Cleveland CMS celebrates 75th anniversary with unprecedented performances

View as Webpage

The Cleveland Chamber Music Society celebrates 75 years of concerts

Jerusalem Quartet to perform all 15 string quartets by Dmitri Shostakovich over five nights, April 21-30 at Cleveland Museum of Art

First time this historic cycle by Shostakovich is performed in Cleveland

The quartets by Dmitri Shostakovich span nearly a half century of Soviet history, from Stalin to Khrushchev to Brezhnev. A performance of all 15 quartets together is rare. Also rare: A chamber music series that’s endured for three-quarters of a century.

These two extraordinary occurrences come together April 21-30 when the Cleveland Chamber Music Society celebrates its 75th anniversary with a presentation of the complete Shostakovich string quartets, in chronological order over five evenings, performed by the Jerusalem Quartet. It’s the first time the cycle has ever been performed in Cleveland.

The performances are April 21, 22, 23, 29 & 30 at 7:30 pm at the Cleveland Museum of Art (11150 East Blvd, Cleveland, OH). Each concert features three quartets, and a pre-concert lecture by James Wilding will be available for ticket holders at 6:30 pm each evening.

This historic cycle has never before been performed in Cleveland. "We're honored to present such an incredible body of work for the first time in the region," said CCMS board president Fern Jennings. "We're excited for audiences to hear these fifteen fantastic string quartets, performed by the world-class Jerusalem Quartet, and we're delighted to collaborate with the Cleveland Museum of Art for these performances."

Praised by BBC Magazine as "an absolute triumph," the Jerusalem Quartet is a regular and beloved guest on the world’s great concert stages. Recent appearances include a Beethoven quartet cycle at Wigmore Hall in London; a Bartok cycle at the Salzburg Festival; their annual String Quartet seminar in Crans Montana Switzerland, and a residency at the Jerusalem Academy of Music. 

Tickets are available online at ClevelandChamberMusic.org or by phone at (216) 291-2777. Single tickets are $40 for adults ($35 seniors, $5 students/anyone under 19 years old), with package-deals available starting at $60.

About Cleveland Chamber Music Society

The Cleveland Chamber Music Society has been bringing the top performers from around the world to intimate venues in Cleveland since 1949. It all started when a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and some of his colleagues persuaded the venerable Budapest Quartet to perform three concerts in Cleveland. The wildly enthusiastic audience response set the stage for the founding of the Cleveland Chamber Music Society the following year.

CCMS highlights its 75th anniversary in the 2024-2025 season with the internationally renowned Jerusalem Quartet’s complete cycle of Dmitri Shostakovich’s string quartets. Other highlights in this special season include the Grammy-award winning Imani Winds, vocal ensemble Chanticleer and guitarist Jason Vieaux with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Beyond the concert stage, the CCMS’s guest artists give master classes at conservatories in Northeast Ohio that are open to the public.

Calendar Listing

Cleveland Chamber Music Society in collaboration with Cleveland Museum of Art presents

Jerusalem Quartet performs Shostakovich's Complete String Quartets

Cleveland Museum of Art (11150 East Blvd, Cleveland, OH)

April 21-23 and 29-30 at 7:30 pm

Monday, April 21: String Quartets 1-3
Tuesday, April 22: String Quartets 4-6
Wednesday, April 23: String Quartets 7-9
Tuesday, April 29: String Quartets 10-12
Wednesday, April 30: String Quartets 13-15

Tickets available by phone (216) 291-2777 and online at ClevelandChamberMusic.org

Single tickets $40 for adults ($35 seniors, $5 students/anyone under 19 years old)

Ticket packages $140 for the full 5-concert series, $90 for week 1 (three concerts), and $60 for week 2 (two concerts)

Coming up at Baruch PAC

View with Images

Baruch Performing Arts Center continues spring season of recitals

• March 5: Vision Duo (violinist Ariel Horowitz and percussionist Britton-René Collins)

• March 6: Pianist/soprano Chelsea Guo

• May 19: Classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang

Baruch Performing Arts Center's "perfect hall for chamber music" (New York Times) continues its spring recital season with concerts featuring award-winning artists. On March 5, Vision Duo (violinist Ariel Horowitz and percussionist Britton-René Collin) performs classical works with a contemporary twist as part of Baruch PAC's Silberman Concert Series. Then on March 6, the multi-talented soprano and pianist Chelsea Guo accompanies herself performing arias by Rossini, Donizetti, and Fauré in addition to solo piano works by Chopin and Ravel. On May 19, Baruch PAC welcomes back classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang, who delighted audiences in her debut at the hall last year. Season details below.

Tickets to all shows available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu
Downloadable images & bios available in the digital press kit

Baruch PAC Spring Season Details

All concerts at 7 pm at Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Ave, New York, NY (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street)

Wednesday, March 5: Vision Duo

Vision Duo (violinist Ariel Horowitz and percussionist Britton-René Collins) perform classical works with a contemporary twist. In their Baruch PAC recital debut, the duo performs Bizet/Hubay's Carmen Fantasy, Misty by the jazz pianist Erroll Garner, Piazzolla's History of Tango, a piece by their own Ariel Horowitz, alongside works by other contemporary composers.

Horowitz and Collins formed the duo after winning the Concert Artists Guild International Competition’s Ambassador Prize as soloists. They quickly discovered their shared passion for post-genre and contemporary music, promoting systemic change, and centering equity and access in musical spaces. The duo has performed for top presenters throughout North America - including the Phillips Collection, Dumbarton Concerts in Washington, D.C., and Chamber Music Society of Detroit - and has attended the prestigious Avaloch Farm Music Institute as artist in residence. 

This concert is part of the Silberman Recital Series.

Thursday, March 6: Pianist/soprano Chelsea Guo

“A very fine pianist with a beguiling voice, Here is a rare talent." – BBC Music Magazine

Chelsea Guo is one of the rare talents equally formidable as both a soprano and a pianist. First-prize winner of the 2022 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions and a 2022 Classic FM Rising Star, Guo has attracted international attention as a pianist and soprano of remarkable gifts. As she forges her own unique, multi-faceted path, Chelsea is gaining increasing recognition from all corners of the classical musical world. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall in London, as well as other prominent venues in the North America, Europe and Asia. Her debut album "Chelsea Guo: Chopin in My Voice" (2021) was praised by Gramophone Magazine as an "Essential New Album." Later this season, Guo heads to Vienna to become a studio member of the Volksoper Wien.

Her Baruch PAC performance features classical favorites for voice and piano, with Guo accompanying herself on a program that features works by Chopin, Ravel, Faure, Donizetti, Rossini and more.

Monday, May 19: Classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang

“Staggering virtuosity that held the audience in a state of breathlessness, as thrilling to watch as to hear ” – Oberon's Grove

The classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang returns to Baruch PAC's stage after her wildly popular performance last season. A groundbreaking artist, Hanzhi was the first accordionist to win Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the first to be named Musical America’s “New Artist of the Month,” and the first solo accordionist on WQXR Radio’s Young Artists Showcase.

Hanzhi made her Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center debuts in 2017. Her awards include the Ruth Laredo Prize and Mortimer Levitt Career Development Award for Women Artists of YCA and First Prize in the 40th Castelfidardo International Accordion Competition in Italy. She has performed recitals at UC Santa Barbara’s Lively Arts, Stanford Live, Bravo! Vail, The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City. As soloist, she has performed with the Oregon Music Festival, Victoria Symphony, Erie Philharmonic, and Reno Chamber Orchestra. Composers Martin Lohse, James Black, and Sophia Gubaidulina have written and dedicated works to her.

