To open its 2023-24 season, the Friends of Music are presenting the Poulenc Trio for two performances in October. The performance on Saturday, October 7 will be at the Shipley Recital Hall in Shepherd University’s Frank Center (260 University Drive, Shepherdstown); the concert begins at 7:30 pm. The performance on Sunday, October 8 will be at the Zion Episcopal Church in Charles Town; the concert begins at 3:00 pm.
The Poulenc Trio consists of Irina Kaplan Lande on piano, Alexander Vvedenskiy on oboe, and Bryan Young on bassoon. The Trio has been performing for 20 years, presenting works from many periods but emphasizes commissioning, performing, and recording new works from contemporary composers. The Washington Post has praised the Trio for its “convincing elegance and “near effortless lightness and grace.”
The program for the October performances will include works by one 19th century composer (Gioachino Rossini), four 20th century composers (Jean Françaix, Francis Poulenc, André Previn, and Dimitri Shostakovich), and one 21st century composer (a young Vietnamese-American named Viet Cuong).
Four additional concerts this Fall and next Spring
Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra will play on Saturday, November 4 (7:30 pm) and Sunday, November 5 (3:00 pm), performing works from the 18th and 19th centuries by Joseph Bologne, Camille Saint-Saëns, Ciprian Porumbescu, and Ludwig van Beethoven. The concert will be at the Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church (location may change).
Two Rivers Wind Quintet will play on Saturday, February 17 (7:30 pm), performing works from the 18th to 21st centuries by György Ligeti, Malcolm Arnold, Darius Milhaud, Alexandra Molnar-Suhajda, William Grant Still, and Franz Danzi. The concert will be at Trinity Episcopal Church, Shepherdstown.
Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra will play on Saturday, March 23 (7:30 pm) and 3:00 p.m. Sunday, March 24 (3:00 pm), performing an all-Johann Sebastian Bach program, featuring his 3rd, 4th, and 5th Brandenburg concertos. Concert location to be announced.
Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra will play on Saturday, May 18 (7:30 pm) in the Shipley Recital Hall at Shepherd University’s Frank Arts Center in Shepherdstown, and on Sunday, May 19 (3:00 pm) in Charles Town’s Zion Episcopal Church, performing works from the 19th and early 20th centuries by Ottorino Respighi and Franz Schubert.
Ticket Details
Tickets for the October Poulenc Trio performances and the Wind Quintet concert are $35; tickets for the Chamber Orchestra concerts are $40. Season memberships are also available for sale for $175, which includes a single admission to all 5 concerts. Advance tickets are available for purchase online at FriendsWV.org (tickets are also available at the door, if seats are still available). For more information, contact the Friends of Music by email (info@FriendsWV.org) or phone (304-786-5765).
By Staff Contributor