Spoleto Festival USA Announces 2015 Bank of America Chamber Music Series Programs; 33 concerts of 11 programs performed twice daily in Charleston’s historic Dock Street Theatre throughout the Festival, May 22 June 7

Spoleto Festival USA Announces 2015 Bank of America Chamber Music Series Programs

33 concerts of 11 programs performed twice daily in Charleston’s historic Dock Street Theatre throughout the Festival, May 22 – June 7

Series features the world premiere of Mark Applebaum’s Control Freak for improvising singer and instrumental septet to be performed on May 25 and 26

St. Lawrence String Quartet celebrates its 25th anniversary; new second violinist Owen Dalby makes his ensemble performance debut at Spoleto Festival USA

APRIL 2, 2015 (CHARLESTON, SC)—Geoff Nuttall, The Charles E. and Andrea L. Volpe Director for Chamber Music for the Bank of America Chamber Music series, today announced details of the 11 programs for the 33 concerts that will be performed at this year’s Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina from Friday, May 22 through Sunday, June 7.

This year’s series includes the world premiere of Control Freak for improvising singer and instrumental septet, composed by the 2015 composer-in-residence Mark Applebaum. A colleague of Nuttall’s at Stanford University, Applebaum is known as the “mad scientist of music” because of his inventive compositional style and innovation with instruments. In addition to the premiere of his new piece, he will perform his Aphasia for hand gestures with pre-recorded sound as well as several pieces for blues piano. Applebaum performs on the first two programs; Control Freak premieres on Program III, performed by baritone Tyler Duncan, pianist Pedja Muzijevic, clarinetist Todd Palmer, oboist James Austin Smith, violinist Geoff Nuttall, violist Daniel Phillips, and cellist Christopher Costanza.

“It’s going to be a varied and eclectic musical ride with Mark,” Nuttall says. “He’s an amazing blues and jazz pianist, which you’ll experience, and you’ll also get to witness an important moment in music history when we hear a new piece of art.”

Programs for this season’s series include well-known canonic jewels as well as new musical experiences with contemporary compositions and selections unearthed from past centuries. Program highlights include Schumann’s Dichterliebe performed by returning baritone Tyler Duncan and pianist Pedja Muzijevic; J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto no. 2 in F Major; a chamber arrangement of Haydn’s Symphony no. 104, “London”; Osvaldo Golijov’s Omaramor for cello, performed by Alisa Weilerstein; Shostakovich’s Two Pieces for String Octet, op. 11; and Andrew Norman’s Light Screens.

The chamber music series begins on Friday, May 22 at 1:00pm with Vivaldi’s Double Concerto for Violin and Oboe in B-flat Major, featuring violinist Livia Sohn and oboist James Austin Smith; Mark Applebaum’s Aphasia; and Dvorák’s Piano Quartet in E-flat Major.

Each of the 11 chamber programs in the 2015 series features Nuttall’s signature eclectic and enticing taste, this year with compositions spanning more than 400 years. Program IV will include two pieces by Chinese-American composer Huang Ruo, whose opera Paradise Interrupted has its world premiere at Spoleto Festival USA this season. “Flow I and II” will feature Huang Ruo on vocals, as well as Zhou Yi on pipa (Chinese lute) and other series artists, including Tara Helen O’Connor, who will abandon her usual flute for the djembe (West African drum). Huang Ruo’s compositional style often marries Chinese tradition with seemingly disparate cultures, as is also heard in Paradise Interrupted.

“It’s a great luxury to be able to bring Huang Ruo from the opera to the chamber stage.” Nuttall says. “Audiences will be able to see the full portrait of a musician. This is a great example of the spirit of Spoleto—we have this vast canvas of disparate artistic offerings, and because the creative minds behind them are in the same place at the same time, new artistic connections are forged for both the musicians and the audience.”

This year, lutenist Kevin Payne joins the musicians on the Dock Street stage, opening the doors to repertoire from the Renaissance, including two John Dowland songs and an Elizabethan set with Nuttall, flutist Tara Helen O’Connor, and cellist Christopher Costanza; the lute is also featured on Baroque and contemporary works. Payne is a member of Juilliard 415, the Buxtehude Consort, and the Peabody Consort, and was the first lutenist to be accepted to The Juilliard School, where he is pursuing a graduate diploma in historical plucked instruments.

