Las Cruces Friends of Chamber Music- News

Chamber music is alive and well in Las Cruces ---September 10th, 2006---
By S. Derrickson Moore Sun-News reporter

Las Cruces Friends of Chamber Music founders John Pleasant, Joseph Sylvan and Barbara Toth prepare before sharing their musical talent at the Las Cruces Museum of Art, where the exhibit "Life & Liberty After 9/11" is being featured until Nov. 18. (Sun-News photo by Shari Vialpando)

Las Cruces — Outside, a storm was raging. But inside the Las Cruces Art Museum, the sweet sounds of music filled galleries as art lovers ambled around, looked at paintings and seemed in no hurry to rush home between showers.

Las Cruces loves chamber music.

That was the concept that led Barbara Toth, John Pleasant and Joseph Sylvan to found Las Cruces Friends of Chamber Music.

They hope the new group will be a boon for both musicians and audiences.

Toth, on piano, clarinetist Pleasant and violinist Sylvan took a break from a recent performance to explain how the new group was formed.

"Chamber music is meant to be shared. Some of us shared the same dream," Pleasant said.

While many associate it with royal chambers, classical composers and Renaissance patrons of the arts, chamber music (from the Italian musical da camera or "room music") is as old as music itself. It usually refers to musical ensembles in intimate settings, such as living rooms or small venues, though it is also performed in large concert halls. Old Testament references cite a Babylonian ensemble in King Nebuchadnezzar's court that included a flute, cornet, harp, dulcimer and other instruments. It has been the pursuit of musicians ranging from servants in ancient Roman households to British kings and queens. King Henry VIII played the lute, recorder and keyboard instruments and enjoyed jamming with chamber groups himself.

Chamber music is literally a labor of love for musicians fond of the genre.

Sylvan said he tells his students at New Mexico State University that "if I could play with string quartets every Saturday night for the rest of my life, I would die with a smile on my face."

LCFCM, Toth said, "is dedicated to serving our community and all of Southern New Mexico, as well as El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, through sharing chamber music in a variety of formats and venues. Three of us started to work together toward organizing a nonprofit in May. We are thrilled with the invitations for music-making that are already coming our way and the wonderful out-pouring of support from friends in the community. It seems to be an idea whose time has come. People have really embraced this."

The group now has a core membership of nine musicians and is forming alliances with regional musical groups and individual musicians.

In recent weeks, she reports, members of the LCFCM have performed at the Doña Ana Arts Council's Every Other Tuesdays event at the Rio Grande Theatre, at ArtsHop, at an exhibit opening at the Las Cruces Art Museum during the Downtown Ramble and at the Branigan Cultural Center.

"Nine professional musicians from our community joined to perform chamber works by Bach, Beethoven and Brahms at the Branigan and interest in the concert was so strong that tickets were sold out more than a week and a half in advance," Toth said.

Will Ticknor, director of city of Las Cruces Museums said the group's "music and presence have been most welcome and appreciated. We are pleased that the special concert you performed was so successful and are looking forward to scheduling more such events with us."

In their first year, members are performing at everything from art openings to concert halls.

"Because so many who would have liked to attend the Bach, Beethoven and Brahms concert were not able to get tickets, we decided to present the same concert again," Toth said.

The encore performance will be at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Rio Grande Theatre and tickets will be available at the door or in advance though group members or at the officers of the Doña Ana Arts Council in the Rio Grande Theatre on the Downtown Mall.

Members of the group will also perform at two free "Every Other Tuesday at the Rio Grande" performances at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 24 and Nov. 21 at the Rio Grande Theatre on the Downtown Mall.

Also in the works, Toth said, is a presentation of "The Christmas Gift," Dec. 9 at the Rio Grande Theatre.

"It's a delightful chamber opera, and we're planning to present its regional premier. We'll be announcing more about the time and ticket prices soon," she said.

Currently, membership in the LCFCM is by invitation only.

"There has been no charge for some of our performances, but it is a professional effort, in that we are trying to get funding for everything we do," Toth said.

Through a Web site, the group hopes to help form ensembles and match performers with venues that may range from private parties and benefits to concert hall performances.

For information about the group and their upcoming performances, visit their Web site at www.lascrucesfriendsofchambermusic.org or John Pleasant 571-1000 or Barbara Toth at 523-7714.

S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com

Intermezzo interview with The St. Petersburg Quartet