23/24 Season
G is for Grant-Still and Grieg
Panamanian Dances - William Grant-Still
String Quartet in G minor Op. 27 - Edvard Grieg
7:00pm October 28, 2023
The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave.
Central Square, Cambridge MA
Music inherently requires movement. Whether it is a singer's breath, a pianist's fingers, or a violinist's bow, there is always a physical action needed to create the sound. In many languages, the words for music and dance are one and the same. Why then has the concert hall become a place of stoicism and stillness? What are the advantages and limits of this ritual?
Experts in movement and dance perform alongside ABC musicians in this program celebrating the physicality of music. Pushing the limits of concert hall etiquette, dancers translate featured pieces into physical art and maybe even help the audience do the same.
H is for Hidgon, Harper, Haddad, and Haydn
Piano Trio - Jennifer Hidden
Don't Open Your Eyes - Joi Harper
Thulathi - Saad Haddad
Sunrise Quartet - Joseph Haydn
7:00pm December 9, 2023
Venue TBA
Hearing is, naturally, the sense most closely associated with music but how do our visual stimuli impact the way we experience this aural art? The lights and pyrotechnics at a rock show certainly play a role in the energy of the performance. The dim lighting in a jazz bar differs greatly from the spotlights of broadway.
ABC musicians and lighting experts work together to perform music inspired by light. Whether the piece is stems from a composer’s synthesis, the desire to capture a sunrise in sound, or exploring the human relationship with darkness, each piece has a unique relationship to light and how we perceive it. This performance invites the audience to consider how light and sound mix to create a singular experience.
I is for Ibarra, Ichmouratov, and Ives
Pulsation - Susie Ibarra
Praeludium for Cello solo - Airat Ichmouratov
5 Preludes for Piano - Airat Ichmouratov
Violin Sonata no. 1 - Charles Ives
7:00pm February 2, 2024
Venue TBA
Music is considered a temporal art. In other words, a decoration of time rather than space. This program explores this unique relationship with time and memory. Composers often draw on older music as inspiration for their new compositions which asks the audience to recall both the original music and their personal associations with it. Others, focus on the rhythmical aspects of their piece emphasizing the pulse that drives the music forward.
ABC musicians collaborate with artists skilled in capturing moments in time; photographers. This relationship creates a unique juxtaposition between art which innately requires time and another that specializes in freezing it. Using the work of both professionals and the photos from the audience themselves, this concert plays with concepts of memory, time, and how we attempt to spend and preserve it.
J is for Jeanrenaud, Janacek, and Joplin
Knock - Joan Jeanrenaud
Selections from Treemonisha - Scott Joplin
Intimate Letters - Leos Janacek
7:00pm May 4, 2024
Venue TBA
Our season finale! Join us as we celebrate the work ABC has done so far and our vision for the future in this concert program turned 1920s cocktail party. Featuring composers who were innovators of their genres, those pushing the boundaries today, and well-loved classics. Drawing our theme from the era where many featured composers were active, we invite you to celebrate with us in this celebration of chamber music.