The Atlanta Chamber Players, a mixed ensemble of strings, winds and piano, were founded in 1976 and are entering their 34th season. The ensemble has earned a national reputation as a pioneer among chamber groups and is widely respected among arts organizations in the Southeast.
The ACP’s broad repertoire includes traditional masterpieces (Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Dvorak) as well as contemporary classics (Crumb, Messaien, Stravinsky). ACP also has a long-standing commitment to performing the music of living American composers. The ensemble has premiered more than 50 works to Atlanta audiences, including world premieres commissioned from composers such as David Amram, Anne LeBaron, and two works from Pulitzer-Prize-winner John Harbison. Harbison’s November 19, 1828 (a “fantasy on the death of Schubert”) was premiered by the ACP in Atlanta and released on their Conversations CD in 1996.
The Atlanta Chamber Players, a mixed ensemble of strings, winds and piano, were founded in 1976 and are entering their 34th season. The ensemble has earned a national reputation as a pioneer among chamber groups and is widely respected among arts organizations in the Southeast.
Over the past three decades, the ACP has performed critically acclaimed concerts in more than 200 cities throughout the United States and Europe, and reached millions worldwide through live international radio broadcasts. The group has garnered rave reviews: “… sure grasp of technique and form … excellent musical freedom” (Washington Post); “… the bravos gave testimony to the brilliance of the performers …” (Charleston Post-Courier); “… impeccably interpreted …” (Los Angeles Times).
The ACP’s broad repertoire includes traditional masterpieces (Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Dvorak) as well as contemporary classics (Crumb, Messaien, Stravinsky). ACP also has a long-standing commitment to performing the music of living American composers. The ensemble has premiered more than 50 works to Atlanta audiences, including world premieres commissioned from composers such as David Amram, Anne LeBaron, and two works from Pulitzer-Prize-winner John Harbison. Harbison’s November 19, 1828 (a “fantasy on the death of Schubert”) was premiered by the ACP in Atlanta and released on their Conversations CD in 1996.
To promote new compositions in the Southeast this season, the Antinori Foundation and the ACP are presenting “Rapido! A 14-day Composition Contest.” The First Prize winner will be chosen in October 2009 and commissioned to complete the work for a premiere performance in April 2010 at the ACP’s final season concert.
ACP recordings have consistently earned accolades, from performances of compelling contemporary works on Conversations — “… intense and exciting, yet subtle and well-shaped …” (American Record Guide) — to famous-and-rare salon works on Soirée Sweets — “… elegant … full, deep lyricism … real chamber music …” (Gainesville Times).
The ensemble appears in numerous artistic, educational and outreach concerts each season, as well as touring residencies and television and radio broadcasts. As Affiliate Artists at Georgia State University’s School of Music, 1990 – 2006, ACP presented concerts, lectures and master classes. The group was in residence at Kennesaw State University from 1996 – 2003, and was the Candler Ensemble in Residence at Emory University from 1982 – 1987. In 1979, ACP was among the first ensembles nationally to participate in Chamber Music America’s Paul Residency Program.
During the group’s milestone 30th Anniversary Season in 2006 – 2006, ACP was named “Best of 2005 in Classical Music” by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and awarded the Phoenix Award by Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin for the group’s “active commitment to the performing arts and contributions to enhance the city’s artistic reputation.” - Capping the 30th Anniversary celebration was a June 2006 European concert tour to Paris, Rome and Lausanne, where the group presented premiere performances of Pulitzer Prize winning composer John Harbison’s Songs America Loves to Sing, commissioned by the ACP and recorded in fall 2006 at the Dozier Center for the Performing Arts.
- The ACP was twice featured on NPR’s Performance Today during live international broadcasts from Spivey Hall during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Their celebrated performance of Beethoven’s Clarinet Trio is included on NPR’s history-making CD, Spirit of ‘96.
- In 1998 the ACP recorded a series of eight hour-long live radio programs, which have been broadcast throughout Georgia’s 14-station Peach State Public Radio Network. ACP’s concerts also are frequently broadcast on WABE 90.1 FM Radio’s Atlanta Music Scene, as well as on NPR’s Performance Today.
