You ever have those friends or relatives who make it hard to miss them — because every time you start to truly miss them, they reappear?

That’s how it has happily been with violinist Steven Moeckel, the long-ago Tucson Symphony Orchestra concertmaster who left for Phoenix back in 2008. Moeckel, who is now at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, has never forgotten Tucson.

He’s been a part of the St. Andrew’s Bach Society summer series, hosted his own concert series and has guested with True Concord Voices & Orchestra and the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra.

On Sunday, April 21, he returns to Dove of Peace Lutheran Church’s charity concert series, which he was a part of in its infancy. His recital with pianist Nathan Arch closes out the 20th anniversary season.

The series is pretty special for the musicians who play it and the audiences attending. Admission is free and proceeds from a free-will offering taken at the concert benefit local nonprofits.

Sunday’s concert, which starts at 2 p.m. at Dove of Peace, 665 W. Roller Coaster Road, benefits Tucson Interfaith HIV-AIDS Network, aka TIHAN.

Moeckel and Arch, a recent Arizona State University doctoral graduate who is an in-demand chamber musician and choirmaster, will perform a program that includes Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in D-major, Poulenc’s Sonata for Violin and Piano and Saint-Saëns’ Sonata No. 1 in D-minor.

For details, visit doveofpeacetucson.org.

Conductor Linus Lerner returns to the podium to open the volunteer orchestra's season this weekend.


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Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Twitter @Starburch