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Composer and pianist Sophia Subbayya Vastek will bring her immersive solo program “In Our Softening” to The Falls Church at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15, joined by two accomplished local high school pianists.
Amir Nikbakht of South County High School and Aayan Deshpande of Oakton High School will open the performance. Vastek selected the students through the first Little City Concerts Young Pianists Masterclass.
The program will feature Vastek’s original compositions, including music from her genre-crossing album “In Our Softening.” Working with audio engineer Sam Torres, she uses carefully designed sound to create expansive piano performances centered on emotional storytelling, reflection and attentive listening.
Born and raised across the Washington metropolitan area, Vastek is a second-generation pianist and third-generation musician. Her approach combines classical training, improvisation and an exploratory style that has developed into cinematic, atmospheric music.
Vastek was named a 2022 Music/Sound Fellow by the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Her work has appeared on NPR, BBC and KEXP, and she has performed on three continents.
Concert supports local nonprofit
Half of the proceeds from each Little City Concerts performance goes to a selected charity. The nonprofit partner for the Feb. 15 event is OAR of Arlington, Alexandria and Falls Church, a community organization serving people affected by the legal system.
OAR works to confront racism within the legal system and other institutions. It also assists people returning from incarceration and their families while offering community service and diversion programs as alternatives to incarceration.
Composer Stephen Gorbos founded Little City Concerts after moving to Falls Church in 2022. Gorbos, chair of the Department of Music Theory, History and Composition at The Catholic University of America, created the series to combine local musical programming with a social justice mission.
Launched in summer 2023, the concert series focuses on contemporary and experimental music, newly composed works and fresh interpretations of older repertoire. Its performers have connections to the greater Washington area, and each event is paired with a charitable organization.
During its first season, Little City Concerts presented an environmentally focused program benefiting EcoAction Arlington; a program highlighting LGBTQ+ voices paired with SMYAL; and a concert celebrating composer and performer Clara Schumann in partnership with Doorways. Grants, local businesses and individual donors helped support the season and provide free admission for young people at two performances.
The 2024-25 season expands the series to four concerts and includes its first chamber opera and first commissioned work.
“In Our Softening” will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at The Falls Church, 166 E. Broad St. General admission is $25, while admission for students and other young people is free.