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Southbury Public Library

100 Poverty Road
Southbury, CT 06488
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P:(203) 262-0626
F:(203) 262-6734
www.southburylibrary.org

Library News


9/7/2021 - Classical Music Program September 24, 2021

“September 24, 2021 Alyce Cognetta Bertz and Meg Cognetta Heaton Classical Music Program”

Sponsored by Carol and Gary Lazarus & the Friends of the Southbury Public Library

“Sisters Performing their whole lives together”

September 1, 2021 - Sisters Alyce Cognetta Bertz and Meg Cognetta Heaton will perform a violin and piano concert at the Southbury Public Library on a special night, Friday, September 24th at 7 pm in the Brinker Fireplace room. Alyce and Meg have been playing together since age five. As time went on, no words were needed to play together as it developed naturally throughout many years and many concerts. 

This program is sponsored by donors Carol and Gary Lazarus and The Friends of the Southbury Public Library. Masks are required at all times inside the library, regardless of vaccination status. Space is limited. Registration is required. Please go to the library website’s events page: https://www.southburylibrary.org/events/classical-music-concert-alyce-cognetta-bertz to register or call the Reference department at 203-262-0626 x130.

Alyce Cognetta Bertz is the Concertmaster of the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra.  She studied violin with Syoko Aki of the Yale School of Music and with Charles Tregor of the Hartt School of Music.

Alyce has studied chamber music with the Cleveland Quartet, the Juilliard Quartet and Josef Gingold. When in high school she performed in Vienna, Austria at the world premier with Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass".  She has performed concerts at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Mexico (La Philarmonica de las Americas), The Blossom Music Festival in Ohio, and The Waterloo Music Festival with members of the New York Philharmonic.

 Alyce has been violin soloist on WQXR in New York.  She has appeared as soloist with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Hartt Symphony Orchestra and on numerous occasions with the Waterbury Symphony.

Alyce’s Chamber music performances include:  Cape Cod Summer Music Festival in Chatham, The Kosciuszko Foundation in New York City, Wolcott Classic Series, Whaling Church Classical Series in Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard, Woodbury Chamber Music Series, and Solo recitals at Geneva Opera House in New York. 

 Alyce, also as concertmaster of the Black Rock Philharmonic Orchestra at Burning Man Project in Nevada, recently performed at the opening night of the Smithsonian Museum’s “No Spectators” Burning Man exhibit at the California Museum of Oakland CA with her string quartet. Recently Alyce has been featured on the sound track to latest documentary on the life of Burning Man founder Larry Harvey. 

Alyce resides in Southbury with her husband, Gary. Alyce teaches privately in her own studio which is a geodesic dome. She performs on an exceptional Italian violin made by Postiglione in 1869. 

Pianist Meg Cognetta Heaton is active in the Finger Lakes region of New York, accompanying choral groups, Suzuki classes and soloists.  

She has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic and the Finger Lakes Symphony and most recently, at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and enjoyed playing the piano solo in the Beethoven Choral Fantasy. 

An unusual quartet, consisting of four pianists at two pianos, has been meeting every Tuesday in Geneva N.Y. for the past 85 years, with Meg performing with them for the past 30 years.  

A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, Meg teaches at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and is on the board of St. Peter's Community Arts Academy, which makes available free piano and violin lessons for Geneva's children.