Is great music “great” from the get-go, or does it require someone to say it’s great? Who gives the ultimate stamp of approval? Witness the evolution of fame, notoriety, and acknowledgment through these tour-de-force pieces by powerhouse composers: quartets and quintets by Joseph Bologne, Johannes Brahms, and Florence Price performed by the Carpe Diem String Quartet and Michelle Schumann.
Subject to availability, $12 Student Rush (with student ID), $30 General Admission, and $45 Premium tickets may be purchased at the box office starting at 6:30 PM on the evening of the Saturday night concert. Friday night in-person tickets are only available in advance. If you prefer to watch the Friday night livestream, please select a virtual ticket. Virtual tickets are available on a sliding scale and include on-demand access through May.
We are closely monitoring the pandemic and its impact on in-person events. With the health and safety of our community in mind, ACMC has updated our COVID-19 guidelines in accordance with City of Austin and CDC. View all recent updates to our programming by visiting our COVID-19 Response page.
Saturday Pre-Concert Performance
Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major, Op. 53 | Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
- Allegro con brio
ACMC Student Pre-Concert Performance at 7:20 PM on Saturday only by Anastasia Loiko, piano
Program
Concertante Quartet No. 5 in G Major | Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745–1799)
- Allegro
- Rondeau
Quintet in A Minor for Strings and Piano | Florence Price (1887–1953)
- Allegro non troppo
- Andante con moto
- Juba. Allegro
- Scherzo. Allegro
INTERMISSION
Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34 | Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
- Allegro non troppo
- Andante, un poco Adagio
- Scherzo. Allegro – Trio
- Finale. Poco sostenuto — Allegro non troppo
CARPE DIEM STRING QUARTET
Charles Wetherbee & Marisa Ishikawa, violins | Korine Fujiwara, viola | Ariana Nelson, cello
Michelle Schumann, piano
Carpe Diem String Quartet
One of the most unique and sought-after ensembles on the concert stage today, the Carpe Diem String Quartet is a boundary-breaking ensemble that has earned widespread critical acclaim for its performances of traditional repertoire, new music, genre-bending collaborations, and community engagement. The Quartet has contributed to and premiered works by composers from a variety of backgrounds, including Jonathan Leshnoff, Reza Vali, and Erberk Eryilmaz. Carpe Diem has also performed original charts by folk icons Jeff Midkiff and Jayme Stone, and rock singer-songwriter Willy Porter.
Devoted to community engagement, Carpe Diem has been awarded six transformative outreach grants from the PNC Foundation Arts Alive Awards. The Quartet’s outreach performances incorporate diverse repertoire tailored to audience demographics; use cameras, video, and artistic contributions to enrich presentations visually; rely on communication from the stage to introduce music and engage the audience; and explore fun and thought-provoking themes to connect audiences to chamber music. These performances have allowed the Quartet to reach underserved audiences including The Apache Nation and Ohio Women’s Reformatory residents.
Michelle Schumann
Hailed for her “sensitive, flexible, and tempestuous dexterity” (Fanfare Magazine), pianist Michelle Schumann has built a reputation for evocative and moving performances. Since 2006, Michelle has served as Artistic Director of the Austin Chamber Music Center, where she “is fearlessly expanding our definition of chamber music.” (Austin-American Statesman). Her brand of performance includes an enthusiastic interplay with audiences, bringing diverse music together under a narrative blanket. She was named “Best Classical Musician” in the Best of Austin 2019 Readers Poll by the Austin Chronicle.
Schumann is Professor of Piano at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. She received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin and additionally holds a Performance Diploma from the Vienna Conservatory.