Concerts and Tickets
The Atlanta Chamber Players Proudly Presented Our 40th Anniversary Season in 2015-2016:

Click on a date below for program details.

 

 

 

 

9/11/15

Opening Concert with violinist Robert McDuffie

 

Friday, September 11, 2015
7:30 pm

The Carter Center
Cecil B. Day Chapel
453 Freedom Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30307

Tickets No Longer Available
$20 Adults, $15 Seniors, $10 Students

 

“Opening Concert of 40th Anniversary Season”

Johannes BRAHMS Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major, Op. 78
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART Quintet for Piano and Winds in E flat major, K. 452
Ernest CHAUSSON Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet in D major, Op. 21

 


Featured Guest Artist: Robert McDuffie, violin
Elizabeth Koch Tiscione, oboe • Laura Ardan, clarinet
Susan Welty, horn • Laura Najarian, bassoon
Helen Hwaya Kim, violin • Kenn Wagner, violin
Catherine Lynn, viola • Brad Ritchie, cello
Elizabeth Pridgen, piano

The Atlanta Chamber Players open our season at The Carter Center's Cecil B. Day Chapel and welcome special guest, violinist Robert McDuffie. McDuffie is an internationally acclaimed soloist. He also founded The McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University in his hometown of Macon, Georgia.

McDuffie and Pridgen will open the program with the tender, moving Brahms sonata colloquially known as the Rain Sonata because Brahms used some melodies and rhythms from his traditional rain songs Regenlied and Nachklang.

After completing this piano and wind quintet in 1784, Mozart famously wrote to his father that it was "the best work I have ever written." Many brilliant works came to us from Mozart's quill both before and after this work, but it is indeed a beautiful example of his genius. Chausson's "Concert" work is difficult to classify, but it is one of the most important French works in the literature. Deeply moving, it is the perfect way to end this gorgeous evening of music.

Click here for the complete Program Notes.


 

10/25/15

Concert in Lawrenceville — “NEW FACES”

Sunday, October 25, 2015
3:00 pm

550 Trackside
550 N Clayton St
Lawrenceville, GA 30046
Venue Website: 550trackside.com/

Tickets No Longer Available
$20 Adults, $15 Seniors, $10 Students

Convenient, free public parking

"NEW FACES"
Presented by BrandBank

Franz SCHUBERT

Fantasie for Piano, 4 hands in F minor, D. 940

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART Flute Quartet in D major, K. 285
Henry PURCELL, arr. by Benjamin BRITTEN

Chacony in G Minor, arranged for string quartet

Arthur BLISS Quintet for Oboe and String Quartet, Op. 44 F. 21

 

David Coucheron, violin • Helen Hwaya Kim, violin
Catherine Lynn, viola • Brad Ritchie, cello
Todd Skitch, flute • Elizabeth Koch Tiscione, oboe
Julie Coucheron, piano • Elizabeth Pridgen, piano

Traveling to Gwinnett County for the first time in our history, the ACP is pleased to be performing at 550 Trackside in downtown Lawrenceville. We will open with Schubert’s beloved Fantasie for Piano 4 Hands. The “4 hands" of the title means that two pianists play together on the same instrument, at the same time! This performance will mark the ACP debut of pianist Julie Coucheron. The Fantasie was written just a few months before Schubert’s untimely death at just 31 years old. Haunting and wistful, it was dedicated to Karoline Esterhazy, the woman he loved, though she did not return his feelings.

Mozart's K.285, written for flute and a string trio, is a delightful work, displaying typical Mozartian melodic invention. The middle Adagio movement is achingly beautiful, and it is bookended by two very joyful movements (an Allegro and a Rondo).

Next, audiences will hear Purcell’s Chacony in G minor, lovingly arranged by Benjamin Britten, who left little to no trace of his own influence on the piece. British composer Arthur Bliss’s quintet was premiered in Vienna in 1927 and is a gorgeous work calling for virtuosic oboe accompanied by string quartet.

This concert is presented by BrandBank.

Click here for the complete Program Notes.

Community Foundation of Greater AtlantaSupport for this production was provided by the A Place to Perform Fund of The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.

