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ALIAS Winter Concert Worth the Wait with Three World Premieres

ALIAS Winter Concert is Worth the Wait with Three World Premieres

Even though February’s ice and snow forced ALIAS to postpone their winter concert, the performance on May 6 was worth the wait, according to classical music critic, John Pitcher.

“On Wednesday night at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music, ALIAS finally got around to presenting its winter concert. It was worth the wait. The program included no fewer than three world premiere performances, a record even for this ensemble, which presents new works as a matter of routine. All of the music was American, and four of the composers were from Nashville.”

Read more from Pitcher’s review of the May 6 concert in the Nashville Scene.

Because ALIAS Chamber Ensemble donates 100% of the proceeds from its ticket sales to nonprofit partners (with no strings attached), ALIAS was able to raise $1600 for Open Table Nashville from the May 6 concert.

 

Farewell, Our Friend: Candice Zimmerman

On May 16, ALIAS friend and guest artist, soprano Candice Zimmermann, passed away unexpectedly. She joined ALIAS a few times over the years, and was planning on joining us again next season as well. 

On stage, Candice had a clear, sweet voice and drew the audience in with her style and grace. Off stage, she was collegial, easy to work with, encouraging and just plain fun to be around. She was the type of person who always made you feel welcome and invited. She was friendly, gracious and kind. To say she will be missed, both on and off the stage, is an understatement.

Originally from Cardston, Alberta, Candice received both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in vocal performance from Brigham Young University. After graduating, she performed in a variety of capacities, from dinner train cabaret singer in Stillwater, Minn. to Andrea Bocelli backup in Anaheim, Ca., to chorus member in Carmen and Boris Godunov with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. More recently, she co-created and performed a concert of Broadway favorites at various venues around southern Alberta.

Candice came to Nashville in 2008 with her husband James, when he assumed the position of principal clarinetist of the Nashville Symphony. They subsequently had two daughters, Caroline and Molly. 

The musicians of ALIAS are honored to have shared a stage with this remarkable artist; our lives are richer, having had her as a friend and colleague. Our hearts go out to James, her daughters, and her friends and family.

 

ALIAS Scores in the Big Payback

On May 5, ALIAS Chamber Ensemble joined several hundred Nashville area nonprofits in The Big Payback event. The Big Payback gave ALIAS fans and supporters the chance to have their donations amplified with matching funds and additional prizes — enabling the ensemble to continue its mission in a more impactful way — bringing Nashville audiences a wide mix of innovative chamber music that cannot be heard anywhere else.

Thanks to your generous support, ALIAS raised more than $1600! These funds will help the ALIAS artists and musicians explore even more wide-ranging repertoire and will help support the ensemble’s Education and Community Programs (ECP) that enrich the lives of Nashville’s students, families and diverse communities with the gift of chamber music.

 

ALIAS Brings New and Ageless Classical Music to the Community in a Variety of Imaginative Educational Programs

“As a parent, I know school children are taught to recognize patterns. With this year’s ECP program, I want to show how these patterns are also in classical music. These patterns are the melodies! It gives our audience a better idea of the big musical picture.”

—Chris Farrell, ALIAS Education and Community Programs Coordinator

In addition to creating innovative repertoire, ALIAS is committed to giving back to the community. One way the ensemble gives back is through its Education and Community Programs (ECP). The ECP enriches the lives of Nashville’s students, families and diverse communities with the gift of chamber music. Each ECP performance includes a select group from the ALIAS chamber who volunteer their time and talents to reach audiences who would otherwise not have access to live classical music.

ALIAS violist Chris Farrell is the ECP Coordinator. Chris recently took time out of his busy schedule to discuss the exciting new programming for this year’s ECP performances. (Chris recently finished String Quartet No. 2, one of three world premieres at the May 6 winter concert!)

Tell us about the most recent ALIAS Education and Community Programs performance.

The ALIAS ECP string ensemble performed at Paragon Mills Elementary, where we played for two different music classes. One of the classes had just been discussing string instruments, so they were already familiar with the instrumentation. The other class had no exposure to classical string instruments before. For many of these students, this performance is one of a handful of times they’ll hear classical music.

ALIAS has also played at King’s Daughters Child Care in Madison and for the adults at Park Center in downtown, Nashville. Performances also include Oliver Middle School on Nolensville Road and the Tennessee School for the Blind.

We’ve covered a very diverse demographic this year. Read more.