Assembling distinguished musicians from around the world, the chamber series is renowned for its engaging artists and their onstage camaraderie as much as for their virtuosity. Returning artists include baritone Tyler Duncan, pianist Pedja Muzijevic, flutist Tara Helen O’Connor, clarinetist Todd Palmer, oboist James Austin Smith, violinist Livia Sohn, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, pianist Inon Barnatan, violinist/violist Daniel Phillips, violist Hsin-Yun Huang, double bassist Anthony Manzo, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet (Nuttall, new second violinist Owen Dalby, Lesley Robertson, Christopher Costanza). New to the series is composer Mark Applebaum, lutenist Kevin Payne, violinist Benjamin Beilman, and pianist Erika Switzer.

Led by Nuttall, the St. Lawrence String Quartet—the Arthur and Holly Magill Quartet in Residence—celebrates its 25th anniversary during their 2014–15 season, including 20 years as part of the Bank of America Chamber Music series at Spoleto Festival USA. Making his ensemble debut from the Dock Street Theatre stage, Owen Dalby has been named as the new second violinist of the SLSQ. Dalby is a graduate of Yale University and is an acclaimed soloist and chamber musician. Currently based in New York, his relocation to Stanford University to be an artist-in-residence with his colleagues in the SLSQ will be a homecoming of sorts; Dalby is a native of Berkeley.

“Owen has an incredibly generous spirit and shares our passion not only for the quartet repertoire but for all that goes into bringing music to life,” Nuttall says. “We are thrilled that he has agreed to join the SLSQ family!”

This year’s festival will be Nuttall’s sixth season as chamber music director, a post that includes his introductions to each program from the stage. Of his ability to educate and entertain, The New York Times said: “Mr. Nuttall turns out to be chamber music’s Jon Stewart… while maintaining the high musical standards of the series, he has established a new style of presentation that juxtaposes the ridiculous with the sublime, delves into serious musicology and casually uses technology. In short, he is subtly redefining what a chamber music concert can be.”

Each of the 11 programs is performed three times with two performances daily at 11:00am and 1:00pm in the 463-seat Dock Street Theatre at 135 Church Street.

Chamber Music Series Subscriptions

Spoleto Festival USA offers three chamber music subscription packages that include benefits such as premium reserved seats, access to Patron Services Manager Sally Lovejoy, and free exchanges:

• SUBSCRIPTION A: $192 (six odd-numbered chamber concerts, 1:00pm)
• SUBSCRIPTION B: $160 (five even-numbered chamber concerts, 1:00pm)
• SUBSCRIPTION C: $352 (first performance of each chamber concert, times vary)

Subscriptions are available by calling Patron Services Manager Sally Lovejoy at 843.720.1114.

Tickets

Tickets to all Bank of America Chamber Music series performances are available online at spoletousa.org, by phone at 843.579.3100, or in person at the Charleston Visitor Center, 375 Meeting Street. Tickets start at $20.

PROGRAM I:Friday, May 22 at 1:00pm; Saturday, May 23 at 11:00am and 1:00pm

Double Concerto for Violin and Oboe in B-flat Major, RV364 (Antonio Vivaldi)

Livia Sohn, violin; James Austin Smith, oboe

Geoff Nuttall and Benjamin Beilman, violins; Daniel Phillips, viola;

Christopher Costanza, cello; Anthony Manzo, double bass; Pedja Muzijevic, harpsichord

Aphasia(Mark Applebaum)

Mark Applebaum

Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, op. 87 (Antonín Dvorák)

Pedja Muzijevic, piano; Benjamin Beilman, violin;

Daniel Phillips, viola; Christopher Costanza, cello

PROGRAM II: Sunday,May 24 at 11:00am and 1:00pm; Monday, May 25 at 11:00am

“Fantasia and Variations” on a Theme by Danzi for Clarinet and Strings, op. 81(Louis Spohr)

Todd Palmer, clarinet

Livia Sohn and Geoff Nuttall, violins; Benjamin Beilman, viola;

Christopher Costanza, cello; Anthony Manzo, double bass

Jazz Number and Pre-composition (Mark Applebaum)

Mark Applebaum, piano

Dichterliebe, op. 48 (Robert Schumann)

