The 2024-25 season of the Valley Concert Society is in the books, and we are left with our memories of musical inspiration, of experiences that lifted us above the cares of daily life.
What are the memories that stand out for you from this season? From several perspectives, it has been one of our best seasons in recent years.
Each concert stands out for me in its own unique way. The season opened with musica intima bringing a program of songs, very few of which I had ever heard before. I worried on that account but was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the program. From the comments I heard, many of you clearly felt the same way.
The Butter Quartet was an engaging young foursome who brought a beautiful and very creative program built around the theme of moonlit magic. January brought Stefan Jackiw and three colleagues with a clarinet trio by Brahms and the enchanting quartet by the unknown Walter Rabl. But the one memory from that program that comes back to me over and over is the emotional trio by Smetana that filled the second half.
Several people told me their season highlight was the solo piano concert by Jarred Dunn. His Chopin Ballade was memorable, as was the Schumann sonata that filled the second half. A month later, we presented a highly-touted young violinist. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Johan Dalene. His performance was simply remarkable—difficult music played so confidently and so musically by someone so young.
Quartetto Gelato drew the biggest crowd of the year and sent everyone home happy after an evening filled with fun, to be sure, but also truly virtuosic musicianship.
When I spoke to people about which concert was most memorable for them, one stood out clearly—Johan Dalene. For me personally, that is also the concert which most often comes to mind unbidden. That was our smallest audience of the season. A lot of people missed an incredible experience.
Interestingly, I have noticed something similar when looking over the two previous seasons. The smallest audience the year before was for the Carr-Petrova Duo. That too was a program about which a great many people had wonderful things to say. The musicians established a warm rapport with the audience.
From the season before that, the one concert that I hear mentioned most often in retrospect was when the Viano String Quartet performed. It was not the smallest audience that year; rather the second smallest.
Perhaps the lesson to be drawn is not to dismiss a concert based on impressions from a brochure or website. You never know when you will miss an exceptional musical experience. Actually, I think I’ll correct that sentence. You are very likely to miss an exceptional musical experience every time you miss a program in our season.
I am eager to hear from you. Tell me what was memorable for you this season in a reply to this email. Each of you comes with your own perspective and your own taste. It will be helpful to us to know where we were able to bring you something meaningful.
You have been a great audience—engaged, appreciative, encouraging. We have felt it. The musicians have felt it. Thanks for all that you brought to our collective experience of joy, of awe, of inspiration.
John Wiebe -President
The Valley Concert Society