 


 

10/27/15

Southeastern Rapido! Semi-Finals

Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Tavern opens for British Pub menu at 6:15 pm
Concert at 7:30 pm

New American Shakespeare Tavern
499 Peachtree Street, Atlanta

Venue Website: shakespearetavern.com
Tickets No Longer Available
Tickets $24-$15

 

“SOUTHEASTERN RAPIDO! SEMI-FINALS”

Henry PURCELL, arr. by Benjamin BRITTEN Chacony in G Minor, arranged for string quartet
Arthur BLISS Quintet for Oboe and String Quartet, Op. 44 F. 21
Southeastern Semi-Finalists Variations on a Theme for Piano, Violin, and Clarinet

  • Eric BENAIM, Theme & Variations on Ancient Visions
  • Nickitas DEMOS, Dances for the New Mandarins
  • Peter Van Zandt LANE, Iris Variations
Franz SCHUBERT Fantasie for Piano, 4 hands in F minor, D. 940


Elizabeth Pridgen, piano • Julie Coucheron, piano • David Coucheron, violin
Helen Hwaya Kim, violin • Catherine Lynn, viola • Brad Ritchie, cello
Elizbeth Koch Tiscione, oboe • Todd Skitch, flute • Ted Gurch, clarinet


As always, the ACP is thrilled to perform at one of our favorite venues: the New American Shakespeare Tavern. The concert features numerous stellar musicians, performing a wide variety of works. Opening with Purcell’s Chacony in G minor, lovingly arranged by Benjamin Britten, who left little to no trace of his own influence on the piece. British composer Arthur Bliss’s quintet was premiered in Vienna in 1927 and is a gorgeous work calling for virtuosic oboe accompanied by string quartet.

Next, the audience will have a special treat - as the three Southeastern Semi-Finalists for the national Rapido! Composition Contest will have their short pieces for piano, violin, and clarinet performed. The winner and Southeastern Finalist will be announced at the end of the evening. They will receive a cash prize and will move on to the National Finals concert as one of five Finalists, also taking place in Atlanta on January 17th.

The concert will close with Schubert’s Fantasie for Piano 4 Hands. The “4 hands" of the title means that two pianists play together on the same instrument, at the same time! This piece was written just a few months before Schubert’s untimely death at just 31 years old. Haunting and wistful, it was dedicated to Karoline Esterhazy, the woman he loved, though she did not return his feelings.

More about Rapido!: a national competition, founded and organized by the ACP, Rapido! hosts Regional concerts taking place in five locations coast-to-coast as over 300 composers from across the country wrote short new works during a 14-day period this past June. Extensive judging has selected three finalist composers in each of the five Rapido! regions. This concert features the performance of the three Southeastern finalist works and the live selection by a distinguished panel of judges of the Southeastern first-prize winning composer, who will continue on to the National Finals to determine the National First Prize Commission winner.

Join us for the Tavern’s pub dinner and drinks before the concert, or just come in time for the start of the performance. Doors open at 6:15, concert begins at 7:30 (ticket price does not include dinner or drinks).




1/17/16

National Rapido! Contest Finals Concert

Sunday, January 17, 2016
3:00 pm
Pre-Concert Discussion at 2pm

Walter Hill Auditorium, High Museum of Art
1280 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30309
Venue Website: high.org

Tickets No Longer Available

$20 Adults, $15 Seniors, $10 Students

 

“National Rapido! Finals Concert”

Robert SPANO earthsongs
National Rapido! Finalists Variations on a Theme for Piano, Violin, and Clarinet
Southwest Finalist: Mark BULLER
Southeast Finalist: Peter VAN ZANDT LANE
West Coast Finalist: Kenneth LIM
Midwest Finalist: Kevin EPPICH
Northeast Finalist: Louis CRUZ


Elizabeth Pridgen, piano • Helen Hwaya Kim, violin • Ted Gurch, clarinet
With Special Guest: Robert Spano, piano


This concert will be proceeded by a Roundtable Discussion with the five National Finalist composers. The discussion is included with all tickets to the event and will begin at 2pm.

The first half of this concert event will freature Robert Spano on piano, performing an original composition!

Afterwards, ACP will proudly present the climax of the 2015 National Rapido! 14-Day Composition Contest!! The winning composers from each of the five October/November regional competitions - in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Detroit, and San Francisco – will journey to Atlanta for this exciting national finale! Each regional winning composition will be performed and the distinguished judges, headed by ASO Music Director Robert Spano, will choose one winner to receive the National First Prize Commission. During the 2016-2017 season, this commissioned work will receive premiere performances in Atlanta (Atlanta Chamber Players), Boston (Boston Musica Viva), Dallas (Voices of Change), Detroit (Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings), and San Francisco (Left Coast Ensemble) by the partnering Rapido! ensembles. The Audience Favorite Prize, chosen through national voting on YouTube, will also be awarded.

Click here for the complete Program Notes.




