Associated Chamber Music Players Presents 5th Annual Worldwide Play-In Weekend

Associated Chamber Music Players (ACMP) presented its fifth annualWorldwide Play-In Weekend on March 4 and 5, 2017. Musicians around the globe planned events that brought together chamber music players to experience the joy of playing chamber music.

In some cases, some flexibility was needed to make sure all of the musical parts were covered. Whether 150 players in Tokyo, four guys in Sweden who took their instruments on a skiing trip and played on a mountain top, or groups all over the U.S. who just go together and played - sometimes meeting fellow players for the first time - the spirit of the Play-Ins was the same.

This year's events took place in Hudson Valley, New York; Colorado; Long Beach/Los Angeles, California; Miami Beach, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; Naples, Florida; Trumansburg, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Salem, Oregon; San Diego, California; Iowa City, Iowa;New York City, New York; Newton, Massachusetts; Brussels, Belgium; Perth, Australia; Canberra, Australia; Podgorica, Montenegro; Bologna, Italy; Cumming, Georgia; Berlin, Germany; Rochester, New York; Portland, Oregon; Oakland, California; and Boulder, Colorado; among others.

For more information, visit: http://www.acmp.net/wpiw.

WORLDWIDE PLAY-IN BACKGROUND

A play-in is an event where musicians gather to play and share music composed for small ensembles. Play-ins can be large or small, public or private. Play-ins are not performances, but a chance to bring musicians together, often meeting for the first time, to share in the mutual love of chamber music playing. Connections are made, friendships are formed, and players who meet at play-in events often go on to play music together throughout the year.

In the 1960s, an ACMP tradition emerged. Early in March, members came together to play Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, in part as an organized homage to ACMP's founder Helen Rice. In the decades since, ACMP members have hosted innumerable play-ins - structured events for 20 to 100 participants, duos in apartment living rooms, and everything in between. In 2013, ACMP organized the first worldwide coordinated Play-In, with ACMP members hosting more than 50 play-ins around the globe that year. Each year since, more than 100 play-ins have taken place, involving thousands of chamber music players of all ages. In 2016, a launch event was held at Rizzoli Bookstore in New York City, where music flowed from the instruments of three different ensembles. Groups also assembled at the Hard Rock Café in Podgorica, Montenegro; at a maritime museum in Bratevik, a small village in Sweden; and in storefronts, office lobbies, libraries, and living rooms throughout the U.S. and the world, celebrating the joy of chamber music making.

ASSOCIATED CHAMBER MUSIC PLAYERS

The mission of ACMP is to stimulate and expand the playing of chamber music for pleasure among musicians of all ages and skill levels, worldwide, by connecting people and supporting chamber music activities for individuals, groups and institutions.

Since publishing its first member directory in 1950, ACMP has brought together thousands of musicians, fostering life-long friendships and connecting a global community. In addition, ACMP's affiliated Foundation has provided grants and awards totaling more than four million dollars to support educational activities of amateur chamber music players.