Mike Telin
Is there any better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than listening to great classical chamber music performed by fantastic musicians— who are also donating their talents on behalf of a humanitarian cause? On Sunday, April 19 beginning at 3:00 pm in the Meeting House of First Church Oberlin, the Amici String Quartet will perform a benefit concert for Family Promise of Lorain County. The concert will include music by Beethoven and Schubert. The event is free and open to the public, although donations to support Family Promise are encouraged.
The Amici Quartet, Takako Masame and Miho Hashizume, violins, Lynne Ramsey, viola, and Ralph Curry, cello, all of whom are members of The Cleveland Orchestra, will begin the afternoon with Beethoven’s Quartet No. 2 in G major, op. 18. During intermission, Family Promise Executive Director Lois Pozega will speak about the agency’s important mission, and former clients will share their own inspirational stories about how the assistance they have received from the agency impacted their lives. In the second half of the concert, the quartet will be joined by their Cleveland Orchestra colleague, bassist Mark Atherton, and Oberlin Conservatory faculty pianist James Howsmon in a performance of Schubert’s Piano Quintet in A major (“Trout”). The event will conclude with a “meet the artists” reception.
Since their founding in 1985, the Amici have appeared at venues throughout Ohio, including at Stan Hywet Hall, the Columbus Museum of Art, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Further afield, the quartet has given concerts in Pennsylvania, Florida, Japan, and Scotland. Committed to the education of young audiences, they have presented concerts at various Ohio public schools and have performed on The Cleveland Orchestra’s Rainbow Music Series. Sunday’s concert will mark their second benefit appearance for Family Promise.
Created in 2008, Lorain County Family Promise provides for homeless families who have immediate needs for shelter, meals, and comprehensive support services, through its Interfaith Hospitality Network of Congregations and Volunteers. The program utilizes a cost-efficient and effective community response to the area’s declining housing situation. Guests in the program include moms, dads, or couples with children. During the day, guest families stay at a day center, while the network director works with them to seek childcare, housing, jobs, and other needed resources. At night, guest families stay at a host congregation, which provides shelter, meals, and support.
Around-the-clock volunteers prepare meals, provide supplies, host evening activities, and, most importantly, provide human compassion. A Network van is available to transport guests between host congregations and the day center. Children are transported to their schools of origin, providing for continuity in their education during a time of instability.
Published on ClevelandClassical.com April 14, 2015.
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