The Davies Concert Series’ 50th Anniversary Season continues Sunday, December 5 at 5pm with the Beau Soir Ensemble and “Beau Soir: Championing Living Composers,” featuring works by Bruce Babcock, Marc Lavry, Graham Lynch, and David Evan Thomas alongside traditional holiday fare, from “What Child is This?” to “Carol of the Bells.” In keeping with the Series’ emphasis on accessibility, all tickets are Pay What You Can and can be reserved on EventBrite in advance HERE, or obtained onsite beginning 30 minutes prior to performance. Masking and proof of vaccination are required for admittance. All Davies Concert Series events take place at the acoustically rich Davies Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 7400 Temple Hill Road, Camp Springs MD 20748.
The trio of Ruth Wicker, viola; Carole Bean, flute; and Michelle Myers Lundy, harp, prove their commitment to living composers with Lynch’s “Couperin on the Road” (2021), Thomas’s “In the Blue Glen” (2004), Lavry’s “Suite Concertante, Opus 348” (1966) and Babcock’s “SpringScape” (2006). Arrangements of beloved holiday tunes are by Daniel Burton and Ken Gist. Based in the Washington, DC area, Beau Soir has performed on the area’s most popular and prestigious stages, from the Kennedy Center to Strathmore to the Harman Center for the Arts. Their commitment to new audiences inspires performances that weave together music and audience interaction, including the sharing of intriguing music history and personal insights.
The program reflects Music Director Natalie Groom’s commitment to making the Davies Concert Series a place that provides opportunities for living composers and women musicians. Groom commented, “Beau Soir Ensemble is a pioneer in the DC area, and I’m thrilled to welcome such an accomplished group to this season after their performance last year was postponed due to the pandemic. The combination of viola, flute, and harp is gorgeous, and they bring such a breadth of musical styles to life. All four composers on the program are new to me, and I’m excited to hear these trios for the first time.”
Before joining the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), Carole Bean performed with the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra in Mexico and the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. She performs with the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, Verge Ensemble, and Fessenden Ensemble, and especially enjoys her work in children’s performances as part of the NSO ‘s outreach programming. She attended Bowling Green State University and Northwestern University. Michelle Myers Lundy serves as principal harpist with the Manassas Ballet Theatre Orchestra, Amadeus Orchestra, Tysons McLean Orchestra, Arlington Philharmonic, and the New Orchestra of Washington. She has played with the National Philharmonic and Maryland Symphony Orchestra and regularly works with the Thomas Circle Singers. An advocate for chamber music, Ms. Lundy is the founding member of Beau Soir Ensemble, formed in 2007. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University and continued her studies at the University of Michigan where she received a Master of Music degree. A native of Germany, Ruth Wicker studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and graduated from the Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik Koln. She has given recitals across Europe and the United States and appeared as a soloist with the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Halle, and the Klassische Philharmonie Bonn. She served as principal violist of the Kalamazoo Symphony, and was a member of the Oregon Symphony prior to joining the NSO.
Mark your calendars for future Concert Series events:
February 6, 2022 – Amy K. Bormet Trio, jazz trio – Warm up to Washington Women in Jazz.
March, TBD, 2022 – Brandon Felder & SHABACH! Academy – A heart of community, fellowship, and fun.
April 3, 2022 – Syneva Colle, cello – Nature-inspired music for strings.
For further information on the Davies Concert Series and regular updates, visit https://www.daviesconcertseries.com. Davies Concert Series, a tax-exempt 501(c) (3) charitable trust, is committed to presenting classical music concerts, offering educational opportunities for young audiences and performers, and providing a venue for new music. The Series is supported in part by grants from the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council (PGAHC) and the Cynipid Fund.
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