A Note from the Artistic Director

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 As we begin to emerge from the chill of deep winter and welcome the returning light, we at Finger Lakes Chamber Ensemble look forward to presenting our two final chamber concerts of the season: March 8 and May 10. Program details can be found here.

Our performing year comes to a close on a bittersweet note as our valued colleague, Stefan Reuss, will be leaving the ensemble at the end of this season. Stefan is freeing up his schedule to allow him to travel and spend more time with his sons David (in California) and Josh (in Maryland) and their growing families, as well as pursue other interests.

As a founding member, Stefan has performed in hundreds of concerts for FLCE since we first began in 1991. Stefan’s outstanding artistry and engaging commentaries from stage have won him a large and loyal following among our audience members. 

His numerous performances over the years have run the gamut from duos to octets. A partial list includes Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano, Debussy, Brahms, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, and Strauss sonatas; all the standard chamber works for Piano Quartet and Quintet, as well as many Piano Trios – multiple performances of Schubert’s Quintet for Two Cellos, Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence, the Brahms String Sextets, Quintets by Brahms and Mozart, Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht, the Schubert Octet, Kodaly’s Duo for Violin and Cello, Villa Lobos’s Jet Whistle for Flute and Cello,  the Beethoven and Mozart String Trios, Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. 

Behind the scenes, Stefan’s professionalism, wide experience, dedication and thoughtful suggestions have assisted FLCE in navigating the many challenges a small organization such as ours faces over the course of decades. 

His contribution to FLCE has been immeasurable. We could not be where we are today as a group without him. He will be greatly missed, but we know you will join us in wishing the very best to a wonderful performer, colleague and dear friend.

Roberta Crawford

Artistic Director

Finger Lakes Chamber Ensemble