Brightmusic returns to Live Concerts with ‘Beethoven and Friends’ – Summer Festival concert series mixes old and new

The City Sentinel, Staff Report 

Guest pianists Heather Conner and Jill Jantzen join Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble in four concerts August 3, 5, 7, and 10 at First Baptist Church in midtown Oklahoma City. Brightmusic responded to the pandemic with free virtual concerts streaming on YouTube and Facebook for the previous season. 

Concert organizers said, “We look forward to live concerts at this new venue, which has plenty of space for socially distant seating.”

The festival continues last year’s global celebration of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250^th birthday alongside a diverse array of other works by contemporary composers, women, and African-Americans like the king of ragtime, Scott Joplin.

Concert No. 1 – Tuesday, August 3 7:30 pm

– Ludwig van Beethoven, Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat Major, Op. 16

– Gabriel Fauré, Pavane for Flute, Clarinet and Piano, arr. by Michael Webster

– Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Souvenir de la Havane for Flute Clarinet and Piano, arr. by Michael Webster

– Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Grande Tarantelle for Flute, Clarinet and Piano, arr. by Michael Webster

– Francis Poulenc, Sextet for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon and Piano

Concert No. 2 – Thursday, August 5 7:30 pm

– Jennifer Higdon, Piano Trio

– Edward Knight, Inbox for Flute, Viola and Piano

– Ludwig van Beethoven, Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello in B-flat major, Op. 97, “Archduke”

Concert No. 3 – Saturday, August 7 4:00 pm (reception to follow)

The Mae Ruth Swanson Memorial Concert 

– Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata for Piano and Violin in C minor, Op. 30, No. 2

– Harry Burleigh, Selections from Southland Sketches for Violin and Piano

– William Bolcom, Selections from Afternoon Cakewalk for Clarinet, Violin and Piano: Scott Joplin’s Easy Winners and Bolcom’s Graceful Ghost Rag

– Roshanne Etezady, Bright Angel for Clarinet and Piano 

Concert No. 4 – Tuesday, August 10 7:30 pm

– Claude Debussy, Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano in G major

– Libby Larsen, Slang for Clarinet, Violin and Piano

– Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36, for piano trio, transcribed by Beethoven

Musicians appearing in the festival are:

Gregory Lee & Katrin Stamatis, violins 

Shaohong Betty Yuan, viola

Jonathan Ruck, cello 

Parthena Owens, flute 

Lisa Harvey-Reed, oboe 

Chad Burrow, clarinet 

Kate Pritchett, horn 

Rodney Ackmann, bassoon 

Amy I-Lin Cheng, Heather Conner & Jill Jantzen, piano

Admission for each concert is $20 at the door and free for children, active-duty military, and students with ID. 

Or, save $30 with a festival pass available by mail or online at brightmusic.org/passes. Due to the cancellation of several live concerts last year, all season 2019-20 passholders may attend the 2021 festival at no charge.

Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble, Oklahoma City’s own chamber ensemble, will perform its 2021 festival and 2021-22 season of fine classical chamber music at First Baptist Church, 1201 N Robinson in midtown Oklahoma City. 

Free parking is available north and southwest of the building.

For more information about the ensemble and upcoming concerts, visit www.brightmusic.org .