Meet Elizabeth, and her family.

We have enjoyed having Elizabeth Ramos (violin) perform with us so much this season! When we asked her to play this upcoming concert with us, she was giddy with delight. It turns out that one of the pieces on the program holds a special place in her heart, and this is her first opportunity to actually play it. She has graciously shared this story with us today. 

Elizabeth comes from a family of musicians. Both of her parents play in the St. Louis Symphony. Her mom is a cellist and her dad is a violinist. Both of her siblings are also musicians. What is it like to grow up in a house full of string players? She gives us a little glimpse in her story. 

Elizabeth Ramos, violin

In my parents house, my mother has a studio that is cluttered with dusty cassettes, decaying volumes of music, and every type of random artifact you could imagine, ranging from decade old used strings to broken splintering cello chairs.  It is here that I would come in my adolescent years to rummage through old bins of recordings and thumb through yellowed, flaking pages of chamber music.  Mixed into the hodgepodge of musical paraphernalia I would frequently come across live recordings of my parent’s performances, some from only a few months prior, and others extending as far back as their conservatory days in the 70’s.  Perhaps early on I had a deep seated sense of parental pride, or more likely it was just an inquisitive child’s curiosity, but more often than not I would find myself specifically combing through the familial stacks of long forgotten cassette tapes labeled “Carmen Fantasy, 1987,” or “Brahms Double, 1993.”

Elizabeth on the far left, with her siblings, playing together.

Every find would be a secret bonanza, to be confiscated and listened to over and over again while doing the dishes. (The kitchen had the most easily accesible stereo.)  It was during one of these “snooping” sessions that I came across a cassette tape of the Schumann Piano Quintet with my father playing first violin.  To a child’s ears, it was magnetic.  During the after dinner dishes that evening, I dragged my little brother into the kitchen and forced him to sword fight with a spatula and a wooden spoon to the Scherzo, and play acted a long, drawn out melodramatic death accompanying the slow movement.  For the next year it was the only recording that played during our dish washing listening sessions.  Eventually we memorized our own made up lyrics, usually consisting of comedic insults and ridiculous dialogue, frequently interrupted by bouts of giggles and laughter.
Throughout the years I’ve held this chamber work in the highest regard, not only for it’s masterful brilliance, but also for the nostalgic quality it inspires.  This will be my first time performing the Schumann Piano Quintet.

Come hear Elizabeth play the Schumann Piano Quintet next Friday! Maybe she’ll swing a wooden spoon at you during the Scherzo. 

ACE
April 12, 8:00pm
The Chapel Venue
buy tickets>

SCHUBERT  String Trio in B flat Major
CRESTON  Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano
SCHUMANN  Piano Quintet in E flat Major

Hannah Frey, violin
Elizabeth Ramos, violin
Laura Reycraft, viola
Stephanie Hunt, cello
Adrianne Honnold, saxophone
Peter Henderson, piano

Where in the world…

Our upcoming concert is called “Voyage” and explores music that expresses some kind of journey. We asked our musicians about their musical Voyages!

Cellist Valentina Takova previously shared her story, which envovles an intense journey of leaving her homeland and moving to America with her cello. You can read that here. But this time she shares something a little lighter. And sandier.

Don’t you wish you were here right now!?

“I have traveled quite a bit because of my cello but I think my favorite work related voyage is going to Hawaii! Yes, you read this right! I play with the Honolulu Symphony from time to time and there is nothing better than dropping off your cello after rehearsal and going to the beach or to swim with turtles! Every day is sunny and beautiful. Girls wear flowers in their hair and people say Aloha when you walk in to Walgreen’s. And at the end of the week…you get payed…Yes, you read that right too! Of course there are always dangers like getting your ears full with sand from a big wave, falling off of a cliff while hiking or being bitten by a giant bug…but I’ll take it! Thank you Honolulu Symphony! Definitely my favorite musical voyage!”

Artistic Director and flutist, Jennifer Gartley shares her story of going to a festival in Canada where she fell in love….sort of.  She’s also been to Mexico, but that story is for later.

