Aperture Duo - “as wave as stone”

Violinist Adrianne Pope and violist Linnea Powell joined forces in Los Angeles in 2015 to create Aperture Duo, a chamber ensemble dedicated to exploring the full expressive potential of the violin-and-viola pairing. Deeply rooted in both tradition and innovation, the duo performs music ranging from early classical works to pioneering commissions written specifically for their instrumentation.

Lauded for their “precision and interpretation” and “distinct sense of unity and independence” (icareifyoulisten.com), Los Angeles-based Aperture Duo curates fearless programs that explore new sounds, voices, and techniques through the lens of violin and viola chamber music. Founded in 2015 by violinist Adrianne Pope and violist Linnea Powell, Aperture Duo actively commissions diverse new works from emerging and established composers to expand the violin and viola duo repertoire.

Performance credits include the LA Phil's Noon to Midnight Festival, Tuesdays @ Monk Space, the Main Stage at the Carlsbad Music Festival, Music at Boston Court, L.A. Signal Lab, Synchromy, Nadia Sirota's podcast Living Music, Brooklyn's Home Audio Concert Series, UC Santa Barbara Summer Music Festival, the Window Concert Series at the Craft in America Center, and the Hear Now Music Festival. Aperture Duo has been in residence at California Institute of the Arts, Avaloch Farm Music Institute, Las Positas College, Black House SoCal New Music Workshop, Eureka! Musical Minds of California Graduate Student Conference, and has designed educational concerts with Wild Up and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

Aperture Duo is a 2021 recipient of the Fromm Foundation Commission, and is a project of the Fulcrum Arts' Emerge Fiscal Sponsorship Program. Their self-titled debut album, released in 2021 on Populist Records, can be found on bandcamp.

Their concerts often juxtapose familiar repertoire—like Mozart’s violin-and-viola duos—with bold new works marked by extended techniques, original sound worlds, improvisation and theatrical flair. This interplay between old and new creates an experience both accessible and adventurous. Aperture Duo’s musicians treat each performance as a conversation: two artists, two instruments, one commitment to deep listening, responsiveness and emotional clarity.

At this upcoming appearance at Sierra Madre Playhouse, audiences will witness their signature blend of sonic intimacy and creative edge. Expect precise chamber interplay, a wide palette of tonal textures—from shimmering lyricism to sharp rhythmic intensity—and an evening that invites you to rethink what two string instruments can accomplish together.

PROGRAM:
edge by Helmut Oehring
Travelogue by Erin Rogers
Aure by Kaija Saariaho
to be two by Leilani Leilehua
434.6 by Andrew McIntosh

Runtime: 1 hour