Whidbey Island Center for the Arts is pleased to announce Whidbey Island musicians, Empyrean Quartet, will be playing classical music at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, June 30 on the Michael Nutt Mainstage.
The Empyrean Quartet are made up of brothers Avrey and Dustin Scharwat, playing violin; Owen Boram playing viola; and Jasmin Graner is on cello. The concert will include Mozart and arrangements from Scott Joplin, the Beatles and Chicago.
These homegrown musicians honed their talent in the Whidbey Island Orchestra under the direction of conductor Cynthia Morrow and local cellist and arranger James Hinkley. This concert is the culmination of focused work and connection as three of the musicians — Avrey and Dustin Scharwat and Boran — are off to college in September.
The band members chose the name Empyrean, which means “the top of the Heaven.” Each member of the Empyrean Quartet was nurtured by South Whidbey organizations and many talented residents.
Avrey Scharwat has played in the Whidbey Youth Orchestra, the Saratoga Orchestra and is currently the assistant concertmaster with the Whidbey Island Orchestra. He has received numerous awards for his violin playing and has performed with D n’ A Violinists at weddings, parties, funerals and other events to raise money for college. On numerous occasions he has been the featured soloist with the Whidbey Island Orchestra, with his last performance being the challenging Mendelssohn Violin Concerto.
Violinist Dustin Scharwat particularly enjoys performing the works of Haydn, Corelli and Bach. After the classics, his next favorite music to perform is that of the Beatles. He studied piano and violin with world renowned violinist, violist and conductor Dr. Cynthia Morrow. He has played with the Whidbey Island Orchestra for the last six years and has been a featured soloist three times. His most recent performance was the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D Major Op. 35 Canzonetta. He performed at weddings, parties, and other social events as a member of D n’ A Violinists.
Owen Boram has been a member of the Whidbey Island Orchestra since 2015, playing both violin and viola. As part of the orchestra, he has played a variety of challenging pieces from numerous genres, including performing a solo of the Telemann Viola Concerto.
Graner studied cello under James Hinkley since 2012. She has been a member of Whidbey Island Orchestras since 2015, receiving the Whidbey Island Orchestras Ted Braun Memorial Scholarship Award in 2016. She enjoys playing music with the Orchestra and the Empyrean Quartet, finding the experiences not only musically rewarding but also beneficial to her character. She equally enjoys sight-reading music with her Oma in Germany and swimming with her dog in Puget Sound. Classical music
All seats $24. People can order tickets by phone at 360-221-8268 or online at wicaonline.org
