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July 21, 2008
Advance Notice

By Kim Urquhart

Season’s bests at Emory Chamber Music Society
Now celebrating its 16th season of excellence, the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta, under the leadership of artistic director and pianist William Ransom, brings together some of the finest guest artists and metro Atlanta musicians, dancers, choreographers and composers for its 2008–09 season. The extraordinary range of music in the chamber repertoire will be showcased through ECMSA’s Emerson Series, Family Series and Noontime Series concerts.

Emerson Series
Grammy Award-winning cellist Sara Sant’Ambrogio will join Ransom to kick off the Emerson Series in back-to-back evening performances Oct. 3 and Oct. 4 that collectively encompass Beethoven’s complete works for the cello and piano pairing.

The season also includes world premieres by Emory composers Steven Everett, John Anthony Lennon and Richard Prior; a collaboration between the Vega String Quartet and Emory dance faculty, George Staib; and an afternoon of “Pianomania” with the piano faculty and special guest, President Jim Wagner.

Tickets to the Emerson Series ($20; discount category members $15; students free) and Family Series ($4) are available by phone (404-727-5050) and online at www.arts.emory.edu.

Noontime Concerts
The ECMSA’s popular series of free noontime concerts in the Carlos Museum will feature Brahms’ “Quintet in F Minor” presented by the Vega String Quartet and pianist Jonathan Shames. Other guests include violinist Cecylia Arzewski, cellist Benjamin Karp and violinist Richard Luby performing a variety of music from Bach to Prokofiev.

Family Series
ECMSA’s Family Series, also in the Carlos Museum, offers programs for children including seasonal Christmas, Chinese New Year and spring concerts. Tickets for these concerts are $4 for the public, but Carlos Museum Family-level and above members receive four free tickets.

Highlands Festival
Ransom, Mary L. Emerson Professor of Piano and head of the piano faculty, is also the artistic director of the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival. The festival celebrates its 27th season from July 6 to Aug. 10 including a gala performance featuring Grammy winner Chris Thile. For festival tickets and information, visit www.h-cmusicfestival.org or call 825-526-9060.