World-renowned Poulenc Trio to perform in Oak Ridge

Posted at 1:54 am March 8, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Poulenc Trio

The Poulenc Trio, the most active touring piano-wind chamber music ensemble in the world, will perform in Oak Ridge on Saturday, March 18, a press release said.

The concert is presented by the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association. It is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. March 18 at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

In a recent review, the New York Times praised the trio for its “elegant rendition” of Piazzolla’s “Tangos,” the press release said. The Washington Post said the trio “does its namesake proud” in “an intriguing and beautifully played program” with “convincing elegance, near effortless lightness, and grace,” the release said.

The trio includes oboist James Austin Smith, bassoonist Bryan Young, and pianist Irina Kaplan.

The concert will feature the trio’s namesake, Francis Poulenc’s “Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano.” The trio will also perform music by Glinka, Rossini, Shostakovich, and more, the press release said. The artists will offer a pre-concert lecture, beginning at 7 p.m.

Audience members are invited to meet the artists after the concert during a Wine & Cheese Social in the social hall at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church. Tickets for the social are $10 and include wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and light hors d’oeuvres. Tickets will be available at the door.

James Austin Smith has been praised for his “virtuosic,” “dazzling,” and “brilliant” performances (New York Times) and his “bold, keen sound” (The New Yorker), the press release said. He is an artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), the Talea Ensemble, and Cygnus as well as co-artistic director of Decoda, the Affiliate Ensemble of Carnegie Hall.

Bryan Young, a Washington, D.C., native, has been praised for his “voluptuous sound” by the Double Reed Journal, the press release said. A prizewinner of the 2002 Gillet International Bassoon Competition, he has appeared as soloist with the National Symphony and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, as well as in recitals across the United States and around the world. The Washington Post wrote, “Young’s music dances with a lightness and grace uncommon for his instrument,” the press release said. Bryan is principal bassoonist of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra and performs regularly with the IRIS Chamber Orchestra in Memphis.

Pianist Irina Kaplan is a graduate of the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia. Winner of the Baltimore Chamber Music Award and the Montpelier Recital Competition, Kaplan has appeared in series including the Yale Gordon Concert Series, the Bachanalia Recital Series, and the New York Times Young Performers Series, the press release said. Concerts abroad in Russia, Italy, England, Germany, and the Caribbean have led to critical praise of her “beauty and brilliance of sound, astonishing flexibility, and penetrating interpretation,” the press release said.

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association is a proud participant in the Penny4Arts program and offers free admission for students 18 and under to all Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra, Chorus, and Chamber Series performances. Tickets for the concert are $25 for adults and $10 for young adults (19-29 years old). Seating is limited for this performance and all tickets are general admission.

The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association presents professional performances in the Oak Ridge community with its symphony, chorus, and chamber music series. Subscription and individual tickets may be purchased online at www.ORCMA.org or by calling (865) 483-5569.

Support for the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association is provided by the Tennessee Arts Commission and WUOT FM 91.9.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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