Performance venues have gone dark during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that hasn't stopped musicians from Rice's Shepherd School from doing what they do best. Their talents will be on display at the first-ever virtual Fall Chamber Music Festival Dec. 3-9.
This year's edition of the biannual festival, which began in 2005 and is typically held in person, will feature seven nights of performances streamed on the Shepherd School's YouTube channel. The performances are the product of the Shepherd School Chamber and Symphony Orchestra's collaboration this semester to form smaller ensembles while maintaining proper social distancing measures.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Norman Fischer, the Herbert S. Autrey Professor of Cello and director of chamber music at the Shepherd School, has been part of a group of chamber music department leaders from various schools focused on finding ways to continue performing at a time when gatherings are discouraged.
"We asked among the group, ‘How can we possibly make music together, which is sort of the core of who we are and what we do?’" he said. "Especially chamber music, because the orchestra, I think, was off the table for almost everybody. So how do we do chamber music this way?"
So the Shepherd School's festival was reborn as a virtual experience, complete with masking, social distancing protocols and testing for all involved.
Fischer said the students displayed positive attitudes throughout the rehearsal and recording process and relished the opportunity to connect with their colleagues.
"I think it's been super, super successful because everyone has been so adaptable to the demands of the situation," he said.
The festival will include a tribute to Beethoven's 250th birthday, Schubert's famous "Piano Quintet in A Major" (Trout) and more contemporary pieces such as Lutosławski's "String Quartet."
Since the festival began 16 years ago, Fischer said each semester’s selections have been built around a specific theme, with premises varying from different musical styles to varying national periods. That helped "shape a sense of journey" so Shepherd School coaches could broaden the repertoire of their students by offering different pieces each semester.
"This is the first semester we haven't chosen a specific theme," Fischer said. "My thinking about this was we should just be glad to be making music together again, and see what happens. The festival will include a really surprising array of repertoire. And I'm very happy to see that our performers are really invested. There's a quite a bit of adventurous music, and, of course, there are some chamber music greatest hits, too."
The performances prerecorded in the school's Edythe Bates Recital Hall and Grand Organ and the new Lucian and Nancy Morrison Theater. They will include two by students studying remotely this semester in Spain and Taiwan.
The event is free, but registration is required at https://music.rice.edu/form/chamber-music-festival-registrat.