I can tell you Jen never stops talking about this guy.

A few summers ago, well more than a few now, I spent a couple weeks up in Canada, north of Quebec at a music festival called Domaine Forget.  The sole reason I went was to learn from my flute boyfriend: Emmanuel Pahud. To be clear, he is unfortunately not my boyfriend, but I can promise you if you ask any of my college students about my flute boyfriend, they will know exactly who you are talking about. Now, I did not just love him because he is beautiful and French – but that didn’t hurt.  I loved him mostly because he was the most amazing flute player I had ever heard.  My

Emmanuel Pahud, Jen’s not so secret celebrity crush. (Pahud, are you reading this?)

friend Anne and I drove up from Portland, Maine in an old ford taurus that had seen better days.  We arrived and the views were breathtaking and there were a ton of flutists.  Flutists sometimes get a bad rep for being ul

tra competitive and dare we say not very friendly, but that was not my experience.  I made a ton of new flute friends from all over the globe and I got to practice my French a little bit.  Emmanuel Pahud turned out to be not only an amazing player, but also an empathetic, daring, and inspiring teacher.  On our free days, we walked through the streets of Quebec and I bought a really great pair of earrings from this fancy Canadian store, that turned out to be an American chain retailer – but I felt very fancy for a moment. The lessons I learned about being open to other musicians, making intentional artistic decisions, and hearing J.S. Bach in an entirely new way are lessons I have carried with me ever since.

Vince Varvel, guitar enjoyed performing all over Europe. Vince is performing with Chamber Project for the first time on Voyage. 

I think my favorite musical “voyage” up to now has been the first time I went to Europe to play. The excitement of being in Europe combined with the experience of playing for the wonderful audiences over there was a life-changing experience for me.  While it was wonderful performing in a big city like Paris, my favorite concerts were the ones played in the smaller towns in the countryside where we were welcomed and treated like family (and fed pretty well, to boot!)

FEB 22, 7:00pm at The Saint Louis Art Museum Art After 5 series.Call 314-721-0072 to reserve your free tickets. **THIS CONCERT IS SOLD OUT**

MARCH 1, 8:00pm at The Chapel Venue. $10 in advance, $15 at the door.
Includes 2 drinks. Click here for advance ticket purchase.

Full Program
PIAZZOLLA            L’histoire du Tango
BERMEL                Soul Garden
SCHOENBERG     Transfigured Night

Meet Eliana

Our upcoming concert is titled “VOYAGE” because all of the pieces start somewhere and end up somewhere different. We thought it would be fun to learn about Voyages our musicians have taken so we asked them to share. Eliana Haig (viola) will be making her debut with Chamber Project next week. She’s new to Saint Louis so take a moment and get to know her and her story! We’ll have a few more stories coming soon. 

Hi! My name is Eliana and I am very excited to be playing viola on the Voyage concerts for Chamber Project! I am a Saint Louis newbie, having just moved here with my fiance, Alex, in August. I currently teach about 22 private students (and growing) and freelance throughout the region.

Eliana and her beloved viola!

I decided on the viola in 3rd grade string orchestra through a process of elimination. I decided that 1) the violin was too high-pitched and annoying (upon working with many great violinists I have since changed my view) and 2) the cello was going to be a pain to carry around. The viola and I have been inseparable ever since. I love playing the middle voice and being in the center of the action.

I’ve been lucky that my viola playing has allowed me to enjoy many different parts of the world as well as many different musical experiences. I just moved to Saint Louis from Rochester, New York: I got my Master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, then lived “downstate” (NYC area) for two years, then went back to Rochester, and now here. I grew up in Kentucky, but did my Bachelor’s degree in Wisconsin, so I’ve sort of lived a little bit of everywhere! My most interesting musical voyage, however, was the year I spent studying abroad in Austria.

