THE NEW YORK TIMES:
"The Stony Brook Contemporary Chamber Players, a remarkably well-trained student ensemble, offered finely polished renderings of six new works at Merkin Hall. The ensemble's directors are Raymond Des Roches and Gilbert Kalish, both of whom have long histories of involvement in contemporary music. "

MUSICAL AMERICA:
"A new score, no matter how distinctive or well wrought, often falls flat on first hearing due to the inadequate preparation of its performers. But the six new works presented by the Stony Brook Contemporary Chamber Players at Merkin Hall suffered no such plight. On the contrary, the rotating cast of approximately 30 students from the State University of New York at Stony Brook put forth solidly rehearsed, committed interpretations of two local and four world premieres ... beyond simply conquering the notes, the players played with depth of tone and thoughtful phrasing."

THE NEW YORK TIMES:
"One clue to the actual worth of unfamiliar music may lie in how well it is being played. Performers are the first music critics, and their command of a new piece can send out potent signals. Stony Brook's small army of musicians for this concert demonstrated consistent accomplishment."

LONG ISLAND VOICE:
"Such is the CCP's [Stony Brook Contemporary Chamber Players] reputation that, that they've been able to persuade a virtual who's who of recent composers to contribute their pieces. It's only through performances like the PREMIERES concert that one even has the opportunity to hear this music at all. In a society where contemporary audiences are increasingly apathetic to new art music compositions, the CCP is a godsend for new composers, who often sit in the audience to hear the rare performances of their pieces."

About the Stony Brook Contemporary Chamber Players (CCP)
World Premieres Concerts & Composers' Comments
Student Composers & Performance at Stony Brook
Recent Concerts