Pleasanton Chamber Players 10th Anniversary Celebration Concert March 17, 2013

Celebrating 10 years of professional classical music performances, Pleasanton Chamber Players present their 10th anniversary concert. The program will feature a "German half" and a "French half", with beloved favorites and rare gems from the late romantic classical era, showcasing an interesting variety of instrumental combinations with Marie Flexer, violin; William Harrington, French horn; Danielle Naler, piano; Kris Palmer, flute; Dominique Piana, harp; Paul Rhodes, cello.

The loosely-knit professional performing organization was founded in 2003 by local composer, music publisher and harpist Dominique Piana with the support of the Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council. The inaugural concert was held on April 13, 2003, and the centerpiece was Schubert's beloved Trout Quintet. It all began as an ensemble of professional musicians based in Pleasanton, later extending to the Tri-Valley and neighboring communities, and eventually attracting artists from the greater Bay Area.

According to Piana, highlights of the last nine years include performances of famous and unusual chamber music, always favoring eclectic instrumentations. One memorable example, recalls Piana: "In 2008 we commissioned and premiered the piece "...softly through the night...memories of music..." by Fremont composer Helena Michelson."

The first "German" half of the concert will feature late-romantic works: the Brahms Trio Op. 40 for piano, violin and horn, the short Nocturne by Hummel and Gondellied ("Gondolier Song") by harpist Alfred Holy.

The second "French" half will include Aubade, an interesting collaborative work by classical era virtuosi Bochsa, Tulou, Duport and Puzzi for harp, flute, cello and horn; Louis Ganne's Extase (Ectasy) for violin, cello and harp; and the famous Trio in D minor Op. 120 by Faure, for violin, cello and piano, a stunning masterpiece of his old age.

The artists will be available after the performance for an informal chat with audience members.

Official Website: http://www.firehousearts.org