Sunday, January 20, 2008
Program

Dvorak Sextet in A Major, Op. 48
Martinu Sextet
Brahms Sextet in B-flat Major, Op. 18

In the past decade Concertante has acquired a sheen, warmth, and polish only a few ensembles ever achieve. Comprised of a core of six virtuoso string players, the group performs in varied combinations of instrumentalists. As solo performers who have won major national and international music competitions, they have graced the premier stages of the world from New York’s Carnegie Hall to London’s Royal Festival Hall to Shanghai’s Grand Theatre.

Concertante has performed a wide array of repertoire ranging from works by established masters to less commonly performed composers. The ensemble members — Alexis Pia Gerlach, Ara Gregorian, Zvi Plesser, Ittai Shapira, Rachel Shapiro, and Xiao-Dong Wang — all have an interest in furthering the cause of new music. To this end, they have launched a new series entitled One Plus Five, a series of six world premieres by Lowell Liebermann, Tigran Mansurian, Gabriela Frank, Shulamit Ran, Richard Danielpour, and Kevin Puts. To date, Concertante has premiered the works of Josef Bardanashvili, Justine Chen, Tina Davison, Steven R. Gerber, David Ludwig, Jan Radzynski, Sheila Silver, and Oded Zehavi. It has also offered infrequently performed chamber works by such celebrated composers as Enesco, John Adams, Schoenberg, Martinu and Schulhoff. As an ensemble, Concertante has performed across America, gathering rave reviews from such publications as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post, and appearing on Minnesota Public Radio’s St. Paul Sunday. Concertante performs regularly at Merkin Hall in New York City as well as being the Resident Chamber Music Ensemble of the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts in Harrisburg, PA.

The Sunday, January 20th Concertante concert will take place at 4:00 p.m. at the Wilton Congregational Church, just north of Wilton Center on Route 33. For non-subscribers to the series, tickets will be available at the door one-half hour prior to the performance for $25 ($20 for seniors, $10 for students). For more information on this concert or the series, phone 203-762-3401. The Candlelight Concerts series is a non-profit organization which benefits the Wilton Library. We gratefully accept tax deductible contributions from individuals and corporations.

For more information about Concertante, visit their website.