January 12, 2006

Chamber Festival celebrates 10th year

The School of Music is celebrating the 10th anniversary season of the Winter Chamber Music Festival at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. The 2005-06 festival concludes Jan. 22.

For the past decade Northwestern’s Chamber Music Festival has offered Chicago area music lovers some of the finest live performances from distinguished musicians. During the past years, the festival has featured internationally acclaimed artists Yo-Yo Ma, Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman, Janos Starker, Menahem Pressler, Gil Shaham, Lynn Harrell and the Vermeer Quartet.

The remaining concerts are:

7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13 - Pianists James Giles and Sylvia Wang, clarinetist Steven Cohen, violinists Ilya Kaler and Blair Milton, violist Roger Chase and cellist Stephen Balderston will perform Dvorák’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 23; Zemlinsky’s Clarinet Trio in D Minor, Op. 3; and Bloch’s Piano Quintet No. 1.

7:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15  - The program features Mozart’s Oboe Quartet in F Major, KV 370; Giuliani’s Duo for Violin and Guitar, Op. 25; Janacek’s Sextet for Woodwinds; and Elgar’s Piano Quintet in A Minor, Op. 84. Performers include pianist Sylvia Wang; flutist Jennifer Hackett; oboist Michael Henoch; clarinetist Steven Cohen; bass clarinetist J. Lawrie Bloom; bassoonist William Buchman; hornist Dan Gingrich; guitarist Anne Waller; violinists Russell Hershow, Lei Hou and Qing Hou; violist Lawrence Neuman; and cellist Brant Taylor.

7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20 – Bruch’s Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Viola and Piano, Op. 83; Ligeti’s Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano; and Schubert’s String Quartet in G Major, D. 887 will be performed by pianist and School of Music Dean Toni-Marie Montgomery; pianist Ursula Oppens; clarinetist Steven Cohen; hornist Gail Williams; violinists Russell Hershow, Mathias Tacke and Yuan-Qing Yu; violist Rami Solomonow; and cellist Ken Olsen.

3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22 - The festival concludes with an afternoon program of Beethoven’s String Quartet in G Major, Op. 18, No. 2; Schumann’s Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 63; and Brahms’ String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 51, No. 2. The Vermeer Quartet (violinists Shmuel Ashkenasi and Mathias Tacke, violist Richard Young and cellist Marc Johnson) will perform with pianist Andrea Swan.

The Winter Chamber Music Festival is made possible by the continuing generous support of the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation.

Single ticket prices for the Jan. 13, Jan. 15, Jan. 20 and Jan. 22 concerts are $22 for the general public; $20 for seniors and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $10 for students.