Vilar Center’s Therese M. Grojean classical concert calendar inspires starting Dec. 21

The Vail Valley Foundation recently issued the following press release on the 2023/’24 Therese M. Grojean Classical Series at the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek:

The 2023/’24 Therese M. Grojean Classical Series is studded with both variety and talent, promising six enchanting evenings from December through March 2024. One of the world’s most exciting and innovative classical groups Nu Deco Ensemble ushers in Vilar Performing Arts Center’s highly anticipated classical season with a special holiday performance in December. In January, enjoy a concert with GRAMMY® Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer, followed in February by the world’s most visible organist Cameron Carpenter, a performance from the Colorado Symphony featuring Conductor Eun Sun Kim and Pianist Inon Barnatan, and the world-renowned Takács Quartet. The series culminates with online personality Violinist Ray Chen, and all-star virtuoso sextet Ensemble Mélange, both in March. Tickets for all classical series performances are on sale now. A full description of the classical line-up is included below.

Nu Deco Ensemble

6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21 | Starting at $50

Nu Deco Ensemble redefines what an orchestra is in the 21st century. The ensemble has been gaining a reputation as one of the world’s most exciting and innovative classical ensembles, known for blending genres and bringing new, dynamic energy to the classical music world. They aim to create transformative musical experiences that inspire and connect by building a collaborative, inclusive, and sustainable community of artists, students, and audiences. Expect a widely varying program of re-imagined holiday classics and popular music hits from the 70s through today.

Chanticleer

6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25 | Starting at $40 ($10 for students)

Chanticleer is the GRAMMY Award-winning vocal ensemble known around the world as “an orchestra of voices” for its wide-ranging repertoire and dazzling virtuosity. Founded in San Francisco in 1978 by singer and musicologist Louis Botto, Chanticleer quickly took its place as one of the most prolific recording and touring ensembles in the world, selling over one million recordings and performing thousands of live concerts to audiences around the world. 

Cameron Carpenter, organ

6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4 | Starting at $42 ($10 for students)

Cameron Carpenter is the first organist ever to be nominated for a GRAMMY Award for a solo album. He is a virtuoso composer/performer who is smashing the stereotypes of organ and classical music, and one of his previous releases, ‘All You Need is Bach’ debuted at #1 on the traditional classical charts. Prepare for a completely unique aural and visual experience as Cameron Carpenter fills the VPAC theater with a stunningly memorable performance.

Colorado Symphony feat. Conductor Eun Sun Kim and Pianist Inon Barnatan

6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8 | Starting at $65 ($25 for students)

The evening’s program includes: Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun; Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major; and Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D minor.

Eun Sun Kim, music director of the San Francisco Opera, is the first woman to serve as music director of one of America’s largest opera companies. In her Colorado Symphony debut, Kim leads the orchestra Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto, one of the composer’s most youthful and vibrant compositions, featuring a sublime musical conversation between Kim, the orchestra, and pianist Inon Barnatan. The flute’s gentle siren call, solitary and alluring, beckons the audience into the sensuous dreamscape of Claude Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, a spellbinding opening to a performance of orchestral beauty.

Takács Quartet

6:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 | Starting at $38 ($10 for students)

The evening’s program includes: Haydn String Quartet No. 63 in B-flat Major, Op. 76, No. 4 “Sunrise”; Nokuthula Ngwenyama flow; and Beethoven String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59, No. 2.

The world-renowned Takács Quartet – Edward Dusinberre (violin), Harumi Rhodes (violin), Richard O’Neill (viola) and András Fejér (cello) – is now entering its 49^th season. The 2023-2024 season features varied projects including a new work written for them, called ‘Flow,’ and composed by Nokuthula Ngwenyama as a meditation on the theme of climate change. Works by Haydn and Beethoven complete the program, featuring pieces inspired by the natural world.

Ray Chen, violin

6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 19 | Starting at $48 ($10 for students)

The evening’s program includes: Tartini Sonata in G minor “Devil’s Trill,” Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 7 in C minor; Bach Partita No. 3 in E major for Solo Violin; Bazzini La Ronde des Lutins; Dvorak Slavonic Dance No. 2 in E minor; and Corea Spain.

With a global reach that enhances and inspires a new classical audience, Ray Chen’s remarkable musicianship transmits to millions around the world, reflected through his engagements both online and with the foremost orchestras and in concert halls across the globe. Beyond the performing arts, Chen’s work has also contributed to philanthropy, popular culture, and educational technology. Chen will be accompanied by pianist Julia Elizalde.

Ensemble Mélange – Presented Onstage!

6:30 p.m. Saturday, Mar. 30 | $125

Ensemble Mélange, formerly known as SHUFFLE Concert, is a joyful sextet of all-virtuosos. Ensemble Mélange shakes up the concert experience, forges a personal connection with the audience and mixes tried-and-true repertoire with a smorgasbord of jewels from distant genres. The concert is reformatted as a musician’s party game; after each piece, members of the audience are chosen to pick the next piece from an extensive menu organized by style, nationality, and time period.

Additional winter shows include: the VPAC Dance Series: Alonzo King Lines Ballet: Deep River (Jan. 14), MOMIX: Alice (Jan. 28); STOMP (Feb. 17 & 18); and BODYTRAFFIC: Bolero by Fernando Hernando Magadan (March 22); and STARS Series: MOMIX: Alice (Jan. 29), BODYTRAFFIC: Bolero By Fernando Hernando Magadan (March 22), and The Boy Who Cried Wolf (April 2); Puppy Pals Live! (April 4); and Frindle (April 15).

For more information about the VPAC’s schedule and to purchase tickets, visit vilarpac.org or call 970-845-8497.