By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
St. Cecilia Music Center (SCMC) is launching virtual concerts this fall to entertain music lovers and concert aficionados. Each concert in the two series’ – The Chamber Music Series by the esteemed Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and The Jazz Piano Series featuring Michigan jazz pianists and the world-renowned Bob James – will keep music lovers entertained within the safety of their own home.
These virtual concert performances are free.
Beginning Sept. 10 and running through Nov. 4, St. Cecilia Music Center will offer five free-streaming Jazz Piano Concerts through its Facebook page and YouTube Channel. Jazz lovers will be able to tune in at 7 p.m. to hear great performances by Michigan Jazz Pianists John Proulx, Xavier Davis, Steve Talaga, Cliff Monear, and Bob James every other week.
Starting Sept. 17 and continuing through Dec. 3, St. Cecilia Music Center will offer four free-streaming monthly Chamber Music Concerts at 7 p.m. on its website at SCMC-online.com. These performances by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will feature works by composers Mozart, Bartók, Dvořák, Tchaikovsky, Bach and others. All Chamber Music concerts can be viewed the night of the airing and for seven days after. Program notes and artist bios will also be available through SCMC’s website.
Every virtual 90-minute Chamber Music Society concert will begin with an “up close and personal” interview with one Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center artist beginning with Pianist Alexio Bax on Thursday, Sept. 17; Violinist Cho-Liang Lin Oct. 15, Violinist Arnaud Sussman Nov. 12, and Pianist Anne-Marie McDermott Dec. 3. Each concert will also conclude with a Q & A with Chamber Music Society Artistic Directors Wu Han and David Finckel and featured artist.
Virtual Jazz Piano Series
Thursday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m.
Featured Artist: John Proulx
Originally from Grand Rapids, John is currently living in Los Angeles where he is a lecturer at Cal State Long Beach and Cal Poly Pomona. John is a recording artist, with four albums to his credit. In addition to touring with his own trio, John has performed with the likes of Anita O’Day, Natalie Cole, Melissa Manchester, and Marian McPartland. He is also a Grammy-winning composer.
Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.
Featured Artist: Xavier Davis
Xavier Davis’ professional career as a jazz pianist took off when the legendary vocalist Betty Carter spotted his outstanding talent at the 1994 International Association of Jazz Educators convention in Boston while he was performing with his college ensemble. She brought Xavier to New York, hiring him exclusively as the pianist of her working trio. Today, Xavier is one of the most accomplished jazz pianists worldwide.
Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.
Featured Artist: Steve Talaga
Pianist, composer and arranger Steve Talaga has been performing professionally for more than 40 years. He was chosen as the West Michigan Jazz Society’s 2008 Jazz Musician of the Year, and has released eight albums under his own name as well as many with various ensembles. He has performed with many jazz greats, including Kenny Wheeler, Terry Lynne Carrington, Phil Woods, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the Grand Rapids Symphony.
Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m.
Featured Artist: Cliff Monear
Cliff Monear is a professional jazz pianist and has performed all over the world with some of the biggest stars in show-business. His YouTube channel features solo and group performances that spotlight many of the finest jazz artists in the Midwest. He is a faculty member at Wayne State University, and a sales consultant for Steinway & Sons, Michigan and Ohio region.
Thursday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.
Featured Artist: Bob James
The career of Grammy Award-winning Bob James is long, varied and continues to evolve at every turn. The music of Bob James has captivated audiences throughout the world. Discovered by Quincy Jones at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival in 1963, James recorded his first solo album, Bold Conceptions, that year for Mercury Records. Fifty-eight albums and innumerable awards would follow through five decades. His composition, “Angela,” the instrumental theme from the sitcom Taxi, is possibly James’ best known work. Bob composed all the original music used in that television series for its entire run.
Virtual Chamber Music Series
Thursday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m.
Featured Artists: Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung
Mozart | Concerto No. 14 in E-flat major for Piano and String Quintet, K. 449
Alessio Bax, piano
Arnaud Sussmann, Bella Hristova, violin;
Paul Neubauer, viola;
Sophie Shao, cello;
Joseph Conyers, double bass
Bartók | Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion
Alessio Bax, Lucille Chung, piano;
Ian David Rosenbaum, Ayano Kataoka, percussion
Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m.
Featured Artist: Cho-Liang Lin
Foss | “Composer’s Holiday” from Three American Pieces for Violin and Piano
Cho-Liang Lin, violin
Jon Kimura Parker, piano
Dvořák | “Larghetto” from Sonatina in G major for Violin and Piano, Op. 100
Cho-Liang Lin, violin;
Jon Kimura Parker, piano
Tchaikovsky | Sextet for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Two Cellos, Op. 70, “Souvenir de Florence”
Cho-Liang Lin, Erin Keefe, violin;
Paul Neubauer, Hsin-Yun Huang, viola;
Dmitri Atapine, Colin Carr, cello
Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.
Featured Artist: Arnaud Sussman
Bach | Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049
Arnaud Sussmann, violin
Sooyun Kim, Tara Helen O’Connor, flute
Bella Hristova, Francisco Fullana, violin
Richard O’Neill, viola
Dmitri Atapine, cello
Xavier Foley, double bass
Hyeyeon Park, piano-harpsichord
Chausson | Concerto in D major for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet, Op. 21
Arnaud Sussmann, violin
Wu Han, piano
Kristin Lee, Yura Lee, violin
Richard O’Neill, viola
Nicholas Canellakis, cello
Thursday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m.
Featured Artist: Anne-Marie McDermott
Mozart | Concerto in D minor for Piano and Strings, K. 466
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano
Sean Lee, Bella Hristova, violin
Paul Neubauer, viola
Mihai Marica, cello
Timothy Cobb, double bass
Tara Helen O’Connor, flute
Smetana | Trio in G minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 15
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano
Ida Kavafian, violin
Gary Hoffman, cello
