By Michael Johns

Jeewon Park

USCB Chamber Music returns Sunday, February 16, 2025 at five with a homecoming-program featuring three honorary Beaufortonians: Artistic Director, pianist, and host Andrew Armstrong, Former Artistic Director, cellist, and host Edward Arron, and frequent featured pianist Jeewon Park. They will present music spanning centuries, countries, styles, and tributes, with melodies evoking French wit and charm, Spanish folk-style and flair, musical mystery and introspection, toe-tapping American vitality, and classically-flavored German Romanticism.

The concert begins with Dolly Suite for piano 4-hands, Opus 56 by Gabriel Fauré. Dedicated to the child of a friend, these six charming and affectionate miniatures are steeped in French grace and manners with a light touch, elevating simple tunes to enchanting conversations. Multi-talented Andrew Armstrong will display his composing skill with a world-premiere composition in tribute to former Board member Bailey Symington, “Variations on Bailey,” for solo piano. Ms. Symington’s winning smile, warm friendship, gracious hosting of artists and home concerts, unflagging enthusiasm, and formidable powers of persuasion contributed mightily to making classic music a Beaufort staple. Andy has constructed a set of piano variations, employing a centuries old musical-cryptogram technique, based on sounding the three notes in her first name, BAE. This musical monogram may be heard as melody or harmony, frontwards or backwards, obscured or exposed.

Spanish cellist Gaspar Cassadó was a boy when he began studying with Pablo

Edward Arron

Casals, a performer and personality he would grow to idolize. Requiebros, a single-movement display piece, is dedicated to Casals and embraces the character of Spain through a series of short scenes filled with distinctive gestures of Spanish nationalist music. Estonian Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel (“mirror in the mirror”) for cello and piano refers to two mirrors facing each other and theoretically producing perpetually repeating visual images. The effect of the music is hypnotic, calm, clear, exquisite, deeply meditative, and elegiac.

George Gershwin’s orchestral tone poem, “An American in Paris,” follows intermission. Arranged for piano 4-hands, it depicts late-1920s impressions of an American visitor strolling about Paris, listening to street sounds, experiencing homesickness, and absorbing the French atmosphere of musical intimacy and theatricality. Gershwin’s evocation is palpable, vivid, charming, and effortlessly moves from sassy melody to smile-inducing storytelling. The concert concludes with Felix Mendelssohn’s four-movement Sonata No. 2 in D Major for cello and piano, Opus 58. Mendelssohn was a prodigiously gifted composer, virtuoso pianist, organist, perceptive music historian, respected conductor, visionary educator, a skillful painter and well-traveled, erudite, multilingual, highly articulate, and widely read—the embodiment of a Renaissance Man. Written during a creative period at the height of his powers, the music reflects a compositional approach characterized by classical balance, elegance in style and demeanor, and accessible melody colored by the mid-century Romantic ethos into which he was born, with sweeping waves of emotion, bold statements, and brilliant displays. Edward Arron, for 14 years host of USCB Chamber Music, is entering his 12th year as artistic director of the Performing Artists in Residence series at the Clark Institute in Williamstown, MA. Ed’s chamber music experience circles the globe: a very small sample includes tours and recording with the Ehnes String Quartet, regular performances with the Boston and Seattle Chamber Music Societies, and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. His recent recording of Beethoven’s Complete Works for Cello and Piano with pianist Jeewon Park received the Smauel Sanders Collaborative Artists Award from the Classical Recording Foundation. A graduate of the Juilliard School, Mr. Arron currently serves on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Korean-American pianist Jeewon Park has garnered worldwide fame as a remarkably lyrical and poetic musician with dazzling technique and extensive repertoire. Critics have described her performances as “ravishing in execution, radiant in timbre,” “unadulterated commitment to music, to lift the compositions in honor,” lauding her “polished perfection,” “warm musicality and seemingly easy virtuosity,” and “impeccable taste and skill.” This season marks her 10th as co-artistic director of the Performing Artists in Residence series at the Clark Institute with husband Ed Arron. She has performed at virtually all of the prestigious chamber music series and festivals in the United States and many more across Europe and Asia. Ms. Park attended The Juilliard School, Yale University, and earned her doctoral degree in musical arts from Stony Brook University.

Andrew Armstrong

The inimitable Andrew Armstrong has created an international reputation through solo piano and chamber music performances in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Acclaimed by listeners, critics, and attendees of this Series for his passionate engagement, impish good humor, brilliant technique, and extensive repertoire, his unquenchable energy and belief in the power of music has led him recently to create new chamber music series in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York City, and Greenville, in addition to the continued stewardship of two flourishing series in Beaufort and Columbia. Whether speaking to adults or children from the concert stage, at daytime workshops, children’s concerts, masterclasses, or in-home concerts, Andy ceaselessly preaches the transformative essence and healing potency available to all through participation in the act of listening to music.

There are three ways to enjoy each concert: in person at the Arts Center and virtually by Live-Stream and OnDemand. All virtual concerts are professionally produced, creating great viewing opportunities. OnDemand is accessible four days after the concert and available to view at your leisure for three weeks. For concert, artist, event, and ticket information, go to www.uscbchambermusic.com or call 843-208-8246, Monday through Friday. USCB Chamber Music’s third concert of its 45th season, February 16, 5:00, will be performed at the USCB Center for the Arts, 801 Carteret Street, Beaufort.