Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music invites audiences to celebrate the expressive power of chamber music as nearly 120 students will take the stage in the upcoming Spring Chamber Music Festival April 4-6 in Duncan Recital Hall at Alice Pratt Brown Hall. All concerts in the festival are free and open to the public with no tickets required. Each performance will also be livestreamed here.
This spring’s festival features 24 performances of chamber works by 16 different composers including Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn and Bartók. The program also highlights music by composers whose voices have often been underrepresented such as Mel Bonis and Jean Cras. One program includes the chamber work “Three Essays” by Shepherd School alumna and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw.
The festival has been a beloved Shepherd School tradition since it launched in 2005, offering student musicians a space to collaborate, challenge themselves artistically and explore repertoire they are passionate about learning.
“Chamber music calls on each player to be both a soloist and a true collaborator,” said Norman Fischer, the Herbert S. Autrey Professor of Cello and director of chamber music. “In these concerts, audiences will hear nearly every instrumental student in our school represented in some of the most compelling and emotionally rich repertoire of the classical canon. In totality, it will be a series of unforgettable experiences.”
Across the six concerts scheduled throughout the weekend, listeners can hear everything from Beethoven’s epic late string quartets to a lively double bass duo composed by Nicholas Walker. Student ensembles will also perform works by Ligeti, Prokofiev, Schumann, Debussy and more. Several groups feature woodwind and harp ensembles, offering audiences an even broader sonic range.
Chamber music is a key part of the Shepherd School curriculum for instrumental majors who either form their own groups or are assigned to ensembles by faculty. Each group receives weekly coaching and performs in at least one formal recital per semester. Many also take part in special concerts on and off campus.
For a complete list of performances and the most up-to-date festival information, click here. Program details are subject to change.