The Rustic Pine Tavern in Dubois will be hushed this coming Sunday afternoon, except for an extraordinary sound. From 3-5 PM on September 13, the bar will be closed as it becomes a venue of an entirely different kind, with a concert by a string quartet and flute in the adjacent Frontier Room.
“We are delighted to partner with the Rustic Pine to bring classical music literally into the heart of Dubois,” said Dubois Chamber Music (DCM) President Lois Wingerson, “After six years of sponsoring concerts here, it is clear that the community enthusiastically welcomes a variety of musical styles, including classical and jazz.”
In a survey of full-time Dubois residents carried out last April, 84% listed Country & Western among their favorite musical genres, but nearly half (43%) said they also enjoy classical music. Even among those who had not attended DCM concerts in the past, fully a third listed classical music among their favorites.
As always, the final concert of this DCM season will feature among the best of classical musicians, brought to Wyoming every September by Jackson Hole Chamber Music (JHCM). Their annual Dubois concert, which usually starts off their week-long series, is renowned for its excellence. In surveys at past concerts, Dubois audience members have described them as “fantastic,” “amazing,” and “wonderful performers.”
In addition to violinist Rebecca Racusin, a regular performer at the Grand Teton Music Festival (and JHCM co-founder), Sunday’s concert will feature two first-chair musicians with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (violinist Eric Wyrick, who is concertmaster, and principal flutist Bart Feller) as well as Stephanie Block, principal violist of the Sarasota Orchestra. Returning to Dubois will be Desmond Hoebig, professor of cello at Rice University and a former principal with many orchestras.
These fine musicians “have to be willing to devote the extra time to arrive early in Jackson Hole,” said JHCM Treasurer Richard Scerbo in an interview. “But they enjoy traveling over to Dubois and meeting the people who come to the concerts. It’s a very gratifying opportunity for them, and we look forward to returning.”
The concert will take place at 3 PM on Sunday, September 13. The program includes a flute quartet by Mozart and two compositions by Americans: Arthur Foote’s lyrical “Night Piece” for flute and string quartet, and the first work by iconoclastic composer Charles Ives, which helped to earn him a D+ average at Yale for defying the principles of his instruction.
Tickets, available at the entry or online at duboischambermusic.org, cost $20 for general admission and $15 for those age 65 and older. Anyone 18 or younger can attend for free. Tickets are also available at the Dubois branch of the Bank of Jackson Hole.
Dubois Chamber Music is supported by the Dubois-Crowheart committee of the Wyoming Community Foundation, the Never Sweat Recreation Board, and the Opportunity Shop grant program. Concerts are also supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, and in part by the Wyoming Arts Council , which receives support from the state of Wyoming and the National Endowment for the Arts.