Cassatt String Quartet announces personnel changes

Cassatt String Quartet announces personnel changes in 2025-2026

New members Laura Goldberg (violin), Amy Galluzzo (viola), and Yi Qun Xu (cello) join violinist Muneko Otani beginning in 2026

Violinist Jennifer Leshnower, violist Emily Brandenburg, and cellist Gwen Krosnick depart in Fall 2025

Cassatt in the Basin, the residency program in West Texas, will continue under the leadership of founder Jennifer Leshnower

The Cassatt String Quartet, a mainstay in American chamber music since 1985, has announced personnel changes during its 2025-2026 season. Violinist Jennifer Leshnower, violist Emily Brandenburg and cellist Gwen Krosnick depart the group in fall 2025. 

Muneko Otani, violinist with the Cassatt String Quartet for 38 of its 40 years, announces that the new members are violinist Laura Goldberg, violist Amy Galluzzo, and cellist Yi Qun Xu. Goldberg is a founding member of the ensemble, and performed with the group for its first decade.

More information about the Cassatt String Quartet as well as artist biographies for violinists Muneko Otani and Laura Goldberg, violist Amy Galluzzo, and cellist Yi Qun Xu are available at CassattQuartet.com. More information about Cassatt in the Basin, the residency program in West Texas, can be found at CassattInTheBasin.net. 

Otani said, “Performing with the Cassatt String Quartet for nearly four decades has been an exhilarating and fulfilling experience. We have commissioned and premiered nearly 800 new works, toured across the country and throughout a dozen nations, and held residencies that have enriched the communities and universities we’ve served. I look forward to carrying these traditions forward—and exploring new artistic possibilities—with my new colleagues as the ensemble enters its fifth decade. I am deeply grateful to the Quartet’s former members, whose dedication and musical passion have made the last 40 years possible.”

Leshnower echoed Otani’s sentiments, saying, "The Quartet has played a significant role in my life for the past 31 years, and I am so grateful to my colleagues in the quartet for their partnership on this ambitious and highly successful artistic journey. Not only have we collectively expanded the string quartet repertoire, but I have also gained deep experience as a leader, speaker, educator, and entrepreneur. As I look to the next phase of my life, I am excited to focus on my career as a violinist and the broader field of arts and nonprofit administration. This includes my work as artistic director of the West Texas residency program Cassatt in the Basin, which is entering its third decade. While I will miss the quartet, I am truly excited about what comes next.”

Cellist Gwen Krosnick stated: "I've been glad to spend five seasons with the CSQ, exploring great string quartet repertoire and, in particular, getting to champion the music of American women like Tania León, Victoria Bond, Dorothy Rudd Moore, and Joan Tower. I am delighted, now, to move my focus toward other inspiring work that I love — including a series of upcoming recitals and recording projects focused on a personal retrospective of American music for solo cello, as well as my cherished ongoing teaching at Columbia and Kneisel Hall. I am thrilled to be returning, as well, to my two loves of curating and community-building as Founder/Artistic Director of the Westchester, NY chapter of Music For Food, the national musician-led nonprofit initiative to fight hunger in our local communities. With inaugural concerts is 2026, MFF Westchester features some of my most beloved colleagues, joining together in chamber music concerts and raising money to support folks struggling with food insecurity in Northern Westchester and beyond."

The violist Emily Brandenburg, in the group since 2024, said, “I am incredibly grateful for this past year with the Cassatt Quartet and for the meaningful relationships I have formed with my fellow members. Our collaborations with composers, guest musicians, and presenters have been truly inspiring, and they are memories I will carry with me throughout my career. I look forward with great enthusiasm to the many joyful musical endeavors I have planned for the coming year and beyond.”

The Cassatt String Quartet was formed in 1985 by violinists Adela Pena and Laura Jean Goldberg, violist Eufrosina Raileanu, and cellist Anna Cholakian. Violinist Muneko Otani joined the quartet in 1987.

In fall of 2025, the quartet was in residence at Bowdoin and Williams colleges and the Cassatt in the Basin program in West Texas. Cassatt performed in Maine as part of the Seal Bay Festival of American Chamber Music. The quartet performs at Purchase College on December 11.

Insider Interview with Key Pianists' Founder Terry Eder

Terry Eder is the founder of Key Pianists concert series, celebrating its 10th anniversary in the 2025-26 season. On February 12, 2026 Eder performs a recital of Bartók alongside music by Beethoven, Schubert and Debussy at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (tickets available here). We spoke with her about Key Pianists’ mission, the upcoming recital, being one of the only Americans studying in Hungary in the 1980s, and more.

What made you want to start the Key Pianists series? Why Carnegie Hall?  

New Yorkers are extremely lucky to have the opportunity to hear the world’s most famous pianists from around the world with regularity. There are also concert series here in New York that specifically present opportunities to young professionals just starting their careers. I noticed that there were few opportunities for pianists who do not fall into one of those two categories. Certainly there are smaller, more informal venues where one can present or attend a concert. However, there are many wonderful pianists who deserve a more prominent platform. I felt that a series that presented significant and seldom-heard artists on the stage of Carnegie Hall would be welcome by those artists and by the pianophile audience found in NYC, who would otherwise not have a chance to hear them. Carnegie Hall is the pinnacle of achievement for any musician; the history, the acoustics, the beauty, the professionalism it represents. Weill Recital Hall has an intimacy that allows the audience to see and hear the artist up close, making a recital there a very special occasion.  

What criteria do you look for when considering which performers to present?  