Tyler Duncan, baritone; Pedja Muzijevic, piano

PROGRAM III            :Monday,May 25 at 1:00pm; Tuesday, May 26 at 11:00am and 1:00pm

“Rosen aus dem Süden” Waltz (Johann Strauss)                                                                                                             Geoff Nuttall and Livia Sohn, violins; Daniel Phillips, viola; Anthony Manzo, double bass

Control Freak for improvising singer and instrumental septet (world premiere, Mark Applebaum)

Tyler Duncan, baritone; Pedja Muzijevic, piano; Todd Palmer, clarinet;

James Austin Smith, oboe; Geoff Nuttall, violin; Daniel Phillips, viola;

Christopher Costanza, cello; Anthony Manzo, double bass

String Trio in C Minor, op. 9, no. 3 (Ludwig van Beethoven)

Benjamin Beilman, violin; Daniel Phillips, viola; Christopher Costanza, cello

Lensky’s Aria (Pyotr Tchaikovsky, arr. Auer)                                                                                 

Livia Sohn, violin; Pedja Muzijevic, piano

“Solenne on quest’ora” from La Forza del destino (Giuseppe Verdi, arr. Leob)

Livia Sohn, violin; Geoff Nuttall, viola; Pedja Muzijevic, piano

PROGRAM IV:Wednesday, May 27 at 11:00am and 1:00pm; Thursday, May 28 at 11:00am

Sonata in G Major, K. 379 (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)                                                               

Geoff Nuttall, violin; Pedja Muzijevic, piano

“Flow I and II” (Huang Ruo)

Geoff Nuttall, violin; Christopher Costanza, cello; Huang Ruo, voice;

Tara Helen O’Connor, djembe; Shelley Monroe Huang, bassoon; Zhou Yi, pipa

An die ferne Geliebte, op. 98 (Ludwig van Beethoven)                                         

Tyler Duncan, baritone; Erika Switzer, piano

Hymn II (Alfred Schnittke)

Christopher Costanza, cello; Anthony Manzo, double bass

Brandenburg Concerto no. 2 in F Major, BWV 1047 (Johann Sebastian Bach) 

Todd Palmer, E-flat clarinet; Tara Helen O’Connor, flute; James Austin Smith, oboe; Daniel Phillips, violin; Geoff Nuttall and Livia Sohn, violins;

Benjamin Beilman, viola; Christopher Costanza, cello;  Anthony Manzo, double bass; Pedja Muzijevic, harpsichord

PROGRAM V:Thursday,May 28 at 1:00pm; Friday, May 29 at 11:00am and 1:00pm

Sonata for Two Violins in C Major, BuxWV 266 (Dieterich Buxtehude)

Owen Dalby and Geoff Nuttall, violins; Christopher Costanza, cello;

Pedja Muzijevic, harpsichord

Benny’s Gig (Morton Gould)

Todd Palmer, clarinet; Anthony Manzo, double bass

Sonata for Two Violins, op. 56 (Sergey Prokofiev)                                                           

Livia Sohn and Benjamin Beilman, violins

Flute Concerto in D Minor, W22 (Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach)

Tara Helen O’Connor, flute

Geoff Nuttall, Owen Dalby, Benjamin Beilman, and Livia Sohn, violins;

Daniel Phillips, viola; Christopher Costanza, cello; Anthony Manzo, double bass;

Pedja Muzijevic, harpsichord

PROGRAM VI:Saturday, May 30 at 11:00am and 1:00pm; Sunday, May 31 at 11:00am

Symphony in no. 104, “London” (Franz Joseph Haydn, arr. Salomon)

Pedja Muzijevic, harpsichord; Tara Helen O’Connor, flute;

Geoff Nuttall and Owen Dalby, violins; Daniel Phillips, viola;

Christopher Costanza, cello; Anthony Manzo, double bass

Elegiac Arabesques, op. 26a (Oliver Knussen)                                                                                                                      James Austin Smith, English horn; Todd Palmer, clarinet

Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, op. 47 (Robert Schumann)                                                

Pedja Muzijevic, piano; Benjamin Beilman, violin;

Daniel Phillips, viola; Alisa Weilerstein, cello

PROGRAM VII: Sunday, May 31 at 1:00pm; Monday, June 1 at 11:00am and 1:00pm

String Quartet in G Minor, op. 20 no. 3 (Franz Joseph Haydn)

