Artist Interview: Tim FainWith his adventuresome spirit and vast musical gifts, violinist Tim Fain was most recently seen on screen and heard on the soundtrack of the film Black Swan. We spoke with Tim about his November 1st program on PCMS’ Century Series and his fervent championing of 20th and 21st century works.

Philadelphia Chamber Music Society

1528 Walnut Street, Suite 301

Philadelphia, PA 19102

pcmsconcerts.org

Your Choice For Great

Music in Philadelphia.

215.569.8080

pcmsconcerts.org

World-Class Artists / Compelling Repertoire / 65 Concerts / World-Class Artists / Compelling Repertoire / 65 Concerts / World-Class Artists / Compelling Repertoire / 65 Concerts / World-Class Artists / Compelling Repertoire / 65 Concerts / World-Class Artists / Compellteetoire

From theArtistic Director’s Desk:Miles Cohen

“How do you and Tony put together and program over 60 annual events?” This is one of the questions I am most often asked by patrons. Tony has always emphasized to me that a typical PCMS season should strive for a balanced mix of artists and repertoire. I like to compare the experience to the challenge of assembling a large jigsaw puzzle, and the strategies involved.

First, we establish the corner pieces. These are the returning artists who appear with us on a regular basis and are the pillars of our Society. Then, we put together the edges—those artistically diverse ensembles from here and abroad who PCMS brings to Philadelphia in the hopes of building for the future. Lastly, we attack the middle by filling out our season with young(er) musicians and repertoire-driven programs that we feel deserve to be heard.

As a leading presenter in the field today, PCMS also goes to great lengths to give our series an international presence and a forward-looking focus. In 2013-14, over one-quarter of our artists will join us from outside the U.S. and 30% of our performances are debuts. All of this is to say that PCMS, far from presenting a narrow slice of the repertoire, aims to achieve an exciting balance of youth and experience, tradition and modernity, and Philadelphia-based and international artists. It is this completed picture that brings us the most satisfaction (as we hope for our audience as well), for it is not the sheer quantity of concerts that we present, but rather the breadth of artists and the range of repertoire they bring to Philadelphia that develop our understanding and deepen our appreciation for this beautiful art form.

Patrons have also inquired about how Tony and I weigh audience comments and suggestions during the artist selection process and the strategies behind our Student and Young Friends Unlimited Passes. With so much to say, I have extended my responses in a recent blog post on our website. And by all means, if you have more questions, keep the conversation going, whether online or at the concerts. After all, that is what makes this our Society.

Visit pcmsconcerts.org/learn/blog/season for more insight from Miles into how our season is formed.

Sound Post PCMS News and Notes Fall/Winter 2013

Sound Post Fall/Winter 2013

Non-ProfitOrganizationU. S. Postage

PAIDPhiladelphia, PAPermit No. 3109

Century Series: Irvin Borowsky & Laurie Wagman

How did you become interested in sponsoring the Century Series, and why is it important to support new music? IB: The Century Series sponsorship appeals to us because it gives audiences the opportunity to look towards tomorrow. While we very much enjoy traditional, classical music, we recognize that audiences worldwide are ready to embrace new sounds and fresh musical experiences. LW: In giving life to contemporary music, we honor the traditions of music past as well as those of the future. One grows out of the other, and we embrace the arts as a major cornerstone of civilization. We are particularly pleased to support the Century Series because it presents music that takes the next step to tomorrow. What are you most excited about with this year’s Series? IB: We were very pleased when we saw the names of the artists on the series this year. It gives credence to the importance of new music to see such prominent artists performing these works. Particularly exciting will be hearing the new works that PCMS commissioned James Primosch and Richard Wernick to compose for Jeffrey Khaner. It is also wonderful to see the mix of composers on Tim Fain’s and Peter Serkin’s recitals. LW: The entire series speaks to the growth and development that classical music is enjoying and the way that this new music is made accessible to the people of Philadelphia. Irvin Borowsky (IB) and Laurie Wagman (LW)

are life-long Philadelphians, philanthropists and friends of PCMS since their first concert in 1999. Irvin is founder of the National Liberty Museum and the American Interfaith Institute. Laurie is the founder/chairman of American Theater Arts for Youth. They sat down with us recently to share their personal interest in sponsoring the Century Series.

As a culmination of a multi-year succession plan, the Board of Directors promoted Miles Cohen to Artistic Director along with PCMS’ founding Artistic Director, Anthony P. Checchia.

