Free Bach virtual concert kicks off 2020-21 Season on October 10

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

 

CONTACT:     Amy Mintonye, Marketing Director

                    503-546-0187, amym@cmnw.org

 

 

Free Bach virtual concert kicks off 2020-21 Season on October 10

 

(Portland, OR) September 30, 2020 – Chamber Music Northwest (CMNW)’s 2020-21 Season kicks off with a free virtual concert of Bach’s complete sonatas and partitas for solo violin performed by new Co-Artistic Director Soovin Kim on Saturday, October 10 at 7 pm PT at CMNW.org. The concert will be preceded by a free live Musical Conversation with Soovin Kim and Arnold Steinhardt airing Tuesday, October 6 at 6 pm PT at CMNW.org.

Soovin Kim: Bach’s Complete Sonatas & Partitas premiering October 10 is the first of nine new, exclusive, Chamber Music Northwest-produced virtual concerts in the 2020-21 Season. Soovin Kim, Chamber Music Northwest’s new Co-Artistic Director, is internationally recognized for his solo and chamber music performances as well as his work as a teacher and an artistic director. In this free concert, witness Kim bring each of Bach’s complete sonatas and partitas (including the powerful Chaconne) to life from the New England Conservatory’s treasured Jordan Hall in Boston – two and a half hours of some of the most challenging music for the violin performed all in one go! An insightful live Musical Conversation will precede the concert on Tuesday, October 6 at 6 pm PT. Soovin Kim and Arnold Steinhardt – world-renowned violinist, music critic, and founding member of the Guarneri String Quartet – will discuss The Many Voices of Bach.

Chamber Music Northwest has made some changes to the 2020-21 Season schedule. The Marc-André Hamelin & Gloria Chien: Virtuoso Pianos virtual concert originally scheduled to premiere on October 24 has been moved to December 5 and The Brentano Quartet’s year-long residency has been postponed until it is safe to gather again. Education is a large part of CMNW’s Artists-In-Residence program, and both CMNW and the Brentano Quartet decided it was best to reschedule the residency for a time when we can safely serve local schools, hospitals, retirement communities, and residential treatment facilities. In place of the Brentano Quartet concerts, Chamber Music Northwest is presenting two accomplished young ensembles - the remarkable Catalyst Quartet, who combine a serious commitment to diversity, education, and contemporary works with virtuosic playing “reminiscent of great quartets of the past such as the Guarneri and Budapest” (Richmond Times) and the Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet, renowned for its dynamic interpretations and polished, expansive colors. Concert dates and descriptions are below or at CMNW.org.

From Bach to Britten, strings to saxophones, and so much more, Chamber Music Northwest’s 2020-21 Season will feature performances by internationally-renowned artists including clarinetist Anthony McGill, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron, favorite CMNW Protégé Project alumni the Kenari Quartet, and more! The first concert, Soovin Kim: Complete Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin premiering October 10 at 7 pm at CMNW.org, is free. All-Access Passes ($125 – a nearly 40% discount compared to purchasing single tickets) are on sale now and are good for access to all 2020-21 Season concerts for 7 days after the premiere. Single Concert Passes are $20 and will go on sale 30 days prior to each concert.

The 2020-21 Season will be the first lead by new Artistic Directors Gloria Chien and Soovin Kim. A husband and wife team, both are internationally-renowned performers – Gloria a pianist, Soovin a violinist – and experienced music presenters. Gloria and Soovin are co-artistic directors of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, founded by Soovin in 2008. Gloria is also the artistic director of the String Theory chamber music series in Chattanooga, TN – which she founded in 2009 – and has been director of the Chamber Music Institute of the Music@Menlo Festival since 2010.

 

 

2020-21 Season

All-Access Passes on sale now at https://cmnw.org/concerts-tickets/2020-21-season

 

Soovin Kim: Complete Bach Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin

Saturday, October 10, 2020, 7 pm PT at CMNW.org; free!

