Chamber Players of the Redwoods

Chamber Players of the Redwoods (CPOTR) is the North Coast element of an international community of chamber music players and an outgrowth of the annual Humboldt Chamber Music Workshops which have taken place at Humboldt State University since 1957, involving hundreds of musicians each year from across the nation. Many North Coast musicians take part in the HSU workshops, and form chamber ensembles to enjoy year-round playing of works by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and other composers of masterworks.

In the Spring of 2007, three local chamber groups joined forces to present a public concert. With the cooperation of Dr. Kenneth Ayoob, then Chair of the Humboldt State University Music Department, a concert was organized by Val Phillips, a horn player, retired dean and Emeritus Director of the Humboldt Chamber Music Workshops, HSU’s Fulkerson Recital Hall and a grand piano were made available.

On May 13, 2007, these groups of chamber musicians presented
Friends of Mozart: Quintet for Piano and Winds, K 452, W.A. Mozart
  Felicia Oldfather, piano; Ellen Weiss, oboe; Gwen Gasteneau-Ayoob, clarinet; Valgene Phillips, horn; Justin Sousa, Bassoon
Meadowood String Quartet: Quartet in G, F.J Haydn; Tango, Carlos Gardel
  Betty Bliss, Marilyn Page, violins, Stefan Vaughn, viola, Eric Jones, 'cello
Springville Horn Quartet: Concertino, Alexander Mitushin; Two Pieces, Nikolai Tcherepnin; Audiation Set, Val Phillips; Two Fripperies, Lowell Shaw
  Horns: Michael Thompson, Robert Peoples, Christina Foreman, Valgene Phillips

The 2007 concert was viewed as a “pilot project” to see how to design a new venture on the North Coast art music scene. Val Phillips continued to organize concerts while work went on. There were questions: Would players form groups?? They did, and do, new ones each season. Would listeners attend live chamber performances? They do. How would we get the word out? We developed a system—posters, email broadsides, press releases, public service announcements. Which halls can we play in? We searched and found wonderful venues in beautiful, acoustically warm halls in Humboldt County. Should we form a non-profit? Yes. Chamber Players Of The Redwoods became a 501(c)(3) non profit corporation in 2010, great thanks to Renee Taylor, our accountant. Would we have a working Board of Directors. Yes, all 8 form a fine team. All have tasks. Our concerts are free, donations welcome. Would that approach pay the bills? We rely on listener contributions at the concerts. And yes, it does pay the bills.

Our mission—serve musicians with performance opportunities, serve North Coast listeners with live art music by composers of masterworks – is serving our community.