Aris Quartett. Photo by Sophie Walter
By Natasha Anderson
The Asheville Chamber Music Series (ACMS) 2023-24 season features a roster of exceptional performers with programs that include a few firsts in the organization’s 71-year history. It will also continue its highly successful “Rising Star Series,” held in conjunction with the Asheville Art Museum as an opportunity to showcase talented young North Carolina chamber musicians.
Youth Concert Artists NYC tenor Daniel McGrew. Photo by Shervin Lainez
“You do not need to travel to New York to hear the winners of the prestigious Young Concert Artists auditions; to France to hear the Baroque ensemble Le Consort; to England to hear Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Wind Ensemble; or to Germany to hear the Aris Quartett,” says ACMS programming chairperson Polly Feitzinger. “These prestigious international ensembles are all presented by ACMS. This season represents the first-time a vocal chamber ensemble has been programmed, as well as an early instrument ensemble.”
The season opens Friday, October 13, at 7:30 p.m., at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, with YCA on Tour, a unique program by Young Concert Artists NYC, featuring rarely heard instrumentation that combines voice with violin, cello and piano. The program will transport the audience from Felix Mendelssohn’s Germany in 1844 and Hugo Wolf’s Austria in 1897, all the way through Julian Anderson’s Great Britain in 1995 and Salina Fisher’s New Zealand in 2020.
The new season also includes, among other distinguished groups, Le Consort, a unique French chamber ensemble; the world-renowned Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Wind Ensemble and Piano; Aris Quartett, considered one of the world’s top string quartets and the acclaimed Canellakis-Brown Duo (piano, cello).
The ACMS Rising Stars Series, presented in conjunction with the Asheville Art Museum, will again feature young NC musicians embarking on major concert careers.
Le Consort. Photo by Julien Benhamou
“The first Rising Star program introduced last season was a complete success, as we were able to showcase the talents of young Asheville musicians who are interested in pursuing chamber music careers, as well as those from as far away as Raleigh and Hendersonville,” says ACMS president Marilynne Herbert. “These young artists were able to perform beyond their academic settings, enabling the community to see for themselves their remarkable talents in the beautiful Atrium of the Asheville Art Museum.”
Season tickets are available for Asheville Chamber Music Series at $200 each; individual tickets are $45. Subscriptions and individual tickets are available at AshevilleChamberMusic.org. Tickets for Rising Star Concerts are $13 for members; $15 non-members, available through the Asheville Art Museum. Visit AshevilleChamberMusic.org for upcoming performance dates and other information.
