Elizabeth Anderson. Submitted photo

Laurie Kennedy Submitted photo

Lily Funahashi. Submitted photo

Muneko Otani Submitted photo

FARMINGTON — Maine Mountain Chamber Music is very pleased to present works by two living American composers at their upcoming concert in Nordica auditorium on the UMF campus on Saturday October 1 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $15. Further information and tickets at artsfarmington.org.

Divertimento for Violin and Viola is a light hearted work, written by Adolphus Hailstork (1941), one of America’s most prolific Black composers. He wrote Divertimento in 2004 as a wedding gift for some friends, a violinist and violist.

“Pale Yellow” is a movement from Piano Trio 2 (2003) in which American composer, Jennifer Higdon (1962- ), explores the question, “Can music reflect colors, and can colors be reflected in music?”

, pianist and co-Director, is performing this work for the first time, and is finding it “breathtakingly beautiful”.

In addition to these two works they will also present works by Dmitri Shostakovich and Antonin Dvorak.

Shostakovich’s great works were deep, often sardonic, expressions of the dark times through which he lived. But, when needed, he was perfectly capable of crafting exciting movie music or entertaining diversions, such as the popular Five Pieces for Two Violins (this time, violin and viola), accompanied by piano. Laurie Kennedy, violist, and co-Director, says “These pieces are a hoot for all concerned!”

Dvorak needs no introduction to Maine Mountain Chamber Music audiences. His Piano Quartet No. 1 is full of the ebullience, passion and excitement that everybody loves.

Maine Mountain Chamber Music co-directors, Yuri Funahashi and Laurie Kennedy are very excited to be joined by violinist, Muneko Otani, and cellist, Elizabeth Anderson.

As the first violinist of the Cassatt String Quartet Muneko Otani has appeared in the US, Canada and Mexico as well as in Europe and Asia. Major venues have included Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Bastille Opera House. The quartet has over 40 recordings, and were named three times to Alex Ross’ 10 best classical recordings of the year in The New Yorker magazine.