The Auditorium Chamber Music Series began with the dream to make high-quality chamber music available to the University of Idaho and has since developed into a concert series that is loved by students and community members alike.
From Estonian vocal ensembles to woodwind quintets, Leonard Garrison, co-director of the Auditorium Chamber Music Series (ACMS), said the series has run for 29 seasons in Moscow.
“We present five concerts a year by world class artists who normally come to bigger cities,” Garrison said. “We”re able to get them here. It”s a very popular series with the community, with the Palouse and with students.”
For their third concert of the year, Garrison said ACMS will welcome the Enso String Quartet to UI.
“We have at least one string quartet each year because that”s the most distinguished medium for chamber music,” Garrison said. “This is a really hot, young group called the Enso Quartet.”
The string quartet, which was founded at Yale University, has been gaining renown in the chamber music circuit while touring the country and Garrison said he considers ACMS lucky to host the performers.
As a part of the series, Garrison said artists spend a week in Moscow, leading workshops and master classes for students and performing one main concert for UI and Moscow community members.
“They come not only to present a concert, but they do a lot of outreach in the community,” Garrison said. “This group will be presenting a day-long chamber music workshop on Saturday and a whole bunch of chamber groups from middle school, high school and college will participate in that.”
In addition to hosting workshops and their main community concert, Garrison said the Enso String Quartet will also make a stop at the Gritman Medical Center and visit Lewiston to perform for a children”s home.
Garrison said the Enso String Quartet”s main performance, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the UI Auditorium, consists of three different works.
“Only one of those is what I consider very traditional and standard – it”s a Beethoven string quartet,” Garrison said. “But they”re balancing that with some unusual pieces – one is by an Argentine composer, Alberto Ginastera. His music is very colorful and evocative or South American style and beauty.”
The string quartet will be mixing it up even further, Garrison said, by performing a brand new work by leading British composer, Thomas Ades.
Of the three different pieces the Enso String Quartet is set to perform, Kalindi True, ACMS student ambassador, said she most looks forward to the set by Ginastera.
“I”m looking forward to the fact they”ll be featuring a string quartet and an Argentinian composer from the 20th century,” True said. “That”s the kind of music students aren”t always exposed to.”
True, an instrumental performance major, said she urges all non-music major students to attend the concert for the sake of being exposed to a new experience.
“I think it”s really great that students have an opportunity to hear performers of that caliber,” True said. “Anyone who can should come and see these great performers because it”s an opportunity to experience high quality chamber music that you wouldn”t necessarily get anywhere else.”
Garrison said beyond the opportunity to see high-quality chamber music, the concert also exposes individuals to different cultures.
“You don”t just come to a university to learn how to do a job, you also learn how the world works and you learn all kinds of exciting things about cultural connections,” Garrison said. “Throughout the history of our culture music has had a central place, that”s why it”s important.”
The concert is open to students, faculty and community members.
Season tickets for the performance are on sale at the Idaho Marketplace, BookPeople of Moscow or at (208) 885-7557. Tickets are $10 for students, $19 for seniors and $22 for general admission.
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @CorrBond