Pernambuco Chamber Ensemble Presents “Romance and Remembrance”

The library will once again host the music of the Pernambuco Chamber Ensemble, featuring music by Mahler, Strauss, Beach & Bridge, on Sunday, May 18th at 4pm. Free, with a suggested donation of $20 at the door. Please pre-register below. Proceeds will benefit the International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative USA, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of pernambuco wood. Pernambuco wood is sourced from Brazil’s Atlantic Rainforest and used in the construction of music bows. It is an increasingly rare and endangered material. This concert made possible by a grant from the Mass Cultural Council.

Ensemble members are: Shirie Leng on violin, Jessica Baum on viola, Judith Glixon on cello, Daniel Goodman on piano, and Michael Goldring on vocals. The Ensemble’s Spring 2025 concert is entitled “Romance and Remembrance”, featuring pieces from the Romantic period with the themes of either romance or fantasy.  The concert honors the memory of three individuals who have died in the past year – Jessica’s mother Barbara Baum, Dan’s colleague David Guarnaccia and Michael’s friend Norma Perron.  The program opens with the  string trio of Hungarian composer Erno Dohnányi, a Serenade in five movements (including a Romance). The other Romance on the program is the lovely duet for violin and piano by Amy Beach, a trail-blazing 19th-century woman composer and pianist who spent her childhood in nearby Chelsea, MA. The second half of the concert features the Phantasy Piano Quartet of English composer Frank Bridge, a captivating one-movement work in three contrasting sections.  Also on the program are sets of songs by Mahler and Strauss, and the Schubert Litany for All Souls, chosen to honor Barbara Baum, David Guarnaccia and Norma Perron.