Free live Musical Conversation on Tuesday, October 6, 2020, 6 pm PT at CMNW.org

Soovin Kim, Chamber Music Northwest’s new Co-Artistic Director, kicks off the season with a free performance of Bach’s majestic set of six sonatas and partitas for solo violin. Kim is internationally recognized for his solo and chamber music performances as well as his work as a teacher and an artistic director. Witness Kim bring each of Bach’s complete sonatas and partitas (including the powerful Chaconne) to life from the New England Conservatory’s treasured Jordan Hall in Boston. https://cmnw.org/concerts-tickets/all-concerts-events/soovin-kim-bach-sonatas-partitas/137

 

Anthony McGill & Gloria Chien: Clarinet Tours de Force

Saturday, November 14, 2020, 7 pm PT at CMNW.org; $20 or free with All-Access Pass

Free live Musical Conversation on Tuesday, November 10, 2020, 6 pm PT at CMNW.org

Clarinetist Anthony McGill is one of classical music’s most recognizable and brilliantly multifaceted figures. He maintains a dynamic international solo and chamber music career in addition to being the principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic. McGill performed at President Obama’s inauguration in 2009 and is a champion of social justice in the classical music world. McGill and Chamber Music Northwest’s new Co-Artistic Director Gloria Chien will continue their longstanding collaboration with this performance from the stunning Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA. https://cmnw.org/concerts-tickets/all-concerts-events/mcgill-chien-clarinet-tours-de-force/1164

 

Marc-André Hamelin & Gloria Chien: Virtuoso Pianos

Saturday, December 5, 2020, 7 pm PT at CMNW.org; $20 or free with All-Access Pass

Free live Musical Conversation on Tuesday, December 1, 2020, 6 pm PT at CMNW.org

“A performer of near-superhuman technical prowess” (The New York Times), pianist Marc-André Hamelin is known worldwide for his brilliant technique and intrepid exploration of the rarities of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries – earning him legendary status as a true icon of the piano. In this concert from the beautiful Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA, Hamelin will perform a solo piece and thrilling two-piano works with new Chamber Music Northwest Co-Artistic Director Gloria Chien including Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. https://cmnw.org/concerts-tickets/all-concerts-events/hamelin-chien-virtuoso-pianos/1163

 

Alisa Weilerstein: Solo Cello

Saturday, January 30, 2021, 7 pm PT at CMNW.org; $20 or free with All-Access Pass

Free live Musical Conversation on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, 6 pm PT at CMNW.org

“Technically flawless and deeply expressive” (The New York Times), Alisa Weilerstein makes the cello sing as if it were her own voice. A 2011 MacArthur “genius grant” winner, Weilerstein is known for her commanding performances of the classics of the cello repertoire as well as new music. This intimate solo performance will feature the first of Bach’s celebrated Cello Suites as well as modern and contemporary works by Kodály, Britten, and living composer Osvaldo Golijov. https://cmnw.org/concerts-tickets/all-concerts-events/alisa-weilerstein-solo-cello/1059

 

Catalyst Quartet: Uncovered

Saturday, February 13, 2021, 7 pm PT at CMNW.org; $20 or free with All-Access Pass

Free live Musical Conversation on Tuesday, February 23, 2021, 6 pm PT at CMNW.org

The Catalyst Quartet combines a serious commitment to diversity, education, and contemporary works with virtuosic playing “reminiscent of great quartets of the past such as the Guarneri and Budapest” (Richmond Times). The quartet was founded by the Sphinx Organization, a social justice organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. In this concert, celebrate the music of important black composers Coleridge-Taylor, Price, and Perkinson with selections from the quartet’s upcoming CD release Uncovered, which strives to highlight works by classical composers previously overlooked because of their race or gender. https://cmnw.org/concerts-tickets/all-concerts-events/catalyst-quartet-uncovered/1196

 

Fleur Barron & Julius Drake: Winter Journey (Winterreise)

Saturday, February 27, 2021, 7 pm PT at CMNW.org; $20 or free with All-Access Pass

Free live Musical Conversation on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, 6 pm PT at CMNW.org

