Sherman Chamber Ensemble Opens 2014 Summer Concert Series Tonight

The Sherman Chamber Ensemble is pleased to announce the opening concerts of its 2014 Summer Concert Series tonight, July 11th at St. Andrew's Church in Kent and July 12th at the Lake Mauweehoo Club in Sherman with a program featuring Haydn's Symphony Quintetto, the Beethoven String Quartet in F Major, Opus 135 and the String Quartet in F Major by Ravel.. Performers will include Ensemble regulars Eliot Bailen (cello), Susan Rotholz (flute), Jill Levy (violin) and Mary Hamman (viola), joined by violinist Doori Na in his SCE debut.

Sherman Chamber Ensemble concerts are performed Friday evenings in the intimate and acoustically excellent St. Andrew's Church on Main Street in Kent, CT. Saturday evening performances take place in the rustic charm of the lakeside Mauweehoo Clubhouse on Leach Hollow Road in Sherman, CT. All performances start at 8:00 PM and are followed by a reception offering light refreshments and an opportunity to meet the performers.

"We are starting off the summer with a program that celebrates three centuries of chamber music," says SCE Artistic Director Eliot Bailen. "The Symphony Quintetto is a delightful arrangement for flute and string quartet of one of Haydn's most popular orchestral works, the 'London' Symphony No. 104. The Opus 135 String Quartet was Beethoven's final extended composition and charms with its simplicity and gentleness. And the Ravel String Quartet was the young composer's opening salvo in a lifelong endeavor to forge a new definition of classical music for the 20th century."

Admission is $30 at the door ($25 for students and seniors). Reservations are strongly recommended and may be made by calling 860-355-5930. Advance tickets at a $5.00 discount may also be purchased online at www.shermanchamberensemble.org. For Sherman concerts only, lawn tickets may be purchased the night of the concert for $10 (bring your own seating or beach blanket).

Discounted subscription tickets are now available for the full summer concert series, which includes performances on August 15th and 16th and August 29th and 30th. For a season brochure or more information, contact the Sherman Chamber Ensemble at 860-355-5930 or info@shermanchamberensemble.org.

The Sherman Chamber Ensemble will also be found on Friday, July 12th at 2:00 PM at the Kent Memorial Library in Kent, CT and on Saturday the 12th at 2:00 PM at the Sherman Library, where it will present a special family concert called "Beethoven: Questions and Answers." The program will engage young people in a musical experience that is entertaining and interactive as well as educational. Admission is free and open to all.

The Sherman Chamber Ensemble was founded in 1983 to bring world-class live classical music performance to Western Connecticut and nearby New York State. Its summer chamber music series has been described in The New York Times as "about as close as it gets to the Platonic ideal of a chamber music concert." Additional events coming later this year include Labor Day weekend bluegrass jamborees; the annual "Live at the Lake" coffeehouse; Thanksgiving weekend free jazz matinee performances; and a Messiah Sing-in at St. Andrew's Church in Kent. Support for this season comes from many generous individual donors, the Kaplen Brothers Fund and other private foundations and local businesses.

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