NOTE (Friday, September 22, 2017): This feature has been updated to reflect the proper configuration of the six member jazz band Boplicity.

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For the third year running, the New England New Music Ensemble (NENME) will make its autumnal offering of "Random Acts of Chamber Music" at the Newtown Meeting House on Friday, October 6.

The 7:30 pm performance is a featured 2017 Newtown Arts Festival event.

There is no admission fee, however the ensemble is asking for donations, with 100 percent of the contributions going to Newtown Cultural Arts Commission's Grants & Scholarship Fund.

"We waive our fee so that all of the money can go to that fund," said Robert Rabinowitz, the group's flutist. "But we really want to encourage people to come even if they cannot donate."

The five current members of NENME gathered for a rehearsal on September 12. In a basement room at the home of one member, just chockablock with books, pieces of art in myriad forms, sheet music, musical instruments and wiring, the musicians sat with music stands in front of them, their instruments nearby.

Between run-throughs of a few songs for their upcoming performance, the five musicians talked about NENME, outside projects, and their daytime personas.

The ensemble's members are Greg Baimel, on clarinet; Phil Crevier, piano; Kristen Provost Switzer, cello; Scott Provost Switzer, bassoon and contrabassoon; and Mr Rabinowitz.

Emily Boyer, a French horn player now very busy with touring and teaching, is on hiatus from NENME. The October performance will be the first one without her, her co-musicians said recently.

By day the ensemble's current members are a statistician with Cannondale Bicycle (and assistant Scoutmaster for Newtown's Boy Scout Troop 770), in international health and life insurance business (and organist at Newtown Congregational Church), the associate pastor of youth and mission at Newtown Congregational Church, a classical musician with Norwalk Symphony Orchestra and teacher at Hartt School of Music, and a senior manager for information security at Pitney Bowes (and a member of Hadron Big Bangers).

Getting Together

The ensemble members found each other after Mr Rabinowitz and Mr Baimel, who previously collaborated in the jazz band Boplicity, decided a few years ago that "it would be fun to have a chamber music ensemble," Mr Rabinowitz said. Through social networking and word of mouth, the group began forming. The ensemble was in place by autumn 2014.

"We had a few people who came and went," said Mr Rabinowitz.

"It was our period of adjusting," added Mr Provost Switzer.

NENME usually does two or three performances per season. In addition to the annual performances in their hometown, they have done alternating years at Oxford Arts Festival. They are planning to return to that event in the spring, as well as Richter House in Danbury.

The group creates new programs each season, coming up with new arrangements for each program.

"These are all original arrangements," Rev Provost Switzer said.

"People seem to get a kick out of us doing rock songs and heavy metal songs," Mr Rabinowitz said. "There are three original pieces in this year's programs, and then the new arrangements by bands and composers people may recognize."

NENME's members spend a lot of time interacting among themselves and their audience during performances. They enjoy having fun, which was apparent during a recent rehearsal. There was chatter and conversation, and then there was music.

When they are performing, they are focused, and very good. When the music stops, there is more laughter and easy conversation. And talk about pranks.

Last year's concert program, for instance, did not exactly enlighten audience members prior to the performance.

"Last year our program was completely nothing that we played," Mr Rabinowitz said last week.

Bassoon Reed Ruse

Those looking through the selections for that evening, before the performance began, were led to believe that NENME would be playing The Who's rock opera

Tommy - The entire thing - with members of the ensemble taking on parts of the play in addition to performing the music.

"That was only part of the program," he said. "If we had actually played it, the program would have gone on for hours."

In addition to

Tommy, the audience - for a short time - thought they were also in for a three-hour lecture by Mr Provost Switzer on making bassoon reeds.

Regardless of being set astray with the program notes and even what would supposed to be served at the reception following the performance, the ensemble received a standing ovation at the conclusion of their concert.

"We were absolutely thrilled," Mr Rabinowitz said.

"This year we're actually playing the pieces in the program, but if you look through it there's a story behind it," Mr Rabinowitz added. "We tried to add some humor and flow to the whole thing.

"There may still be some surprises, though," he said.

And so that's how random works - or as Mr Baimel called them, "wildly different genres" - from the likes of Queen, Procol Harum, and Muse, among a few others, have been organized into a show that will also include original pieces by Mr Crevier and Mr Rabinowitz. The theme is … something that one will have to find out for themselves on October 6.

To listen to a few past performances by NENME, and to view a video of the ensemble performing Steve Reich's "Clapping Music," visit nenme.weebly.com. Tickets are not necessary for the October 6 performance at Newtown Meeting House, 31 Main Street. A reception will follow.

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