“They appeal to the heart and the head, offering a warm, seductively luxurious sound and an impressive precision and unity of purpose”—New York Times
For the last concert of its 2008-2009 season, the Ames Town & Gown Chamber Music Association presents The American Chamber Players, with mezzo-soprano Mary Creswell.
The performers for the Ames concert are Miles Hoffman, viola; Joanna Maurer, violin; Sara Stern, flute; Alberto Parrini, cello; and Reiko Uchida, piano.
PROGRAM
Their program will include Mozart’s Quartet in A Major for Flute and Strings; Faure’s Piano Quartet in C Minor as well as songs for voice and piano; Frank Bridge’s Three Songs for Mezzo, Viola, and Piano; and Madeleine Dring’s Trio for Violin, Flute, and Piano.
Among today's most exciting and innovative chamber music ensembles, the American Chamber Players were formed in 1985 by Miles Hoffman from a core group of artists of The Library of Congress Summer Chamber Festival which Hoffman directed for nine years.
Paula Forrest, artistic director for Ames Town & Gown, was the library’s coordinator for that festival. Since that time, the American Chamber Players have performed throughout North America and been featured frequently on National Public Radio’s Performance Today. The ensemble’s unusual make-up—with winds, piano and strings—allows for performances of works for a variety of instrumental combinations.
The ensemble performs repertoire ranging from familiar masterpieces to neglected gems to newly commissioned American works, and their fascinating and delightful programs with varied instrumental combinations have been as enthusiastically praised as their extraordinary, dynamic performances. In the words of The Washington Post, "they have established standards of chamber music performance equal to any in the world."
Miles Hoffman is renowned not only as a solo violist and chamber musician, but also as a classical music radio personality and the author of The NPR Classical Music Companion. For many years, he was the creator and host of “Coming to Terms” on NPR’s Performance Today, and he is currently the music commentator for Morning Edition. Hoffman is also the dean of the Petri School of Music at Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Guest vocalist Mary Creswell, a member of the voice faculty of Iowa State University, has appeared throughout the United States in recital, opera, oratorio, and chamber music performances. She first sang with the American Chamber Players at an Ames Town & Gown concert in 2002 and has since performed with the ensemble in concerts in Palm Beach, Florida; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Forest City, Iowa.
Audience members are invited to meet with the performers during a reception following the concert.
The American Chamber Players’ concert in Ames will be preceded by one at the Des Moines Art Center Saturday evening at 8 p.m. The programs will be completely different for the Des MoinesAmes performances. Mary Creswell will perform in Ames only.
Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at the door or in advance at Rieman Music, 327 Main Street, Ames, or at the Iowa State University Department of Music office. They may also be ordered on the Ames Town & Gown website. Tickets are available free of charge for students K-12 and college/university (with ID).
The concert on is presented in cooperation with the ISU Department of Music and with financial support from the Commission of the Arts (COTA), the many Ames Town & Gown season ticket holders and its individual and business donors. Free student tickets are made possible by a grant from TARGET.