June 5: Pianist Charlotte Hu Releases New PENTATONE Album Featuring Enrique Granados’ Goyescas Suite – Second Single Out Today

Pianist Charlotte Hu Announces New PENTATONE Album
Featuring Enrique Granados’ Goyescas Suite

New Single Out Today: 
12 Danzas Españolas No. 2 Oriental 
Listen Here

“Hu lends her dazzling technique to Goyescas” – WRTI

Release Date (Worldwide): June 5, 2026

CDs or press downloads available upon request.

www.charlottehu.com | www.pentatonemusic.com

Pianist Charlotte Hu announces Goyescas, her second album on PENTATONE, which will be released on June 5, 2026. Following the release of her 2024 PENTATONE debut, Liszt: Metamorphosis, Hu now turns her attention to Spanish and Catalan composer and pianist, Enrique Granados (July 27, 1867–March 24, 1916) and his iconic piano suite, Goyescas: Los majos enamorados (The Gallants in Love). The recording also highlights two Spanish Dances by Granados, No. 2, “Oriental” and No. 5, “Andaluza.” New single from 12 Danzas Españolas, No. 2 Oriental is out today – listen here.

“Recording this album has been a journey of deep engagement with a composer whose music continues to reveal new dimensions with each encounter,” Charlotte Hu says. “My first encounter with Granados’ Goyescas came during my years as a student at Juilliard. I was immediately captivated by the vivid world Granados had created on the keyboard. What struck me most was not simply the technical brilliance of the writing, but rather the poetry embedded within — the nuanced characters, the narrative arc that unfolds across the entire suite, the distinctly Spanish flavors interwoven with profound emotional depth, and the virtuosity that never overshadows the music’s intimate storytelling. Here was a masterwork that seemed to contain entire worlds: passion, tenderness, humor, shadow, and light all coexisting within its six movements. That fascination never left me. Years later, I decided that I wanted to explore this work in its complete form, to understand every layer of Granados’ genius. It is my hope that this recording will help bring Goyescas back into concert halls, where this beautiful masterwork deserves to be heard far more often than it currently is.”

Described as a “first-class talent” (Philadelphia Inquirer) possessing a “superstar quality — musical, energetic, and full of flair” (Jerusalem Post), Taiwanese-American pianist Charlotte Hu has been praised by audiences and critics across the globe for her dazzling virtuosity, captivating musicianship, and magnetic stage presence.

As a soloist, Hu has astounded audiences across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, performing sold-out concerts at many of the world’s most prestigious venues — including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw, Taipei National Concert Hall, and Osaka’s Symphony Hall. She is a frequent guest at music festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival, Ruhr-Klavier Festival, and Oregon Bach Festival. Concerto engagements have included performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and Taiwan Philharmonic, among others. Recent and upcoming highlights for Charlotte Hu include performances presented by Newport Classical, the Mansion at Strathmore, the Gilmore Piano Festival, the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra, the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Taipei Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Center, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and the Taichung Opera House.

Goyescas was inspired by the work of painter Francisco Goya. Hu writes in her liner notes for the album, “Enrique Granados drew his inspiration from the paintings of Francisco Goya, the 18th-century Spanish master whose dark, sensual works explore themes of love, desire, flirtation, and the human condition. Each movement of Goyescas corresponds to a painting or draws from Goya’s visual universe, allowing Granados to translate visual art into musical narrative.”

From the playful charm of “Los requiebros” to the lyrical intimacy of “La maja y el ruiseñor” and the profound emotional summit of “El amor y la muerte,” Granados’ masterwork reveals a world of dramatic contrasts and refined storytelling. Complementing the suite are two Spanish Dances: the hauntingly introspective No. 2, “Oriental,” and the vibrant, guitar-inflected No. 5, “Andaluza.”

With this pairing, Hu captures both the virtuosic brilliance and the deeply intimate narrative of the music, illuminating its modern harmonic language and unmistakable Spanish spirit with freshness and reverence.

More about Charlotte Hu: An active recording artist, Charlotte Hu’s debut album of Chopin works on ArchiMusic was named Best Classical Album of the Year by Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Melody Award, and her recordings released on Naxos/CAG Records and BMOP/sound with Boston Modern Orchestra Project have received overwhelming critical acclaim. Her Rachmaninoff album on Centaur/Naxos received a five-star review by the U.K.’s Pianist magazine, which called it “essential listening for Rachmaninoff admirers.” Her latest album, Liszt Metamorphosis, was released by PENTATONE in July 2024.

Charlotte Hu is the founder of two piano festivals across two continents: the Yun-Hsiang International Music Festival in Taipei and the PYPA Piano Festival in Philadelphia. Now in its 14th year, PYPA has become an important fixture in the classical music world, cultivating a deeper appreciation for classical music and serving as a cultural bridge between East and West.

With a fierce dedication to making classical music more accessible, Charlotte presents captivating programs that tell human stories inclusive of gender and race. By juxtaposing audience favorites with underperformed treasures and newly commissioned works, Charlotte’s recitals consistently offer musical and narrative contrasts that encourage people to listen deeply and discover anew the work of even the most well-known composers.

At the heart of Charlotte’s success is a story of strength, dedication, and resilience that has powered her dream of becoming a world-class artist. Moving to the United States from Taiwan at age 14 without her parents to begin studies at The Juilliard School was the first of many challenges Charlotte has overcome in building her illustrious career — one that’s included winning top prizes at the 12th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition and the Concert Artists Guild Competition, performing on classical music’s biggest stages, and fostering the next generation of musicians as an advocate for classical music through entrepreneurial and philanthropic initiatives. A tireless advocate for humanity, Charlotte raised $27,000 for youth education charities through a Hope Charity Concert live-streamed on her Facebook page in June 2020. The online concert reached more than 140,000 people across the globe.

A Steinway Artist, Charlotte Hu serves as an associate professor at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and as an artist in residence at Temple University in Philadelphia, in addition to her busy performance schedule. She is a frequent guest artist, leading master classes and artist residencies at universities and music festivals worldwide. She holds degrees from The Juilliard School, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Germany’s Hanover University of Music, Drama, and Media, where she studied with Herbert Stessin, Sergei Babayan, and Karl-Heinz Kammerling, respectively.

Goyescas
Charlotte Hu, Piano
Pentatone | Release Date (Worldwide): June 5, 2026

Track List:
Enrique Granados (1867-1916)

Goyescas Suite

1. I. Los Requiebros [8:44]
2. II. Coloquio en la Reja [11:56]
3. III. El Fandango del Candil [5:57]
4. IV. Quejas o la Maja y el Ruiseñor [6:56]
5. V. El Amor y la Muerte: Balada [12:35]
6. VI. Epílogo (Serenata del Espectro) [8:15]

12 Danzas españolas
7. No. 2, Oriental [5:28]
8. No. 5, Andaluza [3:45]

Total playing time: [63:41]

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts Appoints Lee Ramsey as Vice President of Philanthropy

Lee Ramsey, courtesy photo, available here.

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts
Appoints Lee Ramsey as Vice President of Philanthropy

KATONAH, NY – Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, a vibrant cultural destination nestled on 81 acres of historic gardens and woodlands in Katonah, NY, announces the appointment of Lee Ramsey as Vice President of Philanthropy, effective May 26. 

Ramsey brings two decades of experience in philanthropy to the position. Most recently, she served as Director of Development with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, where she led fundraising strategy and donor engagement initiatives in support of the organization’s artistic programming, educational outreach, and long-term institutional growth. Prior to Orpheus, she served as Director of Development at Music@Menlo in Atherton, California.

At these organizations, and others, Ramsey has focused on building devoted communities around causes close to her heart. Her new role at Caramoor continues this mission. Originally from Northern Westchester, Ramsey has been a lifelong attendee of Caramoor. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, with a minor in flute performance, and currently resides in Hastings on Hudson with her husband and two children.

“Throughout my life, Caramoor has been the site of so many inspiring and formative experiences,” she says. “I have always found that the magic of the gardens enhances the power of the music in an almost spiritual way. I am delighted to bring my experience in fundraising and community building to the incredible team at Caramoor to help others share these experiences for decades to come.” 

Caramoor President and CEO Gillian Fox says, “Lee brings a strong record of leadership in arts philanthropy, with extensive experience designing and executing comprehensive fundraising strategies that advance both institutional growth and mission impact. Known for her strategic mindset and collaborative approach, she has consistently increased contributed revenue while deepening donor engagement and aligning philanthropic efforts with long-term vision. We are thrilled to welcome someone who brings not only exceptional professional experience, but also a lifelong, deeply personal connection to Caramoor — her first classical music experience was right here, in the Venetian Theater. I look forward to all we will accomplish together.” 

Lee Ramsey will lead the Caramoor team in securing crucial philanthropic support to advance and sustain the mission of Caramoor, strategically guiding all aspects of fundraising. With a focus on stewardship, prospect development, and operational excellence, she will build the resources necessary to sustain and grow Caramoor’s programs and impact. 

About Caramoor 

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is a vibrant cultural destination nestled on 81 acres of historic gardens and woodlands in Katonah, NY. Once the home of music and art lovers Walter and Lucie Rosen, Caramoor has evolved into one of the region’s most distinctive destinations for live performances, cultural engagement, and exploration – a sanctuary for music, art, and nature.

Each year, Caramoor presents an exciting array of concerts across genres – from classical, opera, and chamber music to jazz, American roots, global sounds, and the American songbook. Caramoor’s acclaimed Summer Season brings audiences together for unforgettable outdoor performances from June into August in five distinct settings (the Music Room, Venetian Theater, Spanish Courtyard, Friends Field, and the Sunken Garden), while the intimate Rosen House Concert Series runs from October through May in the historic Rosen House, a Mediterranean-style villa listed on the National Register of Historic Places and filled with treasures from around the world. With a mission to engage audiences of all ages, Caramoor also offers a selection of concerts and programs for families and our youngest listeners.

Caramoor is a place where music, history, and nature come together to create moments of beauty and connection for all who visit. In addition to hearing concerts, visitors to Caramoor can tour the spectacular Rosen House, explore its intriguing collections, enjoy a picnic, and experience the lush gardens and grounds – including Caramoor’s unique collection of site-specific Sound Art, permanently installed sound sculptures which draw inspiration from their environment. Caramoor also offers a formal afternoon tea service year-round in the Music Room (by reservation), a seasonal concessions tent, and a selection of public programs such as yoga, art classes, and large-scale community events. The estate’s gardens and grounds are also open year-round to visitors, free of charge, for picnicking and walking daily from 10am to 4pm.

For Caramoor’s complete schedule: caramoor.org/whats-on

June 5: ECM New Series releases Heiner Goebbels's Walden featuring Ensemble Modern Orchestra and Peter Eötvös, conducter

Heiner Goebbels
WALDEN

Ensemble Modern Orchestra
Peter Eötvös, conducter
Rob Rutman, speaker

ECM New Series 2878
Release: June 5, 2026

Press downloads and CDs available upon request

“Walden consists of a series of musical sketches inspired by the 1854 novel of the same name by Henry David Thoreau” – thus reads the short description of this project by Heiner Goebbels himself. But those familiar with the oeuvre of the German trans-media conceptualist and composer know that with Goebbels it’s never quite that simple. In his 1998 creation Walden, composed for expanded orchestra with speaker, Goebbels incorporates a wide-flung stream of inspirations and approaches, spanning excerpts from Thoreau’s text “Walden”, soundscape-design in the spirit of audio plays, arsenals of outlandish instruments and sonic layouts as much at home in the avantgarde as they borrow from popular music, all brought to life with Peter Eötvös conducting and Bob Rutman – a main figure in this project – in the role of the narrator.

In his liner note, the composer explains how he initially envisioned this work as a “counterpoint to the urban imagery of Surrogate Cities (1994). Still, my view of Thoreau’s text is far less idyllic, and my relationship to his notion of nature more distant than the original source might suggest. Walden, for me, is a piece about the tension between withdrawal and openness—between individual self-discovery and the constant presence of the outside world. It is not a romantic vision of nature, but rather a reflection on the conditions of our existence today.”

The dichotomy of nature and civilization is subtly dissociated musically throughout nine movements, with the industrial side of things represented in sampled beats, distorted percussion and wailing horns that could perhaps reference city life at night. This work is clearly not meant to be understood as Goebbels’s literal setting of Thoreau’s text, but as an abstract engagement with it and its general topics of solitude, sounds and nature as well as with subsequently published works that likewise examined Thoreau’s text. In other words: “Walden”, but through the looking glass. 

Besides narrating excerpts of Thoreau’s writing, the German visual artist, composer and instrument builder Rutman can also be heard in a more declamatory role, exclaiming with vehemence, sometimes singing in the khoomei technique, then becoming part of the orchestra playing the steel cello and bow chimes, both instruments of his own design. Together with Frankfurt’s Ensemble Modern orchestra under Eötvös’s direction the music is fashioned in multiple layers. They pull and tug at each other in one moment, then merge in ominous unison passages, rich in dissonance and tied together by sections not completely unlike recitatives in operas.

