Students, Friends, & Followers....I highly recommend you all check out the following group: ESME.

ESME stands for Eclectic String Music Ensemble. They are an amazing group. Gene Hahn on violin and Jeremy Crosmer on cello are two amazingly talented musicians and composers/arrangers. To my students, I highly recommend their CD. Be on the lookout for some of their educational opportunities as well. You can follow them on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/esmelivemusic

On Thursday, August 17th I was able to see and hear The Piano Guys at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre with a dear friend. It was an amazing experience for two reasons, the setting & the performance.

First off, Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a venue like none other! It is a venue built into the unique sandstone cliff formations just 15 miles west of Denver, Colorado. At 6,450 above sea level it is a zone between the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains, very different terrain than that of Grand Rapids, Michigan at 640 ft. above sea level. The land for the Red Rocks Amphitheatre was purchased in 1927 and formally dedicated in June of 1941 and has a capacity for 9,525 people.

The rock formations are beautiful and at night you are able to see the city lights of Denver. During this particular concert, we even saw two shooting stars in the night sky! It was absolutely stunning. The cliffs are made of Aztec Sandstone. The stone is often red due to iron oxide - rust, and other minerals in the rock.

As for the performance, The Piano Guys are one of those classically trained groups of musicians that are being innovative with their performances. I love that they use their knowledge of old and new and find a way to harmonize them together, literally and figuratively. They are not only gifted musicians, but they are also talented and funny stage performers sure to keep a captive audience. I was intrigued to find out that their group was formed as they tried to find new and interesting ways to sell pianos by creating YouTube videos of performances in unexpected places. What a great success story & what a great experience!

Enjoy some pictures :)
Larissa

Hello Everyone!
Exciting news, I've been able to work with Ariel Vincent and Zhaojin Xiang on a recording session. If you would like to check it out go to the link below and scroll down to 'Classy Classical': https://www.arielvincentmedia.com/audio

Larissa Fall, Violinist
Zhaojin Xiang, Pianist
Ariel Vincent, Recording Artist

www.Larissa Fall.com
www.ArielVincentMedia.com

I work for the Grand Rapids Symphony, and in the summer we have a concert series called Picnic Pops. It is such a fun experience to be outdoors and hear fabulous live music. Enjoy some pictures I took of the Women Rock concert in July. These vocalists had some powerful voices and I loved the rock genre with a live symphony orchestra. The technical skill of the symphony players mixed with the powerful vocals were a great combination! If you are a student, Picnic Pops is a great event to go to. We have an instrument petting zoo station where you can test out all different types of orchestral instruments including - violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, trumpet, french horn, and trombone. Check out the Grand Rapids Symphony's website for more information on our educational concerts.

I attended another fantastic concert this summer: 2Cellos @ 20 Monroe Live. Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser are both classically trained cellists who arrange popular music for 2 cellos. They bring high energy performance to the forefront of their brand. Not only are they  technically skilled, they are also talented performers who bring high energy and comedy to their shows. It was great to hear them live at 20 Monroe Live. They performed on electric cellos at this particular concert. I enjoy that they bring so many genres of music together and with a high level of skill.