Ensemble News
Upcoming Concerts
Stay tuned for news about concerts later in the year.
Past concerts
Jane Austen - Music and Dance concert, 27 April 2025
ACMS collaborating with the Jane Austen Society of North America, D.C. chapter (JASNA-DC) and the Alexandria Assembly in celebration of the 250th anniversary of Austen's birth. Jane was an accomplished pianist and avid concert-goer in London and Bath, and of course music and dancing are central activities for many of the characters in her novels.
The program included string quartets by Haydn and Pleyel, as may have been heard by Austen at the Pump Room in Bath, followed by a demonstration of English Country Dancing, with music and dance notations taken from Austen’s own manuscript books. We concluded with a large ensembler performance of the Overture to Thomas Arne’s opera Artaxerxes, which Jane attended and ever wrote out for herself to play at home.
We played to a completely full house in the Alexandria Lyceum, the concert having sold out within a few days of tickets going on sale. Download the complete program.
A huge thank you to the musicians and dancers for a highly educational and entertaining evening, and to JASNA for sponsoring and managing the event.
Fall 2024 concert on Sunday, 13 Oct 2024
Our free Fall 2024 concert on Sunday, 13 Oct 2024 in the Alexandria Lyceum was greatly enjoyed by all. Volunteer players presented string quartets and quintets by Schubert, Haydn, Joplin, Borodin, and local composer Ron Planting. The concert was capped off with the entire ensemble playing Teri McGuire's Cha Cha from Dances for Strings, conducted by Abe Peralta and virtuoso woodblock by Teri herself. Thanks to Carol Stone for refreshments and Misha's for coffee! The Spring 2023 concert was unfortunately canceled due to illness.
The December 17, 2023 Festive Holiday Concert was a success! Thank you to all who performed and those who came and supported our musicians. Our large ensemble played a variety of holiday tunes, including Haydn’s Symphony No 14, Linus and Lucy, a variety of holiday carol arrangements, selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, and Carol of the Bells. Thank you to Brendan Slocumb for directing and to Misha’s and Lavender Moon Cupcakes for providing refreshments.
We hope you join us at our future concerts!
The Alexandria Lyceum was standing room only for our June 24, 2023 concert.
The program included a movement from the Brahms Clarinet Quintet in B-minor, La Cinquantaine by Gabriel-Marie for cello and piano, a movement from the Brahms E-minor sonata for piano and cello, and a movement from Beethoven’s very first piano trio. After the free refreshments, our large ensemble, directed by Brendan Slocumb, performed Vivaldi’s Sinfonia Alla Rustica, Dvorak’s Serenade for Strings, Handel’s Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 1, and for encore, a rousing rendition of Bishop’s Declarations. A complete program is here.
Videos are on our YouTube channel.
Our October 8, 2022 concert in the Alexandria Lyceum was a great success, Fun was had by audience and musicians alike. Ensembles played:
Franz Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14, Death and the Maiden. (String quartet)
Beethoven’s “Eyeglasses” duet. (Viola and cello.)
Weber’s Quintet Op 34, Mvt 4 (Clarinet quintet)
Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 (Two violas, cello, and double bass)
Coleridge-Taylor’s Clarinet Quintet in F# minor, op.10, Mvts 1 & 3. (Clarinet quintet)
Bishop’s "Declarations" (String orchestra)
Brendan Slocumb (author of The Violin Conspiracy) was declared winner Best Sock Game by acclamation. Free coffee was served, courtesy of Misha’s.
View the complete program!
