InConcert Sierra presents: Frissonette on April 21

Grass Valley, CA:  InConcert Sierra presents Frissonette, an explosive group of rising stars who are the best and brightest of the recent graduates from top music schools like Juilliard, Curtis and Yale, on Sunday, April 21 at 2pm.

“In March 2023, we presented Frisson, a nonet of extraordinary musicianship, with palpable energy and an electrifying performance that nearly lit up the entire Sierra Nevada. At this next concert, we will experience a sensational program of quartets performed by some of the same phenomenal musicians that we heard last year,” said ICS Artistic Director Ken Hardin.

The ensemble will include four players (piano, cello, viola and violin) as well as Frisson’s artistic director, oboist Thomas Gallant, who chose the musicians through auditions in New York City. The program includes Mozart’s “Quartet for Oboe and Strings,” Fauré’s “Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor” and the distinctive Brahms’ “Piano Quartet in G Minor Op. 25.”

Hardin said, “the Fauré piano quartets and quintets are some of my favorite chamber music. And, the Brahms piano part is stupendously virtuosic while the final movement is considered to be one of Brahms’s most challenging movements of his chamber output, not just for the pianist or a single instrument, but for the entire ensemble.”

The word “Frisson” means a phenomenon of chills or goosebumps that comes from music – a shiver, a thrill. “Frissonette” doesn’t refer to a smaller set of chills or goosebumps, only a smaller set of their larger ensemble, Frisson.

After Frisson’s last concert, InConcert Sierra Executive Director Julie Hardin did an internet search regarding the ensemble’s name. She said that “research regarding the prevalence of frisson varied widely, with studies showing anywhere between 55% and 86% of the population being able to experience the effect. On March 20, 2023, Frisson performed a magnificent concert for InConcert and received three spontaneous standing ovations and 100% of the audience experienced “frisson.” They beat the research, and we expect it will be the same for this concert.”

General admission tickets are $48 for adults and free for youth 18 and under.  There will be a complimentary pre-concert talk at 1:15pm on the day of the concert.

For those interested in delving further into the music, check out “Concert Conversations,” a more in-depth pre-concert talk facilitated by local composer and musicologist Alexis Alrich on Friday, April 19 at 4:30pm. Alexis will provide an exploration of the music to be performed, delve into historical context, offer a composer’s analytical perspective, and more. Admission is $20 per person.

For more information on the April 19 Concert Conversations class, the April 21 concert, or to purchase tickets for either, visit the InConcert Sierra website.

ABOUT: InConcert Sierra is a Nevada County non-profit organization that presents high-caliber classical music performances and robust music education offerings for all ages.  The organization is currently building the Crown Point Events Complex that will feature a state-of-the-art acoustic concert hall, black box theater, and conference center. Founded in 1946, ICS is celebrating 76 years as an integral part of Nevada County’s arts community. For more information, call 530-273-3990 or please visit www.inconcertsierra.org.