Sheffield Chamber Players presents “Grace and Enlightenment”

From the Sheffield Chamber Players: The Sheffield Chamber Players brings an intimate program of works for strings to the historic Washington Street Baptist Church on Saturday, November 1 at 2:00pm. The program—titled “Grace and Enlightenment”—juxtaposes Beethoven’s early quartet with Shostakovich’s last, introduced by a short work by Bonds.

Sasha Callahan and EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks – Violins
Alexander Vavilov – Viola
Leo Eguchi – Cello

Sheffield Chamber Players was founded in 2014 on the belief that chamber music is a powerful tool for connection and community. Inspired by 19th century music salons, they perform diverse repertoire in intimate settings—most often private homes— profoundly changing the way listeners gather, respond to the music, and connect through a shared artistic experience. The group is excited to open their 12th season with a new collaboration with the vibrant community space of the Washington Street Baptist Church in Lynn.

What Sheffield hosts and their guests are saying:

• “A one-of-a-kind, intimate musical event like no other I’ve experienced.” ~ Joan, guest in Melrose
• “We hold a concert, yes, but we also have a party, and there is nothing that bonds friends closer together than the power of music—and perhaps a few glasses of wine.” ~ Robert, host in Brookline
• “We had an amazing night. I was trying to think of the right word to describe it – I’d have to go with magical.” ~ Tonya, host in Melrose
• “It’s a very moving experience to be so close to such an amazing performance…and to share it with my friends in the community.” ~ Mark, host in Winchester
• “You can feel the music as well as hear it.” ~ Geoff and Kathy, guests in Lexington

This performance inaugurates Sheffield Chamber Players’ season and marks the eleventh annual installment of the ensemble’s ambitious fifteen-year initiative to present the complete string quartets of Beethoven and Shostakovich in parallel. This year’s pairing was chosen in tribute to the fiftieth anniversary of Shostakovich’s death in 1975, offering a poignant reflection on his enduring legacy and the evolving dialogue between two of the most profound musical voices of the Western Canon.

The program opens with Joy, a luminous miniature by Margaret Bonds—one of the first African-American composers to gain national recognition—premiering an arrangement for string quartet by ensemble member Leo Eguchi. Bonds’ music, imbued with spiritual uplift and clarity, offers a fitting prelude to the introspective selections from Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 15, composed during the final year of his life. Written almost entirely in slow movements, the quartet reflects a stark and meditative late style, marked by transparency and quiet revelation.

The concert concludes with Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 2 in G major, Op. 18 No. 2—often referred to as the “Komplimentier-Quartett” for its graceful melodic arcs and refined structure. While rooted in homage to Haydn and Mozart, the work reveals Beethoven’s emerging voice and his early experiments with thematic integration across movements.

Musicians will offer brief spoken introductions, sharing historical insights and engaging anecdotes about each work.

Free admission, but RSVP encouraged. Spots can be reserved at www.sheffieldchamberplayers.org/wsbc-registration

About the Sheffield Chamber Players

Described by The Boston Globe as “19th-century music salon, minus the aristocratic atmosphere,” Sheffield Chamber Players was founded in 2014 on the belief that chamber music is a powerful tool for connection and community. By performing diverse repertoire in intimate settings, Sheffield profoundly changes the way listeners gather, respond to the music, and connect through a shared artistic experience. Each season, they play dozens of concerts in a growing network of host homes, as well as historic homes, community spaces, and other intimate venues. The ensemble received the Harvard Musical Association’s 2023 George Henschel Community Award for its commitment to building meaningful community through music.

About the Washington Street Baptist Church

WSBC was erected in the 1870’s, in the style often referred to as Italian Gothic, a type of architecture that had its beginnings in the rapidly growing cities of the 13th century. Washington Street Baptist is truly a sacred space in the city of Lynn, MA.  It is an architectural gem and an old urban church. It is a community space enjoyed by its membership as well as two other churches, but also used by hundreds of children, teens, and adults in the city of Lynn. WSBC hosts AA, a Food Pantry, and an outreach youth ministry that benefits so many.