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Event
Arcato Chamber Ensemble Summer Concert
Founded in 2008 by conductor Andrew Koehler, the Arcato Chamber Ensemble is a dynamic orchestra whose membership is drawn from the musicians of the Kalamazoo, West Michigan, Southwest Michigan, Battle Creek, and Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestras, as well as the faculty of Western Michigan University. Despite employing flexible instrumentation, the group's first performances were as a string ensemble; hence the name Arcato, which means "bowed" in Italian. Numbering just 21 select players, the group unites the grandeur of symphonic sound with the intimacy and individual ownership of artistry that make chamber music so vital.
In its first summer performance, on Saturday, June 27th, 2015 in the Light Fine Arts Building's Dalton Theater on the campus of Kalamazoo College, the Arcato Chamber Ensemble will perform music that celebrates all of the seasons. Beethoven's beloved slow movement from his late Quartet in a minor, Opus 132 known as the Heiliger Dankgesang, or Holy Song of Thanks invokes the feelings of gratitude we celebrate in fall, and is among the most profound, personal, and moving creations of the composer. It is heard in a new arrangement for full string ensemble completed by conductor Andrew Koehler. Concertmaster Renata Artman Knific steps into the role of soloist in the electric violin concerto titled "Winter" by Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi. It is the final work from a set of four concerti based on Italian poems about the seasons. Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring Suite, from the ballet written for Martha Graham, is an iconic work of Americana, and it features the famous series of variations on the Shaker hymn "'Tis a Gift to be Simple." Heard here in its original orchestration for a small chamber ensemble of woodwinds and strings, the work's poignancy and lyricism are even more apparent. Tchaikovsky spent a summer holiday in Italy, and was inspired to recollect the experience through a work for string sextet, which he titled "Souvenir de Florence." Arranged here for string orchestra, Tchaikovsky's work is a rollicking ride, full of breathless excitement and virtuosic playing for every member of the ensemble.
Bios:
Conductor Andrew Koehler is Music Director of the Kalamazoo Philharmonia and Associate Professor of Music at Kalamazoo College. He is active as a guest conductor at the West Michigan Symphony Orchestra and throughout the world, including appearances in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Poland, Minnesota, Chicago, and more. In 2013 Koehler competed in the 9th Grzegorz Fitelberg International Conductor's Competition in Katowice, Poland where he won First Distinction and the Youth Jury Prize. Always eager to work with young musicians, Koehler holds a concurrent post as Music Director of the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra and has led the Vermont All-State Youth Orchestra.
Concertmaster and violin soloist Renata Artman Knific's international career began in London when she joined the English Chamber Orchestra at the age of 21. She is a noted violin pedagogue, serving as professor of music at Western Michigan University, and has also taught at the Encore School for Strings, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Interlochen Arts Academy and the Lancut Festival in Poland. Artman Knific is equally active as a performer, playing as a member of the Merling Trio (which has brought her to Merkin Hall, Carnegie Hall, St. John's, London and the Banff Center for the Arts) as well as recently recording the works for violin and piano by William Bolcom, at the composer's request, for MSR Classics. The CD has received sterling reviews and was selected as "CD of the Month" by The BBC Music Magazine for February 2008.
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LocationKalamazoo College, Light Fine Arts Building, Dalton Theater (View)
1200 Academy Street (NE corner with Thompson Street)
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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