The 22nd Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, takes place June 13-28 2015, and will feature the music of traditional and contemporary classical music composers under new festival artistic director Paul Watkins. Watkins, cellist for the Emerson String Quartet takes over from the festivals founding artistic director, James Tocco, who retired in 2014. He will continue the festival’s tradition of creating imaginative projects with world class musicians. Chamber music is ensemble music suited to a small room. The size of most ensembles range from a duo to a decet. Each musician in the ensemble plays from their own unique “part” of the composition. If a group has two violins, they don’t play in unison. The chamber ensemble can include any combination of violin, cello, viola, harpsichord, piano, oboe, horn, and more recently percussion, voice and even electronic instruments.
Chamber music is most often associated with composers from the Classical and Romantic periods, such as Haydn, Mozart and Brahms, but modern composers like Gavan Bryers, Phillip Glass and Steve Reich and ensembles like the Kronos Quartet and the Emerson String Quartet (which will be performing at the festival) create and perform new and simply wonderful music. Chamber music can be thought as “Music with Friends,” as each musician is sitting in close contact with each other – like a Rock band!
The first of this year’s performances takes place at Detroit Country Day School in the Seligman Performing Arts Center, on June 13th. Other Oakland County venues include Christ Church Bloomfield Hills, St. Hugo of the Hills, Temple Beth El, and Kirk in the Hills, all in Bloomfield Hills. Performances will also be held at the Capitol Arts Center in Windsor, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor.
A list of Oakland County performances is found below, while a complete list of all venues, performances and ticket prices can be found at the festival website.
Opening Night: Saturday, June 13 At 8 P.M. Seligman Performing Arts Center
Martinu | Three Madrigals for Violin and Viola, H. 313 Philip Setzer, violin; Lawrence Dutton, viola
Dvorák | Terzetto in C major, Op. 74 Eugene Drucker, violin; Philip Setzer, violin; Lawrence Dutton, viola
Bloch | Suite Hébraïque Lawrence Dutton, viola; Paul Watkins, piano
Barber | Adagio from String Quartet in B minor, Op. 11 Emerson String Quartet
Dvorák | String Quartet No 12. in F major, Op. 96, “American” Emerson String Quartet
Tuesday, June 16 At 7:30 P.M. St. Hugo Of The Hills Catholic Church Prelude: 6:45pm | The Calidore String Quartet performs Bartók’s String Quartet No. 2
Ravel | Sonata for Violin and Cello Stephanie Gonley, violin; Paul Watkins, cello Norman | “Sabina” from The Companion Guide to Rome Eugene Drucker, violin; Lawrence Dutton, viola; Paul Watkins, cello
Rachmaninoff | Trio élégiaque No. 1 in D minor, Op. 9 Philip Setzer, violin; Robert deMaine, cello; Alessio Bax, piano
Wednesday, June 17 at 11:00 A.M. Temple Beth El
Beyond the Notes with Eugene Drucker A musical performance and discussion with Emerson violinist Eugene Drucker on the lessons of music, hope, and renewal, as revealed in his novel, “The Savior,” about a violinist’s experiences during the Holocaust.
