The Moss Arts Center returns with a series of free public concerts representing a diverse and inspiring range of chamber music performed by acclaimed musicians who have shared the stage with some of the world’s greatest orchestras and music ensembles.

The 2017 Summer Chamber Music Series will include five performances throughout the month of June that will be held in the Moss Arts Center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall. All concerts are free and open to the public and require no tickets for admittance.

The musicians participating in the chamber series have performed in prestigious music events, such as the Tanglewood, Taos, Ravinia, and Berlin Music Festivals, and with renowned orchestras and music ensembles, including the Vienna Philharmonic, Tel Aviv Chamber Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Petersburg Symphony (Russia), National Symphony of Ukraine, and Johannesburg Philharmonic.

In addition to their feature performances, the instrumentalists performing in the Chamber Music Series will mentor a new generation of musicians in an intensive two-week training session with young artists.

The performances scheduled are:

“In the Time of War"

  • Thursday, June 15, 7:30 p.m.
  • War has been a powerful creator of innovation – many times an environment of suffering leads to the creation of important art. There are many examples of this, including significant musical works. This concert juxtaposes 1940s compositions from Sergei Prokofiev and British composer John Ireland. 
  • Musicians include Phillip Paglialonga, clarinet, and Richard Masters, piano.

“Hidden Gems Unveiled”

  • Tuesday, June 20, 7:30 p.m.
  • Featuring lesser-known works from prominent composers, including piano quartets from Joaquin Turina and Robert Schumann and a string sextet from Richard Strauss
  • Musicians include Shmuel Ashkenasi, David Ehrlich, and Mathias Tacke, violin; Katharina Kang and Michael Klotz, viola; Coleman Itzkoff and Dmitry Kouzov, cello; and Kwan Yi, piano.

“A Celebration of Robert Schumann”

  • Thursday, June 22, 7:30 p.m.
  • Featuring composer Robert Schumann’s piano quintet alongside his Adagio and Allegro for cello and piano
  • Musicians include Shmuel Ashkenasi, David Ehrlich, and Mathias Tacke, violin; Katharina Kang and Michael Klotz, viola; Coleman Itzkoff and Dmitry Kouzov, cello; and Kwan Yi, piano.

“From Classical to Folklore”

  • Tuesday, June 27, 7:30 p.m.
  • The evening’s concert includes Dvorak’s Viola Quintet, op. 97, “The American,” performed by guest artist faculty, and a performance by student participants from this year’s two-week chamber intensive program.
  • Musicians include Shmuel Ashkenasi and Mathias Tacke, violin; Katharina Kang and Michael Klotz, viola; Coleman Itzkoff, cello; and select student ensembles.

“Music for Midsummer Romance”

  • Thursday, June 29, 7:30 p.m.
  • This concert features a beautiful and stirring elegy by Sergei Rachmaninov and closes with the beloved chamber work “Souvenir de Florence,” a string sextet by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
  • Musicians include Shmuel Ashkenasi, David Ehrlich, and Mathias Tacke, violin; Katharina Kang and Michael Klotz, viola; Coleman Itzkoff and Ben Solomonow, cello; Kwan Yi, piano; and select student ensembles.

Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Kacy McAllister at 540-231-5300 or email kmcallis@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to an event.

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