First of all, I look for performers who match the reason I began the series. Carnegie Hall inspires a high level of engagement, and I seek an artist who will relish the opportunity by presenting an exceptional program.  I think programming is extremely important and I encourage pianists who perform unusual repertoire or who have acquired experience in a particular idiom or with a particular composer. The qualities of sensitivity, beauty, intelligence, communicativeness, and singularity are all important. Excellence is the real determining factor.  

You’re a pianist yourself. What made you choose the piano?  

I would say that the piano chose me. I grew up with 3 older sisters who were studying music, and my father who played jazz standards and ragtime every night after his work day as a dentist. At 4, my parents thought I was too young to study. After one of my sisters’ piano lessons ended, I would simply repeat the lesson by ear and show where the mistakes had been made. My parents learned I had perfect pitch as well, and allowed me lessons from then on. I never thought there would be a day when I stopped playing the piano.  

Tell us about the repertoire you have planned for your recital in February 2026.  

I wanted to include Bartók in this program because he is a favorite composer of mine, and also because people do not play Bartók very often despite the genius, uniqueness and beauty of his works. Two of the pieces I am programming, the Sonatine and the Two Romanian Dances, Op. 8/a, I have never heard performed by anyone else in the U.S. The Six Romanian Dances, which I am also playing, is heard and played quite often, also in a version for violin and piano. I also nearly always program Beethoven and will be playing the Sonata Op. 28. Schubert and Debussy round out the program with four of the Debussy Preludes, and a Schubert Impromptu and set of waltzes. There is a loose thread running through the program of an earthy, folk-like undercurrent in all of the works.  

You’re playing Bartók, one of your specialties, and you studied in Budapest. How does that experience enrich your interpretation of this music?  

Living in the 1980s behind the Iron Curtain was an affecting experience.  I was young and impressionable and had never been outside the U.S. other than for a 15th birthday dinner in Windsor, Ontario, across the bridge from my hometown Detroit. It was the days of the cold war, when Americans simply did not go to Eastern Europe. There were a few other American grant winners in Hungary that year, and we were the only Americans in the entire country. The man on the street had never heard American English or met an American. I felt so foreign. These days it seems hard to fathom.  

My mother was born in Romania so ancestry or genes may be a reason for my affinity with Eastern European music. But memories of my year in Hungary are incredibly vivid and no doubt have infiltrated my being. The pervasiveness and pride in musical heritage was overwhelming for someone coming from a culture where music was not considered a desirable profession. I became captivated with the uniqueness of the Hungarian language and sensibility, the rustic scenery outside the capital, the beautiful old architecture, the delicious food, the Parliament still full of bullet holes from WWII, the Turkish baths, the feeling of being so foreign, so out of place. I was immersed in all things Hungarian 24 hours a day, without English speakers around, without any westerners around, with the perfect opportunity to become part of that existence. I came away from it with what feels like an intense understanding of the Hungarian character.  

Mark Ruffin in Conversation with Sullivan Fortner

Fresh off of winning The Gilmore’s 2026 Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award, jazz pianist Sullivan Fortner performs an intimate solo recital at Baruch Performing Arts Center in Manhattan on December 12, 2025.

This is an excerpt from a conversation Fortner had with Mark Ruffin at the Bell Jazz Artist Award ceremony in early October, streamed live from The Greene Space in NYC. Watch the conversation in full  here.

Mark Ruffin: Your dad didn’t want you to go into the music business. Tell them about the pact you guys made.

Sullivan Fortner: Well, I graduated as valedictorian from my high school McDonogh 35, which is probably the oldest African American high school in New Orleans, and part of the deal there is if you make it into the top 10 or top 35, you automatically get a full scholarship to any university in New Orleans. So I could have gone to Xavier, Dillard University, University of New Orleans, Loyola, Tulane—all that. Full ride.

I told my dad I wanted to go into music. It was kind of an off-the-whim decision. I was driving home from prom and had a conversation with God. I said, “I’m pretty sure if I were to become a neurologist, I’d probably kill somebody.” [Laughter]

So I said, “Look, okay, if this is what I’m supposed to do, you have to figure out a way to make it work.”

I sent a videotape—on cassette—of me playing The Flintstones theme to Oberlin Conservatory of Music. And to Berklee. Berklee put me on the waiting list. Oberlin gave me a $16,000 scholarship. So I thought, Maybe I should go to Oberlin. Maybe this is my ticket into music.

My dad said, “Absolutely not. You can get a car. I’ll buy you a car. You’ll have stability. There’s no guarantee in music at all. And there’s no one in this family that is going to be able to help you.” I have a couple of cousins that are professional musicians, but for the most part, I’m the only one. So to pursue jazz, which wasn’t even in my household, he said, “You’re on your own with this.”

I told him, “I really feel like this is what I’m supposed to do.” He said, “Well, please, if you’re going to do this, make sure you get a master’s degree. So if all else fails, you can teach a kindergartener how to blow through a recorder.”

That was the conversation I had with my dad in the computer room of our house before I turned in my acceptance letter to Oberlin Conservatory.

Ruffin: Now, you  didn’t necessarily come from a music family—although your mom did play some piano playing… gospel stuff? 

Fortner: Yeah, my mom. Well my whole family- on my mom’s side particularly- are singers. Now they’ve been branching out a little bit more in a professional field doing background stuff, but for the most part it’s just been gospel music. Singing in church on Sunday mornings with the choir and the praise team. My mom was my first music teacher. She brought me to every single rehearsal and made me sit in the tenor section, even though I wanted to sit next to the organ player.

