Associated Chamber Music Players Presents The Seventh Annual Worldwide Play-In Weekend

The ACMP Worldwide Play-In Weekend is an annual, grassroots celebration that unites people of all ages and abilities by their common love of chamber music. Participants host play-ins worldwide in creative ways, in groups small and large, in settings informal and structured. Playing in tiny apartments to spacious churches and everything in between, musicians choose their own repertoire, adapting to instrumentation needs by bending their ensembles every which way. Individual play-ins are not performances; however, some do include non-playing listeners.

2019 Play-Ins are being planned in communities across the U.S. and around the world, including San Diego, CA; Liberty Center, OH; Denver, CO; Seattle, WA; Johns Creek, GA; Philadelphia, PA; Portland, OR; Louisville, KY; West Newton, MA; St. Louis, MO; Toronto, Canada; East Perth, Australia; and Milan, Italy. In the tri-state area, musicians from the Nassau Philharmonia/Long Island Philharmonia will gather on both days in Greenlawn, NY (Long Island).

A play-in is an event where musicians gather together 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. The ACMP Worldwide Play-In weekend is a series of local events on a global scale.

Each year since the first Worldwide Play-In Weekend in 2013, more than 150 play-ins have taken place, involving thousands of chamber music players of all ages, backgrounds and levels. The 2018 Worldwide Play-In included a Play-In in Tel Aviv, Israel; several events in Europe including in Geneva, Switzerland; Madrid, Spain; and Munich Germany; and Play-ins in Vancouver and Toronto, Canada. In Podgorica, Montenegro, young musicians from the Montenegro Symphony Orchestra, including several chamber ensembles, gathered for an evening Play-in. The Doclea String Quartet played Amy Beach Theme and Variations for Flute and Strings with flutist Zana Lekic; members of Stretto Chamber Ensemble played Schumann Piano Trio No. 1; and recently formed The Gents String Quartet showed up with their own arrangements of Django Reinhard music, and Guns and Roses` song Sweet Child of Mine! Two Play-ins were held in San Diego, and in San Francisco and Oakland CA, two in Colorado, and another in Blacksburg, Virginia. In Mystic, CT, players from two states braved Gusty Winds and minor flooding to spend Saturday early afternoon playing in several small ensembles and then gathered to read chamber-orchestra works in the 151-year-old cottage-gothic church's sanctuary, playing Bach Brandenburg Concertos (3 and 4), Vivaldi Concerto for Two Cellos, Mozart arrangement for strings of the Ave Verum, Haydn, the 1795 Johann Peter Salomon arrangement of Haydn's Symphony No. 104, for flute, strings and keyboard; and Astor Piazzola Libertango. Several community-based music schools hosted Play-ins with 50+ players, including in Philadelphia, PA., and Washington, DC. Play-ins in New York included a multi-instrument convening at the Diller-Quaile School of Music on the Upper East Side; a two-day winds play-in on the Upper West Side; a Play-in in Kew Gardens, Queens, a French horn Play-in in Trumansburg, NY; and a wind octet in Ithaca, NY, among others.

ACMP - Associated Chamber Music Players The mission of ACMP - Associated Chamber Music Players - is to stimulate and expand the playing of chamber music for pleasure among musicians worldwide, of all backgrounds, ages and skill levels, by connecting people and supporting chamber music activities and education opportunities.

Since the organization began 70 years ago, ACMP has helped chamber music players find one another to share and play music together. More than 2,500 members come from every part of the world and share the love of making music with others.

In the 1990s, the ACMP Foundation was created, contributing more than four million dollars to support chamber music education and engagement programs for adult amateur players and community-based chamber music education programs for young musicians and others.