2022-2023
SEASON
Eric Rudd Photography
Letter from the President Dear Friends, The 2022-23 season features both FCM audience favorites as well as the newest and most exciting young artists on the horizon. The Chamber Series kicks off with the beloved Emerson Quartet, embarking on their final season together. The season concludes with the Grammy award-winning Imani Winds, the first woodwind quintet to perform for Friends of Chamber Music since 2011. In between, we will hear the internationally celebrated Skride Piano Quartet play a piece written by a member of the Croatian royal family, and the JCT Trio will perform the glorious Ravel Piano Trio, as well as Bells and Whistles, a composition newly commissioned by Friends of Chamber Music in collaboration with the Celebrity Series of Boston and introduced by the composer herself at the concert. Rounding out the Chamber Series is baritone Will Liverman, the acclaimed star of the Metropolitan Opera’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones, violinist and Avery Fisher Prize winner Leila Josefowicz, and the Pacifica Quartet, with clarinetist and Avery Fisher Prize winner Anthony McGill. The Piano Series will feature two internationally renowned artists: Sir András Schiff returns for the second time, and the brilliant pianist Leif Ove Andsnes will debut on our series. As we near 70 years of music-making in Denver, Friends of Chamber Music remains deeply grateful for the loyalty of our audience. We hope that you will join us for this exciting adventure. Best,
Alix Corboy President, Friends of Chamber Music
EMERSON QUARTET SUN, SEPT 11, 2022 | 5:00 PM “With musicians like this there must be some hope for humanity.” – The Times (London)
The Emerson Quartet, a perennial FCM audience favorite, will disband in 2023. This will be their 18th and final performance on our Chamber Series, featuring classics from the Romantic era, including the Ravel String Quartet. PROGR AM • Felix Mendelssohn: Quartet No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 12 • Maurice Ravel: Quartet in F Major • George Walker: Lyric for Strings • Antonín Dvořák: Quartet No. 14 in A-flat Major, Op. 105
SIR ANDRÁS SCHIFF, PIANO SUN, OCT 16, 2022 | 4:00 PM Sir András Schiff is one of the most celebrated pianists of our time, as well as a renowned conductor, lecturer, and teacher. After the cancellation of his scheduled concert in 2020, he returns to Gates Hall with a program featuring the music of Beethoven, Mozart, and Schubert. PROGR AM • To be announced from the stage
C H A M B E R S E R I E S
P I A N O S E R I E S
JUNCTION (JCT) TRIO C H A M B E R S E R I E S
P I A N O S E R I E S
WED, NOV 30, 2022 7:30 PM “Excitement may be the best word to characterize the Junction Piano Trio.” – Lincoln Star Journal
WILL LIVERMAN, BARITONE WED, DEC 14, 2022 7:30 PM “A voice for this historic moment” – The Washington Post
This eclectic trio features visionary young artists Stefan Jackiw, violin, Conrad Tao, piano, and Jay Campbell, cello. They will perform the Ravel Piano Trio and a new work by American composer, Amy Williams, commissioned by Friends of Chamber Music in partnership with Celebrity Series of Boston.
Grammy-nominated baritone Will Liverman, the acclaimed star of the Metropolitan Opera’s Fire Shut Up In My Bones, continues to bring his compelling artistry to audiences nationwide. His program will feature a wide selection of classical and contemporary works.
