2023-2024 Programs

BCMS Opening Concert:

September 24, 3:00pm

Elegance

Hotel Leo Crystal Ballroom

Join us for our opening concert where we’ll share the elegant works by the French organist and composer, Fernande Decruck, who could improvise symphonies on the organ and 19th century British composer, Samuel Coleridge Taylor who was a pioneer of incorporating African folk music into the classical tradition as Brahms had done with Hungarian folk music. The centerpiece of the concert will be soprano Heather Dudenbostel, singing popular works by 1950s composer, Vernon Duke and Franz Schubert’s glorious work for soprano, clarinet and piano, “Shepherd on a Rock”.

Click on highlighted text to listen:

Fernande Decruck (1896 – 1954)

Cappriccio & Pavane

Jennifer Weeks, oboe Erika Block, clarinet Pat Nelson, bassoon

(~8 minutes)

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

The Shepherd on the Rock D. 965

Heather Dudenbostel, soprano Erika Block, clarinet BJ Block, piano

(~10 minutes)

Vernon Duke (1903 – 1969)

“Autumn in New York”

“I Have Grown to Love New York”

“Sailing at Midnight”

“In This Life”

Heather Dudenbostel, soprano

BJ Block, piano

(~12 minutes)

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875 – 1912)

Nonet in F minor Op. 2

Jennifer Weeks, oboe Erika Block, clarinet Michelle Rockwood, horn Pat Nelson, bassoon, Carolyn Canfield, violin Eric Kean, viola Coral Marchant, cello Spencer Hoveskeland double bass, and Kay Zavislak, piano

(~25 minutes)

November 12, 3:00pm

Passion

Hotel Leo Crystal Ballroom

Be prepared for an afternoon of delicate and playful spirit that ends in intense passion. William Grant Still’s “Vingnettes” newly adopted for oboe, bassoon and guitar by Eli Schille Hudson will open the conversation and Annette Kruisbrink’s “Five Dances” will mark the first half, all in preparation for Johannes Brahm’s passionate ” String Sextet No. 2″. In this piece, Johannes includes a reference to Agathe von Siebold, a woman who he was betrothed for 6 years, but never married. Could this be the one that got away?

William Grant Still (1895 – 1978)

Vignettes

arr. by Eli Schille-Hudson

Jennifer Weeks, oboe Pat Nelson, bassoon, Eli Schille-Hudson, guitar

(~12 minutes)

Annette Kruisbrink (b. 1958)

Five Dances for Guitar and Viola

Eli Schille-Hudson, guitar

Lisa Humphrey, viola

(~16 minutes)

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

String Sextet No. 2 in G Major Op. 3

Dawn Posey, Bev Shin, violin

Eric Kean, Lisa Humphrey, viola

Sarah Rommel, Sam Sinai, cello

(~35 minutes)

February 4th, 3:00pm

Radiance

Hotel Leo Crystal Ballroom

This concert will touch your soul and make your hair stand on end. It begins with Carl Nielsen’s “Serenata in Vano” a short, exceptionally beautiful divertissement. Jessie Montgomery’s “Strum” will divert us into dancing along with her percussive pizzicati and long melodies while Caroline Shaw will take us on an Alice in Wonderland style journey with “Entracte” written with influences of Haydn’s Op. 77 No. 2 string quartet. The concert will end with Franz Berwald’s “Grand Septet,” a glorious blend of winds and strings in a work that rivals Beethoven’s iconic Septet for the same instrumentation.

Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)

Serenata in vano CNW 691

Erika Block, clarinet Pat Nelson, bassoon Michelle Rockwood, horn Eileen Brownell, cello Spencer Hoveskeland, bass

(~8 minutes)

Jessie Montgomery (b. 1981)

Strum

Dawn Posey, Shu-Hsin Ko, violins

Lisa Humphrey, viola Sam Sinai, cello

(~7 minutes)

Carolyn Shaw (b. 1982)

Entr’acte

Dawn Posey, Shu-Hsin Ko, violins

Lisa Humphrey, viola Sam Sinai, cello

(~12 minutes)

Franz Berwald (1796-1868)

Grand Septet in Bb Major for strings and winds

Erika Block, clarinet Pat Nelson, bassoon Michelle Rockwood, horn Carolyn Canfield, violin Eric Kean, viola Eileen Brownell, cello Spencer Hoveskeland, bass

(~25 minutes)

Between Two Worlds

Dynamic

The Blue Room

March 23rd

6pm & 8:30pm

Between Two World: Exploring the space between Classical and Jazz Music

BJ Block, guitar Christian Casolary, drums Roger Yamishita, bass

Erika Block, clarinet Jennifer Weeks, oboe Pat Nelson, bassoon

What separates the languages of Classical and Jazz Music? In this special evening, we celebrate the similarities between these two great languages. The BJ Block trio joins rioT, for an incredible evening of jazz, classical and crossover music that celebrates our similarities and our differences.

May 19th, 3:00pm

Soundscapes

Hotel Leo Crystal Ballroom

The lush soundscapes of this concert will sweep you away onto an unexpected journey. Each piece features unusual, but glorious instrument combinations starting with the Debussy “Sonata for flute, viola and harp”. Debussy once remarked that he didn’t recognize the writing and felt that it was reflective of his younger self. Elizabeth Raum’s “Searching for Sophia” is an equally intense soundscape featuring oboe and strings in a deeply heartfelt and virtuosic display. The final soundscape will be Mendelssohn’s iconic “Octet in Eb” which was written when he was only 16 years old and shows of his youthful verve.