Friends of Chamber Music launches its season with a program that spotlights hunger awareness and the world premiere of James Lee III’s new work.
By Toni Tresca
Chamber music is often imagined as something preserved in amber, a pastime for powdered wigs and musty concert halls. But in the right hands, it becomes something far from dusty: alive, unpredictable, even urgent.
“You can certainly sit at home and listen to music on Spotify or watch a video on YouTube, but it’s not the same as feeling the air vibrate with hundreds of people in an audience together,” said Pacifica Quartet violist Mark Holloway. “There’s something special about live chamber music in particular, so we try to bring that to an audience and transmit this great music the best we can, straight to them without interference.”
That energy will be on display Sunday, September 7, when Friends of Chamber Music opens its season at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts. The Pacifica Quartet, a multi-time GRAMMY winner and longtime Denver favorite, will share the stage with the Colorado Children’s Chorale for a program that moves from Samuel Barber to Ludwig van Beethoven, with the world premiere of James Lee III’s “Pitch In” at its center.
September also marks Hunger Awareness Month, and the concert will spotlight Food for Thought Denver, the grassroots volunteer group that fills “PowerSacks” of weekend meals for students across 75 local schools. “Anything that can bring more attention to food insecurity is wonderful,” Holloway said. “I’m really grateful that we will be spotlighting Food for Thought Denver this month to help draw attention to the issue of food insecurity.”
The Pacifica Quartet is no stranger to Denver. “We love the audiences in Denver,” Holloway said. “It’s a savvy, smart, educated, open-minded, generous audience, so we love playing there. It’s a beautiful hall at the university, and we make regular appearances there throughout the years, always with great pleasure.”
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