Chamber music set free of city limits
By Wendy Killeen, Globe Correspondent, 8/12/2001
''Coming back, the lushness struck me,'' she said. ''I felt I had come to Eden.''
But one thing the area didn't have over the city, she added, were small groups that performed classical music.
''What we all wanted to do in the summer more than anything was play chamber music,'' said Benotti. ''I had so many wonderful musician colleagues who shared that interest and passion.''
So from her living room in Beverly, with a group of 10 musicians, Benotti launched Music at Eden's Edge, now celebrating its 20th season.
The group's name, she explained, was inspired by her new environment and reflected her philosophical approach to music. ''In chamber music we are continually striving toward perfection but we are always on the edge,'' Benotti said. ''No matter how far you go there is always something further, an infinite requirement. We are always striving toward the center, always at the edge.''
Now, after two decades of presenting concerts, Music at Eden's Edge is taking time to celebrate its accomplishments. A gala anniversary concert and party will be held at Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester next Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
''There's a special quality to the group, some of which is caused by performing at these beautiful places on the North Shore,'' said Paul Orgel, a pianist who has been a member of Music at Eden's Edge since the early years. ''And there's great dedication to the music, which is what keeps me going back.''
Benotti said the group, of which she is artistic director, has always had a dual mission - art and outreach. ''It's important to me we play at a very high level of performance and turn around and offer that to the broadest possible audience,'' she said. ''That has proven fortuitous, really possible and been the key to our success.''
The group consists of 13 professional musicians, who are grouped mostly in trios and quartets for the performances. Often there are guest performers. ''If you frequent the Boston scene, the Pops and ballet, Emmanuel Church, the Handel & Haydn Society and Pro Arte, you'll see the names of our musicians,'' said Benotti. ''And many are on the faculty of leading music schools in the area.''
Repertoire ranges from 18th-century classical music to rarely heard compositions to new works. In celebration of its 20th anniversary, the group commissioned five new pieces. One of the works, by Ronald Arnatt, director of St. John's Church in Beverly, will premiere at next Sunday's concert.
''When I look at a stack of programs for 20 years I am blown away by the variety and scope of the repertoire,'' Benotti said.
Lynn Nowels, an accomplished cellist and longtime member of the group, said the choice of music ''is fantastic and it's an intimate kind of playing.''
''For many instrumentalists chamber music is the most desirable activity to be doing, a real luxury,'' Nowels said. And, she said, being able to work with composers and perform new works is ''a treat.''
Music at Eden's Edge presents five programs a season, June through September, and performs each program three times in different venues. Friday night concerts are held at Hammond Castle Museum; Tuesday afternoon concerts at First Parish Church in Beverly are free and designed for senior citizens and young families; and Sunday evening concerts are split between Christ Church in Hamilton and King Hooper Mansion in Marblehead.
In the winter, the group collaborates with the St. John's Concert Series in Beverly as part of the Cantata North Series, which focuses on the work of Bach and his contemporaries.
And Music at Eden's Edge has formed partnerships with elementary schools in six communities - Lynn, Salem, Beverly, Gloucester, Ipswich, and Newburyport - to introduce students to classical music and instruments.
Benotti, who now lives in Essex, seems most proud of the group's connection with senior citizens, families, and students. The Tuesday afternoon concerts are offered at no cost because ''we wanted no barriers,'' she said. ''We felt if we made it free no one could feel excluded.''
The 2 p.m. concert time is also designed to accommodate those audiences. And the presentation is informal. ''We want to meet people where they are,'' Benotti said, adding that ''because people have gotten to know some of our artists it's an ongoing conversation that's very pleasurable on both sides.''
After a recent concert featuring a complicated 20th-century work, Benotti said, an older woman commented to her, ''We love your concerts because you never play down to us.''
''Often the concept is when you play for senior citizens you perform easy listening music,'' Benotti said. ''We have never done that.''
As for the children, she said, ''It's the discovery that is quite wonderful. They are struck by the instruments and certain composers. We are live and right in front of them and that's where you connect.''
Benotti said the popularity of chamber music is growing as more people seek varied experiences. ''As a society we have gotten used to hearing things come off the radio, canned music and compact discs,'' Benotti said. ''When you make the effort to go to a live concert you not only hear the music, but you see and feel the interplay of a musical dialogue, an event happening. It is very dramatic.''
In two decades, Music at Eden's Edge has reached a type of ''critical mass that is large audiences, but also more than that,'' Benotti said. ''We have finally penetrated a certain consciousness so people understand what we are about.''
''Many times I felt I had a tiger by the tail, I couldn't let go and I couldn't hold on,'' said Benotti, who ran the group by herself for 10 years. Now, there is a general manager, Daniel Kennedy of Beverly, and a staff of three part-timers.
''I feel I can be more visionary now and plan more for the future,'' Benotti said. ''Each year has its challenges. There is nothing same-old, same-old about this. Not at all.''
This story ran on page 11 of the Boston Globe's North Weekly section on 8/12/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.