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Saturdays at 3 p.m. Always FREE. Registration required. Online until it is safe to return to the concert hall.

Up Next: February 27 AMERICAN VOICES facp.eventbrite.com

Programming Update

Emily Levin and Ebonee Thomas present a program that showcases the diverse and unique voices of composers from the Americas. Featuring works by Valerie Coleman, Amy Beach, Astor Piazzolla, and Vincent Persichetti, these perfectly paired instruments will demonstrate a depth and color that belie any saccharine-tinged assumptions about the flute, the harp, and their players.

Ebonee Thomas, flute Emily Levin, harp Cézanne Quartet Formed in 2014, the Cézanne Quartet is based in Dallas where they maintain an active performing career. From 2015- 2017, they were named the Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence at SMU Meadows School of the Arts, becoming the first quartet chosen for the fellowship. At the 2015 Coltman Chamber Music Competition, they received Second Place Ensemble in the Senior Division, and in 2017, they were named Semi-Finalists at the Plowman Chamber Music Competition. The group has performed with Fine Arts Chamber Players, Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, Mimir Chamber Music Festival, Music in the Mountains Festival, Bridge the Gap Chamber Series, Meadows Virtuosi Players, Texas Christian University CelloFest, Open Classical Artist Series, Fort Worth Chamber Music Society, and Ensemble 75. They have collaborated with artists such as Andres Diaz, Matt Albert, Aviram Reichert, Lucille Chung, the Escher Quartet, and the Altius Quartet. Locally, they are frequent performers with the Avant Chamber Ballet, which presents shows at the Moody Performing Arts Center, NorthPark Center and throughout the DFW area, and this will be their second time presenting a concert with FACP. Recently, Cézanne celebrated the release of their first album titled Retrospection, which includes works by contemporary American composer Kevin Puts, as well as the sixth and final quartets written by Felix Mendelssohn and Béla Bartók. Recorded in the beautiful Caruth Auditorium on the SMU campus, it is available for streaming on Spotify. The quartet is named after the French impressionist painter Paul Cézanne because of the first work the group studied together: the French impressionist composer Claude Debussy's String Quartet in G minor.

Christie Vela Christie Vela is a director, actor, and producer of theater who has called Dallas home since 1993. Ms. Vela has worked all over the Metroplex and currently serves as Associate Artistic Director at Theatre Three. She is an artistic company member at Kitchen Dog Theatre and Second Thought Theatre, and is a founding member of the Diane and Hal Brierly Resident Acting Company at The Tony Award Winning Dallas Theater Center. Ms. Vela also directs film and enjoys talking about horror movies and the wealth of delicious tacos available in Dallas via her podcast “Terror and Tacos.” She has directed the film Final Dress which is to be released in 2021. ______

A Note on the Program from Artistic Director Emily Levin Welcome to you all, and happy 2021! As a brief respite from the chaos of the world, I am very excited to share today’s program with you, which offers you the genius of Beethoven alongside the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie. Combining music and literature is a passion of mine (my album Something Borrowed explores this theme), and today’s concert is for music lovers and bookworms alike. The wonderful Cézanne Quartet returns to the FACP stage, joined by actress Christie Vela, and while I shouldn’t have favorites, I believe this is one of the highlights of our season. Get out your magnifying glass, and let’s solve a mystery!

About the Concert Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 95, nicknamed “Serioso,” is the last of Beethoven’s middle period quartets. This piece is full of angst and tumult, apparent from the very beginning in the fiery unison opening. Sudden pauses, surprising harmonies, and abrupt changes of mood characterize this piece, and the odd ending in a major key only underlines the twisted nature of the music.

As the music unfolds its drama, Christie Vela reads the text of Agatha Christie’s short story “A Christmas Tragedy.” Featuring the talents of Miss Jane Marple, a centenarian Victorian with a fondness for knitting and a “mind like a kitchen sink,” the intrigue and drama of the plot are mirrored in the music. As Miss Marple narrates in her gentle, sometimes rambling way, she tells of her holiday in a hotel resort. It comes as no surprise that where Miss Marple goes, murder soon follows.

I sat down with Beethoven’s score and the short story and looked for points of natural pause that would allow for music to transition to text, and vice versa. I also paid attention to the musical drama, and tried to align it with the murder. There is no better piece to frame a murder mystery than this string quartet, and the result is an incredible fusion of words and music.