In his extensive examination and analysis of Goebbels’s Walden (an excerpt of it is found in the booklet accompanying the album, the complete text can be found here: www.ecmrecords.com/2878), originally published in 2002, writer Frank Mehring observes how in his composition, “Goebbels points to the mediating function of literary texts, which playfully incorporate the past into new scenarios”. In that vein, his piece unfurls like a web of references, with pockets of meaning and symbolism dangling from individual strings. 

From trip-hop pastiches and mesmerizing ambient structures to imposing orchestral surges on the far-out edges of contemporary music making, Walden is a testament to the visionary ways of Heiner Goebbels, the composer, mid-career, and stands as one of the most innovative chapters of his body of work to come to light yet. The album is made up of recordings stemming from the work’s premiere performances at the Philharmonie Köln and the Alte Oper Frankfurt, in November 1998.

Out Friday: Terra Infirma by Reena Esmail - Harp & Percussion Concerto in Response to LA Wildfires - Featuring Yolanda Kondonassis

New Album Terra Infirma Out on CD May 15
Features GRAMMY®-Nominated Harpist Yolanda Kondonassis

In New Concerto for Harp & Percussion by Reena Esmail

Altadena-Based Composer Wrote Piece in Response to LA Wildfires

LISTEN

Yolanda Kondonassis | Reena Esmail | Azica Records

Terra Infirma, the new Azica album from GRAMMY®-nominated harpist Yolanda Kondonassis, will be released on CD on May 15. Released digitally shortly before Earth Day, Terra Infirma features world premiere recordings of major new works by acclaimed composer Reena Esmail, including the titular concerto for harp and percussion (with Kondonassis as soloist on both instruments), as well as Sandhiprakash for violin and harp, and Earth Speaks: Curiosity for chorus and solo harp. In addition to Kondonassis, the album includes violinist Vijay Gupta, the Interlochen Center for the Arts Orchestra and Chorus, conductor Andrew Grams, and choral director Carter Smith.

Reena Esmail’s new harp and percussion concerto Terra Infirma was directly informed by the composer’s experience living in Altadena, CA during the catastrophic fires of January 2025. Esmail, who is Indian-American, also drew on her extensive studies of Hindustani music in composing the piece. Her compositional voice is at once arresting, lyrical, haunting, and fierce. She writes in the liner notes, “Though the idea had been set in motion four years earlier, the timing of its creation was uncanny. I began writing this concerto in January 2025, a few days before wildfire ravaged my neighborhood of Altadena, CA. The material for immolation came to me as I walked the hills of Los Angeles while we were evacuated. The piece draws on the ancient Hindustani raags of Deepak, which evokes fire, and Megh, which extinguishes it through rain.” Kondonassis, known for “a range of colour that’s breathtaking,” (Gramophone), brings the work to life with colorful authenticity.

Terra Infirma reflects not only the environmental passion and advocacy of both artists, but also their inspiration to innovate and expand the concerto form. In this bold new work, with a title taken from a poem by Robert Walters (commissioned by Kondonassis through her environmental awareness non-profit organization Earth at Heart), the harp symbolizes the protagonist Earth, both fragile and powerful. The towering instrument is moved choreographically by Kondonassis across the stage as she journeys through various arrays of suspended percussion. Esmail describes the work as “part virtuoso concerto, part performance art, and part theater.”

Says Esmail, “Terra Infirma sits somewhere between a harp/percussion concerto and a monodrama – Yolanda leads us through the trajectory of a wildfire, starting with the eerie moments before the first spark, and ending with the hope of new growth. The work explores our human relationship to fire – a force that can be at once devastating and illuminating. It has been a dream to work so closely with Yolanda, who has reinvented the role of the harp over and over again throughout her career. We have built the DNA of this piece together over so many years – experimenting in percussion studios, mapping stage plots, pushing our imaginations to the limit. I am so excited to share this work with the world.” 

Kondonassis says, “The personal and musical resonance that I feel with Reena has resulted in a work that’s deeply personal, uniquely colorful, and ground-breaking in so many ways. The harp is a highly visual instrument, and Terra Infirma utilizes that element to the fullest. In this work, the harp is actually a character in the musical drama onstage, and that gives me the chance to portray an enormous range of artistic emotion.”

She adds, “This album came at a time of reinvention in my personal and professional life. I recently lost my father, who was my rock, and that void just knocked me over. I also made the difficult decision to leave my teaching homes at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Oberlin Conservatory, and am now opening a new chapter on the faculty at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It’s been a time of complicated upheaval, but this has led me to new clarity. It's become very clear to me that in the next phase of my career, I want to create and perform art that is closely tied to our human experience and to our complex relationship with the planet that is our only home. This album truly encapsulates those values, and its release feels like a rebirth for me. Sharing this work with the world is an honor and a joy.”

The album also includes Esmail’s works Sandhiprakash (originally written for solo cello in 2022, reimagined for violin and harp for this project) and Earth Speaks: Curiosity (originally written in 2014 for chorus and solo piano, revised for chorus and solo harp). Esmail writes, “Sandhiprakash, meaning ‘the joining of light’, is the term for a particular set of Hindustani raags that are performed at the moments of sunrise and sunset. This piece focuses on the sunrise raags, Bhairav, Ahir Bhairav and Vibhas. Quite different from the sonorities that evoke dawn in Western music, these melodies are darker and more mysterious.” Earth Speaks: Curiosity uses as its texts the list of stops that the rover Curiosity made on Mars in 2011 – many of them named from the places worldwide where the scientists involved conducted their research – as well as haikus which were submitted to an online competition to commemorate the launch.

Each piece on the album concerns our relationship to the environment – an ongoing theme in both Kondonassis’s and Esmail’s work. Kondonassis’s most recent album is FIVE MINUTES for Earth from 2022, which features pieces (including one by Esmail) commissioned through her non-profit Earth at Heart. Esmail often uses her work as a composer and performer to support environmental advocacy, particularly with her compositions Earth Speaks and Malhaar: A Requiem for Water. The new album forms the heart of The Terra Infirma Project, a multi-year initiative of the Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Yolanda Kondonassis: www.yolandaharp.com/about
Reena Esmail: www.reenaesmail.com/bio
Vijay Gupta: vijaygupta.com
Andrew Grams: andrewgrams.com
Carter Smith: interlochen.org/person/carter-smith
Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra: interlochen.org/music/academy/music-ensembles

June 25: GRAMMY®-Nominated Pianist Simone Dinnerstein Performs Reflections at Flagstaff Piano Festival – A Concert Shaped by Musical Interconnection

Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco available in high resolution here

GRAMMY®-Nominated Pianist Simone Dinnerstein
Performs Reflections at Flagstaff Piano Festival

A Concert Shaped by Musical Interconnection

Thursday, June 25, 2026 at 7pm
Kitt Recital Hall | 1115 Knoles Dr. | Flagstaff, AZ
Tickets and More Information

“lean, knowing, and unpretentious elegance” – The New Yorker

PLUS Dinnerstein and Baroklyn’s New Philip Glass Album Hourglass Out June 5
Review downloads & CDs available upon request.

Simone Dinnerstein: www.simonedinnerstein.com

Flagstaff, AZ – GRAMMY®-nominated pianist Simone Dinnerstein, described as “a unique voice in the forest of Bach interpretation” by The New York Times, performs on Thursday, June 25, 2026 at 7pm in a concert presented as part of Flagstaff Piano Festival’s 5th Season in Kitt Recital Hall (1115 Knoles Dr.)

Dinnerstein –– who is celebrated for her Bach recordings –– will perform the music of J. S. Bach and other Baroque era-inspired selections in a program titled Reflections, which includes Philip Lasser’s Twelve Variations On A Chorale By J.S. Bach (2002); “Gavotte et 6 Doubles” from Nouvelles Suites de Pieces de Clavecin by Jean-Philippe Rameau (c. 1729-30); J. S. Bach’s Fifteen Sinfonias, BWV 787–801 (1720-23); and Encore From Tokyo (1978) by Keith Jarrett.

“I have titled this program Reflections, as I think that each work sounds unusual because of the way it is reflected against the music around it,” Dinnerstein says. “To enhance this quality, I play each half of the program (Rameau-Lasser and Bach-Jarrett) without pause between the pieces.”

Simone Dinnerstein has been playing Philip Lasser’s Twelve Variations on a Chorale by J.S. Bach for over two decades –– including as part of The Berlin Concert, her 2008 album. Lasser takes the chorale from Cantata No. 101 in which, he says, “Bach chooses a particular melodic moment from the Lutheran hymn and infuses all the other voices of the Chorale with this unique sonority, with an almost maniacal insistence. In my Variations, I take on this mania to see how far one can go.”

Bach’s contemporary Rameau also composed a set of variations but on his own gavotte: “Gavotte et 6 doubles” from Nouvelles suites de pieces de clavecin. In his preface, Bach wrote that his Fifteen Sinfonias were, “An honest guide by which the amateurs of the keyboard – especially, however, those desirous of learning – are shown a clear way…to achieve a cantabile style in playing and at the same time acquire a strong foretaste of composition." Keith Jarrett’s Encore from Tokyo embraces the Baroque convention of a descending repeating bass line and builds a harmonically adventurous and wide-ranging improvisation around it.

Shortly before her concert in Flagstaff, on June 5, 2026, Dinnerstein releases Hourglass –– her first album on naïve since signing with the label earlier this year. The new recording features Philip Glass’s Suite from The Hours and his Tirol Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (Piano Concerto No. 1). The album, recorded with Dinnerstein’s own ensemble Baroklyn, is another milestone in her close artistic association with the renowned composer, who celebrates his 90th birthday in January 2027. The first single, The Hours, is out now – listen here. Read the album press release here.

Dinnerstein sees a natural affinity between the music of Philip Glass and that of J.S. Bach in their deeply polyphonic visions, quest for the absolute independence of each line, and an abiding concern for the singing quality of musical phrases. She says, “When I think about the music of Philip Glass, I think about time. The music is intricate and polyphonic. It’s layered, with patterns that keep shifting in the subtlest of ways. Though the harmonies are clearly important in the musical narrative, Glass’s music is multi-linear in a way that evokes the music of Bach. It is music on the horizontal, as opposed to the vertical. If anything, it is circular music. . .”

About Simone Dinnerstein: American pianist Simone Dinnerstein first came to wider public attention in 2007 through her recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, reflecting an aesthetic that was both deeply rooted in the score and profoundly personal. She has played with orchestras ranging from the New York Philharmonic and Montreal Symphony Orchestra to the London Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale Rai. She has performed in venues from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center to the Berlin Philharmonie, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Seoul Arts Center and Sydney Opera House.

Simone Dinnerstein’s first fourteen albums were recorded with GRAMMY Award-winning producer Adam Abeshouse, and feature repertoire ranging from Couperin to Glass. From 2020 to 2022, she released a trilogy of albums recorded at her home in Brooklyn during the pandemic. A Character of Quiet (Orange Mountain Music, 2020), featuring the music of Philip Glass and Schubert, was described by NPR as, “music that speaks to a sense of the world slowing down,” and by The New Yorker as, “a reminder that quiet can contain multitudes.” Richard Danielpour’s An American Mosaic (Supertrain Records, 2021), surpassed two million streams on Apple Music and was nominated for a 2021 Grammy Award in the category of Best Classical Instrumental Solo. The final installment in the trilogy, Undersong, was released in January 2022 on Orange Mountain Music. Dinnerstein’s latest recording, Complicité (Supertrain Records, 2025), is her first all-Bach album in over ten years and features Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano and Peggy Pearson, oboe d’amore along with the string ensemble Dinnerstein founded and directs, Baroklyn (a portmanteau of Baroque and Brooklyn, her home New York borough). Recorded with producer Silas Brown, the album also includes composer Philip Lasser’s continuo realizations and recomposition of Bach’s Air on the G String. Complicité reached over one million streams on Apple Music in its first two weeks after release.

In recent years, Dinnerstein has created projects that express her broad musical interests. She gave the world premiere of The Eye Is the First Circle at Montclair State University, the first multi-media production she conceived, created, and directed, which uses as source materials her father Simon Dinnerstein’s painting The Fulbright Triptych and Charles Ives’s Concord Sonata. She released her live recording of the premiere in October 2024 on Supertrain Records to coincide with Ives’s 150th birthday. The Eye is the First Circle also marked Dinnerstein’s fourteenth and final recording produced with the late Adam Abeshouse. Dinnerstein premiered Richard Danielpour’s An American Mosaic, a tribute to those affected by the pandemic, in a performance on multiple pianos throughout Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery. Following her recording Mozart in Havana, she brought the Havana Lyceum Orchestra from Cuba to the U.S. for the first time, performing eleven concerts. Philip Glass composed his Piano Concerto No. 3 for her, co-commissioned by twelve orchestras. Working with Renée Fleming and the Emerson String Quartet, she premiered André Previn and Tom Stoppard’s Penelope at the Tanglewood, Ravinia and Aspen music festivals, and performed it at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and presented by LA Opera. Dinnerstein has also created her own ensemble, Baroklyn, which she directs.

