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Chamber Music Charleston is pleased to return to the Piccolo Spoleto festival for two distinctive programs of music. The first celebrates music by women composers of the Baroque era, and the second highlights the American sounds that have been woven into music by Antonin Dvorak, Florence Price, HT Burleigh and William Grant Still. Each program takes place in the historic ballroom of South Carolina Society Hall and begins with a light reception in the antechamber.
The first program is titled “Forgotten Voices: Celebrating Women Composers of the Baroque and Early Classical Era.” The world has celebrated the music of composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach and Antonio Vivaldi for centuries, but what about the female composers who were writing equally glorious music during the Baroque and early Classical era? In 1756, Anna Bon, “virtuosa di musica di camera,” penned extraordinary flute sonatas for her employer, the illustrious Margrave of Brandenburg and his music loving wife. And then there is Anna Amalia, Duchess of Saxe-Weimar and composer who played harpsichord, flute and violin. Chamber Music Charleston curates a special program of music that explores the compositions of these lesser known composers, performed alongside their male contemporaries. Performing musicians include flutist Regina Helcher Yost, oboist Kelly Moziek, bassoonist Sandra Nikolajevs and harpsichordist Julia Harlow.
The second program is titled “Capturing the American Spirit – Music of Dvorak, Price, Burleigh and Still.” The story begins with a young singer named Harry Thacker Burleigh who was working as a custodian at the National Conservatory in New York City during the 1890s to fulfill the requirements of his scholarship. One evening, Antonín Dvořák, the newly appointed director, overheard Burleigh's deep baritone voice singing the spirituals that his grandfather had taught him. This chance encounter marked the beginning of a remarkable friendship and Dvořák's introduction to the world of African American spirituals. Chamber Music Charleston’s program brings together the music of Burleigh and Dvorak, alongside those of other important but long-neglected composers such as Florence Price and William Grant Still. Through their music, the program paints a vivid portrait of a distinctive yet classically-informed American sound that is rooted in the country's diverse cultural heritage. Performing musicians include violinists Frances Hsieh and Jenny Weiss, violist Ben Weiss and cellist Tim O’Malley.
Each concert is approximately 55 minutes in length, and tickets are $5 for students and $25 for general admission, available online at chambermusiccharleston.org and citypapertickets.com.
