Chamber Music on the Fox

Bringing extraordinary chamber music to downtown Elgin and the Fox Valley region

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Chamber Music on the Fox

Chamber Music on the Fox Presents Moonshine Sonata

The Kruger Brothers and Kontras Quartet Combine for our Season Finale

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Chamber Music on the Fox’s 2024-2025 season finale will be a celebration of diverse musical styles coming together in a dynamic and exciting concert! Moonshine Sonata is the collaboration between bluegrass ensemble The Kruger Brothers and string quartet Kontras Quartet.  These two ensembles will perform music from their most recent album together, and delight audiences with the beautiful harmonies of banjo, guitar, and classical string instruments. Don’t miss your chance to hear these dynamic players in a concert that is sure to get your heart racing and foot tapping!

Event Details:

Sunday, May 18th, 2025 2:30 pm
The Venue
21 S Broadway, Aurora IL

Monday, May 19th, 2025 7:30 pm
The Haight
166 Symphony Way, Elgin IL

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Chamber Music on the Fox Presents Capriccio Concerts

Brass, Winds, and Piano Come Together in March Concerts

Liang-yu-Wang, piano - Capriccio

This month, Chamber Music on the Fox will bring its largest concert of the season to the stage: Capriccio. Named in honor of the centerpiece composition, Leoš Janácek’s Capriccio for Piano Left-Hand and Chamber Ensemble, this concert will celebrate the contributions of three of the 20th centuries’ most masterful composers. Capriccio itself is a fascinating work of music, with a solo for the pianist in the left-hand part, and layers of sound with flutes, trumpets, and euphonium. Paul Hindemith’s beautiful Morgenmusik, a tribute to the medieval tradition of greeting the sunrise each day with trumpets, will showcase some of Chicago’s finest brass players. Stravinsky’s Octet for Wind Instruments is a celebration of winds, and includes bassoon, clarinet, and flute playing alongside trumpet and trombone. With these three pieces on the program, audiences can expect an engaging and thrilling sound experience. 

Event Details:

Sunday, March 23rd, 2025 2:30 pm
New England Congregational Church
406 W Galena Blvd, Aurora IL

Monday, March 24th, 2025 7:30 pm
First Congregational Church of Dundee
900 S. 8th St., West Dundee, IL

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American Stories

Featuring the Zodiac Trio

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Chamber Music on the Fox will present three concerts across northern Illinois in its American Stories concert series, featuring the internationally recognized Zodiac Trio. In this program, the trio of clarinet, violin, and piano will present familiar masterpieces alongside hidden musical gems. From Benny Goodman’s iconic tunes to original arrangements of Argentine Tangos and Mexican ballroom dance music, this program of North and South American Songs and Dances is a creative compilation of pieces that have proven to be meaningful to people across both American continents.

Over the past decade, the Zodiac Trio has established itself as the leading international trio of its kind, heralded by Radio France as “A breathtaking ensemble of virtuosity and sensitivity.” Taking advantage of its unusual instrumentation of clarinet, violin and piano, the Zodiac Trio has been at the forefront of innovative programming, presenting 20th century masterpieces alongside new works and acclaimed original arrangements, offering the listener an immersive, musical journey.

Event Details:

Saturday, February 22nd, 2:00 p.m.
Woodstock Opera House,
121 W Van Buren St, Woodstock IL

Sunday, February 23rd, 2:30 p.m.
New England Congregational Church
406 W Galena Blvd, Aurora IL

Monday, February 24th, 7:30 p.m.
First Congregational Church of Dundee
900 S. 8th St., West Dundee, IL

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Chamber Music on the Fox announces 11th season

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There are a number of surprises in Chamber Music on the Fox’s 11th season, which was announced this week. In addition to traditional chamber music ensembles performing works by legendary classical masters, the five-concert subscription series will include performances celebrating Latin American women, a mashup of a classical string quartet with a bluegrass folk trio, and a program of North and South American songs and dances.

“We are excited to offer a five-concert series that features a variety of world class musicians, some who have played with us before to great fanfare, like the KAIA String Quartet and pianist Liang-yu Wang, and some, like the Kontras Quartet and the bluegrass folk trio of the Kruger Brothers, that will stretch the traditional boundaries of classical music to create energetic, awe-inspiring experiences,” said Mark Fry, Artistic Director and Co-founder of Chamber Music on the Fox.

In addition to the series, Chamber Music on the Fox will host a special event that focuses on the Baroque era and features the music of Bach, Frescobaldi, and Handel on Nov. 25, at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Charles, Ill.  The special concert will feature soprano Kathleen Monson, bass trombonist Mark Fry, violinist Eric Pidluski, flutist Scott Metlicka, and keyboardist Christopher Powell. Tickets for this concert are sold separately from the series subscription and are priced at $25, and $15 for students.

In keeping with its expansion across the Fox Valley, Chamber Music on the Fox concerts will be held in Elgin, Dundee, Aurora, and St. Charles. A five-concert subscription package is $120. Individual tickets are priced between $25 and $45, with $15 – $25 student tickets. Season tickets are now available at www.ChamberMusicOnTheFox.org. 

Chamber Music on the Fox will also continue its partnership with the Woodstock Opera House (WOH). Performances in Woodstock will be announced at a later date and tickets will be available exclusively through WOH.

The season begins Sunday, Oct. 6, with “A Celebration of Latin American Women” featuring the KAIA String Quartet performing eclectic works by Argentinian, Brazilian, Mexican, Uruguayan, and Venezuelan female composers. The 2:30 p.m. program will take place at The Packard Room at the Ballydoyle in Aurora. The concert will be repeated Monday, Oct. 7, at 7:30 p.m. at The Haight in Elgin.

Two of the Chicago area’s most brilliant and virtuosic musicians, Matthew Oliphant and Rachel Velvikis, come together in a program that showcases the French horn on Jan. 12 and 13, 2025. The pair will be joined by violinists Eleanor Bartsch and MingHuan Xu, and pianists Winston Choi and Liang-yu Wang, in works by Beethoven, Ligeti and Brahms. The Jan. 12 concert will take place at New England Congregational Church in Aurora at 2:30 p.m. The 7:30 p.m., Jan. 13, performance will be held at First Congregational Church of Elgin.

The internationally recognized Zodiac Trio will present familiar masterpieces alongside hidden musical gems in a virtuosic program featuring iconic Benny Goodman tunes and original arrangements of Argentine Tangos and Mexican ballroom dance music in February 2025. The Sunday, Feb. 23, performance will be held at 2:30 p.m. at New England Congregational Church in Aurora. The First Congregational Church of Dundee will host the Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, 7:30 p.m. performance.

A favorite of Chamber Music on the Fox’s audiences, pianist Liang-yu Wang returns on March 23 and 24 to perform Leoš Janáček’s Capriccio for Piano Left-Hand and Chamber Ensemble. Mark Fisher will conduct the program, which also includes Paul Hindemith’s Morgenmusik for brass ensemble and Igor Stravinsky’s Octet for wind instruments. The programs will take place Sunday, March 23, 2025, at 2:30 p.m., at the New England Congregational Church in Aurora, and Monday, March 24, 2025, at 7:30 p.m., at the First Congregational Church of Dundee.

Moonshine Sonata rounds out the season on Sunday, May 18, 2025, at 2:30 p.m., at The Venue in Aurora, and Monday, May 19, 2025, at 7:30 p.m., at The Haight in Elgin. In a meeting between classical string quartet and bluegrass folk trio, this promises to be a fun and feisty concert that weaves together new American folk and old European classical traditions. The Kontras Quartet and the Kruger Brothers are featured.

3rd Coast Brass presents rarely-performed edition of “Pictures At An Exhibition” for Chamber Music on the Fox’s season finale

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18-piece brass ensemble takes on Howarth’s arrangement of Mussorgsky’s masterpiece, as well as music by Gunther Schuller and Bjork

Chamber Music on the Fox closes out its 10th season with a nontraditional twist on the classical repertoire. This unique opportunity marks the first time Chicago-based 3rd Coast Brass will come together as a large-scale symphonic brass ensemble. Brass legend Mark Fisher will conduct the 18-piece ensemble, consisting of notable Chicago area musicians including members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Grant Park Music Festival, and CMOTF Artistic Director Mark Fry.

The program’s feature piece is a nod to the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble — which is credited with giving brass musicians visibility outside of an orchestra setting — as the symphonic brass ensemble performs Elgar Howarth’s arrangement of Modest Mussorgsky’s famous “Pictures At An Exhibition.” Originally composed as a piano suite by Mussorgsky in 1874 (and performed as such by Natasha Paremski on the CMOTF series in 2019), English composer Howarth arranged the masterpiece for brass ensemble 103 years later, in 1977, which was recorded the same year by the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble.

Also on the program is Schuller’s epic Symphony for Brass and Percussion, and Björk’s Overture to “Dancer in the Dark”, a 2000 film that also starred the singer/composer.

