“When James told me he wrote a new string quartet which had never been performed before, we jumped at this opportunity to present a world premiere.” On the eve of its seventh Annual Black History Month Celebration, Liz Player — Co-Founder and clarinetist of the Harlem Chamber Players (HCP) — shares some insight into their February 22 world premiere of James Lee III’s String Quartet No. 2.
She continues, “We are very excited to program this quartet. Last February, members of The Harlem Chamber Players performed the New York premiere of James’ [first quartet] The Appointed Time as part of the Brooklyn Public Library’s Classical Interludes series. I was really impressed with the music. I enjoyed hearing the midi-files James sent along, and I like how thought-provoking and spiritual his music is. James’ music is important to hea
r now, especially with all the momentum we have in our new civil rights movement to fight for justice for black and brown men in our country today. We — The Harlem Chamber Players — are honored to be able to premiere this work and offer it to the public.”
More February news: Violinist Amadi Azikiwe and pianist Kevin Sharpe tour Lee’s Sonata for Violin and Piano for performances at the Piedmont Music Center (Winston-Salem, NC) on the 10th, and on the 12th at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA.