A Weekend Of Rarely Heard Chamber Music

Over the final weekend of September, the 麻豆影视 Music Department will present two free chamber music concerts offering many rarely heard works in Bridges Hall of Music (150 E. Fourth St., Claremont). The first, on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015 at 8 p.m., centers around the music of American Modern composer Ruth Crawford Seeger, and the second, on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015 at 3 p.m., features a wide array of selections, including two world premieres.

The Sept. 26 concert, The Music of Ruth Crawford Seeger unites performers Alfred Cramer (violin), Sarah Thornblade (violin), Kira Blumberg (viola), Eric Lindholm (cello), Genevieve Feiwen Lee (piano), Joti Rockwell (guitar), Gwendolyn Lytle (soprano) and a children鈥檚 vocal ensemble in a program of her wide-ranging music. 鈥淪he鈥檚 a fascinating composer,鈥 says Cramer, who is coordinating the concert. 鈥淲hen she was young in the 1920s and early 1930s, she wrote really thorny modern music, hoping in part that her abstract musical language would level the playing field鈥攖hat her high art would be empowering to the working class. That didn鈥檛 happen, so she and other members of her very musical family shifted their attention to folk music. She edited some very influential folk music anthologies, and her stepson, Pete Seeger, was the main person in the folk music revival.鈥 In this concert Cramer will be exploring both her modern and her folk music. 鈥淭hroughout her career she ran up against the problems of communication between intellectuals and broader society鈥攁 problem that continues to face us鈥攁nd that鈥檚 what interests me about her,鈥 says Cramer.

On Sept. 27, members of the Music Department鈥檚 applied faculty and friends will share an afternoon concert entitled Chamber Music Extravaganza. Long-time Southern California performers with ties to Los Angeles Master Chorale, numerous Southland orchestras, and many recording studios will feature works from Handel to Hindemith and Liszt to Louie. Two world premieres will be presented, one composed by Ray Burkhart and another by Stephen Klein. Performers include faculty members Holly Shaw Price (soprano), Rachel Rudich (flute), Francisco Castillo (oboe), Carolyn Beck (bassoon), Cynthia Fogg (viola), Roger Lebow and Tom Flaherty (celli), Raymond Burkhart (trumpet), Stephen Klein (tuba), Mary Dropkin (harp), Gayle Blankenburg, Jennie Jung, Karl Kohn and Phillip Young (pianos). Joining these faculty members are Linda Silva (clarinet), and Paul Baker (harp).

Programs:

The Music of Ruth Crawford Seeger:
Sonata for Violin and Piano
White Moon (text by Carl Sandburg)
The White House Blues (transcription of Maynard Britton鈥檚 recording)
Bonaparte's Retreat (transcription of William H. Stepp鈥檚 recording)
鈥淗oedown鈥 from Rodeo, by Aaron Copland (transcribed for violin and piano by the composer)
Songs from anthologies American Folk Songs for Children and Animal Folk Songs for Children
String Quartet 1931

Chamber Music Extravaganza:
Handel: 鈥淎h! Spietato!鈥 from Amadigi di Gaula and 鈥淟et the Bright Seraphim鈥 from Samson
Liszt: Les jeux d鈥檈au 脿 la Villa d鈥橢ste鈥 from Ann茅es de p茅lerinage III
Kohn: Encounters V
Alexina Louie: 鈥淢emories in an Ancient Garden鈥 from Scenes from a Jade Terrace
Hindemith: Phantasiest眉ck, Op. 8, No. 2
Salzedo: 鈥淐atacombs鈥 from Pentacles
Andres: La ragazza
Klein: Everyone鈥檚 a Winner, 2 Miniatures for Celliola and Tuba**
Cameron-Wolfe: Kyrie (Mantra) II
Kohn: Etude for Tuba
Burkhart: Suite Arcata**

**World premiere

Additional Upcoming Faculty & Guest Performances

Programs are ticketless and free, with open seating. 
(Exception: Kronos Quartet will require a ticket for entry. See below for more information.)

Martin Chalifour and Friends
Martin Chalifour, violin, with Genevieve Feiwen Lee*, piano; and seven guest violinists
8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015
Bridges Hall of Music
Music by Brahms, Prokofiev, Andrew Norman and others

Beethoven鈥檚 Last Piano Sonatas with Genevieve Feiwen Lee
3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015
Bridges Hall of Music
Opus numbers 109, 110 and 111

Trio FUGU: Lorenz Gamma, violin; Joon Sung Jun, cello; Ming Tsu*, piano
3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015
Bridges Hall of Music
Music by Juhi Bansal, Clarke and Dvo艡谩k

Kronos Quartet: David Harrington, violin; John Sherba, violin; Hank Dutt, viola; Sunny Yang, cello
8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015
Bridges Hall of Music
Admission: Free with tickets 鈥 Tickets available starting Oct. 19, 2015; contact: (909) 607-1139
Music by Ali-Zadeh, Laurie Anderson, Pete Townshend and more

Members from the LA Chamber Orchestra
Tereza Stanislav & Sarah Thornblade*, violins; Rob Brophy, viola; Trevor Handy, cello
8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015
Bridges Hall of Music
The complete Art of Fugue, BWV 1080

*麻豆影视 Department of Music faculty members