”The pieces we are playing in this concert are both interesting and special to me in that the Gunther Schuller’s Symphony for Brass is very unusual,” said Matthew Gaunt, tuba player for 3rd Coast Brass. “Schuller wrote this work specifically to show brass instruments doing things unlike what they normally do in band and orchestra.

“The ’Pictures At An Exhibition’ is a really famous work that everybody knows and for me to play this particular arrangement is really exciting because it is one of the first recordings that my tuba teacher gave to me when I was a kid that got me excited about playing the tuba. So, I am really excited to play this with some fantastic musicians.”

CMOTF co-founder, artistic director, and bass trombone player Mark Fry grew up listening to the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble’s many recordings, as well as performing several arrangements by them. “I was quite literally shell shocked when I first heard their ‘Pictures’ the first time.  I am thrilled to share this remarkable arrangement with Chamber Music on the Fox audiences in May. It is very fitting that CMOTF will have programmed both the original piano version and this very special arrangement for the symphonic brass ensemble on our series,” Fry said.

The concerts will be held Friday, May 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Woodstock Opera House; Sunday, May 19, at 2:30 p.m. at The Venue in Aurora, Ill.; and Monday, May 20, at 7:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Elgin, Ill.

NOTE:  Biographies of all 18 musicians performing in this concert, along with program information, is available at https://www.chambermusiconthefox.org/program-pictures-at-an-exhibition.

Chamber Music on the Fox Chamber Players to present Romantic Piano Quartets

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Concerts scheduled in Woodstock, Aurora, and West Dundee

Chamber Music on the Fox presents three concerts featuring piano quartets of the Romantic era in March. CMOTF Chamber Players Cristina Buciu on violin, Dominic Johnson on viola, Sara Sitzer on cello, and Liang-yu Wang on piano will perform Richard Strauss’ Piano Quartet in C minor and Johannes Brahms Piano Quartet in G minor on Sunday, March 10, at 3 p.m. at the Woodstock Opera House, 121 Van Buren St. in Woodstock, Ill. The concerts will also be performed on Sunday, March 24, at 2:30 p.m. at New England Congregational Church, 406, W. Galena Blvd. in Aurora, and on Monday, March 25, at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Dundee, 900 S. 8th St. in West Dundee.

CMOTF Co-Founder and Artistic Director Mark Fry said the pieces are some of the most rich and beautiful works in the genre but may be unfamiliar to audiences.

“One of my missions is to introduce our audiences to some of the standard literature that they might not have had an opportunity to hear live before. I chose to program this particular Brahms work since it is a very famous and an incredibly gorgeous piece within the chamber music genre, not to mention a personal favorite of mine that I look forward to sharing with our audiences,” Fry said.

Pianist Wang introduced Fry to the Strauss quartet, which he says was a perfect complement to the Brahms.

Tickets for the Woodstock concert are available exclusively through the Woodstock Opera House, online at www.woodstockoperahouse.com or by phone at 815-338-5300.

Tickets for the Aurora and West Dundee performances are available at www.chambermusiconthefox.org  for $25 for in-person or virtual viewing. Students with a valid student ID qualify for $15 in-person concert tickets for the Aurora and West Dundee performances.

Free Chamber Music on the Fox concert features world premiere of Santos Cato’s “Sonatina for English Horn and Piano” featuring Virtuoso Pedro Diaz

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“A Concert for Elgin” celebrates CMOTF’s 10th anniversary

Chamber Music on the Fox will offer a free concert to celebrate the organization’s 10th anniversary of bringing world class chamber ensemble performances to the Fox Valley.

“A Concert for Elgin” will be held Sunday, Feb. 25, at 2 p.m. at Elgin Community College’s Blizzard Theatre, 1700 Spartan Drive, Building H, Elgin. Tickets are free, but must be reserved through the ECC Arts Center website, www.eccartscenter.org/events.

The Chamber Music on the Fox Players will be joined for this concert by Pedro Diaz, English hornist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra who will perform the world premiere of Santos Cato’s “Sonatina for English Horn and Piano”, a piece written specifically for Diaz. Heralded as evocative, eloquent, and expressive, Diaz is considered one of the pre-eminent players of his generation.

“We are very excited to bring Pedro Diaz and this world premiere to Elgin and, thanks to the generosity of SEIGLE Foundation and Elgin Community College, to be able to offer the performance for free as a token of appreciation to the community that has supported Chamber Music on the Fox for the past decade,” said Mark Fry, cofounder and artistic director of CMOTF.

