The Springfield Chamber Players Octet Will Premiere Next Month

The Springfield Chamber Players Octet will make their premiere at the Concerts at 7 Series on Monday, August 19, at 7PM. The performance will be at the Plainfield Congregational Church, 356 West Main Street in Plainfield, MA.  The program includes two works by Franz Schubert: String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor (“Rosamunde”), D. 804, Op. 29; and Octet in F Major, D. 803 (for clarinet, bassoon, horn, two violins, viola, cello, and double bass). The Octet comprises of clarinetist Christopher Cullen, bassoonist Shotaro Mori, hornist Andrea Menousek, violinists Robert Lawrence and Miho Matsuno, violist Masako Yanagita, cellist Patricia Edens, and double bassist Boots Maleson. 

Christopher Cullen, clarinetist, appears frequently with the New Jersey Symphony, the American Symphony Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and the Harrisburg Symphony. He is principal clarinet of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and was formerly principal clarinetist with the New York City Opera National Company, the Berkshire Opera Orchestra, and acting principal with the Mississippi Symphony. Other appearances include the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and the American Ballet Theatre. Mr. Cullen was a member of the orchestra for Lincoln Center’s production of The King and I, and has performed on many other Broadway productions over the past fifteen years. He holds Master’s degrees from the New England Conservatory and Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Mr. Cullen resides in New Jersey with his wife Lisa and their two daughters.

Shotaro Mori, second bassoonist of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra since 2006, originally hails from Fukuoka, Japan. He and his family have made New York City home since 1996. Mr. Mori has performed with groups such as the New York Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble, Jupiter Symphony, New York Philomusica, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, South Florida Symphony Orchestra, and Eroica Ensemble in Memphis, TN. As a soloist, he has appeared with Orchestra of the Bronx, Lyric Theatre Orchestra in NJ, Camerata Virtuosi of New Jersey, Fairfield County Symphony Society in CT, and Philharmonia Fukuoka in Japan. He is a faculty member of Summertrios Chamber Music Festival. Mr. Mori studied with Bernard Garfield, Leonard Hindell and Ryohei Nakagawa.

Andrea Menousek has been the second horn player of the New Jersey Symphony (NJS) since 1991 and performs frequently in various chamber music ensembles. She has also been a member of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic (NPP) since 1994 where she is principal horn. In both orchestras, Ms. Menousek plays an active role in the education departments, mentoring students in the NJS Youth Orchestra and in youth programs by the NEPP. She has performed as a soloist with the NEPP and as part of the horn quartet with NJS, performing Schumann’s Konzertstuck. She received her Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School, where she was the winner of the Avery Fischer Concerto Competition. She has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, the New York Women’s Philharmonic, the American Symphony Orchestra, the Arizona Opera, and the International Mozart Festival, among others. A native of Northampton, Massachusetts, she received her Bachelor of Music degree from Boston University.

Robert Lawrence, violinist, has had a varied performing career, ranging from Karl Munchinger’s Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra to the acclaimed Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls, starring Nathan Lane and Faith Prince. He studied at Yale University and the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy. Mr. Lawrence is currently the director of programming as well as violinist for the All Seasons Chamber Players (NJ), concertmaster of the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, and a longtime member of the first violin section of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. He has frequently served as concertmaster of Opera Saratoga (formerly Lake George Opera Festival) in Saratoga Springs, NY. Mr. Lawrence has also appeared at the Grand Teton, Colorado, and Spoleto Festivals.  He has taught privately through the RiverArts program in Westchester, NY since 2005.

Miho Matsuno, a violinist with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra since 1992, has performed extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad. She has performed at major concert venues in and around New York City, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, Town Hall, and Broadway theaters. Ms. Matsuno was also a performer with the acclaimed Orchestra of St. Luke’s for 25 years, and has toured with Andrea Bocelli, Peter Gabriel, and Basil Twist. She was a violin instructor and chamber music coach for 20 years at the Kaufman Music Center in New York City. Ms. Matsuno received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Christine Dethier and Joseph Fuchs. She also attended Mount Holyoke College with a focus on English Literature. A native of Yokohama, Japan, Ms. Matsuno resides in the Riverdale section of New York City.

