Williams Chamber Players

Leo Brown, violin; Ronald Feldman, cello; Joana Genova, violin; Joanna Kurkowicz, violin; Susan Martula, clarinet; Nathaniel Parke, cello; Rob Phelps, guitar; Doris Stevenson, piano; Andy Truex, tenor; and Scott Woolweaver, viola;

The Williams College Department of Music presents The Williams Chamber Players on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall. This free event is open to the public.

Occupying a special niche in the musical ecology of the Berkshires, the Williams Chamber Players enjoy a very enthusiastic following. Though the hall is usually full for their concerts, this does not impinge on the intimacy of the chamber music experience that they offer. Perhaps counter-intuitively, the press of classical music lovers lends to the excitement and connection between audience and performer. Their latest rumination about the genre of music loosely known as chamber music is titled Spanish Echoes, which presents pieces that embody some aspect of Iberian inspiration.

The Fandango Quintet in D for Guitar and Strings, G. 448 is a work of the 18th century Italian classical composer Luigi Boccherini, one of the era’s prolific composers. Guitarist and Studio Instructor of Guitar, Rob Phelps joins the group to perform this piece, which showcases the inspiration that Spanish music generated during the classical era. Also on the program is the Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano by Maurice Ravel, a composer very much in touch with his Basque roots. Rounding out the program is a work by Douglas Boyce, Williams Class of 1992, composer and department chairman at The George Washington University, titled Paisaje con dos tumbas y un perro asirio for Cello, Piano, Tenor and Clarinet on a Lorca poem 2007. Featured musicians are Susan Martula, clarinet and Andy Truex, both of whom are studio instructors at the college.

The concert also features Williams Chamber Players’ Joanna Kurkowicz, an accomplished and in-demand violin soloist, as well as fellow artist in residence and violinist, Joana Genova. Joining them is cellist Nathaniel Parke as well as Ronald Feldman, who balances his day job as Director of the Berkshire Symphony with his heavenly cello playing. Pianist Doris Stevenson, a veteran of many performances in Williamstown and New York, weaves the group together with her inspired sense of musicality and grace.

The combination of a unique program, the virtuoso roster of the Williams Chamber Players, as well as free general admission is sure to draw another capacity crowd.

The Williams Chamber Players is a resident chamber ensemble, founded at Williams College in 1999. Its purpose is to present concerts for the college and community throughout the academic year. Antecedents of the Williams Chamber Players are The Williams Trio, founded in 1970, and the Group for 20th Century Music, founded in 1989. Repertoire for concerts is drawn from the standard chamber music repertoire with special attention to music of the 20th and 21st centuries, and to music by Williams composers. Musicians are normally drawn from the ranks of Artists-in-Residence, Studio Instructors, and other faculty, as well as occasional visiting artists.

Event Program