FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The fifth annual KUAF/Fulbright Summer Chamber Music Festival begins at 7 p.m. Friday, May 17, with a concert in the Great Hall at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. Music professors Stephen Gates and Er-Gene Kahng have been organizing the festival in collaboration with KUAF and the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences since 2009.

Gates and Kahng spend the spring carefully selecting the program for the summer series. They pay attention to every facet of the festival, considering details like reflecting the spirit of American heritage exhibited at Crystal Bridges or choosing pieces that will include guest artists like Molly Sharp, a Fayetteville native now performing in Richmond, Va., who will perform as a guest violist in two of this year’s concerts.

Selections for Friday’s concert include:

• Dvorak: “American” Quartet
• Ginastera: Impressiones de la Puna, flute and string quartet
• Barber: String Quartet

Planning and performing in each of the summer concerts is a duty that both professors gladly assume.

“The most fun you can have in music is performing chamber music with people you like,” said Gates. “It’s a lovely cross between being a soloist and being in an ensemble.”

For centuries, chamber music by composers such as Brahms, Barber and Strauss has entertained audiences on a smaller scale. These pieces were created to be played with only one musician per part, making the effect ideal for small spaces like salons and living rooms in private homes. 

According to Gates, last summer’s audiences filled every venue, including the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall and the Fayetteville Public Library with around 250 attending each concert.

The six-week series will continue with concerts every Thursday until June 20. Aside from the May 17 performance at Crystal Bridges and the June 13 concert, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the parish hall of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, all concerts will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center’s Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall on the University of Arkansas campus. Each concert is followed by a public reception.

The performances are free and open to the public thanks to support from the university, Fulbright College and private donors. Contributions for the KUAF/Fulbright Summer Chamber Music Festival may be made online or by contacting the Fulbright College development office at 479.575.3712 or Fulbright@uark.edu.

While there is no charge for the concerts, it is strongly encouraged to reserve a seat by registering through the ticketing system. The May 17 performance at Crystal Bridges is sold out. Reserve your space for concerts two through six at the Music Festival online form. Musical previews and other details for each concert are available on the KUAF/Fulbright Summer Chamber Music Festival website.