The month of July ushers in the 33rd season of Summer Gala Concerts by the Lenape Chamber Ensemble as top-flight musicians from around the country come to Doylestown for three consecutive Saturday nights: July 13, 20 and 27.
The first concert on July 13 begins with Menselssohn’s lyrical “String Quartet in E minor,” a romantic, fanciful work. Returning to Lenape’s summer stage are violinists Emily Daggett-Smith and Cyrus Beroukhim, violist Catherine Beeson, and Alberto Parrini, cellist with the American Symphony.
Alan R. Kay, clarinetist with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and acclaimed pianist Marcantonio Barone will perform “The Sonata for Clarinet and Piano,” written in 1921 by 85-year-old Camille Saint-Saens during his visit to Algeria. Barone will join Beroukhim and Parrini for “Beethoven Piano Trio, Op. 36” in this final energetic work, dotted with familiar melodies.
The concert on July 20 features works by Haydn, Dvorak and Darius Milhaud, the enthusiastic member of the rebellious group of French composers “Les Six,” who reacted against the heavy German romanticism of Wagner and Strauss.
The final concert on July 27 is a study in contrasts. David Jolley, a hornist for the Windscape Quartet, will perform Luigi Cherubini’s “Sonata No. 2 for Horn and String Quartet,” a dramatic, technically-demanding piece. The program will also feature Ravel’s “String Quartet in F Major,” written in 1911 by the Russian composer Sergei Taneyev.
Audiences can meet and chat with musicians at a champagne reception following each concert. Each takes place in the Life Sciences Building auditorium at Delaware Valley University, 700 E. Butler Ave., Doylestown. There is free parking at the entrance to the college campus.
Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for students and seniors. They are available at the door, online at lenapechamberensemble.org or by calling 610-294-9361.
