NMM Live! | Faythe Vollrath, harpsichord - Vermillion

Sep 26, 2025 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Immerse yourself in the sounds of 17th-century Italy with An Evening at Home: Music on the Octave Virginal, performed by acclaimed harpsichordist Faythe Vollrath. This special program offers the rare chance to hear the NMM’s 1694 Guarracino octave virginal, a small keyboard instrument once favored for practice, song accompaniment, and private entertainment in the Italian home. Its delicate voice—sounding an octave higher than a standard keyboard—brings a light, crystalline quality to Baroque repertoire that is seldom experienced in modern concerts.

Praised by The Wall Street Journal for her “subtly varied tempo and rhythm that sounds like breathing,” Faythe Vollrath is an active soloist and chamber musician whose artistry has been heard in distinguished venues across the United States and internationally. She is equally at home in historically informed performance and in interpreting contemporary works for historic instruments, bringing a fresh vitality to every program. Her creative approach has led to distinctive performances, from pairing Japanese harpsichord works with Japanese art to playing in unconventional spaces such as a columbarium during Oakland’s Garden of Memory event.

An Evening at Home promises an evocative journey into the elegance, intimacy, and charm of music as it might have been heard in an Italian home over 300 years ago.
This program is funded by the Clayton & Odessa Lang Ofstad Foundation, Bank of America N. A., Co-Trustee.

NMM Live! is made possible by the USD Student Government Association and the South Dakota Arts Council through the Department of Tourism, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Fee: $Included with Museum Admission

Experience the delicate, sparkling sound of the National Music Museum’s rare 1694 Guarracino octave virginal as harpsichordist Faythe Vollrath transports audiences to the intimate musical salons of 17th-century Italy. Featuring the NMM’s Guarracino virginal (NMM06041) and Ridolfi harpsichord (NMM04657).