ChamberMusicNY, a nonprofit presenting organization, has announced that its premiere season will be devoted to celebrating the centenary of noted 20th century composer Benjamin Britten. In four concerts, ChamberMusicNY (CMNY) will present Britten’s complete published string quartets, with the final concert acting as a mini-marathon event: a three-hour, two-intermission performance of all seven quartets.According to Executive Director David Krivit, CMNY’s mission is to introduce New Yorkers to the magic of live chamber music performances while featuring up-and-coming professional musicians. With the help of community centers and service groups, ChamberMusicNY distributes free tickets to audiences typically underserved by and unfamiliar with classical music performing arts organizations.The 2013 season spotlights the specially formed Britten Centenary Quartet—violinists Heidi Schaul-Yoder and Curtis Stewart, violist Rick Quantz, and cellist Anneke Schaul-Yoder (see biographies). In a recent private fundraising event, the Quartet performed three works from Britten’s early years: Quartettino, Three Divertimenti, and the String Quartet in D.On Saturday, May 11, for its second concert, the Centenary Quartet will perform the String Quartet No. 1 and the legendary String Quartet No. 2. This concert, to be held at the Bruno Walter Auditorium at the New York Public Library at Lincoln Center, will introduce many New York families to both their first chamber concert and the world-famous Lincoln Center—with free tickets courtesy of ChamberMusicNY.The season continues on Saturday, October 5, as the Britten Centenary Quartet returns to the Bruno Walter Auditorium. This time they will present works bookending Britten’s extraordinary composing career: the String Quartet in F, written in 1928, and the String Quartet No. 3, completed in 1975, only a year before Britten’s death.To conclude 2013, ChamberMusicNY presents a one night festival taking place on Saturday, November 23—the night after Britten’s actual 100th birthday: Benjamin Britten: The Complete String Quartets. On this special evening, the Britten Centenary Quartet will perform all seven of the composer’s string quartets, a festival highlighting the works performed at the first three concerts.All of the Britten Centenary concerts will begin at 7:30pm and are being held at the Bruno Walter Auditorium in the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza.ChamberMusicNY is on the web at http://www.ChamberMusicNY.org. The organization is listed on the worldwide celebration site Britten100.org, and is a member of Chamber Music America.
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Use of library space by ChamberMusicNY does not indicate endorsement by The New York Public Library
Press Contact:B. David Krivit, Executive DirectorChamberMusicNY, Inc.PO Box 230736New York, New York 10023646-300-1207ChamberMusicNY.orginfo@chambermusicny.org