HEAD TO A FRONT PORCH THIS WEEKEND TO HEAR MUSIC
Seeking connectivity during the coronavirus, society quickly charged forward into the digital world, but quarantine life also rekindled an old-fashioned method of socialization.
Front porches continue to reclaim their place in society, and Monarch Chamber Players is here for it. This weekend, the classical music collective will take to two such timeless and culturally significant spaces to unite communities with a pair of hourlong porch concerts in the Southampton and West University Place neighborhoods. While both outdoor, social-distancing-friendly events are free and open to the public, donations are accepted and will directly support the artists.
The concert, featuring Brahms’s Serenade No. 1 and Valerie Coleman’s “Rubispheres,” will also mark a milestone for the ensemble, as it will showcase an expanded roster of rotating musicians that, for the first time, will include a string quartet. Alongside three of its five core members — founder and clarinetist Rebecca Tobin, flutist Douglas DeVries and bassoonist Jordan Brokken — the program will showcase clarinetist Sean Krissman and horn player Spencer Park, as well as violinist Zubaida Azezi, violist Sergein Yap, cellist David Olson and bassist David Connor. Plus, on the evening of March 27, French confections baked by Jordan Griebner, owner of the newly opened Montrose Macarons, will be available for purchase.
“This is a new way of putting on concerts, and people are really enjoying it,” says Tobin, who founded the collective as a pandemic project last October. Following months of hardship with little to no work, she came to the conclusion that freelance musicians, like herself, could be doing more in terms of giving back to the community while remaining creatively active for their own well-being. Her initial goal was to organize a couple of fun performance opportunities in the span of a week.
The response from the community, however, proved greater than she imagined, and the musicians have now performed about 60 concerts, many of which have been private events, around Houston. No matter the locale, from parks, town squares and schools to homes, restaurants and auto repair shops, the ensemble always creates a casual and inviting atmosphere, where passersby of all ages and even their pets are welcome.
“I just wanted to create as much work in safe ways for as many artists, who have nothing going on right now, as I could, and it has been uniquely exciting, I think, for the audiences because everyone is so starved for art right now,” says Tobin, who earned her master’s degree at Rice University in 2016 and then played with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Kansas City Symphony before returning to Houston three years later.
While postponements in February led to a shift in programming this month, the musicians are still celebrating Women’s History Month by highlighting several works by female composers, such as Coleman’s virtuosic “Rubispheres” in the upcoming porch concert series. The modern trio for flute, clarinet and bassoon, which Tobin described as one of the most challenging pieces she’s ever played, presents quite a rhythmic contrast to Brahms’s lyrical melodies.
The latter is a well-known crowd-pleaser, Tobin explains, but it’s also a piece that offers musicians a feeling of artistic satisfaction — perhaps the most important consideration in a time still void of packed concert halls.
“These concerts have provided a fun way for communities to connect with each other, and it is really special to have a more personal connection with audiences,” she says.