Starting January 30 at the brand new Goizueta Stage for Youth Families  The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra begins an exciting new chapter with a three-concert Chamber Music Series featuring Atlanta Symphony Orchestra musicians and guest artists at the new Goizueta Stage for Youth Families  beginning January 30.  The premiere concert heralds the grand opening of the Goizueta Stage for Youth Families, offering audience members a new way to experience music performed by small ensembles of ASO musicians. They offer a fresh reimagining of celebrated works, including Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, arranged for woodwind quintet, and Rossini’s Une Larme for cello quartet. Chamber works from Wagner, Janáček, and Mozart round out the performance by Gina Hughes (flute), Zach Boeding (oboe), Jesse McCandless (clarinet), Alcides Rodriguez (bass clarinet), Cameron Bonner (bassoon), Andrew Burhans (French horn) and cellists Tommy Carpenter, Ray Kim, Isabel Kwon and Nathan Mo.  The next concert in the series on March 8 features harpsichordist Chloé Sévère performing The Wild Harpsichord, a charming one-woman show that portrays the life of a harpsichordist through arrangements of popular tunes, inviting audiences to experience the harpsichord in a new light. Sévère later joins the Orchestra and Nathalie Stutzmann for Bach’s B minor Mass, performing in the basso continuo.  The third installment of the Chamber Music Series on April 26 is part of the ASO’s America @ 250 series, featuring a performance of Dvořák’s iconic “American” Quartet. Barber’s powerful String Quartet in B minor includes the original version of the famous melody that he eventually turned into the Adagio for Strings. Rounding out the concert are works from rising-star José Elizondo and a world premiere by Atlanta Symphony Orchestra flutist Robert Cronin. This celebration of American chamber music features ASO flutists Robert Cronin and Gina Hughes, violinists Kevin Chen, Lauren Roth-Gómez, Olga Shpitko and Yaxin Tan, violists Yang Yoon Kim and Yiyin Li, and cellists Ray Kim and Isabel Kwon.  The ASO Chamber Music Series showcases more intimate musical explorations at the newly renovated Goizueta Stage for Youth Families (formerly the Rich Theater), opening January 30.   Capacity is limited for these special performances. Tickets and subscription packages are on sale now at aso.org/chamber.  CALENDAR LISTING  Grand Opening Chamber Concert JAN 30, Fri. at 8pm Gina Hughes, flute Zach Boeding, oboe Jesse McCandless, clarinet Alcides Rodriguez, bass clarinet Cameron Bonner, bassoon Andrew Burhans, French horn Tommy Carpenter, Ray Kim, Isabel Kwon, Nathan Mo, cellos MOZART Sonata for Bassoon and Cello in B-flat major WAGNER “Feierliches Stück” from Lohengrin, arr. for cello quartet ROSSINI  Une Larme, arr. for cello quartet BARTÓK Romanian Folk Dances, for woodwind quintet JANÁČEK Mládí (Youth) for wind sextet This wide-ranging program moves from Mozart’s elegant and playful Sonata for Bassoon and Cello to the solemn glow of Wagner’s “Feierliches Stück” and the intimate lyricism of Rossini’s Une Larme. Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances bring a burst of earthy rhythm and vibrant folkloric color. The evening culminates with Janáček’s spirited Mládí, a work alive with youthful energy and bold character.  The Wild Harpsichord MAR 8, Sun. at 6 pm  Chloé Sévère, harpsichord Chloé Sévère presents her effervescent one-woman tour de force The Wild Harpsichord. She will bring her touching and often funny portrayal of her life as a harpsichordist to the stage alongside some fun arrangements of popular tunes. You’ll see this historic instrument in a completely new light with an unexpected, funny, and poetic approach. Chloé has been a guest of the orchestra for Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, and will reprise her role in the basso continuo for this year’s Bach B Minor Mass.  AMERICA @ 250 Chamber Music APR 26, Sun, at 3 pm  Robert Cronin, flute Kevin Chen, violin Gina Hughes, flute Yang Yoon Kim, viola Ray Kim, Isabel Kwon, cello Yiyin Li, viola Lauren Roth-Gómez, violin Olga Shpitko and Yaxin Tan, violin ROBERT CRONIN Serenade for Flute and String Trio (World Premiere) BARBER String Quartet in B minor JOSÉ ELIZONDO  Danzas Latinoamericanas for two cellos DVOŘÁK String Quartet No. 12 in F major, (“American”) arr. for flute, violin, viola, cello The America @ 250 celebration continues with chamber works from the Americas. The ASO’s own flutist, Robert Cronin, is featured in the world premiere of a work that he composed. Barber’s powerful String Quartet in B minor includes the original version of the famous melody that he eventually turned into the Adagio for Strings. A recent work by rising-star composer José Elizondo and an arrangement of Dvořák’s iconic “American” Quartet complete the concert.  