Les Amies, a Harp-Viola-Flute Trio, Makes Detroit Debut March 31 on CMSD Series

March 20, 2012 - PRLog -- FARMINGTON HILLS, MI, March 20, 2012—Les Amies, featuring renowned soloists Nancy Allen, harp, Cynthia Phelps, viola and Carol Wincenc, flute, makes its Detroit area debut 8 PM,  Saturday, March 31. Presented by the Chamber Music Society of Detroit, Les Amies performs at the Seligman Performing Arts Center, 22305 West 13 Mile Road (at the corner of Lahser and 13 Mile roads), Beverly Hills, on the campus of Detroit Country Day School.

Ticket holders are invited to a complementary pre-concert talk with Les Amies, 6:45-7:30 PM.  

The program consists of works originally written for the harp-viola-flute trio combination, works arranged for this instrumentation and duo works for flute and harp or viola and harp.


Ibert:         Deux Interludes for Flute, Viola and Harp, Entr’acte for Flute and Harp

J. S. Bach:        Sonata in G minor, BWV 1020 (arranged for flute and harp)

Ravel:          Sonatine (arranged for flute, viola and harp)

Andrea Clearfield      ... And low to the lake falls home

Faure:         Impromptu for Harp in D-flat major, Op. 86, Romance for Viola and Harp, Op. 69, Morceau de Concert for Flute and Harp

Debussy:      Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp

Single tickets for all remaining 2011-2012 concerts are $43 to $75 for adults, $25 for students. Tickets may be purchased by phone or online by calling Chamber Music Society of Detroit ticket service at (248) 855-6070 or visiting www.ComeHearCMSD.org.

The concert is sponsored by Aldingbrooke Terrace and Townhome Rentals, a Beztak Development.  The Chamber Music Society of Detroit’s 2011-2012 Pre-Concert Talk series is sponsored by Fidelity Investments.

The Chamber Music Society of Detroit is a nonprofit organization committed to presenting the highest quality chamber music performed by musicians of international stature in acoustically outstanding venues.  The Chamber Music Society of Detroit is recognized both locally and nationally for the high caliber of its performances. For more visit www.ComeHearCMSD.org.

About Les Amies
Les Amies is the collaboration of three well established and highly esteemed artists:  New York Philharmonic principal players Nancy Allen, harp, and Cynthia Phelps, viola, and internationally renowned flutist Carol Wincenc. As the name "Les Amies" suggests, the three artists are long-time colleagues; their new collaboration provides a unique opportunity to bring to audiences the color and beauty of the unusual trio combination of flute, viola and harp.

Each of these artists has earned accolades and high honors in her field, winning first prizes in such competitions as the Naumburg, Israel International Harp Competition, Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, Concert Artists Guild and Pro Musicis. As soloists, they have been featured with the symphony orchestras of Chicago, New York, London, St. Louis, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Minnesota and Hong Kong, as well as Orpheus and the St. Paul, Los Angeles and English Chamber Orchestras.

All have performed, toured, or recorded with some of today's most esteemed chamber groups, such as the Guarneri, Tokyo, and Emerson String Quartets, and The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln They appear regularly in today's top chamber music festivals including Aspen, Marlboro, Santa Fe, La Jolla, Mostly Mozart, Vail, Portland, Seattle and Music from Menlo.

Championing new music has been a priority for these artists; collectively they have commissioned works from the composers Lucas Foss, Joan Tower, Christopher Rouse, Peter Shickele, George Rochberg, Stephen Paulus, and Sofia Guibaidulina, among many others. Their representation on disc includes the recording labels of Deutsche Gramaphone, Telarc, Decca, Arabesque, Naxos, Virgin and Cala records. Les Amies made its New York debut in 2010 at the J.P. Morgan Library, playing the world premieres of Andrea Clearfield's "…And lLow to the Lake Falls Home" and Thea Musgrave's Sunrise.