March 12: Cutting Edge Concerts presents JACK Quartet

View as Webpage

CUTTING EDGE CONCERTS New Music Festival 
Victoria Bond, Artistic Director

Cutting Edge Concerts kicks off 2025 spring season with JACK Quartet on March 12 at Symphony Space

Program features music by Boulez, Cage, Glass, Hollinger and Webern

Season continues April 16 with Rudersdal Chamber Players and May 28 with pianist Min Kwon

"a gift to New Yorkers thirsty for new sounds" – Time Out New York

Victoria Bond's Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival kicks off the 2025 season on March 12 presenting the GRAMMY-nominated JACK Quartet at 7:30 pm at Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space (2537 Broadway at 95th St, New York, NY).

Undeniably our generation’s “leading new-music foursome,” JACK Quartet, celebrating their 20th anniversary season, performs music by ground-breaking 20th century composers. The program features Heinz Holliger's String Quartet No. 2, Webern's Six Bagatelles, string quartets by John Cage and Philip Glass, and Pierre Boulez's Livres 1, 2, and 3c.

Inspired by Boulez's series, "Perspective Encounters", the composer and conductor Victoria Bond founded Cutting Edge Concerts in 1998. Over its 27 year history, Cutting Edge Concerts has presented over 300 new works. Each program highlights the music of living composers, most of whom attend the concert. Along with performances by world-class ensembles and soloists, each program features on-stage discussions between host Victoria Bond and the composers. 

Tickets for JACK Quartet are $30 general admission, available at SymphonySpace.org. The season continues with the Danish piano quartet Rudersdal Chamber Players on April 16 (tickets here) and with pianist Min Kwon performing selections from her "America/Beautiful" project on May 28 (tickets on sale shortly). Full program details below.

Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival 2025 Spring Season
All concerts held at Symphony Space at 7:30 pm
(2537 Broadway at 95th St., New York, NY)

March 12: JACK Quartet

Undeniably our generation’s “leading new-music foursome,” JACK Quartet, celebrating their 20th anniversary season, comes to Cutting Edge Concerts performing music by ground-breaking 20th century composers. Tickets

Program
Pierre Boulez: Livre 1, 2, 3c  
Anton Webern: Six bagatelles, op. 9 
Philip Glass: String quartet no. 5 
John Cage: String quartet in four parts 
Heinz Holliger: String quartet no. 2 

April 16: Rudersdal Chamber Players

Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival welcomes the Rudersdal Chamber Players from Denmark. Praised for their flawless, outstanding and convincing playing, the piano quartet has earned accolades for their performances throughout Europe and in the United States. Tickets

Program
Victoria Bond: Piano Trio "Other Selves"
Elena Firsova: Four Seasons (east coast premiere)
Andrew Waggoner: New Work (world premiere)
Poul Ruders: Piano Quartet (US premiere)

May 28: Pianist Min Kwon

Korean-born American pianist Min Kwon performs selections from her America/Beautiful project, in which she commissioned seventy composers to write variations on "America the Beautiful." Tickets will go on sale soon.

Program
Selected works from America/Beautiful project, including works by:
Charles Coleman
David Sanford*
Jessica Meyer
Justin Dello Joio*
Leila Adu-Gilmore
Melinda Wagner
Paul Moravec
Qasim Naqvi
Robert Sirota
Scott Ordway*
Trevor Weston
Victoria Bond
Wang Jie*

*World premiere

About Victoria Bond

A major force in 21st century music, composer Victoria Bond is known for her melodic gift and dramatic flair. Her works for orchestra, chamber ensemble and opera have been lauded by The New York Times as "powerful, stylistically varied and technically demanding." Her compositions have been performed by the New York City Opera, Shanghai, Dallas and Houston Symphonies, members of the Chicago Symphony and New York Philharmonic, American Ballet Theater and the Cassatt and Audubon Quartets.  Ms. Bond is also an acclaimed conductor, and is the principal guest conductor of Chamber Opera Chicago, and has held conducting positions with Pittsburgh Symphony, New York City Opera, Roanoke Symphony, and Bel Canto and Harrisburg Operas.

Cleveland CMS presents Jerusalem Quartet

View with Images

The Cleveland Chamber Music Society celebrates 75 years of concerts

Jerusalem Quartet to perform all 15 string quartets by Dmitri Shostakovich over five nights, April 21-30 at Cleveland Museum of Art

First time this historic cycle by Shostakovich is performed in Cleveland

Coming up February 11: Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

The Cleveland Chamber Music Society is celebrating 75 years of presenting world-class chamber music. In April, the organization presents the Jerusalem Quartet performing the complete Shostakovich string quartet cycle. The performances will take place over five nights on April 21, 22, 23, 29 & 30 at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

This historic cycle has never before been performed in Cleveland. "We're honored to present such an incredible body of work for the first time in the region," said CCMS board president Fern Jennings. "We're excited for audiences to hear these fifteen fantastic string quartets, performed by the world-class Jerusalem Quartet, and we're delighted to collaborate with the Cleveland Museum of Art for these performances."

Shostakovich wrote the first quartet when he was 33, and was on his deathbed as he composed the final quartet. Taken together, these works demonstrate the arc of Shostakovich's career, and Russian history, from Stalin to Brezhnev. Each concert features three quartets, and a pre-concert lecture by James Wilding will be available for ticket holders at 6:30 pm each evening.

Praised by BBC Magazine as "an absolute triumph," the Jerusalem Quartet is a regular and beloved guest on the world’s great concert stages. Recent appearances include a Beethoven quartet cycle at Wigmore Hall in London; a Bartok cycle at the Salzburg Festival; their annual String Quartet seminar in Crans Montana Switzerland, and a residency at the Jerusalem Academy of Music. 

Coming up on February 11, CCMS presents Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with guitarist Jason Vieaux. The "Spanish Journey" program features works by De Falla, Saraste, Albéniz, and others. In addition to guest guitarist Jason Vieaux, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center features pianist Soyeon Kate Lee, violinist Kristin Lee, soprano Vanessa Becerra, and cellist Clive Greensmith.

Tickets are available online at ClevelandChamberMusic.org or by phone at (216) 291-2777. Single tickets are $40 for adults ($35 seniors, $5 students/anyone under 19 years old), with subscriptions and package-deals available starting at $60.

Daniel Hope & Polish C-O tour begins Feb. 23

Violinist Daniel Hope with Polish Chamber Orchestra performs across the United States February 23-March 2

Tour marks first U.S. performances by ensemble in nearly 20 years

Concerts in Vero Beach and West Palm Beach, FL; Atlanta, GA; Beaver Creek, CO

"Journey to Mozart" program includes concertos by Haydn and Mozart, Haydn's Symphony No. 49 and music by Gluck and Wojciech Kilar

The Polish Chamber Orchestra has announced a tour across the United States this February and March with versatile violinist Daniel Hope, "the most exciting British string player since Jacqueline du Pré" (New York Times). The "Journey to Mozart" program includes violin concertos by Haydn and Mozart, Haydn's Symphony No. 49 in F minor 'La passione,' and works by Gluck and the Polish composer Wojciech Kilar.

This is the first time the Polish Chamber Orchestra has toured in the U.S. since 2006. The ensemble was formed in 1972 and has performed in the world's most prestigious concert halls under conductors Charles Dutoit, Yehudi Menuhin, and Mstislav Rostropovich, among others. Their performances and recordings have garnered international attention over decades, praised for their "glistening dynamism" and "sculpted, strongly-contoured playing" (The Independent). The Polish Chamber Orchestra operates under the auspices of Sinfonia Varsovia. 

