Parlance Chamber Concerts grew out of the success of more than a decade of benefit concerts organized and presented by Michael Parloff in his Ridgewood, New Jersey, home. These semiannual fundraising events support various local nonprofit organizations. Michael Parloff's reputation as one of America's preeminent flutists and a leader in the chamber music world has enabled him to feature top flight singers and instrumentalists from the Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, and New York City's extraordinary chamber music community.
A significant number of attendees came to these events initially as novice concertgoers and subsequently told Mr. Parloff that they learned to love and appreciate classical music through exposure to world class performers in the intimate, relaxed ambiance of his home. This gave rise to the idea of widening the audience for classical music in our community by presenting innovatively designed public concerts and educational events for listeners of all ages and levels of concert-going experience. The sense of connection between performers and audience members is strengthened by informal spoken introductions and program notes delivered during course of the concerts and through post-concert receptions. The receptions provide audience members with opportunities to meet the performing artists and learn more about the music, the composers, and the performers themselves.
Parlance Chamber Concerts are priced affordably to demonstrate our commitment to making chamber music available to as many people in our community as possible. In addition, sets of complimentary tickets are offered to local teachers and staff members of community organizations, including schools, hospitals, and mental health clinics.
An important part of Parlance Chamber Concerts' goals is to introduce children and newcomers to classical music. In that regard, Parlance Chamber Concerts presented its first family concert on November 2, 2008, entitled “Animals and Dances” and has continued to present children's and family concerts during each subsequent season. These highly successful events have featured leading members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. Narrators have included well-known actors and New York City's classical radio personalities. WQXR's daytime announcer, Midge Woolsey, narrated Prokofiev's Peter and Wolf with 25 leading members of the Met Orchestra conducted by Michael Parloff on October 30, 2011.
In addition, Parlance Chamber Concerts will soon inaugurate a series of in-school fundraising concerts to benefit the music and arts programs in the public schools of Ridgewood, New Jersey. Private donations have been secured to finance this project. .
Past Parlance Chamber Concerts events have featured such world-renowned instrumentalists, singers, and chamber ensembles as The Emerson String Quartet; pianists Simone Dinnerstein, Warren Jones, Jeewon Park, and Shai Wosner; clarinetist Richard Stoltzman; violinist Elmar Oliveira; cellist André Díaz; and Metropolitan Opera star singers including soprano Danielle de Niese, mezzo-sopranos Stephanie Blythe and Kate Lindsey, tenor Matthew Polenzani, baritones Thomas Hampson and Nathan Gunn, and bass Morris Robinson. Jazz artists have included The Bill Charlap Trio and noted guitarists Bucky Pizzarielli, Frank Vignola, and Howard Alden. Leading instrumentalists from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and New York Philharmonic have been featured each season on Parlance Chamber Concerts.