Wednesday, December 14, 7 PM (door 6:30): Join us at this wintery concert featuring the french horn and piano duo The Grapefruits and their brassy friends The Citrus Quartet. Presenting festive music by Bach, Tchaikovsky, Amis, Islas, and others! (Tickets $20 , $10 students; drop by the store or call 541-345-8986 to reserve, or click the link to order on-line cocobender.org)
The Grapefruits, composed of Coco Bender, piano, and Margarite Waddell, french horn, are a contemporary classical music duo. They perform frequently throughout the PNW with the goal of presenting traditional classical french horn and piano repertoire, new 20th century works, and commissioned works by PNW composers. Currently, The Grapefruits are performing works by Robert Schumann, Charles Gounod, PNW composer Paul Safar, African-American composer William Grant Still, and others.
Margarite Waddell is the Assistant/Utility Horn for the Boise Philharmonic, Associate Principal for the Rogue Valley Symphony, Fourth Horn for the Newport Symphony, and will be playing Principal Horn with the Sarasota Opera Orchestra for the 2023 season. She has performed with the Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera, Eugene Symphony, Symphony San Jose, Marin Symphony, Oakland Symphony, and other ensembles throughout the Bay Area. Margarite is a founding member of the Eugene based horn and piano duo, The Grapefruits. She cares deeply about music education and was part of the San Francisco Symphony's Adventures in Music program in 2017. She is currently the horn instructor for the Young Musician's Choral Orchestra in Oakland, CA and maintains a private studio. Margarite received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon, and her master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Coco Bender is a pianist residing in the Pacific Northwest. She recently performed with Cascadia Composers, recorded original film scores by Portland composer Christina Rusnak for the Pioneers: First Woman Filmmakers Project, and during the pandemic presented a series of outdoor recitals featuring music by H. Leslie Adams, William Grant Still, Bartok, and others. Coco is a founding member of the Eugene based horn and piano duo, The Grapefruits, as well as a co-artistic director and musical director of an all-women circus, Girl Circus. She has taken master classes with Inna Faliks, Tamara Stefanovich, and Dr. William Chapman Nyaho. Coco currently studies with Dr. Thomas Otten. In addition to performing regularly, she teaches a large studio of students in the Pacific Northwest, from Seattle WA to Eugene OR. Coco was the accompanist for Portland treble choir Aurora Chorus, during their 2021-2022, season under the conductorship of Kathleen Hollingsworth, Margaret Green, Betty Busch, and Joan Szymko. The Grapefruits, comprising of Coco Bender, piano, and Margarite Waddell, french horn, are a contemporary classical music duo. They perform frequently through out the PNW with the goal presenting traditional classical french horn repertoire, new 20th century works, and commissioned works by PNW composers. Currently, The Grapefruits are performing works by Robert Schumann, Charles Gounod, PNW composer Paul Safar, African-American composer William Grant Still, and others.