"I am thrilled to perform this profound program with the Polish Chamber Orchestra," says Daniel Hope. "I am excited for U.S. audiences to experience the unparalleled musicianship of this fantastic orchestra with whom I have had a long-lasting artistic relationship. Making music with them is an absolute joy."

The program and venue details are below. For press requests, contact Gail Wein at ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com.

Calendar Listing

Daniel Hope 
Polish Chamber Orchestra of Sinfonia Varsovia 

PROGRAM: “JOURNEY TO MOZART”
Christoph Willibald Gluck: “Dance of the Furies” from Orfeo ed Euridice
Franz Joseph Haydn: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in G Major
Wojciech Kilar: Orawa 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 3 in G Major
Franz Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 49 in F minor ‘La passione’ 

February 23: Vero Beach, FL
Community Church of Vero Beach

February 24: West Palm Beach, FL
Dreyfoos Hall at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts

February 28: Atlanta, GA
Schwartz Center for Performing Arts at Emory University

March 02: Beaver Creek, CO
Vilar Performing Arts Center

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center comes to Cleveland

View with Images

Cleveland Chamber Music Society presents Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with world-renowned artists, including guitar virtuoso Jason Vieaux

February 11 program "Spanish Journey" includes music by de Falla, Rodrigo, and Albeniz

Coming up April 21-30: Jerusalem Quartet gives an unprecedented performance of all 15 string quartets by Shostakovich at Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland Chamber Music Society invites audiences to spend a musical evening in Spain. On February 11 at 7:30 pm, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center - pianist Soyeon Kate Lee, violinist Kristin Lee, soprano Vanessa Becerra, cellist Clive Greensmith and guitar virtuoso Jason Vieaux - perform their "Spanish Journey" program.

Several of the performers have Ohio connections: Kristin Lee and Soyeon Kate Lee are on faculty at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and the Grammy Award-winner Jason Vieaux was born and raised in Cleveland.

The concert features the enchanting colors, rhythms and textures of Spain. Violinist Kristin Lee created this imaginative program with music spanning from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries. The distinctive Spanish style is beautifully expressed in piano trios of Falla and Turina, songs by Sarasate, Rodrigo, and Obradors, and the guitar, an instrument deeply associated with Spain.

Tickets for the February 11, 7:30 pm concert at The Cultural Arts Center at Disciples Church in Cleveland Heights (3663 Mayfield Rd) are available online at ClevelandChamberMusic.org or by phone at (216) 291-2777. Single tickets are $40 for adults ($35 seniors, $5 students/anyone under 19 years old). A pre-concert talk by Emily Laurance will take place at 6:30 p.m.

Not to be missed! CCMS's 75th anniversary season ends on a highlight: a rare performance of all 15 Shostakovich string quartets by the Jerusalem Quartet. This is the first time the complete cycle has ever been performed in Cleveland. Praised by BBC Magazine as "an absolute triumph," the world-renowned Jerusalem Quartet performs Shostakovich's string quartets at the Cleveland Museum of Art in five concerts April 21-30.

About Cleveland Chamber Music Society

The Cleveland Chamber Music Society has been bringing the top performers from around the world to intimate venues in Cleveland since 1949. It all started when a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and some of his colleagues persuaded the venerable Budapest Quartet to perform three concerts in Cleveland. The wildly enthusiastic audience response set the stage for the founding of the Cleveland Chamber Music Society the following year.

Beyond the concert stage, the CCMS’s guest artists give master classes at conservatories in Northeast Ohio that are open to the public.

Calendar Listing

Tuesday, February 11, 2025 at 7:30 pm

Cleveland Chamber Music Society in collaboration with the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society presents

"Spanish Journey" with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Jason Vieaux, guitar; Soyeon Kate Lee, piano; Kristin Lee, violin; Vanessa Becerra, soprano; Clive Greensmith, cello

The Cultural Arts Center at Disciples Church 

3663 Mayfield Rd Cleveland Heights, OH 44121

Single tickets are $40 for adults ($35 seniors, $5 students/anyone under 19 years old, available now by phone (216) 291-2777 and online at ClevelandChamberMusic.org

PROGRAM
Fernando Obradors: Canciones Espanolas
Isaac Albéniz: Mallorca
Enrique Fernández Arbós: Three Original Pieces in Spanish Style
Manuel de Falla: Suite Populaire Espagnole
Pablo Sarasate: Romanza Andaluza
Joaquín Rodrigo: Tres Canciones
Joaquín Turina: Piano Trio No. 2 in b minor, op. 76

World premiere recording of "Steal a Pencil for Me" out now

Composer Gerald Cohen's opera "Steal a Pencil for Me" out now on Sono Luminus

Opera Colorado performs the dramatic work, with music by Cohen and libretto by Deborah Brevoort

Based on the true story of a love triangle in a concentration camp

Sono Luminus presents Steal a Pencil for Me, the hauntingly beautiful new opera album from composer Gerald Cohen and librettist Deborah Brevoort released August 23, 2024.

An opera in two acts, Steal a Pencil for Me is a love story full of hope; a drama of overcoming great adversity, set during the dark times of World War II concentration camps. It is based on the true story of Jaap and Ina Polak, who fell in love as prisoners, amid great loss, helping each other to survive. Based on their love letters, which were published in a book of the same title, Steal a Pencil for Me is about the indestructibility of the life spirit and the power of humankind to survive adversity. The opera dramatizes intimate concerns and private dramas in the midst of the epic tragedy of the Holocaust.

Steal a Pencil for Me was given its premiere production in 2018 by Opera Colorado. The album, recorded in Denver in 2022, features most of the central performers of the Opera Colorado production, with Ari Pelto as conductor, and in the principal vocal roles Gideon Dabi as Jaap, Inna Dukach as Ina, and Adriana Zabala as Manja. 

The action of Steal a Pencil for Me takes place in Amsterdam, at Westerbork transit camp, and at Bergen Belsen concentration camp between the years of 1943-1945. Thirty-year old Jaap Polak is unhappily married to Manja, a capricious woman with a sharp tongue. He falls in love with 20-year old Ina Soep, whose boyfriend, Rudi Acohen, has been seized and deported to Poland by the Nazis. When Jaap, Manja, and Ina are deported to Westerbork, they actually find themselves living in the same barracks. Jaap’s wife objects to the relationship, and Jaap and Ina resort to writing secret love letters, which sustain them throughout the horrible circumstances of the war. Rudi appears onstage in the opera in Ina’s mind, as she gradually reconciles herself to her grief over losing him. 

Gerald Cohen knew Jaap and Ina personally, and was inspired to write the opera after hearing their story and reading their letters. He and Deborah Brevoort met with them many times in the process of writing the libretto, and Jaap and Ina were present at the first workshop of the opera in celebration of Jaap’s 100th and Ina’s 90th birthdays. 

Steal a Pencil for Me is available on CD from Sono Luminus and the digital album can be found on all major streaming platforms. Further information on the opera, including the full libretto, can be found below.

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

Baruch PAC's 2025 spring season

View with Images

Baruch Performing Arts Center's Spring 2025 Performances

Percussionist Michael Yeung, pianist/soprano Chelsea Guo, and classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang fill BPAC's intimate Engelman Recital Hall with compelling music

Special three-concert ticket package available for $75

This spring, Baruch Performing Arts Center's "perfect hall for chamber music" (New York Times) is full of great performances. From award-winning percussionist Michael Yeung to classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang and the multi-talented Chelsea Guo, who is equally at home as a pianist and singer, audiences have the chance to see these three remarkable artists early in their careers in the intimate recital hall which David Letterman called "delightful."

Ticket offer: Purchase tickets to all three recitals for a special price of $75 at this link.