The choir director, who was also the organist, Miss Betty, said, “No, he’s fine. He’s not bothering me at all.” So I’d sit next to her, and of course I had a crush on her because she smelled like cocoa butter and had great gold hair. You know, she smelled good! When you’re four years old, and you smell good and got treats, you’re in love. That’s all it takes. [Laughter]

But really, the people I always wanted to play for always were my mom and my grandmother. I had no idea this is what I’d be doing. I just wanted to play for my grandma and keep time. That’s all. 

Ruffin: But as you grew as a piano player—where did jazz come in? Where did pop and hip hop and everything else you’re listening to come in? 

Fortner: Well my dad always had all those old school R&B records. When I was 12 years old my part time job was killing rats and cutting grass at my grandmother’s house. And that drive was probably an hour each way. And he’d play everything. My dad would say “This is the Ojays, this is Stevie Wonder, this is The Spinners.” All the old school 70s and and 80s artists: Babyface, Anita Baker, Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson. My mom was also a fan of R&B, don’t get it wrong, but when she was driving it was mostly Gospel. On our way to school with me and my sisters she’d put on a Gospel song and do ear training tests. “All right Sal (my nickname), what’s the alto line?” And I’d have to sing it. Then she’d ask my sister “what’s the tenor line?” and she’d do the same. And we’d all harmonize, with my mom and two sisters, going through the whole song. So, like I said, she was my first music teacher in that way. 

Ruffin: Where did jazz come in? 

There was a guy who came to church when I was about 11 or 12. His name was Ronald Markham. He told me I had a lot of talent. After choir rehearsal one day he goes to the organ and starts playing some Bach preludes, and I said “What’s that?!,” and then he plays some jazz, something like Jimmy Smith. I said, “What is that?” He said, “That’s jazz. You need to go to the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.”

“What do I need to need to do get in?,” I asked. 

“Just play the way you play, and apply,”

So I applied in eighth grade. I couldn’t play a C major scale to save my life. The only thing I knew was gospel songs so I auditioned playing Because He Lives. And I got in. First day of school, I walked into the classroom and saw Christian Scott (now Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah), Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews… so as I’m learning jazz, I’m surrounded by a community of people that grew up with the music with a certain type of legacy with it. So they took me under their wings, and told me what I needed to listen to. I had a teacher, Peter Martin, who said “OK, this is Herbie Hancock’s theme from Blow Up. Don’t come back next week until you’ve learned it.” And so I learned it.

At first, I hated jazz for the first two years. It was too long, too complicated. Too many solos. This was a waste of time and energy. I just wanted to play the big chords.Then my teacher Clyde Kerr Jr. gave me Concert by the Sea by Erroll Garner. He said, “If you don’t like this, you shouldn’t be a jazz musician.”

It was the first time I experienced music that brought me to tears. And that was it, I’ve been chasing that ever since.

Ruffin: Were classical musicians part of your coming up? 

Fortner: Yeah. I had a girlfriend when I was younger who sang opera—she introduced me to people like Puccini and Verdi. Then when I got to Oberlin, going to the surrounded by classical musicians, I’d see the student orchestra and opera productions, and got exposed to Rimsky-Korsakov, Berlioz, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev. 

Once I was practicing Chopin on a concert stage and a classical pianist walked in. She laughed at me and walked out. It definitely inspired me to practice harder. 

Ruffin: You’ve collaborated with a lot of folks. You’re on every Lauren Henderson record, and then you have a nice groove with Étienne Charles, and many others.There are some piano players too! I heard you were roommates with pianist Mike King for four years? Is there anybody you would dream to collaborate with? 

Fortner: I did a thing this past weekend, with Jason Moran and Kris Davis and George Cabos and David Virelles. It was really really fun to sit inside their sounds and really learn from them. I’d like to do a lot more of that. Gonzalo is top of the list. Kevin Hays, Craig Taborn, Brad Mehldau, Herbie Hancock.

I really miss Barry Harris. That would’ve been incredible, to have him just as a teacher, mentor, and a friend. Ethan Iverson. There are so many. I’ve done some stuff with Fred Hersch, and that’s been fun.

Ruffin: He’s another great collaborator with other pianists. 

Fortner: Oh yeah. And I’ve studied with him off and on for about 5-7 years. He was definitely a source of inspiration and wisdom. Sometimes he laid to me straight, and I’d walk home and think “He really just told me I suck, but in the nicest way possible.” [Laughter]

Baruch PAC presents jazz pianist Sullivan Fortner

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December 12: Baruch Performing Arts Center presents Sullivan Fortner, Solo Piano

The Grammy award-winning jazz pianist is recipient of 2026 Bell Jazz Artist Award

Baruch PAC concert is Fortner's only solo show in NYC this season

Fresh from the announcement that he is recipient of the 2026 Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award from The Gilmore Foundation, pianist Sullivan Fortner gives a solo performance presented by Baruch Performing Arts Center on December 12, 2025 at 7:30 pm. The concert is Fortner's only solo appearance in New York City this season.

For more than a decade, the two-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist has stretched his deep-rooted talents as a pianist, composer, band leader and uncompromising individualist. Sullivan Fortner is a frequent collaborator with singer Cécile McLorin Salvant and has enjoyed creative associations with Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, Diane Reeves, Etienne Charles and John Scofield.

As a leader he has issued five albums, including the critically acclaimed recording with his trio Southern Nights (2025) with Peter Washington and Marcus Gilmore, and is sideman on more than two dozen albums including with Roy Hargrove, Samara Joy and Stefon Harris.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Fortner began playing organ at the age of 7, and went on to earn degrees at Oberlin Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music. He received the Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists and was named one of Downbeat Magazine’s 25 for the Future in 2016 among numerous other awards.

