A Little Klezmer Among Friends

More Info: Red Cedar Chamber Orchestra

Description

How do you celebrate 25 years of musical friendship? With chamber music, of course! Clarinetist Christine Bellomy will join violinist Miera Kim and cellist Carey Bostian as guest artist. You will hear a little Klezmer, but the centerpiece of the program is a new work by Red Cedar’s Emmy Award-winning composer-in-residence, Stephen Cohn. Grace from the Chess Master was written with these three players in mind – it is virtuosic, fun, and at times hauntingly beautiful. You won’t want to miss the chemistry between these three old friends!

Also featured on the program is Iowa City composer Michael Kimber’s Three Armenian Impressions, several works originally for piano and a selection of Klezmer tunes arranged for the ensemble. Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe. In America, the tradition has been influenced by jazz, but remains strongly rooted in folk songs and dance.

Christine Bellomy is principal clarinetist of Orchestra Iowa and the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band. She completed doctoral studies at the University of Iowa in 2005. Christine is an avid chamber musician, and performs in a variety of venues, including the Orchestra Iowa Woodwind Quintet, the Iowa Composers’ Forum, the University of Iowa Center for New Music, and a number of ad hoc groups. Christine organizes Clarinotes, a clarinet quartet that performs in area hospitals, retirement homes, and other locales. She has been a close colleague of Carey and Miera for 25 years.

Performances of A Little Klezmer Among Friends will culminate in February with MainStage events at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 17 at the Chapel of Mercy on the Mount Mercy University campus, 1330 Elmhurst Drive NE, Cedar Rapids, IA and 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 18 at the Englert Theatre, 221 East Washington St., Iowa City, IA.