Chamber Music Society of the Carolinas offers a warm welcome at their summer concert series
J Freivogel readily admits that classical music can unnecessarily put on airs. And as a classically trained violinist and member of a string quartet, he would know. J and his wife, Rachel, a cellist, are two of the musicians in the lauded Jasper Quartet, but they’re also the artistic directors of the Chamber Music Society of the Carolinas. Formerly the Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival, CMSC will host 13 chamber concerts over four weekends this summer, and its new directors are determined to make the experience as welcoming as possible.
“Rachel and I are conscious of bringing musicians . . . who are good at communicating about their art form,” says J. “So, they’re good at communicating to someone who has heard every string quartet ever written and they’re also good at communicating to folks who have never heard a string quartet before in their life.”
Rachel and J, who met as students at Oberlin Conservatory, came to the festival 15 years ago with the Jasper Quartet. They’ve come every summer since, delighting Greenville, Asheville, and Waynesville with world-class chamber music for the month of July. In Greenville, the concerts will be held at the Fine Arts Center, which J points out adds to the intimacy of the performance.
“A symphony orchestra is amazing, it has the power of a huge mass. A soloist is amazing, they have the power of individual expression,” he explains. “What chamber music does is it combines those two things. It has solo parts combining together into an ensemble to create something that is greater than any one person can do on their own.”
Summer Concert Series
The Greenville shows run on Friday nights and play host to top talent performing a wide range of pieces. The summer series revolves around the theme of a musical journey, including works like Leyendas by Gabriela Lena Frank and Zhou Tian’s Viaje. While performers come from across the States, the final show highlights three musicians from the Carolinas, a local link J and Rachel were eager to include in this year’s lineup. And whether you’re a huge fan of the Schubert cello quintet like J is, or you’re new to the chamber music scene, the Freivogels welcome you with open arms.
“The power of the music is something that can be experienced by everyone,” J says. “The more you hear it, the more you get out of it. If you’ve never been before, come for the first time. And if you’ve been a thousand times before, you get something new each time.”
For more information, visit cms-carolinas.org.
Chamber Music Society of the Carolinas Program
Fridays, July 11–August 1, 7:30p.m., Fine Arts Center, 102 Pine Knoll Dr., Greenville
July 11 – Walkabout with Jasper String Quartet and cellist Raman Ramakrishnan
July 18 – Viaje with Jasper String Quartet and flutist Brandon Patrick George
July 25 – Bohemian Rhapsody with instrument ensemble Les Délices
August 1 – Leipzig and Beyond with Nicholas DiEugenio, J Freivogel, Kara Poorbaugh, Rachel Henderson Freivogel, and Mimi Solomon
