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06.10.08

Contact: Emory College Center for Creativity & Arts, Jessica Moore, Communications Coordinator, jkmoore@emory.edu, 404-727-1687

Three Music World Premieres, New Dance Collaboration & Guest Artists Highlight Emory Chamber Music Society 08-09 Season

Director Will Ransom Also Presents Stellar July-Aug. 2008 Festival in North Carolina

Now celebrating its 16 th season of excellence, the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta (ECMSA) under the leadership of artistic director and pianist William Ransom brings together some of the finest guest artists and metro-Atlanta musicians, dancers, choreographers and composers for its 2008-2009 season. The extraordinary range of beautiful, exciting and interesting music in the chamber repertoire will be showcased through ECMSA’s Emerson Series, Family Series and Noontime Series concerts (full season calendar follows below).

Grammy Award-winning cellist Sara Sant’Ambrogio will join Ransom to kick off the Emerson Series in back-to-back evening performances Fri., Oct. 3 and Sat., Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. that collectively encompass Beethoven’s complete works for the cello and piano pairing. The season also includes world premieres by Emory composers Steven Everett, John Anthony Lennon and Richard Prior; a collaboration between the Vega String Quartet and Emory dance faculty, George Staib; and an afternoon of “Pianomania” with the piano faculty and special guest, Emory President James Wagner. Tickets to the Emerson Series ($20; discount catergory members $15; students free) and Family Series ($4) are available by phone (404-727-5050) and online at www.arts.emory.edu.

The ECMSA’s popular series of free noontime concerts in the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory will feature Brahms’ great “Quintet in F Minor” presented by the Vega String Quartet and pianist Jonathan Shames. Other guests include violinist Cecylia Arzewski, cellist Benjamin Karp and violinist Richard Luby performing a variety of music from Bach to Prokofiev.

ECMSA’s Family Series, also in the Carlos Museum, offers programs for children including seasonal Christmas, Chinese New Year and Spring concerts. At the conclusion of some holiday concerts children are invited to collect treats and maybe even meet the English Santa Claus at “Father Christmas’ Favorite Music!” Tickets for these concerts are $4 for the public, but Carlos Museum Family-level and above members receive four free tickets.

The ECMSA, a resident professional performing group of Emory University, was named "Best Chamber Music Group in Atlanta" by Atlanta Magazine. In addition to its concert series at Emory, the ECMSA tours, participates in recording projects, the commissioning of new works and community-outreach activities.

Ransom, the Mary L. Emerson Professor of Piano and head of the piano faculty at Emory, is also the artistic director of the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival. The Festival celebrates its 27 th season from July 6-Aug. 10, 2008 with the Eroica Trio, guitarist Edoardo Catemario, clarinetist Richard Stoltzman and a gala performance featuring Grammy winner Chris Thile and his new band, Punch Brothers. For festival tickets and information, visit www.h-cmusicfestival.org or call 825-526-9060.

EMERSON SERIES
Emerson Concert Hall, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts.
For tickets ($20; discount category members $15; students free), contact the Arts at Emory Box Office at 404-727-5050 or visit www.arts.emory.edu.

Friday, Oct. 3 & Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008, 8 p.m.
Ludwig van Beethoven: The Complete Works for Cello andPiano. Grammy Award-winning cellist Sara Sant’Ambrogio joins pianist William Ransom in this two-part series.

Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008, 8 p.m.
World Premiereof a new Chamber Opera by Steven Everett. Featuring soprano Katherine Blumenthal and the Vega String Quartet.

Friday, Jan. 30, 2009, 8 p.m.
World Premiereof John Anthony Lennon’s “Myth of Aeolia” for oboe and string quartet plus Mendelssohn’s “Octet for Strings” featuring the Ciompi Quartet from Duke University and the Vega String Quartet.

Thurs.-Sat., Feb. 12-14, 2009, 8 p.m. (in the Performing Arts Studio, 1804 North Decatur Road)
“Staibdance and the Vega Quartet” Emory’s own dancer/choreographer George Staib joins forces with professional Atlanta dancers and the Vega String Quartet in this special presentation of new dance and chamber music.

Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009, 4 p.m.
“Pianomania!” featuring the pianists of Emory’s Department of Music and special guest Emory President James Wagner narrating Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals” for two pianos.

Friday, March 20, 2009, 8 p.m. (special pricing $48)
A combined ECMSA and Candler Series Concert featuring Phil Kline’s “John the Revelator” performed by Lionheart with the Vega Quartet. Also features the WorldPremiere of Richard Prior’s string quartet, “Three Essays.”

Friday, May 1, 2009, 8 p.m.
The Vega String Quartet performs Haydn, Beethoven and Mendelssohn.

NOONTIME SERIES at the Carlos Museum
Fridays from 12-1 PM; free

Friday, Sept. 26, 2008
Pianist Jonathan Shames joins the Vega Quartet for Brahms’ great “Quintet in F Minor.

Friday, Oct. 24, 2008
“Emory’s Young Artists” features some of the best of the Music Department’s undergraduate talent.

Friday, Nov. 21, 2008
“Ransom Notes” with Kate Ransom, violin, and William Ransom, piano.

Friday, Dec. 5, 2008
Violinist Cecylia Arzewski performs solo works by J. S. Bach.

Friday, Jan. 23, 2009
William Fitzpatrick , violin, performs sonatas of Debussy and Franck.

Friday, Feb. 13, 2009
“Valentines Day Love Songs” with members of the Emory Voice faculty.

Friday, March 6, 2009
Cellist Benjamin Karp performs Bach and Brahms

Friday, April 10, 2009
Karen Bentley joins the Vega Quartet for Mendelssohn’s “Viola Quintet.”

Friday, May 8, 2009
Violinist Richard Luby performs Martinu’s “Madrigals” and Prokofiev’s “Sonata for Two Violins” with members of the Vega Quartet.

FAMILY SERIES at the Carlos Museum
Sundays at 4 p.m.; $4; Carlos Museum members (Family level or above) receive 4 free tickets.

Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008
“Music of Many Lands” features a wonderful variety of music from India, China, Africa and the Middle East

Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008
“Father Christmas’ Favorite Music”: England’s Santa Claus makes a personal appearance to hand out holiday treats and hear some of his favorite chamber music played by the Vega Quartet.

Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009
This year’s annual Chinese New Year’s Celebration features the Vega Quartet joined by traditional Chinese instruments the erhu and the pipa.

Sunday, March 22, 2009
“Atlanta’s Young Artists” presents some of the finest pre-college talent in the area.

Sunday, April 19, 2009
Celebrate Easter and Spring with a concert of beautiful music by Mozart and Beethoven. Good listeners will collect Easter eggs afterwards!

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