ACMP Presented The Sixth Annual Worldwide Play-In Weekend

Associated Chamber Music Players (ACMP) presented its sixth annual Worldwide Play-In Weekend on March 3 and 4, 2018. Musicians around the globe attended events that brought together chamber music players to experience the joy of playing chamber music. For more information, visit .

2018 Play-Ins occurred around the world - some highlights in the U.S. included Manhattan and Queens; Mystic, CT; San Diego, CA; Boulder and Denver, CO; West Newton, MA; Philadelphia, PA; Washington, DC; among others.

Members in Munich celebrated with readings of Hayden and Beethoven, using the opportunity to pair serious studies and sensuous musical delight. Ten hours southwest, 15 musicians in the Geneva area met at Cambristi Lemani for a varied dialogue between Beethoven, Mozart, Boccherini, Mel Bonis and Onslow.

Of the NYC Play-Ins, Diller Quaile School of Music on the Upper East Side held the largest, followed by one for ACMP members in Kew Gardens, Queens, and a special Play-In for wind players on the Upper West Side A Washington, D.C. Play-In incorporated a talk by violinist James Buswell while the New England Play-in in the Boston area, had more than 70 players.

"We celebrated the ACMP Worldwide Play-In Weekend on the evening of Friday, March 2. We, violinist and ACMP member Catalina Schreiber from Kolbermoor, violinist Wilfried Klanner from Starnberg, and cellist Marie-Theres Reisser from Munich, met at violist and ACMP member Gerhard Jütte's home in Munich. We played Haydn Op. 20, No. 4 and Beethoven Op. 18, No. 4. We enjoy these much too rare meetings of serious study and sensuous musical delight." - Gerhard Jütte, Munich

"Yesterday we enjoyed a string quartet afternoon, rejoicing that we were part of ACMP's 'round-the-world chamber music celebration. I'd like to extend an invitation to any amateur chamber music enthusiasts to join us while traveling to this beautiful part of the world." - Jane Wilson, Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

"The 'Cambristi Lemani' Play-In echoed ACMP's worldwide call, which gathered 15 musicians for 6 hours on March 4th, 2018, in the Geneva area of Switzerland. Composers played today included: Beethoven, Mozart, Boccherini, Mel Bonis and Onslow. - Lydie Lane (Vc), Marcel Arditi (Fl), and Cambristi Lemani" - Genève, Suisse/Switzerland

"We added a flutist this year and played Brandenburg #5 and some unusual combinations of flute and strings in addition to our traditional string and keyboard repertoire. And the food was fantastic!" - Linda Plaut, Blacksburg, VA

"The day was filled with much fun, finding new friendships and connecting to friends with whom I have not seen nor played chamber music in many years. I was reminded just how fortunate we are to have the Meridian open their doors and allow us this fun filled venue. This marked our eighth year having this annual play-in at the Meridian. Thank you for feeding my passion of chamber music." - Boulder, CO.

"A strong enough two-day "northeaster" to make national headlines didn't stop the March 3-4 ACMP play-in at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in downtown Mystic, CT. Sixteen players from two states braved Gusty Winds and minor flooding to spend Saturday early-afternoon playing in several small ensembles in the St. Mark's church school classrooms, and then gathering to read chamber-orchestra works in the 151-year-old cottage gothic church's sanctuary. The building was a creation of the shipbuilders who built whalers and clipper ships nearby during Mystic's glory days as a center of wooden-ship construction. It's been little changed since that time, and as a result the historic wooden structure has wonderful acoustics. It was a great place to play and hear Bach (3rd and 4th Brandenburg Concertos), Vivaldi (Concerto for two cellos), Mozart (arrangement for strings of the "Ave Verum"), Haydn (the 1795 Johann Peter Salomon arrangement of Haydn's Symphony #104, for flute, strings and keyboard) and Astor Piazzola ("Libertango")." - Mystic, CT

"Working together we made people feel welcomed and relaxed and everyone left smiling and saying they had met new people. We had 76 people which seemed just right. Everyone got to play in every session. Above all else I do these play-ins in memory of Esther who I met at a Play-in. Getting people back into playing, introducing people to chamber music and helping people make new connections has the power to change lives as it has for all of us. I hope there are many wonderful new friendships as a result of yesterday's event. BRAVO TUTTI!" - Ivy Turner, New England Play-In

"Montclair Presbyterian Church hosted the fourth locally organized event in celebration of chamber music on Saturday, March 3, 2018. In keeping true to the mission of ACMP, the program included young players new to chamber music and the usual seasoned amateurs who offered a program ranging from Vivaldi to Larsen. There were trios of cellos, winds and string, and winds and piano. There were quartets for just strings, a quartet for piano, a quintet for piano, and a string quintet. An improptu performance was offered for guitar and strings! Did we mention the hospitality and pot-luck lunch?! A great day indeed!" - Montclair Presbyterian Church, Oakland, CA

Reports of great Play-ins came in as well from, Trumansburg, NY; Philadelphia, PA; San Deigo, CA; Boulder and Denver, CO; Madrid, Spain; Tel Aviv, Israel; and Ghent, Belgium.

ACMP WORLDWIDE PLAY-IN WEEKEND BACKGROUND

A play-in is an event where musicians gather together to play and share music composed for small ensembles. Play-ins can be large or small, public or private. Play-ins are not performances, but a chance to bring musicians together, often meeting for the first time, to share in the mutual love of chamber music playing. Connections are made, friendships are formed, and players who meet at play-in events often go on to play music together throughout the year. The ACMP Worldwide Play-In weekend is a series of local events on a global scale. Each year since the first Worldwide Play-In Weekend in 2013, more than 100 play-ins have taken place, involving thousands of chamber music players of all ages, backgrounds and levels.

ACMP - Associated Chamber Music Players

The mission of ACMP - Associated Chamber Music Players - is to stimulate and expand the playing of chamber music for pleasure among musicians worldwide, of all backgrounds, ages and skill levels, by connecting people and supporting chamber music activities and education opportunities.

Since the organization began 70 years ago, ACMP has helped chamber music players find one another to share and play music together. More than 2,500 members come from every part of the world and share the love of making music with others.

In the 1990s, the ACMP Foundation was created, contributing more than four million dollars to support chamber music education and engagement programs for adult amateur players and community-based chamber music education programs for young musicians and others.