Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players Series Moves to Restored Corbett Tower

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) announces that the 2017-18 series of chamber concerts will be held at Music Hall's beautifully restored Corbett Tower, an intimate space for a more personal concert experience.

The CSO Chamber Players concerts are curated by the musicians of the CSO, providing them the opportunity to share rare, technical, and creative pieces with the public.

This season the CSO Chamber Players will present concerts on December 1, 2017, January 19, 2018, March 23, 2018, and April 13, 2018.

The series will begin on December 1, 2017 (7:30 p.m.) with Love Triangle - a uniquely curated concert beginning with a celestial interpretation of Debussy's work Pelle?as et Me?lisande, which the CSO is playing in its entirety in October. This chamber rendition will be performed by Eric Bates (violin), Matthew Lad (cello), Ronald Aufmann (clarinet), James Lambert (double bass), and Julie Spangler (piano). Following Debussy, the chamber will be performing a Quintet for Winds and Strings from Prokofiev's ballet Trape?ze, performed by Kathryn Woolley (violin), Rebecca Barnes (viola), Boris Astafiev (double bass), Lon Bussell (oboe), and Benjamin Freimuth (clarinet). Continuing the evening, there will be a Trio for Flute (Amy Taylor), Oboe (Christopher Philpotts), and Piano written by British composer Madeleine Dring, and the concert will conclude with Brahms' Third Piano Quartet. This final piece truly ties together the theme of "love triangle", as it was the music Brahms composed whilst in the midst of his own love triangle with the Schumann's, and will be performed by Anna Reider (violin), Christian Colberg (viola), Ilya Finkelshteyn (cello), and Daniel Culnan (piano).

The series continues on January 19, 2018 (7:30 p.m.) with an evening dubbed From the Heart. This concert centers on the idea that music can touch each of its listeners on the deepest level. The night begins with a performance of Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110, by Kun Dong (violin), Rebecca Kruger Fryxell (violin), Rebecca Barnes (viola), and Susan Marshall-Petersen (cello). Up next is a rendition of the Grand Concerto Fantasy on Themes from Verdi's Un ballo in maschera by Hughes, performed by Randolph Bowman (flute), Amy Taylor (flute), and Youkyoung Kim (piano). The second half of the concert will consist of a performance of Michael Henry's Birdwatching, by Ixi Chen (clarinet), Ralph Skiano (clarinet), Ronald Aufmann (clarinet), and Benjamin Freimuth (clarinet), and a finale of Mendelssohn's Quintet No. 1 in A Major for Strings, Op.18, performed by Stefani Collins Matsuo (violin), Rachel Charbel (violin), Marna Street (viola), Paul Frankenfeld (viola), and Hiro Matsuo (cello) - ending the evening with a personal work of disquieting beauty.

The third concert will be on March 23, 2018 (7:30 p.m.), and will feature a repertoire of music welcoming the bright days of spring. String Forward will focus primarily on pieces oriented toward strings players, beginning with Mozart's String Quartet No. 14 in G Major, K. 387, Spring. This piece will be performed by Rebecca Kruger Fryxell (violin), Chika Kato Kinderman (violin), Stephen Fryxell (viola), and Matthew Lad (cello). Following Mozart comes a performance by Stefani Collins Matsuo (violin), and Hiro Matsuo (cello) of Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Cello, written in memory of Claude Debussy. The program will continue with a contemplative piece by Smetana, reminiscing on his personal experience and journey through the world of music. This String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor, of From My Life, will be performed by Kathryn Woolley (violin), Stacey Woolley (violin), Marna Street (viola), and Norman Johns (cello). The concert will finish out with a presentation of Paul Lansky's Hop, performed by Rachel Charbel (violin), and Michael Culligan (marimba).

The chamber series will conclude on April 13, 2018 (7:30 p.m.) with a special evening highlighting the works of Brahms and Beethoven. As the CSO is beginning a three year cycle, the Beethoven Revolution, exploring Beethoven's symphonies. This concert is the perfect addition to delve deeper into the mind of this great composer. The event will begin with Poulenc's Trio for Oboe (Lon Bussel), Bassoon (Martin Garcia), and Piano (Julie Spangler) a? Manuel De Falla - a bright and joyful opener. Transitioning into the headlining composers for the evening, there will be a performance of Brahms' Trio in E-flat Major for Violin (Sylvia Mitchell), Horn (Patrick Hodge), and Piano (Nozomi Yamaguchi), Op. 40. The inspiration for this piece struck the composer as he walked through the woods, which translates into the mood of the piece. The final performance of the series will be a heroic finale - Beethoven's String Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3, Razumovsky, performed by Kun Dong (violin), Chika Kato Kinderman (violin), Gerald Itzkoff (viola), and Alan Rafferty (cello).

Subscriptions for these concerts are now on sale. Single tickets go on sale October 27, and concerts frequently sell out. All seating is General Admission. Tickets are available by calling the CSO Box Office at 513.381.3300. More information can be found at www.cincinnatisymphony.org.