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March 17, 2003

NPR host Hoffman brings chamber ensemble to Loeb

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Miles Hoffman, host of the "Coming to Terms" segment of National Public Radio's "Performance Today" program, will perform with his chamber music ensemble, the American Chamber Players, at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 30, in Loeb Playhouse.

Admission is $22 for general public, $15 for Purdue students and children K-12. Tickets can be purchased at Purdue box offices or charged by phone at (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW. Tickets also are available at all Ticketmaster outlets. The American Chamber Players are presented by Purdue Convocations.

On Saturday, March 30, Purdue Convocations will offer a daylong 'chamber music immersion,' hosted by Hoffman and other ensemble members. The day will include workshop sessions in the morning and afternoon with a break for a catered lunch. The session will conclude with a late afternoon reception with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Registration and breakfast begin at 8:30 a.m., with the first session at 9 a.m. Those interested in attending should contact the Convocations administrative office at (765) 494-9712 for more information.

The American Chamber Players were formed by violist Hoffman in 1985 from a core group of artists of the Library of Congress Summer Chamber Festival. The six members perform music ranging from familiar masterpieces to neglected gems to newly commissioned American works. The group has toured throughout North America.

The Washington Post wrote, "They have established standards of chamber music performance equal to any in the world." According to The New York Times, "They appealed to the heart and the head, offering a warm, seductively luxurious sound and an impressive precision and unity of purpose."

In addition to their dedication to chamber music, the members of the American Chamber Players are renowned soloists and members of prestigious symphony orchestras. Hoffman also is author of "The NPR Classical Music Companion."

Members of the American Chamber Players are Sara Stern, flute; Joanna Maurer, violin; Miles Hoffman, viola; Michael Mermagen, cello; and Edward Newman, piano.

The program will include Ernest Bloch's "Concertino," Frank Bridge's "Phantasy in F-sharp minor," and Johannes Brahms' "Quartet in G minor for piano and strings," among other works.

CONTACT: Larry Sommers, Purdue Convocations, (765) 494-5045, lsommers@purdue.edu.

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: A publication-quality photograph of Miles Hoffman is available at ftp://ftp.purdue.edu/pub/uns/hoffman.m.jpeg.

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu


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