Classical mini concerts like a soft rain
Music + Chairs changes audiences every 25 minutes in the Encore Gallery
RIVERS IN TAOS are low, and the effects of the absence of rainfall are evident throughout the county. This year, we have also experienced another kind of drought – a lack of live music.
A new initiative is in the works to address the latter. Taos Chamber Music Group and Taos Center for the Arts have collaborated to present Music + Chairs, a series of live miniconcerts held in the TCA’s Encore Gallery, at 145 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, over the next two consecutive Thursdays (Oct. 22 and 29).
The first of the miniconcerts was held on Oct.15 with TCMG cellist Sally Guenther performing a solo concert featuring Johann Sebastian Bach’s First Cello Suite in G Major, and some lighter works. The effect was like a soft rain.
“People were incredibly grateful. Some came out with tears in their eyes,” wrote TCMG Founder and Director Nancy Laupheimer in an email correspondence.
The second miniconcert will be held this afternoon ( Thursday, Oct. 22). Laupheimer said the concert is dedicated to Jean Mayer, who recently passed away. Mayer was a strong supporter of classical music here in Taos. Guenther and violinist Elizabeth Baker will perform duos by the Russian composer Reinhold Glière.
“There are eight duets in the Glière work, and Sally and Elizabeth will choose selections to play,” said Laupheimer. “Glière was of Polish and German descent. Born in Kiev in 1875, he was a Soviet composer, although he often traveled to non-Russian parts of the Union as a musical ambassador, and his music incorporated the folk styles he found there.”
Baker will also perform Prokofiev’s Sonata for Solo Violin for the Oct. 22 miniconcert.
“It is a really fun, powerful and virtuosic piece, so I think it will be very exciting to hear,” said Laupheimer.
“On Oct. 29, the final miniconcert features Laupheimer and Guenther. They will perform “Nadiya” (Hindu for “river”), a work by Indian American composer Reena Esmail for flute and cello. The piece was written in 2018 while Esmail was in Taos as part of TCMG’s 26th season. It is based on two ragas – ancient traditional melodic patterns or modes in Indian music.
The duo will also perform Rhonda Larson’s “Lughnasa,” named for the Gaelic harvest celebration, in honor of this year’s abundant harvest. In addition, Laupheimer will perform Allison Loggins-Hull’s “Homeland” for solo flute.
“I realized that all these pieces were by women and shared references to the land, so I call it ‘Women and Land,’” noted Laupheimer.
In order to follow COVID-safe guidelines, attendance is limited and seats are socially distanced. To maximize the number of people who can experience the miniconcert, each program is performed three times, before a different audience. The miniconcerts run about 20-25 minutes each; this is intentional to limit contact the audience and musicians have with each other.
“I think the important part of this is it’s an experimentation both for the Taos Chamber Music Group and us,” said Chelsea Reidy, theater and programs manager for the TCA. “What does it mean for musicians to play 20 minutes, three times, for a few people?”
As of press time, all of the miniconcerts are sold out. For more information, visit the TCA website at tcataos. org.
‘It is a really fun, powerful and virtuosic piece, so I think it will be very exciting to hear.’ NANCY LAUPHEIMER Taos Chamber Music Group