For Immediate Release

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

The Dallas Chamber Music Society announce with great regret that the Coronavirus Pandemic has forced the cancellation of the American tour of the Academy of St. Martin the Fields Chamber Ensemble and in turn our plans to present them for a Dallas concert on October 12. However, we are eager to resume our contributions to the musical life of North Texas and have arranged for a special event to take place that same evening.

We have been able to seize the opportunity to present internationally known violinist Philippe Quint and pianist Marta Aznavoorian for a multimedia presentation deriving from their recorded album “Chaplin’s Smile.” While this program steps outside the normal realm of chamber music as we have been presenting it for over 70 years, it offers a unique opportunity to experience the artistry of Charlie Chaplin not only as a comedian/actor people remember so fondly, but also as a composer of beautiful music. His compositions found their way onto the soundtracks of several of his movies during Hollywood’s Golden Age and for this concert have been arranged for violin and piano by Quint. The innate nostalgia of much of the music connects to our feelings for that age and should lift our spirits at this very difficult time. Chaplin composed the soundtrack music to his hits “City Lights,” “Modern Times,” “The Great Dictator,” “Monsieur Verdoux,” and “Gold Rush.” He even conducted the orchestra himself during recordings because he felt that this was an integral part of his artistry as a filmmaker. Grammy Award nominee violinist Philippe Quint celebrates Charlie Chaplin’s extraordinary legacy, commemorating his compositional talents and his encounters with the great composers and personalities of the day. The multimedia performance experience with music from some of Chaplin’s most famous movies includes photographs, videoclips, stories and musical performances. 

The program will be presented for an audience of limited size at Caruth Auditorium but will also be live streamed through SMU’s streaming portal. Quint, a violinist well known and much celebrated by many Dallas concert patrons, and Aznavoorian will all also assume master teacher roles through residency activities with the students of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra and SMU on Sunday, October 11, and Monday, October 12. Quint is constantly in demand and regularly appears with major orchestras and conductors worldwide at venues ranging from the Gewandhaus in Leipzig to Carnegie Hall in New York, while making frequent guest appearances at the most prestigious festivals including Verbier, Aspen, Colmar, Hollywood Bowl, and Dresden Festspiele. He is internationally recognized for his unique and insightful approach to standard repertoire, championing and rediscovering neglected repertoire and embarking on imaginative, exciting journeys of explorations and collaborations with artists of different genres. “Truly phenomenal” is how BBC Music Magazine recently described him, also adding that “Quint’s tonal opulence, generously inflected with subtle portamentos, sounds like a throwback to the glory day of Fritz Kreisler.” 

The ATOS Trio, scheduled to perform on Monday, November 16, also had to cancel their US tour due to the pandemic, However, we are pleased to have the Dallas Symphony Chamber Players, a new partnership for us this season, present their program on this concert date.

The Dallas Symphony Chamber Players features some of the principal players of the DSO, including Alexander Kerr, Nathan Olson, Erin Hannigan, and Christopher Adkins. Another highlight of this program is the world-premiere of an oboe quartet written for Erin Hannigan by American composer, conductor and pianist, Jeremy Gill. More information coming soon!

NEW LOGO AND WEBSITE

Monday, July 20, 2020

Last year the Dallas Chamber Music Society celebrated 75 years of presenting world class chamber music ensembles to the Dallas/North Texas community. In conjunction with that milestone, the DCMS embarked on a rebranding quest with Buell Inc. that included the designing of a new logo and website. Gregory Hustis, President of the DCMS, remarked “The Dallas Chamber Music Society is one of the oldest and most venerable performing arts organizations in Dallas. We wanted our logo and website to reflect the stellar history of the DCMS, a history that has included such groups as the Borodin, Guarneri and Emerson quartets, while also presenting a fresh, modern, yet elegant persona.”

With Caruth Auditorium as its main stage, the Dallas Chamber Music Society continues to present the very best chamber music. The 20/21 season line-up includes The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (subject to change due to the pandemic), the ATOS Trio, the Debussy Trio, the Aizuri Quartet, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players, and the Brentano Quartet with soprano Dawn Upshaw. “We are working to adapt to the ever-changing situation of COVID-19,” says Hustis. “Of course, we do not wish to further perpetuate the duration of this virus, but we also know that our many patrons miss hearing live concerts and the performances of great chamber music. With these considerations in mind, the Dallas Chamber Music Society is exploring streaming options as well as taking precautions to ensure any DCMS live concerts are as safe as possible for both patrons and artists. Updates to our schedule and artist roster will be shared on our website through social media channels.”

Season subscriptions are available at a $60 discount now through October 12, 2020. To join our email list, please email info@dallaschambermusic.org