Westfield Athenaeum Celebrates Women Composers With Springfield Chamber Players Piano Trio Next Month

The Westfield Athenaeum will present The Springfield Chamber Players (formerly MOSSO) Piano Trio in a program showcasing women composers on Thursday, March 14, at 7PM at The Westfield Athenaeum. The trio, featuring violinist Marsha Harbison, cellist Boris Kogan and pianist Sofya Shainskaya, will perform works by Amy Beach, Florence Price, Lili Boulanger, Clara Schumann, Rebecca Clarke, Jennifer Higdon, and Libby Larson. A pre-concert lecture by Athenaeum director Guy McLain, precedes the concert at 6PM, and is free to ticket holders.

Marsha Harbison, Assistant Concertmaster of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and a founding member of the Springfield Chamber Players, curated the concert. She joined the SSO in 1977 and later co-founded the Longmeadow Chamber Music Society. Ms. Harbison received a B.A. from Carleton College, Northfield, MN and an M.M. from the Juilliard School, where she studied with Ivan Galamian. In New York, she performed with the American Symphony, the Pro Arte Orchestra, the Bach Cantata Series, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. In Montreal, she performed in the Montreal Symphony, the McGill Chamber Orchestra, and the Radio, TV, and Ballet Orchestras. She  has taught numerous music courses at Westfield State University, Bay Path University, and violin students at Mount Holyoke, and continues to teach private violin students.

According to Harbison, “Although women have composed classical music for centuries, their work has been infrequently performed until recent years. The Springfield Chamber Players hope to showcase their works in upcoming performances, and we are delighted to premiere this program in Westfield. This is our third season at the Westfield Athenaeum, and we're so pleased to be a part of the Athenaeum's cultural menu.”

Boris Kogan, cellist, was born in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, Russia. He began studying the cello at age 5, attending the School for Musically Gifted Children. He then received his Bachelor's degree from the Leningrad College of Music and his Master's degree from the Leningrad Conservatory of Music. He served as Assistant Principal Cellist with the Leningrad Symphony, and with the television and radio symphony orchestras. Mr. Kogan moved to the United States in 1991, and was the principal cellist with the New England Symphony, the Thayer Symphony Orchestra, and the Central Massachusetts Symphony. He currently plays in the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, teaches at the Springfield Community Music School, and has a private cello studio.

Sofya Shainskaya, pianist, earned her Master of Music degree at Tashkent Conservatory, Russia, now Uzbekistan. She was an accompanist for the Olympic gymnastics team, and for theater, opera, and ballet companies in Russia. She also accompanied the famed Glinka Vocal Competition and taught at the Leningrad College of Music. After emigrating to the United States, she served as organist and Minister of Music at St. Barnabus Church in Springfield, and currently teaches at the Springfield Community Music School, as well as private piano lessons.

The Springfield Chamber Players is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, which is not a subsidiary of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra Inc. The group  was organized by the musicians this year to produce and perform concerts in Greater Springfield and Western Massachusetts, and 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 performance with Maestro Kevin Rhodes, and a Sondheim Pops in Springfield's Symphony Hall; and a recent series of chamber ensemble concerts at Trinity Church in Springfield, produced by Bing Productions, a chamber music series in Longmeadow, and additional performances at The Sevenars Music Festival, and venues in Blandford, Sheffield, Springfield, and Longmeadow. For further information, visit  SpringfieldSymphonyMusicians.com

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