PLATTSBURGH — The faces are familiar, but artistic director Soovin Kim returns with a new program for the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival Winter Encore performances this weekend.
With a chance to catch it on both sides of the lake, the program features Kim (violin), Romie de Guise-Langlois (clarinet) and the Old City String Quartet — Bryan Lee (violin), Joel Link (violin), Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt (viola) and Camden Shaw (cello).
Arranged by Kim, the program is comprised of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Partita No. 1 in B minor for solo violin, BWV 1002," Robert Schumann's "String Quartet in A major, op. 41 no. 3" and Johannes Brahms's "Clarinet Quintet in B minor, op. 115."
Ever since the first festival, a winter concert has followed each February.
"So many audience members felt a year was too long to wait for the next concert, and then I had the idea of possibly bringing back a particular piece or a particular group or an individual from a previous summer as a chance to experience the piece or performer again," Kim said.
This encore, audiences will get more of clarinetist Guise-Langlois and violist Pajaro-van de Stadt.
"Milena was at the festival last August," Kim said. "This time, she's coming with her quartet called the Old City String Quartet."
Formed in Philadelphia, the quartet's name references the Center City neighborhood in Philadelphia, which includes Independence Hall, Elfreth's Alley and the Betsy Ross House.
"They formed all at the Curtis Institute (Kim's alma mater). One of the violinists, Bryan Lee, studied with me when he was a teenager from 13 to 17. It's neat to see him grown up now. The other person coming back is Romie. She's from Montreal and went to McGill and came to the United States to study. I hope to get some Montreal fans to come down," Kim said.
Winter Encore is a preview to August's festival that focuses on the works of Bach and elements of his composition.
"The first work, 'Partita No. 1 in B minor for solo violin,' I'm transcribing the piece for violin and string quartet," Kim said. "We're going to get a different take on the piece. It is the only piece I will be performing. The next piece performed, Schumann's 'String Quartet in A major,' it's his most famous of the three string quartets he wrote.
"The third piece of the program, Brahms's 'Clarinet Quintet,' it's one of the final pieces he wrote in his life."
This program, like all festival programs, has its own story.
"Some, they have a very specific theme. Sometimes, it's dictated by the performer or you have the instrumentation that you have. Most of the time, it's a combination of the two. This case, it's a combination. The Bach work looks forward to the August festival," Kim said.
The Old City String Quartet was really keen to play the grand and lyrical Schumann.
"The Brahms quintet, I thought it would be a wonderful match with Romie and the Old City (String) Quartet. I asked them to perform it," he said.
For Kim, it's a lot of work, on a platter filled with teaching at Stony Brook and Bard College and performances in the United States and Asia.
"Not that I know what having a child is like, but it's like having a child," he said. "It also has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my musical life. Most of all, to be able to give back to the community by tying together all of my experiences that I have in my life … with the music I have come into contact with all these years and the performers I consider as friends who are willing to come to Burlington and Plattsburgh, and some of my interests such as audience and education and working with younger students. It's been really wonderful to incorporate all of those things."
Email Robin Caudell at: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com
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