Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra principal clarinetist Eli Eban will speak as part of the final Meet the Musicians Brown Bag sponsored by the Symphony Partners at 12:15 p.m. today in Smith Wilkes Hall.
Orchestra liaison Lenelle Morse said this is yet another event in a series meant to humanize the members of the CSO. This is accomplished, she said, partially through understanding each individual’s musical heritage, but also by learning a thing or two about his or her personal life.
Today’s event will take shape as an informal conversation between Eban and the audience, with plenty of time for a Q-and-A segment. While the topic of his conversation aligns with the Week Eight theme, “The Middle East Now and Next,” Morse said that it is a “total, total coincidence,” albeit a fortuitous one.
Born in New York, Eban came of age as a musician in Israel, where he performed in numerous orchestras and toured internationally as a guest artist. He now serves as professor of clarinet at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and spends his summers in Chautauqua.
In addition to his musical career, Eban is the son of the late Abba Eban, a prominent Israeli diplomat, whose life will be part of today’s discussion.
These aspects of Eban’s life are something that Chautauquans would never glean from watching him in the Amphitheater, Morse said. Meet the Musicians events lend a holistic appreciation for musicians as well as the music they create.
“He’s just an absolute delight as a person,” Morse said. “You would never know that he plays clarinet as brilliantly as he does and has so much revere.”
Morse said she and other members have already started to look ahead to next season and how they can continue to connect Chautauquans with their orchestra.
All in all, she said, this event is a fitting conclusion to a successful season that should exceed expectations for the typical Brown Bag.
“It’s not going to be how the clarinet works,” she said.
The Chautauquan Daily 
