The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra announces 2015-16 Chamber Players season

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra announces its CSO Chamber Players series at the stage of Music Hall, where audience members will sit eye-to-eye with members of the world-renowned CSO. The CSO Chamber Players series offers a more intimate space for audiences to experience the individual and collaborative artistry of CSO musicians up-close. Audience members will again be seated on the stage around the performers, creating a unique, intimate concert experience. This season, the CSO Chamber Players will present concerts on October 18, 2015, December 6, 2015, February 21, 2016 and April 10, 2016.

The series kicks off on Sunday, October 18, 2015 (4 p.m.), with enchanting works from Haydn, Michael Chertock and Zemlinsky. In Haydn’s String Quartet No. 4, violinists Rebecca Kruger Fryxell and Chika Kindermann, violist Stephen Fryxell and cellist Matthew Lad share the spotlight to perform the quartet from the illustrious teacher to Beethoven. Michael Chertock (CSO principal keyboardist) premieres his work Urban Legends, a Trio performed by oboeist Christopher Philpotts, bassoonist Hugh Michie and Mr. Chertock. The night closes with a Clarinet Trio by Zemlinsky, a Viennese composer whose work attracted the attention of Johannes Brahms. The trio is performed by clarinetist Jonathan Gunn alongside cellist Alan Rafferty and pianist Sandra Rivers.

The Sunday, December 6, 2015 (4 p.m.) program is madeup of works by Nielsen, Schulhoff and Beethoven. Flutist Henrik Heide, oboist Lon Bussell, clarinetist Ixi Chen, bassoonist Martin Garcia and French horn Lisa Conway paint lighthearted melodies with Nielsen’s Wind Quintet. Then Mr. Heide, violist Rebecca Barnes and double bassist Boris Astafiev will perform a Concertino for Flute, Viola and Double Bass. The renowned Concertino was composed by Schulhoff, a piano prodigy who went on to study music at the Prague Conservatory when he was only ten years old. Finally, Beethoven’s multifaceted Piano Trio is brought to life by violinist Rebecca Culnan, cellist Daniel Culnan and pianist Frank Weinstock.

On Sunday, February 21, 2016 (4 p.m.), each instrument has a chance to shine through the works of Richard Strauss and Brahms. Violinist Anna Reider, double bassist Boris Astafiev, clarinetist Benjamin Freimuth, bassoonist Martin Garcia and French horn Elizabeth Freimuth perform Hasenöhrl’s adaptation of Strauss’ Eulenspiegel. Also on the program is one of Brahms’ most romantic and expressive works. The Clarinet Trio will be interpreted by clarinetist Ixi Chen, cellist Theodore Nelson, and pianist Matthew Umphreys. Finally, Brahms’ Quartet in B-Flat Major concludes the show on a playful note performed by violinists Rebecca Culnan and Gerald Itzkoff, violist Julian Wilkison and cellist Daniel Culnan. This program is part of the CSO’s two-season Brahms Fest.

The season concludes Sunday April 10, 2016 (4 p.m.) with a diverse program of Dvořák, a violinist since age six, Shaposhnikov, a composer at 14, and Schubert, whose expressive chamber music represents some of the most beloved in the repertoire. Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 14, performed by violinists Kun Dong and Rebecca Kruger Fryxell, violist Rebecca Barnes and cellist Susan Marshall Petersen. Then flutist Randy Bowman and harpist Gillian Benet Sella bring life to Shaposhnikov Sonata for Flute and Harp. Finally, Schubert’s Quartet No. 14, known as Death and the Maiden ends the Chamber Players season with a vibrant display of emotions, performed by violinists Anna Reider and Cheryl Benedict, violist Christian Colberg and cellist Ilya Finkelshteyn.

About the CSO Chamber Players Series
Founded by CSO Music Director Emeritus Jesús López-Cobos in 1988, the CSO Chamber Players series features members of the Cincinnati Symphony performing new works and classic masterpieces of the chamber music repertoire. All artistic and programming decisions for the series are determined by the CSO Chamber Players Committee, a board of musicians performing in the current Chamber Players series.

The CSO Chamber Players Series has been endowed in perpetuity by The Eleanora C.U. Alms Trust, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee. Created in 1939, this endowment benefits the civic and arts organizations supported by Frederick H. Alms and his wife Eleanora during their lifetimes.

Subscriptions for these concerts go on sale August 17. Single tickets will be available beginning September 22 and are $40. Patrons purchasing all four concerts save 15%. All seating is General Admission. Tickets are available by calling the CSO Box Office at 513.381.3300. More information can be found at www.cincinnatisymphony.org/chamber.