WATERLOO - New Prairie Camerata is blazing a new trail - back to the past.

The new chamber music group, founded by Claudia Anderson, principal flutist with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra and a faculty member at Grinnell College, brings together music, architecture, local history and community participation. In a historical sense, it brings chamber music full circle.

Chamber music is an intimate conversation between musicians and their listeners. Unlike a formal concert, chamber music is the ultimate form of musical expression played by a small group rather than full orchestra. In the 17th century, players commonly performed in private homes and the courts of composers' benefactors. In the 20th century, chamber music was more often heard in such rarefied settings as churches and small concert halls.

"We tie the music we perform to the venue. It creates a really full experience and gives the audience an intimate experience. It's a more informal line of communication with our listeners," Anderson explains.

NPC is one of the newest chamber ensembles founded in Iowa. Anderson is joined by fellow musicians and Grinnell colleagues Nancy McFarland Gaub playing violin, Jeanmarie Kern Chenette playing harp and the occasional guest on piano, oboe and viola.

The ensemble's final concert of the season is April 14 at Grinnell College's new fitness center. Other Grinnell concerts have taken place in the Old Glove Factory; the Faulconer Gallery in conjunction with an international quilt exhibition; a private home, an example of early 20th century Arts and Crafts architecture; and Louis Sullivan's famous "Jewel Box" Midwestern bank design, the Merchant's National Bank, which is a National Historic Landmark.

"These concerts reach people's other senses, particularly because our society is so visually oriented," says McFarland Gaub. "I don't mean to imply a traditional concert can't be as intense, but this is a different kind of musical experience, and a worthwhile one. It's an intense experience for us as musicians, too."

Their programs are an unexpected mix of classical and contemporary composers, with the occasional rock tune thrown in for good measure. David Dunn of Cedar Falls will join the group April 14, playing electric guitar on a King Crimson funk rock tune, for example. Bach and Celtic tunes are also on the program.

"Really, we're almost forced to be open to new ideas. We don't have four centuries worth of music for our chamber ensemble - flute, harp and violin - in the first place. We're compelled to find new ways of 'speaking' to each other and our audience. Musicians can get into a rut with repertoire, and we want to come up with challenges, make chamber music more accessible to broader audiences, make it exciting, an out-of-the-ordinary experience," says Chenette.

Anderson has played with the New York Artists Guild and has performed solo throughout the United States and abroad. A Fulbright scholar to Italy, she later was principal flute with the Orchestra del Teatro Massimo in Palermo. After returning to the U.S., she was solo piccolo for 10 years with the Cedar Rapids Symphony. She has taught at the University of Northern Iowa and University of Iowa, among other faculty positions.

Chenette is harpist with the Des Moines Symphony. She served as principal harpist for 12 years and soloed with the Cedar Rapids Symphony. She recently published a collection of Celtic songs arranged for harp ensemble. On the faculties of Grinnell College and Iowa State University, she maintains an active performance and teaching schedule.

Anderson and Chenette also will perform at the Cedar Falls Festival of New Music on April 7 at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center.

McFarland Gaub directs chamber ensembles and teaches at Grinnell and performs frequently with the McFarland-Gaub Duo, Iowa Chamber Coalition and Roycroft Chamber Musicians. Along with her husband, pianist Eugene Gaub, McFarland Gaub is co-artistic director and founder of the critically acclaimed Roycroft Chamber Music Festival in East Aurora, N.Y. Her violin was made by Giovanni Grancino in 1695.

NPC has developed a keen local following, Anderson says. "It's fantastic how audiences have responded. We have a shoestring budget, but have received a couple of very nice private donations. We want to people to feel involved in the performances, and the settings themselves make a wonderful starting point for programming interesting music. We like to talk with our audience about what we're doing, but it's not a lecture," she explains.

The group received grants from Grinnell College and the Grinnell Area Arts Council.

NPC hopes to broaden its scope, performing in similar venues throughout the state. Anderson has spoken with WCFSO Music Director Jason Weinberger about possible performance opportunities in Cedar Falls. Plans are also being made for a recording.

New Prairie Camerata

Claudia Anderson, flute; Nancy McFarland Gaub, violin; and Jeanmarie Kern Chenette, harp

7:30 p.m. April 14

Grinnell College fitness center, Grinnell

No admission charge; freewill donation

Chenette-Anderson Harp/Flute Duo

Cedar Falls Festival of New Music, Iowa Composers Forum

10 a.m. April 7

Jebe Hall, Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, Cedar Falls