The Washington Post comments, “it is Dinnerstein’s unreserved identification with every note she plays that makes her performance so spellbinding.” In a world where music is everywhere, she hopes that it can still be transformative. For more information, please visit www.simonedinnerstein.com.

For Calendar Editors:

Description: GRAMMY-nominated® pianist Simone Dinnerstein, described as “a unique voice in the forest of Bach interpretation” by The New York Times, will perform a program of Baroque-era inspired works presented by Flagstaff Piano Festival. Titled Reflections, it will include J.S. Bach’s Fifteen Sinfonias (1720-23), Philip Lasser’s Twelve Variations on a Chorale by J.S. Bach (2002), Keith Jarrett’s Encore From Tokyo (1978), and Jean-Philippe Rameau’s “Gavotte et 6 Doubles” from Nouvelles Suites de Pieces de Clavecin (c. 1729-30).

Concert details:

Who: Pianist Simone Dinnerstein
Presented by Flagstaff Piano Festival
What: Reflections – Music by J.S. Bach, Philip Lasser, Keith Jarrett, Jean-Philippe Rameau
When: Thursday, June 25, 2026 at 7pm
Where: Kitt Recital Hall, 1115 Knoles Dr, Flagstaff, AZ 86011
Tickets and information: https://www.flagstaffpianofestival.com/event-details/simone-dinnerstein-recital

June 21: Garden of Memory Celebrates 30th Anniversary – Presented by New Music Bay Area and Chapel of the Chimes

Clockwise - Majel Connery with Jonathan Vinocur, Wendy Reid's ensemble with Lulu the parrot, FreeHorn, and the crowd

Garden of Memory Celebrates 30th Anniversary
Bay Area Commemorates Summer Solstice on June 21

Presented by New Music Bay Area and Chapel of the Chimes

Bringing Together Bay Area Performers and Composers 
on the Longest Day of the Year

Sunday, June 21, 2026, 5-9pm
Chapel of the Chimes | 4499 Piedmont Avenue | Oakland, CA
Parking is limited. Public transit and carpooling are recommended.

Tickets ($20 General, $15 Students & Seniors, Children 12 and under: Free Admission)
Available through Eventbrite
No tickets sales on-site; online sales only; Limited to 3000 Tickets

More information: www.gardenofmemory.com

Oakland, CA – New Music Bay Area and Chapel of the Chimes are thrilled to announce the return of the Garden of Memory for 2026, commemorating the 30th anniversary since its launch in 1996. On Sunday, June 21, 2026, an abundance of music returns to the Chapel of the Chimes (4499 Piedmont Avenue), kicking off the summer season, celebrating the longest day of the year, and celebrating Father’s Day, all together in one afternoon bursting with camaraderie and creativity. Tickets, which will be available through online sales only, are limited to 3000. There is no waitlist.

Since 1996, New Music Bay Area, a nonprofit organization which provides opportunities and information to composers and performers of new music throughout the Bay Area, has hosted the Garden of Memory solstice concert every year on June 21. Board president and Bay Area-based pianist Sarah Cahill came up with the idea after wandering into the Chapel of the Chimes, and now Cahill and fellow board member Lucy Farber Mattingly organize the concert each year, in collaboration with the small board of New Music Bay Area and the Chapel of the Chimes.

Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as "a walk-through fun house of musical and visual splendor" and by the East Bay Times as “the best party of the year,” this highly anticipated and routinely sold-out solstice event features an abundance of performances that take place over the course of the day with no strict performance times. Those in attendance can walk anywhere throughout the stunning grounds of the Chapel of the Chimes and see composers, musicians, sound artists, and other performers presenting an awe-inspiring potpourri of performances –solo, group, acoustic, and electronic – sound installations, and interactive demonstrations. Listeners are encouraged to roam around the multilevel labyrinth of the iconic columbarium’s interior gardens, cloisters, stairwells, fountains, alcoves, pools, and antechambers during the performances and see as many artists as they like. Artists are performing in every available space, meaning that everyone’s journey through the many performances can be truly a unique musical experience.

“As I meandered around the [columbarium], I heard distant organ music, and tried to follow the sound to its source, through a labyrinth of magical gardens and gothic alcoves with the afternoon light filtering through stained glass,” says Sarah Cahill. “I imagined putting musicians all around this maze, so that when you turn a corner you might encounter a string quartet or an electronic music installation or a Georgian choir. So that's what we did.”

Highlights of this year’s performers and programming include:

Sarah Cahill, a pianist and champion of new music who NPR Music describes as “command[ing] a near godlike status among fans of contemporary classical music,” has commissioned and premiered over seventy compositions for solo piano. As part of this year’s Garden of Memory, Cahill will collaborate with mezzo-soprano Sylvie Jensen, performing Gotham Lullaby and Prayer II by Meredith Monk, as well as Let the Letter Read You and From Cabin in the Rockies by Philip Glass, What Shall I Sing by Errollyn Wallen, and Menashe Songs –– Transplant, Downpour, and The Shrine Whose Shape I Am –– by Benjamin Yarmolinsky.

Melike Yersiz is a Turkish composer. She will perform a project called The Organism, an ambient electroacoustic sound installation continually morphs in response to audience participation. The Organism will generate an ambient soundscape for the full duration of the performance. Passers-by can or simply enjoy the subtly shifting, soothing sounds of the installations or come up to stations at the table and play with everyday objects like bells, rubber mallets, tuning forks, and other items, which will trigger various changes in the soundscape.

Bevin Blectum is an electronic musician and multimedia composer. She will be using a laptop, a Moog sub 37, a hydra-synth explorer, and a Teenage Engineering KO II sampler to respond to the environment and create sound meditations.

Joseph Bohigian will present his interactive sound installation Stone Dreams, which features a large stone hooked up to a contact microphone that visitors can touch to trigger fragments of Armenian folk songs collected from genocide survivors in the US in the 1930s. These folk song fragments are combined with processed recordings of scraping stones. The installation puts forth the following questions: How is memory preserved when physical sites of memory are destroyed? When collective memory is separated from a place, how can it be revived in a new context?

Additional artists confirmed to perform this year, many of whom are known in and around the Bay Area, include:

John Benson, Blevin Blectum, Joseph Bohigian, George Brooks and Utsav Lal, Sidney Chen, Majel Connery and Felix Fan, The Cornelius Cardew Choir, The Dennis Aman / Andy Meyerson Problem, Dresher Davel Invented Instrument Duo, christopher robin Duncan, duo B., Esotérica Tropical, Euphotic - Cheryl Leonard, Bryan Day, Tom Djll, Agnes Evon, Gautam Tejas Ganeshan, Philip Gelb, Gliss Glass & Gongs: Krys Bobrowski & Karen Stackpole, Harmonic Drift, Anne Hege, Barbara Nerness, and Celeste Betancur Gutierrez, Liam Herb, Karlton Hester and Valerie Mih, Brenda Hutchinson and the dailybell Ensemble, Silvie Jensen and Sarah Cahill, Joel St. Julien, Kitka, Dylan Mattingly, Matt McBane and Ian Dicke, MoToR/dance, The Mycos Project, Orchestra Nostalgico Reboot, Robin Petrie/Shira Kammen/Peter Maund/Shelley Phillips, Plonsey Scheme, Randy Porter, Rova Sax Quartet, Sruti Sarathy, Sentimental Vvore made up of Xxhe and friends, SoRIAH with Thomas Dimuzio, Thingamajigs Performance Group, Trance Mission Duo: Beth Custer & Stephen Kent, William Winant/Chris Brown/Robert Lopez, Theresa Wong and Roco Córdova, Melike Yersiz, Pamela Z, Evan Ziporyn and Christine Southworth.

Garden of Memory offers a unique and personal musical experience to every listener roving freely through the Chapel of the Chimes. Getting lost is part of the experience as guests climb up and down the three floors of this Oakland Historic Landmark building and its unique architectural elements, which rise into vaulted ceilings. Seamless in feel, there are three separate design sections created by four architects; Cunningham & Politeo 1909, Julia Morgan 1926-1951 (consulting until her retirement 1951), Aaron Green 1956-1986 and JST Architects 1986-1998. In the older section the complexity of chapels, columbaria, and mausoleum areas are adorned with murals, paintings, sculpture, mosaics, California tile and 16th century antiquities. All architectural and garden areas have excellent acoustics and are illuminated by gentle natural light, often through beautiful arrangements of stained glass.

Drawing crowds of over four thousand people in past years (including a large number of children), Garden of Memory has become a favorite summer solstice celebration for Bay Area audiences.  Information about performances, directions, parking, accessibility, food/beverage, and is available at www.gardenofmemory.com.

Chapel of the Chimes, the largest above-ground cemetery west of the Mississippi, started out as a street car station and became the California Memorial Crematorium and Columbarium in 1909. The property was expanded and transformed by Julia Morgan and later, Aaron Green – a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright. The lobby and hallways feature artwork by Diego Rivera, a marble table top from the Medici family crest and a page from the Gutenberg Bible.

The facility’s numerous chapels, columbaria, and mausoleum areas are adorned with antiquities that date back to the 16th century. All architectural and garden areas have excellent acoustics and are illuminated by gentle natural light, often through beautiful arrangements of stained glass.

June 20: Telegraph Quartet Presented by Mohawk Trail Concerts Featuring the Music of Eleanor Alberga, Jerome Kern, and Claude Debussy

Photo of the Telegraph Quartet by Lisa Marie Mazzucco available in high resolution here.

Telegraph Quartet Presented by Mohawk Trail Concerts
Featuring the Music of Eleanor Alberga, Jerome Kern, and Claude Debussy

Saturday, June 20, 2026 at 5pm
Charlemont Federated Church | 175 Main St. | Charlemont, MA
Tickets and More Information

“soulfulness, tonal beauty and intelligent attention to detail …[the Telegraph Quartet is] an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape.” – San Francisco Chronicle

www.TelegraphQuartet.com

Charlemont, MA – On Saturday, June 20, 2026 at 5pm, the Telegraph Quartet (Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; Pei-Ling Lin, viola; Jeremiah Shaw, cello), a group The New York Times describes as “full of elegance and pinpoint control” is presented by Mohawk Trail Concerts. The performance will be held at Charlemont Federated Church (175 Main St.).

Known for technical prowess and an appreciation for the history behind music, the Telegraph Quartet brings its fluid synchronicity and refined artistry to a musically diverse program featuring Eleanor Alberga’s String Quartet No. 3, The Way You Look Tonight by Jerome Kern, and Claude Debussy’s String Quartet.

The Telegraph Quartet formed in 2013 with an equal passion for standard and contemporary chamber music repertoire. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape” and “powerfully adept… with a combination of brilliance and subtlety,” the Telegraph Quartet was awarded the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.

Jamaican-British composer Eleanor Alberga’s music has been commissioned by the BBC Proms and The Royal Opera, and performed all over the world. She was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2021 for Services to British Music. She wrote her third string quartet in 2001, and describes it as “reflective and inward looking.” The Telegraph pairs Alberga’s quartet with a Great American Songbook transcription of Jerome Kern’s The Way You Look Tonight, originally written for the film Swing Time. The program’s finale is the only string quartet written by iconic French composer Claude Debussy, whose Impressionist style influenced many great artists of the Jazz Age.

The Telegraph has performed in concert halls, music festivals, and academic institutions across the United States and abroad, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Chamber Masters Series, and at festivals including the Chautauqua Institute, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and the Emilia Romagna Festival. The Quartet is currently the Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Michigan.

Notable collaborations include projects with pianists Leon Fleisher and Simone Dinnerstein; cellists Norman Fischer and Bonnie Hampton; violinist Ian Swensen; and the St. Lawrence Quartet and Henschel Quartett. A fervent champion of 20th- and 21st-century repertoire, the Telegraph Quartet has premiered works by Osvaldo Golijov, John Harbison, Robert Sirota, and Richard Festinger.

The Telegraph Quartet released its celebrated debut album Into The Light in 2018 and is currently recording an extensive three-album series titled 20th Century Vantage Points for Azica Records, exploring string quartets of the 20th century. The first volume, Divergent Paths (2022), features two works that (to the best of the Quartet’s knowledge) have never been recorded on the same album before: Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major and Arnold Schoenberg’s String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 7. In August 2025, the Telegraph released the second volume, Edge of the Storm, which examines the turbulent years of war and its aftermath from 1941-1951 through string quartets by Grażyna Bacewicz, Benjamin Britten, and Mieczysław Weinberg. Volume three will be released in fall 2027. In addition, the Telegraph releases recordings of the string quartets of Robert Sirota in summer 2026 (Azica Records) and of Kenji Bunch in spring 2027 (Phenotypic Records).

