Chamber Fest launches Year 2 at the Shalin Liu

The Rockport Chamber Music Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary season with 22 chamber music programs that include leading pianists, string quartets, string trios, choral and early-music ensembles, and a saxophone quartet.

The special opening concert tonight marks the organization's second year at the oceanfront Shalin Liu Performance Center — where every one of the festival's concerts sold out last summer.

To that end, Rockport Music has added concerts this summer to meet audience demand. Even though 16 of 22 concerts are already sold out, there are often times that a few tickets open up in the days leading up to the show, including tonight's show, so it is worth checking in at the box office, said Rockport Music spokesman Gregg Sorensen.

This season, there will be a total of 37 concerts between the chamber music festival and the summer series. There will be 22 chamber music concerts over five weeks, two family concerts and 13 jazz, world and pop music concerts from July 22 to Aug. 28.

Tonight's Opening Night presentation features a world premiere of "Song Without Words," written and performed by Rockport Chamber Music Festival co-founder David Alpher.

The piece was written in memory of his friend and co-founder Lila Deis, a soprano who passed away last year. The work was commissioned by Rockport Music to honor Deis, who — along with Alpher and local businessman Paul Sylva — founded the festival in 1981. Alpher, a pianist and composer, served as the artistic director until 1994.

Alpher was very much a part of Cape Ann's cultural energy, having served as musical director of Gloucester Stage Company from 1985 to 1995. He is currently a collaborative pianist and vocal coach at Vassar College in New York. Yesterday was the first time he saw the new $20 million music hall that is now home to the Rockport Chamber Music Festival.

"I will enjoy the experience but it will be emotionally charged," he said.

He wrote the piece in three movements, the first of which is called "loss," which is followed by the second movement titled "perpetual motion."

"That is in tribute to Lila's perpetual verve. She was absolutely non-stop optimism, energy and drive," said Alpher. "The closing movement is titled 'perpetual song,' which is a tribute to her other side, her incredible vocal art and the lyricism of her singing."

David Deveau, the Rockport Chamber Music Artist Director since 1995, has grown the festival even more.

Deveau, who has been part of the music faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology since 1988, has performed from coast to coast with the Boston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and many others. Closer to home, he has appeared as a soloist with the Boston Pops, the Handel and Haydn Society and others.

He said he's found the planning of each season to be "pure joy."

"Now that we have the Shalin Liu Performance Center, I have endeavored to display the beautiful acoustics of the hall by creating a varied menu of sounds — from an a cappella five-voice group from Germany, to our old friends in the New Century Saxophone Quartet, to the meat-and-potatoes of chamber music with string quartets, piano trios and mixed ensembles," said Deveau.

"The mix is enticing to our audiences," he said, "and the hall's beauty is an attraction in and of itself. But filling its space with the sound of great artists performing great music is the heart of the matter."

Some returning favorites include pianists Gilles Vonsattel, Marc-Andre Hamelin and Andrew Rangell as well as the Jupiter, Daedalus, and Borromeo string quartets, and even guitarist David Leisner.

As for newcomers this year, Deveau is excited about the appearance here of world-renowned violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, who will be joined by another newcomer, pianist Wendy Chen, along with cellist Andres Diaz.

Deveau noted that the closing concert features 81-year-old pianist Russell Sherman.

"As it is Liszt's 200th birthday year, his music for piano will be featured on a number of the programs, including Russell's program," he said. "Also, the world's pre-eminent Liszt scholar, Alan Walker will offer a free lecture on Liszt on the last day of the season."

That lecture is just one example of programming designed to reach out to the community.

"There are added festival events scheduled to enhance and deepen the concert experience," said Gregg Sorensen, a Rockport Music spokesman. "These events include prelude suppers, lectures, a film screening and even a master class."

The first week of the Rockport Chamber Music Festival opens tonight with the Ikarus Chamber Players with Anna Elashvili, Margaret Dyer and Julia Maclaine who will perform Beethoven's "String Trio in G Major, Op. 9 No. 2."

The trio will also perform with Alpher for the world premiere of his "Song Without Words" for piano, violin, viola and cello.

Other artists performing tonight are Anne Akiko Meyers, violin, and Andres Diaz, cello. Mendelssohn's "Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49" will be performed. A post-concert reception will take place in the third-floor reception hall.

Friday features a program of Mozart's "Piano Sonata in C Major" for piano duet, K. 521; Xi Wang's "Rhapsody for solo cello" (2006) and Tchaikovsky's "Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50."

Saturday's performance features Stefan Jackiw, violin, and Gilles Vonsattel, piano, in a program featuring Stravinsky's "Suite Italienne," Brahms' "Sonata in G Major, Op. 78" and Dallapiccola's "Sonatina Canonica" for solo piano and Strauss's "Sonata in E-flat Major."

Sunday will spotlight the group A Far Cry, a self-conducted string orchestra, that will perform Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, BWV 1048," Bartok's "Divertimento for String Orchestra," Barber's "Adagio for Strings" and Mendelssohn's "String Symphony No.7."

Gail McCarthy can be reached at 978-283-7000, x3445, or at gmccarthy@gloucestertimes.com.

Chamber Music Festival

What: Rockport Chamber Music Festival celebrates its 30th season

When: Opens tonight and runs through July 17

Where: Shalin Liu Performance Center at 37 Main St. in Rockport

For tickets, visit www.rockportmusic.org, or call 978-546-7391 or visit the box office at 35 Main St. in Rockport weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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