News & Events
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Fall 2020 Performances and Events
COVID-19 has halted most live performances of classical music, and many arts organizations, arts-connected businesses and individuals are struggling. If you are able to donate to a local arts organization, an emergency fund to help support arts organizations, or an emergency fund that is helping out-of-work individual artists (many of whom are unable to benefit from emergency resources such as unemployment insurance due to structural issues in the system failing to provide for individuals with mixed W-2/1099/self-employment income - please contact your legislators!), you can make a huge difference in sustaining important cultural, educational, and economic opportunities that enrich our society and drive our economy so that they can adapt and continue to exist after this difficult time. The Chione Quintet is collaborating with Minnesota Public Radio as Class Notes Artists, with the Arrowhead Public Library System, and with Dakota County to provide online arts programming to continue access to arts for students and adults alike. The group is also developing plans to provide educational opportunities to local students through a school residency and to commission at least two new works by local composers; stay tuned for details! To learn more and/or help provide support for these projects, please contact Chione. Bethany's composer colleague Charlie McCarron has written and is in the process of recording a new album called "2020," and Bethany is happy to be collaborating as the flutist for the recordings. Recent Performances and Events During the 2019-2020 season, Bethany played as acting second flutist of Minnesota Opera, assistant principal flutist South Dakota Symphony, and the flutist of Chione Quintet (which performed at a wide variety of locations, performing both educational concerts and formal classical concerts for audiences of all ages). She also performed as a substitute with Minnesota Orchestra and in a variety of freelance settings. In June 2020, Bethany's students performed on her studio's first-ever Zoom recital, in which students either performed live or shared pre-recorded videos to celebrate all their hard work and growth that happened during the past year. They also participated in Zoom group lessons to continue being part of a supportive peer group of musicians as everyone adjusted to a new "normal." Chione quINTENS!VE: The Chione Quintet runs an annual chamber music day camp open to all students playing flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn or bassoon who are entering grades 7-12. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, quINTENS!VE summer camp was cancelled this year, but Chione is looking into options for school residency options for the upcoming school year, and we are hoping to resume normal summer camp operations in summer 2021. |
Photo by Leta Albrecht
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The Chione Quintet
During the 2018-19 season, Bethany played in the orchestra for several Minnesota Opera productions and performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, the Winona Symphony Orchestra, and the Twin Cities Symphony. She recorded a CD of little-known works by Polish composers with the Sonora Ensemble and performed several concerts of that music. She also traveled as a performing faculty member with the University of St. Thomas in its international performing tour in Morocco, Spain, and Portugal.
The Chione Quintet was very active; they performed as MPR Class Notes Artists at a variety of schools, played a recital for MN Junior Winds, performed on the Bethlehem Music Series and the Schubert Club Courtroom Concert Series, and played at several private events. Their summer chamber music camp, quINTENS!VE, was a great success; 20 students performed together in small ensembles and larger side-by-side ensembles with faculty and grew immensely throughout that week. They shared their hard work in a final performance. On their quINTENS!VE faculty recital, Chione premiered new works by two local Minnesota composers, Tim Takach and Michael Maiorana.
The Chione Quintet was very active; they performed as MPR Class Notes Artists at a variety of schools, played a recital for MN Junior Winds, performed on the Bethlehem Music Series and the Schubert Club Courtroom Concert Series, and played at several private events. Their summer chamber music camp, quINTENS!VE, was a great success; 20 students performed together in small ensembles and larger side-by-side ensembles with faculty and grew immensely throughout that week. They shared their hard work in a final performance. On their quINTENS!VE faculty recital, Chione premiered new works by two local Minnesota composers, Tim Takach and Michael Maiorana.
Bethany Gonella and Paul Jacobson perform at the Lyra Baroque Orchestra's annual fundraising gala
Bethany’s students had a great the 2018-19 season as well. They performed with Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony, played in Upper Midwest Flute Association’s Marathon Flute Concert and Rising Stars Festival, gave fantastic group class concerts at several grocery stores and at a local nursing home, and celebrated the end of the year with a well-played solo recital. In addition to private lessons, they had fun times and learned a lot in regular group classes that Bethany co-taught with Vanamali Medina. During the summer, some of them pursued opportunities such as attending Chione’s quINTENS!VE chamber music camp or Lake Sylvia Suzuki Flute Institute. Several of them successfully auditioned (or re-auditioned) into the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony and are looking forward to next season.