🗣 Locals you need to know: meet Andrew Faut, a Chatham Baroque-style violinist who is restoring a house in Manchester

Today’s locals who need to know are sponsored by Chatham Baroque. The East of the River Ensemble from New York will arrive in Pittsburgh for two concerts on April 30th. In this program, which consists of songs and dances from liturgical and folk traditions, listeners will hear Hebrew, Arabic and Ladino (medieval Judeo-Spanish). For more information, visit www.chathambaroque.org.

Hello Andrew! Tell us about your work – your work and / or any volunteer work.

I am a violinist and I am one of the three co-artistic directors of Chatham Baroque, which is both an ensemble of Baroque music and a leader of early music. “Early Music” sounds like a niche, but in fact it is wide, covering a millennium of many different musical traditions – imagine “Beowulf Beethoven”. So you can hear Renaissance music performed at one concert, JS Bach in another, medieval poetry sung in Old English or Old Icelandic, in another, and so on. In fact, showing April 30th is a band called East of the River that plays music from Andalusia, the Ottoman Empire, North Africa and the Sephardic Diaspora. There is something for everyone!

Choose your favorite local outdoor experience. What is it? What are we doing? Who’s coming with you?

My favorite walk is at the front door in Manchester, through the driveways to Allegheny Rows, up the steps of Sunday Street, through Union Dale Cemetery to catch the sunset or sunrise reflected from the city and then past Bread products or the Northside Farmers Market on the way back.

What is your favorite local Instagram or TikTok account and why?

Apart from the musicians and artists I admire, I find myself attracted to reports on infrastructure, urban planning, conservation and local history. I love exploring all corners of Pittsburgh, preferably by bike, so I really appreciate the work @bikepgh. I am also slowly rebuilding an old house, so I find inspiration in the like @pghbox and @housesofpittsburgh.

If you could only eat one meal at a local restaurant for the rest of your life, what would it be?

This is a really difficult question. I love a bowl of good soup, so you might have to say fo Two sisters. I am very much looking forward to visiting the new one ShadaBeni on Brighton Road. I have a feeling this could be a great place.

What project are you working on (large or small) and how can our readers help you with this?

Chatham Baroque is preparing to announce our upcoming season 2022-2023, which will be amazing. So many phenomenal artists are coming to Pittsburgh and we really can’t wait to share the news! Follow the announcements and tickets on our website. In addition to our own concert season, I’m completely dizzy from ours a future project with quantum theater, a fully staged modern premiere of the 1730 opera Idasp at the Bycham Theater. It is full of great music and will bring together an incredibly talented cast, a brilliant director and creative team, as well as a superb orchestra of sixteen performers in the pit. This will be the culmination of many years of work and planning, which will take place in one short period – the zenith of why I love my job!

What are you waiting for this year?

Indeed, I look forward to continuing to come together in any context as a common feature of life and community. For the Chatham Baroque part of this means settling in our new home at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (PTS). It’s a dream come true to return to personal work on a beautiful campus in a busy area with lots of new people to meet. We now have an office on campus, and the Hicks Memorial Chapel in the seminary is a great place for rehearsals and performances. Come to East of the River Concert April 30th if you want to hear how it all sounds.

Are you interested in being represented and want to share your own class project in ‘Burgh? Send an email to [email protected] with the theme “Locals to know 2022” and you can see yourself in a future newsletter.