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93<\/span><\/p>\n IPSWICH \u2014\u00a0Manchester Summer Chamber Music (MSCM) is bringing salon-style concerts back to Ipswich this month.<\/p>\n For a 14th season, the ensemble will continue its beloved summer tradition: performing world-renowned chamber music in unconventional venues on the North Shore.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s concerts<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 featuring string quartets, quintets, and piano trios by such famous composers as Brahms and Beethoven \u2014 will take place in the Barn at Castle Hill, Gathr in downtown Ipswich, and a home in Manchester-by-the-Sea.\u00a0<\/p>\n In these intimate spaces,\u00a0MSCM recreates the feel of 19th-century salon concerts, during which artists played for family and friends in their living rooms.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere isn\u2019t, \u2018This is the musician side, this is the performance side,\u2019\u201d co-founder Lorna Tsai said. \u201cThe musicians and audience mingle after the concert, and it just feels very heartwarming.\u201d<\/p>\n Tsai, alongside fellow North Shore native Sage Cole, founded MSCM in 2009 to bring communities together through music. They have used the ensemble to introduce classical music to contemporary settings and make it more accessible through this salon-style approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n This summer, one of their programs will highlight a 19th-century artist who did exactly that.<\/p>\n \u201cThese kinds of salon concerts and giving friends and family and the community a space to enjoy music is something that Fanny Mendelssohn did herself a lot,\u201d Cole said.<\/p>\n Fanny Mendelssohn, sister of renowned composer Felix Mendelssohn, was a talented composer in her own right. But as a woman in 1800s Germany, she was discouraged from pursuing a career in music, despite her obvious talent.<\/p>\n MSCM has decided to feature her work alongside her brother\u2019s in a narrative performance led by pianist Ryo Yanagitani.\u00a0<\/p>\n Initially, the ensemble was looking to present a Mendelssohn piano trio that would \u201cexcite the audience\u201d and \u201cbe a joy to listen to,\u201d Yanagitani said. But as the musicians delved deeper into the lives of Felix and Fanny, they realized their story carries a message of hope for today.<\/p>\n Fanny was an incredibly prolific composer, Yanagitani said, despite being relegated to the domestic sphere. She produced hundreds of pieces and made a name for herself that is still recognizable 200 years later.\u00a0<\/p>\n That story can serve as an inspiration today, Yanagitani said, \u201cespecially right now, with the political landscape of all of our rights slowly being pared away.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The music itself can also provide a sense of comfort. Many of the Mendelssohn pieces are instantly recognizable, acting like \u201ccomfort food\u201d that we reach for in times of need, Tsai said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re all hoping that this salon concert will just allow for people to step away from their everyday lives \u2014 the difficulties, the hardships, the frustrations \u2014 and for one hour be able to \u2026 step into a completely different world,\u201d Yanagitani said.<\/p>\n The concert series will begin this Saturday at the Barn with a program titled \u201cBy the Moonlight.\u201d It will feature movements from quartets and quintets by Beethoven, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Grammy Award\u2013winning composer Jesse Montgomery.<\/p>\n The ensemble will then perform its \u201cFanny and Felix\u201d program at a home in Manchester and at Gathr downtown.\u00a0<\/p>\n Finally, MSCM will return to the Barn for its last two programs, \u201cFractured Shadows\u201d and \u201cCellobration!\u201d on August 16 and August 23, respectively.<\/p>\n Tickets and concert information can be found at manchestersummerchambermusic.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\nThe Local News is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We can only operate with your assistance.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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