Chamber Music Charleston returns to The Pearl for a special performance on Friday, Feb. 23
by Lorne Chambers | Editor
Last year, Chamber Music Charleston (CMC) launched a new concert series to be held at the West Ashley Theater Center, Charleston Stage’s theatre facility, which includes two dance and rehearsal studio spaces and a 130-seat performance space known as “The Pearl,” or the Pearlstine Theatre in recognition of a very generous gift to Charleston Stage from the Pearlstine Family. Each program is designed to focus on a different chamber ensemble, from wind quintet to string quartet.
CMC is a nonprofit arts organization founded in 2006 and known for its wide variety of engaging and exciting classical programs, from Ovation Concerts at the Dock Street and Sottile Theatres to intimate House Concerts in the historic homes of Downtown Charleston and grand living spaces of Kiawah Island and Bishop Gadsden. CMC attracts internationally acclaimed guest artists to play alongside their professional local musicians in more than 50 concerts each season.
The CMC at The Pearl series debuted in October with a program featuring the woodwind quintet: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and French horn. The performance also marked the debut of the new grand piano that now resides at the West Ashley Theatre Center, thanks to a partnership between Fox Music House and Charleston Stage.
On Friday, Feb. 23, CMC returns to The Pearl for Winds and Piano, a special performance featuring Gershwin’s Three Preludes, Lalliet’s Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano, and Shostakovich’s Trio for Oboe, Flute, and Piano. Musicians for this performance include Regina Helcher Yost on flute, Jessica Miller on oboe, Sandra Nikolajevs on bassoon, and Chee-Hang See on piano.
Helcher, who also performed in the first installment back in October, is excited to be bringing Chamber music back to West Ashley again this month.
“In the past, most Chamber Music Charleston concerts have been held in historic homes downtown Charleston, a few churches that have series, such as one in Hilton Head, Edisto, and Mt. Pleasant, homes in Kiawah and Bishop Gadsden, and art museums. This series is rather new and provides the community of West Ashley with a great opportunity to hear and see world-class chamber music,” says Yost, who is the core flutist for CMC, as well as the Second Flute/Piccolo of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Second Flute/Piccolo of the Savannah Philharmonic, and a professor of Flute and Music Appreciation at Charleston Southern University Horton School of Music.
During these performances, the CMC musicians also provide entertaining commentary and insight into the music being performed making for a much more intimate listening experience.
“Unlike a symphony concert where the musicians perform on a stage far away from the audience, chamber music is much more up close and personal,” says Yost. “There are fewer musicians and the audience is much closer to them.”
According to Yost, for this month’s performance, the audience will be able to see closely how the musicians communicate with each other by breathing together, moving their instruments and bodies, and watching each other. She explains that since a chamber music group does not have a designated conductor, musicians conduct each other with their instruments and their eyes.
“Unlike a symphony concert where the audience watches a concert and then leaves without any personal interaction with the music, chamber music is different,” she says. “Musicians often talk to audience members one-on-one after performances. This provides an extra value to future concerts because now an audience member has met a musician personally. It’s not such a separate experience, like watching an orchestra concert.”
Chamber Music Charleston’s performance Winds and Piano will be held Friday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $20 ($5 for students/parents). Food and beverages are available to purchase prior to the concert and can be enjoyed during the performance. The Pearl at the West Ashley Theatre Center is located at 1401 Sam Rittenberg Blvd. #11. Tickets can be purchased online in advance at www.chambermusiccharleston.org/pearl/.