Masako Yanagita, violinist/violist, has been Concertmaster of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra for over 40 years. Winner of top honors in international competitions, including the Paganini (Genoa), the Carl Flesch (London), and the Munich International, Ms. Yanagita has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. She has been a member, as well as a guest performer, of numerous chamber music groups.
Ms. Yanagita began her violin studies in Japan, and came to the United States on  Fulbright and J.D Rockefeller III grants to study with William Kroll at the Mannes College of Music. Currently, she serves as Concertmaster of the Queens (NY) Symphony Orchestra, Co-Music Director of the Mohawk Trail Concerts, and a faculty member at Greenwood Music Camp and Chamber Music Conference at Bennington. Ms. Yanagita has recorded chamber music and solo works for Musical Heritage Society, Vox-Turnabout, Music Minus One labels; the entire Schubert repertoire for violin/viola and piano with her late husband, pianist Abba Bogin; and two Schumann piano trios with the West End Trio, both for the Town Hall Records label. As an orchestra musician, she has performed with multiple groups in New York City, including the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the New York City Ballet Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, in Broadway shows, and commercial recordings. Ms. Yanagita resides in both New York City and Charlemont, MA.

Patricia Edens, cellist, toured throughout the U.S. as principal cellist with the New York City Opera National Company. She has performed with such Broadway shows as Annie Get Your Gun, Annie, and West Side Story, as well as on tour with Andrea Bocelli. Ms. Edens was a featured cellist in performances with the Israeli folk singer Debbie Friedman at Carnegie Hall. She has also appeared with the School of American Ballet Orchestra, Queens Symphony, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and as principal cellist of the Bar Harbor Festival Orchestra and the Jackson Heights (Queens, NY) Orchestra. Ms. Edens is a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and the Juilliard School, where she studied with Richard Kapuscinski and Harvey Shapiro.

Boots Maleson, double bassist, has been one of the top in-demand bassists in New York City for more than 30 years. He has worked with such jazz greats as Milt Jackson, Elvin Jones, Jaki Byard, Archie Shepp, Kenny Barron, Dexter Gordon, Stanley Cowell, Jack Wilson, and Benny Carter. He has played in the Big Bands of Harry James, Jimmy Dorsey, Bob Alexander, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. He has performed for many years with jazz artists Ronny Whyte, Daryl Sherman, and Marlene Verplanck, and in ensembles led by the legendary bassist Ron Carter. Mr. Maleson has played in the orchestras of Broadway shows, such as City of Angels, The Will Rogers Follies, State Fair, Little Me, A Class Act, Urinetown, 42nd Street, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, and Sweeney Todd.  He has played with the Dicapo Opera Orchestra, which featured Jessye Norman as soloist, and he has accompanied cabaret artists Baby Jane Dexter, Christine Andreas, Cynthia Crane, Marieanne Meringolo and Leslie Orofino.

Tickets are free! For details on the Concerts at 7 series: https://www.plainfieldconcertsat7.org/ 

The Springfield Chamber Players, formerly MOSSO, is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, which is not a subsidiary of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra Inc. The Springfield Chamber Players was organized by the musicians in 2021 to produce and perform concerts in Greater Springfield and Western Massachusetts. To date, they have presented their musicians in pop-up concerts throughout the area, performances with local ensembles including the Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival, two full orchestral performances with Maestro Kevin Rhodes in Springfield’s Symphony Hall, a Sondheim tribute with full orchestra and singers at Symphony Hall, and a recent series of chamber ensemble concerts in Longmeadow, Westfield, and Springfield. BusinessWest honored the Springfield Chamber Players as a “Difference Maker” in 2024. The Springfield Chamber Players will present a six-concert series at their new home, 52 Sumner, beginning October 2024. For further information: www.SpringfieldSymphonyMusicians.com 

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