Your program with PCMS in November features a lot of new and exciting works—most of which are also found on your newest CD, River of Light. How did you go about selecting the works for your performance? The program, and the CD in general, is a cross-section of some of my favorite voices in contemporary music, which I believe represent some of the best music out there by living composers. These works speak directly to who I am as an artist. Virtually all of the works bring ideas from other idioms to a classical setting while presenting a lyrical quality that I appreciate and relate to so strongly. Patrick’s [Zimmerli] music is heavily influenced by his jazz background and we worked very intensely on The Light Guitar together; Richard’s [Danielpour] work, River of Light, draws heavily from Persian music and styles; Lev Zhurbin’s piece Sicilienne has a very Brazilian-clave-meets-Johannes Brahms kind of feeling; and of course Philip’s [Glass] work owes as much to world music as it does to Andy Warhol. I was really taken by Ruth Shaw Wylie’ Wistful Piece—her music shares an entrancingly lyrical aesthetic that is present among the other composers, particularly River of Light and Jennifer Higdon’s Legacy, which both evoke a darkly mysterious character. How has your work with living composers expanded your understanding of the development of classical music? When you perform a new piece, what do you hope the audience will take away from the experience? I hope the audience will approach this concert as they would a concert of Brahms or Franz Schubert. While the music that Pei-Yao and I will be performing does push the boundaries of technique and color and emotion, it is music that sings and is lyrical. In essence, I hope that all of these works will portray an immediacy of emotion and connection, not unlike the music of Brahms. One of the great satisfactions for me as a performer is approaching the music of the present and past with equal ardor. Visit pcmsconcerts.org/learn/blog/fain to readthe full interview with Tim Fain. October 23

Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano and Christopher Cano, piano with MomPops Gourmet Popsicles

November 1Tim Fain, violin and Pei-Yao Wang, piano with Little Baby’s Ice Cream

November 3Ida Levin, violin; Peter Stumpf, cello; and Cynthia Raim, piano with Brûlée Bakery

November 19Bach Cantata Arias with Penns Woods Winery

November 21Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin and Meng-Chieh Liu, piano with Whispering Leaves Tea

December 8Hiroko Yajima, violin; Kim Kashkashian, viola; Marcy Rosen, cello; and Lydia Artymiw, piano a Music for Food event with South Street Philly Bagels, benefiting St. Peter’s Food Cupboard

December 12Anthony McGill, clarinet and Gloria Chien, pianowith Green Aisle preserves and pickles

December 18Robert Levin, piano with Tenaya Darlington and Di Bruno Brothers’ cheese

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From the Seat of: Matthew LucasWith Unlimited Pass holders attending an average of over 10 concerts last season, we caught up with Matthew Lucas (who has held a student pass since 2011) about his experience with PCMS and what draws him to attend more than half the concerts in our season every year.

What university do you attend and what are you studying? I am a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania working on a PhD from the School of Nursing and a Masters in Bioethics from the School of Medicine. My research interests include studying how children recover after brain injury, and my dissertation focuses on describing parental expectations for their children who are survivors of childhood brain tumors. How has your appreciation of chamber music changed as a result of the artists you have heard perform and your understanding of the repertoire? During the 2012-13 season, I heard the Janác ˇek violin sonata three times by three different artists [Jennifer Koh, Soovin Kim, and Miriam Fried]. This was amazing to be able to hear three different live interpretations of a great work within the span of a few months. The Student Pass program at PCMS offers the only affordable way that I have been able to attend concerts that I am most interested in. The musicians are amazing, and every concert has been most enjoyable. Which concerts are you most excited about attending this year? I am really quite excited about André Watts as well as Finley and Drake’s performance of Die Winterreise. And I’ve been waiting about 16 years to hear Susan Graham perform. The Unlimited Student Pass lets full-time students enjoy our entire 65-concert season foronly $30. For more information, please visit pcmsconcerts.org/students or call 215.569.8080.

Philadelphia Chamber Music Society

1528 Walnut Street, Suite 301

Philadelphia, PA 19102

pcmsconcerts.org

Your Choice For Great

Music in Philadelphia.

