October 15, 2009

The American Chamber Players are (l-r) Sara Stern, Miles Hoffman, Alberto Parrini, Joanna Maurer and Anna Stoytcheva.

by Emily Matras '12

Davidson College will launch its annual Concert Series of performances by outstanding musicians on Tuesday evening, Oct. 20, with The American Chamber Players. Founded in 1985, this quintet has toured throughout North America, been heard frequently on National Public Radio's Performance Today, and has recently released a series of CDs. They will be playing pieces by Mozart, Bloch, Schoenfield, and Brahms.

Tickets are $20 general admission and $12 for students. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Tyler-Tallman Hall of Sloan Music Center. Reservations can be made by calling 704-894-2135 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, or online at www.davidson.edu/tickets.

The American Chamber Players feature Sara Stern on flute, Joanna Maurer on violin, Miles Hoffman on viola, Alberto Parrini on cello, and Anna Stoytcheva on piano. In addition to their performances in the U.S., they performed a series of concerts at the Paris Opera and the Bibliothèque Nationale. Their recently released CDs are on the Koch International Classics label, and include the music of Mozart, Bruch, Bloch, Stravinsky, Harbison, and Rochberg.

Violist Hoffman, founder of the group, is dean of the Petrie School of Music at Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C. He frequently provides musical commentary for NPR's Morning Edition.

Born in Italy, cellist Parrini has performed throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. He spent the 2002-03 season as cellist of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, in residence at Stanford University.

Pianist Stoytcheya won the prestigious Ettore Pozzoli International Piano Competition in Milan, Italy, at the age of 17. Born in Bulgaria, she has been the subject of several documentaries on Bulgarian National Radio and Television.

Flutist Stern is a founding member of the Eastwind Consort woodwind ensemble. She has presented solo recitals at numerous concert halls around the country, including Carnegie Recital Hall.

Janet Sung is serving as guest violinist while ensemble member Joanna Maurer is on maternity leave. Sung is a faculty member at the Juilliard School and at the SUNY Fredonia School of Music, and has given master classes throughout the country.

Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,800 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, N.C. Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through The Davidson Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages, giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free. Davidson competes in NCAA athletics at the Division I level, and a longstanding Honor Code is central to student life at the college.

For more information on the concert, call 704-894-2848.

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