Beethoven Monument in Vienna

Like many American students, I did a study abroad program for a semester, and chose Vienna as my destination. To non-musicians this may seem a bit random. Why not London or Paris or Berlin? But Vienna is actually a musician’s dream destination. Most of the composers we know best lived there, including Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Schubert, and Schumann. Arnold Schoenberg, the composer of Verklärte Nacht [which is on the upcoming concert], was born in Vienna and lived and worked there before being forced to emigrate when the Nazi party rose to power. {click here to watch a short video about Schoenberg in Vienna} I got to visit Beethoven’s apartment, explore an entire museum devoted to Mahler, and see a Bruckner Symphony with the same orchestra and the same hall where it was premiered. During my semester in Vienna, I also took lessons with a fantastic viola teacher, from whom I learned so much that I decided to stay the rest of the year.

This teacher actually taught full-time at a school in Graz, a small city in the southern part of Austria, so I enrolled there. I learned conversational German, though much of it I have forgotten. I played a lot of concerts, and met many people from all over the world. Being far away from home with only a passable command of the language was exciting, fascinating, confusing, and lonely, often all in the same day! Since I often think in musical terms, the best way I can think to describing my experience is that it was like learning a completely new piece of music for the first time.

Beginning to rehearse a new piece, while fun and exciting, is often disorienting. Even if I have listened to the piece with the score, hearing my part combined with the others for the first time feels like information overload. Especially when I’m preparing to perform piece of contemporary music, it takes a while to try to understand the “musical language” of the composer. Why do they want it to get louder there? What emotional or coloristic effect is he or she going for? Sometimes a new piece seems so “foreign” that I’m not even sure if certain markings in the score are clerical errors or intentional musical instructions. But much like the thrill of travelling, I love playing new music because it stretches me intellectually and forces me to try new ways of doing things – all in real time and while responding to the other musicians. That’s why live music is so much fun!

Much like a composer’s notes in the score, symbolic instructions can get lost in translation. This ambiguous sign, which I saw outside of public transit station in Graz, Austria, says “uneven surfaces”.

What does this mean?!

Be sure to say hi to Eliana at one of our upcoming concerts!

FEB 22, 7:00pm at The Saint Louis Art Museum Art After 5 series.Call 314-721-0072 to reserve your free tickets.

MARCH 1, 8:00pm at The Chapel Venue. $10 in advance, $15 at the door.
Includes 2 drinks. Click here for advance ticket purchase.

Full Program
PIAZZOLLA            L’histoire du Tango
BERMEL                Soul Garden
SCHOENBERG     Transfigured Night

Transfigured Night Illuminated

this post written by Dana

Our next concert, Voyage, features a very famous piece by the famous composer Arnold Schoenberg. Verklärte Nacht, or, Transfigured Night. Written for string sextet (2 violins, 2 violas and 2 cellos) the piece is based on a poem of the same name by Richard Dehmel.

The poem is quite intimate and powerful, and had a big effect on Schoenberg. So big, it inspired him to write one of his most famous works. After writing the haunting, passionate and beautiful Transfigured Night, Schoenberg turned his music, and the world of music, on its head by writing some really crazy stuff, notably Pierrot Lunaire, which is being performed this Wednesday by members of The Saint Louis Symphony at The Pulitzer if you’re interested.

But back to Transfigured Night. As you might know, we’ve been creating art posters for each of our concerts this year, and I felt that this poem had such rich imagery I really wanted an artist to do something with it, and luckily, I had just recently met a wonderful artist – Holly Gollwitzer-Gregg. I pitched it to her and she said yes! Here is the result!

It might seem rather mysterious if you haven’t read the poem – which is what we were looking for. This poem has really stuck to me. It has everything- the just slightly taboo subject, the fear, the courage, the love and acceptance. Holly captures THE MOMENT of the poem so beautifully. You can see more of her work (she’s also an incredible Decorative Painter) on her site: www.lefthanddecorative.com

Here is the poem, courtesy of Wikipedia, where you can learn more about the music too if you’d like. There are also some fantastic YouTube videos of it. This one gives a moment by moment description of how the music and the text fit together.

