THSO Presents Final Chamber Concert of the Season on March 5 – Classic Innovations
[Terre Haute, IN] – Classic Innovations will feature members of the THSO for an afternoon of exceptional and innovating chamber music. Enjoy several of the most passionate, riveting, and moving musical works ever written for small ensembles on March 5 at 4pm at Hatfield Hall on the campus of Rose-Hulman. Audiences will experience firsthand the collaborative spontaneity that makes chamber ensembles thrilling to watch. This short afternoon concert (approximately 75 minutes) is the perfect date-night entertainment before dinner!
The program includes Roland Barrett's Music for a Happy Occasion for brass quintet; Victor Ewald's Brass Quintet No. 1; George Crumb's An Idyll for the Misbegotten for flute and percussion; and Louise Farrenc's Trio, Op. 44 for clarinet, cello, and piano.
Principal Horn, Dr. Brian Kilp, will perform with the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet on March 5 for Classic Innovations.
The concert will open with Roland Barrett’s Music for a Happy Occasion featuring the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet, an ensemble comprised entirely of THSO musicians. Dr. Brian Kilp, THSO Principal Horn and ISU Horn Professor, shared that the Barrett is a “quick and bright piece.” The THSO Brass Quintet will complete their set with Victor Ewald’s Brass Quintet No. 1, one of the most important pieces in the brass quintet repertoire. Dr. Kilp will perform alongside fellow THSO musicians Principal Trumpet and ISU Trumpet Professor Jay Ellsmore, Second Trumpet Eric Rodriguez, Principal Trombone and ISU Trombone Professor Dr. Randall Mitchell, and Principal Tuba Glen Dimick.
Principal Flute, Dr. Angela Reynolds
The second piece on the program will feature George Crumb’s An Idyll for the Misbegotten for flute and three percussionists. The American composer was a pillar in the modern classical and avant-garde styles, known for his extended instrument techniques and vivid sonorities. Per the composer’s notes, the piece is meant to be performed at night by a moonlit lake, so this performance will incorporate a special video projection to give audiences the full experience of the masterful work.
Dr. Angela Reynolds, THSO Principal and ISU Flute Professor, comments, “The piece sounds quite primitive with the interplay of the flute and drums. We are thrilled to be able to incorporate video projections to make this piece special for the audience. The performers are no longer a focus but a conduit for the musical message. The piece is haunting, intense at times, and powerful, and I cannot wait to share it with the audience!”
Dr. Reynolds will be joined by former THSO Principal Timpanist and ISU Percussion Professor Dr. Jimmy Finnie and two ISU music students, Tyler Smith and Blake Roach. An Idyll for the Misbegotten will be performed in honor of the composer’s recent passing on February 6, 2022 at the age of 92.
Associate Principal Cello, Philip Kettler
Louise Farrenc’s Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 44 will be the final piece on the program to close out the afternoon. Principal Clarinet and Executive Director Samantha Johnson-Helms will be joined by Associate Principal Cello Philip Kettler and Principal Keyboard Timothy Stephenson for this French romantic piece. Farrenc was a very successful pianist and composer in the early and mid-19th century and served as Professor of Piano at the Paris Conservatory for thirty years. Her great love was composing chamber music, producing this wonderful clarinet trio written in 1840.
"It is such a special opportunity to get to share the Farrenc Trio, a carelessly underperformed work, with a live audience in Terre Haute. I sincerely believe that anyone who hears it will recognize it as a true gem of the chamber music repertoire!" remarked cellist, Phillip Kettler.
VIP ticket holders for Classic Innovations will receive an invitation to enjoy an exclusive reception following the concert and an opportunity to meet our world-class musicians. The concert will last approximately 75 minutes without an intermission. Tickets are $15, $25, and $45 (VIP) and can be purchased at thso.org or by calling Hatfield Hall at (812) 877-8544. Prices do not include facility and venue fees.
This chamber concert series is proudly sponsored by Chris Schellenberg in memory of Jim Schellenberg and Lois Alberti. The concert sponsor for Classic Innovations is Robert L. Cowden.
Patrons will be required to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status while indoors at Hatfield Hall. Hatfield Hall COVID protocols can be accessed at www.hatfieldhall.com.