Sharon Schuman. Photo courtesy Chamber Music Amici.

Honoring Sharon Schuman

Chamber Music Amici remembers one of its founders with concerts June 8 and 9

This was not the way the season was supposed to end for Chamber Music Amici. The ensemble’s June 8 and 9 concerts were originally planned as celebratory affairs to honor Sharon Schuman, the deeply respected violinist and a force in the community who worked extensively as a treasurer for SquareOne Villages and to raise money for the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund. She also was a retired educator who taught English at the University of Oregon. These were to be Schuman’s final concerts before leaving the music stage. Instead, on April 23, Schuman was killed while running on the Amazon trail in south Eugene when a motorist lost control of his vehicle. She was 79. Now, Chamber Music Amici has announced the program — Suk and Dvořák — will serve as a memorial marking her musical legacy, including as Amici’s founding artistic director for more than a decade, starting in 2009. Schuman was known for her expressive playing and thoughtful programming. She also performed with the Oregon Bach Festival and the Oregon Mozart Players, among others. The Suk and Dvořák program has Josef Suk’s Piano Quartet in A Minor and Antonín Dvořák’s Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major.

Chamber Music Amici performs Suk and Dvořák 3 pm Sunday, June 8, and 7:30 pm Monday, June 9, at Wildish Theater, 630 Main Street, Springfield. Ticket prices range from $35 to $47 and can be purchased at WildishTheater.com.