Zwei Menschen gehn durch kahlen, kalten Hain; der Mond läuft mit, sie schaun hinein. Der Mond läuft über hohe Eichen; kein Wölkchen trübt das Himmelslicht, in das die schwarzen Zacken reichen. Die Stimme eines Weibes spricht:		Two people are walking through a bare, cold wood; the moon keeps pace with them and draws their gaze. The moon moves along above tall oak trees, there is no wisp of cloud to obscure the radiance to which the black, jagged tips reach up. A woman’s voice speaks:
„Ich trag ein Kind, und nit von Dir, ich geh in Sünde neben Dir. Ich hab mich schwer an mir vergangen. Ich glaubte nicht mehr an ein Glück und hatte doch ein schwer Verlangen nach Lebensinhalt, nach Mutterglück		“I am carrying a child, and not by you. I am walking here with you in a state of sin. I have offended grievously against myself. I despaired of happiness, and yet I still felt a grievous longing for life’s fullness, for a mother’s joys
und Pflicht; da hab ich mich erfrecht, da ließ ich schaudernd mein Geschlecht von einem fremden Mann umfangen, und hab mich noch dafür gesegnet. Nun hat das Leben sich gerächt: nun bin ich Dir, o Dir, begegnet.“		and duties; and so I sinned, and so I yielded, shuddering, my sex to the embrace of a stranger, and even thought myself blessed. Now life has taken its revenge, and I have met you, met you.”
Sie geht mit ungelenkem Schritt. Sie schaut empor; der Mond läuft mit. Ihr dunkler Blick ertrinkt in Licht. Die Stimme eines Mannes spricht:		She walks on, stumbling. She looks up; the moon keeps pace. Her dark gaze drowns in light. A man’s voice speaks:
„Das Kind, das Du empfangen hast, sei Deiner Seele keine Last, o sieh, wie klar das Weltall schimmert! Es ist ein Glanz um alles her; Du treibst mit mir auf kaltem Meer, doch eine eigne Wärme flimmert von Dir in mich, von mir in Dich.		“Do not let the child you have conceived be a burden on your soul. Look, how brightly the universe shines! Splendour falls on everything around, you are voyaging with me on a cold sea, but there is the glow of an inner warmth from you in me, from me in you.
Die wird das fremde Kind verklären, Du wirst es mir, von mir gebären; Du hast den Glanz in mich gebracht, Du hast mich selbst zum Kind gemacht.“ Er faßt sie um die starken Hüften. Ihr Atem küßt sich in den Lüften. Zwei Menschen gehn durch hohe, helle Nacht.		That warmth will transfigure the stranger’s child, and you bear it me, begot by me. You have transfused me with splendour, you have made a child of me.” He puts an arm about her strong hips. Their breath embraces in the air. Two people walk on through the high, bright night.

(English translation by Mary Whittall)

Performances

FEB 22, 7:00pm at The Saint Louis Art Museum Art After 5 series.Call 314-721-0072 to reserve your free tickets.

MARCH 1, 8:00pm at The Chapel Venue. $10 in advance, $15 at the door.
Includes 2 drinks. Click here for advance ticket purchase.

Full Program
PIAZZOLLA            L’histoire du Tango
BERMEL                Soul Garden
SCHOENBERG     Transfigured Night

Stay tuned, we’re going to have Voyage stories from our musicians in the next post!

From Nothing

by Dana

Recently an audience member said, “So, you really started this from nothing?”

Yup, I said, from nothing.

It started from nothing, nothing of Chamber Project existed in any from.  And then there was that fateful night. A few friends, some old, some new, got together to hang out and enjoy a nice glass or two of wine. Being new to each other and all being musicians, the conversation naturally turned to music. We got excited about some music we wanted to play, and decided to have A MEETING. (Just so you know, musicians have rehearsals…not MEETINGS.)

So we had our first meeting, we brainstormed, we got excited about all of the possibilities, and we drank more wine. We created a group email account, we sent dozens of ideas over email. We had another meeting (and more wine).

We got lucky when Mark Overton at Saxquest asked us to put together something for a little mini-festival he put on in a tent behind his shop. We had our first gig! We decided to put together a whole season. We found a venue that would provide a space for us to set up a series of concerts, which was amazing. We celebrated, with just a little more wine.

Our first gig! Spring 2008!

