Mark Braun (right) with Duo Terlano — Johannes Dietrich and Marie-Aline Cadieux

Evening of soothing delight

The husband-wife team of Duo Terlano graciously performed a free concert in the church’s sanctuary on Sept. 24, filling the evening with the refined tones of violin and cello and an education of how classical works can be so masterfully performed.

Both college professors of music, Johannes Dietrich and Marie-Aline Cadieux stopped in Cape Elizabeth for the performance as a favor to our church’s Mark Braun. Marie-Aline is the daughter of Mark’s first piano teacher when he was in the fourth grade in Minneapolis. Mark and Marie-Aline only got in touch for the first time earlier this year and the afternoon before Saturday’s performance was the first time they had met.

The stop in Cape Elizabeth was part of a busy trip up the East Coast for Johannes and Marie-Aline. They performed before elementary school students in Newark, New Jersey on Thursday and performed again before students on Friday in Laconia, New Hampshire. After the performance at our church, they were on their way to a Sunday concert at a church in Camden, Maine.

For the concert at our church, they performed eight pieces from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods. But just as rewarding, they took the time to provide explanations of how each piece was to be played, a little background on the composer and even how different bows can produce entirely different sounds.

During introductions, Mark explained his newfound relationship with Johannes and Marie-Aline and Marie responded by saying, “I’m an only child and it now feels as if I have a brother.”

The group’s name, Duo Terlano, comes from the northern Italian town in which Johannes and Marie-Aline celebrated their first wedding anniversary. They live in Pennsylvania.

Johannes is the Newton and Adelaide Burgner Professor in Instrumental Music at Lebanon Valley College and he teaches conducting, string methods, applied violin and viola, and coaches chamber music ensembles. He also directs the college’s symphony orchestra.

Marie-Aline is a Professor of Music at Kutztown University and performs regularly as a member of Duo Terlano, the Allentown, Pa.-based chamber ensemble SATORI, and in her own recitals. Both Johannes and Marie-Aline have performed across the United States and in Europe.

Thank you to Duo Terlano for such a wonderful performance and to Mark for making the connection that brought them to our church.