Casual Concert:
Uncommon Strings
February 21, 2027 @ 7 PM
Avoca Coffee Roasters (Foch St. Store), Fort Worth
Avoca Coffee Roasters (Foch St. Store), Fort Worth
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Casual Concert:
Internationally acclaimed, Philadelphia-based mandolinist and domrist Ekaterina Skliar comes to Fort Worth for a special Opus Nova appearance, bringing with her the distinctive sounds of two rarely heard instruments: the mandolin and the domra. Known for her virtuosic playing and wide-ranging musical interests, Skliar moves effortlessly between classical music, folk traditions, contemporary works, and jazz.
The mandolin and domra are capable of far more than their traditional associations might suggest. In Skliar’s hands, they can be delicate and lyrical, rhythmically driving, and remarkably virtuosic. Her program reveals the expressive range of both instruments while bringing together music from different eras and traditions.
This special appearance offers Fort Worth audiences a rare opportunity to hear an internationally acclaimed artist performing an instrument and repertoire seldom featured on the classical concert stage.
This Casual Concert on February 21 at 7 PM will be held at Avoca Coffee Roasters (Foch St.). Doors open at 6:30 PM, with hand-crafted coffee and snacks available for purchase. Sip on perfection while enjoying high-level classical music in a laid-back environment! Tickets are $25 for adults and $5 for students.
Internationally acclaimed, Philadelphia-based mandolinist and domrist Ekaterina Skliar comes to Fort Worth for a special Opus Nova appearance, bringing with her the distinctive sounds of two rarely heard instruments: the mandolin and the domra. Known for her virtuosic playing and wide-ranging musical interests, Skliar moves effortlessly between classical music, folk traditions, contemporary works, and jazz.
The mandolin and domra are capable of far more than their traditional associations might suggest. In Skliar’s hands, they can be delicate and lyrical, rhythmically driving, and remarkably virtuosic. Her program reveals the expressive range of both instruments while bringing together music from different eras and traditions.
This special appearance offers Fort Worth audiences a rare opportunity to hear an internationally acclaimed artist performing an instrument and repertoire seldom featured on the classical concert stage.
This Casual Concert on February 21 at 7 PM will be held at Avoca Coffee Roasters (Foch St.). Doors open at 6:30 PM, with hand-crafted coffee and snacks available for purchase. Sip on perfection while enjoying high-level classical music in a laid-back environment! Tickets are $25 for adults and $5 for students.
Musicians
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Ekaterina Skliar is a versatile musician, educator, and visionary performer dedicated to elevating the mandolin and domra within today’s classical music landscape. Equally at home in traditional and contemporary repertoire, she performs classical transcriptions, original works as well as folk and jazz-inspired programs that expand the expressive possibilities of plucked instruments.
An avid chamber musician and arranger, Ekaterina continually explores new collaborations across disciplines. She has performed recitals with flute, cello, and voice, as well as guitar, piano, and harpsichord, bringing works by Russian, Ukrainian, and European composers to American audiences. She is also deeply committed to contemporary music, a passion that has led to collaborations with distinguished composers such as Avner Dorman and David Loeb. Loeb - former faculty member of the Curtis Institute of Music- was inspired by Ekaterina’s artistry and composed Blackgate, a suite for domra and guitar. Ekaterina recorded the work with guitarist Paul Smith, and the recording will be released in 2026 on Centaur Records. Among her notable performances last season was the concert at Kingston Chamber Music Festival with Astor Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires arranged for string quintet, piano, and solo mandolin and domra alongside musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra . This project once again demonstrated the virtuosic and expressive potential of plucked instruments within chamber settings traditionally dominated by strings and piano. In 2025 Ekaterina founded the Atlantic Mandolin Quartet. Dedicated to advancing classical mandolin chamber music in the 21st century, the ensemble brings together four of today’s most compelling mandolinists from across the globe - Ekaterina Skliar, Carrera Stamile, Gabriel Locati, and Dor Gidon Amran. The quartet is quickly gaining national and international attention and has been invited to appear at the URI Mandolin and Guitar Festival and Madeira Mandolin Festival in the 2026–2027 season. Beyond performance, Ekaterina is a passionate educator and advocate for classical plucked instruments. In 2023, she was invited to join the faculty of the University of Rhode Island Guitar and Mandolin Festival to develop one of the first structured classical mandolin performance courses in the United States. She is also a guest artist with the Pizzicato Players, the plucked-instrument ensemble within the PYO Music Institute, mentoring young musicians and fostering ensemble opportunities for the next generation. In 2025, she extended her educational work to university students, teaching as an adjunct at Rowan University and helping to introduce structured mandolin instruction at the collegiate level. That same year, she was invited to join the board of the Bridge Street Chamber Players as Artistic Advisor, curating programming that highlights the mandolin within chamber music contexts and expands its visibility on the concert stage. Through all of these roles, Ekaterina champions the mandolin and domra, inspiring musicians of all ages and advocating for greater recognition of these instruments in the classical music world. A Winner of the Astral Artists’ 2019 National Auditions and a two-time Silver Medalist at the Global Music Awards (2019 & 2020), Ekaterina’s recordings and performances have earned international recognition. Her honors also include top prizes at major competitions, notably the 2018 Kaleidoscope Instrumental and Vocal Competition, where she was selected from more than 2,000 international applicants to perform with the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra in Los Angeles. Born in Republic of Khakassia, Russia, Ekaterina began her studies on the domra with Vera Lashkina, a Merited Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation. She made her orchestral debut at age eleven with the Russian Folk Instrument Orchestra of the Buryatia Republic. She later studied at the Novosibirsk Specialized Music School—one of Russia’s most prestigious institutions for young musicians—and earned her Bachelor’s degree with Honors in Music Performance from the M. Glinka Novosibirsk State Conservatory under Professor Andrey Kugaevsky. |
Location
Avoca Coffee Roasters (Foch St Store)
835 Foch St, Fort Worth, TX 76107
835 Foch St, Fort Worth, TX 76107