Violist

Following a heartfelt violin sonata by Schumann (who adored Bach), the East Coast Chamber Orchestra’s extraordinary ensemble offers a contemporary work inspired by Bach's stunning Chaconne, “one epic movement ... that would define string playing forever after.” Finally, with a rollicking set of variations on a Baroque dance theme, you’ll see why the New York Times declared, "ECCO delivers performances that are nothing short of electrifying." 

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Program IV: Virtuosity

University of Southern Maine

Vijay Iyer’s new piano concerto, Handmade Universe, incorporates elements of jazz in a work written for Shai Wosner and the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, presented here in a special partnership with Portland Chamber Music Festival. Violinist Jennifer Koh joins festival directors Wilhelmina Smith (SBC) and Melissa Reardon (PCMS) in Missy Mazzoli’s folk-inspired string trio and Mozart’s dark and brooding G minor Piano Quartet to bring the festival’s 30th year to a rousing conclusion.

Festival Concert 4

Lincoln Theater Damariscotta

The East Coast Chamber Orchestra’s PCMF debut in 2022 drew raves from audiences: “The energy and artistry was astounding!” “Such virtuosic performances, and such wit and joy!” Well, they’re back, bringing with them Handmade Universe, a brand new work by Grammy-nominated composer Vijay Iyer that blends jazz harmonies with intricate orchestrations. A playful flourish of a string trio and a breathtaking arrangement of Bach's stunning Chaconne open the program, and the youthful vigor of Mendelssohn’s delightful Octet, written when he was just 16, brings the evening to a ravishing close.

Program III: Universal Resonance

This sumptuous program celebrates the French musical voice, with its distinctively dazzling variety of tonal effects. First up, a sextet for winds, strings, and piano by Guillaume Connesson—one of today’s most widely performed French composers—whose music has been called “a celebration of life, filled with joyous melodies, rhythmic vitality, and a sense of wonder" (American Record Guide). An elegiac oboe sonata by Poulenc, dedicated to the memory of his close friend (and bridge partner) Prokofiev, is followed by an original arrangement of Debussy's dreamy sunset in song. Finally, the gorgeous opulence and exuberance of Fauré’s first Piano Quartet. C’est magnifique!

Program II: Musique Fantastique

This enchanting evening opens PCMF’s 2024 summer season with pure joy in musical form. The Boccherini Cello Quintet is a Classical-era delight: fun and fresh, balancing gentle tunes (including a famous minuet) with the luxurious heft of lower string sounds. Dvořák’s Romantic quintet for piano and strings radiates grace and warmth, before blossoming into bursts of spontaneous celebration.

Program I: Perfect Fifths

Please join us for an exclusive preview and celebration of the Portland Chamber Music Festival’s 2024 summer season! Enjoy informal performances and conversation with extraordinary musicians, drinks and light refreshments, and the company of fellow chamber music enthusiasts in a delightfully intimate setting.

 Spring Salon & Social

Join us as we celebrate 39 years of First Mondays, curated by Artistic Director Laurence Lesser. Programs feature well-loved classics and new compositions, performed by some of the finest chamber musicians in the world, free and open to all. First Mondays are fresh and full of imaginative pairings of well-loved classics and new works, performed in one of the finest places on the planet to hear music of this caliber: NEC’s own Jordan Hall.

First Monday at Jordan Hall: Mozart, Smetana, Bruckner

New England Conservatory

Ethereal beauty, profound majesty, and flashes of warmth… this delightful matinée is like hot cocoa by the fire after a wintry woods walk. Sibelius transports us to a world of Nordic landscapes, where a shimmering atmosphere intertwines with moments of quiet conversation. Best known for his monumental symphonies, Bruckner brings his mastery to the intimate realm of chamber music with a quintet filled with rich textures and expansive flourishes. Internationally renowned for her extraordinary lyricism, violist Kim Kashkashian joins the Borromeo String Quartet to bring PCMF’s inaugural Winter Warmer Festival to a heartwarming, radiant conclusion.

Winter Warmer II: Intimate Voices

PCMF Artistic Director and Borromeo String Quartet violist Melissa Reardon and Borromeo Quartet violinist Kristopher Tong will give a masterclass to students in partnership with the Maine Suzuki Association. The masterclass will run for approximately 1.5 hours, and is free and open to the public to attend. Reminder that tickets to the Borromeo Quartet matinee concert later in the day are FREE for those ages 21 and under!

Maine Suzuki Association Masterclass

PCMF’s inaugural Winter Warmer Festival opens with two landmark masterworks of the chamber music canon, both brimming with kaleidoscopic colors, rollicking rhythms, and harmonic daring.

