Though he admits to be being "blissfully unaware" of what to expect from a trio of performers on opening night, INNERchamber Artistic Director Andrew Chung is certain an eclectic mix of talent performing Three Part Inventions will leave audience members "surprised and delighted".
Actor and poet Roy Lewis provides commentary on the roots of creativity with original compositions by Graham Hargrove (percussion) and Ben Bolt-Martin (cello), who are connected by the 'musical experiments of Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti'.
"I saw Roy and Ben perform a theatre piece called Moment With You," Chung recalled to StratfordToday. "It was presented as part of Here for Now Theatre season. It was just the two of them. Ben created all of the original music for that and Roy provided the text, prose, and poetry.
"(Roy) is a fantastic actor and his delivery was just wonderful in that format. We were thinking in lining up this season's event, it would be nice to have something that was a little more theatrical. Roy seemed to be a great fit."
Lewis, Hargrove and Bolt-Martin have known each other in various incarnations of performances over the years, Chung said.
Lewis is a 16-year member of the Stratford Festival company; Hargrove is a regular in musical ensembles, also at the festival and Bolt-Martin, a founding member of INNER Chamber with Chung, has performed at the festival for more than two decades.
"They were keen to work together as three people," Chung said.
The name - Three Part Inventions - is a play on words, derived from Bach's Two Part Inventions, which classical music aficionados will recognize.
Chung described the performance as "three mischievous and fun performers putting together a program that we don't exactly know where it is going to go.
"We have this great imaginative aspect of the concert that we are looking forward to experiencing."
When INNERchamber began, Chung and his colleagues wanted a series to promote local and visiting musicians, during a time frame, October to May, when the Stratford Festival and Stratford Summer Music had wrapped up for the year.
"Running a music series gives us a chance to familiarize with these amazing musicians who live in this area or close to it. It's a great thing in my eyes. It demystifies the music concert. You might see them at a supermarket the next day."
This season, the 14th, features six performances with a wide range of topics and content. Chung said they usually have two concerts each year that involve the INNERchamber string quartet. This year that will include Breaking Through (Nov. 19) and Sounding Off (April 28).
One concert, Exile, is a "little spicy", Chung suggested. It features artist Tamar Ilana (singer and dancer) and Daniel Ramjattin on guitar. Chung will play violin.
Exile features music from Sephardic traditions and, per the INNERchamber website, will 'reflect the vast history of a people whose roots extend to Jewish communities in medieval Spain and Portugal. As they were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula into the broader European context, this rich tradition picked up influences from the Mediterranean and beyond.'
"Tamar is tremendous. She has an amazingly rich and diverse cultural heritage," Chung said.
Another performance provides some lighthearted fun, while another is a peaceful and reflective end to the season.
Play (March 3) will feature narration from Sara-Jeanne Hosie and performances from Peter Shackleton (clarinet), Jody Davenport (viola) and Anna Ronai (piano).
"Sarah will share thoughts about play. How we have fun throughout life and the merriment of music that accentuates that throughout."
Meditations (May 26) will close off the season.
"It's going to be exactly that. Thoughtful and reflective music with flute and harp and cello."
All concerts are back at Factory 163, after a temporary stop for a few years at Revival House. Both are excellent venues, Chung said, and this year they will continue to include the fine dining aspect before the performance, which has been a part of the experience from the start, he said.
Chung always strives for a diverse and entertaining selection of artists and performances.
"They are balanced, so as a group of concerts people will not know quite what to expect. We want people to be surprised and delighted when the arrive and hear something they have never heard before."
The Three Part Inventions performance is Sunday at 7 p.m.
You can purchase tickets here.
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