A clarinetist, a bassoonist and a pianist walk into a church: Brick Church Music Series wraps up fall 2024-25 season with trio, Oct. 27

Paul Wonjin Cho

Paul Wonjin Cho CONTRIBUTED PHOTO—

Mika Sasaki

Mika Sasaki CONTRIBUTED PHOTO—2017 NIR ARIELI

Shelley Monroe

Shelley Monroe CONTRIBUTED PHOTO—(C) 2012 Lauren Goodwin. All...

By CHRIS LARABEE

Staff Writer

Published: 10-18-2024 11:49 AM

To mark the end of the fall leg of the Brick Church Music Series’ 2024-25 season, folks are invited to two days of classical music with the traditional Sunday afternoon concert, as well as a follow-up masterclass with the performers the next day.

The series, which hosts concerts in the fall and spring, closes out its autumn session with a trio of performers from Decoda, a New York-based collective of classical musicians. Joining the church on Oct. 27 will be clarinetist Paul Wonjin Cho, bassoonist Shelley Monroe and pianist Mika Sasaki. Deerfield Academy is partnering with the First Church of Deerfield to sponsor the events.

The trio’s concert will take place on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 3 p.m. at the First Church of Deerfield, 71 Old Main St., as they play a program of works with selections by Mikhail Glinka, Max Bruch and Bill Douglas. The Brick Church Music Series is a fundraiser for the First Church of Deerfield and a $20 suggested donation is requested at the door.

“They’re an established artist group and they are able to create an ensemble in different sizes and in instrumentations too, based on the needs of each project. These three young people were available and I think the group is an unusual one,” said Series Coordinator Jean Pitman Turner, referencing the pairing of a piano, clarinet and a bassoon. “I’ve gone online myself to hear them and they are extraordinary.”

On Monday, the celebration of classical music returns with Deerfield Academy offering up a public chamber music masterclass with the Decoda trio.

This isn’t the first time the school has partnered with the church, as the relationship blossomed from a chance coincidence several years ago. Pitman Turner previously explained that Thomas Bergeron, Deerfield Academy’s director of music, had scheduled a violin masterclass the same weekend the Brick Church Music Series had scheduled its own violinist concert.

Heading into that weekend, though, Bergeron’s violinist fell ill, so Bergeron reached out to Pitman Turner and her team, who were able to bring over the Brick Church’s violinist to help lead the class.

The chamber music masterclass will be held from 1:20 to 2:50 p.m. in the Wachsman Concert Hall. All are welcome to attend.

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Deerfield Academy also partnered with the Brick Church for a masterclass in April of this year, which Pitman Turner said was a wonderful experience to observe.

“They listened to the Deerfield students perform a piece, then they critiqued it and gave them suggestions on how to improve the performance,” Pitman Turner said. “I immediately heard the difference. It was just fabulous that these young people in their middle teens were mature enough to accept their suggestions and then work on it and achieve.”

For more information about the Brick Church Music Series, visit bit.ly/3TNUz8p.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.