong and George Rochberg.