The Musicians of Ma’alwyck open their 25th Anniversary season with Player’s Choice, a selection of the core musicians’ favorite pieces and composers, taking place September 21 and 22 in Schuylerville and Schenectady.
Founded in 2000 by violinist and artistic director Ann-Marie Baker Schwartz, the professional chamber music ensemble Musicians of Ma’alwyck began with a specialization in pieces that may have been heard in Albany during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Since conception, the chamber has expanded their repertoire into twentieth century works, contemporaries, and commissions from emerging composers. Releases from the ensemble include Music in the Schuyler Mansion (2016) and Hyde Hall & the Silver Goddess: Operatic Brilliance of Auber, Bellini, Meyerbeer, and Rossini from the Drawing Room (2021).
The ensemble is widely recognized for bringing history to life. Now in their 25th Anniversary season, the Musicians of Ma’alwyck have made a history of their own. With a residency of 25 years at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany, a current residency at SUNY Schenectady, five nominations for a Thomas Edison Capital Region Music Awards under their belts, and an expansive archive of performances throughout the Capital Region and beyond, this season’s addition to their repertoire is not to be missed.
Player’s Choice will feature a variety of works hand picked by the core musicians, including pieces from David Amram, José Ximénez, Franz Doppler, and Jean-Baptiste Bréval. Not only are pieces from these notable names being performed, the award-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist David Amram will be in attendance on Sunday, September 22 to join the spirit of musical celebration.
Born in 1930, Amram’s musical repertoire is expansive- being dubbed “the Renaissance man of American music” by the Boston Globe and “one of the most talented musicians in the universe” by the New York Times, his reputation and skill precedes him. Amram has performed with all of the greats of the 20th century across a multitude of genres and composed for a variety of notable film scores, including ‘Splendor in the Grass’ (1961) and ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ (1962).
The program also features the premiere of a new work by Max Caplan titled Sketches, commissioned by Judy Edwards in loving memory of her husband Dr. Keith Edwards.
The first performance of Player’s Choice will take place in Schuylerville on September 21 at the Old Saratoga Reformed Church, with tickets at $20 per person. The second performance will be in the First Reformed Church of Scotia, with tickets at $40 per person. To conclude the weekend a celebratory dinner will be held at the Turf Tavern, with individual tickets priced at $80 per person or a combined ticket for admission to both Sunday’s performance and dinner at $105 per person. For more information and ticketing details, please visit here.
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