Beyond the concert stage, the Telegraph Quartet seeks to spread its music through education and audience engagement. The Quartet has given master classes at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Collegiate and Pre-College Divisions, through the Morrison Artist Series at San Francisco State University, and abroad at the Taipei National University of the Arts, National Taiwan Normal University, and in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Telegraph has also served as artists-in-residence at the Interlochen Adult Chamber Music Camp, SoCal Chamber Music Workshop, and Crowden Music Center Chamber Music Workshop. In November 2020, the Telegraph Quartet launched ChamberFEAST!, a chamber music workshop in Taiwan. In fall 2020, Telegraph launched an online video project called TeleLab, in which the ensemble collectively breaks down the components of a movement from various works for quartet. In the summers of 2022 and 2024, the Telegraph Quartet traveled to Vienna to work with Schoenberg expert Henk Guittart in conjunction with the Arnold Schoenberg Center, researching all of Schoenberg's string quartets.

For more information, visit www.telegraphquartet.com.

For Calendar Editors:

Concert details:

Who: Telegraph Quartet
Presented by Mohawk Trail Concerts
What: Music by Eleanor Alberga, Jerome Kern, and Claude Debussy
When: Saturday, June 20, 2026 at 5pm
Where: Charlemont Federated Church, 175 Main St., Charlemont, MA 01339
Tickets and More information: https://www.mohawktrailconcerts.org/2026-season

Description: The award-winning Telegraph Quartet, a group The Strad describes as having "precise tuning, textural variety and impassioned communication,” is presented in concert by Mohawk Trail Concerts. Known for technical prowess and an appreciation for the history behind music, the Telegraph brings its fluid synchronicity and refined artistry to a musically diverse program featuring Eleanor Alberga’s String Quartet No. 3, The Way You Look Tonight by Jerome Kern, and Claude Debussy’s String Quartet.

June 12 & 13: Jupiter String Quartet Brings Vibrant Artistic Connection to Zenith Chamber Music Festival in Two Performances

Photo of the Jupiter Quartet by Todd Rosenberg available in high resolution here

Jupiter String Quartet Brings Vibrant Artistic Connection
to Two Performances at Zenith Chamber Music Festival
on June 12 and 13

Friday, June 12, 2026 at 7pm: Jupiter Quartet
Grace United Methodist Church | 3700 Cottage Grove Avenue | Des Moines, IA

Saturday, June 13, 2026 at 7pm: Jupiter Quartet with Zenith Virtuosi
Sheslow Auditorium | 2507 University Ave | Des Moines, IA

More Information: zenithchambermusicfestival.org

“an ensemble of eloquent intensity, has matured into one of the mainstays of the American chamber-music scene.” – The New Yorker

www.jupiterquartet.com

Des Moines, IA – The internationally acclaimed Jupiter String Quartet, a tightly knit ensemble brought together by family bonds and musical passion, will present two special performances at the Zenith Chamber Music Festival on June 12 and 13, 2026.

Based at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and giving concerts all over the country, the Jupiter String Quartet is a particularly intimate group, consisting of violinists Mélanie Clapiès and Meg Freivogel, violist Liz Freivogel (Meg’s older sister), and cellist Daniel McDonough (Meg’s husband, Liz’s brother-in-law). Founded in 2001, the ensemble is firmly established as an important voice in the world of chamber music, and exudes an energy that is at once friendly, knowledgeable, and adventurous.

On Friday, June 12 at 7pm, the Jupiter String Quartet performs a program of expressive and imagery driven works from the 19th century to the present day. The performance will feature Cançoes da America by Clarice Assad; Heal by Salina Fisher; selections from Five Folksongs in Counterpoint by Florence Price; and Quartet in A minor, Op. 41 No. 1 by Robert Schumann.

On Saturday, June 13 at 7pm, the Jupiter String Quartet will perform several works in various configurations with one another, as well as perform in collaboration with the Zenith Virtuosi, the Zenith Chamber Music Festival’s student ensemble. The performance will feature the following: Duo Sonata for Two Violins by Jean-Marie LeClair (featuring Mélanie Clapiès and Meg Freivogel), Darshan-Charukeshi for solo violin by Reena Esmail (featuring Mélanie Clapiès), Conversations in Silence, III by Conni Ellisor (side-by-side with Zenith Virtuosi), and String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor by Johannes Brahms (featuring full Jupiter String Quartet).

Since forming in 2001, the Jupiter String Quartet has turned their family-infused dynamic into a musical strength. The personal connections that bind them – sisters who grew up making music together, a marriage that deepened musical partnership – and the artistic connections between the group that are fortified more everyday, create an intuitive ensemble communication that audiences consistently notice. The close-knit nature of their musical relationships are seen, heard, and felt from the stage.

“We are so pleased to make our debut with the Zenith Festival, and are looking forward to sharing some of our favorite repertoire, both new and old, with the audience there,” says violist Liz Freivogel. “We also are excited by the chance to collaborate with the Zenith Virtuosi while we are there. Playing side-by-side is a great way to deepen our connection with the communities we visit.”

The Jupiter’s concerts at the Festival follow the release this spring of Undreamed Shores, the ensemble’s ninth studio album and first on Orchid Classics. On Undreamed Shores, the Jupiter Quartet turns to old friends with new inspiration. The album features the world premiere recordings of new string quartets written for the Jupiter by composers who are also longtime friends of the ensemble — Michi Wiancko (To Unpathed Waters, Undreamed Shores), Stephen Andrew Taylor (Chaconne/Labyrinth), and Kati Agócs (Imprimatur, String Quartet No. 2) — exploring themes including the climate crisis, the pandemic, memory, and re-imagination. This highly anticipated recording is the Jupiter’s final album with violinist Nelson Lee, who departed from the group’s lineup in September 2025, succeeded by violinist Mélanie Clapiès.

More About Jupiter String Quartet: The Jupiter Quartet has performed in some of the world’s finest halls, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, Boston’s Jordan Hall, Mexico City's Palacio de Bellas Artes, Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center and Library of Congress, Austria’s Esterhazy Palace, and Seoul’s Sejong Chamber Hall. Their major music festival appearances include the Aspen Music Festival and School, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Rockport Music Festival, Caramoor International Music Festival, Music at Menlo, Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival, the Banff Centre, the Seoul Spring Festival, and many others. In addition to their performing career, they have been artists-in-residence at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign since 2012, where they maintain private studios and direct the chamber music program. 

Their chamber music honors and awards include the grand prizes in the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition; the Young Concert Artists International auditions in New York City; the Cleveland Quartet Award from Chamber Music America; an Avery Fisher Career Grant; and a grant from the Fromm Foundation. From 2007-2010, they were in residence at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Two. 

The Jupiter String Quartet feels a strong connection to the core string quartet repertoire; they have presented the complete Bartok and Beethoven string quartets on numerous occasions. Also deeply committed to new music, they have commissioned string quartets from Nathan Shields, Stephen Andrew Taylor, Michi Wiancko, Syd Hodkinson, Hannah Lash, Dan Visconti, and Kati Agócs; a quintet with baritone voice by Mark Adamo; and a piano quintet by Pierre Jalbert. 

In addition to Undreamed Shores, the Jupiter’s discography includes a collaborative album with the Jasper Quartet released on Marquis Records in 2021, featuring Dan Visconti’s Eternal Breath, Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat, Op. 20, and Osvaldo Golijov’s Last Round, which was praised by The Arts Fuse for its “smart program and fine execution.” The quartet has recorded previously for Azica Records and Deutsche Grammophon.

The quartet chose its name because Jupiter was the most prominent planet in the night sky at the time of its formation and the astrological symbol for Jupiter resembles the number four.

For Calendar Editors:

Description: The Jupiter Quartet, described by The New Yorker as having “technical finesse and rare expressive maturity,” is presented in two performances by Zenith Chamber Music Festival. On June 12, the ensemble will perform a musically diverse program of works that spans from the mid-19th century to the present day. The program will include music by Clarice Assad, Salina Fisher, Florence Price, and Robert Schumann. On June 13, the ensemble will perform in various configurations, including with the festival’s student ensemble, the Zenith Virtuosi. The program will include music by Jean-Marie LeClair, Reena Esmail, Conni Ellisor, and Johannes Brahms.

Concert details:

Who: Jupiter String Quartet
Presented by Zenith Chamber Music Festival
What: Music by Clarice Assad, Salina Fisher, Florence Price, and Robert Schumann
When: Friday, June 12, 2026 at 7pm
Where: Sheslow Auditorium, 2507 University Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311
More information: zenithchambermusicfestival.org

Concert details:

Who: Jupiter String Quartet
Presented by Zenith Chamber Music Festival
What: Music by Clarice Assad, Salina Fisher, Florence Price, and Robert Schumann
When: Friday, June 12, 2026 at 7pm
Where: Grace United Methodist Church, 3700 Cottage Grove Avenue, Des Moines IA 50311
More information: zenithchambermusicfestival.org

July 2-19: Newport Classical Music Festival Brings 30 Concerts to 11 Iconic Locations - From Cliffside Lawns to Gilded Mansions

Press photos available here.

Newport Classical Music Festival Presents 30 Concerts from July 2-19, 2026

Performances by Pianist Michelle Cann, Broadway Star Jeremy Jordan, Violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing, Apollo’s Fire, Delirium Musicum, the Parker Quartet, VOCES8, Beijing Guitar Duo, Trio Karénine, WindSync, the Harlem Quartet, and Many More 

Regional Premiere of Vivian Fung’s Goddess//Insect
Performed by Violinist Kristin Lee & Sandbox Percussion
Co-Commissioned by Newport Classical 

Opera Night at The Breakers: Golden Age with Lawrence Brownlee & Erin Morley 

Historic Venues include The Breakers, The Elms, Blithewold Mansion, Castle Hill Inn, Rosecliff Mansion, Redwood Library and Athenæum, and More

Tickets on Sale April 9: www.newportclassical.org/music-festival

For press ticket requests, contact Christina Jensen at christina@jensenartists.com. 

Newport, RI – From July 2-19, 2026, the Newport Classical Music Festival will again turn this “City by the Sea” into a summer destination for music lovers, featuring 30 concerts across 11 unforgettable venues, from cliffside lawns to gilded mansions, including the stunning interiors of The Breakers, The Elms, Castle Hill Inn, Blithewold Mansion, Rosecliff Mansion, Redwood Library and Athenæum, and more. For 57 years, Newport Classical has showcased classical music as a living art form, presenting artists and programs that are diverse and ever-evolving in intimate and iconic venues that make every performance one of a kind. The 2026 Festival will again offer audiences the opportunity to discover new composers, revisit beloved works, and experience timeless works offered from a fresh perspective. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on April 8 at 10am.

Highlights of the 2026 Festival include Opening Night with chamber orchestra Delirium Musicum; a celebration of the Golden Age of Opera with Lawrence Brownlee and Erin Morley; solo piano performances by Michelle Cann and Dmitry Shishkin, as well as a two-piano recital with Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy; a new work by Vivian Fung, co-commissioned by Newport Classical, performed by Sandbox Percussion and violinist Kristin Lee; performances by violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing, VOCES8, Apollo’s Fire, Trio Karénine, WindSync, Cerus Saxophone Quartet, Beijing Guitar Duo, Parker Quartet, and more; two evenings with Broadway star Jeremy Jordan, known for his lead role in Newsies and most recently The Great Gatsby; and Closing Night with the GRAMMY® Award-winning Harlem Quartet, joined by Newport Classical’s Resident Festival Artists.

Other highlights of the 2026 Newport Classical Music Festival include the beloved Sunrise Concerts at 5:15am; a concert inspired by nature at Norman Bird Sanctuary; a free Fourth of July concert at King Park; and this year’s young professional Newport Classical Resident Festival Artists in eight performances.

Executive Director Oliver Inteeworn says, “For 57 years, the Newport Classical Music Festival has transformed July in Newport into something truly magical: a vibrant gathering where world-class artistry, the intimate beauty of the city’s historic venues, and the unique enthusiasm of a dedicated community of music lovers come together in perfect harmony. This summer, we’re proud to present 30 concerts that illuminate the enduring power of classical music, forging powerful connections between performers and audiences. We look forward to sharing these unforgettable experiences with you at the 2026 Newport Classical Music Festival." 

Now in its fifth year, Newport Classical’s Festival Artists Residency Program brings together five professional musicians at the early stages of their careers for an intense period of rehearsal and music-making during the Festival. This diverse group of emerging talents live, work, and play together, becoming engaged members of the community during their extended time in Newport. Each of these exceptionally gifted musicians are selected for their experience working in fast-paced chamber music settings and comfort tackling a wide range of repertoire. This summer, Newport Classical welcomes Nathan Amaral (violin); Joshua Brown (violin); Joseph Skerik (viola), Leland Ko (cello), and Janice Carissa (piano).

Press photos available in high resolution here. Photographs by Lisette Rooney.

2026 Newport Classical Music Festival Concerts:

Newport Classical Music Festival’s Opening Night concert on Tuesday, July 2 at 8pm at The Breakers features Delirium Musicum, a fiery, self-conducted chamber orchestra. Described as “ferocious and rhythmically mesmerizing” by the San Francisco Classical Voice, the ensemble is known for challenging expectations and redefining classical music as a red-hot concert experience. In a program featuring masterworks from the Baroque era to the music of today, Delirium Musicum will deliver a fierce concert experience against the gilded glamour of The Breakers. The concert will include music by Saint-Saëns, Gabriella Smith, Satie, Max Richter, Philip Glass, Schubert, Jessie Montgomery, and Vivaldi.