St. Lawrence String Quartet

“In Darkness Let me Dwell”                                                                                                                       “Come Again, Sweet Love Doth Now Invite” (John Dowland)

Tyler Duncan, baritone; Kevin Payne, lute

5 Schilflieder for Oboe, Viola, and Piano, op. 28 (August Klughardt)      

1. I.              “Langsam, träumerisch”
2. II.            “Leidenschaftlich erregt”
3. III.           “Zart, in ruhiger Bewegung”

James Austin Smith, oboe; Daniel Phillips, viola; Pedja Muzijevic, piano

Omaramor for Solo Cello (Osvaldo Golijov)

Alisa Weilerstein, cello

PROGRAM VIII: Tuesday,June 2 at 11:00am and 1:00pm; Wednesday, June 3 at 11:00am                                                                                                

Clarinet Quartet in E-flat Major, op. 8 no.4 (Carl Stamitz)

Todd Palmer, clarinet; Livia Sohn, violin; Hsin-Yun Huang, viola; Alisa Weilerstein, cello

Dover Beach (Samuel Barber)

Tyler Duncan, baritone; St. Lawrence String Quartet

Nocturnal Toccata for Flute and Cello (Guillaume Connesson)                                       

Tara Helen O’Connor, flute; Alisa Weilerstein, cello

Viola Quintet in G Minor, K. 516 (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

St. Lawrence String Quartet, Hsin-Yun Huang, viola;

PROGRAM IX:Wednesday, June 3 at 1:00pm; Thursday, June 4 at 11:00am and 1:00pm

Violin Sonata in G Minor, “Devil’s Trill” (Giuseppe Tartini)

Daniel Phillips, violin; Kevin Payne, lute; Christopher Costanza, cello

“Hoboj”

“A Strange Young Lady” (Iva Bittová)

James Austin Smith, oboe; Hsin-Yun Huang, viola

Cello Sonata in G Minor, op. 65 (Fryderyk Chopin)

Alisa Weilerstein, cello; Inon Barnatan, piano

PROGRAM X: Friday, June 5 at 11:00am and 1:00pm; Saturday, June 6 at 11:00am

Elizabethan Set (Composers TBD)

Geoff Nuttall, violin; Tara Helen O’Connor, flute;

Kevin Payne, lute; Christopher Costanza, cello

La bonne chanson, op. 61 (Gabriel Fauré)

Tyler Duncan, baritone; Erika Switzer, piano; St. Lawrence String Quartet

Keyboard Concerto in F Minor, BWV 1056 (Johann Sebastian Bach)

Inon Barnatan, piano; St. Lawrence String Quartet;

Daniel Phillips and Livia Sohn, violins; Hsin-Yun Huang, viola;

Alisa Weilerstein, cello; TBD, double bass

Two Pieces for String Octet, op. 11 (Dmitry Shostakovich)

St. Lawrence String Quartet; Daniel Phillips and Livia Sohn, violins;

Hsin-Yun Huang, viola; Alisa Weilerstein, cello

PROGRAM XI: Saturday, June 6 at 1:00pm; Sunday, June 7 at 11:00am and 1:00pm

Light Screens (Andrew Norman)

Tara Helen O’Connor, flute; Livia Sohn, violin;

Lesley Robertson, viola; Christopher Costanza, cello

“Ihr, die ihr in der Sunden?”

from Es sind schon die letzten Zeiten, TWV 1:529 (Georg Phillipp Telemann)

Tyler Duncan, baritone; and James Austin Smith, oboe; St. Lawrence String Quartet;       Livia Sohn and Daniel Phillips, violins; Hsin-Yun Huang, viola;

TBD, double bass; Kevin Payne, lute

“Gebt Mir Meinen Jesum Wieder”

from St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244 (Johann Sebastian Bach)

Tyler Duncan, baritone; Daniel Phillips, violin; St. Lawrence String Quartet;

Livia Sohn, violin; Hsin-Yun Huang, viola; TBD, double bass; Kevin Payne, lute

“Hommage à Robert Schumann” for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano, op. 15 (György Kurtág)

Todd Palmer, clarinet; Hsin-Yun Huang, viola; Inon Barnatan, piano

Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, op. 44 (Robert Schumann)

Inon Barnatan, piano; St. Lawrence String Quartet

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