String quintet presents 'A night in Vienna'

The Quintet of the Rockies, comprised of founding members of the String Orchestra of the Rockies, presents a chamber music series July 11-14 in western Montana. Coming together for a long-awaited reunion, the Quintet of the Rockies includes Johan Jonsson and Lorraine Glass-Harris on violin, Russell Guyver and Sarah Avery on viola, and Fern Glass Boyd on cello.

Russell Guyver, Johan Jonsson and Fern Glass Boyd all served at different times as Artistic Director of the SOR; Sarah Avery was the first player/manager of the ensemble and raised funds to start the SOR. Lorraine Glass-Harris, sister to Fern, was a frequent guest of the SOR, taking time away from her position with the St. Louis Symphony to share her expertise with the Orchestra. Fern Glass Boyd is the last of the Quintet to play regularly with SOR, the others currently reside in Italy, Missouri and Colorado.

“We look forward to an intense week of rehearsing, performing and the rekindling of old friendships, both within the ensemble and in the communities in which we’ll play,” said Guyver.

A Night in Vienna is a program of masterworks by composers from that great musical city: Mozart, Brahms, and Strauss.

The quintets by Mozart and Brahms are both mature, extraordinary works, written when both composers were at the peak of their respective creative lives.

The program concludes with a “dessert” — the wonderful Blue Danube Waltzes by the Viennese “Waltz King,” Johann Strauss. The Quintet is delighted to be able to offer four consecutive performances of this program in western Montana including a July 13 stop in Kalispell where they will play at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 603 S. Main Street.

A pre-concert talk will be offered at 7 p.m., with music beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door: $10 for adults and $5 for 18 and under.