Media Release: MOSSO/Westfield Athenaeum 2023 Chamber Music Series

WESTFIELD ATHENAEUM AND MOSSO (MUSICIANS OF THE SPRINGFIELD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA) LAUNCH THEIR SECOND WESTFIELD CONCERT SEASON. THREE-CONCERT CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES BEGINS IN FEBRUARY. Westfield, MA: The Westfield Athenaeum will present a three-concert chamber music series beginning Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 7:00PM with MOSSO (Musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra) performing. This is the second year of this partnership. Guy McLain, Executive Director of the Westfield Athenaeum, will offer a pre-performance talk at 6PM, which is free to ticket holders. The Westfield Athenaeum series opens with MOSSO and Friends on February 23. Violinist Beth Welty, horn player Sarah Sutherland, and pianist Elizabeth Skavish will perform horn trios of Frédéric Duvernoy, Trygve Madsen, and Johannes Brahms. Beth Welty, Chair of MOSSO, is Acting Principal Second Violin of MOSSO and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Sarah Sutherland, MOSSO and SSO horn player, is also MOSSO’s finance director. The series continues on Thursday, March 23, with a performance by the Vermont-based Champlain Trio, which includes MOSSO and SSO Principal Cello Emily Taubl. The Champlain Trio will perform Brilliant Colors, a program which features music by Tchaikovsky, Erik Neilsen (Trio No. 2 written for the ensemble), Jennifer Higdon, Amy Beach, and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. For information on the Champlain Trio: https://www.champlaintrio.com/ The series concludes on April 20, with MOSSO and SSO horn player Robert Hoyle’s quintet, the Connecticut-based Harmonia V. The quintet will celebrate April in Paris with an all-French program, featuring pieces by Barthe, Fauré, Ravel, Poulenc, Debussy, Pierné, and Lefebvre. For information on Harmonia V: http://www.harmoniav.com/ McLain said, “We’re thrilled to bring classical music back to downtown Westfield for the second consecutive year, and we look forward to working with MOSSO, the Musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, to make that happen.” Beth Welty of MOSSO noted that the members of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra have fond memories of their many summer performances at Stanley Park. “We’re glad to return to Westfield and the Westfield Athenaeum for a second year. We’re thrilled that our MOSSO members are introducing their chamber music ensembles to the area.” Tickets for the concerts, $25.00/person, must be purchased in advance at the Westfield Athenaeum during business hours, or online at https://www.westath.org/ MOSSO is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, which is not a subsidiary of nor affiliated with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra Inc. MOSSO was organized by the musicians in 2021 to produce and perform concerts in Greater Springfield and Western Massachusetts. To date, they have presented their musicians in pop-up concerts throughout the area; performances with local ensembles, including the Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival; two full orchestral performances with Maestro Kevin Rhodes in Springfield’s Symphony Hall; a Sondheim tribute with full orchestra and singers at Symphony Hall; and a recent series of chamber ensemble concerts in Longmeadow. For further information about MOSSO’s programs, visit MOSSO at: www.SpringfieldSymphonyMusicians.com or find MOSSO on Facebook at: Facebook.com/mossomusicians The Westfield Athenaeum, located in downtown Westfield, serves as the cultural center for the city. In addition to an active public library which provides a range of information services, the Athenaeum features an art museum with regular exhibits of regional artists, and a history museum, documenting the history of Westfield and the surrounding region from 1669 to the present day. For information on the Westfield Athenaeum: www.westath.org