Winter Warmer I: Bartók and Beethoven

This poetically lyrical program, infused with unforced virtuosity and memorable melodies, is the perfect way to spend a summer evening. The witty sophistication of Germaine Tailleferre, the only woman in the early 20th century group of French composers known as Les Six, sets up a fascinating contrast with a passionately dramatic trio rooted in Armenian folk music. PCMF’s 30th summer season concludes with Schubert’s sunny Octet, with its bountiful array of strings and winds, hummable tunes, and genial Viennese charm.

Program IV: Grand Finale

Beethoven's "Kreutzer" Sonata, one of his most brilliant and popular works, has an extraordinarily intimate emotional intensity, which serves as a primary plot point of Tolstoy's controversial novella of the same name, by which the narrator is driven to murderous obsession. Janáček's string quartet, premiered 100 years ago, reflects on the psychological drama and obsessive qualities in Tolstoy's story. By intertwining these two landmark works with selected readings, this fascinating program dramatically illustrates the sources of artistic inspiration.

Program III: The Kreutzer Connection

Step right up for an utterly delightful mini musical summer vacation! First stop, a charming piece for piano four-hands evoking nature-related sounds and scenes of the English countryside, paired with a poetic, atmospheric quintet by a self-described “brazen Romantic.” Enjoy a taste of the jazzy flavors of Gershwin before jet-setting off to Bohemia for Dvořák’s masterful piano quartet, lending a folksy flair and rollicking vitality to this truly glorious adventure.

Program II: Summer Dreams

At the age of 17 Samuel Coleridge-Taylor became fascinated by the music of Dvořák, with its American and African-American influences. At 19 he heard Brahms’s landmark Clarinet Quintet, and immediately set to work on his own, which is filled with lush, youthful extravagance, and—like much of his music—incorporates traditions from both his African and English heritage. Ravel’s highly original Piano Trio is an exquisite work of consummate lightness and stunning power, featuring gorgeous melodic lines, rhythmic complexity, and truly otherworldly beauty.

Program I: First Impressions

Please join Artistic Director Melissa Reardon and Founder and Artistic Director Emerita Jennifer Elowitch for an exclusive preview and celebration of PCMF's 30th anniversary summer season. Melissa and Jenny will be joined by 2023 Resident Artist Charles Overton, the first harpist ever accepted into Berklee's prestigious Global Jazz Initiative. Enjoy informal performances and conversation with extraordinary musicians, elegant refreshments from Bread & Butter Catering Company, and the company of fellow chamber music enthusiasts in a delightfully intimate setting. Attendance is limited, and all proceeds will benefit PCMF's artistic and youth access programs.

Summer Salon & Social

Cape Elizabeth

To celebrate Chamber Music Sedona’s 40th Anniversary Season, we’re going BIG, featuring massive and groundbreaking works that will shatter any notion that chamber music is small scale. Mendelssohn’s beloved Octet, one of the greatest masterpieces of western music, will be joined by the epic and rarely heard Octet by Romanian composer George Enescu, along with something truly special: a brand new work by composer and Sedona favorite Michael Stephen Brown, co-commissioned by Chamber Music Sedona to commemorate our 40th year.

40th Anniversary Gala: Epic Octets

Sedona Performing Arts Center

Celebrated around the world for their “edge-of-the-seat performances” (Boston Globe), PCMF Artistic Director Melissa Reardon is the newest member of the award-winning Borromeo String Quartet. This dazzling ensemble makes its PCMF debut with a program that runs the gamut of glorious string quartet sounds: from playful, gracious Haydn to a folk-infused fantasia by Bartók, to Debussy’s inventive, shimmering sensuality.

Borromeo String Quartet

PCMF Artistic Director and Borromeo String Quartet violist Melissa Reardon will give a chamber music masterclass to students in partnership with the Maine Suzuki Association. The masterclass will run for approximately one hour, and is free and open to the public to attend.

One of the Borromeo's most-loved activities in their residency at the New England Conservatory is the audition process to select the Winners of the Guest Artist Awards. They greatly enjoy the week of collaboration in which every student who has entered the competition has a session playing and working together with the Quartet. Working with all of these students, and affording special recognition to those that are chosen as winners, is always an inspiring experience.

Melissa Reardon

Violist

Events

Past events

Aug 17, 2024

Program IV: Virtuosity · Portland Chamber Music Festival

Aug 16, 2024

Festival Concert 4 · Salt Bay Chamberfest

Future and recently performed repertoire

Viola in String Quintet in F major by Bruckner

New England Conservatory

Viola in Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major by Dvořák

Portland Chamber Music Festival

Viola in Piano Quartet no. 1 in C minor by Fauré

Portland Chamber Music Festival

Viola in String Octet in E-flat Major by Mendelssohn

Portland Chamber Music Festival

Viola in String Quintet in E Major by Boccherini

Portland Chamber Music Festival

Viola in Sextet by Connesson

Portland Chamber Music Festival

Viola in Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor by Mozart

Salt Bay Chamberfest

Viola in Lies You Can Believe In by Mazzoli

Salt Bay Chamberfest

About

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