Sullivan Fortner's solo piano performance on December 12, 7:30 pm is part of the Milt Hinton Jazz Perspectives Series at Baruch PAC. Tickets are $35 general admission ($20 with CUNY ID), available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu. Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Ave in Manhattan (enter on 25th Street, between 3rd and Lexington Avenues).Friday, December 12, 2025 at 7:30 pm.

Insider Interview with Cellist Inbal Megiddo

Cellist Inbal Megiddo has just released an album of Bach’s complete Cello Suites on Atoll Records (ACD233). We spoke with her about her approach to these classic works, her mentor Aldo Parisot, life in New Zealand, and more.

"Why another recording of the Bach Cello Suites?" 

"The Suites, to me, are a lifetime." This is how I begin my liner notes, and it captures the essence of why this recording needed to exist. The Bach Suites aren't just six works I've mastered—they're companions on life's path that have grown and evolved with me over decades. Every time I return to them, they reveal new dimensions, changing as I change. 

What makes my approach distinctive is constantly trying to find the freedom within the structure. I view these works as a complete emotional and spiritual journey that mirrors human experience itself. I hear the innocent curiosity of childhood in the G major, the turbulent angst of adolescence in D minor, the confident optimism of young adulthood in C major, the complexity of midlife in E-flat major, the profound reflection of old age in C minor, and finally, transcendence in the D major sixth suite. 

But beyond this personal narrative, there's the fundamental mystery at the heart of these works. Since Bach's original manuscripts are lost, each performer must create their own edition based on surviving copies—Anna Magdalena Bach's, Kellner's, and two anonymous copies. These have minimal dynamic markings and often unclear bowings. While we could mourn the loss of the originals, I believe this mystery is part of the magic. It gives us the sublime freedom to search for beauty and truth in our own way. 

My mentor Aldo Parisot taught me something crucial: you must find your own voice, not imitate others. He would say, "Bach created a masterpiece. Our job isn’t to recreate it, but to create something even more glorious." This recording represents decades of living with these suites, performing them on the world’s stages from Carnegie Hall to the Berlin Philharmonie, and constantly discovering them anew. Just as every day contains both the routine and the unknown, every performance of the Suites is simultaneously known and improvised—the next step in life's ephemeral journey. 

Question 2: Your musical life in New Zealand 

The transition to New Zealand has been transformative in unexpected ways. After performing in the world's major concert halls—Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Berlin Philharmonie—and working with conductors like Barenboim, Mehta, and Mintz, I wondered how moving to the other side of the world would affect my artistic development. 

What I discovered is that first of all, it is entirely possible to continue traveling from here, and I do. So I spend a bit more time on planes. But musical life in New Zealand also is very full. There is a lot going on considering the size of the country, and at very high levels. There is also quite a bit of support for the arts, and audiences are quite adventurous. That may go along with the kiwi spirit – we are at the edge of the world, so experimentation and self-reliance are a must. The beauty of nature, and the bird song that NZ is known for is also something unique, giving space for deep artistic exploration. As Associate Professor at the New Zealand School of Music, I've been able to balance performance, teaching, and creative projects. My work with the Te Kōkī Trio has been particularly rewarding—our Debussy recording was a finalist for Best Classical Album at the Aotearoa Music Awards. 

I've also founded the Cellophonia International Festival here, which brings together cellists from around the world. There's something about New Zealand's geographic isolation that paradoxically creates a hunger for connection and excellence. The audiences here are sophisticated and appreciative, and the musical community is incredibly supportive and collaborative. 

This environment has given me the freedom to pursue passion projects like my upcoming "Forbidden Composers" album—works banned by the Nazis—alongside core repertoire like these Bach Suites. The distance has actually liberated me to take more interpretive risks and to trust my own artistic instincts more fully. In many ways, being in New Zealand has brought me closer to Parisot's teaching about finding your own authentic voice rather than following established traditions. 

Question 3: Studying with Aldo Parisot

My first encounter with Aldo Parisot was at age twelve in a masterclass at the Jerusalem Music Centre. He spoke about circles, breathing, phrasing, passion, and kept repeating this paradoxical phrase: "free, but in tempo!" I left that lesson exhilarated, inspired, confused—and with a hole in my new sweater from his lit cigarette! It was an incendiary lesson in every sense. Four years later, I became his student at Yale. 

What Parisot gave me wasn't just technique—though his technical principles were transformative. He taught me that artistry comes from within. He was fiercely opposed to teachers who create copies of themselves. As he would say, "You don't need a teacher if you have the curiosity and drive to discover yourself." His role was to help us find our own voice. 

His technical approach was revolutionary for me. The concept of circles—in shifting, in bow movement, in musical phrasing—changed everything. He taught that shifts should be like breathing, natural and organic. "Maximum sound!" he would demand, but always with beauty and resonance, never forcing. He had us sing everything first, then find that same expression on the cello. This came from his own training—he studied two years of solfege before even touching the instrument. 

But perhaps the most profound lesson was about the relationship between freedom and structure. That phrase "free, but in tempo" became central to my understanding of Bach. It means maintaining the rhythmic integrity while finding infinite expressive possibilities within each phrase. He would demonstrate how the same passage could be played completely differently while still being truthful to Bach's vision. 

The trajectory change was complete. Before Parisot, I played from instinct. He gave me the tools to channel that instinct into conscious artistry. He taught me to question everything—"Bach was not a saint," he'd remind us, "I respect the man and his work, but I don't worship him." This irreverence paradoxically led to deeper respect for the music. 

