Ten years ago, twin brothers Aaron and Boaz Mecham performed the Bach Double at age 10 and are back with the Warren Philharmonic on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the First Lutheran Church on 109 West Third Ave. in Warren. Tickets for the concert will be available at the door starting at 3:15 p.m. on the day of the event. Admission prices are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and children 11 and under may attend for free.

The concert program begins with the Mecham twins performing the Bach centerpiece “Concerto for Two Violins” also known as the Bach Double. After their solo duet, the Mechams will join the orchestra for additional pieces in American musical selections including “Hoe Down” by Aaron Copeland, “An American in Paris” by George Gershwin, and “A Tribute to Henry Mancini”.

Twins are known for having their own language, almost a sixth sense, which is a great tool for creativity. In the case of the Mecham Duo, these identical twin brothers share a noteworthy experience in music.

Both graduates of the State University of New York at Fredonia, the Mechams pursued their Bachelors from a double major in violin and piano performance. They were also awarded first place in the 2019 Chautauqua’s Got Talent and in 2023 they won the “Concerto Competition” at SUNY Fredonia.

Photo by Jessica L. Cobb

Under the direction of Conductor Kenneth Slowik, the brothers have been touring and performing with the Smithsonian Academy Orchestra while completing their Master’s Degree in Baroque performance at the prestigious Oberlin Conservatory.

Discovered at age five, Aaron and Boaz Mecham’s mother signed them up for a free suzuki violin program at M.J. Fletcher Elementary school. Later homeschooled from third grade through high school, with boundless energy, the violin program was not enough. They began learning piano at age 6 through a program of Musikgarden with teachers Melanie Gritters and Gail Grundstrom. Even still, the boys’ energy prompted a need for a physical outlet which is when they began ballet at age 7 with Monica Alch.

During that 2016 performance in Warren, under the teaching of cellist and conductor Bryan Ekenrode was when they had met the local musical legend Helga Hulse. After the performance, she stated her desire to teach them piano. The twins said, “This was the beginning of a monumental change and increase in appreciation of the gift of music, community, and loving the life we were given.”

Learning from her from the ages 10 to 15, Hulse taught the boys from age 95 to 100 and has since passed. She taught them lessons of life, etiquette, and the life of yesterday — the 19th century — carried orally from her teachers. “Through her, we have a direct lineage to Ludwig van Beethoven!” Explaining a huge posterboard in her studio showed the lineage of teachers that traced back to Beethoven, Aaron said, “There’s something so significant about that because there is some grain of truth that is contained from each teacher disseminating everything to their student and then the next teacher doing the same.”

Able to graduate high school at the age of 14, the twins began their time at SUNY Fredonia. Being too young to live on campus, they traveled back and forth daily which caused their parents to make a decision to move to Dunkirk where they still reside while their sons study for their Masters in Historical performance with a concentration on Baroque violin at Oberlin Conservatory.

When not rehearsing or performing, Aaron enjoys running while Boaz enjoys meditation. Both love reading old books to each other, and learning and philosophizing on life’s beauty, they said. Growing up there were many times where one twin practiced one hour more than the other, but their mother was a strong force, encouraging them to show up for their artistic dreams. This helped them grow alongside each other even though consistency fluctuated over the years.

“What is consistency but a growing strive and attitude? Over the last couple of years, we have made it a developed priority at the forefront of our relationship to keep pushing each other to strive higher,” said Boaz. “That has become one of the ways we stay infinitely inspired. We realize this is a very special gift worth honoring every day.”

Coming to the understanding that they bring community wherever they go, they said “There is something unique about being approached by twins instead of by an individual–people tend to put their guard down and become more open to sharing their grace. We believe this gift was something that could not have been ignored, even if we tried.”

When asked where their experiences may take them next–whether in music or elsewhere,

Boaz replied, “Regardless of where each of us will be and who we will be working with, Aaron and I will always make sure to be playing together for people. We want to connect people with a reminder of the oneness of humanity at every level of understanding –whether it be bringing them simple joy, or sustained awe, or contemplative dialogue, or audience participation.”

A dear friend Bob Danielson, (also the owner of the Antique Mall in Salamanca) is an extreme fan of the duo and had this to say about their trajectory:

“I believe that your connection of harmonic convergence is at hand for both of you. You understand the fundamental importance of the energy you receive, and forwarding those magnificent insights to others. I am so pleased to know you, and that is solely from the orchestration of Helga.”

For those unable to attend in person, the performance will be streamed live by watching either on the Warren Philharmonic YouTube channel or via the stream link on the Warren Philharmonic of Warren PA Facebook page.

Upcoming performances with the Warren Philharmonic include an outdoor concert on June 25th with the students from the Warren County Summer Music School, where the orchestra will be performing Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody with the students along with a very special guest soloist to be announced.

The orchestra would also like to acknowledge that Warren Gives is coming up on May 13, which is the main source of its funding. As a non profit organization, the orchestra cannot rely on state funding. In fact, 98% of the funding comes from the Warren Gives event along with local charity and individual local donations, private and corporate sponsorships, which include the Barbara Baldwin DeFrees Foundation, Community Foundation of Warren County, Conarro Family Foundation, Libonati Fund, and Betts Foundation. Some additional funding for the orchestra comes from the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts Program of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency. Funding is provided by the citizens of Pennsylvania through an annual legislative appropriation and administered locally by the Arts Council of Erie, Inc. The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is also supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.