215.569.8080

pcmsconcerts.org

World-Class Artists / Compelling Repertoire / 65 Concerts / World-Class Artists / Compelling Repertoire / 65 Concerts / World-Class Artists / Compelling Repertoire / 65 Concerts / World-Class Artists / Compelling Repertoire / 65 Concerts / World-Class Artists / Compellingtoire

2013-14Irvin Borowsky & Laurie Wagman Century Series

Pairing beloved classics with sixteen composers who wrote during the past 100 years, this season’s Century Series highlights works by Carter and Copland, Hindemith and Higdon, Beethoven and Bolcom, and Prokofiev and Primosch. 10/22 J. Khaner, flute & C. Abramovic, piano

11/1 T. Fain, violin & P. Wang, piano

1/22 Peter Serkin, piano

3/16 New York Wind Quintet3/20 I. Solzhenitsyn, piano

29 Points in Time

A Timeline of Selected Works from our 13|14 Season

Stradivari signs the label of his 1st violin (1666)

Beethoven premieres his 5th Symphony (1824)

Philadelphia Orchestra founded (1900)

George Gershwin composes Rhapsody in Blue (1924)

The first compact discs go on sale (1982)

282 Works • 110 Composers • 13 Premieres

Marie-Marion: Motets & Chansons from 13th-century France ANONYMOUS 4 • SAT., DEC. 14

1200

Mozart: Sonata in C Major, K. 330ROBERT LEVIN, piano • WED., DEC. 18

1783

Schumann: Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26ANDRÉ WATTS, piano • TUES., FEB. 4

1839

Brahms: Sonata in F-sharp Minor, Op. 2EMANUEL AX, piano • WED., MAY 7

1852

Dvor ˇák: Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 87OPUS ONE • SUN., NOV. 10

KLR TRIO • THUR., JAN. 30

1889

Mendelssohn: Quartet in F Minor, Op. 80EMERSON QUARTET • FRI., OCT. 18QUATUOR EBÈNE • WED., FEB. 19

1847

Verdi: La Traviata (Act I Aria: Ah for’se loi… Sempre libera)A. PÉREZ, soprano; S. COSTELLO, tenor; K. NODA, piano • TUES., DEC. 17

1853

Bartók: Quartet No. 4ST. LAWRENCE QUARTET • SUN., MAY 11

1928

Carter: ElegyBRENTANO QUARTET w/ H. Huang, viola • SUN., FEB. 23

1952

Glass: Knee Play 2 from Einstein on the BeachT. FAIN, violin & P. WANG, piano • FRI., NOV. 1

1976

Wernick: Pieces of Eight [World Premiere/PCMS Commission]

J. KHANER, flute & C. ABRAMOVIC, piano • TUES., OCT. 22

2013

Hindemith: Clarinet Quintet, Op. 30DAEDALUS QUARTETw/ R. MORALES, clarinet • SUN., MAY 4

1923-54

Ornstein: Piano QuintetPACIFICA QUARTET

w/ M. HAMELIN, piano • WED., NOV. 20

1927

Kirchner: Piano Trio No. 1TRIO CAVATINASUN., OCT. 20

1954

Adès: Arcadiana MUSICIANS FROM MARLBOROTUES., NOV. 26

1994

Webern: Sechs Bagatellen, Op. 9TAKÁCS QUARTET • WED., APR. 9

1913

Ysaÿe: Violin Sonata in E Major, Op. 27, No. 6A. HADELICH, violin & C. OWEN, piano • SUN., DEC. 15

1923

Bach: “Goldberg Variations”, BWV 988 [Arr. Sitkovetsky]

P. FRANK, violin; N. IMAI, violin; C. HAGEN, cello • TUES., APR. 8

1741

Janác ˇek: On an Overgrown Path [Selections]

RICHARD GOODE, pianoTUES., APR. 29

1900-11

Weber: Violin Sonata in D Minor, Op. 10, No. 3I. FAUST, violin & A. MELNIKOV, piano • MON., JAN. 20

1810

Liszt: Années de pèlerinageLOUIS LORTIE, piano • TUES., JAN. 7

1838-61

Haydn: Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 76, No. 4, “Sunrise”JERUSALEM QUARTET • THUR., MAR. 27

1797

Gesualdo: MadrigalECCO • THUR., MAR. 13

1594-96

Beethoven: Complete works for cello and pianoP. WILEY, cello & A. POLONSKY, piano

SUN., MAR. 23

1796-1815

Schubert: Die Winterreise, D. 911G. FINLEY, bass-baritone & J. DRAKE, piano • TUES., FEB. 11

1827

Debussy: Première rhapsodieA. McGILL, clarinet & G. CHIEN, pianoTHURS., DEC. 12

1909-10

Shostakovich: Two Pieces for Octet, Op. 11JUPITER & JASPER QUARTETS • WED., JAN 15

1924-25

Prokofiev: War Sonatas (Op. 82-84)IGNAT SOLZHENITSYN, piano • THUR., MAR. 20

1939-44

Milhaud: La cheminée du roi RenéBERLIN PHILHARMONICWIND QUINTET • THUR., FEB. 13

1939