An essential quintessential concert with the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra
The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra finishes their Quintessential series. Photos by Kat Sheridan
EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks and Pete Walsh play the duet. 
Janice Weber introduces the concert.
The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra finishes their Quintessential series. Photos by Kat Sheridan
EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks and Pete Walsh play the duet.
Janice Weber introduces the concert.
The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra performed a number of songs at Saint Peter’s Episcopal Church in Dartmouth in a sold-out show for the last day of the Quintessential’s series on Sunday, Nov. 23.
“I’ve been playing with the New Bedford Symphony for more than 10 years at this point, and [Dartmouth], it’s a community that I love coming down and performing music for,” said violist Christopher Nunn. “It’s a very supportive audience.”
The orchestra performed three pieces of music at the concert; “Duo for Violin and Cello (2015) by Jessie Montgomery,” “Piano Quintet No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 30 (1842)” by Louise Farrenc and “Piano Quintet in A Minor D. 667 “Trout”” by Franz Schubert. Each section had a number of movements.
The violin and cello piece represents friendship, as Montgomery played the violin with her friend who played cello.
“It just describes friendship in all its fun and whimsy and compassion,” said pianist Janice Weber.
The two quintets are unique as they were written for the violin, viola, cello, bass and piano. This is a rare combination in the world of quintets. Farrenc’s piece was only the second to include this combination, following Johann Hummel who she studied with.
EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks played the violin, Nunn played the viola, Peter Zay played the cello, Pete Walsh played the bass and Weber played the piano.
Weber describes Farrenc’s piece as a “modern piece for its day” and romantic. The piece includes a large piano part as Farrenc was a piano virtuoso.
Schubert’s piece was based on another song, “The Trout,” which is why this quintet is known as “The Trout Quintet.” Weber said Schubert wrote this song during a “happy summer” and describes it as “happy music.”
“It’s one of the great cornerstones of the chamber music repertoire," said Weber.
The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra will be returning to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026 at 3 p.m. for their South Coast Chamber Music Series: Winter Fire.