His influence extends beyond my playing. In my own teaching at the New Zealand School of Music and as Master Teacher for iClassical Academy, I carry forward his philosophy: technical excellence is mandatory but insufficient. True artistry comes from finding your authentic voice and having the courage to trust it. As my DMA thesis on his teaching methods explores, Parisot didn't just create excellent cellists—he nurtured artists who happen to play the cello. 

Final Thoughts 

This recording of the Bach Suites represents a convergence of everything I've learned and experienced: the technical foundation from Parisot, the musical maturity gained through performing with the world's leading orchestras, and the artistic freedom I've found in New Zealand. These aren't just six suites—they're a complete universe of human experience, and I invite listeners to join me in this never-ending journey of discovery. 

Monday! Baruch PAC season opens with ACME

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Baruch Performing Arts Center 2025-2026 concert season begins Monday, October 27

ACME – “contemporary music dynamos” (NPR) – performs Music for Film and Beyond by Philip Glass, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Michael Nyman, Ennio Morricone and more

Coming up on Baruch PAC's 25-26 concert season: Jazz pianist Sullivan Fortner, Baritone Joseph Parrish, and the Akshara music ensemble

On Monday, October 27 at 7 pm, American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) opens Baruch Performing Arts Center’s 2025-2026 concert season with Soundscapes: Music for Film and Beyond. The award-winning chamber group performs works by Philip Glass, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Michael Nyman, Ennio Morricone, Nico Muhly, Jóhann Jóhannsson and ACME’s Artistic Director, Clarice Jensen. Baruch PAC is located at 55 Lexington Ave (25th St, between 3rd and Lexington Aves). Tickets are $35 ($20 with CUNY ID), available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu.

The program explores the intersection between contemporary classical music and cinema, including selections from Morricone's lush score for The Mission and the lyrical second movement of Nyman's String Quartet No. 2. Glass's String Quartet No. 3, Mishima, taken from his score for Paul Schrader’s 1985 film, features driving rhythms and hypnotic patterns. This is a Silberman Recital Series concert.

Complete details of Baruch PAC’s 2025-2026 concert season have just been announced. Coming up:

• Jazz virtuoso Sullivan Fortner - solo piano (Dec. 12)

• Baritone Joseph Parrish - Songs from the Harlem Renaissance (Feb. 10)

• World music ensemble Akshara (March 9)

Details are below.

Baruch PAC 2025-2026 Concerts

Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Ave, New York, NY (enter on 25th Street, between 3rd and Lexington Avenues)

October 27, 7 pm: "Soundscapes: Music for Film and Beyond"
American Contemporary Music Ensemble
A Silberman Recital Series Concert

American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) opens Baruch Performing Arts Center’s 2025-2026 concert season with "Soundscapes: Music for Film and Beyond." The acclaimed chamber group will perform works by Philip Glass, Michael Nyman, Ennio Morricone, Nico Muhly, Jóhann Jóhannsson and ACME’s Artistic Director, Clarice Jensen at Baruch PAC's intimate recital hall. A Silberman Recital Series concert.

December 12, 7:30 pm: Jazz pianist Sullivan Fortner solo recital
A Milt Hinton Jazz Perspectives Concert

GRAMMY Award-winning pianist and recent winner of the prestigious Jazz Artist Award from The Gilmore Foundation, Sullivan Fortner comes to Baruch PAC for his only solo recital in the region this year. Fortner is a frequent collaborator of Cecile McLorin Salvant, and has released four critically-acclaimed albums as a solo leader. TICKETS

February 10, 7 pm: “Songs from the Harlem Renaissance”

Baritone Joseph Parrish

Joseph Parrish returns to Baruch PAC following his critically-acclaimed performance in 2023, with an evening of art songs from the Harlem Renaissance, curated specially for his Baruch appearance. Parrish was a recipient of the 2024 Sullivan Grant, a member of the Salzburger Festspiele Young Singers Project for the 2024 festival season, a prize winner in the Opera Index Voice Competition 2024 and winner of the 2022 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. TICKETS

March 9: Akshara

World music ensemble

A Silberman Recital Series Concert

Akshara is a dynamic music ensemble bringing together world music traditions on the rhythmic and modal foundations of Indian classical music. Along with NYC’s brightest musical talent, including two Grammy nominees, Akshara Music Ensemble’s leader and composer, Bala Skandan presents surprising and delightful interpretations of traditional ragas like Kamboji, Mohana, Gambira Natai and Shanmugapriya arranged for Carnatic, Hindustani, and Western classical and folk instruments.

Tickets on sale beginning early November.

Talea Ensemble's season begins Oct. 28 in Brooklyn

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Talea Ensemble announces 2025-26 season at new home in Brooklyn

"Talea Presents" series at St. Bartholomew Hall celebrates Luciano Berio's centennial in intimate solo performances plus large ensemble programs including works by Katherine Balch, George Lewis, and more

Season launch on October 28 with pianist Steve Beck and trumpet player Sam Jones features Martinu, Ades and Boulez alongside Berio's Sequenzas

Acclaimed for its ground-breaking performances of avant-garde and experimental concert music, Talea Ensemble is proud to announce its 2025-2026 concert season in its new home in Brooklyn at St. Bartholomew Hall at The Church of St. Luke and St. Mathew (520 Clinton Ave, Brooklyn).

The season begins on October 28 at 7:30 pm, with pianist Steve Beck and trumpet player Sam Jones. The program features Luciano Berio's Sequenzas X and IV, plus the world premiere of Saad Haddad's "Tasalsul VI" for double-bell trumpet, the NY premiere of Loretta Notareschi's "Novella," and music by Thomas Ades, Bohuslav Martinů, and Pierre Boulez. Full program details at bottom of this link..