On Friday, July 3 at 8pm at The Breakers, pianist Dmitry Shishkin will bring the artistry that has earned him international acclaim to Newport audiences in a program featuring Schubert, Prokofiev, and Tchaikovsky. Regarded as one of the most compelling pianists of his generation, Shishkin is a prizewinner of the International Tchaikovsky and Geneva International Music Competitions, and has been praised by Gramophone for his “imaginative pointing to his phrasing.” He has appeared on major international stages and with leading orchestras around the world, including the Tokyo Symphony, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Belgium, Staatskapelle Weimar, and the Russian National Orchestra, among others.

On Saturday, July 4 at 8pm, the Newport Classical Music Festival presents a free, outdoor Fourth of July Patriotic Pops concert preceding the fireworks at King Park featuring Fenway Brass & Percussion, one of Boston’s most esteemed professional brass ensembles, in a joyous program celebrating America's birthday. This family-friendly concert, with views of the Pell Bridge, is part of the 2026 BankNewport Community Concerts Series. Audience members are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the performance and fireworks. 

Internationally acclaimed for their “fearless, yet probingly beautiful” performances (The Strad), the GRAMMY® Award-winning Parker Quartet returns to Newport to perform at The Breakers on Sunday, July 5 at 8pm, in a vibrant program featuring Beethoven, Paul Wiancko, and Schubert. Renowned for their fresh interpretations of canonical works, the Quartet continues to chart a dynamic artistic path rooted in both tradition and innovation, having captivated audiences on the world’s premier stages for over two decades.

In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, the 2026 Resident Festival Artists invite audiences to immerse themselves in the lush, evocative sound world of American Impressionism on Monday, July 6 at 4pm at the Newport Art Museum. Highlighting three visionary American composers, the program explores the American answer to the Impressionist movement, emphasizing the subtle textures, nuance, and distinctive spirit of early 20th century American music through the works of Arthur Foote, Charles Tomlinson Griffes, and Florence Price. Ticket holders can arrive early to explore the Newport Art Museum for a truly enriching afternoon.

Spend a beautiful morning on the outdoor grounds of Blithewold Mansion on Tuesday, July 7 at 11am, with the Cerus Saxophone Quartet. Named for the mythical wild bull tamed by Persephone, Cerus brings the same spirit to the stage, blending works from the traditional classical cannon and new contemporary works with energy, precision, and playful imagination. From Glazunov and Bach to living composers like Karalyn Schubring and Joan Pérez-Villegas, the quartet’s program spans centuries and styles, showcasing the saxophone quartet as a dynamic voice in 21st-century chamber music.

“A pianist of sterling artistry” (Gramophone), GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist Michelle Cann makes her Newport debut with a picturesque concert at Castle Hill Inn on Tuesday, July 7 at 7:30pm. A recipient of both the Sphinx Medal of Excellence and the Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award, Cann has established herself as one of the most sought-after artists of her generation. Her program includes music by Brahms, Robert Schumann, and Clara Schumann – three composers whose lives were intertwined through friendship and love. Ticket holders can enjoy complimentary desserts and coffee during intermission, with drinks available for purchase, all set against the stunning backdrop of a Newport summer sunset over the water.

The 2026 Resident Festival Artists present a concert titled The Sonata, celebrating the beloved form on Wednesday, July 8 at 11am at The Elms, featuring music by Mozart, Beethoven, Clarke, and Debussy. The program takes the audience on a journey through musical history, moving from the elegance of the Classical period, the expressive heights of the Romantic era, and into the modern and Impressionist sounds of the early 20th century. Set within the elegance and charm of one of Newport’s most charming mansions, this morning concert offers an intimate musical conversation through time.

Violinist Stella Chen, violist Matthew Lipman, and cellist Brannon Cho join forces for an evening of chamber music trios on Wednesday, July 8 at 8pm. These three powerhouse musicians have each garnered international acclaim and have performed on prestigious stages worldwide with some of the world’s top orchestras. They come together to present a program pairing beloved Classical trios by Mozart and Dohnányi with a contemporary work by Andreia Pinto-Correia inspired by the individual voices of the ensemble, set against the glamorous backdrop of The Breakers.

After a sold-out performance with the Galvin Cello Quartet in 2025, cellist James Baik returns to Newport for a morning recital at The Elms mansion on Thursday, July 9 at 11am. First Prize Winner of the 2023 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions and recipient of the Paul A. Fish Memorial Prize and the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Prize, Baik brings what The Strad calls “a musical fabric bejeweled with the precision and beauty of [his] sound” to a program featuring Mendelssohn, Shostakovich, Fauré, and more. This concert offers an enchanting journey through time, set against the elegance of The Elms. 

Violinist Kristin Lee, praised in The Strad for her “elegance” and “vivacity and electric energy,” and the “utterly amazing” (Guardian) GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble Sandbox Percussion, give the regional premiere of Goddess//Insect – a new work composed for them by JUNO Award-winning composer Vivian Fung – on Thursday, July 9 at 8pm. The piece is co-commissioned by a national consortium of presenters, including Newport Classical. “Goddess//Insect is derived from the term 'God-Bug Syndrome' where a 'god complex' (inflated self-importance) acts as a defense against deep-seated feelings of worthlessness,” says Fung. “I believe our world right now is facing these conflicting emotions.” Exploring the vibrant dialogue between violin and percussion, Lee and Sandbox Percussion bring this dynamic new work to The Breakers, along with music by two other women composers, Gabriella Smith and Joan Tower.

Attendees will start their day with a breathtaking sunrise over Newport’s iconic Cliff Walk and the sparkling Atlantic Ocean as the Resident Festival Artists embark on a serene musical journey, on Friday, July 10 at 5:15am. Set on the terrace of Rosecliff mansion, with its sweeping views and peaceful ambiance, Sunrise Meditations offers a rare opportunity to experience music in harmony with the day’s first light. The program features a thoughtfully curated selection, including Mozart’s String Quartet No. 21, Schubert’s String Quartet No. 12, Viéxtemps’ Capriccio for solo viola, and more. Complimentary coffee and pastries will be served before and after the concert. 

The GRAMMY® Award-winning Apollo’s Fire brings its vivacious sound to The Breakers on Friday, July 10 at 8pm, for an evening of Baroque brilliance. Led by visionary harpsichordist and conductor Jeannette Sorrell, the ensemble is America’s most active touring Baroque orchestra, and is celebrated for performances that are not only deeply expressive, but truly capture the heart of the period. “Sorrell and her dazzling period band… are incandescent” (The Sunday Times, London), and their playing animates Baroque music with “European stylishness with American entrepreneurialism,” inviting listeners to experience this repertoire not as history, but as something thrillingly alive. 

The Resident Festival Artists present a morning of delightful chamber music in perfect harmony with nature, immersed in the serene beauty of the Norman Bird Sanctuary on Saturday, July 11 at 9am. Surrounded by the sanctuary’s lush greenery, this year’s Strings in Nature concert features Haydn’s String Quartet in F Major, Jean Francaix’s Trio a Cordes, John Blackwood's McEwan’s String Quartet No. 8, and Britten’s Simple Symphony. As the music unfolds, the birds may even lend their own melodies, adding a whimsical, enchanting layer to this peaceful outdoor performance.

A Gilmore Young Artist and Salon de Virtuosi recipient, Indonesian pianist Janice Carissa is celebrated for her ability to craft vivid musical narratives that transcend mere virtuosity (Chicago Classical Review). Having performed for the President of Indonesia at the Presidential Palace Indonesia and earning ovations in the United Nations, Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House and Louis Vuitton Foundation, she brings her impeccable talent to Newport for an afternoon recital at the historic Emmanuel Church on Saturday, July 11 at 3pm. Paired with the venue's stunning English gothic architecture, Carissa presents a program spanning Bach, Granados, Alkan, Ravel, Messiaen, and more.

The GRAMMY-nominated British vocal ensemble VOCES8, the world’s top-streaming classical vocal group, presents an impeccably crafted vocal concert at The Breakers mansion on Saturday, July 11 at 8pm. Renowned for their flawless blend, rich tonal color, and adventurous programming, VOCES8 moves effortlessly between choral masterpieces, contemporary works, and inventive arrangements of beloved classics. This concert features works by Tomás Luis de Victoria, Eric Whitacre, Ola Gjeilo, Taylor Scott Davis, and inspired interpretations of favorites from Simon & Garfunkel, John Barry, and more, culminating in a celebration of the power and joy of the human voice.

Praised by Classical Guitar Magazine for “having the star potential to serve as inspiration for new generations of guitarists to come,” the Beijing Guitar Duo make their Newport debut at the historic Redwood Library and Athenæum on Sunday, July 12 at 3pm. Guitarists Meng Su and Yameng Wang have performed around the world in famous halls such as the Concertgebouw, Palau de Musica, Tchaikovsky Hall, and Carnegie Hall, and their recordings, including a Latin-GRAMMY-nominated debut, have earned acclaim for artistry that exceeds their years. Blending their impeccable technique with the warmth and charm of the Redwood Library and Athenæum, this delightful afternoon concert invites listeners into an intimate musical conversation featuring works by Franck, Debussy, Piazzolla, and more.

After a sold-out Newport Classical debut in 2024, Trio Karénine returns to Newport for their first performance at The Breakers mansion on Sunday, July 12 at 8pm. Praised by Newport Classical patrons as “one of the top performances I have seen” and for defining “what chamber music is all about,” the Paris-based trio is celebrated for its extraordinary cohesion and precision. Founded in 2009, Trio Karénine has appeared in many of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw, the Philharmonie de Paris, and the Frick Collection in New York. Acclaimed for their imaginative interpretations of the classical canon, the trio presents a program featuring works by Rimski-Korsakov, Saint-Saëns, and Tchaikovsky. 

For the first time, Newport Classical takes the stage at the enchanting Glen Manor House. The Resident Festival Artists step into this elegant, storybook setting to perform Whispers of Virtuosity, featuring music by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, on Monday, July 13 at 11am. From Haydn’s spirited Op. 77, No. 1, to Mozart’s String Quartet No. 21, to Beethoven’s Op. 18, No. 6, this morning concert reveals the heart of the Classical era.

Experience familiar works in a whole new light as returning artists Hanzhi Wang and Anthony Trionfo take audiences through a vibrant program reimagined for accordion and flute, in two parts at 1pm and 4pm on Tuesday, July 14 at Newport Art Museum. These intimate concerts invite audiences to hear well-loved repertoire including music by Joseph Bologne, J.S. Bach, Debussy, Barber, Stravinsky, Piazzolla, and more, in a fresh, inventive way, paired with contemporary works – including music composed by Hanzhi Wang herself – which perfectly complements these reimagined classics. Ticket holders can arrive early to explore the museum.

Broadway star Jeremy Jordan takes the stage for two unforgettable solo evenings at The Breakers mansion on Tuesday, July 14 and Wednesday, July 15 at 8pm. With a career spanning over three decades, Jordan is a two-time Tony Award®-nominee for Newsies and Floyd Collins and a Theatre World Award winner for his breakout role in Bonnie & Clyde. He has dazzled audiences on Broadway, film, and television, from Waitress and The Great Gatsby to The Last Five Years and NBC’s Smash. Known for his powerhouse voice, magnetic stage presence, and decades of sold-out cabaret performances, Jeremy delivers a night of show-stopping songs, captivating storytelling, and pure Broadway magic for fans of all ages, with pianist Ben Rauhala.

Set within the French-inspired grandeur of The Elms mansion, modeled after an 18th‑century château, the Resident Festival Artists transport you to the Romantic era with a morning of music full of charm, emotion, and French flair in a concert titled French Romanticism on Wednesday, July 15 at 11am. From Farrenc’s graceful trio to Chaminade’s signature melodies and Saint-Saëns’ sweeping Piano Trio, this program is a journey through France’s most beloved chamber works.

After an energetic and imaginative Children’s Concert in 2024, WindSync returns to Newport for a performance at The Elms on Thursday, July 16 at 11am. Praised for playing “many idioms authoritatively, elegantly, with adroit technique, and with great fun” (All About the Arts), WindSync brings a playful approach to the wind quintet repertoire, weaving together classical favorites, contemporary works, and folk-inspired pieces into a vivid musical journey. Set in the elegant surroundings of the historic Elms mansion, this morning concert features a program ranging from the vibrant textures of Boulanger and Glass, the folky Botanist Suite, Mozart’s spirited Serenade in C minor, and more, inviting listeners to step into the colorful world of the wind quintet. 

Acclaimed violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing returns to The Breakers on Thursday, July 16 at 8pm, joining harpsichordist Sebastian Bottone and Newport Classical’s Resident Festival Artists in Colors of Bach, a program that explores the breadth of one of classical music’s most influential voices. Bringing together solo, chamber, and ensemble works from across Bach’s lifetime, this performance offers a rare opportunity to experience his music as a living, breathing world of sound, rich with contrast, beauty, and humanity.

