Pleasantville Chamber Music Society

Pleasantville Presbyterian Church
400 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, NY 10570

Admission is Free

Pascale Beaudin, Soprano
Charles Brink, Flute
Olivier Brault, Violin
Kyle Miller, Viola
Loretta O’Sullivan, Cello
Andrew Appel, Harpsichord

Founded in 1986, The Four Nations Ensemble brings together soloists, frontrunners from several generations, who are leading exponents of period instrument and vocal performance. With a core ensemble of soprano, harpsichord or fortepiano, 2 violin, flute, and cello, Four Nations’ repertory runs from the Renaissance through Viennese Classical masterpieces of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. 

For four decades, Four Nations has developed a leading presence on the early music scene in New York and across the country. Four Nations has performed at major houses and on prestigious series throughout the United States including The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. The Ensemble has participated in festivals including The Boston Early Music Festival, New York's Mostly Mozart, Amherst Festival, New Haven's International Festival of Arts & Ideas, Maverick Concerts in New York, Chautauqua, The Indiana Early Music Festival, and Brasilseguridade in Rio de Janeiro. Of special interest is Four Nations' resident ensemble status for both the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA and the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, CT. where the rich holdings of the two art collections and the brilliant curatorial staffs are an inspiration for music programming.

The program will include works of J.S. Bach, Handel, and C.P.E. Bach

Pleasantville Presbyterian Church
400 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, NY

3 PM • Admission is Free

Manhattan String Quartet • November 12, 2017

Pleasantville Presbyterian Church
400 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, NY 10570

Admission is Free

Curtis Macomber, Violin
Calvin Wiersma, Violin
John Dexter, Viola
Christopher Finckel, Cello

www.manhattanstringquartet.com

Hailed by the Boston Globe as “a national treasure,” the Manhattan String Quartet is celebrating its 45th season. 

Well known for their performances of 20th-century classics, the Quartet has established an international reputation with appearances in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. The group has been Quartet-in-Residence at Colgate University since 1988. In 2011, the Quartet established the Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival, bringing chamber music to Bosnia and celebrating the distinguished Sarajevo Academy of Music. 

The Quartet’s extensive discography includes a notable recording of the complete Shostakovich quartets, which Time magazine called “one of the most important musical events of 1991.”

Pleasantville Presbyterian Church
400 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, NY

3 PM  •  Admission is Free

ARYA STRING QUARTET
Melisa Atoyan, Violin
Christopher Joyal, Violin
Daniel Lamas, Viola
Jacob Nordlinger, Cello
performing with
Jestin Pieper, Piano

Jestin Pieper, an active member in New York City’s classical music community, is a concert and collaborative pianist, vocal coach, conductor, and educator. A versatile performer, Mr. Pieper has appeared in major venues across the country and abroad. A few highlights include appearances on WNYC; Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, Kaufman Performing Arts Center, Miller Hall, and the National Opera Center in New York City; The Long Center in Austin, Texas; and Harris Hall in Aspen, Colorado. He is currently a pianist at the International Vocal Arts Institute in New York City, pianist and coach for the Sherrill Milnes voice programs, Pianist and Assistant Conductor for the Regina Opera and Chelsea Opera, Organist at Holy Trinity Episcopal church in Manhattan, and is a staff pianist and vocal coach at Manhattan School of Music.

The Arya String Quartet was formed in 2017. The quartet resides in New York City. Members of the quartet have performed at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall and other prestigious venues throughout the United States, Europe and South America. Arya Quartet members are graduates of the Brussels Royal Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music and Queens College and have studied in the master classes of Pavel Vernikov, Valery Oistrakh, Ani and Ida Kavafian, The Shanghai Quartet, Laurie Carney, Daniel Phillips, Marcy Rosen, Gilbert Kalish, Bergonzi Quartet, Cassat Quartet, Lewis Kaplan, Amernet Quartet, Mikhail Kopelman, Julia Lichten, David Geber, Karen Dreyfus, Daniel Avshalomov, Antoine Tamestit. among others.

Pleasantville Presbyterian Church
400 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, NY

3 PM  •  Admission is Free

Gina Cuffari, Bassoon
Curtis Macomber, Violin
Christof Huebner, Viola
Ashima Scripp, Cello

http://www.waldenchamberplayers.org/home.htm

Founded in 1997, the Boston-based Walden Chamber Players has garnered a reputation for being one of the most exciting and versatile chamber groups performing today. Critics have hailed its performances of everything from Bach to Schoenberg, and Chamber Music America Magazine raves: “A season spent with the Walden Chamber Players is a time for discovery." The success of its performances, recordings and educational curricula has earned it a place as one of the most sought-after chamber ensembles in the United States.

Walden Chamber Players is comprised of twelve dynamic artists in various combinations of string, piano, and wind ensembles. The wide variety of instrumental groupings possible with this ensemble allows for great versatility and eclectic programming, a hallmark of the Walden Chamber Players. Members of the ensemble are versatile chamber artists and soloists who often perform at leading festivals throughout the United States and abroad. They are also sought-after teachers and lecturers and serve on the faculty of some of the country’s premier musical teaching institutions, such as the New England Conservatory of Music, University of Texas - Austin, Boston University, University of Maryland, the Boston Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School.

Walden presents a new concept of a classical concert both in content and presentation. Drawing from a rich palette of sources and styles, it mixes and matches the works of both classical and contemporary composers with an eye to new understandings and discoveries. Concerts often feature the use of multi-media and dialogue, giving the audience a broader appreciation of a certain time period and enabling the listener to make a connection between the artist, the creative process and society at-large–often mutually influencing forces–thereby creating a richer context.

The Walden Chamber Players is recognized for its strong advocacy of new music by composers such as Augusta Read Thomas, Alvin Singleton, Pierre Jalbert, Stephen Paulus, Gerhard Schedl, and Kaja Saariaho, among others. The ensemble has an ongoing commitment to commissioning, performing and recording new music. Walden Chamber Players also believes strongly in presenting unique educational curricula in a format that highlights the belief that music is the human experience translated into sound. The popularity of its educational programs has led to the development of several long-term residencies and partnerships at schools and universities across the country.