Smithsonian Chamber Players in Concert March 20

March 17, 1997

by Richard Veit

The Smithsonian Chamber Players, an ensemble that performs regularly at the Smithsonian Institution in the nation's capital, will present a concert at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 20, in Roxy Grove Hall at Baylor University. This concert, titled "Virtuoso Concertos of the High Baroque," is the third and final event in Baylor's 1996-97 Distinguished Artist Series.
The Smithsonian Chamber Players are a touring ensemble whose 13 members are drawn from the Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra of Washington, D.C. Their director is Kenneth Slowik, who also serves the group as its cellist and viola da gamba player.
The concert at Baylor will open with Georg Philipp Telemann's "Ouverture in D Major," which consists of an overture and six dance movements.
Johann Sebastian Bach's Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1043, is his "Double Concerto," scored for two violin soloists and orchestra. It will feature the talents of violinists Marilyn McDonald and Emlyn Ngai.
Following intermission, the Smithsonian Chamber Players will perform the Concerto in D Major, Op. 6, No. 1, of Arcangelo Corelli and the Concerto in G Major, Op. 12, No. 1, of George Frideric Handel.
The program will conclude with one of the works from Antonio Vivaldi's "L'estro armonico," Op. 3, a set of 12 concertos for various combinations of instruments. The Smithsonian Chamber Players will perform Concerto No. 11 in D Minor for Two Violins, Cello, and Orchestra.
General admission tickets for this concert are priced at $10. Students, Baylor faculty and staff, and senior citizens will be admitted for $6. For more information, call the Baylor School of Music at 755-3991.