by Ruth Bracewell

Audience members and performers alike shared a unique experience on Monday, May 9, 2022 as they celebrated the finale of the 2022 Madison Chamber Music Festival as well as the role of the late Christopher Rex, founder and Artistic Director of the festival for the past 20 years.

Wayne Vason, former Board Chair at the Cultural Center and long-time friend of Chris Rex, addressed the audience before the concert. He spoke of the history of the Madison music festival which paralleled the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, also founded by Chris Rex. “Without the generous support of our Founding Festival Sponsors Charles and Sue Baldwin, trustees of the Robert M. and Lilias Baldwin Turnell Foundation, we would have never been able to launch and sustain this outstanding series featuring world-class musicians,” stated Vason. Chris Rex was noted by Mr. Vason as the heart and soul of the Madison music festival, and he was pleased to introduce Chris’s wife, Dr. Martha Rex and their son Christopher Rex, who were in the audience for this special concert dedicated to Chris.

The concert was billed as “Musical Fireworks” and it certainly lived up to its name! Beginning with an impressive piano quintet by Dvorak which alternated between lively and slower, thoughtful parts, the second piece of the evening was the moving, sentimental favorite “The Swan” by Camille Saint Saens, featuring Charae Krueger (cello) and Julie Coucheron (piano). One audience member commented that “If everybody woke up to that music every day, the world would be a better place.”

In a hallmark of Madison’s music festival, musicians often spoke freely to the audience. Julie Coucheron noted that Chris Rex had a talent for bringing musicians together, which had led to many friendships in the musical world. When Covid struck in 2020, musicians were sidelined from their work for a period of time. Julie gathered her friends together and they performed by streaming their music live. These performances were the basis for the “Musical Fireworks” concert on May 9 featuring Julie and her friends, who were also Chris Rex’s friends.

A highlight of the evening was “Das Dreyblatt” by W. F. Bach, grandson of Johann Sebastian Bach, featuring one grand piano, two piano benches, three pianists, and six hands playing simultaneously! Will Ransom informed the audience that the piece was written for one man and two women, as he sat in the middle with one arm around Elizabeth Pridgen on his left side, and the other arm around Julie Coucheron on his right. Their hands were flying and they were having fun despite their crowded space limitations, and the audience certainly enjoyed watching this display of virtuosity.

The second half of the program began slowly, with Winter from the “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” by Astor Piazzolla, but picked up speed with three Antonio Vivaldi movements.

“Adagio” by Tomaso Albinoni gave the audience an opportunity to observe how chamber music violinists, violists, cellists and pianists communicate with each other through glances, smiles, nods, and other non-verbal cues as they perform without a conductor.

Prior to the finale, Julie Coucheron explained that her brother David Coucheron began playing the violin at age three. She was two years younger and naturally wanted to compete with him as she grew up, but the piano became her instrument. This led to a discussion about supposed competition between musicians which was demonstrated in a lighthearted manner by the entire ensemble in “Czardas” by Vittorio Monti. Cellists Khari Joyner and Charae Krueger “competed” against each other first, then were joined by violinists David Coucheron, Helen Hwaya Kim, and Jessica Wu, and violist Yinzi Kong. Meanwhile, Julie Coucheron, Elizabeth Pridgen, and Will Ransom were taking turns on the piano and “competitively” pushing each other off the piano bench. It was a dynamic performance and a worthy close to this year’s festival and tribute to Chris Rex.

All in all, it was a very successful evening, ending with a standing ovation. The audience was enthusiastic, the musical quality was outstanding, and the performers seemed to enjoy it also. The female musicians were stunning in brightly colored floor-length gowns, with Julie Coucheron’s silver and gold evening dress reflecting light at every move. The male musicians were equally well turned out in all black attire.

Among others in the audience were Dag and Mette Coucheron from Oslo, Norway. Mr. and Mrs. Coucheron are the parents of two outstanding musicians, David and Julie Coucheron. They attended the Madison Chamber Music Festival once before, in 2012, and according to Dag Coucheron, “the Cultural Center auditorium is a fantastic hall with an atmosphere like nowhere else.”

Following the concert, a reception was held at the recently restored home of Judy Goodchild honoring the festival’s major sponsors and the evening’s performers who enjoyed touring one of Madison’s most famous homes.