Quartet to play chamber music in Whitefish, Bigfork concerts

The Glacier String Quartet will bring a concert of chamber music to Bigfork and Whitefish when they perform “In the Spotlight” Friday, May 11, and Saturday, May 12.

The quartet will feature two works by Haydn, a piece by Mendelssohn and a work by Italian composer L. Boccherini.

The concert will take advantage of the acoustic ambiance of two local churches. The Friday performance will be held at Pope John Paul II Catholic Church in Bigfork at 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s performance will be held at the Whitefish United Methodist Church, also at 7:30 p.m.

The quartet includes Sam Taylor and Sally Jerde, violin; Jenanne Solberg, viola; and a new cellist, Jesse Ahmann.

Taylor has performed professionally for more than 27 years as a concertmaster, soloist and conductor, most notably in Stadtorchester of the Musikkollegium Winterthur, Switzerland’s oldest orchestra.

Currently concertmaster of the Glacier Symphony, he is first violinist of the Glacier String Quartet. He also performs regularly with the String Orchestra of the Rockies and does freelance orchestra work with the major orchestras in Montana. He teaches violin at the North Valley Music School in Whitefish.

Jerde is a violinist with the Glacier Symphony and Chorale. Previously she was a freelance violinist and violist in Southwest Florida. She has performed with the Naples Philharmonic, Sarasota Orchestra, Southwest Florida Symphony, Opera Tampa and the Helena Symphony. She has also played with numerous Broadway touring companies, such as “The Lion King,” “The Producers,” “The King and I” and “My Fair Lady.” She is also a teacher at North Valley Music School.

Solberg is a Montana native who teaches music and orchestra and choir in the Whitefish School District; and piano, violin and viola at North Valley Music School. She also directs the Whitefish Community Orchestra. She is principal viola of the Glacier Symphony and has performed extensively and served as the principal viola of the Billings, Bozeman and Casper, Wyo., symphonies, as well as the Montana Summer Symphony and the Great Falls Symphony and the String Orchestra of the Rockies.

Ahmann is the newest member of the quartet, having moved to the Flathead Valley from Bozeman last fall. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Montana State University in Bozeman and a music teaching license for students in kindergarten through 12th grade in Washington and Montana. He has performed in Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” He is a freelance musician with orchestras across Montana and plays with the Montana Mandolin Society

Tickets may be purchased online at www.gscmusic.tix.com and are priced at $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for college students and youths.

For more information, contact Glacier Symphony and Chorale at 257-3241.