The Boston Conservatory Chamber Players, now in their 13th season, have become an important and popular addition to Boston 's musical life. They began as the realization of a dream of William Seymour, the past president of the Conservatory. A life-long chamber music lover, he wanted to form a showcase group made up of some of the Conservatory's most acclaimed artist-faculty. In 1990, he asked pianist Michael Lewin to serve as the Artistic Director, and the group became a dynamic reality. In addition to their concerts, the Chamber Players play an integral role in the student chamber music program, coaching and mentoring the Conservatory's gifted students.
The Boston Conservatory Chamber Players have consistently won acclaim for their diverse and imaginative programming, combining well-known masterpieces with new works. While performing music of three centuries, they have had a particular commitment to American music and to the composers of today. Among the composers who have been commissioned to write new pieces for The Boston Conservatory Chamber Players are Daniel Pinkham, John Clement Adams, Randall Woolf, Scott Wheeler, Larry Bell, Arthur Levering, Andy Vores, and Stephen Funk Pearson. Their All-American program each February celebrating Presidents' Day has become an eagerly anticipated tradition. The Boston Conservatory Chamber Players also champion Boston composers, including historical composers such as Amy Beach and Arthur Foote, and contemporary masters such as Leon Kirchner, John Harbison, Gardner Read, Osvaldo Golijov, and Martin Amlin. They have also performed the music of famed author Anthony Burgess.
Hailed by Boston Globe critic Richard Dyer as a "first class chamber music ensemble," the Chamber Players have been joined by many distinguished guest artists. Former guests include pianists Jerome Lowenthal and Gilbert Kalish; string players Burton Fine, Steven Ansell, Roberto Diaz, Daniel Lewin, Christopher Costanza, and Martha Babcock; harpists Elizabeth Morse and Ann Hobson Pilot; narrator Richard Knisely; and singers Robert Honeysucker, William Hite, D'Anna Fortunato, Jayne West, and Sheri Greenawald. Many of the Chamber Players concerts are broadcast on WGBH radio, in both studio and concert performances. In addition to their annual subscription series, they have appeared with notable success at such venues as WCRB's Classical at Copley series, First Night, the Boston Public Library, the Franklin Institute, Harvard University, Brown University, the Longy School, and Northeastern University. Members of the Chamber Players have toured Hong Kong and Hawaii, and have performed at the North American New Music Festival in Buffalo.
|
