Chamber Music Yellow Springs hosts quartet of quartets
- Published: September 14, 2017
Autumn breezes will bring a fresh new season of chamber music performances from Chamber Music in Yellow Springs. After being awarded another Ohio Arts Council Sustainability Grant, the organization is ready to celebrate by welcoming audiences from across the Miami Valley to its 34th season. With its mission of presenting high quality professional chamber music concerts, fostering community interest in chamber music and enriching the musical life of the community, CMYS has prepared a season featuring a “quartet of quartets from a trio of continents.” As always, the season will conclude with the Annual Competition for Emerging Professional Ensembles in April.
The CMYS concert season begins Sunday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church.
First to arrive will be the Calidore String Quartet, who won first prize in the CMYS competition in 2013 and the inaugural International M Prize — the largest prize for chamber music in the world — in 2016. Currently in residence at Lincoln Center, the Calidore will present a program including Haydn’s Quartet in D Major, Op. 64, No. 5, “The Lark,” Janacek’s Quartet No. 1, “Kreutzer,” and Beethoven’s Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 127. The Calidore String Quartet will perform an outreach program at Mills Lawn School on the following Monday.
The season continues with Project Fusion Saxophone Quartet on Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Also winners of major U.S. prizes, including the Fischoff and the Plowman, Project Fusion performs an eclectic program entirely from memory. They will also head to the Wright State University Saxophone Studio on Monday morning. In fact, tenor saxophonist Michael Sawzin studied at WSU before going on to complete graduate degrees at Eastman School of Music, and CMYS is excited to use part of its Ohio Arts Council grant to sponsor the return of this talented alum and his group.
On Feb. 11, the Bennewitz String Quartet from the Czech Republic will perform an entirely Czech program: Janacek’s String Quartet #2, “Intimate Letters,” Smetana’s String Quartet #1, E minor, “From My Life,” and Dvorak’s String Quartet, G major, Op. 106. This concert is a perfect Valentine’s date and also begins at 7:30 p.m.
March brings the Brazilian String Quartet, praised by the Washington Post for its “seductive beauty” and “virtuosic gusto.” On March 25 they will warm the evening with a program demonstrating the diversity and beauty of Brazilian music.
Finally, the Annual Competition for Emerging Professional Ensembles will take place at 4 p.m. April 29. This earlier concert time will enable all audience members to stay for the judges’ final decision — which of the groups, whose average age must be below 30, will triumph? The competition has garnered more attention every year as its winners continue to launch successful international careers, and 2018 will be no exception. Music lovers should plan ahead to secure tickets to this exciting event.
Tickets and further information about the groups, their programs, and the history of Chamber Music in Yellow Springs are available at http://www.cmys.org or by phoning 937-374-8800. Season tickets for five concerts are $100 for adults, $25 for full-time students with ID. Single tickets are $25 for adults, $7 for students.
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