Ensemble Connect — a program of Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education — is bringing young professional classical musicians back to Skidmore College for a five-day residency Feb. 14-18.
While in residence, the fellows of Ensemble Connect engage with Skidmore College students and the broader Saratoga Springs community, offering master classes, lessons, class demonstrations, and interactive performances. The residency culminates in a public performance that includes works commissioned for the ensemble.
From Feb. 14-18, Ensemble Connect continues its biannual residency at Skidmore College. The residency culminates with a performance in Skidmore’s Arthur Zankel Music Center, Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, where the fellows will perform the world premiere of “7 Kinships” by Michi Wiancko, commissioned by Carnegie Hall; quintets by Mozart and R. Schumann; and “Dark Wood” by Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Higdon. “Dark Wood” refers to the bassoon, used skillfully throughout the piece. The performance is open to the public. To purchase tickets, visit the Arthur Zankel Music Center website. Tickets are $15 for the general public; $8 for non-Skidmore students and seniors; and $5 for Skidmore students, faculty, and staff.
Ensemble Connect is a two-year fellowship program for extraordinary young professional classical musicians in the United States that prepares them for careers combining musical excellence with teaching, community engagement, advocacy, entrepreneurship, and leadership. Over the course of this two-year fellowship program, the musicians perform a series of concerts that bridge the history and future of classical music, from timeless Baroque music to new works.
Since 2007, Ensemble Connect has participated in two five-day residencies at Skidmore each year. Its fellows have reached tens of thousands of Saratoga County community members with classical music, including many individuals who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to be exposed to this world-class music.
The 12866 