2019-20 Season

Eighth Blackbird, hailed as “one of the smartest, most dynamic contemporary classical ensembles on the planet” (Chicago Tribune), returns for a third concert on the BCMS. They began in 1996 as a group of six entrepreneurial Oberlin Conservatory students and quickly became “a brand-name defined by adventure, vibrancy and quality” (Detroit Free Press). Over the course of more than two decades, Eighth Blackbird has continually pushed at the edges of what it means to be a contemporary chamber ensemble, presenting distinct programs in Chicago, nationally, and internationally, reaching audiences totaling tens of thousands. The sextet has commissioned and premiered hundreds of works by composers both established and emerging, and have perpetuated the creation of music with profound impact, such as Steve Reich’s Double Sextet, which went on to win the 2009 Pulitzer Prize. The ensemble’s extensive recording history, primarily with Chicago’s Cedille Records, has produced more than a dozen acclaimed albums and four Grammy Awards for Best Small Ensemble/Chamber Music Performance, most recently in 2016 for Filament. Longstanding collaborative relationships have led to performances with some of the most well-regarded classical artists of today from heralded performers like Dawn Upshaw and Jeremy Denk, to seminal composers like Philip Glass and Nico Muhly.

Receiving the prestigious MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, Chamber Music America’s inaugural Visionary Award, and being named Musical America’s 2017 Ensemble of the Year have supported Eighth Blackbird’s position as a catalyst for innovation in the new music ecosystem of Chicago and beyond.

Winner of the prestigious CMA Cleveland Quartet Award, Philadelphia's Jasper String Quartet is the Professional Quartet in Residence at Temple University's Center for Gifted Young Musicians. “The Jaspers” have been hailed as “sonically delightful and expressively compelling” (The Strad) and "powerful" (The New York Times). They have performed throughout the United States and in Canada, England, Italy, Japan, Korea, Norway and Panama.

Our audience will remember their gorgeous Boise performance in March of 2018, highlighted by back-to-back standing ovations for Debussy and Mendelssohn. Substitute second violinist for that concert, Karen Kim, has now joined them as a permanent member. (We heard it here first!) Many of us will also remember the truly inspirational student quartet competition they judged the next day. Their inclusive, supportive coaching exercise followed the announcement of the winners, bringing everyone together.

We can’t wait to hear them again in a program of Haydn Op. 20, no.4; new works by Leur Auerbach and Joan Tower, and Schubert's great "Death and the Maiden" quartet.

We are excited to welcome newcomers from Italy, serendipitously touring the U.S. in late October. Since its formation in 2000, the Quartetto di Cremona has established a reputation as an exciting chamber ensemble on the international stage. Regularly invited to perform at the most important festivals and concert seasons across Europe, North and South America, and the Far East, the Quartet has garnered universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike for its high level of interpretive artistry. I would add that their recordings and artistic statements bespeak a rare depth of seriousness and integrity to their art. Awarded with the BBT Fellowship in 2005, the Quartetto di Cremona is the recipient of the second “Franco Buitoni Award” (2019), in recognition of their contribution in promoting and encouraging chamber music in Italy and throughout the world. Their complete Beethoven string quartets recordings have garnered high levels of acclaim in the international press, winning several prizes (Echo Klassik 2017 and ICMA 2018, among others), with the Quartetto di Cremona being unanimously considered the “true heir of the great Quartetto Italiano.”

Their Boise concert will feature an Italian program, including the rare quartets by Verdi and Respighi—great chamber music by composing giants whose primary focus was opera and orchestral music, respectively. Expect emotional drama and an extraordinary range of color and intensity. The Quartetto di Cremona is kindly supported by the Kulturfonds Peter Eckes (Mainz) with four fabulous Italian instruments:

Cristiano Gualco – violin G.B. Guadagnini “Cremonensis”, Torino 1767
Paolo Andreoli – violin Paolo Antonio Testore, Milano ca. 1758
Simone Gramaglia – viola Gioachino Torazzi, ca. 1680
Giovanni Scaglione – cello Dom Nicola Amati, Bologna 1712

Since forming in 2010, Neave Trio – violinist Anna Williams, cellist Mikhail Veselov, and pianist Eri Nakamura – has earned enormous praise for its engaging, cutting-edge performances. WQXR explains, “’Neave’ is actually a Gaelic name meaning ‘bright’ and ‘radiant’, both of which certainly apply to this trio’s music making.” The Boston Musical Intelligencer included Neave in its “Best of 2014” and “Best of 2016” roundups, claiming, “their unanimity, communication, variety of touch, and expressive sensibility rate first tier.”

Neave has performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, 92nd Street Y, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center/La Jolla Music Society, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Norfolk and Norwich Chamber Music Series (United Kingdom), and the Samoylov and Rimsky Korsakow Museums’ Chamber Music Series in St. Petersburg (Russia). The trio has also appeared frequently as soloists for Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with orchestras across the country and held residency positions at Brown University, ArtsAhimsa Chamber Music Festival, San Diego State University as the first ever Fisch/Axelrod Trio-in-Residence, and the Banff Centre (Canada), among many other institutions. In the fall of 2017, the Trio joined the faculty of the Longy School of Music of Bard College as Alumni Artists, Faculty Ensemble–in–Residence.

Neave Trio brings us a unique program: “Women’s Voices,” including four engaging works from the early 19th century to 2003, none ever before programmed on the BCMS. Louise Farrenc, Amy Beach, Cecile Chaminade, and Jennifer Higdon’s voices will combine to explore a full range of expression, well deserving our attention and enjoyment, and seldom heard.