When Chesapeake Chamber Music’s 27th annual Festival begins this Sunday, 19 artists will arrive in Easton, MD, including many familiar faces along with several newcomers to the Eastern Shore Festival scene. A series of concerts, recitals, and rehearsals will be held throughout the two-week event, culminating in the Angels Concert on Sunday, June 17.
Kicking off the Festival this Sunday, June 3 at 5:30 pm at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Easton will be the Reed 5 wind ensemble, representing a bold new direction in wind chamber music. The group features daring instrumentation and a repertoire rich in both traditional and contemporary music. The individual musicians of Reed 5 have performed extensively around the world, have won some of the most prestigious competitions in their field, have contributed uniquely to the status of their individual instruments, and have come together to present an exciting new chamber genre.
The group musically connected a year ago on the Eastern Shore when they came to Easton to rehearse for a concert in Cambridge. In the process, the ensemble discovered its personal sound and developed its first concert repertoire. The vast majority of Reed 5′s repertoire is arranged or composed by its own members. One of the founders, saxophonist Doug O’Connor, was previously with Redline Sax Quartet, the 2010 gold medal winner of the Chesapeake Chamber Music Competition.
This week’s Festival lineup will continue with newcomers, violist Hsin-Yun Huang and pianist Lydia Brown, who is also an assistant conductor at the Metropolitan and San Francisco Operas. Huang and Brown will perform a recital with soprano Christine Brandes on June 5, a recital with pianist Robert McDonald on June 7, and wrap up the week in a concert with Catherine Cho and Marcy Rosen on Friday, June 8 at the Avalon Theatre. Huang, who recently founded the Variation String Trio and has performed with such distinguished artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Joseph Suk and Menahem Pressler, will perform at the Avalon Theatre on June 8, at St. Paul’s Church in Centreville on June 9, and at Hunters on Oak June 10.
Generous financial support from the business community and public enables Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival to offer affordable tickets for the Festival concerts and recitals, as well as access to open rehearsals that are free to the general public. Institutional support has been provided by Wells Fargo and Vantage Wealth Management, Inc., the Talbot County Arts Council, the Maryland State Arts Council, Chesapeake Publishing, Benson & Mangold, and the Midshore Community Foundation.
Chesapeake Chamber Music’s 27th annual Festival will run from June 3 through June 17, 2012. The following is the schedule for the first week of the Festival. For further information or to purchase tickets, visit www.chesapeakechambermusic.org or call 410-819-0380.
Chesapeake Chamber Music Concert Series – Week one
Sunday, June 3, 2012, 5:30 p.m. – St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, Easton – Recital
Tuesday, June 5, 2012, 5:30 p.m. – Inn at 202 Dover, Easton – Recital
Wednesday, June 6, 2012, 10:00 a.m. – Academy Art Museum – Open rehearsal (free)
Thursday, June 7, 2012, 5:30 p.m. – Academy Art Museum, Easton – “Four Hands” Recital
Friday, June 8, 2012, 8:00 p.m. – Avalon Theatre – “Magnificent Mendelssohn” Concert
Saturday, June 9, 2012, 4:30 p.m. – St. Paul’s Church, Centreville – “Quint-Essential” Concert
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