Groupmuse Expands the Scope of Concert Experiences (again) with Massivemuse

Reader’s may recall that this month’s recital by musicians of the Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival was presented as a “Groupmuse Night Out” event. This was an innovative alternative offering, since Groupmuse was originally conceived as a site for arranging house concerts. Groupmuse Night Out was an opportunity to bring together a larger audience in a larger space (the auditorium at The Century Club of California). At the same time it was also an opportunity for strangers with a common interest in the repertoire (chamber music by Ludwig van Beethoven in this case) to get to know each other. Since I had attended this particular event, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked.

Next month Groupmuse will offer another “variation on their theme.” This one is called Massivemuse. Massivemuses are special events put together by the Groupmuse Team. The venue is again a space that is much larger than a living room, meaning that a larger number of people with a shared interest will be able to assemble. In this particular case that shared interest will be a single composition, Johannes Brahms’ Opus 115 quintet in B minor for clarinet and string quartet. Two of the performers had appeared at the Century Club, violinist Rachel Patrick and cellist James Jaffe. The clarinetist will be Matthew Boyles, and the remainder of the string quartet will consist of violinist Elbert Tsai and violist Jessica Chang.

The “massive” space for this occasion will be the headquarters building for Monument, which serves as a workspace, a gallery, an event space, a residence, and a place to meet others for the benefit of creative people of all stripes.

Monument’s “monumental” lobby (from their Web site)

In this case that means that the performance will take place in a space (pictured above) that will accommodate 150 people in the audience. The event, which will be hosted by Kyle Schmolze, will be conceived as an early evening affair taking place right after work and concluding by 8 p.m. for those with dinner plans.

This concert will take place on Wednesday, February 8. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the music will begin at 6:30 p.m. Monument is located in SoMa at 140 9th Street. Those who attend are welcome to bring their own drinks, but all guests much be at least 21 years of age. Admission will be $20 with a $10 rate for supermusers. The Groupmuse event page has a hyperlink for purchasing tickets in advance; but registration with Groupmuse (also though a hyperlink) is a precondition.