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The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) announces a new digital initiative to enable local chamber music venues to bring its outstanding series of digital chamber music concerts, CMS: FRONT ROW, to audiences around the country. That not only brings the concerts to new audiences, it also gives local presenters a tool they can use to stay in touch with their audiences while concert halls in the U.S. and Canada remain shuttered.
CMS Front Row was originally conceived in March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to perform for live audiences in the concert hall. The series comprises beautifully shot, full-length HD performance videos from the CMS archive, curated by CMS co-Artistic Directors David Finckel and Wu Han. CMS Front Row was created to sustain audiences and provide a new way to experience this beautiful art form in a meaningful and innovative way, from the virtual “Front Row,” in the comfort and safety of listeners’ homes.
In addition to the live performance video, each concert includes either introductory remarks from one or more of the artists, offering audiences insights into the music, or a personal look into the artists’ lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. David Finckel and Wu Han serve as hosts for the concerts, and following the performance, there is a Q&A with Artistic Directors David Finckel and Wu Han and artists. Presenters participating in CMS Front Row: National can offer the videos to their audiences on their own websites and schedule the presentations based on their needs. They also have the option of using the CMS Q&A and/or adding live, independently produced Q&A segments to their streams. CMS also provides full program notes that each presenter can tailor to its needs and offer to its audience. Pending availability, artists may also be available for live (on-line) Q&A segments with local presenters.
More than 30 organizations and venues have already signed on to the national initiative. David Finckel and Wu Han explained that “many of the early adopters are small, community-run organizations that play a critical role in sustaining the art of chamber music and the musicians who perform it. We are thrilled to offer these unique, digital concerts, and to give local chamber music presenters a way to connect with their audiences in this time when live performances are not possible.”
Montgomery Chamber Music Organization Board Member Mary Miles said, “We are thrilled to offer the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Front Row: National series to our membership this fall. The musical and artistic quality of the concerts is exceptional…The interesting personal interchange of the directors of CMS with the participating artist or artists is an additional gift to the entire experience.”
“At Chamber Music Tulsa, we've been looking for ways to stay connected with our subscribers, and also ways to support musicians and the chamber music industry, until we can return to being together for live concerts,” said Bruce Sorrell, Executive Director, of Chamber Music Tulsa (OK). “The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Front Row series does just that. It gives us a great way to offer online programs, beautifully performed and produced, and the flexibility to schedule them according to our needs.”
Currently being offered through CMS Front Row is The Artist Series, eight concerts that aired initially this past spring on the CMS website. Each concert in the series highlights the work of one artist across multiple performances and ensemble groupings, and features Michael Brown, Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung, Gloria Chien, Gilbert Kalish, Cho-Liang Lin, Anne-Marie McDermott, David Shifrin, and Arnaud Sussmann. Six additional concerts, comprising the CMS Front Row Summer Evenings series will be added over the next several weeks. Summer Evenings is inspired by CMS’s annual Lincoln Center summer series of the same name, which has traditionally presented music “that breathes the pleasant airs of the season,” said Finckel and Wu Han, who go on to explain that “the concerts in the digital series all begin with joyful works from the Baroque era. We hope the concerts are able to lift hearts, minds and spirits – in any season – with music that is truly restorative.”
The national digital initiative is inspired by CMS’s regular touring concerts – about 70 performances each season in the US and Canada and around the world – that sustain the art of chamber music and serve audiences beyond New York City, both key elements of the CMS mission.
The opportunity for presenters around the US and Canada to stream these concerts on their own websites, at their convenience, is a benefit of becoming a sponsor of CMS Front Row: National through a nominal donation, which allows organizations of any size and budget to participate while also helping CMS to support the art form of chamber music and its roster of world-class musicians during these uniquely challenging times.