The October 28 concert is the first of four "Sequenze" programs this season to celebrate Luciano Berio's 100th birth anniversary. Each of these concerts will showcase musicians as soloists performing and curating programs centered around Berio's iconic Sequenza compositions.

The season also features concerts with the full ensemble, including: a program of world premieres written for Talea; a performance of works by Alex Weiser, George Lewis, Pierre Boulez, and Eric Chasalow; and a collaboration with Catapult Opera performing Kaija Saariaho's Émilie. Season details are below.

Executive Director Adrian Morejon says "We are thrilled to share such compelling compositions in our new home at St. Bartholomew Hall at the Church of St. Luke and St. Mathew in Clinton Hill. We cannot wait to play these concerts for New York City audiences, while celebrating Berio's 100th anniversary with dynamic programming from Talea's members."

In addition to the "Talea Presents" series at St. Bartholomew Hall in Brooklyn the Ensemble travels to Minnesota and Upstate New York for performances and residencies in May. Program details here.

Insider Interview: Suzanne Stumpf and Dan Ryan, Artistic Directors for Musicians of the Old Post Road

The Boston-based chamber ensemble Musicians of the Old Post Road (MOPR) specializes in the period instrument performance of dynamic and diverse music from the Baroque to early Romantic eras. Their latest album "Into the Light" features rediscovered music by the German composer Christoph Graupner (1683-1760), including world premiere recordings. We spoke with MOPR co-artistic directors Suzanne Stumpf and Dan Ryan about the new album, performing on historical instruments, Graupner’s music and his world, and more.

How did you first become aware of the composer Christoph Graupner (1683-1760)?  

The first work we performed by Graupner was a trio sonata for flute, viola d’amore and continuo. We programmed that for a concert on which we featured unusual Baroque instruments. We were very struck by his originality and decided to investigate more of his oeuvre. 

Why do you think his music has been neglected until recently?  

Graupner’s works were locked in a legal battle after his death. Graupner’s heirs wanted to sell his manuscripts to the successors of the Landgrave of Darmstadt, Graupner’s employer. But the successors contended that they already owned the music because Graupner had been employed by the Landgrave, and the concept of intellectual property rights did not exist at the time.  

This was not resolved until late in the 19th century, then the two World Wars limited access to the collection in the first half of the 20th century. The Darmstadt library now has possession of his manuscripts and has made them available. They have been most helpful to us and are very excited about our advocacy efforts. 

What makes his music stand out from his contemporaries? 

Graupner’s musical language and musical devices are very original, and his music can be very dramatic and poignant. He is able to spin out a dramatic musical tale, if you will, using very minimal motivic material. He also makes great use of instrumental textures which he creates using the motifs that he selects for each movement. His harmonic sequences also take unexpected turns.  

Each of the works that we feature on our Into the Light album make use of very unusual musical devices. Some examples include the roles of the treble instruments in his Trio Sonata in B Minor. Rather than using the typical sharing and passing back and forth of main and accompanying themes, he assigns very different roles and motivic material to the flute and violin in the two outer movements of the sonata. In the first movement of his Quartet in G Minor, he uses pervasive, repeated rests in the accompanying parts that create a transparent texture that allows the listener to follow the theme as it is passed among the string instruments. His G Major Sonata for obbligato harpsichord is written with two accompanying instruments—flute and cello—which itself is unusual, but then he leaves the cello out for most of the second movement, and leads the movement into a very haunting texture between pulsing repeated pitches on the flute together with slow arpeggiation in the harpsichord part. And, the flute concerto we include does not have the usual alternating sections between tuttis and solos that are a standard part of most concertos. After the opening tutti, the flute solo begins and continues through the entire rest of the movement until the closing tutti at the end. These are just but a few examples of his originality! 

What are the challenges and/or rewards of performing Graupner’s music? 

Both the challenge and reward of performing Graupner’s works are the uniqueness of his compositional techniques and his musical language. The devices and tools he uses are so off the beaten track of most Baroque compositional techniques that on first reading it is sometimes difficult to understand what he is getting at! However, by spending time deciphering his intention and messages in each work, his musical voice and language come clearer and clearer. This process in itself is very rewarding, and we have truly enjoyed our role in striving to understand his intentions and advocating for the power and genius in his works for modern audiences.  

Musicians of the Old Post Road specializes in “period instrument performances.” Can you give us some details about what that entails? 

Our ensemble specializes in the performance of Baroque, Classical, and early Romantic music on period instruments. We all use historical instruments or replicas in our work together. And we all have the specialized equipment needed for each of those eras as instruments all underwent structural changes across the time period of our repertoire from the 1670s to the 1840s (which by the way is the timeframe that the Old Boston Post Road itself flourished!) The string instruments are typically set up with gut strings, and the bows vary in structure and length. The flutes during those years were most typically made of wood, and the acoustical properties of the instruments are such that there are different personalities that result from playing in different keys.  

We use harpsichords for Baroque music and early pianos for Classical and Romantic repertoire. As specialists on these instruments, we feel that the sound world that they offer is helpful in finding what was in the composers’ ears at the time they were writing—the sound of the historical instruments certainly offers helpful influences in our interpretations. Our audiences are always struck by the beautiful timbres of these instruments and how they bring the music to life. 

