Vashon Chamber Music Series Celebrates third Season

Vashon Allied Arts’ 2011-2012 Chamber Music Series begins its third season thanks to the unerring artistic vision of Island cellists Rowena Hammill and Douglas Davis and chamber music fans who clamor for more. The opening concert, Friday, October 7, showcases Beethoven’s immortal masterpiece for piano trio "Beethoven Archduke Trio," with Stephen Bryant on violin, Douglas Davis on cello and Allan Dameron on piano. The celebrated piece, written during Beethoven’s "middle" period (1803 to 1814) was considered to be among his finest compositions.

The program will also include Dvorák Piano Quartet in Eb major with Sue Jane Bryant on viola. This quartet is known to be one Dvorák’s most charming and complete Slavonic compositions. Cellist, Rowena Hammill will join the quartet for two Alfred Schnittke selections.

Guest pianist, Allan Dameron, graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts, studied chamber music, vocal accompanying and ballet performance. Before moving to Seattle, Dameron lived in Chicago where he coached at Chicago Lyric Opera and was Music Director of Chicago City Ballet. Frequent participant with University of Chicago Chamber Players, Grant Park Concerts and radio station WFMT’s live concerts series, Dameron appeared in many chamber music series including the National Gallery of Art and the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., the Metropolitan Museum in New York, The Gardner Museum in Boston, The Colorado Music Festival and more. This season, he will play Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in d minor with Pacific Northwest Ballet and perform Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto with the Thalia Symphony, Seattle’s second oldest community orchestra, founded in 1949. He will perform on a Steinway piano rented especially for this performance.

Violinist Stephen Bryant, current member of Seattle Symphony Orchestra, was Concertmaster of the YMF Debut Orchestra and member of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Principal Second Violin of Edmonton Symphony for ten years, Bryant joined Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, where he was Assistant Concertmaster. In 1998-99, he performed in the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra’s inaugural season as Principal Second Violin.

Violist Sue Jane Bryant, studied violin in Los Angeles until Manuel Compinsky introduced her to viola. She performed 10 seasons with Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and was Assistant Principal Viola with Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Bryant performed as Sub-Principal Viola with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed with Seattle Symphony, Soundbridge Young Composers Series, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Chamber Players and others. Special thanks to the generosity of Vashon United Methodist Church for hosting this concert.

The next Series performance takes place Friday and Saturday, November 18 and 19, 7:30 pm, and will feature an All Women Concert with works by Martinu, Mozart and Schumann. For more information please go to VashonAlliedArts.org. Series tickets available at 463.5131.

Vashon Chamber Music
Friday, Oct. 7, 7:30 pm
Vashon Methodist Church
Individual tickets: $18/$21
Full Series Subscription: $75/$90
(Tickets are transferrable.)