Gabriel Chamber Ensemble presents concert on Sunday
February is Valentine's Month, and the Gabriel Chamber Ensemble (GCE), Schuylkill County's widely acclaimed resident piano quartet, continues the celebration.
The ensemble will present the third concert of its 20th season on Sunday, Feb. 21, with a program entitled "French Romantic Music." The concert will be given at the Jerusalem Lutheran Church, 252 Dock St., Schuylkill Haven, at 3 p.m.
The ensemble will perform popular works by Gabriel Faure (1845-924), Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Claude Debussy (1862-1918), Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921), and Lili Boulanger (1893-1918).
The GCE will perform Faure's "Sicilenne," "Apres Un Reve," and "Elegie"; Ravel's "Sonata pour Violin, 2nd Movement; Boulanger's "Nocturne"; Saint-Saens's Piano Quartet, Op. 41; and Debussy's beloved "Clair de Lune."
Tickets will be available at the door. Students and children will be admitted free.
The concert will be followed by a complimentary reception in the church lobby during which audience members can meet the musicians and fellow classical music lovers.
The Gabriel Chamber Ensemble is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to presenting quality performances of chamber music to audiences in Schuylkill County and beyond.
Although its basic formation is a piano quartet, the ensemble frequently hosts professional guest artists to offer a wide selection of chamber music masterpieces.
Ensemble members are Simon Maurer, New Ringgold, violin; Agnes Maurer, New Ringgold, viola; Gerall Hieser, Bernardsville, N.J., cello; and Anita Gordon, Whippany, N.J., piano.
In 2009, the GCE received the Schuylkill County Visitors Bureau's tenth annual tourism award in the Tourism Business/Organization category. The award recognized the ensemble because it "exposes the community to classical music with young people to enhance their appreciation of music."
The ensemble's 2009-2010 season is supported by grants from the Schuylkill County Council for the Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Snayberger Foundation, the Schuylkill Area Community Foundation, and series subscribers and patrons.
For more information, write: Gabriel Chamber Ensemble, P.O. Box 36, Orwigsburg, PA 17961; telephone (570) 943-2558; e-mail gce@gabrielensemble.org; or visit www.gabrielensemble.org on the Web.
