Sherman Chamber Ensemble Announces Summer Season

SHERMAN — Beethoven, Schumann, Dvorak, Schubert and Bach are just some of the premier names in the chamber music repertoire, and they will be well represented as Sherman Chamber Ensemble embarks on its 2000 summer concert season. Ensemble regulars Eliot Bailen (cello) and Susan Rotholz (flute) will be joined by a world-class roster of musicians in three programs this summer.

The season opener on July 7 and 8 will feature String Quintet in E flat (Opus 97) by Antonin Dvorak, one of many works by the Czechoslovakian composer to reflect the influence of Native American themes best known from his “New World” Symphony. A Beethoven String Quartet from Opus 18, and “By the Lake,” an appropriate work for solo flute by the contemporary composer Frank Wigglesworth, will round out the program.

The accomplished pianist and frequent SCE guest artist Margaret Kampmeier will be the focus of the season’s second concert, which will take place August 4 and 5. Ms Kampmeier will join ensemble members for Schubert’s Trio in B-flat, along with a Romance for flute and piano by Robert Schumann and the Arensky Trio for piano, violin and cello.

On September 1 and 2, the renowned keyboardist and scholar Kenneth Cooper will lead the ensemble in a celebration of Johann Sebastian Bach on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the great composer’s death. The program will include selections from Bach’s cantatas, chamber music and solo works, and will feature the talents of not only Mr Cooper but several guest vocalists as well.

Sherman Chamber Ensemble concerts are performed Friday evenings in the intimate and acoustically excellent St Andrew’s Church on Main Street in Kent. Saturday evening performances take place in the rustic charm of the lakeside Mauweehoo Clubhouse in Sherman. All performances start at 8 pm and are followed by a reception offering light refreshments and an opportunity to meet the performers.

SCE’s subscription package is the best way to guarantee a ticket for all three of this season’s extraordinary concerts: $35 gives the subscriber tickets for all three programs, with the flexibility to attend either Kent or Sherman venues. For a subscription form or more information, call Sherman Chamber Ensemble at 860/355-6155 or write to Box 319, 9 Brush Hill Road, New Fairfield, CT 06812.

Individual concert tickets, as available, will be sold for $15 at the door. Advance reservations are strongly recommended; call 860/355-6155. For Sherman concerts only, lawn tickets may be purchased the night of the concert for $10. There is no charge for lawn tickets for children under 12.