John Novacek and Laura Frautschi set Fawn Lake chamber concert

Performing Arts at Fawn Lake will host pianist John Novacek and violinist Laura Frautschi on Saturday, Nov. 21, for a program of chamber music masterworks and holiday favorites. The concert adds two internationally active performers to the Central Virginia venue's growing roster as PAFL continues building its live-music presence.

Why it matters: - Performing Arts at Fawn Lake is bringing in two established classical musicians with broad international experience for a single-night concert in Spotsylvania, Virginia. - The program is designed to pair chamber music masterworks with holiday favorites, giving the local audience a mixed repertory concert that spans multiple styles. - The event adds to PAFL's effort to draw top artists to the private Fawn Lake community in Central Virginia.

What happened: - Performing Arts at Fawn Lake will present pianist John Novacek and violinist Laura Frautschi on Saturday, Nov. 21. - The concert will feature chamber music masterworks and holiday melodies. - PAFL is based in the private Fawn Lake community in Spotsylvania, equidistant from Washington, DC, Richmond and Charlottesville.

The details: - Novacek is a Grammy-nominated pianist who tours regularly across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia as a solo recitalist, chamber musician and concerto soloist. - Novacek has performed more than 30 concerti with dozens of orchestras. - Novacek's current season includes the world premiere and later performances of his string octet Music for 8, co-commissioned by Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Festival Mozaic, Schubert Club and Seattle Chamber Music Society. - Novacek has made debuts with the Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de México, the Dayton and Vista philharmonic orchestras, the Anderson, Austin, Duluth Superior, Springfield (MA) and Traverse symphony orchestras, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, National Academy Orchestra of Canada and Symphony Nova Scotia. - Novacek has recorded more than 35 CDs covering solo and chamber music from Bach to Bartók, along with contemporary and original works. - Novacek won top prizes at the Leschetizky and Joanna Hodges international piano competitions. - Novacek earned a Bachelor of Music degree, summa cum laude, from California State University, Northridge, and a Master of Music degree from Mannes College of Music. - Novacek joined the Piano and Collaborative Piano faculty of The Mannes School of Music at The New School's College of Performing Arts in New York City in 2022. - Novacek is a Steinway Artist. - Frautschi works as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player and concertmaster. - Frautschi tours internationally as a concertmaster, member and co-artistic director of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. - Frautschi has served as concertmaster of the New York City Opera Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. - Frautschi serves as Principal 2nd Violin of the Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center in the summers. - Frautschi has premiered violin concerti by Lee Hyla and Augusta Read Thomas and led Orpheus in works by Joan Tower and Jessie Montgomery. - Frautschi's chamber music appearances include the Caramoor International Festival, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wellesley Composer Conference, St. Barths Music Festival and Colorado College Summer Music Festival. - Frautschi tours the Japan and U.S. with piano trio Intersection, alongside cellist Kristina Cooper and pianist John Novacek. - Frautschi's discography includes Vivaldi's Four Seasons with Festival Strings Lucerne and contemporary chamber works by Bernard Rands, Chen Yi and Margaret Brouwer. - Frautschi earned a degree in applied mathematics from Harvard College and a master's in violin performance from The Juilliard School. - PAFL, founded in August 2022, says it is dedicated to bringing top musicians from around the world to perform live in the private Fawn Lake community. - Since its founding, PAFL has hosted performers including Michelle Kim, Cree Carrico, Dwayne Clark, Brett Deubner, Martinez-Forteza and Nieto-Forteza, Maxwell Foster, Prince Havely, Intersection Trio, Duk kyu Kim, Kyungha Ko, Blair McMillen, J. Mark McVey, Chrístopheren Nomura, Marcus Printup and Riza Printup, Ethan Smith-Cohen, Gerald Steichen, Wendy Sutter, Gay Willis, William Wolfram and Monica Yumus. - Violinist Michelle Kim and lyric baritone Chrístopheren Nomura serve as PAFL artistic co-directors.

Between the lines: - The booking fits PAFL's pattern of pairing nationally and internationally active artists with repertory that can appeal to both classical audiences and holiday-season listeners. - Novacek and Frautschi also perform together in the piano trio Intersection, which suggests the concert may lean on established ensemble chemistry.

What's next: - PAFL will hold the concert on Nov. 21 in Spotsylvania. - The venue is likely to continue using high-profile bookings to expand its profile in Central Virginia's arts scene.

The bottom line: - PAFL is using a holiday-season chamber concert to spotlight two seasoned performers and reinforce its place as a destination for live classical music in Spotsylvania.