Montana Chamber Music Society continues to grow its unique program to communities across the state
By Leslie Kilgore EBS CONTRIBUTOR
Angella Ahn began her musical career as a concert violinist at a young age with her twin sisters. As part of the Ahn Trio, which consisted of violin, piano and cello, they were known for their modern and genre-crossing performances beginning in the late 80s. The trio traveled the world playing in some of the most prestigious concert halls around the globe.
Raised by their mom who immigrated from Korea to give her girls a better life in America, the trio graduated from the Julliard School of Music in New York City while gaining recognition and fame around the world for bringing world-class chamber music to a younger and hipper demographic.
Having been featured in a Time magazine cover story in the late 80s, selected by People magazine as three of the “50 Most Beautiful People” in 2003, featured in Vogue, GQ, and other fashion magazines, as well as starring in an ad campaign for Gap, the Ahn sisters were not your typical chamber music performers. And that’s what made them so appealing.
In 2009, Ahn began her career as a professor at Montana State University after being invited to perform with the Muir Quartet in several performances for the Montana Chamber Music Society. Through these events, Ahn and members of the quartet became close friends, which inspired her to move to Bozeman and become a music professor.
“I continue to be inspired by Montana physically and in awe of its beauty,” Ahn said. “Every time I fly home, I’m newly reminded of how majestic our mountains are. I’m also inspired by our community and the people in it.”
With that inspiration came Ahn’s motivation to bring chamber music to rural Montana. In addition to teaching for MSU’s School of Music, Ahn also took over as artistic director for the Montana Chamber Music Society in 2020. She began inviting world-class, Grammy-winning musicians, who she knew and met during her past travels and performances, to play in Montana.
“Montana is a musical world with the dew still on it, to borrow a phrase. As artistic director, it’s important to me to share chamber music throughout Montana”, Ahn said. “I want to make sure we go to small rural communities, not just to the bigger cities. I grew up in large cities where it took no effort to experience the greatest performances by internationally renowned musicians. My hope is for our rural communities in Montana to be able to experience the greatest chamber music, no matter how small the community is.”
Ahn also serves on the Governor’s Montana Arts Council. Through her work with this organization, she has been introduced to a variety of artists throughout Montana.
“This also inspires me to encourage the groups I bring into the state to cast their net widely toward our rural communities,” Ahn said.
The Montana Chamber Music Society’s rural program has existed for three years. In the past, MCMS brought its artists to a few rural communities during the summer, but Ahn was proud to share that all of their visiting artists now visit at least one rural community during their stays in Montana.Locations have included Pony, White Sulphur Springs, Big Timber, Virginia City, Butte, Georgetown Lake, Havre, Lewistown, Manhattan and Whitehall, with more visits planned to rural communities in the next two scheduled seasons.
“Pony, Montana has a population of 137. We can have as many as one-third of its entire population at one of our concerts. This is remarkable,” Ahn said. “Also, it’s truly moving to witness people who have never experienced chamber music reacting to a performance in an intimate setting. Chamber music is a form of music closest in spirit and execution to an intimate conversation. The members of the audience get to eavesdrop on this conversation, and this causes increased emotional involvement for them. It goes straight to your heart. It’s magic to witness this.”
Ahn said she especially loves watching audience members who don’t have preconceived notions about the rules of attending a classical music concert.
“For me, music is about communication and expression. The audience should feel free to express their feelings. Wear what they want to the concert, clap and laugh when they feel like it. Cry if you are so moved. I have seen Montana farmers and ranchers throughout the state exhibit all of these behaviors during our performances, and will never forget this as long as I live.”
Ahn mentioned that while the program has been a big success around the state, fundraising continues to be a challenge. Also, Montana weather during the winter makes it difficult for artists to travel to remote destinations.
“Aside from raising the money to make this all happen, the only other challenging aspect is the weather,” Ahn said. “We always do a little prayer dance to the weather gods for good driving conditions during our winter months.”
This January, Ahn will be performing with two of her good friends and world-class musicians, William Hagen and Albert Cano Smit, and has several other performances scheduled for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Ahn added that MCMS has plans for more fundraising and programming efforts in order to bring more world-class musicians into rural communities around the state, while continuing to provide several free performances in the area.
“Through Montana Chamber Music I have realized how paramount music is in bringing community together. It’s incredible to observe everyone from children to retirees from different backgrounds and all walks of life coming together at these performances,” Ahn said. “The cool aspect of listening to music performances is that you don’t need any prior knowledge. It is something you feel. It’s transportive.”
