Soiree Tomorrow

Our soiree series is such a way to charge my personal batteries! I go a bit nuts before hand, producing all the program details, coordinating the various and differing venues (from private homes to luxury hotels to consul general's residences, among many others) -- but afterwards I always feel I've really connected with the soiree audience. It's like turning off the hectic world for a few minutes and returning to the roots of chamber music, music making in small, intimate venues for an elite gathering. It's great to have a soiree family with whom one can celebrate the holidays and the joys of chamber music!

British Geoffrey Bush's lovely lovely trio

Today was so much fun! Got together with Liz Koch and Carl Nitchie to rehearse our upcoming Trio for Ob/Bsn/Pf by British composer Geoffrey Bush. It's a treat!! Declamatory, sweeping, tender, quixotic, full of yummy solos...  we really enjoyed the piece. And you will too, I feel sure! It begins our season on Sun Oct 23rd. Hope it's on your calendar and you've already gotten your 2 for 1 tickets in advance. We haven't played it before, haven't heard it before... but it's a keeper. (Whew! *sigh of relief*)

And we're off!

Finally, FINALLY, after all the weeks of talking ABOUT music, writing about music, raising money and writing grants to make music ---- TODAY we had our first rehearsal for our first performance coming up this Sunday, our first soiree. It feels like I am bathing in a heavenly shower after a dry desert storm... :))))))))

TWO NEW Rapido Partners!!

I am thrilled to announce that our upcoming 2012 Rapido Composition Contest cycle will include two outstanding new partner ensembles. From Dallas, the Voices of Change is one of our country's most respected new music ensembles and they are about to launch their 37th season. From San Francisco, the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble is an acclaimed ensemble of 12 musicians which presents both traditional and new music in their varied programming. With the addition of these two amazing ensembles covering applications from all the Southwestern and Western U.S. states, our Rapido contest will cover all 48 states coast to coast! Boston Musica Viva will coordinate composition applications from the entire Northeast, Chicago's Fifth House Ensemble will coordinate the extensive Midwest, and we in the ACP will coordinate applications from Maryland and Washington D.C. to Louisiana and Florida. We are proud of the artistic umph of these five partner ensembles and look forward to an even more exciting cycle of our Rapido Competition in 2012-2014. Stay tuned for much, much more!

Programming is almost finished!!!!!!!

I'm getting VERY CLOSE to being finished with next season's four public concerts. It's such a puzzle to put together, with the musicians special requests and date restrictions, the availability (and not) of the four venues, plus the special requests and restrictions of the presenters themselves. No wonder I am pooped... Stay tuned. In just another day or two, I'll be announcing the next season! Make sure you've signed up for emails so we can stay in touch with you about details and deals!

Joyful Outreach!

Last Thursday was a most joyful experience for our ACP Outreach Quartet! We are Adelaide Federici, violin and 8 months pregnant, Charae Krueger, cello, Ann Marie McPhail, soprano, and yours truly on piano. We headed to the Benson Senior Center, one of Fulton County's impressive senior multi-purpose facilities, in Sandy Springs. From "O mio babbino caro" and Mozart Divertimento in Bb to "The Swan" and "The Sound of Music," this was a varied celebration of intimate songs, instrumental solos and trios. Our enthusiastic audience of about 75 were so gracious and seemed to really enjoy our gift of music. Big thanks to the Fulton County Arts Commission for helping support this memorable free performance for some very grateful seniors. We certainly enjoyed ourselves, too!

Vacation now, right? NO! NOT YET!!

Well the big 35th season is over, so we're on vacation, right? NO, absolutely not, not at all!!! My colleagues are all incredibly busy with the final artistic flurry in the ASO and I am also incredibly busy - nailing down venues and concert dates for next season's public concerts and also our six soirees in private homes and venues. And programming! We all contribute suggestions and requests for the season's puzzle of programs and then I spread it all over my dining room table and work on it as a puzzle, juggling the balance of styles, instruments, even the work load. (Violin, cello and piano seem to be constantly in demand, no matter who else plays... leading to an exhausted trio. Too much of a good thing is still too much.) Anyway - stay tuned because I'm crunching it all right now and am determined to pull it all or mostly together in the next week! WHEW! I need a bit of luck too...