UNCSA faculty artists and students perform together in Chrysalis Chamber Music Institute's Spring Showcase

Chrysalis Chamber Music Institute, dedicated to the development of outstanding chamber musicians, will present its Spring Showcase, featuring works by Stravinsky, Ravel, Beethoven and Husa performed by faculty and students. The concert is Tuesday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Watson Hall.

Tickets are $20 regular and $15 student with valid ID, and are available online or by calling the box office at 336-721-1945. The performance will be livestreamed on the School of Music Facebook page.

The Chrysalis Chamber Music Institute was created in 2015 by the School of Music to develop the full potential of graduate students – both individual instrumentalists and pre-formed ensembles – as chamber musicians. Participants in this unique program receive coaching by faculty-artists and visiting chamber ensembles, exposure to a broad network of professional affiliations, and opportunities to participate in entrepreneurship seminars covering rehearsal techniques, interpersonal relations in a chamber setting and preparation strategies for festivals and competitions.

Other features of the institute include an annual Chrysalis Chamber Music Festival; touring, outreach and engagement opportunities; featured performances in the UNCSA performance calendar; professional photography; and professional audio and video recording sessions.

“The Chrysalis Institute is geared towards identifying and training especially talented students who have an interest in chamber music,” said Chrysalis Artistic Director Ida Bieler, an internationally renowned violinist and alumna of the School of Music. “The program is open to all instrumental departments so that our repertoire can be as diverse as possible.”

The spring showcase on March 3 will feature students performing alongside their teachers which is a valuable exercise for all involved. “As a musician you spend a lot of time trying to understand how a composer created a particular piece of music. Rehearsing for any program begins with an element of dissection and discovery,” said Bieler. “When teachers are going through this struggle at the same time as their students, at some point the relationship changes to that of colleagues instead of student/teacher.

“Chamber music is a puzzle where each part is equal and important,” she added. “You are constantly learning and benefiting from other people’s ideas and experiences. You have to lean on each other.”

The diverse program will feature:

Stravinsky’s “Trois Poesiés de la Lyrique Japonaise” and Maurice Ravel’s “Trois Poème de Stephane Mallarmé” performed by faculty artists Oskar Espina Ruiz, clarinet, Janet Orenstein, violin, Brooks Whitehouse, cello, and Allison Gagnon, piano; and students Ricardo Gil, flute, Tom Barkal piccolo and flute, Jane Koelsch, clarinet, Delphine Skene, violin, and Monica Munoz, viola. Undergraduate voice student Natalie Pendas, soprano, will perform the Stravinsky work, and Fletcher Opera Fellow Margaret Ann Zentner, soprano, will perform the Ravel piece.

Beethoven String Quintet, C Major, Op. 29, performed by faculty artists Ida Bieler, violin and Ulrich Eichenauer, viola; with students Joohyun Lee, violin; Julian Smart, viola, and Blake Kitayama, cello.

“Divertimento for Brass and Percussion” by Karel Husa, conducted by faculty artist Mark Norman and performed by faculty artists David Dash, trumpet, Maria Serkin, horn, and John Ilika, trombone; with students Mikael Swanhart and Jonathan McClay, trumpets, Bruce Brewster, Sarah Smith and Gray Smiley, horns, Chris Hayes and Daniel Kane, trombones, Joseph Floyd, tuba, Gregory Freeman and Austin Martin, percussion.

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