Alaria



	Alaria Chamber Ensemble

Home About the NYCC Calendar Composer Bios Performer Bios Alaria Ensemble Membership In The Loop Blog Contributing Images Administration Contact	Alaria is a partner of the NYCC and has performed frequently at its concerts and readings. Alaria’s performances, both in New York and abroad, feature unusual programming combining standard repertoire with new and unfamiliar works. A typical Alaria program offers a well-rounded selection of styles and timbres in spaces suited to this most intimate of musical genres. Since 1986 it has presented an annual series in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. With a core instrumentation of violin, cello, and piano, the ensemble often features guest artists in programs providing a truly out-of-the-ordinary concert experience. Among the distinguished artists who have appeared with Alaria in recent seasons are cellists Nathaniel Rosen and Jeffrey Solow, violinists Mark Peskanov and Eriko Sato, flautists Massimo Mercelli and Patricia Spencer, guitarist Massimo Felici, and members of Manhattan, Flux and Ethel quartets. Noted for its "sparkling virtuosity" and "unstarched" approach to music by European newspaper Delo Fax, Alaria maintains a busy teaching and performing schedule. 2004-2005 is the ensemble’s 20th anniversary season, in celebration of which the Weill Hall performances will feature special guests as well as newly commissioned works. During the summer of 2004 Alaria will be teaching and performing, as they have since 1998 in European festivals. Some of Alaria's most recent performances have been featured appearances at such music festivals as the Manchester Music Festival, Ameropa Chamber Music Festival, Ljubljana Festival and the Emilia Romagna Festival, among others. Alaria’s mission includes building an interactive community of chamber music listeners, players, teachers, supporters and composers. Among the composers who have written for Alaria are Ursula Mamlok (two commissioned works: Alariana and In Celebration), David Loeb, John Carbon and jazz composer Phillip Johnston (ofThe Transparent Quartet). The Ensemble is engaged in a multi-year exploration of the works of Alexander Tcherepnine, and will be producing a CD of his work in 2004. Recently Alaria embarked on collaboration with the New York Composers' Circle and will be presenting new works by their members at Saint Peter's Church in April 2004. The combination of education and performance that characterizes Alaria’s work gives the ensemble a unique role in the New York musical community, and makes its audience a highly respected one among concertgoers and musicians alike. It is an audience not just of music lovers, but also of people actively participating in the richly rewarding world of chamber music. Ensemble-in-Residence of the Extension Division of the Mannes College of Music since 1984, Alaria has taught over 700 musicians of all ages and instruments, at levels ranging from beginner to professional. In 2001 a seminar in Chamber Music Pedagogy was inaugurated with the support of the Clinton B. Ford Fund of ACMP Foundation. The ensemble's name Alaria comes from two Latin roots: "ala"- wing and "aria"- song.

Alaria Chamber Ensemble