The following organizations and venues are planning to showcase some or all of the virtual concerts for their audiences (as of 7/29/20):
Ames Town and Gown
Austin Chamber Music Center
Calgary Pro Musica Society
Chamber Music Albuquerque
Chamber Music Houston
Chamber Music Society of Logan
Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach
Chamber Music Tulsa
Cleveland Chamber Music Society
Corpus Christi Chamber Music Society
Friends of Music, Sleepy Hollow
George Mason University's Center for the Arts and Hylton Performing Arts Center
Green Music Center, Sonoma State University
The Harris Theater
Honolulu Chamber Music Series
Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center at Auburn University
Johnson County Community College, Carlsen Center
Middlebury College
Mobile Chamber Music
Montgomery Chamber Music Organization
Music@Menlo
Music Worcester
Performance Santa Fe
The Phillips Collection
Phoenix Chamber Music Society
San Antonio Chamber Music Society
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Tryon Concert Association
University of Georgia Presents
University of Vermont Lane Series
Vilar Performing Arts Center
Waterford Concert Series
Wolf Trap Foundation
Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts - CSUN
CMS FRONT ROW: NATIONAL DIGITAL INITIATIVE
Concert Offerings
Photo: Cherylynn Tsushima
ARTIST SERIES, WEEK 1
MICHAEL BROWN
Barber: Souvenirs for Piano, Four Hands, Op. 28
Michael Brown, Gilles Vonsattel, piano
Brown: Prelude and Dance for Cello and Piano
Nicholas Canellakis, cello; Michael Brown, piano
Mendelssohn: Sextet in D major for Piano, Violin, Two Violas, Cello, and Bass, Op. 110
Michael Brown, piano; Chad Hoopes, violin; Paul Neubauer, Matthew Lipman, viola; Nicholas Canellakis, cello; Joseph Conyers, double bass
Q&A with Michael Brown
ARTIST SERIES, WEEK 2
ALESSIO BAX AND LUCILLE CHUNG
Mozart: Concerto No. 14 in E-flat major for Piano and String Quintet, K. 449
Alessio Bax, piano; Arnaud Sussmann, Bella Hristova, violin; Paul Neubauer, viola; Sophie Shao, cello; Joseph Conyers, double bass
Bartók: Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion
Alessio Bax, Lucille Chung, piano; Ian David Rosenbaum, Ayano Kataoka, percussion
Q&A with Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung
ARTIST SERIES, WEEK 3
CHO-LIANG LIN
Foss: “Composer’s Holiday” from Three American Pieces for Violin and Piano
Cho-Liang Lin, violin; Jon Kimura Parker, piano
Dvořák: “Larghetto” from Sonatina in G major for Violin and Piano, Op. 100
Cho-Liang Lin, violin; Jon Kimura Parker, piano
Tchaikovsky: Sextet for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Two Cellos, Op. 70, “Souvenir de Florence”
Cho-Liang Lin, Erin Keefe, violin; Paul Neubauer, Hsin-Yun Huang, viola; Dmitri Atapine, Colin Carr, cello
Q&A with Cho-Liang Lin
ARTIST SERIES, WEEK 4
GILBERT KALISH
Crumb: Three Early Songs for Voice and Piano
Tony Arnold, soprano; Gilbert Kalish, piano
Schubert: “Der Hirt auf dem Felsen” for Soprano, Clarinet, and Piano, D. 965, Op. 129
Lisette Oropesa, soprano; David Shifrin, clarinet; Gilbert Kalish, piano
Brahms: Quartet No. 3 in C minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 60
Gilbert Kalish, piano; Nicolas Dautricourt, violin; Paul Neubauer, viola; Torleif Thedéen, cello
Q&A with Gilbert Kalish
ARTIST SERIES, WEEK 5
DAVID SHIFRIN
Mozart: Quintet in A major for Clarinet, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, K. 581
David Shifrin, clarinet; Danbi Um, Bella Hristova, violin; Mark Holloway, viola; Dmitri Atapine, cello
Bassi: Concert Fantasia on Themes from Verdi’s Rigoletto for Clarinet and Piano
David Shifrin, clarinet; Gloria Chien, piano
Ellington: Clarinet Lament for Clarinet and Piano
David Shifrin, clarinet; Gloria Chien, piano
Q&A with David Shifrin
Gloria Chien, Piano
Photo: Tristan Cook
ARTIST SERIES, WEEK 6
GLORIA CHIEN
Field: Nocturne No. 2 in C minor for Piano
Gloria Chien, piano
Liszt: Grand duo concertant sur la romance de ‘Le Marin’ for Violin and Piano
Gloria Chien, piano; Benjamin Beilman, violin
Mendelssohn: Quartet in C minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 1
Gloria Chien, piano; Sean Lee, violin; Richard O’Neill, viola; Narek Hakhnazaryan, cello
Q&A with Gloria Chien
ARTIST SERIES, WEEK 7
ARNAUD SUSSMANN
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049
Arnaud Sussmann, violin; Sooyun Kim, Tara Helen O’Connor, flute; Bella Hristova, Francisco Fullana, violin; Richard O’Neill, viola; Dmitri Atapine, cello; Xavier Foley, double bass; Hyeyeon Park, piano-harpsichord