Of the premiere piece, Diaz said, “Santos, a prolific composer who resides in Ensenada, Mexico, has strong connections to Italy, having attended school in Rome. These international influences add depth to the pieces we’ll be performing.”

The concert will also include works by Arthur Honneger, David Chesky, and Gaetano Donizetti.

“What adds a particular importance to this performance is that I’ll have the privilege of performing Honegger’s ‘Concerto da camera’ with Scott Metlicka as a co-soloist, alongside the Chamber Music on the Fox Chamber Players. We will also be accompanied by the wonderful pianist Liang-yu Wang. It’s an incredible opportunity, and I can’t wait to share this musical experience with our audience,” said Daiz.

The CMOTF Chamber Players include violinists Eric Pidluski and Emily Nash, violist Bruno Silva, cellist Sara Sitzer, and bassist Tim Shaffer.

Donizetti’s Concertino in F Major, a piece dating back to 1816, holds special importance to Diaz. Diaz discovered the original solo and orchestral parts for the piece several years ago at the Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica in Bologna, Italy, while on a research trip. The discovery, Diaz said, “adds a special historical dimension to our performance.”

Chamber Music on the Fox was founded 10 years ago by Fry, a trombonist, and cellist Sara Sitzer to bring chamber music ensembles – often featuring internationally renowned musicians – to intimate settings across the Fox Valley. Today, Chamber Music on the Fox offers concerts not only in the Elgin area, but also in Aurora and Woodstock.

“We are incredibly grateful for the community’s support that has fueled our success,” Fry said.

Chamber Music on the Fox presents Moonstruck Pierrot at historic Moonlight Theatre in St. Charles Nov. 6

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Chamber Music on the Fox is thrilled to partner with the newly opened, historic Moonlight Theatre for a special concert highlighting two of the 20th century’s most adventurous and dramatic works. Steve Vance Ingle will lead the CMOTF Chamber Players in Arnold Schoenberg’s haunting Pierrot Lunaire, as well as George Crumb’s electrifying Voice of the Whale.

This one-night-only concert will take place Monday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Moonlight Theatre, 2 South Second Avenue in St. Charles. Tickets are available at www.ChamberMusicOnTheFox.org for $25; students with a valid student ID may qualify for a discounted $15 student ticket. A virtual viewing option is also available.

Singing the role of Pierrot will be soprano Nathalie Colas, who is a current soloist and co-founder of Third Coast Baroque, Liederstube, and Fonema Consort, and has been a featured soloist with Haymarket Opera, Newberry Consort, Incantare, Bach Cantata Vespers at Grace Lutheran, Valparaiso Bach Institute, and the Bach Society of Saint Louis.

Ingle has conducted with the “Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra” series and led the South Bend Symphony Orchestra’s “Young People’s Discovery Concerts” in 2015 and 2016. A professional bassoonist, he is a former member of the Oregon Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. He has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and with the symphony orchestras of Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Kalamazoo, South Bend, Memphis, and Knoxville, among others.

Reserve your tickets now for this unique opportunity to hear these dramatic works in a historic venue.

Chamber Music on the Fox begins 10th Season with Avalon String Quartet

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Matinee in Aurora on Sept. 24; Evening performance in Elgin on Sept. 25

Chamber Music on the Fox enters its 10th season with performances by Avalon String Quartet. The renowned ensemble will perform Borodin’s stunningly lyrical and romantic String Quartet No. 2 and Shostakovich’s String Quartet no. 9 in E flat major, a work that is filled with vibrant energy, richness, and complexity.

Chamber music fans have the option of seeing this concert in Aurora or Elgin as Chamber Music on the Fox expands its concert offerings in the Fox Valley. On Sunday, Sept. 24, the concert will take place at 2:30 p.m. in the Packard Room at Ballydoyle Irish Pub, 28 W. New York St., Aurora. The venue provides an intimate setting, with a small stage and a cash bar, and is easily accessible with its street-level access.  The concert will be repeated on Monday, Sept. 25, at The Ashbury, 1 Douglas Ave. #2, Elgin, at 7:30 p.m.

The concerts are the first in a subscription series of five live chamber music concerts plus two special events. Subscriptions for the five-concert series are $100. Adult single-concert tickets are $25 and student tickets are $15. In-person and virtual ticket options are available at www.ChamberMusicOnTheFox.org.

Avalon String Quartet has performed in major venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the 92nd St Y, Merkin Hall, and Bargemusic in New York; the Library of Congress and National Gallery of Art in Washington DC; Wigmore Hall in London; and Herculessaal in Munich. The ensemble serves as quartet-in-residence at the Northern Illinois University School of Music.