"Music for Film and Beyond" – Oct. 27 at Baruch PAC

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Baruch Performing Arts Center 2025-2026 concert season begins October 27

Soundscapes: Music for Film and Beyond explores the intersection between contemporary concert music and cinema 

ACME – a group that has specialized in new chamber music for over 20 years – performs music written for film by Philip Glass, Michael Nyman, Ennio Morricone and others

On Monday, October 27 at 7 pm, American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) opens Baruch Performing Arts Center’s 2025-2026 concert season with Soundscapes: Music for Film and Beyond. The acclaimed chamber group performs works by Philip Glass, Michael Nyman, Ennio Morricone, Nico Muhly, Jóhann Jóhannsson and ACME’s Artistic Director, Clarice Jensen. Baruch PAC is located at 55 Lexington Ave (25th St, between 3rd and Lexington Aves). Tickets are $35, available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu.

The program explores the intersection between contemporary classical music and cinema, including selections from Morricone's lush score for The Mission and the lyrical second movement of Nyman's String Quartet No. 2. Glass's String Quartet No. 3, Mishima, taken from his score for Paul Schrader’s 1985 film, features driving rhythms and hypnotic patterns. This is a Silberman Recital Series concert.

Baruch PAC’s 2025-26 season continues on December 12 with virtuoso jazz pianist Sullivan Fortner. In February, baritone Joseph Parrish returns to the Baruch PAC stage with a program inspired by the writers of the Harlem Renaissance. An additional spring performance will be announced soon. 

Calendar Listing

Monday, October 27, 2025 at 7 pm

American Contemporary Music Ensemble

Soundscapes: Music for Film and Beyond

A Silberman Recital Series Concert

Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10010 (enter on 25th Street, between 3rd and Lexington Avenues)

PROGRAM 

Philip Glass: String Quartet No. 3, “Mishima” 
Michael Nyman: String Quartet No. 2, Mvt. II 
Ennio Morricone: Gabriel’s Oboe from The Mission, for string quartet 
Nico Muhly: Selections from The Reader 
Jóhann Jóhannsson: Film and Chamber Music Selections 
Clarice Jensen: Film and Chamber Music Selections

Tickets are $35, available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu

American Contemporary Music Ensemble is:

Clarice Jensen, cello & artistic director
Ben Russell, violin
Laura Lutzke, violin
Kal Sugatski, viola
Claire Bryant, cello
Grey Mcmurray, guitar
Daniel Neumann, sound engineer

New recording of Bach’s cello suites by Inbal Megiddo

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Cellist Inbal Megiddo's new recording of Bach's Cello Suites

New Zealand-based musician's new album is released on Atoll Records on October 17

 "[Inbal Megiddo is] an extremely talented, very musical musician." 
– Zubin Mehta

The cellist Inbal Megiddo explores the multitude of expressions in each of the six cello suites by J.S. Bach. Her new recording of the complete set will be released on Atoll Records (ACD233) on October 17, 2025. 

Though much has been written about the cello suites, Megiddo highlights the genius of Bach’s implied polyphony in her liner notes. “Through carefully crafted arpeggios, strategic placement of notes, and clever voice-leading, Bach creates the illusion that the listener is hearing multiple instruments.” She also writes that the Suites are, to her, a lifetime. “Like life itself, the Suites reveal new facets with each return, changing as we change, growing as we go. In this way, they become not just music to perform but companions on life’s path.” 

In addition to her passion for the music of JS Bach, Megiddo works to promote and perform the music of suppressed composers, helping to give a voice to women and minority musicians. In 2026, she releases two more recordings on the Atoll label: Works by Clara Schumann, and an album of Forbidden Composers, musicians silenced by the Nazis. 

Megiddo has performed in the great concert halls of the world, including the Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center. She was a protégé of renowned cellist Aldo Parisot at Yale University, where she received her graduate and undergraduate degrees, and was mentored by Mstislav Rostropovich. Dr. Megiddo is a founding member of the Wellington, New Zealand-based Te Kōki Trio, and has held the position of principal cellist of the West Eastern Divan Symphony Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim. 

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.

Cassatt String Quartet releases "Toward Light" October 17

Cassatt String Quartet's new recording "Toward Light" to be released on October 17 on New Focus Recordings

Three quintets by longtime collaborator Daniel Strong Godfrey feature Cassatts with pianist Ursula Oppens, guitarist Eliot Fisk, and cellist Nicole Johnson

New release comes on the heels of the quartet's 40th anniversary celebrations, adding to their extensive discography of over 30 albums

The Cassatt String Quartet continues its 40th anniversary year with the release of "Toward Light," (rel. October 17, 2025 on New Focus Records). Three quintets by Daniel Strong Godfrey reflect on the long association between composer and the Cassatts, with guest performers Ursula Oppens (piano), Eliot Fisk (guitar), and Nicole Johnson (cello).

"It's been a delight to work with the Cassatt String Quartet over nearly four decades. Their supreme ability and versatility bring out the best in my compositions. It's a pleasure to have these works recorded, two of which were commissioned by the quartet," says Godfrey. Cassatt violinist Muneko Otani says "We have been so fortunate to have Daniel as our friend and artistic partner since our early days an ensemble. He really understands us, and the works on this album reflect that."

Godfrey has earned awards and commissions from the J. S. Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Fromm Music Foundation, and many others. He's also the founder and co-director of the Seal Bay Festival of American Chamber Music on the coast of Maine, where the Cassatt String Quartet is a long-time ensemble in residence.

