America’s Dream Chamber Artists will perform today in Lee Hall Auditorium as part of the Lyceum Series.
MSU coordinator of the Lyceum Series Brenda Neubauer said the group searches all year for acts to come perform at the university.
“We meet several times, go through the groups and decide what will be good, different, appealing and fun. A Lyceum Series is more of an alternative program so students will have an opportunity to see other things,” Neubauer said.
Arash Amini, along with his wife Eveline Kuhn founded the group back in 2004 in New York City. Amini is the cellist and artistic director, while Kuhn is the flutist.
Amani said none of the members of the group are from Mississippi and this will be their first performance in the state.
“We are excited about coming down there for the first time,” Amini said.
ADCA performed its debut concert in 2004 at Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York.
“The name of the group actually has two meanings. The first is because my dream has always been to start a group like this and the second meaning is a group of young musicians or a dream group that people would love to come out to see and hear,” Amini said.
The goal of making classical music more approachable, Amini said, drove him to start the ADCA.
“One of the main reasons I started this group is to make classical music more interesting to a wide variety of audiences, especially to young people and people who have never heard classical music before,” Amini said.
Amini said he chose the music from many legendary composers such as Mozart, Bach and Beethoven and from Baroque to contemporary periods. The pieces stretch from works for two instruments to works for ensembles of up to 13 musicians.
Some of ADCA’s programs also include a concerto that is performed without a conductor.
“We play to bring it back to life and make it fresh. I choose master works that fit into one program with a variety of instruments,” Amini said.
The group has 54 members who were chosen by Amini. Most of the members are originally from New York City, and some have moved to other parts of the country.
“They were chosen because they are my friends or we went to school together,” Amini said. “There is no auditions process. I’ve been playing with some of the members for about 15 or 16 years.”
A number of members are past winners of the Avery Fisher Career Grant and international solo and chamber music competitions. ADCA’s members are graduates of some of the most prestigious musical institutions, including The Juilliard School, Yale School of Music, Manhattan School of Music and Eastman School of Music.
“We are only coming to Mississippi State with a group of 10. When we tour, we travel with less people. Most of them are from New York, Iowa, Kansas City and Salt Lake City. But our base is in New York City because that’s where the rehearsals are,” Amini said.
The group is not like a traditional choir. There are small groups of between two to 13 players, whom are all in one piece. However, they play with all the instruments of a traditional orchestra, he said.
ADCA is a chamber music society that wants to bridge the 30-year gap between chamber music and modern society. The group wants to change the features of chamber music by revitalizing it in a converted and energetic way.
“The committee that selected them thought they would be of interest to the students because they are different and extremely talented. They’ve even played with Mark O’Connor who is a well-known violinist,” Neubauer said.
Amini said the less formal performances remove the customs of concert hall performances and substitutes it with a more personal connection with the audience.
Neubauer said the group should be received well by the students.
“I don’t know what to expect from the students and the rest of the audience. I’m just looking forward to eating Southern food,” Amini said.
They perform in ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. ADCA has been in Chamber Music and Muso magazines, radio, television and Internet broadcasts worldwide. ADCA has performed to benefit Reprieve and Architecture for Humanity’s San Diego Chapter.
“In the future we look forward to more touring, traveling and playing in different parts of the U.S., like in big cities and small towns. This is only the second season of touring right now because in past seasons we’ve only play in New York. Just getting our music out there is the most exciting,” Amini said.
The hip-hop dance company Rennie Harris Puremovement will be performing at the next Lyceum Series event on Nov. 11 in Lee Hall Auditorium.