What's in a Key?

This summer, Chestnut Hill Concerts will present four programs of chamber music arranged in a rather unusual way. Artistic director and cellist Ronald Thomas has organized each concert around a single key as the starting point for answering the question, “What’s in a Key?”

Classical composers knew that the key of a piece of music affects its mood and spirit, and even its “color.” Each concert this season -- along with performances of masterworks played by world-class artists--will feature Mr. Thomas’s commentary on the characteristics of various keys to guide the audience in the exploration this fascinating aspect of classical music. The concerts will take place on consecutive Friday evenings, August 7, 14, 21, and 28 at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook.

The first program, on August 7, features works in D, and includes Beethoven’s Serenade for Flute, Violin, and Viola in D major; Prokofiev’s Flute Sonata in D major; and Schumann’s Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor. On August 14, the works are all in E-flat major: Two pieces by Beethoven, his Clarinet Trio Op. 38 and Piano Trio Op. 70 no. 2, and Brahms’ Clarinet Sonata No. 2. The third program on August 21 is in A minor, featuring the Ravel Piano Trio, Schubert’s Arpeggione sonata for viola, and Elgar’s Piano Quintet. The season concludes on August 28 in C, with Bach’s Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 2 in C major, and Fauré’s Piano Quartet in C minor.

The 2015 season will bring to The Kate’s stage thirteen of today’s most distinguished musicians. Making their Chestnut Hill Concerts debuts are flutist Catherine Gregory, violinist Catherine Cho, and violinist/violist Tien Hsin Cindy Wu. Returning artists, in addition to cellist and artistic director Ronald Thomas, are clarinetist Romie de Guise-Langlois; violinists Steven Copes, Jesse Mills, and Todd Phillips; violists Mark Holloway and Cynthia Phelps; and pianists Rieko Aizawa, Randall Hodgkinson, and Mihae Lee.

Sponsors of the 2015 concerts are Guilford Savings Bank, Northstar Wealth Partners, and Bruce and Kathy Kramer Briggs.

The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center (The Kate) is located at 300 Main Street in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Subscriptions to the four concerts are $120 (orchestra) and $100 (balcony). Single tickets are $35 for orchestra seats and $30 for the balcony. To purchase tickets, visit chestnuthillconcerts.org or call 203-245-5736. After July 2, contact the Kate box office at 860-510-0453, or visit www.thekate.org.