We fought about programming, we stressed about money, we experimented with concert formats.  We struggled with the website, learned how to use social media. We were educated on the difference between PR and Marketing.  We performed some great concerts, and maybe some not so great concerts.  We built a board, we became a non-profit. We had our first fundraiser, created our first spreadsheet, and wrote and received our first grant!

We’ve learned we have hidden talents that don’t involve our instruments. We’ve learned we have limits and we’ve pushed them.  We’ve learned the challenges and rewards of working with your friends. (How do you tell a close friend that she’s out of tune or that you think her big idea isn’t so big – how do you take it when you’re on the receiving end?) We’ve learned to be vulnerable and to be tough.  I think the most valuable thing we’ve all learned is to trust each other, both on and off stage.

And we’ve also learned to stop drinking wine at meetings. Well, most meetings.

This is why we stopped drinking wine at “MEETINGS”. Dana and Nina after a concert during our first season at The Wine Press – Winter 08/09

Most importantly, we built, and continue to build, a community of people that come together to enjoy music. And they get drink wine at our concerts while we work!

We’re packing this house this year! September 2012 at The Chapel Venue.

Build with us as we wrap up our Countdown to 2013 fundraising campaign!

PayPal: www.paypal.com/chamberprojectstl

Check: 4159 Wyoming St. St.Louis MO 63116

Building Together

Today we launch our “Countdown to 2013” donation drive!

We love bringing music to our community – and we need your help to keep it coming! Help us establish ourselves as a permanent fixture in the music scene here in Saint Louis by making a donation. We call it, “Becoming Part of the Project” because when you donate to us, you really are an integral part of what we do and you join the circle of people who have come together to make our concerts a part of their lives.

So, this thing called music costs money. Quite a bit of money. Our focus is to present the best musicians our town has to offer in intimate, casual settings where you can get to know the musicians, as well as the music. We go out of our way to use locally owned businesses for the services we need as much as we can. (All of our printing is done by locally owned printers – The Ink Spot on Hampton and Paperkeet on Morganford).

We put together this little flyer to send out with our snail mail campaign – scroll down to see our “contribution menu”.

The first advice we got from an adviser who helped us set up our non-profit status was that our financial foundation would come from lots and lots of small to medium donations. Not from grants or big flashy donations. And she was right. We have received some very generous donations, for which we are incredibly grateful. We’ve received our first grant, and look forward to more in the future, but what we really seek is for the community to chip in what they can to help make music happen in their community!

Take a moment and visit our PayPal link and become a Part of the Project!

www.PayPal.com

or send a check to:

4159 Wyoming Street
St. Louis, MO 63116

Thank you and Happy New Year!

Meet Megan

Meet Megan, her sisters and her dog, and hear her play this Wednesday at The Schlafly Tap Room! (concert details at the end)

My name is Megan Stout. I have loved the harp for as long as I can remember.  I moved to St Louis a few years ago and have been so fortunate that Chamber Project has asked me to play with them. It is such a rewarding musical experience with marvelous musicians and people.

People ask me why I chose the harp.  I, honestly have no idea.  I was always taken with the idea. When I was a little girl (about 5) we lived in a house with a pool. The hollow metal pool railing was shaped like a harp and I would hit it until it would ring then pretend to play. It combined two of my favorite things, water and the harp!

I FINALLY got lessons when I was 9 years old. When my mom told me that my teacher accepted me and that I was going to start lessons I fell to the floor crying. I was an ecstatic little girl. 🙂

As we all know, the harp is heavy and awkward to carry. It took me a little time to be able to get a harp dolly but luckily, I had the older neighbor boy, Jake, to help me and my mom get it into the old family suburban. When I got my harp dolly I named it Jake after that patient and strong boy. Jake (the cart) and I have been together for 20 years and it currently resides at Powell Symphony Hall!

I have two sisters who are also musicians. My older sister is a pianist and my younger sister is an oboist. We are very close and love to play duets and trios together. These are pictures of me and my sisters after a few recitals we played together.

