The Chamber Music Series at First Church West Hartford will begin on Nov. 15.

By Cassidy Ward

The Chamber Music Series at First Church West Hartford is back to highlight musicians from the Hartt School of Music through a collection of intimate ensemble performances at 12 South Main Street, West Hartford.

November marks three years since the genesis of this concert series, and this year 30 performers will join the series for a spirited collection of musical performances.

Chamber Music concerts take place at the First Church West Hartford chapel. Courtesy photo

The first performance of the Chamber Music Series will be held on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 3 p.m. in the chapel, and each concert will run between an hour and an hour and a half long. As each performance will be held in the chapel, the close proximity of the performers and the audience members will create a private, personal listening experience to enjoy the intricacies of the instrumentals.

Each concert will feature several different ensemble performers who will play from a selection of pieces, and the combinations of instruments will vary, allowing for a dynamic performance across ensembles. In previous years, featured performers included a string quartet; a saxophone quartet; flute and guitar; instrumental trios of oboe, violin, and piano; solo instrumentalists with a piano accompaniment; baroque ensembles; and vocalists.

“Since there are a variety of ensembles, there is also a great diversity in the programming; baroque ensembles, traditional classical chamber music, more avant garde and modern works, with some ethnic offerings included as well,” said First Church Director of Worship Arts, Jim Boratko.

Chamber Music concerts take place at the First Church West Hartford chapel. Courtesy photo

Of the 30 featured performers, several are college music students and post-grad performers from Hartt as well as UMass Amherst. Additionally, several performers include professional and semi-professional musicians from the New England area. First Church is honored to host these dedicated performers for a series of intimate concerts celebrating their musical gifts.

The concert series will continue to run through the rest of fall and conclude in the spring. All concerts will be held at 3 p.m. on Sundays in the chapel, unless otherwise indicated.

All Chamber Music concerts are open to the public. Upon arrival, a free will offering will be received at the door. Attendees can find free parking in the church parking lot, accessible from Farmington Ave. If handicap access is needed, please pull up to the curb on South Main Street and enter using the ramp that will be placed at the entrance of the chapel.

For more information on the life of the church, and updates about the concert series, please visit the First Church West Hartford website.

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