Tickets to all shows available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu
Downloadable images & bios available in the digital press kit

January 27, 7 pm: Percussionist Michael Yeung

Michael Yeung is winner of the prestigious Susan Wadsworth International Auditions by Young Concert Artists. He has toured the world as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. Yeung has appeared with the internationally acclaimed Percussion Collective and performed with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra under Gustavo Dudamel. In 2024 he curated a series of concerts sponsored by TEDx in Shenzhen, China, and made his Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center recital debuts.

From arrangements of classics including Debussy's Rêverie and a lute suite by J.S. Bach to Xenakis' 20th-century solo percussion staple Rebonds A and B, Yeung's versatile skills are on full display on this adventurous and unusual program. The recital also features works by Georges Aperghis, Phillippe Hurel, and John Cage's stunningly gorgeous In a Landscape. 

Tickets $35 ($15 for students and Baruch staff) | $75 three-concert package deal available here

March 6, 7 pm: Pianist/soprano Chelsea Guo

Chelsea Guo is one of the rare talents equally formidable as both a soprano and a pianist. First-prize winner of the 2022 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions and a 2022 Classic FM Rising Star, Guo has attracted international attention as a pianist and soprano of remarkable gifts.

Her Baruch PAC performance features classical favorites for voice and piano, with Guo accompanying herself on a program that features works by Chopin, Ravel, Faure, Donizetti, Rossini and more. The concert is part of the Silberman Recital Series. Tickets $35 ($15 for students and Baruch staff).

May 19, 7 pm: Classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang

Acclaimed for her “staggering virtuosity,” the classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang returns to Baruch PAC with a performance of works by Bach, Piazzolla, original compositions, and more.

A groundbreaking artist, Hanzhi was the first accordionist to win Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the first to be named Musical America’s “New Artist of the Month,” and the first solo accordionist on WQXR Radio’s Young Artists Showcase.

Hanzhi made her Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center debuts in 2017. Her awards include the Ruth Laredo Prize and Mortimer Levitt Career Development Award for Women Artists of YCA and First Prize in the 40th Castelfidardo International Accordion Competition in Italy. She inspires the next generation of accordionists with lectures, performances, and master classes at the Manhattan School of Music, Royal Danish Academy of Music, Tianjin Music Conservatory, and across Europe. 

Tickets $35 ($15 for students and Baruch staff).

Baruch PAC 2025 Spring Season at a glance

Now-February 9: Wakka Wakka's Dead as a Dodo
January 27: Percussionist Michael Yeung
March 6: Pianist/soprano Chelsea Guo
May 13-25: Heartbeat Opera's "Faust"
May 19: Classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang

Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street) in the heart of Manhattan. Praised for its superb acoustics, the Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall has been called "a perfect hall for chamber music" by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times. 

Composer Edward Smaldone's "What no one else sees..."

View with Images

Composer Edward Smaldone's "What no one else sees..." released December 6, 2024 on New Focus Recordings

Album of world premiere recordings features two new concertos alongside programmatic works for orchestra and woodwind quintet

Featuring orchestras and soloists from Scotland, Denmark and Czech Republic

Composer Edward Smaldone blends influences from the worlds of twelve-tone music, jazz, and extra-musical realms like architecture and poetry to create attractive, sophisticated compositions with vibrant orchestrations and instrumental virtuosity. A new album of world premiere recordings, What no one else sees... was released December 6, 2024 on New Focus Recordings (fcr425). It features the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Brno Philharmonic and other leading European performers.

The recording includes a piano concerto and a clarinet concerto performed by Swedish pianist Niklas Sivelöv and Danish clarinetist Søren-Filip Brix Hansen, respectively, both outstanding international artists. Rounding out the album are two programmatic works for orchestra, and the title track, "What no one else sees," for woodwind quintet.

Smaldone draws inspiration from a broad spectrum, including jazz musicians Miles Davis, Joe Pass and Maria Schneider, twentieth century modernist composers George Perle and Ralph Shapey, and architects Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid. His work reflects these diverse influences without being restricted by their associations.

The album's five works are performed by a compendium of some of Europe's finest ensembles recognized for their outstanding musicianship: the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Brno Philharmonic, Denmark's Royal Life Guards Music Band, and the Opus Zoo Woodwind Quintet.

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

Read full release here.

Jan. 27 at Baruch PAC: percussionist Michael Yeung

January 27: Baruch PAC spring concert season begins with percussionist Michael Yeung

Recital by award-winning artist includes works by J.S. Bach, Debussy, Cage, and Xenakis

Season continues with recitals by pianist/vocalist Chelsea Guo and classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang; see all three for one special price

Baruch Performing Arts Center launches its spring concert season with the award-winning percussionist Michael Yeung. The performance on Monday, January 27, 2025 at 7 pm at Baruch PAC's Engelman Recital Hall displays the vast range of Yeung's skills.

Michael Yeung is winner of the prestigious Susan Wadsworth International Auditions by Young Concert Artists. He has toured the world as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. Yeung has appeared with the internationally acclaimed Percussion Collective and performed with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra under Gustavo Dudamel. In 2024 he curated a series of concerts sponsored by TEDx in Shenzhen, China, and made his Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center recital debuts.

From arrangements of classics including Debussy's Rêverie and a lute suite by J.S. Bach to Xenakis' 20th-century solo percussion staple Rebonds A and B, Yeung's versatile skills are on full display on this adventurous and unusual program. The recital also features works by Georges Aperghis, Phillippe Hurel, and John Cage's stunningly gorgeous In a Landscape. 

Baruch PAC's spring concert series continues on March 6 with pianist and vocalist Chelsea Guo and May 19 with classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang. A ticket package for all three concerts is available for $75 (three concerts for the price of two). Digital press kits, including photos and bios, are at this link. 

Guo, Wang and Yeung are all on the roster of Young Concert Artists, an organization with a reputation for identifying musicians on their way to major performance careers. "We are committed to showcasing rising artists, as evidenced by our relationship with YCA," said Baruch PAC managing director Howard Sherman. "It gives our audience an opportunity to see these phenomenal performers in an intimate setting at accessible prices."

Tickets to Michael Yeung's recital at Baruch PAC January 27 are $35 general admission ($20 for students), available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu. A three-concert package deal, which includes tickets for percussionist Michael Yeung (January 27), pianist/vocalist Chelsea Guo (March 6), and classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang (May 19) is available for $75. Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street).

Monday, January 27, 2025 at 7 pm

Baruch Performing Arts Center presents

Percussionist Michael Yeung

Baruch PAC (55 Lexington Ave., New York, NY) (enter on 25th St. between 3rd and Lexington Aves)

Tickets are $35 general admission ($20 students), available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu

PROGRAM
Iannis Xenakis: Rebonds B
J.S. Bach: Lute Suite in e minor
Philippe Hurel: Loops II
Claude Debussy: Rêverie (arranged for vibraphone)
Iannis Xenakis: Rebonds A
John Cage: In a Landscape (arr. for marimba and vibraphone)
Georges Aperghis: Le corps a corps

Coming up at Baruch PAC:

• January 8 – February 9: Dead as a Dodo from Wakka Wakka (part of the Under The Radar Festival)

• January 27: Michael Yeung, percussionist

• March 6: Chelsea Guo, pianist and vocalist

• May 13-25: Heartbeat Opera performs Faust

• May 19: Hanzhi Wang, classical accordionist 

Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street) in the heart of Manhattan. Praised for its superb acoustics, the Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall has been called "a perfect hall for chamber music" by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times. 