My older sister and I did our undergraduate studies together at IU [Indiana University] and then my younger sister and I overlapped at IU for our Master’s degrees.  We confused a lot of teachers as we all look so much alike.

I loved my time at IU.  It is such a big school!  The harp department usually had about 23 harpists in it each semester and I learned so much from my fellow harpies. This is a picture from my freshman year recital.

After IU I spent some time in Indianapolis and Cincinnati. I have to say that I was thrilled to move here to St Louis to play 2nd harp for The St. Louis Symphony. I love St. Louis and feel like my friends and colleagues give me such a full and rich life. This year I am playing as the Acting Principal Harpist of The St. Louis Symphony, which has been such a fun and rewarding experience.  This year brings to fruition everything that I dreamed of as a little girl.

Oliver loves the harp as much as Megan does!

I couldn’t talk about myself without also mentioning my practice buddy, Oliver! He is an adorable terrier schnauzer mix whom I rescued 2 years ago.  There was a period of time where I was working particularly hard for an upcoming concert and practicing long hours. Oliver likes being in the room with me when I practice (I have to push him off of my feet pretty often as he blocks me from using my pedals!). At one point he got up, went to the other room, grabbed his doggy bed, and pulled it into the harp room to lay it directly on the legs of my music stand. He curled up and looked at me like, “OK, I’m comfy! Go ahead!”

My time in St Louis has been the happiest of my life. With great people, a great job, and great musicians, (and great dog!) how could it not be?

Megan is featured in our concert this Wednesday at The Schlafly Tap Room! Sit back and enjoy the amazing sounds of the harp with your favorite local brew. Come early and enjoy dinner in downstairs.

NOV 14, 7:00 pm
The Schlafly Tap Room -upstairs in The Club Room, doors at 6:30
2100 Locust Street, (@21st) 63103 MAP IT
$10 cash/check/card – in advance online click here

program
ROCHESTER YOUNG     Song of the Lark
MOZART                         Duo in B-flat Major K.424
DONIZETTI                      Harp Solo from Lucia di Lammermoor
JOLIVET                          Petite Suite

musicians
Jennifer Gartley, flute
Hannah Frey, violin
Laura Reycraft, viola
Megan Stout, harp

Dana Hotle, remarks

Creating a MOSAIC

Our concert this week is called “MOSAIC”. Every piece on the program is by an American, and each piece truly unique.  We’re really excited about the blend of old and new on this program and the breathtaking variety of style. From traditional classical, modernist mastery, jazz, blues and folk – it’s all in here! Learn a little more about the music from the musicians themselves in this post.

October 19, 8:00 pm
The Chapel Venue – tickets include 2 drinks.
$10 in advance, $15 at the door. Online ticket purchase click here.

October 24, 7:30pm
Chamber Music Series
Danforth University Center, Washington University – in the Goldberg Formal Lounge
free

MUSICIANS
Jennifer Gartley, flute
Dana Hotle, clarinet
Adrianne Honnold, saxophone
Elizabeth Ramos, violin
Laura Reycraft, viola
Stephanie Hunt, cello
Christopher Haughey, bass

JOAN TOWER Petroushskates (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano)

Tower was inspired by the great ballet by Igor Stravinsky (L). Here he is with his “Petroushka”, the  choreographer and dancer, Najinsky. Scary Clown?

Dana “I about fell out of my chair the first time I heard Petroushskates I loved it so much. It is so colorful and vibrant. Joan achieves these bright, shimmering, brilliant colors with just these 5 instruments, almost exactly the same colors the composer Stravinsky gets with a full orchestra. Stravinsky’s famous ballet, Petroushka, is one of her sources of inspiration for this unique piece. The other source, figure skating, seems completely at odds with her first source: an iconic ballet by a Russian master, but somehow, she makes it work! I love the tension that these two seemingly unrelated ideas create in this short piece. I’m excited to finally play music by Joan Tower, one of the great American composers of the 20th Century, and one of the first female composers to really “make it”. She was the Conductor in Residence at the St. Louis Symphony in the ’80s, so she has this great St. Louis connection as well.”

