Opus Black Strings Trio returns to Oneida Public Library on Wednesday, October 30, at 7:00 p.m. for a free concert of jazz, pop/rock and classical selections as well as some special arrangements for Hallowe’en.
Opus Black Strings Trio, an alternative strings group, features Elizabeth Simchik on violin, Allyson Sklar on viola and Julia Heller on cello.
Simchik, professionally known as “Liz Fiddle,” is the founder of Opus Black and currently runs Music with Liz, a music studio in Durhamville. She teaches violin (both classical and modern), viola, bass, guitar, piano and mandolin. In addition, she is the director of the Mohawk Valley Strings Community Orchestra and teaches string instruments to students at Holy Cross Academy, Oneida. Currently, Simchik conducts a jam session at the Oneida Lake Brew Haus in Verona Beach the first and third Wednesday evenings of the month.
A graduate of Vernon Verona Sherrill High School in 2002 and of Onondaga Community College, class of 2005, Simchik has performed in a variety of groups and settings in the region, including the New York State Old Tyme Fiddlers Association and the Five Families Ensemble. With Opus Black, she has performed at the Kallet Civic Center, the Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute, the Stanley Theater and many other venues.
Violist Allyson Sklar, who received her bachelors from Hamilton College and a masters in music education from the Manhattan School of Music, currently owns and operates Gallery 2048 and the Valley Talent Education Center in Utica, where she teaches violin, viola, Suzuki violin groups and chamber music. She is also a senior advisor for the Junior B Sharp Musical Club and co-director of the Mohawk Valley Strings. In addition to Opus Black, Sklar currently plays with local groups like the FAB Trio and Craobh Dugan, Utica’s Irish music association.
Cellist Julia Heller, originally from the San Francisco Bay area, has lived and worked in the Utica area since 2014, following a musical education at Lawrence University in Wisconsin and at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her day job is in marketing, but Heller’s musical life includes playing cello, piano, fiddle and mandolin.
Opus Black’s concert at the OPL is free and open to the public. For more information, stop by the library at 220 Broad St., Oneida, or call 315.363.3050.