Musical journey brings duo back to Toowoomba

Spiro Rantos and Brachi Tilles will open the 2011 Twilight Series

When it comes to musical journeys, violinist Spiros Rantos and pianist Brachi Tilles have had one of the sweetest.

Greek-born Spiros and Israeli-born Brachi first met in the city of music; Vienna and have since toured to world performing, recording and sharing their love of music.

'Brachi and I met back in the 1970s, at a train station in Vienna and not long after, we started a chamber music ensemble,' Spiros said.

'After two years of successful seasons at the Musicverein and the Vienna Concert Hall, we spent six months in the USA and, in 1976, visited Australia for a six-month Artists-in-Residence program at the (then) Victorian College of the Arts.'

In 1978, they were invited to join the teaching staff in the newly established music program at USQ (then DDIAE).

For eight years, they made Toowoomba their home, establishing strong foundations for music at USQ and contributing to the cultural life of the city.

'Toowoomba was so different from the big European scene we had come from – we loved the place and decided to stay and to create a scene of our own. We were the first full-time music performance lecturers at USQ and in those years there was a rapid build-up of the music school and the local classical music scene.

'We worked closely with the Toowoomba Chamber Music Society, the Toowoomba Chamber Strings and the Toowoomba Concert Orchestra and, from the early 1980s, ran a very successful annual chamber music festival.

Although the couple left Toowoomba in 1986, they have not lost touch with the city or its music scene, returning on a regular basis to make guest appearances.

This month, they will open the 2011 Twilight Series with a recital on Wednesday 30 March in the USQ Arts Theatre.

Having just returned from a tour of France, Spain and Portugal, the duo will aptly present a musical trip around the globe, drawing on composers from Germany, Finland, Greece, Spain, Russia and America.

'We feel that music is always a ‘trip’, be it a spiritual one or a visit to different cultures and times. The items we have chosen for the program are all ones which we love to perform - each of them creates a distinct mood or tells a story.

'As music is an abstract art in its nature, it allows each individual listener to make their own pictures and feel their own emotions as the sounds unfold but at the same time sharing the same space and time with the rest of the audience.'

The Twilight Violin and Piano Recital commences at 6pm in the USQ Arts Theatre, tickets are $18 adult, $15 concession, $13 student and $8 child and can be purchased through the USQ Artsworx Box Office on 07 4631 1111.

Contact Details:
Michelle Fox, USQ Artsworx, +61 7 4631 1114 or 0439 911 623