Long-time CMK Volunteer Derald Oldring tells us about James Ehnes and Chamber Music Kelowna
It’s safe to say that violinist James Ehnes has had a warm and long-standing friendship with Chamber Music Kelowna. We chatted with Derald Oldring, who has been a CMK volunteer for many years, and who often hosts and transports our artists. He reminds us that CMK was among the organizations which first booked this promising young musician early in his career. Of course, James’ reputation and popularity grew rapidly, but despite his many performance demands, he has ensured that Kelowna remains on his list of destinations, for which we are very grateful.
Derald tells us that James and his frequent accompanist Andrew Armstrong have been a delight to host on their stops here. He recalls one visit to Kelowna when the performance hall was at the last minute unavailable to use for rehearsal. A bit of a scramble ensued, and a home was found with an acceptable piano where James and Andrew proceeded to rehearse their entire concert in front of 4 very thrilled CMK adherents! Derald says that James, having grown up in Brandon, MB, puts a conscious emphasis on performing in smaller cities to promote the accessibility of live performance. Derald tells us that James and his frequent accompanist Andrew Armstrong have been a delight to host on their stops here. He recalls one visit to Kelowna when the performance hall was at the last minute unavailable to use for rehearsal. A bit of a scramble ensued, and a home was found with an acceptable piano where James and Andrew proceeded to rehearse their entire concert in front of 4 very thrilled CMK adherents! Derald says that James, having grown up in Brandon, MB, puts a conscious emphasis on performing in smaller cities to promote the accessibility of live performance.
Everyone involved with CMK is very excited about the April concert, not least because it will be the first Kelowna opportunity to hear the string quartet that James founded in 2010 at the Seattle Chamber Music Society, where James is the Artistic Director and the Quartet maintains a yearly residency. The other members of the group are Amy Schwartz Moretti, violin; Che-Yen Chen, viola; and Edward Arron, cello, all of them master musicians in their own right. The Quartet’s award-winning discography includes pieces by Barber, Beethoven, Schubert, and Sibelius.
If you’re a subscriber to the upcoming season and you haven’t yet secured seats for this concert, we urge you to do so as soon as possible. Tickets will be opened for sale to non-subscribers and the general public in November, and we expect rapid sales of the remaining seats. If you have any questions or issues in purchasing your Ehnes Quartet tickets, or have misplaced or not received the message with your subscriber access code, please send us an email at [email protected] and we’ll be delighted to help you.