Opus 20: Anniversary : simplebooklet.com

Celebrating its 20th season from September 2024 to May 2025, CMSCVA is a 501(c)3 nonprot corporation founded and based in Richmond. We present an average of ten concerts per season, all produced by our staff, Board, and volunteers, and made possible by hundreds of community members. Flexible in personnel and repertoire, CMSCVA is dedicated to inspiring, entertaining, and moving our communities through a combination of unique venues, world-class musicians, thought-provoking content, and eclectic classical music. Engaging with contemporary culture and honoring classical music traditions, our mission is to promote interest and diversity in the musical life of Richmond and beyond.CMSCVA’s home base, artistic mission, and artistic inspiration owe their existence to the essential contributions to culture, history and economy by people who have called this area home. Our concerts and meetings take place on lands that are located within the territory of the Powatan Confederacy (or Tsenacommacah), the Chickahominy tribe, and the Monacan nation. As we continue our work of reaching across musical cultures and history with love and respect, we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet, and honor the elders of these native nations, past, present and emerging. We also honor the contributions and deep sacrice of countless enslaved peoples through the history of this area. Indeed, without their ingenuity, artistry and strength, we and our city would not exist. Jennifer Cable Diana Damschroder Peter Gilbert Robin Jones Phyllis McCafferty Jeffrey Riehl Ellen Sayles Jennifer Tobin James WilsonFREE CONCERT: OPUS 20 – PARTY OF 7Saturday, April 5, 2025, 2:00pm | Richmond Main Public Library Join CMSCVA for an hour of sparkling music – Beethoven’s Septet, opus 20, and the premiere of new piece by Antonio García that brings the 19th century to 21st century Richmond.SCHUBERT QUINTETSSunday, May 4, 2025, 4:00pm | 2nd Presbyterian ChurchCMSCVA repeats one of the highlights of our past 20 years, a back-to-back performance of Franz Schubert’s spectacular “Trout” and Cello Quintets.BOARD OF DIRECTORSSTAFFJames Wilson Artistic Director Anamarie Diaz Administrative ManagerInterested in sup-porting our artistic mission? Make a donation or learn about volunteering for us here.SUPPORT US

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CONCERTSTHE HOUSE OF HANDELSunday, Sept. 15, 2024, 4:00pm | Holy Comforter Episcopal Church CMSCVA celebrates the music of Georg Friderick Handel with a bespoke playlist of gorgeous instrumental music inspired by one of the composer’s most beloved works, the Messiah.FREE CONCERT: A RICHMOND CABARETSaturday, Oct. 12, 2024, 2:00pm | Richmond Main Public LibraryCelebrate the contemporary Richmond experience with this recital of cabaret songs, including world premieres from Virginia composers.BACH BY CANDLELIGHTMonday, Dec. 16, 2024, 7:00pm | Holy Comforter Episcopal ChurchSeventeen years ago, CMSCVA presented “Bach by Candlelight,” one of the favorite concerts from our past 20 years. This year, we present a revival of this concert with elegant and emotional music from J. S. Bach’s solo cello suites and violin partitas.FESTIVAL OF PREMIERESJanuary | Online at cmscva.org Through the month of January, CMSCVA celebrates our contribu-tion to the chamber music repertoire with a digital festival of pieces we have commissioned and premiered. The Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia is celebrating its 20th year! When we started in 2004, we envisioned a concert series that was different from any other in Richmond. Continuing to lead with creativity, inclusiveness, innovation, and artistic excellence, we are two decades old and eagerly looking forward to what’s next. This season is a musical party with programs inspired by the number 20, revivals of favorite concerts from our past, eight premieres of new chamber music pieces, and 45 artists to bring it all to life. We are celebrating our legacy, centering our community of Richmond, upholding the rich tradition of classical chamber music, and pointing to the future of con-cert programming. We are very happy to welcome you to the celebration.SWEPT AWAY!Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, 7:00pm | First Unitarian Universalist Church The freedom and joy of 1930’s Germany cabaret culture was swept away by the winds of fascism and war. Experience this unique period in musical history through a recreation of a Berlin cabaret, and a moving chamber opera about forbidden love.FREE CONCERT: OPUS 20 – THE SUNSaturday, Nov. 9, 2024, 2:00pm | Richmond Main Public LibraryCelebrate CMSCVA’s 20th anniversary with two famous quartets from Haydn’s “Sun Quartets,” opus 20, and the premiere of a new quartet from Richmond native Kyle Valorose.FREE CONCERT: OPUS 20 – ANNIVERSARYSaturday, Feb. 15, 2025, 2:00pm | Richmond Main Public LibraryCMSCVA continues its celebratory theme of “20” with Romantic music from the late 19th century: Elgar’s Serenade opus 20 and Borodin’s famous String Quartet in D major, written as a 20th anniversary wedding gift. This concert is presented in partnership with the Richmond Public Library’s Gellman Room Concerts.CELEBRATIONSunday, Feb. 16, 2025, 4:00pm | St. Mary’s Episcopal ChurchEight intrepid string players perform Felix Mendelssohn’s exhilarating Octet, opus 20, and the premiere of a joyful fanfare from Richmond’s own Donovan Williams, and salute the 100th anniversary years of composers Maurice Ravel and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.BAROQUE AT WILTONSaturday, March 8, 2025, 7:00pm | Wilton House MuseumSunday, March 9, 2025, 4:00pm | Wilton House MuseumCMSCVA returns to the historic setting of the Wilton House Museum for a program of English Baroque music for soprano, strings and lute. Because of the intimate size of the Wilton House venue, this concert is offered on two dates.(MAR. 8)(MAR. 9) continued >>

