Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center offers Rossini and Bach at Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts | Press Releases

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will play Rossini, Bach, Kodály and two selections by Society bassist Edgar Meyer in its second concert of the 2005-06 season at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on Saturday, March 18, at 8 p.m. Journalist Robert Sherman, a classical music writer for The New York Times, will lead a pre-concert Art-to-Heart discussion from 7 to 7:40 p.m.

The Chamber Music Society, the resident company of Lincoln Center and one of the world's premier chamber ensembles, is known for its extraordinary repertoire of classics and commitment to the commission of new works. Its reputation precedes it wherever it goes. One critic dubbed the ensemble "the jewel in this nation's musical crown."

Though the Chamber Music Society includes many members, concerts can feature smaller ensembles, allowing for many musical possibilities. The musicians who will perform in the March 18 concert are: Ida Kavafian, violin; Gary Hoffman, cello; and Meyer, contrabass.

The evening's program includes: Rossini's "Duet in D major for Cello and Bass"; Bach's "Sonata No. 1 in G major for Violin, Cello and Bass"; Kodaly's "Duo for Violin and Cello"; and Meyer's "Two Movements for Cello and Bass" and a selection from his "Concert Duo for Violin and Bass."

Kavafian's vast repertoire and impressive flexibility as a soloist, with orchestras and in chamber settings have garnered international acclaim. A founding member of the innovative group TASHI and a longtime member of the Society, she has appeared at many premiere festivals and series, including Santa Fe, Tanglewood, Ravinia, Mostly Mozart and Spoleto in Italy and the United States. She recently created three concert series and co-founded a piano quartet, Opus One, with pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, cellist Peter Wiley and violinist Steven Tenenborn, who is her husband.

The couple also collaborates in a non-musical endeavor - breeding and showing champion Hungarian Vizsla dogs.

Hoffman made his London recital debut at 15 and, in 1986, was the first American to win the Rostropovich International Competition. He has worked with major orchestras and festivals around the world. A guest artist with the Emerson and Tokyo quartets, he is a 1995 recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and has been a Society member since 1993, a job he says he loves. He must enjoy it: To rehearse and perform with the Society, he has to travel from his home in Paris, France.

A 2002 recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Grant, Meyer has been called "the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively un-chronicled history of his instrument" by the New York Times. A vibrant performer, he is an innovative composer, blending styles from classical to bluegrass. His work with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and violinist Mark O'Connor resulted in a 2000 Grammy Award for their album "Appalachian Journey."

He has received the Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Avery Fisher Prize, the only bassist to win either award. He's appeared in major festivals, including Caramoor, Aspen, Tanglewood and Marlboro and performed with Ma and O'Connor on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Tickets are $30. For tickets, call the Quick Center box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396. For more information, visit www.quickcenter.com.