WCM comes “March”-ing in with
Sundays at Big Twig & a Brooklyn gala benefit

The Weekend of Chamber Music begins a new year with two events that are sure to counter the chilly winds of March, and offer a little musical respite from the gray days of winter.

ROSCOE – WCM presents acclaimed French pianist Evelyne Crochet and flutist Judith Pearce at 2 p.m. March 6, at the Big Twig Recording Studio & Gallery, 855 County Route 93, near Tennanah Lake. In the first of the Sundays at Big Twig series, Crochet and Pearce team up for a program of solos and duets by J. S. Bach.

The London Times says Crochet is “Musical to her fingertips and endowed with an impeccable keyboard technique.” The pianist was hailed for her 2002 recording of the complete J. S. Bach “Well-Tempered Clavier,” and she performed several times over the course of that year to raise funds for New York City arts organizations shaken by the impact of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Crochet arrived in the U.S. in 1958 by invitation of the late pianist Rudolph Serkin, and made her orchestral debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, performing the premiere of Francis Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos with the composer.

Tickets are $15, $12 for senior citizens over age 65, and free for students and children 18 and under. Please note: handicapped access is limited at Big Twig. For tickets, call 845-932-8414 or 845-932-8527.

BROOKLYN – The high level of quality presented in all of WCM’s Catskills-and-beyond area programming is possible in large measure because two annual benefits help raise the funds needed to engage practicing professional musicians from across the country. A salon musicale, the first benefit for 2005, is at 3:30 p.m. March 13 at a private home in Brooklyn. Music for piano trio featuring violinist Anna Lim, pianist Marija Stroke and flutist Judith Pearce complements a buffet-style feast with wine and dessert.

Admission is $60 per person and seating is limited. Reservations are required in advance, and directions will be available at that time. For reservations, call 845-932-8414 or 845-932-8527.