Jennifer “The Tower never lets up, I can never stop counting even for a second. In practicing this work, the rhythmic element is just so challenging, but the effect should be a mix of the ultra complicated coupled with a feeling of effortlessness… which doesn’t completely make sense until you hear it.”

AARON COPLAND Piano Variations (solo piano)

Aaron Copland, the “Dean of American Music”. After the Piano Variations, he went on to compose his “populist” hits like Appalachian Spring and Hoedown.

This is not your everyday piece of music. This is not your everyday composer. One of the most popular American composers of all time, you get to hear a side of Copland you may not have heard before in his Piano Variations (1930). This piece put him on the map as a very serious artist. This music is “ART” in the highest sense of the word. It falls into the category of “Modernism”, which basically means a style of music in which a composer is trying to break out of the traditional ways of using melody, harmony and rhythm, often times failing to create anything lasting. But not Aaron, he succeeds brilliantly. This music is bracing and angular, representing the incredible changes in society in the early to mid 20th century. Think machines, technology, urbanism – expressed in a very elegant and concise vocabulary. We’ve rented a brand spanking new Yamaha Concert Grand piano for this concert, and Nina is going to show you everything it can do with the Copland!

MASON BATES Life of Birds (flute, clarinet, violin, cello)

Here is Mason, doing his thing with an orchestra. Our piece is acoustic.

Jennifer “I have been intrigued by Mason Bates for a few years and I first heard about him in his role with the New World Symphony in creating these really cool electronica/classical crossover concerts that were held in clubs late night. After a little bit of research, I found that he also composed acoustic works and this work just seemed to fit perfectly with our programming. I like his approach to narrative within a work, and even though flute players sometimes get a little tired of being compared to birds, this new approach by Bates really caught my interest. I can’t wait to play this, it has been on my wish list for a couple of years.”

Dana “Life of Birds is amazing. It’s playful, jazzy, modern and soulful all at the same time. we had a blast rehearsing it at a Very Open Rehearsal at STLCC last week!”

Mason is on Facebook and Twitter (follow links to connect with him)

~intermission~

EVAN CHAMBERS  Come Down Heavy (violin, saxophone, piano)

The saxophone part to Come Down Heavy – looks awesome!

Adrianne “Evan Chambers, the composer of Come Down Heavy, is a contemporary American composer and a traditional Irish fiddler. As you might imagine, he often unites the contemporary and the traditional in his music, and Come Down Heavy is no exception. The piece starts out with a blues-styled line in the saxophone part but quickly evolves into a more avant-garde imagining of the melody utilizing the extended range of the saxophone and rhythmic complexity in the ensemble as a whole. At one point the instruction to the performers in the score says “Cataclysmic”, which I’ve never seen in a piece of music!

Throughout the first movement, the piece goes back and forth between these bluesy folk tune melodies and a more modern representation of those melodies. The second and third movements of the piece are more traditional, with the second movement featuring a beautiful melody performed by the fiddle and the third movement featuring the saxophone. Finally, the fourth movement, “Drill Ye Tarriers” employs different types of dance forms and ends with a frenzied flourish in the form of a tarantella. [a tarantella is an old Italian dance form that has to do with spiders, you can read about it here] Throughout the piece Chambers uses traditional Irish, Scottish and even Italian folk ideas, a nod to both his own heritage and to the varied heritage of America.  This piece can get pretty wild, but just keep listening! You’re never far from another folk tune. ”

GEORGE GERSHWIN “Someone to Watch Over Me” (saxophone, string quintet)
An American Classic, sweetly arranged for sax and strings. Check out this beautiful rendition by the incredible Ella Fitzgerald.

This program is presented in partnership with The American Arts Experience, and partially funded by The Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

STLCC Students ROCK!

by Dana – be sure to scroll down!