Chausson: Concerto in D major for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet, Op. 21
Arnaud Sussmann, violin; Wu Han, piano; Kristin Lee, Yura Lee, violin; Richard O’Neill, viola; Nicholas Canellakis, cello
Q&A with Arnaud Sussmann
ARTIST SERIES, WEEK 8
ANNE-MARIE MCDERMOTT
Mozart: Concerto in D minor for Piano, Flute, and Strings, K. 466
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano; Sean Lee, Bella Hristova, violin; Paul Neubauer, viola; Mihai Marica, cello; Timothy Cobb, double bass; Tara Helen O’Connor, flute
Smetana: Trio in G minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 15
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano; Ida Kavafian, violin; Gary Hoffman, cello
Q&A with Anne-Marie McDermott
SUMMER EVENINGS 1
Leclair: Concerto in B-flat major for Violin, Strings, and Continuo, Op. 10, No. 1 (1745)
Bella Hristova, Aaron Boyd, Sean Lee, violin; Paul Neubauer, viola; Mihai Marica, cello; Timothy Cobb, bass; Gilles Vonsattel, harpsichord
Haydn: Sonata in G major for Keyboard, Hob. XVI:40 (1784)
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano
Dvořák: Quintet in A major for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, B. 155, Op. 81 (1887)
Wu Han, piano; Chad Hoopes, Paul Huang, violin; Matthew Lipman, viola; Dmitri Atapine, cello
Photo: Tristan Cook
SUMMER EVENINGS 2
Gabrieli: Canzon XVI a 12, for Cellos, C. 209 (1615)
The Cellists of Lincoln Center: David Finckel, Sumire Kudo, Sarina Zhang, Timothy Eddy, Rafael Figueroa, Dmitri Atapine, James Jeonghwan Kim, Richard Aaron, Carter Brey, Yi Qun Xu, Kevin Mills, Jerry Grossman
Beethoven: Trio in B-flat major for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano, Op. 11 (1797)
Inon Barnatan, piano; Anthony McGill, clarinet; Alisa Weilerstein, cello
Rachmaninov: Suite No. 2 in C minor for Two Pianos, Op. 17 (1900-01)
Wu Qian, Anne-Marie McDermott, piano
SUMMER EVENINGS 3
Albinoni: Sonata di concerto a 7 for Trumpet, Two Violins, Two Violas, Cello, and Continuo (1694)
David Washburn, trumpet; Ani Kavafian, Giora Schmidt, violin; Mark Holloway, Richard O’Neill, viola; Mihai Marica, cello; Stéphane Logerot, bass; Kenneth Weiss, harpsichord
Mozart: Quartet in D major for Flute, Violin, Viola, and Cello, K. 285 (1777)
Tara Helen O’Connor, flute; Benjamin Beilman, violin; Richard O’Neill, viola; Keith Robinson, cello
Brahms: Trio in C minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 101 (1886)
Michael Brown, piano; Paul Huang, violin; Dmitri Atapine, cello
SUMMER EVENINGS 4
Geminiani: Sonata in C major for Cello and Continuo, Op. 5, No. 3 (1746)
Timothy Eddy, Mihai Marica, cello; Kenneth Weiss, harpsichord
Haydn: Quartet in F major for Strings, Op. 50, No. 5, “The Dream” (1787)
Orion String Quartet (Todd Phillips, Daniel Phillips, violin; Steven Tenenbom, viola; Timothy Eddy, cello)
Copland: Appalachian Spring Suite for Ensemble (1944)
Gloria Chien, piano; Kristin Lee, Chad Hoopes, Arnaud Sussmann, Angelo Xiang Yu, violin; Matthew Lipman, Paul Neubauer, viola; David Finckel, Nicholas Canellakis, cello; Anthony Manzo, double bass; Ransom Wilson, flute; David Shifrin, clarinet; Marc Goldberg, bassoon
SUMMER EVENINGS 5
Tartini: Sonata in G minor for Violin and Continuo, “Devil’s Trill” (before 1756)
Adam Barnett-Hart, violin; Timothy Eddy, cello; Kenneth Weiss, harpsichord
Mozart: Adagio and Fugue in C minor for String Quartet, K. 546 (1788)
Mendelssohn: Fugue in E-flat major for String Quartet, Op. 81, No. 4 (1827)
Schumann Quartet (Erik Schumann, Ken Schumann, violin; Liisa Randalu, viola; Mark Schumann, cello)
Glinka: Trio pathétique in D minor for Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano (1832)
David Shifrin, clarinet; Marc Goldberg, bassoon; Anne-Marie McDermott, piano
Francisco Fullana and Kristin Lee
Photo: Tristan Cook
SUMMER EVENINGS 6
Handel: "Let the Bright Seraphim" from Samson for Soprano, Trumpet, Strings, and Continuo, HWV 57 (1741-42)
Joélle Harvey, soprano; Brandon Ridenour, trumpet; Francisco Fullana, Kristin Lee, violin; Richard O'Neill, viola; Marc Goldberg, bassoon; Efe Baltacigil, cello; Xavier Foley, double bass; Kenneth Weiss, harpsichord
Mendelssohn: Andante and Allegro brillant for Piano, Four Hands, Op. 92 (1841)
Orion Weiss, Huw Watkins, piano
Franck: Quintet in F minor for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello (1879)
Wu Qian, piano; Cho-Liang Lin, Paul Huang, violin; Matthew Lipman, viola; Sophie Shao, cello