PROGR AM • Johannes Ciconia: Le ray au soleyl • Amy Williams: Bells and Whistles for Piano Trio • Maurice Ravel: Piano Trio • Carlo Gesualdo: Selections from Tenebrae Responsoria • Robert Schumann: Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 63
P ROGR AM • To Be Announced
LEIF OVE ANDSNES, PIANO MON, JAN 23, 2023 | 7:30 PM “A pianist of magisterial elegance, power, and insight” – The New York Times FCM presents distinguished Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes in his long-awaited debut on the Piano Series. Celebrated for his commanding technique and profound interpretations, Mr. Andsnes will perform works by Janáček, Vustin, Beethoven, and Dvořák. PROGR AM • Leoš Janáček: Piano Sonata I.X. 1905, “From the Street” • Alexander Vustin: Lamento • Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110 • Antonín Dvořák: Poetic Tone Pictures, Op. 85
SKRIDE PIANO QUARTET SUN, FEB 5, 2023 | 4:00 PM Making their debut on our Chamber Series, this “multinational chamber supergroup” (Gramophone), the Skride Piano Quartet—piano trio with viola—will perform works by Brahms and Bridge, and the rarely heard piano quartet by Dora Pejačvić. PROGR AM • Frank Bridge: Phantasy for Piano Quartet, H. 94 • Dora Pejačvić: Piano Quartet in D Minor, Op. 25 • Johannes Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 26
LEILA JOSEFOWICZ, VIOLIN WED, MAR 22, 2023 | 7:30 PM Winner of the 2018 Avery Fisher Prize, Leila Josefowicz returns to perform on our Chamber Series. A passionate advocate for contemporary music, her diverse program features a recent work by Erkki-Sven Tüür, as well as the delightful Violin Sonata by Claude Debussy. PROGR AM • Claude Debussy: Violin Sonata • Karol Szymanowski: Myths, Op. 30 • Erkki-Sven Tüür: Conversio • Igor Stravinsky: Divertimento from The Fairy’s Kiss
PACIFICA QUARTET ANTHONY MCGILL, CLARINET C H A M B E R S E R I E S
WED, APR 26, 2023 | 7:30 PM “Their alluring sound proved breathtaking . . . with spine-tingling intensity.” – The New York Times
The Pacifica Quartet, an FCM favorite, is joined by Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic, for a performance of the magnificent Brahms Clarinet Quintet and the world premiere of Ben Shirley’s clarinet quintet, High Sierra, commissioned by Friends of Chamber Music. PROGR AM • Johannes Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115 • Ben Shirley: Clarinet Quintet
IMANI WINDS WED, MAY 10, 2023 | 7:30 PM “[The] ensemble is strikingly virtuosic . . . “ – The Boston Musical Intelligencer The Grammy-nominated Imani Winds have led the way in the evolution of the wind quintet through their dynamic playing and adventurous programming. The ensemble will perform works with links to France and its culture. PROGR AM • Gary Schocker: Chorinho • Jean Françaix: Quintet No. 2 • Lalo Schifrin: La Nouvelle Orleans • Gabriel Fauré (arr. Jeff Scott): Pavane • Igor Stravinsky (arr. Jonathan Russell): The Rite of Spring • Astor Piazzolla (arr. Monica Ellis): Vayamos de Diablo
ALL CONCERTS WILL BE HELD IN GATES CONCERT HALL, NEWMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Visit friendsofchambermusic.com for complete program information.
SUBSCRIPTIONS CHAMBER SERIES $250 for 7-concert series PIANO SERIES $100 for 2-concert series COMBINED SERIES $350 for entire series of 9 concerts • Note: a $12 handling fee will be applied to your total subscription order. • Online: Visit fcm.newmantix.com • By phone: 303-871-7720
SINGLE TICKETS Advance single tickets are available through the Newman Center Box Office (subject to availability), beginning July 24. Tickets are $40 each for Chamber Series concerts and $65 each for Piano Series concerts. • Online: Visit fcm.newmantix.com • By phone: 303-871-7720 Additional fees may apply. Single tickets for patrons 30-years-old or younger (subject to availability) are always $15!
COVID-19 INFORMATION We hope that we will see a return to normal as we launch our season in September. Friends of Chamber Music will continue to stay in communication with the Newman Center for the Performing Arts and the University of Denver to make sure we are following the latest guidelines for indoor events set by our local and state health officials. For more information please visit https://www.du.edu/coronavirus/
191 University Blvd., #974 Denver, CO 80206-4613 friendsofchambermusic.com