Employees of downtown Akron and area residents are invited to ease their workday stress with a free Decompression Chamber concert by Tuesday Musical’s Escher String Quartet in the Akron Art Museum’s Bud and Susie Rogers Garden, Friday, Sept. 15, at noon.
Concert-goers are welcome to bring lunch or purchase food in the museum café. In case of inclement weather, the 45-minute concert will move inside the museum.
Presented by Tuesday Musical with partial support over the next two years by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation through its Knight Arts Challenge, the new Decompression Chamber series is bringing free concerts by chamber musicians to employees and clients at hospitals, government offices, factories, social service agencies and other high-pressure sites.
“Research shows that classical music can decrease stress, boost brain function, improve productivity, increase physical performance and sharpen memory,” said Jarrod Hartzler, executive and artistic director of Tuesday Musical. “With Decompression Chamber, we want to share all of those benefits with people throughout Akron.”
The next day, the Escher String Quartet will be among the performers at Tuesday Musical’s season-opening concert at EJ Thomas Hall. Tuesday Musical’s Quartet-in-Residence, Escher also serves as artists of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. It recently performed at Wigmore Hall in London and the Auditorium du Louvre in Paris, as well as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
“Tuesday Musical is celebrating our 130th season as an anchor arts organization, yet we’re always looking for new opportunities to share live classical music,” said Hartzler. “Decompression Chamber is another way that we can offer live performances by the world’s finest classical musicians as well as vibrant education and community engagement programs.”
The Akron Art Museum is located at 1 South High Street. For info about Tuesday Musical Association, visit www.tuesdaymusical.org.