Music at Amherst 2023-2024

Your Music at Amherst Series is delighted to announce the 2023–2024 season’s compelling lineup, bringing fresh and awe-inspiring live performances to Buckley Recital Hall. We are honored to present a full season of M@A events, and more mindful than ever that meeting in person is a treasured experience we can all cherish.

The season begins on Oct. 27, the distinctive artistry of internationally acclaimed pianist Simone Dinnerstein returns to Amherst College, as Dinnerstein presents a program of Couperin, Schumann, Glass and Schubert. And, as the first semester draws to a close, we can’t wait to welcome back the poetic Parker Quartet to Buckley Recital Hall on Dec. 1, to perform their program titled HOMELAND with works by Haydn, Silvestrov, Dennehy and Beethoven.

After the winter break, M@A returns on Feb. 9 with a recital by the luminous mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis, whose glorious voice will fill the hall with songs that range from Wagner to Florence Price, followed on March 1 by a performance by the band Social Science, led by Grammy Award-winning visionary jazz artist and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, who is the founder and artistic director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice. In April, we have the long-awaited opportunity to hear international sensation violinist Ray Chen present a recital of Vitali, Bach, Beethoven, Saint-Saëns and Franck on April 19. And last, but not least, on May 3 enjoy a performance by composer, pianist/vocalist and interdisciplinary artist Samora Pinderhughes. Known for his fierce commitment to the fight for liberation, his work delves into all the things our society often obscures: its history, its structures, and the personal and quotidian things we all experience but perhaps just don’t know how to talk about. If you have not yet heard his sweet voice, it will make your heart sing. 

And all this, for you, at your doorstep! Subscribers, new and returning, your seats are waiting for you. Subscription sales begin Aug. 22 via our ticketing website, where single tickets also go on sale 14 days before each performance. Please don’t hesitate to call the Concert Office line at (413) 542–2195 if you have any questions or if we can help in any way.

We can’t wait to see you, who put the live in live music! Dust off your going-out clothes, bring along your favorite person and treat yourself to some very special evenings. The community gem that is Buckley Recital Hall awaits. It’s your very own cozy connection to the sparkling musical world that extends beyond this lovely corner of the Valley.

Yours,
Alisa Pearson

Manager of Concert Programming,
Production and Publicity
Amherst College


M@A Series 2023–2024 Concerts

Simone Dinnerstein, piano

Friday, Oct. 27 • 7:30 p.m. • Assigned Seating

American pianist Simone Dinnerstein has a distinctive musical voice. The Washington Post has called her “an artist of strikingly original ideas and irrefutable integrity.” She first came to wider public attention in 2007 through her recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, reflecting an aesthetic that was both deeply rooted in the score and profoundly idiosyncratic. She is, wrote The New York Times, “a unique voice in the forest of Bach interpretation.” The Washington Post writes that “ultimately, it is Dinnerstein’s unreserved identification with every note she plays that makes her performance so spellbinding.” In a world where music is everywhere, Simone hopes that it can still be transformative.

Program

François Couperin: Les Barricades Mystérieuses
Robert Schumann: Arabesque, Op. 18
Philip Glass: Mad Rush
François Couperin: Tic Toc Choc
Philip Glass: Étude No. 2
Franz Schubert: Sonata in B♭ Major, D 960

Parker Quartet

Friday, Dec. 1 • 7:30 p.m. • Assigned Seating

Inspiring performances, luminous sound and exceptional musicianship are the hallmarks of the Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet. Renowned for its dynamic interpretations and polished, expansive colors, the group has rapidly distinguished itself as one of the preeminent ensembles of its generation, dedicated purely to the sound and depth of their music. The Quartet has appeared at the world’s most important venues since its founding in 2002.

The Parker Quartet is now in its eighth year as the Blodgett Artists-in-Residence at Harvard University, serving as faculty members in the Department of Music. Recent seasons have included performances and residencies around the United States and Europe, including at the 92nd Street Y, Lincoln Center, the University of Chicago, Wigmore Hall, the University of South Carolina, the Schubert Club and Skidmore College

Program

Franz Joseph Haydn: Quartet in D major, Op. 33, No. 6
Valentin Silvestrov: Quartet No. 3
Donnacha Dennehy: Wig
Ludwig van Beethoven: Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135

Raehann Bryce-Davis, mezzo-soprano

Friday, Feb. 9 • 7:30 p.m. • Assigned Seating

Raehann Bryce-Davis has been hailed by The New York Times as a “striking mezzo-soprano” and by the San Francisco Chronicle for her “electrifying sense of fearlessness.” In the 2021–2022 season, Ms. Bryce-Davis made notable house debuts at the Metropolitan Opera in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress; at La Monnaie de Munt, Brussels, as La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica; and at the Glimmerglass Festival singing Azucena in Il Trovatore. Additionally, she returned to both Los Angeles Opera and the Staatstheater Nürnberg as Azucena in Il Trovatore, and to Opera Ballet Vlaanderen as Der Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos. On the concert stage, she joined Chineke! for a BBC Proms performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony conducted by Kevin John Edusei, and she sings solo recitals at the Tuesday Musical Club in San Antonio with pianist Heeyoung Choi, and for the Merola Opera Program with pianist Jeanne-Minette Cilliers.

