The Hardy-Orkis Duo, composed of two Grammy Award-winning Principal Chair members of the National Symphony Orchestra, offered a dynamic program for the Community Music School of the Piedmont’s Third Annual Candlelight Concert at 4 pm on February 21st. The concert, which featured selections from Beethoven, Wagner and Stravinsky, was held at Buchanan Hall in Upperville, and will be followed by a special reception with the musicians at the Blackthorne Inn in Upperville.

David Hardy, Principal Cello of the NSO, and Lambert Orkis, Principal Keyboard of the NSO, first began performing chamber music together in 1983.  They were two of the original five founding members of the highly acclaimed Kennedy Center Chamber Players, Their most recent release on Dorian Recordings is Beethoven Past & Present, which contains two complete performances of Beethoven’s eight works for piano and cello performed on both modern and period instruments. The Washington Post named Beethoven Past & Present one of the “10 Best Classical albums of 2009” and called it “an invaluable addition to anyone’s Beethoven library.”