About Adult Chamber Festival
Saturday, November 22, 2025 from 9:00am to 5:00pm at the Manchester Community Music School, Manchester, NH.
All adult string players who want to have a chamber music experience are welcome; ASTA membership is not required. Music will be available ahead of time, and lunch will be provided as part of the $60.00 registration fee. We will have an informal performance at 3:00 pm and friends and family members are welcome to attend.
The purpose of this event is to offer adult string players an opportunity to learn and perform chamber music. We plan to have 5 ensembles; however that number may change based on the number of musicians who sign up. Group One will be a String Orchestra for players who prefer not to be alone on their parts. They will play easy string orchestra repertoire. Groups Two, Three, and Four will play intermediate and more advanced string quartets, one player per part. Group Five will be an intermediate/advanced level cello ensemble due to the number of cellists that usually participate in this festival.
The string orchestra will be coached by Lynne White McMahon. She has chosen a varied program of pieces by Gluck, Mozart, Meyer, and the Beatles.
Group Two’s intermediate string quartet will be coached by Gary Hodges, and they will work on Mozart’s string quartet K. 157, which is in the public domain and may be printed from this website: https://imslp.org/wiki/String_Quartet_No.4_in_C_major,_K.157_(Mozart,_Wolfgang_Amadeus)
Group Three’s more advanced string quartet will be coached by Elisabeth Small, and they will work on the first movement of Mendelssohn’s quartet Op. 12 #1: https://youtu.be/IOq44MYWb_4?si=Y6dyjOPwgT9IN3rs
Group Four’s advanced string quartet will be coached by Sarah Hoag, and they will work on the first movement of Beethoven’s Opus 18, No. 1.
The cello ensemble will be coached by Sam Smith, and they will work on arrangements of chorales by Schumann and Karl Jenkins, a divertimento by Ticciati, and “Remote Friends” by D.A. Earnest.
Please listen to/look at the music examples to decide which level to sign up for. The quartets will be filled on a first come, first served basis. If we have enough participants for more than one string quartet at any level, we will add additional coaches as needed, and the repertoire studied will be different but at a similar level.
Ensemble Levels
Questions & Registration
Registration is open now, and will close on September 15. Please use this link to register: https://forms.gle/Wdq5t4MiMJEzqU7U7
Music that is not in the public domain will be purchased and sent to the participants in September, along with specific group information. All questions should be sent to Sally Wituszynski: swituszynski@comcast.net (603)275-6971