February full on CMS’ classical calendar
compiled by The Red Rock Review

Chamber Music Sedona, now in its 18th season, will continue its outstanding performances with three concerts in the month of February.

“It is rare that we present such a full plate in one month,” said Chamber Music Sedona President James V. Pease.

Sunday, February 3, CMS presents the V to I Quintet, one of the most distinguished ensembles on the concert scene today. "These are good friends who love to make music together," said Pease. 

On Sunday, February 17, CMS  presents cellist David Finckel (Emerson String Quartet) and pianist Wu Han in an all-Russian program, beginning at 3 pm. Wednesday, February 20, the extraordinarily popular George Winston, a solo pianist, makes his Sedona debut in an 8 pm program.

“Our artistic committee, executive director and board have set the bar high,” Pease said.

The February 3rd, V to I Quintet program, will include Quintet in A Major for Strings and Piano, Opus 81 by Dvorak, Sonata No. 1 in G Major for Violin and Piano, Opus 78 by Brahms, and a String Trio by Beethoven to be announced. The concert is sponsored by St. John Vianney Church and the Danson Family in loving memory of Ned Danson. 

V to I (Five to One) features violinists Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and Benny Kim, CMS artistic advisor and violist Evan Wilson, cellist Eric Kim, and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott.

Salerno-Sonnenberg is among the most dynamic, original and daring artists on the concert stage today. Her playing combines brilliant technique, passionate emotions and a perceptive knowledge of the music, resulting in performances that the press have heralded as “unexcelled in the concert hall today.” She has been featured on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” “60 Minutes II,” “Nightwatch,” and “Sunday Morning;” NBC’s “Nightly News” along with several appearances on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson;” as A&E’s Artist of the Week on “Breakfast with the Arts with Elliot Forrest;” Bravo’s “Arts & Minds;” and PBS’s “Live from Lincoln Center,” “Backstage/Lincoln Center,” “Charlie Rose,” and “City Arts,” as well as on the PBS/BBC series “The Mind,” and on the Children’s Television Workshop’s award-winning “Sesame Street” (PBS).

Benny Kim is an avid chamber musician who devotes much of his time to performing in numerous festivals around the world. He has performed at, among others, the festivals of Aspen, Bravo! Colorado, Chamber Music Northwest, Music from Angel Fire, Vancouver, Santa Fe, SummerFest La Jolla, Grand Canyon Music Festival and the Marlboro Music Festival including performances with Pinchas Zukerman at the Santa Fe Festival. The Washington Post said, “Kim’s technique was dazzling, but his emotional depth and music carriage are his real drawing cards. His is a style that touches the peak of romantic violin playing.”

Evan Wilson was appointed principal violist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in November 1991, after having served as a member of the orchestra since 1984. He attended The Juilliard School of Music, where he played principal viola and also served as principal with the National Orchestra of New York. Wilson most recently served as guest principal with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the 1994/95 and 1995/96 seasons, during which time he participated in recordings of music by Bernstein, Foss, and Ravel for Deutsche Grammophon and Philips with conductors Seiji Ozawa and Bernard Haitink.

Eric Kim made his solo debut at age 15 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He appeared as a soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra under Stanislaw Skrowaczewski on its critically acclaimed tour of the Far East. He has appeared as soloist with the symphony orchestras of Cincinnati, Denver, and San Diego and has collaborated with conductors Zubin Mehta, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Lawrence Foster and Sixten Ehrling. As a recitalist he has been heard in the cities of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. An avid chamber musician, he has performed with artist including Emanuel Ax, Misha Dichter, Lynn Harrell, Kathleen Battle, and Philippe Entremont.

Anne-Marie McDermott is known for her “luminous, spontaneous playing” and her spirited, energetic performances as a soloist and chamber musician. She made her Carnegie Hall debut at age 12 and, like many a young professional, has several times substituted on short notice for ailing musicians, usually to rave reviews. Her 1997 debut with the New York Philharmonic also was hailed as an artistic triumph. McDermott has appeared as piano soloist with the Dallas, St. Louis, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Phoenix, Seattle, San Diego, New Mexico, Tucson, Rochester, Chattanooga and North Carolina Symphony Orchestras.

“This program will be a classic,” said Bert Harclerode, CMS executive director. “The program selections represent a sense of understanding and appreciation that comes from the seasoned artist.”

All the programs will take place at St. John Vianney Church, at 180 Soldier Pass Road. St. John Vianney Church offers comfortable seating, free parking, views from its large bay windows - and world-class chamber music performances - a combination unique in all the world.

General admission tickets are $18 and reserved $25 and may be purchased in advance in Sedona at Bashas’, the Worm Book and Music Store, and in the Village at Rycus’ Corners. Tickets are also available in Flagstaff at Cedar Music and in Cottonwood at Planet Video.

For additional information contact Chamber Music Sedona at (928) 204-2415. Additional information can be found at its Web site   (www.chambermusicsedona.org).