Praised as a “charismatic star” by the Boston Globe, mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron is the winner of Tanglewood Festival's 2016 Jackson Prize, awarded to one outstanding young vocalist each year. "A collaborator gifted with sensitive phrasing and insight” (The New York Times), internationally-renowned pianist Julius Drake is the perfect accompaniment to Barron's "thrillingly dark and rich-veined mezzo" (Seen and Heard International). Experience this unique presentation of Schubert’s Winterreise – a lieder traditionally performed by a tenor – sung by the mesmerizing Barron. https://cmnw.org/concerts-tickets/all-concerts-events/barron-drake-winter-journey-winterreise/1166

 

Goldmund Quartet: Europe’s Rising Stars

Saturday, March 20, 2021, 7 pm PT at CMNW.org; $20 or free with All-Access Pass

Free live Musical Conversation on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 6 pm PT at CMNW.org

Hailed as one of the most exciting young string quartets in the world, the Goldmund Quartet’s exquisitely refined playing has been awarded prizes at major competitions such as the Wigmore, Melbourne, and ARD Munich. They are the Rising Stars of the European Concert Hall Organisation leading to debut recitals at the Philharmonie de Paris, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and the Vienna Konzerthaus. In this concert, hear the Goldmund perform dramatic chamber works written by Puccini, Strauss, and Schubert on their historic set of Stradivari instruments once owned by the great virtuoso Niccolò Paganini. https://cmnw.org/concerts-tickets/all-concerts-events/goldmund-quartet-europes-rising-stars/1057

 

Parker Quartet: Inventive & Inspired

Saturday, April 24, 2021, 7 pm PT at CMNW.org; $20 or free with All-Access Pass

Free live Musical Conversation on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, 6 pm PT at CMNW.org

Inspiring performances, luminous sound, and exceptional musicianship are the hallmarks of the Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet. Renowned for its dynamic interpretations and polished, expansive colors, the group has rapidly distinguished itself as one of the preeminent ensembles of its generation, dedicated purely to the sound and depth of their music. In this concert, the Parker Quartet will apply their “exceptional virtuosity [and] imaginative interpretation” (The Washington Post) to compositions by three masterful composers representing the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries including Beethoven’s spiritual Heiliger Dankgesang string quartet. https://cmnw.org/concerts-tickets/all-concerts-events/parker-quartet-inventive-inspired/1193

 

Kenari Quartet: Transforming Perceptions of the Sax

Saturday, May 15, 2021, 7 pm PT at CMNW.org; $20 or free with All-Access Pass

Free live Musical Conversation on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, 6 pm PT at CMNW.org

Applauded for their “flat-out amazing” performances and “stunning virtuosity” (Cleveland Classical), the Kenari Quartet's larger-than-life personalities pop off the stage. The unique style and flair of this Protégé Project alumni all-saxophone ensemble electrified Chamber Music Northwest audiences in 2018. Their triumphant return to the CMNW stage will feature modern and contemporary work plus improvisation. https://cmnw.org/concerts-tickets/all-concerts-events/kenari-quartet-transforming-perceptions-of-the-sax/1062

 

ABOUT CHAMBER MUSIC NORTHWEST 

Now in its 51st season, Chamber Music Northwest shares the richness and diversity of chamber music with more than 50,000 people through 80 events annually, including our Summer Festival of outstanding concerts, illuminating outreach activities, educational programs supporting young musicians, and innovative collaborations across the Portland Metro region. 

As one of the nation’s leading chamber music presenters, Chamber Music Northwest brings to our community the world’s greatest musicians and composers, from rising-star members of our Protégé Project and exceptional local musicians to world-renowned artists that include Grammy Award winners, Avery Fisher Prize honorees, and MacArthur “Genius Award” recipients. Together they collaborate to perform the expansive 500-year chamber music repertoire, ranging from beloved classics and hidden masterpieces to contemporary works and less conventional projects. 

Chamber Music Northwest is an international leader in celebrating chamber music’s enduring relevance and diversity, with more than 100 commissions and premieres of new works as well as its Protégé Project, which cultivates the next generation of dynamic chamber music performers by supporting exceptional, early-career chamber musicians and composers in their professional development.

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