3/6/16

Music-Making in WWII

Sunday, March 6, 2016
3:00 pm

Ahavath Achim Synagogue
600 Peachtree Battle Avenue NW
Atlanta, GA 30327
Venue Website: aasynagogue.org

Tickets No Longer Available Online

$20 Adults, $15 Seniors, $10 Students

Convenient, free public parking

 

“Music making in World War II” 

Bohuslav MARTINŮ

Trio for Flute, Cello, and Piano, H. 300

Gideon KLEIN String Trio
Ernő DOHNÁNYI

Piano Quintet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 1

 

David Coucheron, violin • Helen Hwaya Kim, violin • Catherine Lynn, viola
Brad Ritchie, cello • Todd Skitch, flute
Elizabeth Pridgen, piano

We are pleased to return to the Ahavath Achim Synagogue for a program that will make you think and bring you joy. The concert opens with Martinů's inventive Trio, written in 1944 while he taught composition at Tanglewood, surrounded by idyllic Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Czech composer Gideon Klein wrote his Trio in the 1944 as well, but under vastly different circumstances. A Jewish composer, Klein was imprisoned at Theresienstadt concentration camp in Terezin. Less than two weeks after finishing his String Trio, he was deported to Auschwitz and died a few months later at the Fürstengrube camp in January of 1945.

Dohnányi's Piano Quintet in C Minor was the first composition he published, having written it in 1895 when he was still a teenager. The work is heavily influenced by the music of Johannes Brahms. He won several competitions in the years following, toured around the world, and made quite a name for himself. In 1920, he became the Director of the Budapest Philharmonic, in 1931 Director of Hungarian Radio, and in 1934 Director of the Academy of Music. He resigned from the Academy a few years later, refusing to exclude Jewish students from the programs. He also kept the Jewish musicians in the Philharmonic despite ever-increasing pressure and demands. In 1944, when the other pieces on this program were being composed, the Nazi occupation began in Budapest. Resistance was no longer possible, so Dohnányi disbanded the ensemble rather than submit to their demands. Dohnányi left Hungary in November of 1944, escaping the war and its ravages just as Klein was completing his String Trio - which would be his last work. Dohnányi eventually settled in Florida, where he taught, conducted, and composed until his death in 1960.

Audience members at this concert are encouraged to stay afterwards for a lovely post-concert reception from our friends at the synagogue. All are welcome!

Click here for the complete Program Notes.



3/13/2016

Free Community Concert

Sunday, March 13, 2016
4:00 pm

Spelman College
Sister's Chapel
Atlanta, GA 30310
Driving Directions to Spelman

Tickets No Longer Available Online

Tickets are FREE, but space can be reserved in advance

Free public parking

 

“Free Community Concert” 

Giusseppe VERDI

Selections from Macbeth

Maurice RAVEL

Selections from Cinq Mélodies Populaires Grecques

George GERSHWIN

Selections from Porgy and Bess

Gideon KLEIN String Trio
Johannes BRAHMS First movement of Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25

 

Morris Robinson, bass • Ann Marie McPhail, soprano
Elizabeth Pridgen, piano • Helen Hwaya Kim, violin Catherine Lyn, viola Brad Ritchie, cello
The AMPlify Children's Chorus; Aisha Bowden, conductor

The ACP will perform a FREE concert as a way of giving back to our community at beautiful Sister's Chapel on the campus of Spelman College.

Tickets are completely free, but audiences are able to reserve space in advance to guarantee admission.

The concert will feature selections from Porgy & Bess with world-renowned singer Morris Robinson, currently the Artist in Residence with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Morris will perform the role of Porgy in a fully staged opera for the first time this fall at the famed La Scala Opera House in Milan, Italy - but Atlanta audiences can get a first taste!

Audiences at thie free concert will also hear the voices of the Atlanta Music Project's AMPlify chorus - an emsemble of inner-city youth who spend 5 days a week studying music in an El Sistema style program.

These special performances will be heard along side music from the wonderful musicians of the Atlanta Chamber Players, including a string trio written by composer Gideon Klein while he was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II.

 



5/10/16

Season Finale: Pierrot Lunaire with Lucy Shelton!