Chloé Sévère, harpsichord Chloé Sévère is the co-founder and director of Ensemble El Sol and has cultivated that group’s unusual specialty of Spanish and South American Baroque music. She has also been active as an educator, harpsichordist, and keyboard accompanist.   Sévère began studying the harpsichord at the Conservatoire à rayonnement départemental de la Vallée de Chevreuse with Michèle Dévérité. She graduated with honors and went on to the Amsterdam Conservatory for a harpsichord bachelor’s degree studying with Bob van Asperen, and returned to France for a master’s degree at the Paris Conservatory, working with Olivier Baumont. Sévère took lessons in chamber music with Kenneth Weiss and continuo playing with Blandine Rannou.   A special focus of her career has been serving as an audition and competition accompanist: she has filled these roles at the Juilliard School in New York, the Renata Tebaldi Baroque Singing Competition in San Marino, and the Handel Singing Competition in London. Sévère herself emerged as the winner of the Young Talent prize at a competition sponsored by Zonta International, after which she gained prestigious new collaborators: Nathalie Stutzmann, Les Arts Florissants, and Versailles Baroque Music Center, where she has made recurring appearances.  Robert Cronin, composer flutist Associate Principal Flute, Robert Cronin, has been with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 1999. Cronin received his Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University in Chicago, where he studied with Walfrid Kujala. Cronin went on to win the Principal Flute position in the Knoxville Symphony, where he also obtained his Master’s of Music degree in Composition from the University of Tennessee. He has also held one-year positions in the Kansas City Symphony and the Milwaukee Symphony.  Cronin is active as a composer. He writes music for a variety of instrumentations but has focused on works for flute, including Concerto for Flute and Chamber Orchestra (2009), Sonata for Flute and Piano (2010), and Five Bagatelles for Alto Flute and Cello (2016), which premiered last season at the ASO Pre-Concert Chamber Music Series. The National Flute Association commissioned Cronin to write a work for flute and piano, which was used as a required work for the High School Artist’s Competition. The piece that resulted was an homage to his teacher, Mr. Kujala, called Off the Wall. Information and recordings of these and other of his works can be heard at www.robertcronincomposer.info.   Since 2007, Cronin has owned and managed a business that produces custom concrete countertops for commercial and residential applications called CounterIntelligence of Atlanta. Examples of his work and more information may be found at counterintelligenceatlanta.com. Cronin has two beautiful daughters, is an avid golfer and is fluent in Swedish.  About the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Under the leadership of Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) offers live performances, media initiatives, and learning programs that unite, educate and enrich our community through the engaging and transformative power of orchestral music experiences. The ASO engages the diverse international community of our city, bringing people together in harmony—including our youngest citizens, with extensive opportunities for youth and families to experience the power of live orchestra music.   The Orchestra’s range and depth are featured in more than 150 concerts each year, including the flagship Delta Classical Series, Movies in Concert, Family Concerts, Coca-Cola Holiday series, and many community and education concerts. In addition, the ASO presents many vibrant, wide-ranging events and artists through its Delta Atlanta Symphony Hall Live presentations. The ASO also performs regularly with the ASO Chorus, originally founded by Robert Shaw, and currently under the direction of Norman Mackenzie. The Chorus is featured on nine of the ASO’s 27 GRAMMY® Award-winning recordings.     For biographies for ASO musicians, please visit https://www.aso.org/conductors-musicians  The post The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Premieres New Chamber Music Series  appeared first on Atlanta Daily World. ...read more read less