Juniper Winter Chamber Music Festival Returns — Concerts and More Offered

A roster that includes some of the finest string musicians performing today has been assembled for the Juniper Winter Chamber Music Festival, now in its second year. Hosted by the Department of Music at Utah State University, the festival takes place Jan. 13 through 17 in a variety of venues in the Chase Fine Arts Center on campus.

Thanks to the support of festival sponsors, all events are free and open to the public. A series of master classes, rehearsals, performances and outreach activities are planned. The festival has been organized by Michael Carrera and Marjorie Bagley.

"This festival brings world-class artists to Logan to perform and provide master classes for university string students," said music department head Bruce Saperston. "Local high school and middle school musicians have the opportunity to be involved as well."

"We have brought in a stellar group of international musicians known for their collaborative work in the field of chamber music," Carrera said. "They have agreed to spend the week with us, giving master classes, outreach concerts, open rehearsals and other activities. It is rare that students at every level get to interact so closely with world-class musicians. I want to thank our guest artists for their hard work and dedication."

In addition to Carrera and Bagley, artists participating in the festival include members of the Fry Street Quartet, Utah State's professional string quartet in residence, Misha Amory, Andres Diaz, Wu Han and Ralph Matson.

The festival's open rehearsals are Monday through Friday beginning at 10 a.m. in the Morgan Theatre. Master classes and outreach take place Monday through Thursday. For a full schedule of activities and specific times call the music department at (435) 797-3015 or check the Web site at
http://www.usu.edu/music/areas/string/stringfestival02.html.

The Thursday and Friday concerts, held in the Morgan Theatre, begin at 7:30 p.m. and are free. The program Thursday, Jan. 16, opens with "Duo for Violin and Cello" by Maurice Ravel. It features Marjorie Bagley on violin and Andres Diaz on cello. Next is Beethoven's "Trio for Violin, Viola and Cello, Op. 9 No 1," featuring Ralph Matson on violin, Misha Amory on viola and Michael Carrera on cello.

Following intermission the concert concludes with "Concerto for Piano, Violin and String Quartet" by Ernest Chausson. Featured artists for the work include Wu Han on piano, Marjorie Bagley on violin and the Fry Street Quartet.

Concert selections for Friday, Jan. 17, include "Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello in C minor, Op. 1 No 3" by Beethoven with Wu Han on piano, Marjorie Bagley on violin and Michael Carrera on cello. Next is "Quartet for Piano, Violin, Viola and Cello in G minor" by Johannes Brahms with Wu Han on piano, Ralph Matson on violin, Misha Amory on viola and Andres Diaz on cello.

The concert concludes with Franz Schubert's "Quintet for Two Violins, Viola and Two Celli in C major, D. 956," featuring Ralph Matson, violin; Marjorie Bagley, violin; Misha Amory, viola; Andres Diaz, cello; and Michael Carrera, cello.

Contact: Bruce Saperston (435) 797-3036
Writer: Patrick Williams (435) 797-1354