WASHINGTON -- The second of five chamber concerts held at John Philip Sousa Band Hall this month will take place Sunday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m., and livestream online. For this performance, Clarinetist Staff Sgt. Parker Gaims has taken the lead on coordinating the program, a privilege afforded to Marine Band musicians during the Fall Chamber Series.
Program & Notes
Livestream
The program is bookended by two compositions for clarinet and string quartet — Gregory Hutter’s Companion Piece for Clarinet and String Quartet and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Quintet in A Major for Clarinet and Strings.
“The Mozart Clarinet Quintet is a masterwork in the chamber music repertoire and is a piece I have always wanted to perform,” Gaims said. “I first encountered the piece at a very young age, fell in love with it, and have listened to it ever since. The work is the centerpiece of the concert and concludes the program.”
Gaims has known contemporary composer Gregory Hutter for 15 years – he was first exposed to his work as a student at DePaul University in Chicago, where Hutter taught.
“His Companion Piece is inspired both by the Mozart Clarinet Quintet and the Brahms Clarinet Quintet, loosely uses material from both pieces, and is meant to be performed alongside either work,” Gaims said. “The piece opens the concert and sets the tone for the remainder of the program. I am excited to share the Mozart and Hutter with our audience.”
Gaims has also chosen the work Melting Pot, written by Marine Band Percussionist Master Sgt. John Bisesi. The piece, written for vibraphone and xylophone, was selected to provide a contrast to the sonorities the audience will encounter in the two clarinet quintets, as well as showcase a colleague’s original composition.
Jim Stephenson’s Trio Sonata is a piece for flute, trumpet, and piano - a somewhat unusual grouping - and showcases each of the instruments playing lyrical melodies. “The President’s Own” has become familiar with Stephenson’s work over the years, including featuring his Symphony No. 2, Voices during its 2022 Europe Tour.
At the recommendation of Bassist Master Sgt. Eric Sabo, Astor Piazzolla’s Ave Maria was also added to the line of works included in this performance.
“After one listen, I had to program the piece because it is simply incredibly beautiful,” Gaims said. “The piece was originally included in Piazzolla’s score from the film Enrico IV (Henry IV). The arrangement on today’s program is for bass and piano, a combination the audience will surely enjoy as the bass isn’t always featured so prominently with solo melodic material.”
The concert is free and open to the public; no tickets required. The Marine Barracks Annex is located at 1053 7th Street SE in Washington, DC, and free parking is available in the gated lot beneath the bridge on 7th Street. Please allow extra time for ID checks and security at the gate.