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Artists Bios A native New Yorker, Richmond Symphony bassist Kelly Ali was raised in the Bronx and later Queens Village. He was a member of the first graduating class of The Juilliard School’s music advancement program and bookended his New York tutelage in the studio of James VanDemark, earning a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music. Mr. Ali has participated in music festivals throughout the United States and Europe and earned a Master of Music from the University of Maryland as a student of Curtis Burris. His orchestral experience also extends to ensembles such as the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, National Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Williamsburg Symphonia. Along with orchestral performances and his post as Adjunct Professor of Bass at Virginia Commonwealth University, Mr. Ali has also dedicated performance time to chamber music with colleagues such as the Ying Quartet, members of the Guarneri Quartet and the Chamber Music Society of Charlottesville. Anamarie Diaz is a flutist, educator, arts administrator, and performer in Richmond, VA. She currently teaches privately at her home studio, DiazFlute Studio, where she strives to push and encourage personal growth through music lessons, and teaches music theory at Randolph Macon College. Anamarie is the Administrative Manager of the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia, a growing organization dedicated to presenting traditional and contemporary

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classical music in intimate venues throughout the historic metropolitan Richmond area. Previously she was the Artistic Director of Classical Revolution RVA, a non-profit organization aimed at integrating classical music into the vibrant art scene of Richmond, Virginia. As an active performer, Anamarie regularly performs with the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia, and has subbed with the Richmond Philharmonic and the Orchestra Next. As a solo artist, she performs recitals throughout Richmond with other local musicians. Her most recent, Third Stream IS Mainstream, was performed with pianist Hope Armstrong Erb as part of the Richmond Public Library Gellman Room Concert Series. Violinist Grant Houston connects with listeners through performances of unbridled energy and emotional magnetism. Particularly devoted to chamber music, he appears frequently at chamber music series and festivals across the country, such as Spoleto Festival USA (Bank of America Chamber Music), the Grand Canyon Music Festival, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Ravinia's Steans Music Institute, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and the Perlman Music Program, Monadnock Music, Wellesley Chamber Players, First Mondays at Jordan Hall, and Juventas New Music. He appears often with the conductorless ensembles A Far Cry, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and in the summer of 2024 was named a Co-Artistic Director of the Portland, Maine-based Palaver Strings. As the violinist of Trio Gaia, Houston has helped to build the ensemble into one of today’s most exciting piano trios, offering audiences dynamic, personally relevant experiences inside and outside the concert hall. As a student of Donald Weilerstein,

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Ayano Ninomiya, Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, and Merry Peckham, Houston completed both undergraduate and graduate study at the New England Conservatory of Music. Mari Lee is an artist dedicated to forging deep human connections through music. As a violinist, creative mind, and entrepreneur, she explores the intricate relationship between audiences, performers, and composers. Praised as “extremely impressive” by the influential music magazine The Strad, Mari has performed as a violinist at such prestigious venues as the Wigmore Hall, Philharmonie Berlin, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall, as well as renowned festivals including Ravinia, Verbier, and Marlboro. As the CEO and Artistic Director of Salon Séance, Mari creates experiential concerts rooted in the idea that performing is an act of channeling. The winner of Tarisio’s Young Artists Grants and the Britten-Pears Foundation’s Britten Award, Salon Séance collaborates with both prominent arts organizations as well as corporate partners such as Yellow Barn Festival, Schubert Club, The Crypt Sessions, IMEX, and Google. Kevonna Shuford is a vibrant violist who has a passion for collaborative projects. Kevonna completed a bachelor’s degree at the New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Martha Katz. She is currently a member of the Boston Philharmonic and also performs with numerous Boston based ensembles. A native of Florida, she established a youth string program at Faith’s Place Center for Arts Education. With a continued love for teaching, she is a current

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resident musician with Musiconnects. Kevonna served as principal viola under the baton of Valery Gergiev and has had the pleasure of working with esteemed artists such as Janine Jansen, Denis Matsuev, Emmanuel Ax, Jaime Laredo,and Christoph Eschenbach. Additionally, she has had the opportunity to play in masterclasses for distinguished artists such as Kim Kashkashian, Paul Katz, Dimitri Murrath, and Clive Greensmith. As a member of the National Youth Orchestra (2016), Kevonna greatly enjoyed traveling to new places through past performances at major concert halls across Europe and the US, such as the Concertgebouw and Carnegie Hall; now, she is an avid outdoor enthusiast and enjoys taking walks or rollerblading around Boston. For more than thirty years, cellist James Wilson has nurtured and enjoyed an exciting and varied career as performer and educator, bringing the joy of music to audiences throughout the world, from small towns to the world’s most illustrious venues. Acclaimed for his singing tone, and intelligent and soulful approach to music, the Los Angeles Times described Wilson as a musician “with something to say and a commanding way of saying it.” He is a member and has served as Artistic Director for the Grammy-winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and he regularly serves as guest principal cello of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. When not performing in festivals and concert series around the globe, Mr. Wilson teaches cello at Columbia University in the City of New York, and serves as the Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia, an organization he helped form 20 years ago in 2004.