Wednesday, June 17 At 7:30 P.M. St. Hugo Of The Hills Catholic Church Prelude: 6:45pm | Donald Sinta Quartet performs Glazunov’s “Saxophone Quartet in B-Flat Major,” Op. 109
Stravinsky | Suite Italienne Paul Watkins, cello; Alessio Bax, piano
Mussorgsky | Hopak from The Fair at Sorochinsk Alessio Bax, piano
Rachmaninoff | Prelude in G major, Op. 32, No. 5 Alessio Bax, piano
Rachmaninoff | Prelude in G minor, Op. 23, No. 5 Alessio Bax, piano
Kreisler | Liebesleid Alessio Bax, piano
Kreisler | Liebesfreud Alessio Bax, piano
Crumb | Sonata for Solo Violoncello Paul Watkins, cello
Prokofiev | Cello Sonata in C major, Op. 119 Paul Watkins, cello; Alessio Bax, piano
Thursday, June 18 At 7:30 P.M. Kirk In The Hills Presbyterian Church Prelude: 6:45pm | Altius Quartet performs Haydn’s String Quartet in C Major, Op. 74, No. 1
Debussy | Violin Sonata in G minor Stephanie Gonley, violin; Alessio Bax, piano Adams | Shaker Loops Philip Setzer, violin; Stephanie Gonley, violin; Yoonshin Song, violin; Lawrence Dutton, viola; Robert deMaine, cello; David LeDoux, cello; Kevin Brown, bass; Paul Watkins, conductor
Dvorák | String Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 97 Lawrence Dutton, viola; Calidore String Quartet
Friday, June 19 At 10:45 A.M. Kirk In The Hills Presbyterian Church Prelude: 10 a.m. | Excelsa Quartet performs Mozart’s String Quartet No. 16 in E-Flat major, K.428
This concert is a repeat performance of Thursday, June 18.
Debussy | Violin Sonata in G minor Stephanie Gonley, violin; Alessio Bax, piano Adams | Shaker Loops Philip Setzer, violin; Stephanie Gonley, violin; Yoonshin Song, violin; Lawrence Dutton, viola; Robert deMaine, cello; David LeDoux, cello; Kevin Brown, bass; Paul Watkins, conductor
Dvorák | String Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 97 Lawrence Dutton, viola; Calidore String Quartet
Saturday, June 20 At 8 P.M. Seligman Performing Arts Center Prelude: 7:15 p.m. | The American Influence—Paul Watkins in conversation with University of Michigan musicologist Steven Whiting
Bach | Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043 Jaime Laredo, violin; Stephanie Gonley, violin
Copland | Appalachian Spring Suite Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings musicians; Paul Watkins, conductor
Barber | Summer Music for woodwind quintet, Op. 31
Dvorák | Serenade for Strings, Op. 22
Tuesday, June 23 At 7:30 P.M. Temple Beth El Prelude: 6:45 p.m. | Altius Quartet performs Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13
Dvorák | Sonatina in G major, Op. 100 Jaime Laredo, violin; Ran Dank, piano
Hoover | El Andalus
Schumann | Drei Fantasiestücke, Op. 73 Sharon Robinson, cello; Ran Dank, piano Brahms | Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25 Jaime Laredo, violin; Stephanie Gonley, viola; Sharon Robinson, cello; Anton Nel, piano
Wednesday, June 24 At 7:30 P.M. Kirk In The Hills Presbyterian Church Prelude: 6:45 p.m. | Calidore String Quartet performs Adès’ Arcadiana (String Quartet), Op. 12
Mozart | Duettino Concertante
Schumann | Six Canonic Etudes, Op. 56
Bernstein | Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Grainger | Fantasy on Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess
Ravel | La Valse James Tocco, piano; Anton Nel, piano
Thursday, June 25 At 7:30 P.M. Kirk In The Hills Presbyterian Church Prelude: 6:45pm | Exelsa Quartet performs Janácek’s String Quartet No. 2, “Intimate Letters”
Mendelssohn | String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80 Calidore String Quartet
Grey | Commissioned piece (world premiere) Calidore String Quartet
Shostakovich | String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110 Donald Sinta Quartet
Various Composers | Songs of Love and Loss eighth blackbird
Friday, June 26 At 10:45 A.M. Temple Beth El Prelude: 10 a.m. | The Donald Sinta Quartet performs Ligeti’s Six Bagatelles, Escaich’s “Tango Virtuoso” and Zare’s Z4430.
Bernstein | Three Meditations from Mass Paul Watkins, cello; Anton Nel, piano
Reich | Different Trains Excelsa Quartet
Dvorák | Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major, Op. 81 Anton Nel, piano; Altius Quartet
Closing Night: Saturday, June 27 At 8 P.M. Seligman Performing Arts Center Prelude: 7:15pm | The Making of Hand Eye—Composers from Sleeping Giant in conversation with Paul Watkins
Sleeping Giant | Hand Eye (world premiere) eighth blackbird