FEATURING INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED ARTISTS

Asheville, NC (June 23, 2016) – The Asheville Chamber Music Series (ACMS) will be presenting a distinguished roster of internationally acclaimed ensembles for its 2016-’17 season, including the Ying String Quartet, Aspen String Trio, Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet, Jerusalem String Quartet and the Weiss-Kaplan-Stumpf Piano Trio. Concerts will be held at both the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville and the Diana Wortham Theatre.

“We are excited to once again be partnering with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra in their 2017 Asheville Amadeus Festival,” says ACMS Co-President, Valerie Poullette Altman. “We are hosting the acclaimed Jerusalem String Quartet which will perform at the Diana Wortham Theatre as part of the festival.”

Featured ensembles in the ACMS 2016-’17 season include: 

YING STRING QUARTET

Friday, September 23, 2016 at 8:00 PM (UUCA)

Beethoven: String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95

Prokofiev: String Quartet #2 in F major

Brahms: String Quartet, A minor, Op. 51, #2

The Ying Quartet occupies a position of unique prominence in the classical music world, combining brilliantly communicative performances with a fearlessly imaginative view of chamber music in today’s world. Now in its second decade as a quartet, the Quartet has established itself as an ensemble of the highest musical qualifications in its tours across the United States and abroad. Their performances regularly take place in many of the world’s most important concert halls, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House.

ASPEN STRING TRIO

Friday, November 11, 2016 at 8:00 PM (UUCA)

Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988

(Transcription: Dmitry Sitkovetsky)

Strauss: Variations on a Bavarian Folk Song

Beethoven: String Trio in G major, Op 9, #1

Sold-out houses and standing ovations characterize the performances of the renowned Aspen String Trio. After more than 20 years of friendship and music-making, Aspen String Trio members David Perry, Victoria Chiang, and Michael Mermagen are an ensemble with magical synergy. These three world-class instrumentalists each have a long-time association as artist-faculty with the Aspen Music Festival; combined they have performed across the globe in the world’s most prestigious venues.

BERLIN PHILHARMONIC WIND QUINTET

*Sunday, February 12, 2017 at 4:00 PM (DWT)

Mozart: Three Fantasies for mechanical organ, K. 594, K. 616, K. 608

Pavel Haas: Quintet, Op. 10

Johan Kvandal: Quintet, Op. 34

Carl Nielsen: Quintet for Winds, Op. 43

The Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet was founded in 1988, during the era of Herbert von Karajan, the first permanently established wind quintet in the famous orchestra’s rich tradition of chamber music. Comprised of the principal players of the Berlin Philharmonic, the quintet continues to astonish audiences worldwide with their range of expression, their tonal spectrum and their conceptual unity. Indeed many listeners and critics agree that the ensemble has succeeded in virtually redefining the sound of the classic wind quintet.

JERUSALEM STRING QUARTET

Friday, March 17, 2017 at 8:00 PM (DWT)

Haydn: Quartet in D major, Op. 64, #5 “Lark”

Mozart: Quartet in G major, K. 387

Beethoven: Quartet in F major, Op. 59, #1 “Razumovsky”

With their founding in the 1993/1994 season and subsequent 1996 debut, the Israeli musicians embarked on a journey of growth and maturation that has resulted in a wide repertoire and a stunning depth of expression: a journey still motivated by the energy and curiosity with which the ensemble began. The ensemble has found its inner center in a warm, full, human sound and the balance between high and low voices, giving it the freedom both to refine its interpretations of the classical repertoire and to explore the works of new genres and epochs—all the while striving for perfection of sound.

WEISS-KAPLAN-STUMPF PIANO TRIO

Friday, April 7, 2017 at 8:00 PM (UUCA)

Beethoven: Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 11

Ravel: Piano Trio

Schumann: Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 63

Combining the talents of three award-winning soloists, the Weiss-Kaplan-Stumpf Trio brings to each performance its distinctive fusion of authority and experience, energy, and passion. These three musicians comprise an ensemble that embraces the music of the future while offering fresh insights into three centuries of masterworks. The Trio is well known to American radio audiences through nationwide broadcasts on shows such as American Public Media’s Performance Today and WNYC’s SoundCheck. An appearance on St. Paul Sunday has been broadcast nationally several times, and was selected for St. Paul Sunday’s “Best of the Year” CD.

For over six decades the ACMS has taken its place as a valued cultural resource in Asheville, bringing world-renowned chamber artists to the city.  As one of the nation’s oldest continuous performing chamber music organizations, it has been recognized for its outstanding programs and for its unique educational component through a collaboration with the strings program of the Asheville Buncombe Schools and other cultural partners in the community, including the Asheville Young Musicians Club.

Season tickets are available for $150 each, individual tickets are $38 for concerts at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation and $40 for concerts at Diana Wortham Theatre. To purchase season tickets or for more information please visit the ACMS website:  www.AshevilleChamberMusic.org or call Nathan Shirley at (828) 575-7427 or support@AshevilleChamberMusic.org.

* Sunday afternoon performance

(UUCA) Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville

(DWT) Diana Wortham Theatre