Sunday Afternoon Series: Classical Music with October Sky

Discover new artists and new music with an afternoon concert featuring October Sky Ensemble!

October Sky Ensemble is a mixed-instrument quartet based in Blacksburg, Virginia, that actively commissions, records, and performs new music.

Comprised of Virginia Tech faculty members Brian Thorsett (tenor), John Irrera (violin), Alan Weinstein (cello), and Annie Stevens (percussion), the ensemble has presented concerts, masterclasses, and conference presentations across the United States and throughout Europe, most recently at the English Music Festival at Conway Hall in London, England, at the National Library of Wales, in Aberystwyth, and at the College Music Society National Conference in Miami, Florida.

The ensemble debut album release, October Skies, was released in the summer of 2023 on the MSR record label.

Since then the album has received critical acclaim with Fanfare magazine stating, “They play with arresting spirit, tonal richness, and razor-sharp ensemble”, as well as the ensemble “performed with technical mastery and near-improvisational freedom. This album is an unexpected delight.”

The ensemble currently has numerous active commissions, including from composer Jon Grier, and composer/percussionist, Michael Burritt.

As active and passionate pedagogues, the ensemble has also been in residence at the Conservatori Superior de Música Óscar Esplà, in Alicante Spain, where in addition to teaching duties also presented concerts as chamber musicians and soloists in Ontinyent and Alicante Spain.

This experience helped the ensemble launch a new study abroad program at Virginia Tech, The Iberian Experience, in which students partake in a culturally immersive experience that tours important sites in Madrid and Toledo, followed by an intensive musical experience in Alicante.

Free and welcoming to all. No registration required – walk-in’s welcome!