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Fans of chamber music both old and new are in luck. Starting next weekend, small ensembles will fill the air with music at the Southampton Cultural Center as part of a new chamber series launched by the Southampton Cultural Center in collaboration with Marc Levine.
Mr. Levine is a professional violinist who organized a three-concert chamber music series at the Stony Brook Southampton campus last spring. Eager to bring another series to the area, he found a willing partner at the Southampton Cultural Center in Southampton Village.
Building on the strengths of last year’s concerts, Mr. Levine has organized a series featuring top musicians whose passion for their art he hopes will touch those in attendance. Taken as a whole, the new Southampton Cultural Center Chamber Music Series aims to highlight a variety of chamber music styles and time periods.
The series features two contemporary groups, two mainstream chamber music concerts and two Baroque concerts. The performances also tap into different types of presentation. Established ensembles will perform and recitals will be held, along with chamber music society style concerts, with instruments featured in different configurations throughout the performance.
“All of the concerts feature great performers,” Mr. Levine said. “They should be phenomenal concerts.”
Performances begin on Saturday, April 4, with a performance by the Escher String Quartet at 3 p.m. The Escher String Quartet is known for the talents of the individual players and the group’s unique cohesiveness. The quartet has performed at Lincoln Center and Symphony Space in Manhattan, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Louvre in Paris, the Ravinia and Caramoor Festivals and other prestigious venues.
Switching gears completely, Yarn/Wire will take the stage on Sunday, April 5. Reflecting influences from classical music, avant-garde theater and experimental pop music, Yarn/Wire is dedicated to contemporary music written for two pianists and two percussionists. The group’s concerts feature commissioned works from younger composers from around the world.
Pulling back the curtain of time, the April 18 concert will feature baroque masters on historic period instruments: Arthur Haas playing harpsichord and Dana Maiben playing the violin. Both have international reputations, a long list of performance credits and recordings, and are considered experts in their field.
According to Mr. Levine, the baroque duo concert is one that shouldn’t be missed. “We’re really lucky they agreed to perform,” he said. “These are top players in their fields. They both have international reputations.”
The series continues on May 3 with the Southampton Cultural Center Chamber Players, a new group that counts Mr. Levine among its members. The ensemble, which will be the chamber group in residence if the series continues, is planning to perform a mix of classic and contemporary chamber music.
The final concert on May 10 will feature Gabriel Shuford on harpsichord. Mr. Shuford has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, L’Opera François de New York, the Stony Brook Baroque Ensemble and others. He has recorded for New World Records.
Those who attended last year’s chamber music series at Southampton Stony Brook already know what to expect from the slate of performers. In fact, it was the enthusiastic response of last year’s fans that helped the series find its new home at the Southampton Cultural Center.
Mr. Levine programmed six concerts with the intention of returning the series to Stony Brook Southampton, but rising costs at the college forced Mr. Levine to look elsewhere for a home for the fledgling series. After hearing about the space at the Levitas Center for the Performing Arts at the Southampton Cultural Center, he approached the Cultural Center Director Kristin Lonnie and the center’s board of trustees, who were only too happy to give the series a home and hope for the future.
The series creates opportunities for both audiences and musicians, Mr. Levine explained. Chamber music is especially rewarding for musicians because they don’t often have the chance to play it, Mr. Levine explained. Most professional spots are found in orchestras, musical theater and other larger ensembles that focus on other types of music. Musicians who want to play chamber music typically form groups themselves and try to make a name and book concerts independently.
The only regular and consistent chamber music performances on the East End are provided by the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival in the summer. Beyond the Rising Stars piano series at the Cultural Center and the Piano Plus series in Riverhead, classical music makes only occasional appearances on the East End outside of the summer. Over the years, concerts have been held at Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton, at the Hampton Bays High School, the Southampton Cultural Center and in area churches.
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