On Oct. 22, the Ashland University Department of Music hosted a chamber music recital at the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall at the Center for the Arts.

Ashland University students, faculty and Ashland community members gathered for an evening of classical music performed by Maestro Arie Lipsky of the Ashland Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Thomas Reed, a music professor at AU, and pianist Claudia Hoca.

Some of the compositions performed included pieces by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Igor Stravinsky, and many other noteworthy composers of the early 20th century.

One of the performers, Dr. Thomas Reed, said that the concert is different from other orchestras.

“What I like about this type of concert is that it’s different from a traditional orchestra,” Reed said. “In a traditional orchestra, you are confined to what the others performing around you are doing. Here, you get a little more interaction with the audience and the freedom to do your own thing.”

The performance began with Lipsky, flute, and Hoca, piano, performing two pieces by Paul Schoenfield: ‘Achat Sha’alti’ which is based on Psalm 27, and ‘Ufarasta’ which is Hebrew for “valentine”.

After performing a piece by French composer Lili Boulanger, Lipsky changed to a cello for the performance of Rachmaninoff’s Sonata in G minor op. 19 in four movements.

“It’s more abstract, but that’s what makes it so engaging to the listener,” Reed said. “They aren’t trying to find hidden meanings in the song. They can just enjoy the profound emotion of it.”

After the intermission, Dr. Reed took the stage with his clarinet to perform Stravinsky’s ‘Three Piece Clarinet Solo’ before joining Hoca and Lipsky for the final number, Johannes Brahms’ Trio, op. 114 in four parts.