String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor Op. 95, "Serioso" Ludwig van Beethoven I. Allegro con brio (1770—1827) II. Allegretto ma non troppo III. Allegro assai vivace ma serioso IV. Larghetto espressivo; Allegretto agitato; Allegro

Incorporated throughout the musical performance “A Christmas Tragedy” Agatha Christie (1890—1976)

Cézanne Quartet Eleanor Dunbar, violin Lauren Haseltine, violin Steven Juarez, viola Elizabeth White, cello

and Christie Vela

Performance filmed at Sammons Center for the Arts | Dallas, Texas Founder’s Circle ($3,000+) Patron ($250-$499) Yann Maa Anonymous Ben Alvord LuAnne & Richard Malnory Virginia & Robert Dupuy Robert L. Brielmaier Anne Mattice Fanchon & Howard Hallam Mary & G. Timothy Hardin Marcy & David McDonald Norma & Don Stone John Fox Holt, III Leo McPherson Alexander Kerr Margaret Moore Theresa & Jeff Kurz Kim Noltemy Artist’s Circle ($1,000-$2,999) Jessie Makil Nathan Olson Delia Duson Alex McDonald Charles Price Larry & Lori Hutchison Judy & Mike McIlwain Noel David Pullum & Darryl P. Clement Cindy Karm Eileen & Rudy Moras Sonja Bilger Romanowski Judy & John Muscarella W. Paul Radman Karen Schnackenberg Stephen Penrose Michael B. Ray Eileen Shibata Susan & John Poulton Wilfred & Nancy Roberts Elizabeth Shorey Rogene Russell & Doug Howard Suzanne & James Robertson Nancy Shutt Deborah Mashburn & David Boddie Wendy Struck Sue & Barry Slotnick Enika & Richard Schulze Bill Woster Melanie Smith Sally Smith* Janet & Bill Spruce Nancy & John Solana Joanna St. Angelo Daniel Stampfel Supporter ($100-$249) Marcella Stark Cindy & Arthur Vaughn Timothy Anderson Helen Stettler Michael & Don Welsh Jane Linn Aten Bob Stoller Karen & Jim Wiley J. Lee Baldwin Lorlee Mark Stoltz Anne Witherspoon Bartos Robert Brandt Taylor Celeste Yeager John Bassler Cindy & Fred Tibbals Carla & Larry Carnes Laurie & Rob Tranchin Claudia Choi Suzanna Veldhuis Benefactor ($500-$999) Mark L. Cohen Terrence Wagner Catherine & Eric Barr Betty Taylor Cox Michael Wilson Steven Engwall Advised Fund Carol Crowe Joyce & Glenn Wittig Rita Sue & Alan Gold Philanthropic Fund Louise Delano Katie Wolber of the Dallas Jewish Community Wei Dong Keitha Wright Foundation Joel Emanuel Aileen & Carl Yang Barbara & Peter Grenier Tony Farrer Emily Guthrie Foerch Family Charitable Fund The Louise W. Kahn Endowment Fund Bob Forner Matching Gift Programs of The Dallas Foundation Marcia & John Richard Hawley Bank of America Steve Li Michael Hazel ExxonMobil James Mulligan Angela Hendricks Hewlett Packard Rebecca & Brad Todd Wanda Wilson & Rick Holt Hunt Cares Campaign Amy & Alan Vanderneut Carolyn & Glenn Hood LPL Financial Trina Johnson Toyota ______Sally King Charitable Fund ______* Deceased Helen Lee Donors as of deadline. Michael Legacy Please contact FACP with questions or updates: [email protected] Harriet Little

Online: Visit FineArtsChamberPlayers.org/donate or scan the QR code on the back of this program. Mail: Checks can be mailed to FACP at 3630 Harry Hines Blvd., #302 / Dallas 75219. Please note, we are experiencing a month delay in mail while our office building remains closed. Shopping: Loyalty cards at Tom Thumb and Kroger can benefit Fine Arts Chamber Players. Amazon: Shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/75-1831061 and AmazonSmile donates to FACP. FANCHON & HOWARD HALLAM

Special Thanks to Christie Vela for voicing FACP radio ads for this performance Board of Directors Staff Anne Witherspoon, President Emily Levin Cindy Vaughn, Treasurer Hallam Family Concerts Artistic Director Cindy Karm, Secretary Patricio Gallo Alex McDonald Daniel Stampfel Basically Beethoven Festival Director Donald J. Stone Barbara Sypult Emily Guthrie Subhashini Tripuraneni Executive Director Celeste Yeager

Co-Founder Rogene Russell Advisory Board Sue S. Bancroft Howard Hallam Mission Statement Larry Hutchison To enrich and enhance the quality of life of Lori Hutchison North Texas area residents, especially families Jessie Makil and children, through free concerts of classical music and educational activities

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3630 Harry Hines Blvd., Ste. 302 | Dallas, Texas 75219 | 214-520-2219 [email protected] | www.FineArtsChamberPlayers.org

While FACP’s physical office remains closed, email is the best way to reach staff.