It’s high summer here on the Sunshine Coast and we’re anticipating our 11th Pender Harbour Chamber Music Festival the third weekend in August. Our artistic director (and pianist extraordinaire) Alex-ander Tselyakov has assembled a wonderful roster of musicians. The celebrated Gryphon Trio, violinist Terence Tam, violist Yariv Aloni, cellist Pamela Highbaugh Aloni, horn player Allene Hackleman, double bassist Dylan Palmer, and renowned clarinettist James Campbell will gather together to perform an exciting selection of contemporary and classical repertoire Aug. 13 to 16.
And there’s something new this year: we’re replacing our popular Chamber Music Doesn’t Bite, with Rising Tide, a lively showcase for three young performers – Rose-Ellen Nichols from Pender Harbour (a mezzo-soprano to be reckoned with), violinist Simon Gidora from Halfmoon Bay, and Jenny Dou from the Lower Mainland. This concert, on Friday, Aug. 14 at 1:30 p.m., is free to all.
A Welcoming Sound will open the Festival on Thursday evening and will include a violin romance by Beethoven, a horn trio by Brahms, and the sublime Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat major by Schubert. Friday evening’s These Sudden Stars features James Campbell and the Gryphon Trio’s performance of Olivier Messaien’s extraordinary Quartet for the End of Time, composed in Stalag Vlll-A in Silesia and first performed in 1941 to an audience of prisoners and guards.
On Saturday afternoon, Love and Other Serious Matters will enchant audiences with tangos by Piazzolla and Ben Moore’s Sexy Lady (sung by Rose-Ellen Nichols), among other delights. And that evening, Beauty Beyond Words presents Beethoven’s Horn Sonata in F major, Op.17, followed by Mozart’s iconic Concerto in A major, K.622, and concluding with two Mendelssohn compositions, including the exquisite Song Without Words in D major, Op.109.
The concluding Wild Flourish on Sunday afternoon offers musical fireworks – Pablo de Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen Op.20, Malcolm Arnold’s Sonatina Op.29, Hummel’s Quintet in E flat, Op.87, and, finally, the elegant Dohnányi Sextet in C major, Op.37.
Afternoon concerts begin at 1:30, evening events at 7, and all take place in the School of Music in Madeira Park. For more information, look for our beautiful golden brochures around the Coast. Tickets are available by phone – 604.989.3995 – or via the website: www.penderharbourmusic.ca
