The Hudson Valley Chamber Music Circle at Bard College Announces 62nd Season

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—The  Hudson Valley Chamber Music Circle (HVCMC) series at Bard College presents three concerts in June by world-renowned musicians. The Saturday evening concerts, presented by The Bard Center, begin at 8:00 p.m. in Olin Hall. A subscription to the three-concert series is $60 ($50 for senior citizens). Individual tickets are $28; for senior citizens, $20; for students, $5. For ticket information, call 845-339-7907 or e-mail [email protected].

Saturday, June 2

Hudson Valley Chamber Music Circle: Concert 1

Pacifica String Quartet. Bedrich Smetana’s String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor, “From My Life”; Leos Janáček’s String Quartet No. 2, “Intimate Letters”; and Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135.

Saturday, June 16

Hudson Valley Chamber Music Circle: Concert 2

Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, with Harold Robinson, double bass, and Michael Tree, viola. Gioachino Antonio Rossini’s Duetto in G Major for Cello and Bass; Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Quintet for Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Contrabass (2011); and Franz Schubert’s Quintet in A Major, D 667, “Trout."

Saturday, June 30

Hudson Valley Chamber Music Circle: Concert 3

Trio con Brio Copenhagen. Franz Joseph Haydn’s Trio No. 39 in G Major, Hob. XV/25, “Gypsy”; Johannes Brahms’s Piano Trio No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 101; and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A Minor, Op. 50.

The Hudson Valley Chamber Music Circle, an association of chamber music lovers that is celebrating its 62nd season, was founded by Helen Huntington Hull and two friends from Staatsburg, New York. They enlisted the help of violinist Emil Hauser, then a member of the Bard College faculty and original first violinist of the Budapest Quartet, to invite musicians to perform at the Mills and Vanderbilt Mansions. In 1979, the concert series began its association with Bard College.

The HVCMC remains a venue that attracts many of the world’s preeminent chamber music artists. In 2000, Sharon Robinson and Jaime Laredo assumed artistic directorship of the chamber music series. For more information, go to www.hvcmc.org.

These performances are made possible, in part, through the generosity of the Homeland Foundation and the Leon Levy Endowment at Bard College, as well as the J. M. Kaplan Fund and the David G. Whitcomb Foundation. For further information, call 845-339-7907 or e-mail [email protected].

About the Performers

Recognized for its virtuosity, exuberant performance style, and often-­daring repertory choices, the Grammy Award–winning Pacifica Quartet tours extensively worldwide. Named Musical America’s 2009 Ensemble of the Year, the Quartet has gained international stature as one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today. Shortly after its 1994 formation, the Pacifica won the 1998 Naumburg Prize, and has since received many honors, including being appointed quartet-in-­residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a position previously held by the Guarneri Quartet. The members of the Pacifica Quartet—Simin Ganatra and Sibbi Bernhardsson, violin; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; and Brandon Vamos, cello—were appointed to the faculty of the University of Illinois in 2003 and serve as quartet-in-­residence. They are also resident performing artists at the University of Chicago.

Nearly 35 years after its debut at the White House, The Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio continues to bring technical mastery, expressive depth, and magnetism to the concert stage. Carnegie Hall commemorated their 30th Anniversary in 2007 with a concert in Stern Auditorium. Richard Danielpour devoted a piano quartet in honor of the anniversary, which has become a part of their extensive repertoire. One of today’s most beloved ensembles, these three artists share their passion for music with audiences worldwide. The Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio is Joseph Kalichstein, piano; Jaime Laredo, violin; and Sharon Robinson, cello.

Korean sisters Soo-Jin (violin), and Soo-Kyung Hong (cello), and Danish pianist Jens Elvekjaer created the Trio con Brio Copenhagen in Vienna in 1999, with the concept of pairs coming together. The sisters had played together since childhood, and Jens Elvekjaer and Soo-Kyung Hong (who are now married) had played piano and cello duos together for years. According to Elvekjaer, “We have always felt that this ‘two and two equals three’ dynamic provides a uniqueness and intensity to all of our performances.” About the Trio’s debut CD, the American Record Guide wrote: “One of the greatest performances of chamber music I’ve ever encountered . . .What stands out from this ensemble is the range of tone and sound . . .They command an amazing range of timbres. Melodies sing with an aching sweetness, or seduce with wild eroticism, or haunt with impenetrable mystery.” Trio con Brio Copenhagen’s busy schedule includes major concert halls in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

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May 15, 2012

This event was last updated on 05-15-2012

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