Percussionist Josh Graham Joins Orion Ensemble For Concert Two

The Orion Ensemble, winner of the prestigious Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, continues its 27th season with a program of less-frequently heard repertoire, including a work for bass clarinet and percussion featuring percussionist/marimbist Josh Graham. Performances, which also feature guest violist Stephen Boe, take place at a new venue this season--New England Congregational Church in Aurora--November 10, PianoForte Studios in Chicago November 13 and Music Institute of Chicago's Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston November 17.

The program Bernhard Crusell (1775-1838), a Finnish clarinetist and composer, has been hailed as "the most significant and internationally best-known Finnish-born composer before Sibelius." The elegant passions of his Clarinet Quintet in C minor offer something for a wide range of musical tastes. The mournful yet defiant utterances of the Phantasie in F-sharp minor for piano quintet by English composer and violist Frank Bridge (1879-1941) is a work of powerful emotions. The key of F-sharp minor is usually reserved for works of profoundly original statements, and this quintet delivers one of the best examples of this selective tonality.

Chronies, or Chronicles, for bass clarinet and percussion by American composer Robert Xavier Rodriguez (b. 1946) is a colorful glimpse into unusual sonic worlds, combining the mystical and soothing voice of the bass clarinet with the power of percussion, performed by guest Josh Graham.

Schubert composed his Piano Trio in B-flat Major in 1827, the last year of his life. Large in scope, this chamber work features contrasts of rhythm and lyricism (especially in the first movement) that complement the exquisite slow second movement, followed by the third movement scherzo and a highly animated rondo finale. Orion's 27th season Orion's 2019-20 season, which includes violist Stephen Boe on all programs, continues with Ugandan composer Justinian Tamasuza, Rolla, Huydts and Dvorak in March and Mozart, Borodin and Schumann, featuring guest violinist Mathias Tacke, in May. Orion appears on the broadcast series "Live from WFMT" November 18, 2019 and May 11, 2020.

Founded in 1992, The Orion Ensemble, winner of the prestigious Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming for its critically acclaimed millennium celebration "An Inside Look at Contemporary Music," features a roster of four superb musicians--Kathryne Pirtle (clarinet), Florentina Ramniceanu (violin), Diana Schmück (piano) and Judy Stone (cello)--who have performed throughout North America, Europe and Asia, as an ensemble and individually in solo, orchestral and other chamber music roles. The Chicago Tribune called Orion "one of Chicago's most vibrant, versatile and distinctive ensembles," and Peter Schickele (aka PDQ Bach) said Orion is "what chamber music should be all about: Individual virtuosity melded into a group personality." The Orion Ensemble is supported in part by grants from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the John R. Halligan Charitable Fund, the Farny R. Wurlitzer Foundation Fund, the Illinois Arts Council and generous donations from its patrons. For a brief history, click here.

The Orion Ensemble's second concert program of its 27th season takes place Sunday, November 10 at 7 p.m. at its new venue, New England Congregational Church, 406 W. Galena Boulevard in Aurora; Wednesday, November 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the PianoForte Studios, 1335 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago; and Sunday, November 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Music Institute of Chicago's Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue in Evanston. Single tickets are $30, $25 for seniors (65+) and $15 for students; admission is free for children 12 and younger. A four-ticket flexible subscription provides a 10 percent savings on full-priced tickets. For tickets or more information, call 630-628-9591 or visit orionensemble.org.