Lyons Chamber Players Bring World Premiere of New Brahms Arrangement to Manhattan College

Lyons Chamber Players, a professional chamber orchestra that modernizes classical works for today’s audiences, will travel to the Manhattan College campus next month to perform the world premiere of its new arrangement of Johannes Brahms’ Serenade No. 1 for violins, viola, cello double bass, flutes, clarinets, bassoon and French horns.

The 45-minute concert will be performed Wednesday, March 6, at 4 p.m. in the Alumni Room of the O’Malley Library. It is free and open to the public. A small reception will follow.

“What makes the Lyons Chamber Players so unique is their timbre or, one might say, their tone color or personality of sound,” says Mark A. Pottinger, musicologist and chair of the Fine Arts department. “Oftentimes chamber groups are defined primarily by the noble sound of the violin and the upper string section, but in this ensemble it’s the richness of the woodwinds and the French horn that creates the unique warm texture of their sound.”

In addition to the March 6 performance, members of the public are also invited to attend the Lyons Chamber Players’ open rehearsal on March 5 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., which will also be held in the Alumni Room.

The concert is funded through a generous gift made last year to the Fine Arts department by George L. McGeary, former department chair and assistant dean of the former School of Arts and Sciences, who died on July 15, 2012, at age 83. A portion of his gift will also be used to renovate and unveil the George L. McGeary Department Lounge and Office Suite in Hayden Hall. This multi-use space will feature new parquet flooring, exhibition lighting and insulated walls to allow for small recitals and art exhibitions.

For more information about the performance, please contact Mark A. Pottinger, chair of the Fine Arts department, at (718) 862-7372 or mark.pottinger@manhattan.edu.

Media interested in attending should contact John Tucker at (718) 862-7232 or john.tucker@manhattan.edu.