Chamber Music Society launches 10th anniversary season Nov. 17

`It’s been nine Novembers since Vicki Kellogg and Michael Finn introduced the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach to the region’s concert scene with an appearance by the Montenegrin guitarist Milos Karadaglic at Mar-a-Lago.

Now the society, under the management of Ahmad Hayes and the artistic direction of the French violinist Arnaud Sussmann, embarks on its 10th season next month with a concert by the Spanish clarinetist José Franch-Ballester, accompanied by an all-star string quartet. But the society has already been busy: In September, it launched the Boscobel Chamber Music Festival in Garrison, New York.

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The concert featuring Franch-Ballester, who will play the clarinet quintets of Mozart and Brahms at 7 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, is the first of seven in the society’s season. Five of the concerts will be at the Norton, and the other two will be at The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea and the Kravis Center’s Rinker Playhouse.

Accompanying Franch-Ballester will be violinists Jennifer Frautschi and Stella Chen, Sussmann on viola, and cellist David Requiro. The clarinet quintets by Mozart and Brahms are the chief works in that form in the canon, and are staple repertoire for classical clarinetists.

Next up is the SPA Trio — soprano Susanna Phillips, violist Paul Neubauer and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, all eminent performers. Phillips will sing songs by Rachmaninov, Gounod and Schumann, as well as folksongs from Italy and the British Isles, in a program called “Songs from the Salon.” The trio will perform at 7 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Norton.

Sussmann will lead a 10th anniversary celebration the following month when he welcomes violinists James Ehnes, Amy Schwartz-Moretti and Grace Park, violists Neubauer and Brian Chen, cellist Nicholas Canellakis and bassist Blake Hinson to the Norton for two string octets: One by Felix Mendelssohn, the most well-known such work, and a lesser-known one by the German Romantic composer Max Bruch. The concert is set for 7 p.m. Jan. 10.

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Something unusual is scheduled for February, with the duo of violinist Charles Yang and pianist Peter Dugan, who have won a following for their serious crossover chops (case in point: A cover of The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun”). The pair will present a program called “Bridge: Ravel to the Beatles.” Yang and Dugan will be at the Norton at 7 p.m. Feb. 15.

Vocal music of the Baroque is in the spotlight on March 9 at Bethesda when soprano Joélle Harvey sings the “Wedding” Cantata of J.S. Bach and “Silete venti,” a motet by George Frideric Handel. Harvey will be accompanied by a small chamber ensemble consisting of violinists Tessa Lark, Chad Hoopes and Sussmann, cellist Efe Baltacigil, oboist James Austin Smith and harpsichordist Kenneth Weiss. The concert is set for 7 p.m.

In late March, two piano trios by the Schumanns — Robert and Clara — will be played by violinist Sussmann, cellist Oliver Herbert and pianist Alessio Bax. Robert Schumann’s music has been repertory since the mid-19th century, but only in recent years have performers turned to music by his wife Clara, one of the greatest pianists of the Romantic era. The program, set for 7 p.m. March 30 at the Norton, features Clara’s Piano Trio in G minor and Robert’s Piano Trio No. 1.

The society’s season closes April 21 at the Rinker Playhouse with the Jerusalem Quartet, a celebrated Israeli foursome. The quartet has scheduled the String Quartet No. 4 of Mendelssohn, the String Quartet No. 1 of Tchaikovsky, and the string quartet movement “Langsamer Satz,” by the Austrian composer Anton Webern, a work written before he adopted his 12-tone style. The music starts at 7 p.m.

“With the 10th anniversary season, we definitely intend to reflect on how far we’ve come since our founding,” Mayes said in a prepared statement. “But the season is even more so about the future and where we want to be in another 10 years. We’re looking at 2022/23 as a springboard for growth, with plans to reach more audiences, increase our impact on students, and connect with more communities in Palm Beach and the surrounding area.”

A membership for the entire season is $1,750, and includes a $700 tax deduction, valet parking and a pre-concert reception with wine, beer and hors d’oeuvres. Individual tickets are $75 apiece, and can be had for the first six concerts by visiting cmspb.org or calling 561-379-6773. The finale concert on April 21 will be ticketed through the Kravis Center; a sale date will be announced later.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach opens 10th season Nov. 17