CHAMBER @ RAVENSCROFT: American Intersection

CHAMBER @ RAVENSCROFT: AMERICAN INTERSECTION

The 2024/25 Chamber @ Ravenscroft season continues with an American Intersection, featuring selections from one of our nation’s greatest musical innovators, Charlie Parker. We are also privileged by the return of Chicago legend John Wojciechowski to the Ravenscroft Hall stage, as he fills Bird’s role in a performance of selections from Charlie Parker with Strings.

Updated Program Announcement from Chamber @ Ravenscroft Co-Artistic Director Russell Schmidt: Due to illness, a pair of classical artists originally scheduled to perform on American Intersection have had to withdraw their participation. As such, the difficult decision has been made to remove Dvořák’s “American Quartet” (String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96) from the program. While we look forward to reprogramming the Dvořák at some future Chamber @ Ravenscroft event, this particular Intersection concert will live most squarely in the jazz sphere, focusing on the Charlie Parker selections.

American Intersection features

Tessa Gotman Bock, violin

Adrienne Finet, violin

Leslie Frey Anderegg, violin

Mark Deatherage, viola

Mike D’Avanzo, cello

John Wojciechowski, alto saxophone

Siobhan Plouffe, soprano & tenor saxophones

Russell Schmidt, piano

Benjamin Hedquist, bass

Ryan Anthony, drums

Program

Palo Alto, Lee Konitz

Ev’rytime We Say Goodbye, Cole Porter

Selections from Charlie Parker with Strings TBA (var. composers/arrangers)

Note: The program will include an intermission.

About the artists

Tessa Gotman Bock is a member of the Phoenix Symphony violin section and previously served as the Concertmaster of the Scottsdale Arts Orchestra. Violinist Adrienne Finet is also a member of the Phoenix Symphony and previously spends her summers in Chautauqua, NY, as a member of the Chautauqua Symphony. Violinist Leslie Frey Anderegg has performed in recent summers with the American Institute of Musical Studies Festival Orchestra (Graz, Austria), the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra (Boulder), and the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra (Switzerland) and has been a featured soloist with the National Repertory Orchestra. Mark Deatherage is Acting Principal Viola in the Phoenix Symphony and has performed previously with many midwest orchestras, including the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra. Cellist Mike D’Avanzo has been a member of the Phoenix Symphony for more than three decades and is also an acclaimed bowmaker whose bows are played by musicians across the country.

Saxophonist John Wojciechowski, of whom the Chicago Tribune’s Howard Reich wrote: “…technically accomplished, musically profound and harmonically daring,” has performed or recorded with The Chicago Jazz Orchestra, The Woody Herman Orchestra, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Clark Terry, Charlie Haden, and Kurt Elling, among many others. Siobhan Plouffe is a founding member of Kodachrome, a multi award-winning saxophone quartet that received the Gold Medal (Senior Wind Division) at the 50th Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. In addition to his various appearances as a jazz pianist, Russell Schmidt has served as a guest keyboardist with more than 30 orchestras across North America, including the National Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Bassist Benjamin Hedquist has performed with an impressive list of jazz notables, including Peter Bernstein, George Garzone, John Hollenbeck, Lewis Nash, Ben Wendel, and Miguel Zenon. A creative and versatile drummer, Ryan Anthony has worked with such esteemed jazz artists as Wayne Bergeron, Nazim Rashid, and Joey Sellers, and is a founding member of Running From Bears.

Lobby doors open at 2:00 pm and Ravenscroft Hall doors open at 2:30 pm. Choose from a fine selection of wine and craft beers in Jazzbird before the show. No food or drink is permitted inside Ravenscroft Hall. Please note that parking is free and abundant on-site at Ravenscroft.

Cost for this matinee event is $35.00 (adults) and $10.00 (for students). Purchase your tickets today to enjoy this very special Chamber @ Ravenscroft event.