Camerata Pacifica Announces 2018-2019 & 2019-2020 Seasons

Camerata Pacifica today announced the ensemble's 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons which, in collaboration with The Calder Quartet, will explore the three creative periods of Ludwig van Beethoven.

Integrated into 20 programs presented over the course of two seasons, The Calder Quartet has been invited to perform Beethoven's five late string quartets and the composer's Grosse Fuge. Overall, 23 of Beethoven's compositions will be performed alongside late works by the composer's contemporaries such as Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Brahms & Schubert, as well as modern-day composers John Adams, Lera Auerbach, Aaron Copland, Anna Clyne, George Crumb, John Harbison, Charles Ives, Thea Musgrave and more, for a broad and comparative look at the interplay of past and present, with respect to Beethoven's early, middle and late periods.

"Beethoven's name is so familiar to everyone, even to those who will never attend a concert, that his music has lost much of its radical impact. We're going to hit the 'reset' button, and over course of 20 programs examine the impact of this revolutionary freethinker from the beginning of his compositional career to music being composed today," says Adrian Spence, Founder and Artistic Director, Camerata Pacifica.

The 2018-2019 season opens September 9 -14, 2018 with a program that includes Beethoven's Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 1, No. 1, Haydn's final Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI/52, and Brahms's Sonata in D Minor for Violin & Piano, Op. 108, featuring Camerata Pacifica musicians Paul Huang (violin), Ani Aznavoorian (cello), and Warren Jones (piano). Huang and Aznavoorian join Gilles Vonsattel (piano) for a performance of Beethoven's Triple Concerto with the Santa Barbara Symphony on February 16 - 17, 2018.

Highlights of the 2018-2019 season include a program of Beethoven's Sonata for Piano & Violin in C Minor, Op. 30, No. 2 and his last Piano Sonata, in C Minor, Op. 111, followed by Steve Reich's provocative Different Trains with Kristin Lee (violin), Richard O'Neill (viola), Ani Aznavoorian (cello) and Gilles Vonsattel (piano), (February 8 - 14, 2018); Ives's Piano Sonata No. 2, Concord, Mass., 1840-60 and Beethoven's String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 127, with Molly Morkoski (piano), and The Calder Quartet (March 10 - 15, 2018); and an adventurous program of Musgrave's Dawn for Solo Oboe, Mozart's Oboe Quartet in F Major, K. 370, Beethoven's String Quartet in G Major, Op. 18, No 2, Richards's de Stâmparare for Solo Oboe, Grime's Oboe Quartet and Adams Book of Alleged Dances with Nicholas Daniel (oboe), Kristin Lee (violin), Richard O'Neill (viola), Ani Aznavoorian (cello), (October 17 - 21, 2018).

The 2019-2020 season opens September 8 - 13, 2019 with Auerbach's 24 Preludes for Violin & Piano and Beethoven's Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 97, "Archduke" and features musicians Paul Huang (violin), Ani Aznavoorian (cello), Gilles Vonsattel (piano).

Highlights of the 2019-2020 season include a program of Beethoven's String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 132 and Schubert's final Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 960 with Gilles Vonsattel and The Calder Quartet (October 3 - 8, 2019); and a monumental program of J. S. Bach's late works in its entirety; The Musical Offering BWV 1079 paired with Beethoven's Op. 131 String Quartet in C# Minor.

The 2019-2020 season also features two programs dedicated to American composers whose stature rivals that of the finest European composers. Camerata Pacifica Artistic Director Adrian Spence joins Jose Franch-Ballester (clarinet), Kristin Lee (violin), Ani Aznavoorian (cello), Molly Morkoski (piano) in a program of Aaron Copland's Duo for Flute & Piano, Harbison's Songs America Loves to Sing, Crumb's 11 Echoes of Autumn, and Bolcom's 2nd Sonata for Violin & Piano (October 20 - 25, 2019). Spence then joins Nicholas Daniel, Jose Franch-Ballester, Martin Owen, Kristin Lee, Ani Aznavoorian, Tim Eckert, Molly Morkoski and Ji Hye Jung in a program of Auerbach's Dreammusik, (a 2014 Camerata commission), Conesson's Sextet, Clyne's A Wonderful Day and Adams's Gnarly Buttons (March 15 - 20).

The seasons would not be complete without the inclusion of works that give a nod to Spence's Irish homeland. Sir Charles Villiers Stanford's Three Intermezzi for Clarinet & Piano, Op. 13 opens the program on November 1 - 7, 2018; Sir Hamilton Harty's Three Miniatures for Oboe & Piano is included on a program that will also feature Spence playing John Corigliano's Three Irish Folk Song Settings on April 19 - 24, 2020; and Beethoven's WoO Irish Song Settings will be performed May 12 - 17, 2019. (Beethoven arranged more traditional airs from Ireland than from any other country.)

Camerata Pacifica's celebrated chamber musicians are drawn from across the globe - from Taiwan and Korea, to England and Spain and, of course, the U.S. - for an extended rehearsal residency in Santa Barbara before performing subscription series in Ventura, San Marino, Santa Barbara & downtown Los Angeles.

Subscriptions ($212-$522) and single tickets ($58) can be ordered online at http://cameratapacifica.org/season-tickets/order-tickets or by calling 805-884-8410.

Founded in 1990, Camerata Pacifica is dedicated to engaging audiences intellectually and emotionally by presenting the finest performances of familiar and lesser-known masterworks in venues that emphasize intimacy and a personal connection with the music and musicians. For more information, call 805-884-8410 or visit www.cameratapacifica.org.

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