Music lovers were treated to an intimate celebration of romantic music when soprano Michelle Veenemans, clarinettist Lizet Smith and pianist Gisela Scriba presented Serenade on the Square at Theatre on the Square on September 25.

The lunchtime concert brought together the three accomplished musicians for a programme of romantic arias, art songs, clarinet showpieces and chamber works, creating an intimate musical experience for the audience.

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For Veenemans, the title captured the spirit of the performance and its setting.

“The title really captures the heart of what we want to share, an intimate, musical embrace right in the middle of the day,” she said.

The programme featured works including Puccini’s Vissi d’arte, Catalani’s Ebben? Ne andrò lontana, clarinet pieces by Béla Kovács and Carl Maria von Weber, and Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, also known as The Shepherd on the Rock.

Veenemans said Schubert’s work was particularly meaningful because it brought all three musicians together into one unified chamber work.

The trio creates an equal partnership on stage.

Smith described the concert as an opportunity to create an intimate chamber experience while allowing the clarinet to take on both a supporting and leading role.

“The clarinet is often considered the woodwind instrument closest in timbre and expressiveness to the human voice,” she said. “In this programme, our relationship is a true equal partnership.”

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She added that Der Hirt auf dem Felsen was one of the highlights of the programme, describing it as a demanding work that required precision, breath control and seamless register changes.

For Scriba, bringing the three musicians together was a natural artistic collaboration.

“Having worked with both Michelle and Lizet separately in various performances over the years, bringing us together as a trio felt like a wonderful artistic alignment, and collaborating with them on this concert has been a true highlight,” she said.

She explained that the piano played a central role in connecting the voice and clarinet.

“As the pianist, my role is to act as both the anchor and the bridge between the voice and the clarinet,” Scriba said.

Musicians value audience connection.

The musicians also highlighted the special atmosphere of Theatre on the Square, with Veenemans describing the venue as intimate and allowing performers to connect directly with the audience.

She hoped the performance left those who attended feeling refreshed and uplifted.

“Ultimately, I want them to leave our lunch-hour concert feeling deeply moved, uplifted, and refreshed,” she said.

For Smith, the lunchtime format offered audiences a chance to step away from the demands of the day, while Scriba hoped listeners would remember the distinctive sound created by the three musicians.

“I hope the audience remembers the lush, unique timbre of those three instruments intertwining, leaving them with the feeling that they witnessed a truly special artistic conversation,” Scriba said.

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