ClefWorks tunes up for second season
Published July 10, 2008
by Robyn Bradley Litchfield
The Montgomery Advertiser
ClefWorks tunes up for second season
By Robyn Bradley Litchfield
rlitchfield@gannett.com
ClefWorks artistic director Benjamin Sung's idea to bring world-class chamber music combined with local arts to people of all ages has taken off.
The Montgomery-based chamber music festival premiered this past August, and is currently fine-tuning plans for its second season, Stay Tuned 2008, which begins Aug. 23 and 24 with concerts at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
Although there is only one program with two performances planned for August, Sung and new ClefWorks executive director Leah Stephens urge music lovers to stay tuned for January 2009, when a festival that more closely resembles this past summer's activities will take place.
Sung, a former violin fellow with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, recently completed his first year as concertmaster of the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra and is a faculty member at both Minnesota State University-Moorhead and North Dakota State University.
He has been in Montgomery this past week to work with Stephens and the many volunteers who make ClefWorks work.
Finalizing plans for the concerts in August, Sung has invited pianist Xak Bjerken and French horn player Todd Sheldrick to perform three pieces with him. The trio will perform two horn trios, one by 19th-century composer Johannes Brahms and the other by 20th-century composer Gyorgy Ligeti, who actually wrote his horn trio as an homage to Brahms and to Brahms' horn trio, Sung said.
The program also will open with another Ligeti piece, but Sung prefers to keep it a secret and surprise audiences.
Ligeti might not be a familiar name to everyone, but his music has been featured in motion picture soundtracks such as "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Eyes Wide Open" and "The Shining."
Describing the program, he said audiences likely will be familiar with one of the pieces but might not know much about the other.
"This means that everybody has something to listen to, and it gives you a chance to discover something new in music that you thought you knew," he said. It also is a way to introduce a new instrument, the French horn, since the first ClefWorks focused on piano and strings.
"There is an educational element to everything we do," he said.
Stephens agreed and pointed out that the Brahms piece for these concerts is not typical Brahms lullaby, which is exciting for music lovers at all levels.
In August, ClefWorks will announce the winner of the 2008 composition competition. So far, about 110 composers from around the world have submitted works for ensembles of up to six players. Once ClefWorks has selected 10 finalists, the world-class Penderecki String Quartet will select the winner. The winner, then, will receive a $2,000 cash prize and an invitation to return in January, when ClefWorks musicians will perform the piece as part of the festival.
Again, Stephens said, part of ClefWorks' mission is to bring unique musicians and music to the area, including new and innovative works that make their debut at the festival.
"In August, audiences will hear the music of a master along with the music of a modern composer," said the executive director, who is also working on outreach activities.
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008807100310
if (!window.print) { document.write('
To print this article open the file menu and choose Print.
'); } else { window.print(); } if(typeof gcion_enable_bt != 'undefined') { if(gcion_enable_bt) { document.writeln('
Return to Media Coverage