Archive: Arts & Entertainment

The Cornell Contemporary Chamber Players (CCCP) join forces with the [Switch~ Ensemble] for a residency celebrating the creation and performance of new works for mixed chamber ensemble and multimedia technology. The Ensemble, formed at the Eastman School of Music, strives to present the works of emerging composers, integrating multimedia seamlessly.

The performers will work with Cornell doctoral and faculty composers throughout their residency to refine these new pieces, culminating in two nights of performances on Thursday, March 1 and Friday, March 2, both at 8:00 pm in Barnes Hall. The new works will then become part of the [Switch~ Ensemble]'s touring repertoire, taking artistic elements from Ithaca on their travels to new audiences throughout the country. The ensemble's recent and upcoming performances include visits to Ithaca College, Bard College, Buffalo State, New York City, San Francisco, Valencia (Spain), and the University of Chicago.

Buffalo Philharmonic Concertmaster Dennis Kim joins the Cornell Chamber Orchestra for a performance on Sunday, March 4 at 3:00 pm at Barnes Hall. Repertoire includes Osvaldo Golijov's Last Round and Béla Bartók's Divertimento for Strings, Sz 113. Last Round was composed in honor of Astor Piazzolla, the great Argentinian tango composer, and represents his fighting spirit through a tango dance between the string sections. Bartók's Divertimento consists of three movements in which the string sections interplay with solo players. Written in a span of only 15 days, the piece is intended for the entertainment of both the performers and the audience and contains snippets of inspiration from Balkan folk music. Guest leader Dennis Kim was appointed Concertmaster in Buffalo in 2015 and previously served as Concertmaster of the Hong Kong, Seoul, and Tampere Philharmonic Orchestras and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra in addition to guest roles with the BBC Symphony, London Philharmonic, and Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. As a chamber musician, Kim has performed with leading musicians such as Pinchas Zuckerman, Jaime Laredo, Carter Brey, John Sharp, Marya Martin, and members of the Orion, Tokyo, and Guarneri string quartets.

Sunday, March 4 also features a recital by guest pianist Christina Dahl at 8:00 pm at Barnes Hall. Dahl is a chamber musician, soloist, and teacher who has been on the piano faculty at Stony Brook University for twenty-three years. She has spent summers as an artist at the Aspen Music Festival, the Steans Institute of the Ravinia Festival, the Tanglewood Center, and the Banff Center, among others. Dahl was a faculty member at the Eastern Music Festival for nine years, and has subsequently joined the faculty at the Icicle Creek Music Center and Yellow Barn Festival and School. She is widely in demand as a master class teacher and has been a visiting faculty member at the Cleveland Institute, Peabody Conservatory, and Ithaca College. She has twice been a cultural ambassador for the US State Department, as a solo recitalist and as part member of a violin/piano duo. She is a frequent recitalist on university artist series, and has been featured several times on Performance Today. This recital includes a piece written for Dahl by Shelia Silver, plus works by Faure, Ruth Crawford Seeger, and Robert Schumann.

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