Back on Track

“As members of the Oakwood Chamber Players, we count ourselves among the luckiest musicians alive today,” violinist Elspeth Stalter Clouse says.

“We genuinely enjoy spending time with one another, working through difficult passages together during rehearsals. We have not one, but two beautiful performance spaces available to us. And most importantly, we have an audience as adventurous and open-minded about listening to music as we are about performing it.”

Almost any musician would agree that these three factors make up the recipe for a truly fulfilling professional life. The Oakwood Chamber Players are grateful for that opportunity at Oakwood Village, and are excited to be back on your doorstep this fall.

If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting them, the Oakwood Chamber Players are a group of six professional musicians–violin, cello, oboe, flute, clarinet and bassoon–working in and around Madison. In fact, you may have already seen some of them performing with the Madison Symphony or the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. However, while they all enjoy playing in larger ensembles, chamber music is their first love.

Playing in a small chamber ensemble gives members of OCP opportunities that they don’t often have as musicians. They get to know one another’s playing styles more intimately, allowing them to explore deeper musical ideas beyond the notes on the page. They get to program music they are passionate about, and often introduce one another to new composers and works in the process. The players also get to know you, their audience, more personally; by interacting with you before, during and after performances, they build lasting and profoundly meaningful relationships.

Likewise, attending a chamber music concert is a special experience for audiences. It’s easier to see the musicians interact with one another on stage, and to watch as musical ideas are passed around from one performer to another. You’ll have the opportunity to get to know the players’ individual musical styles, which helps you get to know them as people, too, since their personalities often shine through their playing. Chamber music concerts are also more likely to introduce you to new favorite composers and pieces, especially in an ensemble with such unique instrumentation like the Oakwood Chamber Players.

This season, the Oakwood Chamber Players are overjoyed to return to the stage for in-person concerts. They will be performing each of their programs at both Oakwood campuses: on Friday nights at 7:00pm, they will be at Oakwood Village Prairie Ridge, and on Saturday nights at 7:00pm they will be at Oakwood Village University Woods. As always, these performances are free for Oakwood residents.

In addition, the players will be offering a third Sunday afternoon concert in the community on select programs this year, performing at 2:00pm at Olbrich Botanical Gardens and the Madison Opera Center.

To stay in touch with the Oakwood Chamber Players, visit the OCP website at www.oakwoodchamberplayers.com, or follow the group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/oakwoodchamberplayers. You'll get updates with performance details in the weeks leading up to each concert.

Financial support for the Oakwood Chamber Players is made possible thanks to your gifts to the Oakwood Foundation.