The Calmus Ensemble from Leipzig, Germany to perform on Sunday, Jan. 29, 7:30 p.m., at the First Presbyterian Church. (Submitted Photo)
Chamber Music Yellow Springs presents choral music from Calmus
- Published: January 26, 2017
To brighten up a cold and gray January, Chamber Music in Yellow Springs welcomes the Calmus Ensemble from Leipzig, Germany, to perform a concert of choral chamber music on Sunday, Jan. 29, 7:30 p.m., at the First Presbyterian Church.
All graduates of Leipzig’s renowned St. Thomas Church Choir School, Calmus offers the unique combination of a pure soprano voice with four male voices ranging from bass to countertenor. The seamless blend of these five voices lends itself to the variety of music the ensemble offers, from Renaissance and Baroque masters through great German romantic works, all the way to contemporary choral repertoire, as well as pop songs and jazz.
In Yellow Springs, the program “All the World’s a Stage” commemorates the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare with a special concert program inspired by William Shakespeare’s works. Composers range from 16th century England’s Orlando Gibbons and Henry Purcell to contemporary artists like John Tavener, Nancy Wertsch, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi and more.
Shakespeare lovers will be amazed at the variety and beauty of the program: excerpts from “Twelfth Night,” “Cymbeline,” “Othello” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” are interspersed with settings of the sonnets, and the concert ends with four distinct versions of the poem “Full Fathom Five” from “The Tempest” and a lovely “Shall I Compare Thee To a Summer’s Day,” Sonnet 18, composed by Nils Lindberg.
Founded in 1999 in Germany, the a cappella quintet embodies the rich choral tradition of its hometown in Leipzig and will warm the night with its unique voices. Tickets are $25 for adults and $7 for students. Information on purchasing advance tickets is available at http://www.cmys.org. Beginning at 6:45 p.m., James Johnston will give the pre-concert lecture in the church. Those who wish to attend a post-concert dinner with the artists in a local home are asked to contact CMYS at 937-374-8800 at least four days in advance to reserve a place.
The 2017 CMYS season will continue on March 12 with a new addition, the Parker Quartet, replacing the Meccore String Quartet, which has been unable to travel from Poland. The 32nd Annual Competition for Emerging Professional Ensembles will be held on April 23. Both concerts will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the First Presbyterian Church. Chamber Music in Yellow Springs is supported by wonderful donors, as well as an Ohio Arts Council Sustainability Grant. For more information, email info@cmys.org.
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