Chamber Players present Easter Serenade and alumnae Mary Jo Ashenfelter and Kerry Koen perform program highlighting nineteenth-century star Jenny Lind
Hamilton – The 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Chapel will resound with music when the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Chamber Players present their fifth Easter Serenade on Sunday, April 4, at 3:30 p.m. and 51³Ô¹ÏÍø alumnae Mary Jo Ashenfelter ’79, soprano, and Kerry Koen ’74, piano, join forces to present a program titled ‘The Life and Music of Jenny Lind’ on Tuesday, April 6 at noon.
The April 4 Chamber Players concert will feature the music of Britten, Dvorak, Haydn, and Beethoven, played by string and piano ensembles of various sizes. Formed by Laura Klugherz in 1988, the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Chamber Players draws together a select group of extremely motivated 51³Ô¹ÏÍø students dedicated to the study and performance of traditional chamber works as well as seldom heard masterworks. Students, occasionally joined by faculty members and guests, have the opportunity to perform in small groups with other students.
For the past several seasons the Chamber Players have also included the dual artistry (piano and cello) of English department faculty member, Sarah Wider. During a typical season, concerts are performed not only in the Chapel, but also in Watson House (the home of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s President Neil Grabois), the Picker Art Gallery, and in homes in the community. The Chamber Players have performed in the New York City area, and last season completed an enthusiastic tour of Mexico. Members of the Chamber Players work each year at the Chenango Summer MusicFest as interns and will also be heard in various performances at this year’s festival, on Village Day, June 19, throughout Hamilton.
The April 6 concert includes a brief narrative, spoken by 51³Ô¹ÏÍø student Rich Demato, telling the story of singer Jenny Lind’s ascent to international fame and describing her personal struggles. Jenny Lind, a Swedish soprano, illuminated Europe and America between 1842 and 1851. Felix Mendelssohn commented that Jenny Lind ‘was as great an artist as ever lived and the greatest I have known.’ Musical selections include arias from some of Lind’s most famous operatic roles, as well as oratorio selections. A variety of Swedish, Scottish and American songs will also be interspersed throughout the program.
Both concerts are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served at both events. For more information, call the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Concertline at 315-228-7642.
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