America’s Dream Chamber Artists perform at Calhoun

The Merrick-Bellmore Community Concert Association opened its 57th season with a performance by America’s Dream Chamber Artists on Sept. 25 at Calhoun High School in Merrick. The ensemble included Arian Ghez on oboe, Adrian Morejon on bassoon, Amy I-Lin Cheng on piano, Eveline Kuhn on flute, Cyrus Beroukhim on violin and Arash Amini on cello.

Chamber music is written for small groups of musicians, performed with one instrument to a part. Because of its intimate nature, chamber music has been described as “the music of friends.” That was certainly true for this talented group of musicians, and it was apparent that all the members were friends or friends of friends.

ADMC was founded in New York City by Arash Amini and Eveline Kuhn, who wanted nearly everything about it to be groundbreaking. It was to be different visually, with a modern, trendy look. Its repertoire was to be different as well, and was to bring about a resurgence of great chamber music masterworks, ranging from the baroque to the contemporary. This group aimed to present a fresh approach to chamber music by removing the formality of the concert hall and breaking down the wall that exists between performer and audience. Finally, members aimed to make chamber music approachable and enjoyable to all kinds of audiences.

The performers remained faithful to their goals. They were dressed informally –– more informally than many concertgoers. The goal of removing the wall between performer and audience was also addressed. Members each spoke of how they became a member of ADCA, and the composer of the second piece, Behzad Ranjbaran, was present and introduced his own work, “Fountains of Fin for Flute, Violin, and Cello.”

The repertoire overall was interesting, but largely unknown to this audience. Although no audience member interviewed denied the extraordinary talent of every performer, many expressed the desire to hear more familiar pieces. As for the goal of making chamber music approachable and enjoyable to all kinds of audiences, children in the audience were invited to listen for a melody heard in a cartoon, and all audience members were informed about the background of the second piece.

For its second concert of the 2010-11 season, the Merrick-Bellmore Community Concert Association will present legendary clarinetist Stanley Drucker on Saturday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m at Calhoun High School. Individual tickets will be available at the door for $20 each. The officers and board members of the Merrick-Bellmore Community Concert Association invite those who enjoy professional live music to learn about the organization and all upcoming concerts by calling (516) 868-5366 or visiting MBCCA.org.

Editor’s note: Weissman is a board member of the Merrick-Bellmore Community Concert Association.