Chamber Music Society 2015-16

String quintets of Schubert and the Anglo-French early romantic George Onslow, an all-Bach chamber-orchestra program, cello sonatas of Beethoven and “For a Look or a Touch,” a chamber opera by Jake Heggie, the composer of “Moby-Dick” and “Dead Man Walking,” highlight the 2015-16 season of the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia.

The society’s artistic director, James Wilson, will perform three Beethoven sonatas on a period-style, gut-strung cello, with Carsten Schmidt playing the fortepiano, the early hammered-string keyboard instrument that was used in Beethoven’s time.

Wilson will join other musicians playing baroque-period instruments in a chamber program at Wilton House Museum and the Bach program, which includes three of the “Brandenburg” concertos.

In the coming season, the Chamber Music Society will present six ticketed programs at First Unitarian Universalist, Holy Comforter Episcopal and Second Presbyterian churches, as well as Wilton, and two free programs at the Richmond Public Library.

Subscription packages for the six ticketed concerts are $144 for adults, $117 for seniors (60 and older), $31 for students. Single tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, $5 for students, for all ticketed concerts except the Wilton House program, for which the ticket scale is $35-$30-$10. No senior discount is offered for single tickets to the Heggie opera.

For more information, call the Chamber Music Society at (804) 519-2098 or visit www.cmscva.org

Dates, locations, artists and programs for the society’s 2015-16 season:

Oct. 3 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room Richmond Public Library, First and Franklin streets
Nurit Pacht & Kyu-Young Kim, violins
Amadi Azikiwi, viola
Tomas Djupsjöbacka & James Wilson, cellos
“Boccherini 3, 4, 5”
excerpts of string trios, quartets, quintets
free

Oct. 4 (4 p.m.)
First Unitarian Universalist Church, 1000 Blanton Ave. at the Carillon
Nurit Pacht & Kyu-Young Kim, violins
Amadi Azikiwi, viola
Tomas Djupsjöbacka & James Wilson, cellos
George Onslow: String Quintet No. 12
Schubert: String Quintet in C major
pre-concert talk at 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 13 (7:30 p.m.)
Wilton House Museum, 215 S. Wilton Road
Tricia van Oers, recorder
Fiona Hughes, baroque violin
James Wilson, baroque cello
Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord
sonatas for recorder and violin by Handel, Telemann, Corelli
pre-concert talk at 7 p.m.

Dec. 15 (7:30 p.m.)
Holy Comforter Episcopal Church, Monument Avenue at Staples Mill Road
Martin Davids, Fiona Hughes & June Huang, baroque violins
Kyle Miller, baroque viola
James Wilson, baroque cello
Mary Boodell, traverso flute
Tricia van Oers, recorder
Margaret Owens, recorder and baroque oboe
Mary Elizabeth Bowden, trumpet
Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord
J.S. Bach: “Brandenburg” concertos Nos. 2, 4, 5
J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor
pre-concert talk at 7 p.m.

Feb. 28 (4 p.m.)
First Unitarian Universalist Church
Daisuke Yamamoto violin
Mary Boodell, flute
James Wilson, cello
Carsten Schmidt, piano
“Different Voices”
Fazil Say: “Four Cities” – “Sivas”
Erwin Schulhoff: Duo for violin and cello
Valerie Coleman: “Portraits of Langston”
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: Piano Trio in D minor
pre-concert talk at 3:30 p.m.

Feb. 29 (7:30 p.m.)
First Unitarian Universalist Church
John Taylor Ward, baritone
Grant Mudge, actor
Daisuke Yamamoto, violin
Mary Boodell, flute
James Wilson, cello
Carsten Schmidt, piano
Jake Heggie: “For a Look or a Touch”

April 16 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room, Richmond Public Library
performers TBA
“Beethoven in Words and Music”
curated by Angela Lehman
free

April 17 (4 p.m.)
Second Presbyterian Church, 5 N. Fifth St.
James Wilson, cello
Carsten Schmidt, fortepiano
Beethoven: Cello Sonata in A major, Op. 69
Beethoven: Cello Sonata in C major, Op. 102, No. 1
Beethoven: Cello Sonata in D major, Op. 102, No. 2
pre-concert talk at 3:30 p.m.