The Red Bank Chamber Music Society (RBMCS) opened its current season of high quality professional chamber music performances with two rarely performed string sextets. On September 27, The Harlem Chamber Ensemble performed Dvorak’s String Sextet in A major, Op. 48 and Brahm’s String Sextet #2 in G major, Op. 36 before a rapt audience in Red Bank. A non-profit membership organization, RBCMS is dedicated to the presentation of chamber music concerts for the benefit of the general public and welcomes the community to discover and enjoy this delightful music.
RBCMS is committed to introducing classical music to young people. During the past season the Society received a grant from The Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation specifically to support student attendance at its concerts. With support from the Bergen Foundation not only did student attendance increase at RBCMS concerts, but a number of student parents also attended the concerts. One student wrote of her response to a performance of Robert Schumann’s Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47 by the Omni Piano Quartet, “I had a genuine connection to it. I had never been so captured and lost in a piece of music in this genre before. It was very reflective and relaxing.” She also noted of the audience, “They weren’t there to make an impression, they were there to just enjoy themselves and the talented people performing for them.” While RBCMS welcomes students of all ages, it has built a particularly strong connection with students at Ocean County College (OCC) and it was a student of Karin Gargone, Instructor of Humanities at OCC, who wrote the description of her experience at the Schumann performance.
For several years, the Society has asked a sample of its member attendees to complete an evaluation of the concerts they attend. During the past season, for the first time, the Society also asked a sample of student attendees to participate in the evaluation process. According to Blake Wattenbarger, President of the RBCMS Board of Trustees, the information gained through this evaluation process helps the Society plan future programming and develop ways to engage new interest in chamber music.
Future RBCMS concerts will feature performances by the Adaskin Trio, the Jupiter Quartet, the Trio Solisti and a special program, The Virtuoso Violin, presented by Peter Winograd of the American String Quartet. For more information about the Red Bank Chamber Music Society and its concerts, contact the Society at rbcmsmail@comcast.net or at 732 842 5535.
