Wheaton College Artist Series welcomes New York Classical Players March 16
"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination," said one wise person. Wheaton College Artist Series has the same positive attitude and always finds a way to "adjust sails."
English Chamber Orchestra was scheduled to perform on March 16 but had to cancel their tour because their visa applications were lost and there was insufficient time to resubmit them.
However, Wheaton College Artist Series and particularly Tony Payne, general manager of Wheaton College Artist Series, worked hard and found a great ensemble, a more-than-worthy substitute.
New York Classical Players, an ensemble dedicated to the highest standards of artistry, collaboration, and virtuosity, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 16, at the Armerding Concert Hall, 520 E. Kenilworth Ave. in Wheaton.
This concert will become a cornerstone of the 73rd anniversary of the Wheaton College Artist Series. Under the talented directorship of Dongmin Kim, New York Classical Players has prepared a wonderful concert program that will become another gem in the colorful palette of Wheaton College Artist Series programming.
For more than 72 years, Wheaton College Artist Series has presented the world's best live music and dance from classical and folk traditions and has attracted a great number of patrons of different ages, socio-economic levels, and backgrounds.
Evenings at the Wheaton College Artist Series feature world-renowned performers who share their artistic genius in two great locations - epic Edman Chapel and the intimate new 650-seat Armerding Concert Hall.
Founded in 2010, New York Classical Players consists of dynamic young musicians who are launching their professional careers. Their youthful energy and extensive training in music result in performances that touch the soul of their audience and impress even the most experienced musical critics.
Time Out New York described New York Classical Players as an "Exuberant chamber orchestra!" In an Amazon review of their Music for Chamber Music recording, Ken Meltzer wrote, "The performances by the New York Classical Players and conductor Dongmin Kim are excellent throughout. The playing is incisive, tonally rich, and phrased with great care."
Maestro Dongmin Kim is quickly establishing himself as one of the most inspiring and versatile conductors on the scene today. A native of Seoul, Kim has studied Orchestral Conducting and Viola at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Since founding New York Classical Players in 2010, he has led around 200 concerts in the New York City metro area, three international tours from Asia to South America, a statewide residency with seven state universities in Arkansas, and a U.S. national tour with superstar soprano Sumi Jo.
Maestro Kim collaborates with some of the world's renowned artists, including Miriam Fried, Donald Weilerstein, Kim Kashkashian, Cho-Liang Lin, Pamela Frank, Charles Neidich, Peter Wiley, Carol Wincenc, Kun-Woo Paik, HaeSun Paik, Chee-Yun, Stefan Jackiw, Jasmine Choi, and Richard O'Neill. His recent and upcoming engagements in the world's prestigious stages include Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, Herbst Theatre, Faulkner Performing Arts Center, Seoul Arts Center, and the Lotte Concert Hall, to name a few.
Comprised of today's most talented instrumentalists, New York Classical Players offer uncompromising artistic excellence, innovative programming and artistic vision, and embrace highly collaborative ensemble playing. The orchestra is honored to have a partnership with acclaimed violinist Stella Chen, New York Classical Players new Artist-in-Residence.
The concert will begin with American composer Samuel Adler's arrangement of "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" from Gustav Holst's "The Planets," composed between 1914 and 1917. This arrangement is so bright and nimble as led by their acclaimed conductor Dongmin Kim, that listeners will hardly miss the grandiosity of the original orchestra from which this arrangement is derived.
The program also includes Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525, written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1787). The title of this piece translates as "a little night music," an extremely recognizable work, familiar to many who will hear it. This serenade is one of the composer's most famous compositions, and New York Classical Players interpret it with elegance and virtuosity.
After the intermission, the ensemble will perform a beautiful work by American composer Philip Glass, Quartet Satz. Known for his trademark minimalist style, Glass is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. This work is commissioned for "Fifty For the Future" and is a project of the Kronos Performing Arts Association.
The concert program will conclude with Symphony No. 44 in E minor by Austrian composer Franz Joseph ("Papa") Haydn. Written in the last half of the 1700's, this emotional composition is an example of so-called Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress) style so popular at that time. It consists of three movements: Allegro con brio, Menuetto: Allegretto, Adagio, and Finale: Presto. This symphony is also known as a "Mourning" as Haydn asked for the slow movement of this symphony to be played at his funeral. But the Finale: Presto sounds hopeful and life-affirming, albeit with small doses of musical tension here and there, reminding us of the contrasting episodes of life with its joys and hardships.
A pre-concert talk with Maestro Kim will take place during the pre-concert Grace Notes at 6:30 p.m. in the concert hall. Tickets are still available for this stellar evening of music.
For tickets or information on the New York Classical Players, visit tickets.wheaton.edu/.