by Stephanie Manning
If you want to identify the Naughton sisters, look at their shoes. As the identical twin pianists took the stage for their recent performance at Tuesday Musical, each wore one red and one black heel, placed on opposite feet. It was a fitting choice — Christina and Michelle Naughton are distinct individuals, yet when playing together, they become one half of the same whole.
On the evening of November 16 at E.J. Thomas Hall in Akron, the Naughton Piano Duo dazzled in Tuesday Musical’s Margaret Baxtresser Annual Piano Concert. The all-American program, which featured works from the 20th and 21st centuries, contrasted traditional styles with this music’s contemporary evolution.
As snow came down outside on Thursday, March 8, an absorbing evening of piano cornerstones warmed the inside of E.J. Thomas Hall in Akron. This performance by Andreas Haefliger was the 12th of Tuesday Musical Association’s annual concerts that honor the late pianist Margaret Baxtresser, a musical giant of Northeast Ohio.