Out Friday: world premiere recordings by Lee Kesselman

View with images

Music by Lee Kesselman out November 15

Would that Loving Were Enough includes world premiere recordings of works written for HAVEN: Soprano Lindsay Kesselman, clarinetist Kimberly Cole Luevano and pianist Midori Koga

The first album devoted to music by Lee Kesselman, Would That Loving Were Enough is released November 15, 2024 on Blue Griffin Records (BGR675). The collection of world premiere recordings is performed by HAVEN (Soprano Lindsay Kesselman, clarinetist Kimberly Cole Luevano and pianist Midori Koga).

A prolific composer renowned for his choral works and operas, Kesselman turns his attention to the intimacy of chamber music. The stylistically diverse collection includes original works “Make me a Willow Cabin” set to words from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, “Would That Loving Were Enough” with music and poetry by Kesselman himself, a musical re-thinking of a Handel aria and “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise,” by George Gershwin. All of the works on the album were written for these performers. The trio HAVEN performs most of the selections; and cellist Allison Rich replaces the clarinet in the trio for "Piangerò" and "How I Hate This Room."

One of Kesselman's inspirations is Japanese music and poetry. The album opens with his arrangement of the popular Japanese folksong "Sakura," which is followed by his original composition "Ashes & Dreams." That work alternates texts of Japanese poetry forms haiku (traditionally written by men) and waka (traditionally written by women); Kesselman's musical styles emphasize the difference in the poetic content.

"It's been gratifying to compose so many of these works for my daughter Lindsay and her colleagues Kimberly and Midori in HAVEN," says Kesselman. "What a pleasure to hear my music come alive through the recording process. It's an album I am extremely proud of."

Lee Kesselman, composer
Would That Loving Were Enough

Release date: November 15, 2024 | Blue Griffin Records (BGR675)

Performed by HAVEN
Lindsay Kesselman, soprano
Kimberly Cole Luevano, clarinet
Midori Koga, piano

with cellist Allison Rich on tracks #10 and #12

TRACK LISTING

[01] Sakura (8:45)
Japanese folksong arr. Lee R. Kesselman (2018)

Ashes and Dreams
Music by Lee R. Kesselman (2016)
[02] 1. Prelude (2:48)
[03] 2. Wakaishu Ya (1:23)
[04] 3. Omoitsusu (2:16)
[05] 4. Te No Ue Ni (0:54)
[06] 5. Kagiri Naki (1:46)
[07] 6. No O Yaku To (1:56)
[08] 7. Yume Ni Dani (4:16)
[09] 8. Nishi No Sora E (2:50)

[10] Piangerò (8:45)*
Music by Lee R. Kesselman (2012)
A musical re-imagining of George Frederic Handel's aria of the same name and lyrics by Nicola Francesco Haym from the opera Giulio Cesare

[11] Make Me a Willow Cabin (9:39)
Music by Lee R. Kesselman (2014)
Lyrics by William Shakespeare from Twelfth Night

[12] How I Hate This Room (10:39)*
Music by Lee R. Kesselman (2007)
Lyrics by James Tucker after Charlotte Perkins Gilman from The Yellow Wallpaper

Would That Loving Were Enough
Music and Lyrics by Lee R. Kesselman (2021)
[13] I. I Prefer a Wine of Some Complexity (2:59)
[14] II. You Lie A-Bed (4:43)
[15] III. I Wish That Loving Were Enough (3:57)
[16] IV. That's A Wrap (2:22)

[17] I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise (2:40)
Music by George Gershwin arr. Lee R. Kesselman (2018) Lyrics by B.G. De Sylva and Ira Gershwin

*with cellist Allison Rich

Artist Biography

Composer Lee R. Kesselman is best known as a composer of vocal works, including opera, music for chorus, chamber music and solo songs. Kesselman was Director of Choral Activities at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, a suburb of Chicago, from 1981 until 2022. He was Founder and Music Director of the New Classic Singers, a professional choral ensemble. He performs regularly as a conductor and as a collaborative pianist. Kesselman is also Past-President of the Illinois Choral Directors Association. His works include over 100 choral works, 2 chamber operas, more than 30 art-songs and chamber works for solo voice, in addition to chamber music and works for large ensembles and for dance. His choral compositions and arrangements stretch across all kinds of choirs, with and without accompaniment. Many of his choral works are published by Boosey & Hawkes, G. Schirmer, Carl Fischer Music, Hal Leonard Music. Other works are available through Kesselman Press or through MusicSpoke.com. Kesselman is known for his diverse musical styles, unique approach to vocal texts, and compositional craft. Many of Kesselman’s works can be found on Soundcloud.com/lee-kesselman and a complete catalog on kesselmanpress.com. For more information, contact the composer at LRKmus@sbcglobal.net. 

Nov. 13 at Baruch PAC: Krakauer & Tagg's "Breath & Hammer"

View with Images

Baruch Performing Arts Center presents
KRAKAUER & TAGG: BREATH & HAMMER

Klezmer clarinetist David Krakauer and pianist Kathleen Tagg bring a program of world music, improvisation, and classical music to the Silberman Recital Series

On Wednesday, November 13 at 7 pm, Baruch Performing Arts Center presents Grammy-nominated classical and world music clarinetist David Krakauer with acclaimed South African-raised pianist/composer/producer Kathleen Tagg in their program Breath & Hammer.

Krakauer has been praised internationally as a key innovator in modern klezmer as well as a major voice in classical music. Tagg is an award-winning pianist, composer and producer who has crafted a distinctive style that mixes together acoustic and electronic sounds, loops, samples and extended techniques. 

Their program Breath & Hammer brings together world music, classical music and improvisation. It is a unique opportunity to see the pair’s unorthodox playing styles in a chamber music setting. Krakauer & Tagg's acrobatic and highly virtuosic arrangements of tunes by a host of performer-composers from around the globe are placed alongside original compositions and complete reimaginings of traditional tunes and standards close to their hearts. Selections include the jazz standard "Body and Soul," music by Claude Debussy, John Zorn, Kinan Azmeh and more.

Krakauer & Tagg began working together in 2012, and each year have pushed further against the boundaries of standard concert programming by creating programs that completely redefine the sounds and roles of their instruments: Krakauer’s use of extended techniques, improvisation, and circular breathing on the clarinet, along with Tagg’s prowess inside the piano to remake it as a harp, a zither, a drum, and a cello creates a collective sound that completely transforms these two acoustic instruments. Their work together includes large-scale dialogue works; creating works for soloists and orchestra or symphonic wind band; multimedia immersive works with spatialized audio and live video art; film scores; works for genre-crossing band, alongside their acoustic and electric duo performance programs. 

Tickets to Krakauer & Tagg: Breath & Hammer on November 13 at 7 pm are $35 general admission ($20 for students), available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu. Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street). This concert is part of the Silberman Concert Series.

Calendar Listing

Silberman Concert Series

Wednesday, November 13, 2024 at 7 pm

Baruch Performing Arts Center presents:
KRAKAUER & TAGG: Breath & Hammer

Baruch PAC (55 Lexington Ave., New York, NY) (enter on 25th St. between 3rd and Lexington Aves)

Tickets are $35 general admission ($20 students), available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu

PROGRAM

November 22 by Kinan Azmeh, arr. Kathleen Tagg
Première Rhapsodie by Claude Debussy
Parzial by John Zorn, arr. Krakauer, Tagg
Der Gasn Nign, Trad., arr. Krakauer, Tagg
Berimbau by Kathleen Tagg
Body and Soul by Green, Heyman, Sour, and Eyton, arr. Krakauer, Tagg
Chassidic Dance by Abraham Ellstein
Moldavian Voyage by Emil Kroitor, arr. Tagg, Krakauer
Synagogue Wail by David Krakauer
Der Heyser Bulgar, Trad. arr. Krakauer and Tagg

Baruch PAC 2024-25 Season:

• November 13: Krakauer & Tagg

• January 8 – February 9: Dead as a Dodo from Wakka Wakka (part of the Under The Radar Festival)

• January 27: Michael Yeung, percussionist

• March 6: Chelsea Guo, pianist and vocalist

• May 13-25: Faust from Heartbeat Opera

• May 19: Hanzhi Wang, classical accordionist 

Baruch Performing Arts Center

Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street) in the heart of Manhattan. Praised for its superb acoustics, the Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall has been called "a perfect hall for chamber music" by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times. 

