The Amherst Town Library is pleased to continue the winter concert series with “The Craft Ensemble: Chamber Music Among Friends” from 4-5 p.m. on Feb. 3. The Craft Ensemble came together to play Schubert’s great C-major Cello Quintet in an Interpretations Masterclass with Ben Zander in early 2016. Since then, they have performed all over New England, as trio, string – and clarinet-quartet, piano- and cello-quintet, and string sextet. The Craft Ensemble comprises a core string quartet of Colleen Brannen and Amy Sims on violin, violist Amelia Hollander Ames, and Velleda Miragias on cello. They are all busy freelancers in the Boston area, with engagements at A Far Cry, Boston Baroque, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston Philharmonic, Handel & Haydn Society, Odyssey Opera, Orchestra of Indian Hill, the Portland Symphony, and the Rhode Island Philharmonic, as well as frequent “away” projects.

Cellist Eleanor Hilly Blake, violist Emily Rome, pianist Elaine Rombola Aveni, and clarinetist Rane Moore are favorite collaborators and members of the Craft sphere.

Their mission is for their programming to be evenly split among the sexes when it comes to composers. They have performed music of Caroline Shaw and Fanny Mendelssohn and are learning music this season by Jessie Montgomery, Erin Rogers and Sarah Kirkland Snider. Regardless of the composer’s gender, we also make it a priority to play music of living composers. In 2017 they gave the US premier of Oscar-winning film composer Gabriel Yared’s luscious “Camille Claudel” String Sextets. They also have set off on a journey to learn one Beethoven Quartet every season.

You will enjoy their musical adventures. Chamber music feeds the soul, and there’s nothing they love more than sharing it with each other, and with new audiences!

The winter concert series, which is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Library, will continue on Sunday, March 24 with Rantin’ Pipe and Tremblin’ String: Early Music of Scotland.

All adult programs offered at the Amherst Town Library are free and open to the public. However, registration is REQUIRED for each program due to space limitations. You can register for these events listed above by calling 603-673-2288 or by visiting the website at www.amherstlibrary.org and selecting the “Community Services” tab, then click on drop down “Sign-Up for Programs.”