Driftless Chamber Music Institute to Debut in Decorah

We hike Pulpit Rock for the views — and for the stories waiting at the top. Support Decorah News today. DECORAH — Chamber music will take center stage in Decorah this June with the launch of the Driftless Chamber Music Institute, a new program featuring workshops and free public performances. The institute will include a workshop June 8-12 and performances June 11-14. All performances are free and open to the public. The institute is produced by Quartet Winneshiek, consisting of violinists Jonathon Winter and Nicole Cody, violist Angela Kratchmer and cellist Craig Hultgren. The quartet will lead student and adult string players through an intensive week of chamber music rehearsals, coaching and performances. As part of the performance series, Quartet Winneshiek will present Dmitri Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8, one of the most significant chamber music works of the 20th century. Written during the Soviet era, the composition is dedicated to the victims of fascism and war. According to program information provided by the ensemble, Soviet authorities believed the work referred to Nazi Germany, though Shostakovich intended it as a broader reflection on oppression under Soviet leader Josef Stalin. The piece incorporates the composer's musical initials and references motifs associated with fear and political repression. The program also includes String Quartet No. 1 in D minor by Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga, often referred to as the "Spanish Mozart," and "Strum" by contemporary violinist and composer Jessie Montgomery. The June 14 performance at Vesterheim Commons will be presented as a concert-in-the-round, with the musicians performing beneath the building's central oculus while audience members are seated around them. The Driftless Chamber Music Institute is supported by the Depot Outlet and the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum and Folk Art School. Performance Schedule: Thursday, June 11 - DCMI performance at Vesterheim Outdoor Amphitheater, 5 p.m. Friday, June 12 - DCMI performance at Impact Coffee, 7 p.m. Saturday, June 13 - Quartet Winneshiek performance at Eastern Star Assisted Living, 10 a.m. Sunday, June 14 - Quartet Winneshiek concert-in-the-round at Vesterheim Commons, 3 p.m. Fresh stories, delivered! Sign up for the free DecorahNews.com newsletter and stay informed, inspired, and ahead of the curve.