White Plains natives Mindy Kaufman and William Wolfram are known worldwide for their incredible achievements in classical music. Kaufman, a flutist, was one of the youngest people to be inducted into the New York Philharmonic, at age 22, while Wolfram was a silver medalist in both the William Kapell and the Naumburg International Piano Competitions. On March 6, the two will take the stage to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of White Plains in a performance at the Grace Episcopal Church in White Plains.
Kaufman and Wolfram, who have performed with several of the most prestigious orchestras on the planet, have known each other since childhood, when they met at White Plains High School.
“I played a great deal with Mindy while we were in school together,” says Wolfram. “Performing with her is like an old family affair.” The feeling is mutual for Kaufman, who recalls, “Even when we were in high school together I just knew Bill was going to be famous someday. I just knew it.”
Vincent Lionti, the performance’s conductor, is also a White Plains native who attended music camp with both Wolfram and Kaufman during childhood.
“Vinnie Lionti has gathered some really great colleagues of his from The Metropolitan Opera, so it’s going to be a great chamber orchestra and I think it’s going to be a great concert,” says Kaufman of the show, which is presented by Downtown Music at Grace.
Both Wolfram and Kaufman look forward to once again performing alongside the other and returning to their native region. “It is very comfortable to play with Bill and Vinnie on this concert,” shares Kaufman. “I love playing with Bill and he is such a great musician. We don’t really need to talk about things; we just read each other very well.”
Kaufman will be playing a flute concerto with the orchestra, while Wolfram will be performing a work by Beethoven. Both Wolfram and Kaufman will also be performing a piece for flute and piano by Samuel Barber together. “This should be a really fun concert with old friends both musical and personal,” says Wolfram. “It will be, for us, a real homecoming of sorts.”
For more information please visit www.DTMusic.org or call 914-949-0384.