September 26, 2019

TOM NETHERLAND

The Paramount Chamber Players

We know Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. They’re comparable to chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry — instantly recognizable from the vast enclaves of classical music.

But what of Beach, Price and Holler? They’re female composers of classical music, each of whom warrant sonic exploration.

Enter Craig Combs’ Paramount Chamber Players. They present American Women Composers on Friday, Sept. 27, at the Paramount Center for the Arts in Bristol, Tennessee. It’s an evening of stout music composed by such remarkable women as Amy Beach, as well as Florence B. Price and local composer Ann Holler.

Of Price, she’s regarded as the first African-American woman whose music was performed by a major American symphony. Profound, right? Consider Beach. She’s considered to be America’s first female composer. Right on. Then there’s Ann Holler and Evelyn Pursley-Kopitzke, they’re contemporary and longtime collaborators with The Paramount Chamber Players. Summed up, an educational evening of music brimmed in energy and alacrity seems afoot.

Paramount Bristol