MARCH 2006:

In addition to solos and other ensembles, the Second String will be advancing to State with two duets. Pine Apple Rag by Scott Joplin was arranged for two bassoons (!) by Daniel Kelley, and Isis and Nora gave its probably Middleton premiere in this form on Saturday. Due to conflicts with WYSO, the pair's last-minute performance made it barely under the wire before the Festival ended, but the judge was not too restless. Bach's glorious Art of the Fugue, arranged for 'cello and violin, also sounds wonderful if a sufficiently acrobatic bassoonist can be found to mange the 'cello part; Nora takes up this mantle, with Isis on violin. They drew a reed judge at the contest Saturday, who seemed to be struggling to find some possible criticism. He sent them on to State.

SEPTEMBER 2005:

The Second String has had a useful summer, which finished with their tour-de-force Celtic fiddling under the Family Festival Big Top. There they rendered the classic Star of the County Down, and the less frequently heard Napoleon Crossing the Alps, The Pullet, The Blackthorn Stick, and Paddy on the Railroad. The lunchtime crowd was happy and appreciative.

At the Family Festival Talent Showcase, Isis and Nora aired their double-reed side, performing Scot Joplin's Pine Apple Rag as arranged for two bassoons by Daniel Kelley. This was so cool that we also used it between Dixie sets at the Gazebo, much to the audience's astonishment.

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Legend tells us that in each generation of violinists, there is one who has made a pact with the devil: else there is no explaining the unearthly playing and preternatural powers of a Paganini, Ricci, Elman, or Mutter. The members of the Second String Duo do not have that pact: two of them are too much for the Devil.

Isis Leonard and Nora Hickey have been playing together since 2004, bringing plenty of fine musicianship and good-natured sniping to every rehearsal. They have performed at McFarland's Christmas in the Village, the McFarland Family Festival, and several area nursing homes, and have toured with the AITDJB. In 2005 they took Bach's double violin concerto to State S&E, accompanied by Kathy Leonard.

These bow-wielding gypsies have a fondness for dramatic compositions, and have developed a repertoire of pieces from Romania, Hungary, England, Ireland, and Russia. Audio, video, and stills can be found on our media archive page.

You may also be tempted to indulge yourself in Nora's web page for her underappreciated group, the United Bassoons of Madison.