Tuesday, May 10, 2016
7:30 pm, with pre-show talk at 6:30pm

SCADshow Blackbox Theatre
173 14th Street
Atlanta, GA 30309
Venue Website: scadshow.com

Tickets No Longer Available

Tickets are $20; $15 for Seniors over 65, and $10 for students (with ID)

 

“CLOSING CONCERT OF 40th ANNIVERSARY SEASON”

Manuel DE FALLA Suite Populaire Espagnole, arr. by Paul Kochanski
Francis POULENC Sonata for Oboe and Piano
VARIOUS Art Songs inspired by the Moon, with Lucy Shelton
Arnold SCHOENBERG Pierrot Lunaire, for soprano, piano, violin/viola, cello, clarinet, flute

Todd Skitch, flute • Elizabeth Koch Tiscione, oboe • Laura Ardan, clarinet
David Coucheron, violin • Helen Hwaya Kim, violin • Brad Ritchie, cello
Elizabeth Pridgen, piano
With Special Guest: Lucy Shelton, soprano

The ACP will close their 40th Anniversary Season with an exciting program featuring acclaimed soprano Lucy Shelton. Shelton and ACP musicians (including ASO concertmaster David Coucheron, ASO principal clarinet Laura Ardan, and ACP Artistic Director Elizabeth Pridgen) will dazzle audiences with a performance of Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire. Premiered in 1912, Pierrot still sounds new and adventurous to this very day! Shelton is world-famous for her interpretation of this work, and the ACP is proud to present her first performance of it in the Atlanta area. The work is set to 21 short poems, which are German translations of works by Belgian poet Albert Giraud. The piece became so important to contemporary music, that the unusual instrumentation Schoenberg employed came to be known as a "Pierrot Ensemble," many of which still exist today, typically as new music-focused ensembles.

In addition to Pierrot, audiences will be treated to Lucy Shelton performing a set of songs inspired by the moon and the night, including works by Schumann, Ives, and Stravinsky. Two duets round out the program, with Artistic Director Elizabeth Pridgen performing alongside violinist Helen Kim for de Falla's gorgeous Suite Populaire Espagnole and alongside ASO principal oboe Elizabeth Koch Tiscione for Poulenc's Sonata for Oboe and Piano.

NEW: Arrive early for a pre-concert talk! Join Richard Prior of Emory University for a pre-concert talk about Arnold Schoenberg’s seminal work, Pierrot Lunaire. Prior is an active composer, conductor, and composition professor. He will give an overview of Schoenberg’s revolutionary work - including history, significance and impact, and some notes about the content and form of the piece.

PARKING INFO: There is plentiful parking available in the private parking deck located next door to SCADshow. The deck is entered via Juniper St (the entrance is right before 13th St). Please take a parking ticket upon entry and bring it inside with you. From the garage, take the elevator to Street Level, go outside, turn right, and the SCADshow lobby entrance is next door, at the corner of 14th & Juniper. You can purchase a $7 parking voucher from the SCADshow Box Office (otherwise, parking costs $7 per hour).




5/15/16

Classical Caravan: Grand Finale Soiree Fundraiser

Sunday, May 15, 2016
7:00 pm

Historic Academy of Medicine
875 W Peachtree St NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
Venue Website: academy.gatech.edu

Tickets are no longer available
Tickets are $100, event is black tie optional

 

“FUNDRAISER SOIREE: CLASSICAL CARAVAN"


Elizabeth Pridgen, piano • Julie Coucheron, piano • David Coucheron, violin
Helen Hwaya Kim, violin • Catherine Lynn, viola • Brad Ritchie, cello
Other ACP Musicians TBA


The ACP are hosting a finale soiree to celebrate our 40th Anniversary Season. The evening's theme is Classical Caravan, and our event Host Committee, chaired by longtime ACP supporters Stuart & Kathy Kamille, have ensured the evening will be spectacular one. Arrive at 7pm for wine and hors d'oeuvres, followed by a concert at 7:45pm featuring two pianos and ACP musicians including ASO concertmaster David Coucheron.

Dress is tuxedo optional. Tickets are $100 per person and can be purchased online, or you can reach out to General Manager Rachel Ciprotti at rachel@atlantachamberplayers.com with questions or for an address to pay by check.




Subscription Series

The ACP's Soirée Series

SoireeThe Atlanta Chamber Players perform six subscription Intown Soirée events and four subscription Soirée North events per year in homes and intimate settings in the Atlanta metro area. This informal series complements the group’s formal public artistic concerts. The soirées are typically fully subscribed with a waiting list and are limited to approximately 70 attendees at each, depending on the size and available performance space of the home.

A growing list of loyal and passionate supporters eagerly await the chance to hear beautiful music performed expertly by leading musicians of the Atlanta Symphony, see incredible local homes, learn about chamber music, instruments, and composers and meet other chamber music enthusiasts. Our soirée audience and ACP musicians alike count these experiences among their favorite musical outlets. Contact us for information on how to become a soirée subscriber or for information on hosting one of our soirée evenings.