ensembleNewSRQ's Ives and Schoenberg at 150 Concert Set For This Month

ensembleNEWSRQ will continue its ninth season with ensembleNewSRQ with "Ives and Schoenberg at 150," a concert celebrating the 150th birthdays of two revolutionary composers, Arnold Schoenberg and Charles Ives. Born just a month apart in 1874, Schoenberg and Ives each transformed the landscape of contemporary music with unparalleled vision and innovation. This special program features Charles Ives' iconic, “Piano Sonata No. 2: Concord, Mass. 1840-1860,” brought to life by the renowned pianist and one of the world’s great interpreters of the music of Charles Ives, Stephen Drury, in his ensembleNewSRQ debut. Schoenberg's evocative “Pierrot lunaire” will be performed by the celebrated local vocalist Thea Lobo.

Blending instrumental mastery with expressive vocal artistry, this performance offers an unmissable tribute to two towering figures in music history. The concert is Monday, November 25, 7:30 p.m., at First Congregational Church, 1031 S. Euclid Ave., Sarasota. A post-concert reception will follow, offering attendees the chance to meet the guest artists. Single tickets are $30. For more information on ticket packages and single tickets, including student ticket pricing, visit www.EnSRQ.org. 

Violinist Samantha Bennett and percussionist George Nickson are the group’s founders and co-artistic directors. 

"We're incredibly honored to be joined by pianist Stephen Drury, who is recognized worldwide for his interpretations of the music of Charles Ives,” says Nickson. “In particular, his performance of Ives' ‘Concord Sonata’ (his studio recording will be released later this year) is definitive and captivating." 

"These two pieces are some of the oldest works ever programmed by us at enSRQ, and for good reason,” says Bennett. “Both Schoenberg and Ives transformed the directions of composition throughout the 20th century. We owe so much to these two great masters. In many ways, Schoenberg is 'new music's' Mozart. Working on and studying ‘Pierrot lunaire’ has brought us back to the fundamentals of contemporary classical music."

EnSRQ musicians performing in this concert include: George Nickson, conductor; Samantha Bennett, violin and viola; Betsy Traba, flutes; and Calvin Falwell, clarinets.

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