NFoM 2000-01 Season Resuming—

Spellbinding Musicians Will Perform In Newtown

With the start of a bright new year, Newtown Friends of Music will bring an exciting discovery to its audiences: Jacques Thibaud String Trio. The trio will perform at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown on Sunday, February 25, at 3 pm.

Three young men — Burkhard Maiss, violin; Philip Douvier, viola; and Uwe Hirth-Schmidt, cello — began working together as students at the Berlin School of Art in 1994 and toured together that same year. Their extraordinary success after such a short time convinced the musicians to continue on the course they had begun.

The trio pays homage with its name to the great French violinist Jacques Thibaud, who devoted himself to chamber music in addition to his activities as a soloist.

Beyond mind-boggling performances, intellectually bold music-making and the ability to captivate audiences, the trio does something essentially unheard of in the world of chamber music. To quote The Los Angeles Times: “Page turners need not apply to work for this trio. Neither scores nor stands clutter the state. They play from memory.”

The trio has received spellbound acclaim from audiences and critics alike, has toured Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Taiwan, Scandinavia, and has performed over 75 concerts across North America. Highlights among the 1999-2000 season included an appearance at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, a Washington, D.C., debut in the National Gallery, and a residency at Stanford University.

The program for the February 25 concert will feature the String Trio in G minor, Opus 9, by Beethoven; Serenade for String Trio in C, Opus 10,by Erno Dohnanyi; and after the intermission, Divertimento in E-flat K.563 by Mozart.

Tickets for adults are $14, while students and seniors will pay $12 each. Children ages five to 14 are welcome and admitted free when accompanying a ticket-holding adult.

Free parking and handicap access are available at Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street in Newtown. Light refreshments will be served following the performance and an informal reception will give the audience the opportunity to speak with the artists in an informal setting.

For further information and/or reservations call 426-6470; write to Newtown Friends of Music at PO Box 295, Newtown, CT 06470-0295; or send e-mail to friendsofmusic@snet.net.