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CMSCVA would like to thank the following who have made financial gifts over the past year, making possible our artistic mission and community service. Donors (up to $99)David and Shiu-Min Block Beata Boodell Eugenia H. Borum Jay Buston Douglas Durso Martha Faulkner Richard Fine and Sara Ferguson Diana Gabay-Selby Kevin Hoover Denis and Carol Klisz Julie Laskaris Victoria Lewkow Hortense Liberti Rob McTier Sharon and Edson Pederson Ragan Phillips Paul Quel* Kevin Rosengren John Rupp Teresa Shuk Theresa Singleton Martha Thaler* Elisabeth S. Wollan Members ($100 - $249)Anonymous Barbara Anderson Dennis Anderson Charles and Jean Arrington Jim Bennett Carolyn and Gary Bokinsky Frances Caldwell John B. H. Caldwell Kevin Campbell Col. & Mrs. Robert M. Clewell Diana Damschroder David Depp Alan W. Dow II Christine Ertell Richard Fox Ann H. Franke David Frink Sharon Fuller Martin Gary Janet & Jonathan Geldzahler

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Kathleen Hoppe Eric and Christiana Jacobson Nancy Jones Harry and Barbara Kaplowitz James Kidd Joann L. King Tricia and Jack Pearsall Ellen Sayles Jason Stell Margaret Stokely Misa Stuart Robert & Mary-Helen Sullvan* Jenifer Tobin George and Carolyn Watkins Rick and Laurie Williams Jane and Brian Wilson Sally Youngs Patrons ($250 - $499) Henry Bowen Laurel Nelson Brooks Clarke Bustard Nina and Ned Conway Ross Decker Robin and Rick Dietrich Martin & Hope Armstrong Erb Marilyn T. Erickson Ralph and Jocelyne Graner Suzanne Hall Anne Harrison Carlyle Robin Jones Gita and Davis Massey Phyllis McCafferty Jack and Marilyn McClard Jeffrey Riehl Grace E. Suttle Robert and Mary Ellen Wadsworth Perry and Ernest Wilson Artist Sponsors ($500 - $999)Anonymous Phoebe Antrim Rosa E. Bosher Zade Child Lois Wilson Crabtree Mary Boodell & Evan Davis Fran and John Freimarck Sarah Harriman Virginia Weight* Marsden Williams Michael and Molly Wray

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Thanks also to: Patrick Deroche, Hannah Kilgore, the Richmond Public Library and the City of Richmond for their support and wonderful spaces in our 20th season. Our Artist Hosts who provide such a valuable service: Kathy Drummond, Debra Carlotti and Ken Kolb, Fran Papalios, Mary-Helen and Robert Sullivan, and Tricia and Jack Pearsall. Follow us on social media! @CMSCVA Coming up in CMSCVA’s 20th anniversary season: Celebration, February 16, 2025 What could celebrate our 20th anniversary more perfectly than a performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s exhilarating Octet, opus 20? We pair this famous piece of chamber music with a new octet, “Miktam 1,” commissioned for this year from Richmond’s own Donovan Williams, and music by Maurice Ravel and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor whose 150th anniversaries are both honored in 2025. Baroque at Wilton, March 8, 2025 Please note: the March 9 date for this program is sold-out, and a limited number of seats are still available for March 8.

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Built in 1753, the Wilton House entertained some of the most notable political figures in American history, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, through the hospitality of the Randolph family, who kept the home in its lineage for over 100 years. Having survived the Revolutionary and Civil War, the Wilton House has a rich and complex history. CMSCVA returns to this historic and intimate setting for a program of Baroque music inspired by William Shakespeare and Jane Austen. Party of 7, April 5, 2025 Beethoven’s famous Septet, opus 20, is one of the true party pieces In history. Its tunes have been whistled in the streets of Europe and America for over 200 years. Join CMSCVA for an hour of sparkling music by Beethoven, and the premiere of a piece by Antonio García that brings this 19th century masterpiece to its place in 21st century Richmond. Schubert Quintets, May 4, 2025 One highlight from our past 20 years was a back-to-back performances of two of the best loved pieces in the chamber music repertoire, both by Franz Schubert: his spectacular “Trout” Quintet and the epic Cello Quintet in C major. CMSCVA revives this concert for our anniversary year, but with a historical touch. Played on gut strings and a reproduction 1830’s Graf fortepiano, this performance of two stunning works is a not-to-be-missed event in Richmond’s concert season.

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