Chamber Music on the Fox to open season with Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Maestro Andrew Grams
On Monday, Oct. 28, Chamber Music on the Fox opens their sixth season with a program that is intimate yet symphonic in scope.
Featuring the music of two composers who changed the landscape of classical music during their own time, the concert opens with Mozart's G Minor String Quintet, a rich, dark piece that is made even more luscious with the addition of a second violist to the ensemble.
The second half of the concert will feature the holy grail of the string chamber music repertoire, Mendelssohn's masterful and virtuosic String Octet.
Led by ESO Concertmaster Isabella Lippi, the Octet will spotlight eight musicians of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra including Maestro Andrew Grams himself on the violin.
"The music on this concert is all about texture," explained Chamber Music on the Fox Artistic Director Sara Sitzer. "Mozart added a fifth player to the traditional string quartet, another violist, to add another layer of harmonic texture to his Quintet. And as for the Mendelssohn, the effect of the double-quartet makes the sound so grandiose that it's almost like a concerto for miniature orchestra."
The performance is being presented in partnership with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, and, besides Grams on the violin, features many principal players of the ESO, including Concertmaster Isabella Lippi, Associate Concertmaster Eleanor Bartsch, Principal Cellist Matthew Agnew, and Principal Violist Amanda Grimm.
Audiences will also have a chance to see and hear violinist Jerry Loughney, cellist Sara Sitzer, and the newest member of the ESO, Rebecca Swan, who just won a seat in the viola section last summer.
The performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Imago, 216 Prairie St. in downtown Elgin.
General admission is $30, student tickets are available for $15, and Chamber Music on the Fox also offers a pay-what-you-can option for artists.
For details about the concert and to purchase tickets, visit www.ChamberMusicOnTheFox.org, call (224) 276-8881, or e-mail sara.sitzer@chambermusiconthefox.org.
A preview performance will also take place at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, at Barrington's Great White House.
Founded by ESO musicians Mark Fry and Sara Sitzer, Chamber Music on the Fox is a world-class classical chamber music series serving Elgin and the greater Fox Valley region, whose mission is to present engaging, enriching, and immersive performances and cultural experiences that enhance and enrich the cultural offerings of the area. Their sixth season includes performances by many of the finest artists in the Chicago and Fox Valley regions. For more information, see ChamberMusicOnTheFox.org.