The two pieces commissioned by the Cassatts were written nearly 20 years apart. Ricordanza-Speranza was written for the quartet's 20th anniversary in 2006, and reflects an intense period of looking back ("ricordanza") and also looking ahead to the future with hope ("speranza"). Toward Light was written in 2023, and similarly shares the sense of looking toward the future with fear, exasperation, and tenuous optimism. The final work on the album, To Mourn, To Dance (2013) was written to feature Vermeer Quartet cellist Marc Johnson and his daughter Nicole, who is also a cellist. Father and daughter performed together at the premiere, but Mr. Johnson passed away soon thereafter. Nicole Johnson is featured on this recording, which is dedicated to her father’s memory.

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording

Key Pianists to present Alexander Kobrin at Carnegie

Key Pianists Concert Series marks 10 years of presenting top recitalists at Carnegie Hall

2025-26 season begins with Cliburn Gold Medal winner Alexander Kobrin

November 6 concert features Robert Schumann’s Kreisleriana and music by Haydn and Schubert

Presented by Key Pianists Concert Series

Since 2015, the Key Pianists Concert Series has brought some of the world’s most renowned recitalists to the stage at Carnegie Hall. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the series launches its season with Alexander Kobrin on November 6. Kobrin, who won the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn Competition in 2005, performs music by Haydn, Schubert and Robert Schumann. 

“I am thrilled to present Alexander Kobrin,” said Key Pianists founder Terry Eder. “He's emblematic of the gold standard of our concert series.” 

Since winning the gold medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Kobrin's star has been on a meteoric rise. He's performed with orchestras from the New York Philharmonic to the Russian National Orchestra, played recitals around the world and recorded over a half dozen critically acclaimed albums. His program features Robert Schumann's evocative Kreisleriana, the Four Impromptus op. 90 by Franz Schubert, Variations in F minor by Haydn and the beloved Arabesque by Schumann.

The concert on Thursday, November 6, 2025 at 7:30 pm is presented by Key Pianists Concert Series, at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (154 West 57th Street in New York City). Tickets are $51 ($40 + $11 fee) and are available at CarnegieHall.org | 212-247-7800 | Box Office at 57th and Seventh Avenue.

Key Pianists Concert Series 10th season continues on February 12, 2026 with a recital by Terry Eder. Tickets available beginning in November.

Out Oct 3: composer Victoria Bond's "Dancing on Glass"

"Dancing on Glass" a new album of chamber music by Victoria Bond to be released October 3 on Albany Records

Album includes performances by acclaimed string players Pauline Kim Harris, Chieh-Fan Yiu, and Coleman Itzkoff and works for two pianos played by Madeline Rogers and Florencia Zuloaga

Title track is released as digital single on September 19

From Ella Fitzgerald's scat singing to mathematics and Chinese folk music, composer Victoria Bond can take inspiration from just about anything. These disparate sources and more are incorporated into the three works on her forthcoming album of chamber music "Dancing on Glass," released October 3, 2025 on Albany Records (TROY2007).

Acclaimed string players Pauline Kim Harris (violin), Chieh-Fan Yiu (viola), and Coleman Itzkoff (cello), are featured on the title track, which will be released digitally on September 19. Dancing on Glass is based on a Chinese folk song, Liu Yang River, and the title comes from the dancing reflection of light on the waterfront.

The album also features a couple works for two pianos performed by Madeline Rogers and Florencia Zuloaga. Binary is Bond's exploration on how 0 and 1 could be applied to music. "In mathematics and computer science the binary numeral system has had profound implications on our society," says the composer. "As early as 1703, the mathematician Gottfried Leibniz believed that binary numbers represented the mystical 'creatio ex nihilo' or creation out of nothing." Throughout the two movement work, Bond plays with this idea in rhythm, melody, and texture. The other work performed by Rogers and Zuloaga, Black Light, was originally written as a piano concerto, premiered by long-time Bond collaborator Paul Barnes. This is the world premiere recording of the version for two pianos. The second movement takes inspiration from Jewish liturgical music and the finale is inspired by the scat singing of Ella Fitzgerald.  

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.

Out now: Rediscovered music by Christoph Graupner

Musicians of the Old Post Road release "Into the Light" on September 26

Album features world premiere recordings of rediscovered chamber music by Christoph Graupner on historical instruments

Plus music by Georg Telemann, Johann Fasch, and Ernest Louis

The Boston-based chamber ensemble Musicians of the Old Post Road specialize in the period instrument performance of dynamic and diverse music from the Baroque to early Romantic eras. On Friday, September 26, 2025, they release an album of recently rediscovered music by German composer Christoph Graupner (1683-1760). The album includes world premiere recordings as well as selections by Graupner's close associates Johann Friedrich Fasch, Georg Philipp Telemann, and Graupner's patron Count Ernest Louis. "Into the Light: Rediscovered Chamber Music of Christoph Graupner and others" is released on OPR Recordings (OPR001). The recording is the winner of the Noah Greenberg Award from the American Musicological Society.

Graupner spent the majority of his long career as Kapellmeister at the Darmstadt court where he wrote over 2,000 compositions. He was also a friend of Telemann, and shared a deep admiration for his music. Due to his strong reputation as a composer, many aspiring students came to Darmstadt to study with Graupner, including Johann Friedrich Fasch.

"Despite earning the respect of his German contemporaries Bach, Telemann, and Handel, Graupner's music was unfortunately largely forgotten after his death. He has just started to have a revival in the past two decades" said Musicians of the Old Post Road Co-Artistic Director and cellist Daniel Ryan. "As a chamber ensemble whose mission it is to program rediscovered and forgotten works, it was a delight to dive into Graupner's rich oeuvre and bring these rediscovered works to music lovers everywhere," added OPR Co-Artistic Director and flutist Suzanne Stumpf.

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.