American Symphony Orchestra Offers Free Chamber Music at Brooklyn Bridge Park

The American Symphony Orchestra (ASO) presents three free concerts of chamber music on September 16, 23, and 30 at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 3 Greenway Terrace, as part of the Sounds at Sunset series. All concerts are performed and curated by ASO members and take place on Thursdays at 6:00PM. Each evening offers some of NYC's finest talents performing music that ranges from Baroque to Classical, Contemporary, and Jazz as the sun sets over the New York City skyline.

Sounds at Sunset is a free series with chairs set up for your comfort. Advanced RSVP is encouraged and can be completed at this link. Walk-ups will be accommodated as space allows. Safety protocols and guidelines for Brooklyn Bridge Park are detailed here. For more information, visit brooklynbridgepark.org.

Thursday, September 16 at 6:00PM - Reawakening Quartet

A string quartet of ASO musicians underscores the Orchestra's current journey of renewal and reawakening with pieces by all-American composers including Gabriela Lena Frank, George Walker, and Carlos Simon.

Elizabeth Nielsen, violin

Richard Rood, violin

Will Frampton, viola

Alberto Parrini, cello

William Grant Still: Danzas de Panama

Tamborito

Mejorana y Socavón

Punto

Cumbia y Congo

Daniel Bernard Roumain: String Quartet No. 4, Angelou

A Learned Conversation

Ravenous

Poem Won

Table for One

I Want to be Appreciated

Carlos Simon: Warmth From Other Suns

Rays of Light

Flight

Settle

Gabriela Lena Frank: Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout

Toyos

Tarqueada

Himno de Zaponas

Chasqui

Canto de Velorio

Coquetos

Duke Ellington (arr. Paul Chihara): Ellington Fantasy

I'm Beginning to See the Light

Take the A Train

Sophisticated Lady

Mood Indigo

George Walker: String Quartet No. 1, Lyric

Allegro

Molto adagio

Allegro con fuoco

Thursday, September 23 at 6:00PM - Italian Expressiveness and Expressionists

A string quartet of ASO musicians performs a program of Italian chamber music that spans four centuries, from Isabella Leonarda-a 17th-century Ursuline Nun-to the 20th-century expressionist and avant-garde composer, Niccolò Castiglioni. The concert finale features the soaring melodies of 19th-century Bel Canto master, Gaetano Donizetti.

Robert Zubrycki, violin

James Tsao, violin

Adria Benjamin, viola

Emily Brausa, cello

Giacinto Scelsi: String Quartet No. 3, V. Liberation, Catharsis

Giacomo Puccini: I Crisantemi

Isabella Leonarda: Twelve Sonatas, Op. 16, Sonata Terza

Alba Rosa Viëtor: Chimes at Dusk for Violin and Viola

Luigi Boccherini: Duo for Violin and Cello from La Musica Notturna Delle Strade di Madrid

Niccolò Castiglioni: Romanze

Gaetano Donizetti: String Quartet No. 17 in D Major

Thursday, September 30 at 6:00PM - Visions Trio

This eclectic trio performs a variety of music from two distinct decades in history, the 1920s and the 2020s. The program, which includes music by Erwin Schulhoff, Astor Piazzolla, Bix Beiderbecke, Lonnie Johnson, and Esperanza Spalding, among others, explores the Roaring 20s of both centuries with music spanning from Classical to Jazz, in addition to new arrangements by the ASO's own Pete Donovan.

Diva Goodfriend-Koven piccolo, flute, alto flute

Philip Payton, violin, viola

Pete Donovan, double bass, 6-string electric bass



Bix Beiderbecke (Arr. Pete Donovan): In A Mist

Lonnie Johnson (Arr. Pete Donovan): To Do This, You Got To Know How

Erwin Schulhoff: Concertino for Flute, Viola, and Contrabass

Andante con moto

Furiant

Andante

Rondino

Astor Piazzolla: "Soledad"

Pixinguinha and Benedito Lacerda: "Chorei"

Brian Raphael Nabors: 7 Dances

"Hyper-Tango!"

"Foxtrot"

"Hip-Hop Jam"

Esperanza Spalding: Little Fly