Carpathian Music Ensemble

The Carpathian Music Ensemble will perform as part of a series of Fabergé education programs presented by the Frick Art Museum auditorium (Point Breeze) on Sunday, November 6 at 2:30 p.m. The performance is part of the Fabergé exhibit at the Frick that runs until January 15.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently featured music department graduate Ken Haney in an article about how the passage of healthcare reform will affect individual Pittsburghers and small business owners. Haney, a clarinetist and member of our Carpathian Ensemble,

“… has multiple sclerosis. He is being kept relatively functional by monthly infusions that cost $3,000 each, paid for by Medicaid because he couldn't get health insurance due to his pre-existing condition. He wants to work full time, but if he earns more than $200 a month he won't qualify for Medicaid. Without treatment, he'll become too disabled to work.”

Pitt's Carpathian Music Ensemble, founded and directed by Professor of Ethnomusicology Adriana Helbig, is featured this week in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It's an extensive article and you will want to read the whole thing, but here's a snippet that provides good insight into what the Carpathian Ensemble is all about. According to Helbig,

"[The music school] said I could start whatever ensemble I wanted. I looked at what I knew, and what would fit with Pittsburgh — there are so many Eastern European immigrants in this area — and instead of going country by country, I decided to choose the name 'Carpathian' which is regional. It includes Hungary, Slovakia,...