Springfield Chamber Players Will Perform Season Opener at 52 Sumner

The Springfield Chamber Players will launch their 2025-26 season at 52 Sumner on Sunday, October 26, at 3PM. Alexander Svensen, Assistant Principal Bass of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, will perform works by Bach, Bartók, Dragonetti, and more. He will be joined by Romina Kostare, violinist with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and Patrick Berry, radio and TV personality, on select pieces.

This will be the second season for the Springfield Chamber Players at 52 Sumner and will feature more musicians of the SCP in this five-concert series. Another series at the Westfield Athenaeum, as well as a partnership with the Springfield Youth Orchestras, are planned for this season. 

THE PLAYERS

Alexander Svensen enjoys a career as a classical, jazz, and pop double bassist and electric bassist throughout New England and the northeastern United States. He is the principal bassist of the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, assistant principal bassist of the Springfield (MA) Symphony Orchestra, and section bass in the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and Hartford Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his active performing career, Alex teaches classical and jazz double bass as well as jazz theory, improvisation, and historical concepts. Alex received degrees from the State University of NY at Fredonia and the Yale School of Music.

Romina Kostare, violinist, is an accomplished violinist holding both a Bachelor's Degree in Violin Performance from the University of Arts in Tirana, Albania, and a Master's Degree in Violin Performance from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Romina has studied under the tutelage of renowned violinists such as Charles Treger at UMASS and Roman Totenberg at BU. Currently, Romina is a member of both the Springfield Symphony and Hartford Symphony Orchestra in the first violin section. Beyond her performance career, Romina's passion for music extends to teaching, as she serves as the violin instructor at Mount Holyoke College.

Patrick Berry is a broadcast journalist and the Host and Executive Producer of a new show "InFocus" on WWLP. He was born and raised in Westfield, and has established a long career in radio and television within the Greater Springfield area. He was president and owner of The Westfield News Group, and hosted a two-hour weekly radio show on WSKB 89.5FM, which was also simulcast on WCPC-TV. He joined WWLP in 2020 to be the Co-host of a popular daily show "Mass Appeal." Patrick is a big supporter of MOSSO and recently became a member of MOSSO's Board of  Directors.