Gold Coast concert: CHAMBER PLAYERS, COAST TO COAST

The award winning Gold Coast Chamber Players bring the finest in chamber music to Lafayette and now to the city of Piedmont. Founded in 1987, GCCP distinguishes itself by its eclectic programming and by providing community access to leading musicians from throughout the world. The first of this season’s concerts, titled Chamber Players, Coast to Coast, will be performed twice, first at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 29, 2018 at the Lafayette Library Community Hall, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette, and then at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 30, 2018 at the Piedmont Center for the Arts, 801 Magnolia Ave. in Piedmont. Musicologist Kai Christiansen, provides a pre-concert talk 30 minutes prior to each performance. Discounted season tickets are available to both Lafayette and Piedmont concerts.

Chamber Players, Coast to Coast presents the Manhattan Chamber Players (MCP) in collaboration with the Gold Coast Chamber Players (GCCP). The MCP roster is comprised of some of New York City’s leading musicians, both as chamber musicians and soloists. Bookending the program are two pieces featuring soloistic chamber music. Joaquin Turina’s Scene Andalouse for Viola, Piano and String Quartet, that begins the program, is warmly romantic. Finishing the first half of the program will be a GCCP commission of a string trio by local composer, Mary Bianco and a performance of Vaughn Williams’ Phantasy Quintet. The second half features the epic Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Quartet by Ernest Chausson.

Performers include violinists Francesca de Pasquale, Emily Daggett Smith, and Brendan Speltz; violists Luke Fleming and Pamela Freund-Striplen; cellist Brook Speltz; and pianist Shir Semmel.

Single tickets are $45 general admission, $40 senior (65+), and $15 for students. Discounted season tickets are available. Purchase online at www.gcplayers.org or by calling (925) 283-3728.