Beautiful Sounds: USD's Summer Chamber Music Festival, June 24-July 8

Beautiful Sounds: USD's Summer Chamber Music Festival, June 24-July 8

Summer Chamber Music Festival The 12th annual USD Summer Chamber Music Festival will be held on the University of San Diego campus June 24-July 8. Participants will perform concerts on June 24, July 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

The University of San Diego campus will host an incredible array of musicians and musical sounds when the 12th annual Summer Chamber Music Festival takes place June 24-July 8 under the direction of Angela Yeung, PhD, associate professor of music at USD.

“This event just gets better and better,” says Yeung. “We started this because there was a lack of music-making on campus during the summer. We continue to attract more participants from out of state and have had musicians from other countries. The word is spreading.”

The festival brings musicians of all ages — Yeung said one violinist scheduled to attend and perform was born in 2010 — and a diverse representation of instruments, from strings, piano, brass, winds to a festival first, a handbell choir. Yeung said there are 35 participants and 11 coaches who’ll be involved in the two-week event, which should be a treat for all involved.

“Chamber music is, I feel, the most intimate music making there is,” Yeung says. “Each person plays their own part, especially young people like it because they can express themselves, but you also have to communicate with other members of the group. Chamber music exemplifies teamwork and skill, it’s not just solos.”

USD faculty and symphony members will serve as coaches for the festival musicians who’ve signed up to attend, practice and perform in multiple concert settings. The festival has daytime coaching sessions for student participants and these are optional for adult participants. Evening sessions are for adults (optional for student participants ages 15 and older). Afternoons are free, but classrooms are open for festival participants wanting to practice on their own or for jam sessions.

Two current USD students, first-year music major Elizabeth Tin-Maung, sophomore Betty He, a music minor, and a pair of pre-college students who’ve registered for USD strings the last two semesters, Andre Ricardo and Frances Coughlin, will each attend and perform. Tin-Maung plays three instruments (violin, viola and cello), He (viola) and both Ricardo and Coughlin both play violin.

The festival kicks off with a 2 p.m. concert on Saturday, June 24 inside Camino Hall’s Shiley Theatre. The concert will feature USD faculty members and San Diego Symphony members. Yeung will direct the musical performance. 

The full lineup of USD Summer Chamber Music Festival concerts — click on the individual shows to know what featured music will be performed — are:

• June 24, 2 p.m., Founders Hall, French Parlor, is a kickoff concert featuring USD faculty/festival coaches. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for students/seniors/USD affiliates.

• July 1, 2 p.m., Shiley Theatre, will be the first show performed by festival participants. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for students/seniors/USD affiliates.

• July 5, 6, 7, 12:15-1:15 p.m., USD's La Gran Terraza restaurant. Admission is free with lunch purchase.

• July 6, 7:30 p.m., Founders Hall, French Parlor, is performed by festival participants. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for students/seniors/USD affiliates.

• July 8, 2 p.m., Shiley Theatre, is the final participants’ concert. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for students/seniors/USD affiliates.

Due to current construction on USD’s campus — particularly in front of Camino and Founders Hall — Yeung advises participants and parents to arrive early on weekdays to navigate nearby parking. Weekend campus parking is free, which is when each of the main concerts will take place. Yeung advises parents and others interested in attending the concerts at La Gran Terraza to seek lunch reservations in advance.

Tickets for each concert are available at the door. Advance tickets can be purchased by contacting Dr. Yeung at ayeung@sandiego.edu.

— Ryan T. Blystone