Chamber Orchestra Concert

The Pavilion in the Sheffield Town Park

Presenting for the first time a chamber orchestra ensemble, Artistic Director Jorge Ávila has curated an exciting program featuring works for string orchestra, from the Baroque and Modernist periods.

We open with Edward Elgar’s famous Serenade for Strings in E minor, Op. 20, one of his most often performed works. This is followed by another Serenade, the Élégie movement from the Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48, by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. In a complete change of color and texture, we hear next the Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 68, BB 76 by Béla Bartók, a collection of dances based upon the fiddle-tunes of the Transylvanian districts. After intermission, we hear the complete Four Seasons (Le quattro Stagioni) violin concerti by Antonio Vivaldi, with artistic director Jorge Ávila as soloist. Each concerto gives a musical expression to the season of the year.

Our esteemed string quartet members, Jorge Ávila, Violin I; Rachel Handman, Violin II; Orlando Wells, Viola; and Sarah Hewitt-Roth, Cello, serve as principal chairs in this chamber orchestra of ten players, with Ávila also serving as Concertmaster.

Join us in experiencing the captivating artistry of this top-tier ensemble as they share the beauty and intricacy of chamber music. The Pavilion's intimate setting provides the perfect acoustic, as well as fresh breezes and occasional bird calls, interspersed with the gorgeous music of the Baroque and Modernist periods. Join us for this special afternoon.

Lich Gate Concerts invites you to immerse yourself in a delightful afternoon of chamber music under the graceful canopy of the wooden Pavilion in Sheffield Town Park. Whether you're a seasoned music enthusiast or someone looking to dip their toes into the realm of live concerts, Lich Gate Concerts has something for you.

Artistic Director Jorge Ávila has curated a program featuring three of the Masters of the 18th century: Handel, Mozart, and Beethoven.TWorks include George Frideric Handel’s Concerto Grosso No. 3 in e minor, HWV 321, a fine example of the genre of Baroque concerto grosso, heard here with string quartet. Then Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581, one of the earliest and best-known works written especially for the instrument, and featuring special guest artist William R. Hudgins, principal clarinet of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. After intermission, you will hear Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 74, the “Harp” quartet. (It takes its nickname from two passages in the first movement in which pizzicato arpeggios ascend through the lower three instruments.) own Park

Our renowned string quartet members are Jorge Ávila, Violin I; Rachel Handman, Violin II; Orlando Wells, Viola; and Chris Santos, Cello, and, we are thrilled that William R. Hudgins, Clarinet, joins us again.

Join us in experiencing the captivating artistry of this top-tier ensemble as they share the beauty and intricacy of chamber music. The Pavilion's intimate setting provides the perfect acoustic, as well as fresh breezes and occasional bird calls, interspersed with the gorgeous music of the Baroque and Classical periods. Join us for this special afternoon.

Trio Concert

Old Parish Church, 125 Main Street, Sheffield MA 01257

J.S. Bach – Sonata in E major, BWV 1016 for Violin and Piano

Sergei Rachmaninoff – Sonata in g minor, Op. 19, - Andante, for Cello and Piano

Sergei Prokofiev - Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94a for Violin and Piano

Antonín Dvořák – Piano Trio No. 3 in f minor, Op. 65

Jorge Avila, Violin

Eliot Bailen, Cello

Adrienne Kim, Piano

Lich Gate Concerts presents a mid-winter respite on Saturday, February 17, 2024 at 2 pm, with a concert in the sun-lit sanctuary of Old Parish Church, 125 Main St., in Sheffield. The program includes violin and piano sonatas by German composer J.S. Bach and Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev; a cello and piano sonata by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff; and the Piano Trio No. 3 in F-minor, Op. 65 by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. Artists include Artistic Director Jorge Ávila, Violin; Eliot Bailen, Cello; and Adrienne Kim, Piano.