Friends of Music Celebrates 70th Season

NEWS RELEASE    

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 7, 2023
Contact: Susan R. Harris, President
(914) 329-7318
Email: susanrharris1@icloud.com

Friends of Music Concerts celebrates 70th anniversary

Westchester’s venerable chamber music series to feature

dynamic young artists in 2023-24 season

MILLWOOD, NY – Friends of Music Concerts, which presents the finest in professional chamber music, is celebrating its 70^th anniversary with seven concerts of traditional and adventurous repertoire in the 2023-2024 season.

“We’re celebrating our 70^th anniversary with a bold program and an exciting mix of musicians, most of whom Friends of Music Concerts has not presented before. We will have traditional quartets, but also vocal music and some unusual instrumentation, performed by a diverse lineup of exciting artists,” said FOMC President Susan Harris.

In addition, Harris said, “You would have to travel into Manhattan or abroad to see these top-level players, but audience members love our ease of access right here in Westchester County.” Performances are scheduled to take place at Sleepy Hollow High School auditorium, 210 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., with ample free parking and handicapped access.

The season begins on Saturday, Sept. 23, 8 p.m., with Manhattan Chamber Players, a collective of New York City-based musicians that has been featured frequently on NPR’s Performance Today program. They have been singled out for their “fascinating program concept” and the lineup includes works by Glass, Schumann and Chausson.

On Saturday, Oct. 7, 8 p.m., FOM welcomes Trio Zimbalist, with virtuoso violinist Josef Spaček (former concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic), who is well-known to New York audiences. He will be joined by cellist Timotheos Gavriilikis-Petrin and pianist George Xiaoun. Presented by the Curtis Institute of Music, they will play works by Haydn, Martinů and Ravel.

The Escher String Quartet, will shake up its traditional repertoire on Saturday, Oct. 21, 8 p.m., appearing with strings of another kind – Grammy-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux as guest artist. This unusual instrumentation will present compositions by Haydn, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Bach, Metheny, Jobim and Boccherini, some written specifically for string quartet and guitar, arranged by or dedicated to Mr. Vieaux.

A major presence on the French baroque scene, Le Consort arrives on Saturday, Nov. 4, 8 p.m. This quartet – two violins, cello and harpsichord – brings a personal and colorful language to chamber music from the 17^th and 18^th centuries by Bach, Vivaldi, Corelli, Purcell and Rameau.

On Sunday, March 10, 3 p.m., bass-baritone Joseph Parrish and pianist and soprano Chelsea Guo will present a varied program. Both are winners of the 2022 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions in New York City and recipients of FOMC’s Performance Award. They are also Juilliard students.

Pianist Michelle Cann, presented by Curtis Institute of Music and described as “a compelling, sparkling virtuoso” by Boston Music Intelligencer, arrives on Saturday, April 13, 8 p.m. Her program includes works by African-American composers William Grant Still and Joel Thompson and a Rachmaninoff prelude arrangement by African-American pianist Hazel Scott.

The Isidore String Quartet performs on Sunday, April 28, 3 p.m. “The gloriously vital tradition of the string quartet is our playground to impact the world we live in and inspire others,” is their mission statement. Recipients of a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant, they won the 14^th Banff International String Competition last year. Their program will include works by Bach, Shirazi, Wijeratne and Mendelssohn.

Friends of Music history

 Founded in 1954, Friends of Music’s first concert featured the young Juilliard String Quartet. Since then, FOMC has brought to Westchester nearly every chamber music group of world renown, soloists and developing artists. FOMC’s mission has always maintained a special focus on keeping musical experiences affordable and building audiences of the future.

Its Partnership In Education Program sponsors one-day residencies of young professional musicians at several Westchester County schools throughout the concert season.

Its new Scholarship Program works with two of Westchester County’s top music schools – Hoff-Barthelson and Music Conservatory of Westchester — to provide scholarships to students from underserved communities.

Subscriptions and tickets

A Friends of Music Concerts subscription to all seven concerts is $140 (a $105 savings over single tickets). Patrons may also buy a mini-subscription of three tickets for $90 (a $15 savings) and use them in any combination at any concert. Single tickets are $35 for adults, $15 for college students with ID and free for those under 18. Go to www.friendsofmusicconcerts.org.

Friends of Music Concerts, Inc. | P.O. Box 675 | Millwood, NY 10546

Tel (914) 861-5080 | www.friendsofmusicconcerts.org