BMInt has invited Daniel Orsen, violist and Artistic Director of Jamaica Plain Chamber Music to pen a brief promo for what seems like the first indoor, in-person chamber music concert in greater Boston for some time. Church of the Advent on Beacon Hill will present original and arranged music for string quartet on Friday at 7:30. See more and buy tickets HERE.

For the foreseeable future, in-person music making may be coming from small, local chamber music concerts in the players’ own communities. Jamaica Plain Chamber Music embraces this moment by bringing back live music as safely as possible. Though JPCM started last year with the mission of bringing together the wealth of musical talent in JP in chamber music concerts for our neighbors, the pandemic will bar us from our home at St. John’s Episcopal Church or any other venue in Jamaica Plain. Into the breach, Church of the Advent on Beacon Hill has graciously agreed to host our concerts this fall, so for the time being this will be “Jamaica Plain Chamber Music on Beacon Hill.”  Most of our performers are freelancers or grad-students who, without the institutional support of an orchestra or conservatory teaching position, have been particularly hard hit by the moratorium on concerts. And although readers might not recognize the names of the performers, the quality of the music making is phenomenal.

One often hears athletes talk about the importance of fans; it is the same for musicians. An audience energizes players, and the communication goes both ways. It’s hard to put into words, but we can hear the audience listening. I miss the communal nature and the ephemeral preciousness of a live concert even more. Those fill a spiritual need which recordings or livestreams cannot recreate. We mustn’t forget the ancient ritual: get dressed up, walk into a concert hall with hundreds of other people, dim the lights, and go on a journey together, like the crew of a boat. We are delighted to be playing music again with our friends and colleagues, but would be deeply moved and heartened by the greatest show of love and support for us and what we do, a live audience.          

Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30pm
Church of the Advent, 30 Brimmer St.
$20 General, $15 Senior, $5 Student

ONLINE TICKETING ONLY – ORDER HERE

We are back with LIVE CHAMBER MUSIC. A fantastic program with four fantastic players. Maria Ioudenitch and Geneva Lewis are Artist Diploma violinists at New England Conservatory, Zhanbo Zheng is a first-prize winner of the Primrose International Viola Competition, and Gabriel Martins is a first-prize winner of the 2020 Sphinx Competition. It’s going to be the best concert in town that night, which might very well be true under normal circumstances!

Program:

Johann Sebastian Bach: Chorale: Welt, ade! ich bin dein müde, BWV 27 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartet No. 22 in B-flat Major, K. 589 
Alessandro Scarlatti: Sonata à Quattro No. 4 in D Minor 
Anton Webern: Five Movements for String Quartet, Op. 5 
Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 6 in F Minor, Op. 80 

Performers:

Maria Ioudenitch and Geneva Lewis, violins
Zhanbo Zheng, viola
Gabriel Martins, cello

Due to the pandemic, we are unable to have our concerts at St. John’s or any venue in JP. We are very grateful to Church of the Advent, on Beacon Hill, for hosting our concerts at this time.

Attendance will be limited to 40% capacity

Ticketing will be online and contactless (you can buy tickets at the door, using your phone). This will also serve as contact tracing, if necessary. 

Audience and the performers must mask.

Some pews are blocked off with the kneelers put up on the bench. Please sit in one of the open spaces, keeping 6 feet between you and others not of your household.

There will be no paper programs. Programs will be on our website.

Concerts will be 1-1.5 hours with no intermission, to reduce mingling and bathroom traffic.

If you become aware of a COVID-19 diagnosis in connection this event, you must notify Jamaica Plain Chamber Music or Church of the Advent.