Fresno Philharmonic puts spotlight on chamber music as it highlights principal players. Plus, you can win tickets.

By Manjot Dhanda

This Sunday, the Fresno Philharmonic invites audiences to an intimate musical experience with a newly designed concert format that places its principal players center stage. The Feb. 15 program opens with chamber performances by three ensembles: a brass quintet, wind quintet and string quartet. It then expands into a chamber orchestra for Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2 under the baton of Music Director Rei Hotoda.

The first half gives audiences a rare chance to hear the Philharmonic’s musicians in a more soloistic role. Among the highlights is Antonín Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96, which will be performed by a string quartet made up of the orchestra’s principal players, including Principal Second Violinist Caitlin McSherry.

You can win two tickets to Sunday’s Fresno Philharmonic concert. Enter our giveaway by replying with a comment on this post. The first reader to respond is the winner!

McSherry says audiences often ask about the difference between first and second violin parts in a quartet. “The first violin usually carries more of the melody,” she explains, “but the second violin is just as important. It supports the harmony and rhythm. Together, the parts fit like pieces of a puzzle.”

That collaborative balance is vital to chamber music. “There’s no conductor in chamber music,” McSherry says. “It’s a lot of listening and responding to each other, almost like having a conversation. Everyone has to be really aware of what the others are doing.”

Dvořák wrote the “American” quartet while he was living in the United States, blending warm melodies with folk-inspired rhythms. The piece reflects both his Czech heritage and his interest in American music. With only four players, the chamber setting lets each instrument stand out and keeps the musical exchange tight and personal.

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The program’s second half expands in scale but retains a chamber-like feel. A chamber orchestra–sized ensemble performs Schumann’s Symphony No. 2, bringing out both the clarity of the music and its emotional intensity. Under Hotoda’s direction, the performance showcases the orchestra’s versatility from the nuance of chamber music to the sweep of symphonic writing.

McSherry hopes the concert will encourage people to experience live performance. “Live music is a totally different experience. It’s something you really have to feel in person,” she says. “The Fresno Philharmonic is a great place to start.”

By pairing chamber and symphonic works in one program, Sunday’s concert offers audiences a chance to hear the orchestra up close and experience the full range of its sound.

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