Chamber Music Society 2016-17

Nine programs, ranging from Franz Schubert’s quintets and harpsichord partitas of Johann Sebastian Bach to programs exploring the music of the Italian baroque and La Belle Époque of late-19th century France, will be staged in the 2016-17 season of the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia.

The society’s artistic director, James Wilson, has recruited an international roster of two dozen artists for performances in September, October, December, March and April at six venues throughout the city.

Highlights of the coming season include performances of Schubert’s String Quintet in C major and “Trout” Quintet, the latter featuring Carsten Schmidt playing a reproduction of a
Graf fortepiano of Schubert’s time
(Sept. 18), Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and other Italian baroque sonatas and concertos (Dec. 11 and 13), and programs of Brahms, Clara Schumann and their musical circle (March 10-11).

Three free informal programs will be presented in the Gellman Room of the Richmond Public Library’s downtown main branch.

Subscriptions for the six ticketed programs – including limited-capacity events at Wilton House Museum and a private home – are $145 for adults, $128 for seniors, $34 for students.

Single tickets are $25 (adult), $20 (senior), $5 (student), except for the Wilton and house concerts, which are $35 (adult and senior), $10 (student).

For more information, call (804) 519-2098, e-mail cmscva@yahoo.com, or visit the Chamber Music Society’s website, http://www.cmscva.org

The 2016-17 program schedule:

Sept. 17 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room, Richmond Public Library, First and Franklin streets
“String Happy Hour”
Boccherini: String Trio in C minor
Boccherini: Quartet in G major (“La Tiranna Spagnola”)
Boccherini: Quintet in D major (“Fandango”)
George Onslow: Quintet in C minor, Op. 38 (“The Bullet”)
Guillaume Pirard & Nurit Pacht, violins
Celia Hatton, viola
Khari Joyner & James Wilson, cellos

Sept. 18 (4 p.m.)
Second Presbyterian Church, 5 N. Fifth St.
Schubert: Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667 (“Trout”)
Schubert: String Quintet in C major, D. 956
Guillaume Pirard & Nurit Pacht, violins
Celia Hatton, viola
Khari Joyner & James Wilson, cellos
Anthony Manzo, double-bass
Carsten Schmidt, fortepiano
pre-concert talk, 3:30 p.m.

Oct. 23 (4 p.m.)
Second Presbyterian Church
J.S. Bach: Partita in A minor, BWV 827
J.S. Bach: Partita in G major, BWV 829
J.S. Bach: Partita in E minor, BWV 830
Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord

Dec. 11 (7:30 p.m.)
Wilton House Museum, 215 S. Wilton Road
“Baroque at Wilton”
Italian baroque chamber works TBA
Minna Pensola & Antti Tikkanen, baroque violins
Mary Boodell, traverso flute
Adam Cockerham, lute
Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord
pre-concert talk, 7 p.m.

Dec. 12 (7:30 p.m.)
Holy Comforter Episcopal Church, Monument Avenue at Staples Mill Road
“Seasons”
Vivaldi: “The Four Seasons”
sonatas and concertos TBA by Vivaldi, Pergolesi, Caccini
Fiona Hughes, Minna Pensola & Antti Tikkanen, baroque violins
Kyle Miller, baroque viola
James Wilson, baroque cello
Millie Martin, baroque double-bass
Mary Boodell, traverso flute
Adam Cockerham, lute
Carsten Schmidt, harpsichord
pre-concert talk, 7 p.m.

March 10 (7:30 p.m.)
private residence
“House Concert: Brahms at Home”
Brahms: Horn Trio in E flat major, Op. 40
other works TBA
Jesse Mills, violin
James Wilson, cello
Mary Boodell, flute
James Ferree, French horn
Rieko Aizawa, piano

March 11 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room, Richmond Public Library
“Brahms and Friends”
works TBA by Brahms, others
Jesse Mills, violin
James Wilson, cello
Mary Boodell, flute
Rieko Aizawa, piano

April 22 (2 p.m.)
Gellman Room, Richmond Public Library
“Paris in Words and Music”
program TBA
Diana Cohen & Daisuke Yamamoto, violins
Amadi Azikiwe, viola
James Wilson, cello
Mary Boodell, flute
Roman Rabinovich, piano
Anthony Smith, narrator
Angela Lehman, writer-curator

April 23 (4 p.m.)
Perkinson Recital Hall, North Court, University of Richmond
“La Belle Époque”
Franck: Piano Quintet in F minor
Fauré: Fantasie in E minor, Op. 79
Saint-Saëns: Septet in E flat major, Op. 65
D’Indy: “Suite dans un style ancien”
Diana Cohen & Daisuke Yamamoto, violins
Amadi Azikiwe, viola
James Wilson, cello
Anthony Manzo, double-bass
Mary Boodell & Brandon Patrick George, flutes
Justin Bland, trumpet
Roman Rabinovich, piano
pre-concert talk, 3:30 p.m.