Violinist Bonnie Brown and pianist Lynn Raley present an evening devoted to Johannes Brahms’s three Sonatas for Violin and Piano – a rare opportunity to experience this complete set performed in a single concert. Spanning nearly two decades of Brahms’s creative life, the sonatas trace an extraordinary emotional journey: from the lyric warmth of the G Major Sonata, Op. 78, to the intimate and introspective A Major Sonata, Op. 100, and culminating in the passionate intensity of the D minor Sonata, Op. 108.

Performances of all three works together are uncommon, making this program a uniquely immersive exploration of Brahms’s artistry and the deep, collaborative dialogue between violin and piano.

Bonnie and Lynn are thrilled to present this “bucket list” performance for Music in the City, celebrating friendship, musical partnership, and one of the most beloved chamber music cycles in the repertoire.

About the Performer

Bonnie Brown is a Jackson-born violinist and educator with an active performing and teaching career. A former Assistant Concertmaster of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, she now performs with the Louisiana Philharmonic, Meridian and Mobile Symphony Orchestras, and as a member of the Listeso Quartet for Fever’s Candlelight Concert Series. She directs the strings program at First Presbyterian Day School, teaches privately, and co-founded The Zoey Girls violin duo with her sister, Shellie Brown Kemp. Bonnie holds degrees from Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music.

Lynn Raley, a Senior Fulbright Scholar, has performed across the US, Canada, The Netherlands, Thailand, and Taiwan. Dedicated to new music, he has appeared at contemporary music festivals in Texas, Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee. His 2018 solo CD on Nimbus Records, Maëlstrom: Contemporary American Piano Music, features works by Augusta Read Thomas, Wayne Peterson, Eric Moe, and Charles Wuorinen, and was praised by BBC Music Magazine as “a highly commendable release… thoughtfully compiled and skillfully performed.” His 2024 collaboration with baritone James Martin, Wide As Heaven: A Century of Song by Black American Composers (New World Records), was featured by The New York Times and acclaimed by Gramophone Magazine for his “bebop-inflected rhythmic energy” and “rapport with the baritone.” Raley can also be heard on the Leonarda, Capstone, Nimbus, and New World labels.