Community Concerts series returns Sunday with classical, folk music

James Bennett, Kokomo Tribune, Ind.
·2 min read

Mar. 8—If you happen to hear someone talking about gelato in Kokomo High School this weekend, it's unlikely they're talking about ice cream.

The Kokomo Community Concerts series is returning at 2:30 p.m. Sunday with a show from Quartetto Gelato. Tickets cost $26 and can be purchased online at kokomocommunityconcerts.org.

The four-piece band covers a range of genres including jazz, classical, klezmer and Romani folk music. Its instrumentation — cello, violin, oboe and accordion — allows its performers to approach genres with a special twist, often blending genres.

"The accordion allows us so much more versatility in the styles of music that we can play, including classical," said Colin Maier, the group's oboe player. "In fact, our accordion player is the most classically trained out of the four of us."

The freedom to move between genres means the band is able to perform more authentically, Maier said. For example, the violinist is Serbian and has contributed a Serbian drinking song to the setlist.

"Everything that we do has a personal connection to who we are," the oboe player said. "Therefore, we can perform it with as much energy and honesty as we can."

Audience members can expect to hear tunes like John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads," the overture from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "The Magic Flute" and Édith Piaf's "La Vie en Rose."

"There's some recognizable pieces in here interspersed with some pieces that maybe the audience wouldn't know but hopefully evokes some emotions and takes the audience to a different place," Maier said.

While the band might play songs from famous composers like Johannes Brahms, Maier noted the show shouldn't be considered a serious classical performance.

"We encourage hooting and hollering," Maier said.

Quartetto Gelato originally started in 1990 as a group of friends, but has since cycled out a few performers.

Maier joined the group in 2009. His go-to gelato order is chocolate mint.

James Bennett III can be reached at 765-454-8580 or james.bennett@kokomotribune.com.