While many of us enjoy the long hot days of summer at home—or at the cottage, or at the beach, or even on vacation in a distant spot—musicians take part in diverse summer musical activities all over the world. Here’s a look at what some of the musicians featured in this season’s concert series have been up to over the summer.
Escher String Quartet
The Escher String Quartet, who start our season on September 13, have spent August first in the west, at the La Jolla Summerfest in California, then flying east to spend the final third of the month at the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival.
Emerson String Quartet
The celebrated Emerson String Quartet, who will play their 29th concert for us this coming season, spent parts of their summer at a few music festivals, including Ravinia, Tanglewood, Chamber Music Northwest, Aspen Music and Highland-Cashiers Chamber Music Festivals around the USA in July. The group started August at the Mostly Mozart and Cape Cod Chamber Music Festivals in the USA before heading abroad for the Edinburgh International and Zeist Music Days Festivals in the UK and the Netherlands, finishing with the Schubertiade Music Festival in Austria.
Takács Quartet
The Takács Quartet, one of our long time favourites, has had a quieter summer. The group visited the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, the Austin Chamber Music Festival in Texas, the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, and after a true vacation for most of August will play concerts at the end of the month at the University of Colorado.
Pražák Quartet
The Pražák Quartet is spending the summer with concerts and masterclasses in the Czech Republic, Luberon, Morbihan and Chaise de Dieu, France, plus a foray into Ekaterinburg, Russia. Learning from history, they are not trying to invade in winter…
David Finckel and Wu Han
Married couple, cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han of the Han Finckel Setzer Trio are spending their vacation time running the Music@Menlo Festival in Menlo Park, California, as well as playing in many concerts there. Other summer activities for the dynamic duo include stops at the Aspen Music Festival and an August residency with the Chamber Music Society of Saratoga, New York. Many members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center repertory company of musicians join them for concerts in both Menlo Park and Saratoga, including many who will be parts of the ensembles visiting us this coming season. One of those, Korean American violist Richard O’Neill, spent part of the summer as a member of Canadian star violinist James Ehnes’ string quartet in a Beethoven quartet cycle in Seoul, South Korea. He followed Ehnes to the latter’s Seattle Summer Chamber Music Festival concerts, too.
And all of these people, along with the other musicians who play in our series, bring their enriched experiences, skills and talents with them to the stage at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre for Friends of Chamber Music concerts, starting with the Escher Quartet. Join us to hear the sounds of this summer, and the seasonal sounds of years past, as these flow through the music making of these seasoned musicians.
