The Norfolk Chamber Consort, founded in 1969, gave its first
performances, of exclusively 20th century music, in the old Public
Library on Freemason Street in Norfolk, then known as the Norfolk
Theater Center. F. Gerard Errante joined the Consort in 1970
and Allen Shaffer joined following year. In 1972, when the
Consort s founder, Kay Gardner, left the area, Errante and Schaffer
became its Artistic Co-Directors. By that time, the Consort was
performing at the Chrysler Museum and, though still emphasizing
20th century music, had begun to expand its repertoire to include
the standard literature as well. Vocal music with chamber ensemble
accompaniment and music of the Baroque became regular features of
Consort programming.The Norfolk Chamber Consort moved to Chandler
Recital Hall on the campus of Old Dominion University when that
facility opened in 1992.
We have presented programs of music from various countries
throughout the world including Mexico, Australia, Japan and China.
Also, in addition to performing many world premieres, the Consort
naturally performs standard chamber music masterpieces by composers
such as Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Brahms, Dvorak,
Weber and many others.
The mission of the Norfolk Chamber Consort is to present to the
public performances of chamber music drawn from repertories of the
17th up to the 21st centuries. The emphasis is on works with varied
instrumentation and those utilizing the voice as an integral part
of the chamber music texture. Emphasis is often placed on lesser
known works and neglected masterpieces that are not often performed
in Southeastern Virginia. In addition, we occasionally bring in
guest composers as well as performers on instruments unique to the
Hampton Roads area.
While most of our concerts are presented without a conductor, some
concerts have been directed by notable area conductors, Russell
Stanger, Richard Williams, Walter Noona, Peter Mark,Wes Kenney, and
JoAnn Falletta. In addition, we have presented concerts
highlighting prominent area composers such as Adolphus Hailstork,
Ludwig Diehn, and Thea Musgrave. As a service to the community, we
are presenting concerts of exotic and recent music that is not
often heard in this area.
In 2008, Andrey Kasparov assumed the artistic leadership of the
Norfolk Chamber Consort. He led the organization to new heights by
promoting artistic excellence and initiating cooperation with the
F. Ludwig Diehn Concert Series at Old Dominion University. He was
joined by Oksana Lutsyshyn as Artistic Co-Director in 2009.
