SHEFFIELD CHAMBER PLAYERS BRINGS INTIMATE CHAMBER MUSIC TO WINDHOVER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

ROCKPORT – September 2023 – Sheffield Chamber Players brings an intimate program of works for string quartet to the historic Chapel at Windhover Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, October 19 at 7:00pm. The program—titled “A View From Above”—is an exploration of the skies and the perspective we gain from reaching ever higher.

Kevin Day’s Birds in the Cathedral is a discovery of calm, serenity, and space. In Honey Flyers, Christine Southworth (herself a beekeeper) provides a quirky look at industriousness, vulnerability, and community through apian eyes. And finally, in Haydn’s “Lark” quartet, melodies take wing that no other composer could create.

Day was the first of five composers whom Sheffield tapped in 2021 to create new works by a diverse array of composers for its own repertoire and for the broader field of chamber music. His String Quartet No. 5 was premiered by Sheffield in 2022, establishing a connection with the young composer that led to an invitation to premiere Birds in the Cathedral, his 6th quartet.

The Windhover chapel was built around 1970 by founder Herbert Hahn. He rescued and salvaged materials from an old New England church, re-constructing the building to honor the beautiful stained glass windows and old wood paneling. The many architectural treasures Hahn collected have made Windhover a unique place — a mini-New England village replete with hand-hewn beams, barn siding, statuary, stained glass windows, wrought iron railings, lanterns, and granite boulder walls. Today the chapel is used for intimate concerts and poetry readings, spiritual gatherings and meditations. Advance tickets are recommended as seating is limited.

“A View From Above” opens Sheffield’s 10th Season. General admission $25, students/seniors $20. Tickets can be purchased at https://windhover.org