The St. Louis Community College has invited us to present a Very Open Rehearsal on their Meramec Campus on Friday Oct. 12. We are thrilled to be involved with this young energetic community. Dr. Jerry Myers, Director of Choral Actives/Assistance Professor of Music at STLCC says,

It is a goal of the STLCC Meramec Music Department to expose our students to quality musical experiences, whether in the classroom, rehearsal, or through guest artists. While it is important for our students to see performances by professional musicians, our focus is on teaching students the process of learning music. The Very Open Rehearsal allows us to exposes our students to professional musicians, but also gives the students the opportunity to witness a professional-level rehearsal. Further, our students will be able to interact with these musicians and discuss the rehearsal process with the guest artists. I cannot think of a better music education experience!

We can’t either, and we’re excited about being on campus on Oct. 12th at noon! This event is free and open to everyone. It’s in Humanities West, Room 102, which is across the hall from the Theater. Please join us!

As part of this project, we asked Micheal Swoboda’s STLCC Graphic Design class to create posters for this event in a unique cross-discipline collaboration. We are thrilled with the results! Do you have a favorite? We could pick one so we printed a few of each!

One-Week Design Challenge

Chamber Project event Posters

24˝ x 36˝ ; typeface: Gil Sans

 

Working in groups of three and using the supplied text—

research the mission of the organization, listen to the style

of music to be performed, and conceptualize multiple ideas

to create one or more dynamic posters that will entice the 

community to attend the event.

 

Graphic Design 1 and II, Monday / Wednesday 6:00 pm to 8:50 pm

 

Class Participants

 

John Chihak

Karrie Columbus 

Chris Conant

Blake Estes

Emily Feldewerth

David Harris

Adam Scott 

Carly Troxell

 

Willa Allen

Merrick Felder 

Brian Grass 

Irfan Mirza      

Steven Nash

Ashley Schepers 

Peggy Triska

 

Michael Swoboda, instructor

October by the Interval

It’s October, it’s fall, it’s a great time of year.  The weather has been fantastic, and the arts are in full swing here in the ‘Lou.  Here at Chamber Project, we’re really excited about our biggest month of the season!

Our kick off concert in September was fantastic. We had a packed house and a great performance. We’re keeping the energy up with three events in October! We are really excited about our October program, called “MOSAIC”, for many reasons.

First of all, the music is fantastic. This is an all American program, and truly brings together the past and the future of music in America. More on the Music in a post coming soon.

Second, WE GOT OUR FIRST GRANT to help fund these events! Thank you to the Missouri Arts Council (a state agency) for the funding! (Yes, I’m supposed to say “a state agency” in conjunction with “Missouri Arts Council”, those are the rules.) It’s a small Project Grant to help cover costs and aid in some marketing for all three events (2 concerts, one VOR) in October. It’s awesome to get our first grant, hopefully the first of many!

Third, we are participating in The American Arts Experience with our October 19 concert  (at The Chapel) along with some of the best arts organizations in town. Our September concert at The Chapel almost sold out  – so get your tickets early! (click here)

Fourth, The St. Louis Community College has invited us to present a Very Open Rehearsal at their Meramec Campus on at noon on Friday October 12. We are really excited about engaging with this vibrant student population. One of the STLCC design classes is working on poster(s) for the VOR – we’ll share them here when we get them! It is open to the public, and free – so come on out.

Fifth, Our MOSAIC program features Adrianne Honnold, (saxophone). She teaches at Washington University and they’ve asked her to bring us back to the DUC Chamber Music Series on Wednesday October 24. 

Sixth, We’ve got this awesome poster we’re putting up around town – look for it.

Featuring Lady Liberty, our poster for Mosaic brings all our themes together.

Seventh. Well, I just wanted to get to seven so I could introduce this cool website where you can listen to the Musical Intervals, which are labled as ‘seconds’, ‘thirds’, ‘fourths’ and on up to ‘sevenths’.  Intervals are the distance (low to high) between notes. As I made this list, I was thinking about the intervals. Most people don’t know about intervals in music, but now you do. Some intervals get along, they’re “consonant”, others disagree, they’re “dissonant”. Which ones are which? Can you tell? Our MOSAIC program uses some very interesting combinations. Goof off for a moment and enjoy this site! http://www.musicalintervalstutor.info/listenpg.html

We’ll have more about our MOSAIC program, and each of the events coming up in October soon!