Out Friday: New arrangements of Balkan folk songs for piano

View with Images

Croatian American pianist Vedrana Subotić releases "Chiaroscuro" on Blue Griffin Records

October 18 release features world premiere recordings of five arrangements of folk songs from former Yugoslavia for solo piano

Album also includes B minor Sonata by Franz Liszt

Croatian American pianist Vedrana Subotić (pronounced VEH-dran-ah SOO·buh·tihch) has commissioned and recorded five new arrangements of folk songs from former Yugoslavia. On October 18, 2024 Blue Griffin Records releases "Chiaroscuro" (BGR673), which features these arrangements of traditional Romani, Bosnian, Macedonian, and Montenegrin songs by Igor Iachimciuc and Christopher O'Riley paired with Liszt's Sonata in B Minor.

Subotić chose five of her favorite traditional folk songs which she learned to play on the piano as a child as her mother sung her the melodies. "They were sung in times of turmoil and peace, sadness and joy, life and death. They speak of love and longing, of hope, beauty, and loss," says the pianist. "By recording these five commissioned arrangements for solo piano, I hope to share their unique beauty with both the uninitiated and with those who already know and love them as much as I do."

The album is rounded out with Franz Liszt's B minor piano sonata. The scope of the work is reminiscent of the epic poetry from the composer's native Hungary, and melodies throughout are based on regional modal scales, paired with a Hungarian Czardas (fast, wild traditional dance).

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

VEDRANA SUBOTIĆ, piano
Chiaroscuro

Release date: October 18, 2024
Blue Griffin Records (BGR673)

TRACK LISTING

[01]"Djelem, Djelem" (I went, I went) 06:07
Romani traditional
Arranged by Igor Iachimciuc

[02] "Kad Ja Podjoh Na Bembašu" (When I went to Bambaša) 06:55
Bosnian Traditional
Arranged by Christopher O'Riley

[03] "Makedonsko Dvoječe" (Macedonian Girl) 04:31
Macedonian traditional, Jonče Hristovski
Arranged by Christopher O'Riley

[04] "Još Ne Sviće Rujna Zora" (Crimson Dawn Has Not Yet Broken) 07:22
Montenegrin traditional
Arranged by Igor Iachimciuc

[05] "Mujo Kuje Konja Po Mjesecu" (Mujo Shoes His Horse Under the Moonlight) 05:58
Bosnian traditional
Arranged by Christopher O'Riley

[06] Sonata in B minor, s.178 30:14
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

Total Time = 61:10

Artist Biography
Croatian American pianist Vedrana Subotić (pronounced VEH-dran-ah SOO·buh·tihch) has earned critical praise for her “superb, intuitive, and astute” performances. She has performed concertos and recitals across North and South Americas, Europe, and Asia. In addition to standard repertoire, Subotić frequently commissions and performs new works, and has recorded for the Sony and Centaur and Blue Griffin labels.  

Subotić is a professor of piano and music entrepreneurship at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, where she directs the Liszt Festival and Competition. She is also a visiting professor at the University of Chile and Artistic Director of the Intermezzo Concert Series.  

Born in Kotor, Montenegro to a nuclear physicist and an art historian, Subotić attended the University of Belgrade at age 15 and won the former Yugoslavia’s national piano competition at age 19. She studied with Menahem Pressler at Indiana University where she earned an Artist Diploma and a Doctorate, and studied with Ralph Votapek at Michigan State University where she earned a Master’s degree. 

Oct 13: Chou Wen-chung live online watch party

View with Images

October 13 at 2 pm EDT: Celebrate composer Chou Wen-chung's 101th birthday with a special virtual concert and watch party

Chou Wen-chung's (1923-2019) music performed by Continuum new music ensemble hosted by conductor Joel Sachs and Chou's son Luyen

Colleagues, students, and friends of the late composer, including Chen Yi, Zhou Long, and Roger Reynolds join for a live post-concert panel

Watch the concert and conversation beginning at 2 pm EDT/11 am PDT on October 13. Details and viewing link here

On October 13 at 2 pm EDT (11 am PDT), enjoy a live online watch party of a very special concert celebrating the music of Chou Wen-chung (1923–2019) and his 101st birthday.

A composer of music that draws on both Euro-American modernism and Chinese tradition, Chou Wen-chung has left behind a legacy of cultural exchange across international borders. The Chinese-born composer had an enormous influence on concert music in America and was responsible for bringing over the next generation of musicians from China. His former students, including Tan Dun, Zhou Long, and Bright Sheng, have won Grammy awards, Pulitzer Prizes, and Guggenheim fellowships.

The virtual watch party on October 13 centers around a video recording of a live concert performed at Columbia University earlier this year with new music ensemble Continuum under the direction of Joel Sachs. The concert represents the first public US performance of Chou’s recently rediscovered orchestral work In the Mode of Shang, as well as four other pieces composed throughout his career. The program displays Chou’s special ability to blend Eastern and Western styles, techniques and tropes in his compositions.

Exclusive to the October 13 event, each work will be introduced by Sachs in dialogue with the composer’s older son Luyen Chou. Following the program, registered listeners can gain exclusive access to participate in a live online panel discussion. and a panel that includes some of Chou Wen-chung’s most eminent friends, students and protégés—Lei Liang, Zhou Long, Roger Reynolds, Chinary Ung, Delong Wang and Chen Yi—moderated by Kathryn Knight. Both the concert and panel discussion are free of charge.

More about the concert and conversation and how to watch at this link.

The event is part of an ongoing endeavor to maintain and extend Chou Wen-chung’s legacy. Other components include commissioned works in Chou's name in China and the United States, a lecture series at the 21st Century China Center at UCSD, the Center for US-China Arts Exchange at Columbia University, and more.

October 13, 2024 at 2 pm EDT

Virtual Watch Party
Concert Celebrating Chou Wen-chung’s Centennial and his Legacy

Performed by CONTINUUM
Joel Sachs, conductor and piano

Details here

PROGRAM

All selections by Chou Wen-chung (1923 – 2019) 

The Willows are New (1957)
Yu Ko (Fisherman’s Song) (1965)
Twilight Colors (2007)
Ode to Eternal Pine (2009)
In the Mode of Shang (1956) (US Premiere) 

Watch party followed by a live post-concert discussion with Luyen Chou, Joel Sachs, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Roger Reynolds, and other special guests.

CONTINUUM chamber orchestra features long-time Continuum players Renée Jolles, violin; Stephanie Griffin, viola; Kristina Reiko Cooper, cello; Emily Duncan, flute (Continuum debut); and Moran Katz, clarinet with additional instrumentalists

Dublin Intl Piano Competition winner Yukine Kuroki

View with Images

Winner of Dublin International Piano Competition Yukine Kuroki makes Carnegie debut

October 29 recital features works by Debussy, Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, and more

"Kuroki made the grand piano sound like a symphony orchestra, so many colors and volumes. Breathtaking."  — Eindhovens Dagblad

For over 30 years, the Dublin International Piano Competition (DIPC) has brought the world’s top young pianists to Ireland to compete. In addition to a generous cash prize, winners are presented at Carnegie Hall for their debut recital. On October 29, 2024 at 7:30 pm, the 2022 winner of the DIPC Yukine Kuroki performs her U.S. debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Kuroki's recital features Romantic era favorites including Rachmaninov's Second Piano Sonata, Stravinsky/Agosti's Firebird Suite, and Debussy's l'Isle Joyeuse, plus works by Kapustin, Saint-Saens, Schumann, and Tokuyama.