Chamber Music on the Fox Announces 10th Season

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Five concert series to take place in Elgin and Aurora; free community concert planned

“New Horizons” is the theme for Chamber Music on the Fox’s 10th season, as the nonprofit chamber music series expands its reach in the Fox Valley to bring a series of five concerts to Elgin and Aurora, hosts a special event concert in St. Charles, and celebrates the 10-year milestone with a free “Concert for Elgin”.

The 10th anniversary season contains a mix of traditional chamber music and new experiences. Performances by internationally acclaimed strings, piano, brass, and a unique instrument ensemble featuring lutes, theorbo, and violas de gamba, as well as a special Celtic Christmas performance, make up the subscription series that will be offered in both Elgin and Aurora this season.

“I’m excited about the opportunities Chamber Music on the Fox has as we enter our 10th year of bringing exceptional chamber music musicians to residents of the Fox Valley,” said Mark Fry, an Elgin professional trombonist who founded Chamber Music on the Fox with fellow Elginite and professional cellist Sara Sitzer in 2014. “The support we’ve seen throughout the Fox Valley over the past 10 years has fueled our commitment to expanding our reach so more people in our area can take part in the intimate music experience that our chamber music concerts provide. I am thrilled that we are going to be able to extend all five of our subscription series concerts to our Aurora audiences this season.”

Chamber Music on the Fox is also hosting its first concert in downtown St. Charles, Illinois. “Moonstruck Pierrot: An evening of drama and mystery at the Moonlight Theatre” will take place on Monday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m., at the newly renovated historic venue. This program will feature two of the 20th century’s most adventurous and dramatic works: Arnold Schoenberg’s haunting “Pierrot Lunaire” and George Crumb’s “Voice of the Whale”.

“A Concert for Elgin” will be offered as a free community concert as a way to “show appreciation to the community that has supported us for the past decade,” Fry said. The concert features virtuoso Pedro Diaz, Solo English Horn of the Metropolitan Opera. He will perform Donizetti’s Concertino in F, along with other works alongside the Chamber Music on the Fox Players. To be held February 25, 2024, at the Blizzard Theater in Elgin, “A Concert for Elgin” is made possible through the generous support of the Seigle Foundation and Elgin Community College.

Subscriptions and single tickets are now on sale online at www.ChamberMusicOnTheFox.org. Subscriptions for the 5-concert series are $100. Adult single-concert tickets are $25 and student tickets are $15.

The complete concert schedule is as follows:

5 Concert Subscription Series

“Borodin and Shostakovich Quartets” featuring the Avalon String Quartet
Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, 2:30 p.m., at The Packard Room at Ballydoyle, 28 W. New York St., Aurora
Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, 7:30 p.m., at The Ashbury, 1 Douglas Ave. #2, Elgin

“A Celtic Christmas” featuring STEAM Irish Quartet
Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, 2:30 p.m., at The Packard Room at Ballydoyle, 28 W. New York St., Aurora
Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, 7:30 p.m., at The Ashbury, 1 Douglas Ave. #2, Elgin

“Court, Convent & Stage: Redefining the Early Modern Woman” featuring Black Tulip
Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, 2:30 p.m., at New England Congregational Church, 406 W Galena Blvd, Aurora
Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, 7:30 p.m., at First Congregational Church of Dundee, 900 S 8th St., West Dundee

“Romantic Piano Quartets” featuring the Chamber Music on the Fox Chamber Players
Sunday, March 24, 2024, 2:30 p.m., at the New England Congregational Church, 406 W Galena Blvd, Aurora
Monday, March 25, 2024, 7:30 p.m., at First Congregational Church of Dundee, 900 S 8th St., West Dundee

“Pictures at an Exhibition” featuring the symphonic brass ensemble 3rd Coast Brass
Sunday, May 19, 2024, 2:30 p.m., at The Venue, 21 S Broadway Ave., Aurora 
Monday, May 20, 2024, 7:30 p.m.,  at First United Methodist Church, 216 E. Highland Ave., Elgin

Special Event Concerts

“Moonstruck Pierrot: An evening of drama and mystery at the Moonlight Theatre”
Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, at 7:30 p.m., Moonlight Theatre, 7 S. Second Ave., St. Charles

“A Concert for Elgin” featuring Pedro Diaz
Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, 2 p.m., at the Blizzard Theater at Elgin Community College’s Arts Center, 1700 Spartan Dr Building H, Elgin

Chamber Music on the Fox Season 11 presented by Mark and Robin Seigle.

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