Date: Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Time: from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum, 201 S. Washington Street
Admission: $20 per person. Tickets available online

In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Marquis de Lafayette’s 1824-25 tour of the United States, enjoy a lecture/concert of music from Lafayette’s lifetime performed on early 19th-century instruments. Join researchers and historical-performance specialists Dominic Giardino (historical clarinets) and Dr. Chris Troiano (serpent) to experience the music that underscored Lafayette’s French Revolutionary career. The Age of Revolutions (1775–1848) was a period of social, political, and cultural turbulence in Europe and the Americas. There was perhaps no greater witness to this era of dramatic change than Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. This lecture/performance, with Lafayette’s leadership of the Garde Nationale Parisienne as the focal point, will transport listeners to the desperate but optimistic early days of the French Revolution when music left the aristocratic great rooms of Versailles and poured onto the streets of Paris.

About the Performers
Based in Williamsburg, VA, historical clarinetist Dominic Giardino enjoys a varied professional life exploring the intersections of history and performance. Dominic is the executive director of the Tucson-based concert series Arizona Early Music, develops music programming for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and is a member of Early Music America’s board of directors. As a clarinetist, he has recorded with the Smithsonian Chamber Players, Three Notch’d Road: The Virginia Baroque Ensemble, and Newberry’s Victorian Cornet Band. Dominic earned his B.M. in performance at the Eastman School of Music, and his M.M. in early music as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar in The Hague, where he studied with Eric Hoeprich.

Dr. Chris Troiano is the Historical Ensembles Program Manager at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA and is the Program Director of the 8th Green Machine Regiment Band, a mid-19th century brass band that performs music of the American Civil War on period brass instruments. Chris is also the co-host of the Early American Brass Band Podcast, a podcast focusing on sharing research and performances of brass bands from 1835-2023. Chris’ primary instrumental focus is low brass and he is an active teacher and performer on euphonium, baritone, trombone, ophicleide, and military serpent.

Join us for an unforgettable evening of music and history, as we pay homage to the enduring legacy of Lafayette and the transformative power of music in times of revolution.

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact Nicole Quinn at historicalexandria@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.4554, Virginia Relay 711.

If you prefer communication in another language, free interpretation and translation services are available to you, please email LanguageAccess@alexandriava.gov or call 703-746-3960.

Alexandria at 275: Connecting to our past to define a brighter future.

Since its 1749 founding, the historic city of Alexandria has played a major role in our nation’s story and reflected its progress toward inclusivity. Join us at events from April through September as we mark Alexandria’s 275th anniversary and embark on the next chapter in our city’s vibrant history at alexandriava.gov/ALX275.