Framed by a quintessential Newport sunrise over the Atlantic and the iconic Cliff Walk, the Resident Festival Artists invite audiences to a thoughtfully curated early morning concert on Friday, July 17 at 5:15am, on the terrace of the Rosecliff mansion. The program, titled Awakening Light, features reflective music by Biber, Beethoven, Pärt, Holst, and Golijov. Complimentary coffee and pastries will be served before and after the concert.

Described as “piano magicians” by The Arts Desk, duo Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy bring their synergy to Newport for a magical night of interplay between two of today’s most compelling pianists, on Friday, July 17 at 8pm. Known for their inventive site-specific performances, from car parks in London to historic theaters in Aldeburgh, they now add The Breakers mansion to their impressive list of unique venues. Their program is anchored by Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and Ravel’s Ma Mère l’Oye,  promising an evening of “magical” (BBC Music Magazine) and playful dialogue between two pianos and four hands.

On Saturday, July 18 at 8pm, one of the most beloved evenings of the Festival returns. This year, Opera Night: Golden Age features two of the world’s most celebrated voices. Tenor Lawrence Brownlee and soprano Erin Morley bring their unparalleled virtuosity to The Breakers for an unforgettable evening of bel canto masterpieces. From Rossini and Bellini to Verdi and Bizet, this dazzling program features some of opera’s most beloved arias, showcasing the exceptional technique that has made these two artists international stars. Experience the thrill of hearing music written for the world’s greatest voices performed by two artists at the absolute pinnacle of their careers.

The 2026 Newport Classical Music Festival concludes on Sunday, July 19 at 8pm with the Festival Finale: Harlem Quartet and Friends at The Breakers, featuring GRAMMY® Award-winning Harlem Quartet alongside Newport Classical’s Resident Festival Artists in an exhilarating evening of string octets. Known for bringing “a new attitude to classical music” (Cincinnati Enquirer), the Harlem Quartet brings its signature dynamic energy to Newport for a performance steeped in innovation and collaboration. With a program dynamically anchored by Shostakovich and Mendelssohn, this finale promises to be a bold and exciting send-off to the 2026 Festival.

For the full schedule, visit: www.newportclassical.org/music-festival 

About Newport Classical 

Newport Classical is a premier performing arts organization that welcomes people of every age, culture, and background to intimate, immersive musical experiences. The organization presents world-renowned and up-and-coming artistic talents at stunning, storied venues across Newport – an internationally sought-after cultural and recreational destination.

Originally founded in 1969 as Rhode Island Arts Foundation at Newport, Inc., Newport Classical has a rich legacy of musical curiosity having presented the American debuts of hundreds of international artists and is most well-known for hosting three weeks of concerts in the summer in the historic mansions throughout Newport and Aquidneck Island. In the 56 years since, Newport Classical has become the most active year-round presenter of live performing arts on Aquidneck Island, and an essential pillar of Rhode Island’s cultural landscape, welcoming thousands of patrons all year long.

Newport Classical invests in the future of classical music as a diverse, relevant, and ever-evolving art form through its four core programs – the one-of-a-kind Music Festival; the Chamber Series in the Newport Classical Recital Hall; the free, family-friendly Community Concerts Series; and the Music Enrichment and Engagement Initiative that inspires students in local schools and community organizations to become the arts advocates and music lovers of tomorrow. These programs illustrate the organization’s ongoing commitment to presenting “timeless music for today.”

In 2021, the organization launched a new commissioning initiative – each year, Newport Classical will commission a new work by a Black, Indigenous, person of color, or woman composer as a commitment to the future of classical music. To date, Newport Classical has commissioned and presented the world premiere of works by Stacy Garrop, Shawn Okpebholo, Curtis Stewart, Clarice Assad, and Cris Derksen.

After a year-long community-driven process, and rooted in the organization’s mission “to celebrate the living art form of classical music in intimate and iconic locations,” Newport Classical released its 2025-2028 Strategic Plan, presenting a clear roadmap to become a stronger, healthier, and more vibrant organization that enhances its programs and community engagement, promotes responsible financial growth and sustainability, and centers artistic excellence in every decision, as the organization aspires to open its doors even wider.

June 20-Aug 2: Caramoor's Summer Season Immerses Estate in Music - Over Thirty Unforgettable Performances

Press photos available in high resolution here.

Caramoor's Summer Season Features Over Thirty Performances from June 20 to August 2, 2026

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts
149 Girdle Ridge Road | Katonah, NY
Tickets & Information

For press ticket requests, contact Christina Jensen at christina@jensenartists.com. 

KATONAH, NY – Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, a vibrant cultural destination nestled on 81 acres of historic gardens and woodlands in Katonah, NY, continues its intimate Rosen House Concert Series with three performances in March. On Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 3:00pm, Caramoor presents the Schwab Vocal Rising Stars’ culminating performance. Goitse, a traditional Irish quintet, takes the stage on Friday, March 20, 2026, at 7:30pm. Acclaimed Icelandic pianist Víkingur KATONAH, NY – Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, a vibrant cultural destination nestled on 81 acres of historic gardens and woodlands in Katonah, NY, presents its highly anticipated Summer Season, bringing audiences together for over 30 unforgettable performances from June 20 to August 2, 2026. Once the home of music and art lovers Walter and Lucie Rosen, Caramoor has evolved into one of the region’s most distinctive destinations for live performances, cultural engagement, and exploration – a sanctuary for music, arts, and nature. The Summer Season immerses the entire estate in music, with performances happening in five distinct settings – the Venetian Theater, Spanish Courtyard, Friends Field, Sunken Garden, and the Music Room.

Caramoor’s Summer Season extends across genres – highlights this year include opening night with Tony Award-winner Kelli O’Hara and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s (June 20); superstar pianist Yuja Wang and People of Earth (July 23) in a thrilling new collaboration exploring the vibrant rhythms and colors of Afro-Latin and Caribbean music; performances by classical music luminaries including HélèneGrimaud (June 25), Les Arts Florissants (July 17) in a Charpentier opera double bill, and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (July 26) in Handel’s opera Tolomeo; a Summer Season finale featuring one of the foremost violinists of our time, Gil Shaham, with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s conducted by Xian Zhang (August 2); virtuosic American string band Punch Brothers (July 18); evocative singer-songwriter Patty Griffin (July 11); the incomparable Mark Morris Dance Group (July 30); the legendary Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers (August 1); plus special community celebrations including the Dedicated Men of Zion celebrating Juneteenth (June 21); Isaac Mizrahi in a Pride Month performance (June 26); and Pops, Patriots, and Fireworks featuring the Westchester Symphonic Winds for America’s 250th (July 4); and much, much more. This summer also brings the return of Dancing at Dusk, Caramoor’s series for young listeners and the continuation of Music and Meditation in the Garden, pairing chamber music and meditation in an idyllic setting.

“Each summer at Caramoor, we invite audiences to experience the extraordinary intersection of music, nature, and community,” says Gillian Fox, Caramoor President & CEO. “This season reflects our commitment to presenting exceptional artists spanning a broad range of musical traditions while creating welcoming pathways for audiences of every age. I am especially delighted to welcome back Dancing at Dusk, our beloved children’s concert series, which invites families to experience the joy of music together and helps spark a lifelong connection to the arts here at Caramoor.”

Kathy Schuman, Caramoor Vice President and Artistic Director says, “The unique Caramoor setting continues to inspire and inform our programs, from world-class celebrated artists to rising stars, in a multitude of genres. As part of each season we strive to bring one-of-a kind programs such as this year's Baroque opera performances by Les Arts Florissants and Philharmonia Baroque, the world premiere of a concert-length work by Christopher Cerrone, and one of the first performances of a new collaboration between Yuja Wang and People of Earth. We pride ourselves on the breadth and diversity of the musical experiences we bring to new and returning visitors each summer.”

Trimpin's in “C” and Friends Field, photo by Gabe Palacio. Available in high resolution here.

Opening Night and Summer Gala

Opening Night & Summer Gala: An Evening with Kelli O’Hara and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Saturday, June 20, 2026 at 7:00pm, Venetian Theater

One of Broadway’s most beloved voices, Tony Award-winner Kelli O’Hara returns to Caramoor to kick off the 81st season, performing with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s conducted by Rob Fisher with Dan Lipton, music director. Experience the magic of this artist who continues to define the beauty and heart of the Broadway stage, with a program of American Songbook gems, Broadway favorites, and timeless pop standards. O’Hara can currently be seen on HBO’s The Gilded Age, which was nominated for a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, as well as on the CBS series Sheriff Country. Recently, she starred opposite Tom Hanks in the world premiere of the Off-Broadway play This World of Tomorrow. She is currently performing on Broadway in the revival of Fallen Angels opposite Rose Byrne. 

Opera and Dance

Les Arts Florissants in Charpentier's Les Arts Florissants and La Descente d'Orphée aux enfers
Friday, July 17, 2026 at 7:00pm, Venetian Theater
6:00pm, Pre-concert talk by Julia I. Doe, Associate Professor of Music at Columbia University

Following the magical performance of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen at Caramoor in 2024, pioneering conductor and harpsichordist William Christie returns to present the work that gave his renowned Baroque ensemble its name: Les Arts Florissants. In this double bill, two miniature operatic gems by Marc-Antoine Charpentier shimmer with expressive choruses, eloquent declamation, courtly airs, and vibrant instrumental colors, revealing the French composer’s dramatic genius. The performance features soloists from Le Jardin des Voix (the ensemble’s international academy for young singers), choreography by Martin Chaix, and stage direction by Marie Lambert and Stéphane Facco.

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in Handel's Tolomeo
Sunday, July 26, 2026 at 4:00pm, Venetian Theater
3:00pm, Pre-concert talk by MIT professor emeritus and Handel scholar Ellen T. Harris) 

The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra returns to the Venetian Theater for a semi-staged production of Handel’s masterpiece, Tolomeo, re d'Egitto. The ensemble has previously brought memorable Handel productions of Atalanta and Acis and Galatea to Caramoor. This production, led by Music Director Designate Peter Whelan and directed by James Darrah, features an elite cast of Baroque specialists, including countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen in the title role and soprano Lauren Snouffer as Seleuce. Bass-baritone Dashon Burton and countertenor Kangmin Justin Kim round out a powerhouse lineup for this tale of exile, romance, and political intrigue.

Mark Morris Dance Group
Thursday, July 30, 2026 at 7:30pm, Venetian Theater

Hailed as "the preeminent modern dance organization of our time" by none other than Yo-Yo Ma, Mark Morris Dance Group returns to Caramoor with its signature blend of wit, grace, and profound musicality. Morris, celebrated as the most musical of living choreographers, treats the audience to a feast for eyes and ears. This performance captures the sheer joy and human authenticity that make this company an enduring treasure. The company performs Three Preludes with music by George Gershwin, Northwest with music by John Luther Adams, Jenn and Spencer with music by Henry Cowell, and Dancing Honeymoon with music by Ethan Iverson.

Orchestras

The Knights and Pianist Conrad Tao in Rhapsody in Blue
Sunday, June 28, 2026 at 4:00pm, Venetian Theater

Experience a vibrant celebration of the American sound with the boundary-breaking orchestral collective The Knights in an afternoon of fearless music-making. Led by Artistic Directors Eric and Colin Jacobson, the program anchors the spirit of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, featuring Conrad Tao’s acclaimed, explosive interpretation within a broader narrative of musical innovation. From the pastoral beauty of Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite and Margaret Bonds’ soulful Troubled Water to contemporary rhapsodies by Jessie Montgomery and the ensemble's own Christina Courtin, this performance bridges the gap between classical tradition and modern energy.

Apollo's Fire in Dueling Double Concertos
Sunday, July 12, 2026 at 4:00pm, Venetian Theater

The GRAMMY Award-winning Baroque orchestra Apollo’s Fire returns to the Venetian Theater with Dueling Double Concertos, a high-energy program directed by the charismatic Jeannette Sorrell. This "fencing match" themed performance pits soloists against one another in a brilliant display of 18th-century virtuosity. The afternoon features the driving rhythms of Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Violins and Two Cellos, the intricate dialogue of Bach’s Double Violin Concerto, and the folk-inspired textures of Telemann. Moving beyond the traditional Baroque canon, the ensemble also performs René Schiffer’s tango-infused Concerto for Two Violas da Gamba and Sorrell’s own acclaimed arrangement of Vivaldi’s La Folia.

Summer Season Finale: Orchestra of St. Luke's and Violinist Gil Shaham
Sunday, August 2, 2026 at 4:00pm, Venetian Theater
3:00pm, Pre-concert conversation with Gil Shaham

The Orchestra of St. Luke’s returns to its summer home in the Venetian Theater for a cornerstone performance of the season led by the dynamic conductor Xian Zhang. This program reunites the orchestra with world-renowned violinist Gil Shaham, an audience favorite since his first performance at Caramoor in 1994. The afternoon features Shaham’s definitive interpretation of Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto, a work he has championed with what critics describe as inherent sweetness and electrifying playfulness. Framed by the wit of Rossini’s L'italiana in Algeri Overture and the majestic architecture of Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 ("Jupiter"), the concert offers a masterclass in both lyrical intimacy and orchestral grandeur.

