JOPLIN, Mo. —
The 30th year of Pro Musica Joplin’s annual chamber music season features plenty of returning acts that earned good reviews.
“These are musicians who have been crowd pleasers and audience favorites,” said Pro Musica founder Cynthia Schwab.
One of those performers tried to return last year, but snow canceled his concert. Hopefully it won’t snow on Nov. 2, when Grammy-winning pianist Emanuel Ax is scheduled to perform in a fundraising concert for the organization.
“The generosity of this man is astonishing,” Schwab said. “He plays all over the world, and he is in demand all the time. To give us a benefit concert is a magnificent gift.”
Ax has a long career that has spanned for more than 30 years. He first came into the limelight in 1974 when, at 25, he won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv, Israel.
His recordings have won two Grammy awards, and he has performed with other classical greats, such as cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Richard Stoltzman.
Ax’s last performance in Joplin was in 1984. If it hadn’t been for a Caribbean cruise more than 25 years ago, that performance might never have happened.
In 1983, Schwab was a guest aboard a cruise tailored for fans of chamber music. The cruise featured performances from Yo-Yo Ma, the English Chamber Orchestra and a bevy of other greats.
During the cruise, Karl Haas moderated a discussion that featured Ax and Yo-Yo Ma.
“One of the questions I asked was how they felt, as superstars of the classical-music world, about helping to get performances in areas where classical music isn’t heard,” Schwab said.
That led to Schwab asking if any of them would come to Joplin for a performance. Ax quickly agreed.
The details were ironed out, and in January of 1984, Ax performed in Joplin as part of Pro Musica Joplin’s performance season. Schwab said that he also reduced the cost of his appearance, so that Pro Musica could hold the concert as a benefit.
Other acts for the season include:
~ Imani Winds, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. Pro Musica will continue its relationship with The Kitchen Pass and feature a woodwind quintet that brings different dynamics to traditional music. The quintet plays a standard repertoire and also composes and arranges its own pieces featuring African and Latin-American elements.
~ Kansas City Chorale, Nov. 14: The chorale has a national reputation of excellence, Schwab said. A collaboration with the Phoenix Chorale won a Grammy this year. Director Charles Bruffy is an award-winning director and has been called the heir apparent to the great Robert Shaw.
~ Foothills Brass Quintet, Dec. 4: The Foothills Brass Quintet is a newcomer to Joplin. The quintet features members from across North America and is a Yamaha performing ensemble that plays around 200 concerts each year.
n Duo Prism with Marlene Pauley, Jan. 20: Duo Prism features the husband and wife team of violinist Jesse Mills and pianist Rieko Aizawa. The couple will be joined by clarinetist Pauley.
Though Duo Prism has never played Joplin, both of its members have. Aizawa performed as a member of the Amelia String Quartet in 2007, and Mills was part of Antares during its 2008 performance. Both are graduates of Juilliard.
~ American String Quartet, Feb. 10: 2011 will mark the third time this quartet has played for Pro Musica, Schwab said. The quartet has one of the longest performance histories in chamber music, and its program features poetry and other readings alongside the music.
~ Ying Quartet, March 3: This quartet will hold its fourth performance in Joplin. All of the members hail from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y.
Once comprised of family members, violinist Ayano Ninomiya joined the quartet in 2010. Other members include violinist Janey Ying, violist Phillip Ying and cellist David Ying.
~ I Musici de Montreal, April 9: The 15-piece chamber orchestra will bring a unique presentation for its first Joplin appearance. Schwab said the orchestra will perform Mussgorsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” as assorted pictures are displayed overhead on a screen.
~ The season will wrap with the 31st annual Joplin Pops concert, to be held on June 24. The musicians for that concert will be announced at a later date.
Retirement
The 30th season of Pro Musica Joplin will be the final season for its founder and director. Cynthia Schwab said that she plans to retire at the end of this season. The organization’s board of directors is conducting a national search for a new director.
Lifestyles
Related Photos
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Pianist Emanuel Ax will perform on Nov. 2 as part of the 30th season of chamber music organized by Pro Music Joplin. Globe file
Discussion
Pro Musica season full of happy returns
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