In addition to her First Prize award from DIPC, Yukine Kuroki is the winner of the Liszt Utrecht Competition and a prize winner of the Rubenstein Competition. Since then she has performed all over the world, including sold-out debuts with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw, the Tokyo New City Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic, the Lithuanian National Symphony, among others. She recently finished her master’s program of Showa Graduate School of Music under Fumiko Eguchi.

Pianist Yukine Kuroki performs at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (154 West 57th Street) on October 29, 2024 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $35, and are available at CarnegieHall.org | CarnegieCharge 212-247-7800 | Box Office at 57th and Seventh. The concert is presented by Dublin International Piano Competition.

Calendar Listing

Tuesday, October 29, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Pianist Yukine Kuroki
presented by Dublin International Piano Competition

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
(154 West 57th Street, New York, NY)

Tickets are $35, and are available at CarnegieHall.org | CarnegieCharge 212-247-7800 | Box Office at 57th and Seventh.

PROGRAM
Schumann/Liszt: Widmung
Saint-Saens / Liszt: Danse Macabre, S. 555
Debussy:  L'Isle Joyeuse
Stravinsky/Agosti: Firebird Suite
Minako Tokuyama:  Musica Nara
Rachmaninov:  Lilacs Op. 21 No. 5
Rachmaninov: Sonata No. 2
Kapustin: Variations, Op.41

Cassatt in the Basin!: More than just concerts

For over 20 years, the world-renowned Cassatt String Quartet has made bi-annual trips from New York City to West Texas for their “Cassatt in the Basin!” residency program. In Midland, Odessa, and surrounding areas they visit schools and community centers to perform and teach life lessons via chamber music and orchestral playing such as teamwork, verbal and non-verbal communication, and respect for one another. It is the only program of its kind.

In October 2023 the quartet performed at the Aphasia Center in Midland, TX. Aphasia is a language disorder that impacts how people are able to communicate through conversations as well as the ability to read and write. The Executive Director of the center, Kitty Binek, was effusive about the positive effect of Cassatt Quartet’s visit, “The unique experience of being seated among professional and engaging musicians allowed our members access to an immensely enriching event they might not have otherwise experienced. It was a joyful and memorable event, and we look forward to future collaborations to enhance the wellbeing of our members.” 

On October 17, 2024 the Cassatts will perform a “Seeing Sound” at a fundraiser for the Bynum School which provides year-round educational and vocational activities for people with special needs. During the concert Bynum students will create artwork inspired by how the music makes them feel. Their art will then be auctioned off, with proceeds benefiting the school. 

“It is such a gift to have this relationship with the community I grew up in. To perform in these spaces and work with students who might not otherwise have access to live performances really means a lot,” says violinist and Executive Director of Cassatt in the Basin Jennifer Leshnower. 

Cassatt Quartet’s fall 2024 residency is October 11-17, and features another “Seeing Sound” concert at the  Museum of the Southwest Fredda Turner Children’s Museum in Midland, chamber music coachings at schools throughout the region, including the West Texas Music Conservatory and their youth orchestra, and a Yom Kippur service at Temple Beth El in Odessa. Details about these and other events are below. For more information and full program details, visit https://www.cassattinthebasin.net.

CASSATT IN THE BASIN OCTOBER 2024 SCHEDULE

Friday 10/11
6pm
Private Yom Kippur Service, Kol Nidre at Temple Beth El
(1501 N. Grandview, Odessa)

Saturday 10/12
Time TBD
Community Concert at TBD

Sunday 10/13
2pm & 3pm
Seeing Sound Concerts
Draw to the Music at Museum of the Southwest Fredda Turner Children's Museum
(1705 W Missouri Ave, Midland)

Monday 10/14
Time TBD
Coaching
Midland High School 
(906 W. Illinois Ave, Midland)

5-6pm
Chamber Music Coaching at Texas Tech University
(18th and Boston Avenue, Lubbock)

Tuesday 10/15
Time TBD
Coaching at Permian High School
(1800 E 42nd St, Odessa)

4:30 - 7pm
Coaching at West Texas Music Conservatory
(1602 Tarleton St, Midland)

Wednesday 10/16
Time TBD
Coaching at Legacy High School
(3500 Neely Ave, Midland)

Thursday 10/17
Time TBD
Coaching at Odessa High School
(1301 Dotsy Ave, Odessa)

6pm 
Bynam School Fundraising Concert at Midland Polo Club
(5401 Polo Club Rd, Midland)

Pianist Orli Shaham on Tonebase

Pianist Orli Shaham is featured on Tonebase, the popular online piano platform for pianists and students.

Beginning July 22, 2024, Tonebase subscribers can participate in a "Community Challenge" to learn new music through tutorials and performances created by Tonebase artist Orli Shaham. The pianists will learn selections from Karen Tanaka's recently published The Adventures of Anya and share their performances with fellow Tonebase members. At the end of the challenge, participants can attend a special live VIP Zoom event with pianist Orli Shaham and composer Karen Tanaka on August 24th, at 11am PT. Visit Tonebase online for more details.

The Adventures of Anya was written for Shaham, and is a 22-movement work for solo piano that accompanies a children's story with beautiful illustrations by Tiphanie Beek. In a video series highlighting the work, Shaham narrates the story, performs the works, and gives a tutorial on how to play each movement.

Previously on Tonebase, Shaham presented a series of masterclasses on Mozart's piano sonatas (her recordings of all 18 sonatas by Mozart are available now), and a lecture-performance about Clara Schumann.

Watch "Macrons" from The Adventures of Anya by Karen Tanaka performed by Orli Shaham

Orli Shaham with composer Karen Tanaka. Read an interview with Tanaka about Adventures of Anya.

A consummate musician recognized for her grace, subtlety, and brilliance, the pianist Orli Shaham has performed with many of the major orchestras around the world, and has appeared in recital internationally, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House.

In 2024, Orli Shaham released the final volumes of the complete piano sonatas by Mozart to high critical acclaim. Her discography includes over a dozen titles on Deutsche Gramophone, Sony, Canary Classics and other labels.

Orli Shaham is on the piano and chamber music faculty at The Juilliard School. She is Artistic Director of Pacific Symphony’s chamber series Café Ludwig in California, and is a Co-Host and Creative for the national radio program From the Top.

Cleveland CMS Announces 75th Anniversary Season

View full press release here

The Cleveland Chamber Music Society Celebrates 75th Anniversary

2024-25 season highlights include the complete Shostakovich string quartets played by Jerusalem Quartet - a rare performance of the entire cycle

Season also includes Grammy winners Imani Winds, Chanticleer, guitarist Jason Vieaux with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and flutist Emmanuel Pahud

In 1949, a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine wanted to be able to experience the kind of first rate chamber ensembles he was used to hearing back home in New York. He, along with some of his medical school colleagues, persuaded the venerable Budapest Quartet to perform three concerts in Cleveland. The wildly enthusiastic audience response set the stage for the founding of the Cleveland Chamber Music Society the following year. 

The 2024-25 season marks Cleveland Chamber Music Society's 75th anniversary. "As one of the most established concert presenters in Cleveland we're so proud to be able to bring these world renowned artists from across the globe to our city. For three quarters of a century our audiences have enjoyed performances by artists like Chanticleer, guitarist Jason Vieux, and the Jerusalem Quartet," says CCMS board chair Fern Jennings. "I'm so thrilled for this upcoming season."