During ACP’s Silver Anniversary Season, marking 25 years of artistic excellence, the ensemble released two new CD recordings. Footeprints celebrates American composer Arthur Foote: “… they play with great generosity, technically well-balanced and crisp, but with color and warmth …” (Creative Loafing); “… it’s highly recommended – Grade A!” (Atlanta Journal Constitution). The second major release, Sacred Theory of the Earth, showcases music by American composer Anne LeBaron: “The ACP handle this terribly difficult music with technical savvy, and with the musical personality and aplomb to pull it off.” (Creative Loafing)
- Songs America Loves to Sing, the group’s fifth CD, was released in April 2007 on MSR Classics and features Mozart, Dello Joio and Bunch, in addition to the Harbison premiere. International and national critics acclaim the CD as “… a delight from start to finish …” (BBC Music Magazine, December 2008) and say, “This is a highly gratifying recording, offering variety and splendid playing.” (American Record Guide Review, January/February 2008)
- The ensemble has been featured three times on the prestigious Signature Series at Atlanta’s Rialto Center for the Performing Arts, and its members have appeared as soloists in Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra.
The Atlanta Chamber Players have toured extensively, including a 25th Anniversary Season international tour in France, a 2006 European Concert Tour to Paris, Lausanne and Rome, and nationally from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles, and from Camden, Maine to Key West, Florida. We have played in more than 200 cities to date, concertizing in significant music capitals, as well as presenting numerous residencies throughout the region on the Southern Arts Federation Touring Program.
International
- Paris, France (American Cathedral)
- Orléans, France (Salle de l’Institut)
- Nuits St. Georges, France (Clos de Vougeot Château)
National
- New York, NY (Merkin Concert Hall)
- Boston, MA (Charles River Concert Series)
- Washington, DC (National Gallery of Art, Phillips Collection)
- Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati Composers Guild)
- Los Angeles, CA (Claremont Colleges)
Regional
- Charleston, SC (Spoleto Festival)
- Anniston, AL (Alabama Shakespeare Festival)
- Roanoke Chamber Music Society (VA)
- Tampa Symphony (FL)
- Memphis Chamber Music Society (TN)
- Savannah Symphony (GA)
- Huntsville Chamber Music Society (AL)
- Gainesville ProMusica Concert Series (GA)
- The Cloister, Glynn County Mozart Society (Sea Island, GA)
- A.R.T. Station (Tifton, GA)
- Owensboro (KY)
- Wilmington, Charlotte (NC)
- Montgomery, Mobile (AL)
- New Orleans, Lafayette (LA)
- Jackson, Biloxi, Hattiesburg (MS)
- Daytona Beach, Pensacola, Lakeland, Melbourne, Lake Wales (FL)
- Columbus, Macon, Albany, Statesboro, Augusta & Brunswick (GA)
Universities & Colleges: Concerts & Residencies
- Artists in Residence: Georgia State University (1991-2006),
- Artists in Residence: Kennesaw State University (1996-2003)
- Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN)
- University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY)
- Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL)
- Auburn University (Auburn, AL)
- Ole Miss (Oxford, MS)
- Clemson University (Clemson, SC)
- University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL)
- Tuskeegee Institute (Tuskeegee, AL)
- University of Georgia (Athens, GA)
- Berry College & Shorter College (Rome, GA)
The ACP performs in a variety of venues, enabling the group to reach a wide range of audiences. During this 34th season, we will perform at the following locations:
- The Walter Hill Auditorium in Atlanta’s High Museum of Art will house this year’s Chamber Music in Art Spaces – “Rapido!” concert on Oct. 4, 2009. On Peachtree Street in the heart of Atlanta’s Midtown entertainment district, this elegant space provides the perfect setting for showcasing the Atlanta Chamber Players musical magic. [view map]
- The Ahavath Achim Synagogue (Srochi Chapel) will be the site of the ACP’s Chamber Music in Sacred Spaces – “Spotlight on Winds” concert on Nov. 15, 2009. This is a return engagement for the ACP at this venue, the spiritual home of a century-old congregation that built its present facility in 1958. [view map]
- The New American Shakespeare Tavern — How about a little beer with your chamber music? Atlanta audiences will have two opportunities to hear the Atlanta Chamber Players in a British pub environment this year, at the Chamber Music at the Tavern – “The Soldier’s Tale” concert Jan. 26, 2010, and again at the “Premieres & Prodigies” season-ending concert April 28, 2010. [view map]
- Spivey Hall, located on the campus of Clayton State University, is a 400-seat, acoustically superior performing arts venue that has presented the best in classical music and jazz to the metro Atlanta area since 1991. The ACP will perform the “Twilight & Bright” concert there on Feb. 28, 2010. [view map]