Program

Richard Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder
Melissa Dunphy: Come, My Tan-Faced Children
Margaret Bonds: Birth
Florence Price: The Crescent Moon
Maria Thompson Corley: The Beauty in My Blackness
Maria Thompson Corley: I Am Not an Angry Black Woman
Peter Ashbourne: Fi Mi Love Have Lion Heart

Terri Lyne Carrington’s Social Science

Friday, March 1 • 7:30 p.m. • General Seating

Galvanized by seismic changes in the ever-evolving social and political landscape, Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science confront a wide spectrum of social justice issues. The band’s stunning double-disc debut, Waiting Game, immediately takes its place in the stirring lineage of politically conscious and activist music, expressing an unflinching, inclusive and compassionate view of humanity’s breaks and bonds through an expansive program melding jazz, R&B, indie rock, contemporary improvisation and hip-hop.

Ray Chen, violin, with pianist Julio Elizalde

Friday, April 19 • 7:30 p.m. • Assigned Seating

Ray Chen is a violinist who redefines what it is to be a classical musician in the 21st century. With a media presence that enhances and inspires the classical audience and reaches out to millions through his unprecedented online following, his remarkable musicianship transmits to a global audience. This is reflected in his engagements with the foremost orchestras and concert halls around the world

Program

Program:
Sonata in G minor “Devil’s Trill” (arr. Kreisler) -Giuseppe Tartini (1692–1770)
Violin Sonata No. 7 in C minor, Op. 30 No. 2- Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Partita No. 3 in E major for Solo Violin, BWV 1006- Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
La Ronde des Lutins, Op. 25- Antonio Bazzini (1818-1897)
Slavonic Dance No. 2 in E minor, Op. 72 (arr. Kreisler)- Antonin Dvorak (1841–1904)
Spain (arr. Elizalde & Chen)- Chick Corea (1941–2021)
 

Samora Pinderhughes

Friday, May 3 • 7:30 p.m. • General Seating

Samora Pinderhughes is a composer, pianist/vocalist, interdisciplinary artist and surrealist whose work delves into all the things our society tries to hide—about its history, about its structures, and about the individual and daily things we all experience but don’t know how to talk about. His primary body of work, The Healing Project, is an extension of the political commitments that Samora has held throughout his life and work: abolitionist, anti-capitalist, anti-colonialist, internationalist, pro-Black power, intersectional, revolutionary. Pinderhughes has been known in the music world for a while now as somebody who is fiercely committed to the fight for liberation, and as somebody who goes past just making songs about issues and is actively involved in the struggle—it’s an everyday, lifelong commitment for him, not just a moment.

Subscription Packages, Single Tickets and How-to's

Subscriptions and tickets are available online at no additional cost through amherst.universitytickets.com and through the Amherst College Concert Office:

P. O. Box 5000
Amherst, MA 01002-5000
Box Office Telephone: (413) 542–2195 Email: concert (at) amherst (dot) edu

Subscriptions

For detailed pricing, please see amherst.universitytickets.com.

If your focus is on classical music, we recommend the four-concert assigned-seating package:

  1. Simone Dinnerstein, piano, on Friday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m.
  2. Parker Quartet on Friday, Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m.
  3. Raehann Bryce-Davis, mezzo-soprano, on Friday, Feb. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
  4. Ray Chen, violin, with pianist Julio Elizalde on Friday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m.

If you want it all, including new music, jazz and cross-genre experiments, consider the full six-concert package:

  1. Simone Dinnerstein, piano, on Friday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m.
  2. Parker Quartet on Friday, Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m.
  3. Raehann Bryce-Davis, mezzo-soprano, on Friday, Feb. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
  4. Terri Lyne Carrington’s Social Science* on Friday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m.
  5. Ray Chen, violin, with pianist Julio Elizalde on Friday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m.
  6. Samora Pinderhughes* on Friday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m.

If you want to explore genre- erasing shows, consider the two-concert package:

  1. Terri Lyne Carrington’s Social Science* on Friday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m.
  2. Samora Pinderhughes* on Friday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m.

*General-seating concerts

Single ticket prices for tickets which go on sale 14 days before each respective concert:

General Public: $28
Senior Citizens (65+): $22 
Students, with valid ID: $12
FREE with current Amherst College ID

 

Parking and access to Buckley: Between the hours of 4:30 PM and 2:00 AM, visitors may park in any valid space on the campus without a permit. Handicapped parking is available opposite the Arms Music Building, and visitors can access Buckley Recital Hall without needing to navigate any steps. If you are attending any of the assigned seating performances this season (10/27, 12/1, 2/9 and 4/19), seats in Orchestra row N do not require steps. Please inform our ushers if you need extra time to enter and help with wheelchair/walkers etc.. Amherst College has an online campus map with an interactive wayfinding feature outlining all of the accessible paths, parking, restrooms, push-button doors, and elevators on campus. For additional information about how to use or find these features, please see this how-to video. We look forward to welcoming you to Buckley!


Alisa C. Pearson

Alisa C. Pearson

Manager of Concert Programming, Production & Publicity