Chamber music makes an Austin comeback

This weekend, an intimate concert series previously derailed by COVID takes a step forward.

Driving the news: The Salon Concerts, first-rate chamber music performances hosted in the cozy environment of private Austin homes, will hold the first shows of 2022 this weekend.

What they're saying: "We are so happy to play again for people right in front of us," Kathryn Mishell, artistic director of the series, tells Axios.

Of note: The concert series welcomed the Miró Quartet for a live performance last November.

Between the lines: The program this weekend — with works by George Gershwin, Maurice Ravel and Beethoven — was originally scheduled for April 2020 — just as everything went kablooey.

• "The most challenging aspect of planning a chamber music concert season like ours is the uncertainty that COVID brings," Mishell said. "In chamber music, there is only one player to a part. … So if one person were to get COVID, rehearsals would be postponed and concerts might have to be postponed as well."

Possibly true story: ​​When Gershwin met Ravel in New York City in 1928, he asked about studying with the French composer.

• Ravel supposedly responded: "Why would you want to be a second-rate Ravel when you can be a first-rate Gershwin?"

The precautions: Concertgoers must provide proof of COVID vaccination, and masks are required during performances.

• The shows — followed by an outdoor, gourmet buffet — are Sunday at 4:30pm and Monday at 7pm at a home off Cuernavaca by Bee Cave Road. An exact address and directions are sent upon reservation.