Ekstasis Duo brings their program “…From the Shadows” to the Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts, 2001 W. Wickenburg Way, Suite 3, 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9.

Consisting of a piano and cello ensemble, Ekstasis Duo’s concert program will introduce audience members to music by often-overlooked minority composers. With a focus on storytelling through sound, the pair will also incorporate multi-media elements such as video clips and visual art images along with readings into the matinee performance.

Included in the list of highlighted composers, “…From the Shadows” will feature George Walker and Henriette Bosmans. Walker was the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for music. Bosmans supported herself by performing underground concerts during World War II. For the once well-established Dutch composer, performing in public became unlawful for Bosmans during this time due to her mother’s Jewish descent. This new concert program is an expansion of Ekstasis Duo’s debut project, “Women’s Voices,” which promoted the music of female composers.

The Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts will host Ekstasis Duo for a one-week residency prior to the matinee performance of “…From the Shadows.”

During the second “Made in Wickenburg” residency of the 20th anniversary season, the piano and cello duo will spend time at the historic Flying E Guest Ranch and the Webb Center developing and rehearsing a new performance program. The purpose of the residency is to allow artists an opportunity to create new work and explore their chosen craft in a serene desert environment without the usual pressures of day-to-day life.

Cellist Dr. Natasha Farny and pianist Dr. Eliran Avni are faculty members in the Department of Music of the State University of New York at Fredonia. They met years ago as students at The Juilliard School in New York City and later formed Ekstasis Duo with a mission to celebrate and amplify lesser-known compositions by female and other minority composers. Their aim is to share music that energizes their audience and offers every possible emotion on the spectrum.

In 2018, Dr. Avni appeared at the Webb Center as the Artistic Director of SHUFFLE Concert. His original performance concept for this quartet asked random audience members to select music from a varied “menu” of composers and genres to be performed during the show. During an artist residency, SHUFFLE developed their program “1933,” offering its world premiere on the Webb Center stage.

Tickets for Ekstasis Duo and their “…From the Shadows” program start at $20 for adults and $5 for those 18 and younger. They are available at dewpac.org or by calling the Box Office at 928-684-6624. More information about the “Made in Wickenburg” artist residency program is found on the website under “Programs.”

Visit dewpac.org for the theater’s current COVID-19 policy.