Free Spirits

Alexandra MacCracken and Pamela Vining – performing on violin and piano as the duo Free Spirits – have played for prison inmates in New York and Virginia, receiving an enthusiastic response.  Their engaging and down to earth approach to the music encourages active listening and the experiencing of a variety of delightful styles from classical to jazz and pop. With the sharing of their personal testimonies and anecdotes they connect with the listeners so that interactions of questions and answers naturally happen. At the end of one concert, an inmate shared,

"I'm just a poor man from the ghetto; I've never heard classical music live or seen a violin, but this music blessed me, and I was so excited I could barely stay in my chair."

And another young man with tears in his eyes shared his reaction in this way:

"My mother would have been so glad that you were here today. Beauty and tenderness are rarely experienced here."

Alexandra is the founder and artistic director of Ensemble Gaudior, a chamber music group specializing in 18th-century music, and Pamela is the director of Viningplus Studios, based in Vienna, VA. Pamela and Alexandra are now available for Enrichment programs; to discuss inviting them for one of yours, please contact Alexandra MacCracken at (703) 395-2899 .