Since 2007, the Westport Arts Center has endeavored to challenge, educate and entertain us via the Composers Project, a series of concerts and conversations that explore 21st century musical compositions. This year's artists-in-residence are the Antares ensemble comprised of cellist Rebecca Patterson, pianist Eric Huebner, clarinetist Garrick Zoeter and violinist Jesse Mills. These musicians have arranged and conceived the seven concert series and will lead the pre-concert talks with a featured composer. Contemporary artists and composers must have stellar interpretative and technical skills as well as the finesse to establish a dialogue with the audience, foster relationships with schools, and elicit support from the community in order to survive and thrive.
The Peabody Trio, winners of the Naumburg Chamber Music Award, will open the Composers Project on Friday, March 7, 2008 at the Seabury Center at 8:00 p.m. with Zhou Long's Spirit of Chimes, Maurice Ravel's Piano Trio and Franz Schubert's Trio in B-flat major. This trio, made up of violinist Violaine Melancon, cellist Natasha Brofsky and pianist Seth Knopp are members of the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. They have performed at various music festivals including the Cape and Islands, Rockport, Skaneateles and Tanglewood as well as radio programs like CBC, Morning Pro Musica, NPR’s Performance Today and Radio-Canada.
Mr. Long will speak about his ideas and creative process with Ms. Patterson of Antares at the pre-concert talk at 7:30 p.m. For those who wish to hear trios by other noted composers, the library offers works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms and Robert Schumann.