Noémie Ramond & Zhenni Li Cohen. Photo : John Mackley

Music lovers were in for a treat on October 4th at the Trinity United Church, thanks to Gilles Denis, the driving force behind the Espace Culturel Cookshire-Eaton. The Dialogues concert presented an evening of sonatas performed exquisitely by Noémie Raymond on cello and Zhenni Li-Cohen on piano.

Dialogues evokes an exploration of musical and artistic exchange between various composers from different eras, a musical conversation between the musicians, the audience, and their shared art.

The opening Sonata for alto and piano (cello and piano version) composed by Rebecca Clark (1886-1979) immediately drew this listener into the experience of the conversation.

Centuries-old interactive call and response musical dialogues that originated among sub-Saharan African cultures found their way into African American, Cuban and modern music, with ties to what is referred to as Slave Christianity. Call and response can also be heard as part of various Protestant church services as a way of encouraging more active participation among the congregants.

Christian Thomas, composer of the sonata The Secret Voices, made an in-person appearance at the concert. The audience applauded his charm and witty comments that led the conversation naturally into his musical composition.

Raymond and Li-Cohen masterfully wrapped up the evening with the 20th-century masterpiece Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943).

The concert venue was the Trinity United Church sanctuary, constructed in 1863 in the Greek revival (neo-classical) style, with a beautifully crafted stained wood interior. It provided unparalleled acoustics, ideally suited for intimate small-to-medium-sized gatherings of listeners.

Future concerts sponsored by Espace Culturel Cookshire-Eaton include a benefit concert on November 22nd for Les Étincelles de Bonheur du Haut-Saint-François. The Duo Beija-Flor concert features Marie-Noëlle Choquette on traverse flute and Charles Hobson on guitar. On December 7th is a Christmas concert with vocal artists Odéï Bilodeau (soprano) and Pierre Hénault (tenor), accompanied by Julien LeBlanc on piano.

Tickets and more information are at www.espaceculturelcookshireeaton.com.