Our concerts raise awareness and funds for environmental causes
About Us
Our group is named Pernambuco because of our connections to pernambuco wood, our concern for the environment and our love of the music of South America.
Pernambuco wood is now an endangered species due to deforestation. We raise awareness at our concerts of the need for conservation and preservation of this precious resource. In addition, we raise money for a non-profit organization that works to preserve and protect pernambuco wood through planting, conservation and education efforts, as well as other nonprofits whose missions are climate change-related.
Our programs consist of music for piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass and voice by famous composers and lesser-known ones. Some pieces are for all five of us together and others for smaller combinations of our members.
Pernambuco group members have been performing together since 2010. We have raised funds for local and national organizations including Haiti Earthquake Relief, the Metro-west Free Medical Program, Cradles to Crayons, the Framingham Adult ESL Program, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative.
Our audiences really enjoyed Aranjuez, Mon Amour, a haunting love song sung by Michael Goldring at our spring concert, in an arrangement by Lexington composer John Tarrh. We look forward to continuing our collaboration, and plan to perform John's arrangements of Mozart Arias for voice and piano quartet at our fall concert in November.
Piazzolla Tango arrangements
Pernambuco musicians enjoyed working with composer Elliot Roman, who arranged Astor Piazzolla's Verano Porteño (Buenos Aires Summer) for our spring concert. Roman is an award-winning composer and the director of underStaffed, a collaborative of emerging musicians in the New York Metropolitan Area. Astor Piazzolla's music, with its distinctive percussive and harmonic textures, transformed the Tango genre.
Pernambuco honored with Mass Cultural Council grant
Pernambuco musicians were pleased to received word that our group was awarded a grant from the Mass Cultural Council to support our concerts and environmental outreach.
Pernambuco to perform at historic Dedham church
Pernambuco musicians are pleased to have The First Parish and Church in Dedham, MA, as our newest partner and performance location. First Parish is a Unitarian Universalist congregation with a storied history dating to Puritan New England. We look forward to performing in their Meeting House, which has excellent acoustics and a fine piano.
West Falmouth Library sponsors Pernambuco
The West Falmouth Library, an independent, non-profit organization serves the greater Falmouth community with education, informational and entertaining events. Pernambuco musicians are pleased to have West Falmouth Library as our newest partner on the Cape. Other Pernambuco sponsors for the 2025-26 season include Follen Church of Lexington, MA, UU Fellowship of Falmouth, MA and Congregation Beth El of Sudbury MA.
Bach Suite arrangements now available
Pernambuco cellist Judith Glixon is pleased that her arrangements of the Bach Cello Suites for viola and cello duo which audiences have enjoyed at several of our concerts are now available for purchase. In their original solo format, musicians may find some of these pieces challenging to play on either cello or viola. These arrangements are performable and add to the limited duet repertoire available for these instruments.
Testimonials
"Beautiful music played by extraordinary musicians ... Their vibe together is exhilarating"
A.Y, flute
Jarvis Web Solutions Ltd.
"...a fascinating and unusual concert and, as usual, played with verve and conviction."
