On Monday, April 27, Chamber Music Amici will perform a concert called “Memoir” at the Wildish Theater in Springfield. It holds special significance because this month is the one-year anniversary of the tragic death of the group’s co-founder, Sharon Schuman.
Chamber Music Amici’s artistic director Grace Choi, and executive director Greg Hopper-Moore joined KLCC's Rachael McDonald to talk about the concert.
Rachael McDonald: Let’s start with the music. Grace, tell us about the two pieces that will be performed and why they were chosen?
Grace Choi: Sure. So this concert, this upcoming Monday, that we’ll be performing, is called “Memoir.” It includes two masterpieces. First one, we will start with Antonín Dvořák’s “String Quartet, No. 12 in F Major.”
It has the nickname “American,” because the composer wrote this piece in 1893 during his summer vacation in Spillville, Iowa. Basically, he was inspired by American surroundings during his stay, and then, he blended into his Czech Bohemian style writing. The audience may remember this piece very well with its syncopated rhythm and also stunning, pentatonic melodies. So it's one of the very popular string quartets, I will say.
The second piece that we will conclude the concert with is Gabriel Fauré’s “Piano Quartet.” So he wrote two piano quartets. We are going to perform the first one in C minor. It's going to be wonderful, a sublime, French classic chamber music in many ways.
McDonald: Greg, the evening includes a pre-concert talk by Dr. Terry McQuilkin, who's a professor at the University of Oregon School of Music. What will he be talking about?
Greg Hopper-Moore: That's right. We do that for all of our concerts. Dr. McQuilkin is just a wealth of knowledge. He is a musicologist, so he knows about everything related to these pieces, and he comes armed with snippets of sound with a full PowerPoint that he, you know, shows different things about these pieces and about the composers themselves.
McDonald: How does this concert celebrate Chamber Music Amici’s co-founder Sharon Schuman?
Choi: So, actually the Dvořák string quartet was not the piece I originally programmed for this April concert, but after I heard of her passing and that was probably right before we printed our next season brochure, and I quickly actually changed our April program to include the the Dvořák string quartet.
Because I remember when she, about 17 or 18 years ago, had a chance to perform this string quartet in, at the Wildish Theater. And at that time, I think, Wildish Theater was just finished, and ready to go, open to the public. And she had this chance to perform this piece in there and fell in love with the venue and the idea of forming a chamber music group.
And, the Chamber Music Amici was formed right after. So, this piece, I believe, inspired Sharon to form a chamber music group that she can play in with her friends, all the time, whatever the pieces that she wants to play.
Chamber Music Amici will perform “Memoir” on Monday, April 27th at 7:30 p.m. at the Wildish Theater in Springfield. The pre-concert talk is at 6:45.
After the concert, there will be an opportunity to linger and talk with the performers while enjoying dessert on the stage. Choi said that part of a concert was something important to Schuman because it was important to be in community.
“Every time I mingle with the audience on stage, I will feel Sharon’s spirit guide us and be with us always,” Choi said.
On Thursday, April 23 is the one-year anniversary of Schuman's death.
Shuman’s family has organized a gathering at the site of the crash on Amazon path Thursday at 9 a.m. After remarks by family and friends, there’s a gentle run/walk at 9:30.
Participants can donate to charitable causes Schuman cared about– Including Chamber Music Amici, SquareOne Community Villages and the Fanconi Cancer Foundation.
Also on Thursday, at 10 a.m. KWAX will broadcast the final concert Sharon Schuman played at with Chamber Music Amici.
Note: The music at the end of the audio version of this interview is the 2nd movement (Andantino) from Gabriel Fauré’s Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 120, performed by Chamber Music Amici in 2021.