A rare performance of all 15 Shostakovich string quartets by the Jerusalem Quartet is the highlight of the season. It is likely the first time the complete cycle has been performed in Cleveland. Praised by BBC Magazine as "an absolute triumph," the world-renowned Jerusalem Quartet performs Shostakovich's string quartets at the Cleveland Museum of Art in five concerts April 21-30, 2025.

Cleveland CMS season also includes performances by Chanticleer (September 24), Imani Winds with Michelle Cann (October 14) Cuarteto Casals (November 12), flutist Emmanuel Pahud (January 21), and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with guitarist Jason Vieaux (February 11). Complete programs and details are below.

Tickets are available online at ClevelandChamberMusic.org or by phone at (216) 291-2777. Subscriptions from $120, single tickets* are $40 for adults ($35 seniors, $5 students/anyone under 19 years old).

About Cleveland Chamber Music Society

The Cleveland Chamber Music Society brings the top performers from around the world to intimate venues in Cleveland since 1949. CCMS highlights its 75th anniversary in the 2024-2025 season with the internationally renowned Jerusalem Quartet’s complete cycle of Dmitri Shostakovich’s string quartets. Other highlights in this special season include the Grammy-award winning Imani Winds, vocal ensemble Chanticleer and guitarist Jason Vieaux with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Beyond the concert stage, the CCMS’s guest artists give master classes at conservatories in Northeast Ohio that are open to the public.

Violist Emily Brandenburg joins Cassatt String Quartet

View with images

Cassatt String Quartet announces violist Emily Brandenburg to join in Fall 2024

Cassatt String Quartet celebrates 40th anniversary in 2024-25 season

"an extraordinary quartet" – The New York Times

The violist Emily Brandenburg joins the Cassatt String Quartet beginning in Fall 2024.

"Muneko, Jennifer, and I are overjoyed to welcome Emily Brandenburg to the Cassatt Quartet as our new violist, and to look forward to the years of shared adventures and music-making ahead! Emily brings to the CSQ her extraordinary experience as a lifelong chamber musician and an especially devoted quartet player; she balances a brilliant analytical mind with a rich, compelling, unusual voice that is deeply layered and beautiful," says CSQ cellist Gwen Krosnick.

Emily Brandenburg says “I am thrilled to be joining the Cassatt String Quartet as their new violist. I have admired the quartet for their artistry, and for their long standing commitment to new music, working hand-in-hand with a diverse array of composers. I look forward to beginning this chapter with them as they enter their 40th season and to all the years of memories and music making to come." 

Ms. Brandenburg holds degrees from Yale, New England Conservatory, and McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University. She was previously artist-in-residence at the University of Evansville in Indiana where she was principal viola of Evansville Philharmonic and a member of the Eykamp String Quartet. 

The announcement follows the departure of violist Rosemary Nelis, who joined the group in 2022, and is leaving to focus on other projects.

The Cassatt String Quartet celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2024-2025 with premieres by Joan Tower, Victoria Bond, Mari Kimura and Shirish Korde, all written for the group. The season includes a tour of Italy with guitarist Eliot Fisk, concerts across the United States, teaching residencies at major universities and conservatories, the CSQ's bi-annual Cassatt in the Basin residency in West Texas, and the Seal Bay Festival in Maine.

Cassatt String Quartet Biography

Hailed for its “mighty rapport and relentless commitment,” the New York City-based Cassatt String Quartet has performed throughout the world since 1985, with appearances at Alice Tully Hall and Weill Recital Hall; Tanglewood Music Center; the Kennedy Center; Théâtre des Champs-Élysées; Centro National de las Artes; Maeda Hall; and Beijing’s Central Conservatory. The Quartet’s prolific discography – featured three times in Alex Ross’s “10 Best Classical Recordings” column in The New Yorker – includes over forty recordings, for the Koch, Naxos, New World, Point, CRI, Tzadik, and Albany labels. The CSQ is named for the American Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt.

Pianist Şahan Arzruni records works by Armenian Women

View with Images

Pianist Şahan Arzruni’s new album celebrates Armenian women composers spanning 150 years

Album on AGBU/Positively Armenian released July 26, 2024

Includes world premiere recordings by eight composers, including Pulitzer Prize finalist Mary Kouyoumdjian

Two of the earliest women composers in the world were Armenian: Sahakdukht and Khosrovidukht in the 8th century. The Armenian pianist Şahan Arzruni has recorded an album celebrating women composers from the region. “By Women: piano works by Armenian women composers” is released on July 26, 2024 on AGBU/Positively Armenian. The album -– almost entirely world premiere recordings – continues Arzruni's exploration of music from his home country, including his 2021 recording of solo piano works by Alan Hovhaness. 

From Lucy (Lusine) Hazarabedian – the first Armenian woman to write specifically for the piano – to 2024 Pulitzer Prize finalist Mary Kouyoumdjian, the music on "By Women" spans 150 years. Hazarabedian composed “The Nightingale of Armenia” when she was 16 years old, and died tragically young six years later. Kouyoumdjian wrote “I Haven’t the Words” in 2020 during the racial reckoning of George Floyd's murder and subsequent protests. The composer describes the composition as a ‘sonic journal entry’.

The album includes music by Koharik Gazarossian, a Constantinople-born student of Paul Dukas. Gazarossian lived across from the founder of the Armenian National School of Music, Komitas. After Komitas’ exile in the Armenian genocide, Gazarossian copied many of his manuscripts of folk songs and used them as the basis of her own works, including the two preludes on this album. 

Alicia Terzian's “Ode to Vahan” was written for Arzruni on a commission by Mr. & Mrs. Vahakn Hovnanian. The work is based on a liturgical chant created by Khosrovidukht in the 8th century, which continues to be sung in the Armenian Church today.

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

Pianist Şahan Arzruni

BY WOMEN
piano works by Armenian women composers

Release date: July 26, 2024 | AGBU/Positively Armenian

TRACK LISTING
World premiere recordings (except as noted)

GEGHUNI CHITCHYAN (b. 1929)
Sonatina
[01] Allegro (2:10)
[02] Moderato cantabile (3:54)
[03] Presto (1:56)
[04] Prelude (4:04)

KOHARIK GAZAROSSIAN (1907-1967)
[05] Prelude: "My Child, Your Mother is Dead" * (3:19)
[06] Prelude: "Your Name is Shushan" (2:40)

MARY KOUYOUMDJIAN (b. 1983)
[07] "I Haven't the Words" (3:26)

SIRVART KARAMANUK (1912-2008)
[08] "Dance-Song" (3:43)

SIRVART KAZANDJIAN (1944-2020)
[09] “The Bells of Ani” (5:40)

GAYANE CHEBOTARYAN (1918-1998)
[10] Prelude in E-flat minor (3:56)
[11] Prelude in G minor (1:52)
[12] Prelude in B-flat minor * (2:35)
[13] Prelude in E-flat minor (1:48)
[14] Prelude in B-flat minor (4:18)
[15] Prelude in F-sharp minor (2:48)

ALICIA TERZIAN (b. 1934)
[16] “Ode to Vahan” (9:58)

LUCY HAZARABEDIAN (1863-1882)
[17] “The Nightingale of Armenia” (2:57)

* Previously recorded by Şahan Arzruni in the 1980s

Suggested tracks for classical radio
[1] - [3] Chitchyan: Sonatina
[6] Gazarossian: Prelude
[8] Karamanuk: Dance-Song
[12] [13] [15] Cheboaryan: Preludes
[17] Hazarabedian: The Nightingale of Armenia