December 14, 2000 Library Introduces Free Matinee Concerts in 2001

The Library of Congress will present two outstanding groups in matinee performances in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Thomas Jefferson Building on two Saturdays in February in an effort to make its concerts more accessible to patrons who are unable to come to the regular 8 o'clock evening concerts. A third matinee performance will be held in May.

On February 17 at 2 p.m., the Israel Camerata Jerusalem will perform Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 27 with guest pianist Ilya Itin and Haydn's Symphony no. 78. Also featured in the program is a second performance of Roberto Sierra's "Fanfarria" in honor of Aaron Copland commissioned by the McKim Fund for the Copland Centennial Celebration last November. Tickets are available from TicketMaster beginning January 10.

The internationally renowned American string ensemble the Lark Quartet performs at 2 p.m. on February 24 in an all-American program consisting of a Washington premiere, the Pulitzer-prize winning Quartet no. 2 by Alan Jay Kernis; the rarely performed quartet of Amy Beach; William Bolcom's "Rags"; and Gershwin's "Lullaby." Tickets for this concert will be available starting January 17.

On May 19, Frederick Fennell, founder of the Eastman Wind Ensemble, will conduct a program of music for winds and brass at 2 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium. Tickets for that concert will be available from TicketMaster on April 4.

Opening the 2001 schedule on February 1 at 8 p.m. is the renowned Praz?k String Quartet from the Czech Republic performing Zemlinsky's Quartet no. 1, Janacek's Quartet no. 2, and Dvorak's Quartet op. 105. Tickets are available sale starting December 20.

The 75th anniversary season of Concerts from the Library of Congress continues in March with more extraordinary programs and performers. All of these concerts begin at 8 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium unless otherwise noted. Performers and programs are listed below.

• March 2 (tickets available January 24) -- Harpsichord virtuoso Andreas Staier, with music by Maximo Lopez, Sebastian de Albero, Josep Galales, Domenico Scarlatti, Jos? Ferrer and Antonio Soler.
• March 5 (tickets available January 31) -- The period-brass ensemble Concerto Palatino in a program of Venetian music for cornetti and trombones in the Great Hall of the Jefferson Building (note that this program is not in the Coolidge Auditorium).
• March 9 (tickets available January 31) -- The Ensemble Wien-Berlin with Elena Bashkirova, piano, in music of Mozart, Ligeti, Nielsen, and Poulenc.
• March 16 (tickets available February 7) -- The world premiere of a song cycle by William Bolcom and Sandra Seaton, "From the Diary of Sally Hemings," with mezzo-soprano Florence Quivar.
• March 23 (tickets available February 14) -- The young American ensemble Concertante Chamber Players presents a program featuring Barber's "Dover Beach," Brahms's Sextet, op. 36, and the Washington premiere of a piece for clarinet and string quartet, Steven Gerber's "Spirituals."
• April 6 (tickets available February 21) -- Trio Wanderer, three young Parisian artists, presents a McKim Fund piece by Anne LeBaron and works by Schubert and Chausson
• April 19-20 (tickets available March 7) -- The Juilliard String Quartet joined by Seymour Lipkin, piano, performs a new work commissioned by the McKim Fund in the Library of Congress by Ralph Shapey, and other works to be announced.
• April 26-27 (tickets available March 7) -- The Beaux Arts Trio presents a McKim piece and other works to be announced.
• May 4 (tickets available March 14) -- Virtuoso clarinetist and jazz scholar Don Byron is joined by friends to unveil his newest project, "A Fine Line: Arias and Lieder," and perform a world premiere commissioned by the McKim Fund.
• May 11 (tickets available March 21) -- Violinist Ida Kavafian, the Z?phyros Wind Quintet and a chamber choir directed by Norman Scribner perform an evening of music by composer Irving Fine.
• May 19 (tickets available April 4) -- Frederick Fennell conducts a chamber group in a program of music written for winds and brass; 2 p.m.
• May 26 (tickets available April 11) -- The San Francisco Contemporary Music Players directed by Jean-Louis LeRoux present a program of 20th century works by Kui Dong, Steven Mackey, George Edwards and a McKim premiere, "Chicago Bells," by Andrew Imbrie.
• June 5-6 (tickets available April 25) -- The Library's concert season concludes with two different programs by the New York Festival of Song, directed by Michael Barrett and Steven Blier. Tickets are required for all Library of Congress concerts. Free tickets will be distributed by TicketMaster at (301) 808-6900 or (410) 752-1200, for a nominal service charge of $2 per ticket, with additional charges for phone orders and handling.

Tickets are also available at TicketMaster outlets; for a complete list, visit the TicketMaster site at www.ticketmaster.com External. Although the supply of tickets may be exhausted, there are often empty seats at concert time. Interested patrons are encouraged to come to the Library by 6:30 p.m. on concert night to try to obtain no-show tickets at the door. For an updated calendar of concert programs, visit the Concerts from the Library of Congress Web site at www.loc.gov/rr/perform/concert.