Chamber Music & Ensembles

Poiesis Quartet, Caramoor’s 2025-26 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence
Thursday, July 2, 2026 at 7:30pm, Music Room

The Poiesis Quartet concludes its time as 2025-26 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence with a bold program titled A Love Letter to the Queer Community. Performing in the intimate Music Room, Poiesis explores identity and heritage through a curated selection of modern works. The evening includes the Chickasaw-inspired textures of Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate’s Pisachi alongside evocative works commissioned by Poiesis from Zola Saadi-Klein, Daniel Lasagna, Maya Irizarry Lambright, and Calvin Ray Shawler, as well as the world premiere of composer Jeff Scott’s Caramoor-commissioned Tapestry of the Beloved Beatified. This program highlights the ensemble's commitment to social narrative and musical innovation, offering a unique window into the future of the string quartet. Poiesis’s first concert in residence at Caramoor was chosen as one of the best classical performances of 2025 by The New York Times.

VOCES8 in Lead Me Home
Friday, July 10, 2026 at 7:30pm, Spanish Courtyard

The GRAMMY-nominated British a cappella octet returns to Caramoor for Lead Me Home, a celebration of the American choral landscape. Showcasing a wide array of American styles, the concert features traditional hymns and folk songs alongside contemporary compositions including music by Caroline Shaw, Bobby McFerrin, The Beatles, Samuel Barber, Cole Porter, Virgil Thomson, and more. Gramophone magazinedeclares, “The singing of VOCES8 is impeccable in its quality of tone and balance. They bring a new dimension to the word ‘ensemble’ with meticulous timing and tuning.”

Sandbox Percussion Premieres Christopher Cerrone’s The Only Way is Through
Sunday, July 19, 2026 at 4:00pm, Sunken Garden (Free)

In this immersive outdoor world premiere, GRAMMY-nominated composer Christopher Cerrone explores the fundamental human journey of learning to exist in the world. Inspired by Robert Frost's poetry, The Only Way is Through, co-commissioned by Caramoor, traces the path from first sounds to full understanding. During the piece, Sandbox Percussion will physically assemble their instruments from raw materials – loose wooden bars, individual bells, scattered pipes – and the sounds of construction will become the music itself: the clatter of materials, the testing of pitches, the gradual building of something coherent from elemental parts. The Young People's Chorus of New York City, led by Artistic Director Francisco J. Núñez and stage director Mary Birnbaum, will move among them, bringing components to the musicians, their physical journey mirroring their vocal evolution from wordless sounds to fully formed language. Throughout, the audience is invited to move freely through the Sunken Garden, navigating their own relationship with the unfolding work, experiencing the joy and struggle of watching consciousness take shape.

Verona Quartet in Inflection Points
Friday, July 24, 2026 at 7:30pm, Spanish Courtyard

The Verona Quartet returns to the Spanish Courtyard with Inflection Points, a program focusing on societal changes every 100 years through the lens of music. As the 2017-18 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence, the ensemble has a long-standing history with Caramoor, including a highly praised 2021 performance of Ligeti and Dvořák that showcased their “cohesive…vibrant, intelligent” (The New York Times) approach. This evening’s selection spans centuries, beginning with the Baroque elegance of Scarlatti’s Sonata a Quattro No. 4 before moving into the luminous, modern textures of Augusta Read Thomas’ Clara’s Ascent. The program concludes with two dramatic masterpieces: Janáček’s intense, psychological String Quartet No. 1 and the profound architectural beauty of Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 127.

Ruckus in The Edinburgh Rollick
Friday, July 31, 2026 at 7:30pm, Spanish Courtyard

Ruckus is a shapeshifting, collaborative Baroque ensemble with a visceral and playful approach to early music. Described as “the world’s only period-instrument rock band” (San Francisco Classical Voice), Ruckus’ core is a continuo group, the Baroque equivalent of a jazz rhythm section: guitars, keyboards, cello, bassoon and bass. In The Edinburgh Rollick, Ruckus and violinist Keir GoGwilt celebrate the legacy of Niel Gow (b. Perthshire, 1727-1807), one of Scotland’s most important musicians, in this dynamic folk-Baroque feast of Scottish dance music. Weaving together these jubilant, hard-driving and nostalgic tunes into large-scale dramatic forms, Ruckus and GoGwilt bring the 18th-century tradition of blending folk and art music to the present day.

Featured Soloists & Recitals

Hélène Grimaud, piano
Thursday, June 25, 2026 at 7:30pm, Venetian Theater

Renowned Renaissance woman Hélène Grimaud returns to Caramoor for a deeply poetic recital exploring the profound emotional landscapes of the “Three Bs” – Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. Known for a visceral intensity that has captivated Caramoor audiences since her 1998 debut and a celebrated 2015 residency, Grimaud brings her trademark technical control to this program of masterpieces. From the intimate, variation-rich Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 30, Op. 109 to the nostalgic textures of Brahms’ Fantasies and the monumental architecture of Bach’s Chaconne, this performance showcases the same unapologetically personal artistry that defines her work as both a world-class pianist and a dedicated wildlife conservationist. 

Johnny Gandelsman: This is America
Sunday, July 5, 2026 at 1:00pm, Caramoor Grounds

Violinist, producer, and 2024 MacArthur Fellow Johnny Gandelsman will perform a solo violin program of works from his This is America project at Caramoor, featuring the New York premiere of a Caramoor co-commission by Pulitzer-Prize-winning composer Tyshawn Sorey. A reflection of the complex times in which we are living, this two-part performance at 1:00pm in the Sunken Garden and 3:00pm in the Spanish Courtyard features intimate musical portraits of joy, uncertainty, isolation, and love by composers including Justin Messina, Layale Chaker, Dana Lyn, Kinan Azmeh, Akshaya Tucker, Ebun Oguntola, Christina Courtin, Olivia Davis, and Rhiannon Giddens. At 2:15pm, Gandelsman, Lyn, and Courtin will give a talk offering insights on the program.

Aristo Sham, piano, 2025 Van Cliburn Gold Medalist
Saturday, July 11, 2026 at 4:30pm, Music Room

2025 Van Cliburn Gold Medalist Aristo Sham brings his lucid and gripping artistry to the intimate Music Room for a program centered on the transformative transcriptions of Ferruccio Busoni. This afternoon recital highlights Sham’s technical mastery through a curated selection of Brahms character pieces, including the soulful Intermezzo in A Major and the spirited Capriccio in C Major. The second half of the performance focuses on Busoni's iconic arrangements, featuring the monumental Bach Chaconne and Chopin’sVariations on Prelude in C minor. As the newest Cliburn winner, Sham continues the competition's legacy of elite pianism with a performance that balances late-Romantic introspection with towering virtuosity.

Conor Hanick, piano in Hans Otte’s The Book of Sounds
Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 7:30pm, Spanish Courtyard

In the 1980s, the German composer and broadcaster Hans Otte released a series of solo piano pieces called Das Buch der Klänge. Inspired by Buddhist thought and American Minimalism, Otte created a series of works that are lyrical, alternately contemplative and energetic, and possibly a little psychedelic. It was an overlooked masterpiece until pianist Conor Hanick, praised as one of his generation’s most inquisitive interpreters of music new and old, began playing it a few years ago, to great acclaim. Otte wrote of the work, “This Book of Sounds rediscovers the listener as a partner of sound and silence, who in the quest for his world, wishes for once to be totally at one with sound.”

Yuja Wang, piano and People of Earth
Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 7:30pm, Venetian Theater

One of today’s most electrifying pianists, Yuja Wang, makes her Caramoor debut in a collaboration with New York City’s most exciting Latin music supergroup, People of Earth. They join forces for a vibrant journey through the sounds of the Caribbean – composed and music directed by Cuban piano phenom Ahmed Alom. People of Earth includes Raul Rios, trumpet and vocals; Jesus Ricardo, trumpet and vocals; Rubén Rengel, violin and vocals; Ivan Llanes, percussion and vocals; and Gabriel Globus-Hoenich, percussion and bandleader.

Njioma Grevious, violin & Andrew Goodridge, piano
Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 4:30pm, Music Room

Violinist Njioma Grevious brings her vibrant and compelling artistry to the Music Room following a string of major milestones, including winning both the Robert F. Smith First Prize and the Audience Choice Award at the 2023 Sphinx Competition and a 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant. With pianist Andrew Goodridge, Grevious presents a wide-ranging program that mirrors the versatility she has displayed as a member of the acclaimed Abeo Quartet (2023-24 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence) and in recent solo debuts with the Chicago and National Symphony Orchestras. The recital opens with the solemnity of Bach and the atmospheric modernism of Electra Perivolaris, moving through the fiery energy of Brahms’ Scherzo and the mystical architecture of Messiaen’s Theme and Variations. The afternoon concludes with Clarence Cameron White’s soulful Levee Dance and the soaring, lyrical brilliance of Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 2.

American Roots, Global, and Jazz

American Roots Music Festival
Saturday, June 27, 2026 from 12:30-7:00pm, Caramoor Grounds
Presented in collaboration with City Winery

Caramoor’s annual American Roots Music Festival fills the stunning grounds with the sounds of Americana, folk, bluegrass, and more. Audiences can wander from stage to stage and discover their next favorite artist as an incredible lineup of bands performs at Caramoor’s picturesque venues. This year’s festival features the Grateful Dead songbook with the acoustic string-band Deadgrass; the vintage-inspired sounds of The Moonrise Cartel; the rich, evocative storytelling of Caleb Caudle & The Sweet Critters; and the next-generation alt-country flair of Chloe Kimes; concluding with the high-energy Memphis soul of Southern Avenue. Additional artists and full schedule to be announced.

Louis Armstrong Hot Five Centennial Celebration
Friday, July 3, 2026 at 7:30pm, Friends Field
Presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center

The music Louis Armstrong created in the 1920s with his small group, the Hot Five, remains among the most influential, timeless, and joyous in the history of American music. Under the auspices of the Louis Armstrong House Museum, and on the eve of what Armstrong always claimed to be his birthday (the Fourth of July), trumpeter Alphonso Horne will lead an all-star ensemble of today’s finest jazz musicians in celebration of the 100th anniversary of this groundbreaking group. Hosted by two-time GRAMMY Award winner Ricky Riccardi, the evening honors the recordings that transformed jazz from a collective style into a soloist’s art form, forever changing the course of popular music. While Armstrong is celebrated worldwide as the beloved entertainer behind classics like What a Wonderful World and Hello, Dolly, it was these revolutionary recordings from a century ago that reshaped the sound and future of jazz.

Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca – Afro-Cuban Rhythms
Thursday, July 9, 2026 at 7:30pm, Friends Field

Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca channel the rich currents of the Afro-Cuban global diaspora, blending Congolese soukous music, salsa horn blasts, and Angolan cadence into one irresistible groove. The group’s joyous, multilingual songs invite every dancer in the house to join in, making them a perfect addition to Caramoor’s festive Summer Season.

Patty Griffin
Saturday, July 11, 2026 at 7:30pm, Venetian Theater
Presented in collaboration with City Winery

Patty Griffin is among the most consequential singer-songwriters of her generation. Over two decades, the two-time GRAMMY Award winner – and seven-time nominee – and Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement award winner, has crafted a remarkable body of work that prompted TheNew York Times to hail her for “[writing] cameo-carved songs that create complete emotional portraits of specific people…[her] songs have independent lives that continue in your head when the music ends.” Her latest album Crown of Roses, was released in July 2025.

Punch Brothers
Saturday, July 18, 2026 at 7:30pm, Venetian Theater
Presented in collaboration with City Winery

Punch Brothers are a virtuosic American string band with bluegrass roots, but one whose imagination spans classical, jazz, and folk traditions, earning them acclaim from The New Yorker as “one of the most incredible bands this country has ever produced.” With impeccable acoustic musicianship and emotional depth, they have won a GRAMMY for Best Folk Album and bring both precision and spontaneity to the stage.

Caramoor Jazz Festival
Saturday, July 25, 2026 from 12:30pm to 9:00pm, Caramoor Grounds
Presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center

The Caramoor Jazz Festival fills the grounds with the spirit of jazz, inviting audiences to wander, listen, and discover music unfolding across the gardens and open-air stages. Spend the day immersed in sound and shared experience with performances by El Arte Del Bolero (Miguel Zenon & Luis Perdomo), Jazz at Lincoln Center Summer Jazz Academy Big Bands, and more to be announced, then come together for an unforgettable evening performance by Caramoor favorite Emmet Cohen Trio (7:30pm), bringing the Jazz Festival to a thrilling close.

Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers
Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 7:30pm, Venetian Theater
Presented in collaboration with City Winery

A three-time GRAMMY winner and one of America’s most adventurous songwriters, Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers engage in genre-defying performances that blur the lines between rock, jazz, bluegrass, and improvisational jam. Known for hits like The Way It Is as well as collaborations with the Grateful Dead, Hornsby continues to reinvent his sound while staying rooted in masterful songwriting and brilliant piano work. The band’s live shows are known for virtuosity, spontaneity, and Hornsby’s unmistakable piano touch.

Celebrations of Community

Dedicated Men of Zion – Celebrating Juneteenth
Sunday, June 21, 2026 at 4:00pm, Gala Tent (Free)

With roots in gospel and their voices in harmony, the Dedicated Men of Zion bring a jubilant sacred soul tradition to Caramoor for the annual Juneteenth celebration. Their sound carries the strength of their Eastern North Carolina church upbringing, blending praise, joy, and deep-rooted family ties. This performance offers a powerful reminder of the resilience and joy at the heart of the holiday.

Isaac Mizrahi – Celebrating Pride
Friday, June 26, 2026 at 7:30pm, Venetian Theater        
Presented in collaboration with The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center

Entertainment and fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi lights up Caramoor with this special Pride Month performance. Accompanied by his jazz band, Mizrahi will serenade with iconic tunes from Madonna to Sondheim and everything in between, all interspersed with his signature, unfiltered storytelling. Expect a hilarious, sophisticated, and undeniably fabulous evening. Note: This performance may include mature themes and is not recommended for children.

Pops, Patriots, and Fireworks
Saturday, July 4, 2026 at 8:00pm, Venetian Theater

Celebrate America’s Semiquincentennial with Caramoor’s most festive tradition. This historic Independence Day spectacular featuring the Westchester Symphonic Winds, led by conductor Curt Ebersole with vocalist MaryKay Messenger, honors 250 years of American spirit with a program of patriotic favorites including music by John Philip Sousa, Harold Arlen, Earl Robinson, Barton Green, and Frank Ticheli, plus Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. The evening concludes with a dazzling fireworks display.

Music and Meditation in the Garden – Chamber Music and Meditation in an Idyllic Setting

Music and Meditation in the Garden – Adam W. Sadberry, flute; Alexander Davis, bassoon; Jennifer Llewellyn, meditation coach
Saturday, July 11, 2026 at 11:00am, Sunken Garden

Flutist Adam W. Sadberry and bassoonist Alexander Davis bring Caramoor’s first woodwind duo to the Music and Meditation series. Sadberry is a winner of Concert Artists Guild’s 2021 Victor Elmaleh Competition, and is paving a distinctive career with his citizenry, creativity, and vibrancy both on and off stage. Davis's artistic intentions center on space-making, connection, and community-building within classical music. Join us for deep listening in the tranquil Sunken Garden, including a short led meditation led by Jennifer Llewellyn.

Music and Meditation in the Garden – Kyle Sanna, guitar; Dana Lyn, violin; Jennifer Llewellyn, meditation coach
Saturday, July 18, 2026 at 11:00am, Sunken Garden

Hailed as “a top-notch fiddle-and-guitar duo” by The New York Times, Dana Lyn and Kyle Sanna connect the dots between their experience as composers and improvisers and their deep admiration for traditional Irish music. Their passion for the environment will be keenly felt in the serene setting of the Sunken Garden.  

Music and Meditation in the Garden – Emily Levin, harp; Julia Choi, violin; Jennifer Llewellyn, meditation coach
Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 11:00am, Sunken Garden

A morning of ethereal resonance concludes this summer’s Music and Meditation in the Garden series. The shimmering strings of harpist Emily Levin, praised for her “technical wizardry and artistic intuition” (Herald Times) and Metropolitan Opera violinist Julia Choi create a textured soundscape to cultivate focus, clarity, and a sense of tranquility.

Great for Families – Dancing at Dusk, Caramoor’s Series for Young Listeners

Dancing at Dusk – WindSync plays Peter and the Wolf
Wednesday, July 8, 2026 at 5:30pm, Friends Field

WindSync brings Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf to life as a playful, participatory musical adventure. Families and young listeners are invited to experience a timeless story in Friends Field’s beautiful and spacious setting.

Dancing at Dusk – Flor Bromley’s Fiesta Global
​​Wednesday, July 15, 2026 at 5:30pm, Friends Field

Flor Bromley lights up Dancing at Duskwith a vibrant, interactive program that weaves together Latin American rhythms, bilingual storytelling, and family-focused fun. Expect an uplifting community dance party filled with color, rhythm, and joyful energy.

Dancing at Dusk – Hopalong Andrew
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 at 5:30pm, Friends Field

Hopalong Andrew brings his high-spirited “urban cowboy” music to Dancing at Dusk, turning Caramoor’s Friends Field into a joyful, family-friendly hoedown. With playful Western-themed songs, call-and-response games, and plenty of chances to move, he delights kids and grownups alike.

Sonic Innovations

Sonic Innovations is Caramoor’s seasonal (June through October) exhibition of sound art, which uses the historic grounds as the site for multiple works and grew out of the 2014 site-specific commissioning initiative In the Garden of Sonic Delights. Each artist has drawn inspiration from their chosen location, creating work that is mindful of the natural and human-made sounds and systems present in the environment, while engaging each site’s unique characteristics, be they acoustic, historic, architectural, or aesthetic. Sonic Innovations encourages us to hear and see Caramoor differently, bringing a listener’s awareness to the surroundings and the change of seasons.

Currently on display are Trimpin's in "C"; Lisa Renée Coons’ Five Essays on Caramoor; Liz Phillips’ Dyning in the Dovecote; Annea Lockwood and Bob Bielecki’s Wild Energy; Ranjit Bhatnagar’s Stone Song; and Taylor Deupree’s t(ch)ime. Learn more.

More about Caramoor

Each year, Caramoor presents an exciting array of concerts across genres – from classical, opera, and chamber music to jazz, American roots, global sounds, and the American songbook. In addition to the Summer Season, the intimate Rosen House Concert Series runs from October through May in the historic Rosen House, a Mediterranean-style villa listed on the National Register of Historic Places and filled with treasures from around the world. With a mission to engage audiences of all ages, Caramoor also offers a selection of concerts and programs for families and our youngest listeners.

Caramoor is a place where music, history, and nature come together to create moments of beauty and connection for all who visit. In addition to hearing concerts, visitors to Caramoor can tour the spectacular Rosen House, explore its intriguing collections, enjoy a picnic, and experience the lush gardens and grounds – including Caramoor’s unique collection of site-specific Sound Art, sound sculptures which draw inspiration from their environment. Caramoor also offers a formal afternoon tea service year-round in the Music Room (by reservation), a seasonal concessions tent, and a selection of public programs such as yoga, art classes, conversations, and large-scale community events.

Caramoor’s 2026 Summer Season Schedule At-A-Glance

Saturday, June 20 at 7:00pm: Opening Night & Summer Gala – An Evening with Kelli O'Hara (Venetian Theater)
Sunday, June 21 at 4:00pm: Dedicated Men of Zion – Celebrating Juneteenth (Gala Tent)
Thursday, June 25 at 7:30pm: Hélène Grimaud, piano (Venetian Theater)
Friday, June 26 at 7:30pm: Isaac Mizrahi – Celebrating Pride (Venetian Theater)
Saturday, June 27 from 12:30-7:00pm: American Roots Music Festival (Caramoor Grounds)
Sunday, June 28 at 4:00pm: The Knights & Conrad Tao, piano(Venetian Theater)
Thursday, July 2 at 7:30pm: Poiesis Quartet – Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence (Music Room)
Friday, July 3 at 7:30pm: Louis Armstrong Hot Five Centennial Celebration (Friends Field)
Saturday, July 4 at 8:00pm: Pops, Patriots, and Fireworks (Venetian Theater)
Sunday, July 5 at 1:00pm: Johnny Gandelsman – This is America(Caramoor Grounds)
Wednesday, July 8 at 5:30pm: Dancing at Dusk – WindSync plays Peter and the Wolf(Friends Field)
Thursday, July 9 at 7:30pm: Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca (Friends Field)
Friday, July 10 at 7:30pm: VOCES8 – Lead Me Home (Spanish Courtyard)
Saturday, July 11 at 11:00am: Music and Meditation in the Garden – Adam W. Sadberry, flute and Alexander Davis, bassoon (Sunken Garden)
Saturday, July 11 at 4:30pm: Aristo Sham, piano (Music Room)
Saturday, July 11 at 7:30pm: Patty Griffin (Venetian Theater)
Sunday, July 12 at 4:00pm: Apollo's Fire – Dueling Double Concertos (Venetian Theater)
Wednesday, July 15 at 5:30pm: Dancing at Dusk – Flor Bromley’s Fiesta Global (Friends Field)
Thursday, July 16 at 7:30pm: Conor Hanick, piano – The Book of Sounds (Spanish Courtyard)
Friday, July 17 at 7:00pm: Les Arts Florissants in a Charpentier Opera Double Bill (Venetian Theater)
Saturday, July 18 at 11am: Music and Meditation in the Garden – Kyle Sanna, guitar andDana Lyn, violin (Sunken Garden)
Saturday, July 18 at 7:30pm: Punch Brothers (Venetian Theater)
Sunday, July 19 at 4:00pm: Sandbox Percussion Premieres Christopher Cerrone’s The Only Way is Through (Sunken Garden)
Wednesday, July 22 at 5:30pm: Dancing at Dusk – Hopalong Andrew (Friends Field)
Thursday, July 23 at 7:30pm: Yuja Wang, piano and People of Earth (Venetian Theater)
Friday, July 24 at 7:30pm: Verona Quartet – Inflection Points (Spanish Courtyard)
Saturday, July 25 from 12:30pm to 9:00pm: Caramoor Jazz Festival (Caramoor Grounds)
Sunday, July 26 at 4:00pm: Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra – Handel’s Tolomeo (Venetian Theater)
Thursday, July 30 at 7:30pm: Mark Morris Dance Group (Venetian Theater)
Friday, July 31 at 7:30pm: Ruckus – The Edinburgh Rollick (Spanish Courtyard)
Saturday, August 1 at 11:00am: Music and Meditation in the Garden – Emily Levin, harp and Julia Choi, violin (Sunken Garden)
Saturday, August 1 at 4:30pm: Njioma Grevious, violin and Andrew Goodridge, piano (Music Room)
Saturday, August 1 at 7:30pm: Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers (Venetian Theater)
Sunday, August 2 at 4:00pm: Summer Season Finale – Orchestra of St. Luke's and Gil Shaham (Venetian Theater)

For Caramoor’s complete schedule visit: caramoor.org/whats-on

Visitor & Ticketing Information

Tickets are available for purchase online at caramoor.org; by phone at 914.232.1252 Tuesdays through Fridays from 10:00am to 4:00pm; and on site from the Box Office two hours before each performance. 

Caramoor is located at 149 Girdle Ridge Road in Katonah, NY and open daily from 10:00am to 4:00pm for free exploration.

About visiting Caramoor: caramoor.org/visit-us
Getting to Caramoor: caramoor.org/visit-us/getting-here

June 14 & 15: Telegraph Quartet is the 2026 Artist-in-Residence with Gretna Music Performance and Free Family Event

Photo of the Telegraph Quartet by Lisa Marie Mazzucco available in high resolution here.

Award-Winning Telegraph Quartet Returns to Mount Gretna
for 2026 Artist Residency with Gretna Music

Concert on June 14
Family Event on June 15
Tickets & More Information

“full of elegance and pinpoint control” – The New York Times

www.TelegraphQuartet.com

Mt. Gretna, PA – The Telegraph Quartet (Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; Pei-Ling Lin, viola; Jeremiah Shaw, cello), a group described by The San Francisco Chronicle as having "​​a wonderful boldness of spirit,” are returning to Mount Gretna this summer as the 2026 Artists-in-Residence with Gretna Music. The group will give a performance on June 14, 2026 at the Mount Gretna Playhouse (200 Pennsylvania Ave) and present a free interactive program dedicated to children and families on June 15, 2026 in the Hall of Philosophy (212 Gettysburg Ave.).

The Telegraph Quartet formed in 2013 with an equal passion for standard and contemporary chamber music repertoire. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape” and “powerfully adept… with a combination of brilliance and subtlety,” the Telegraph Quartet was awarded the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.

Following a highly successful Artist Residency with the Telegraph Quartet in 2025, Gretna Music have invited the ensemble back for a second Artist Residency, featuring a summer performance and another opportunity to gather with and inspire the local community through educational outreach and musical interactivity with children and their families. On June 14, 2026, the Telegraph Quartet will perform a program that blends music from the traditional classical canon with contemporary composition, as well as highlighting the influences of folk music and cultural heritage that impacted these works in unique and memorable ways. The program includes Franz Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet in C Major, Op. 54, No. 2; Derrick Skye’s American Mirror, Part 1, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59 No. 1.

Haydn’s Quartet in C Major evokes a spirit of ambition and experimentation with musical form. The intricacy and deeply expressive nature of the melodies across its four movements reflected Haydn’s engaging instincts as a composer. Composer Derrick Skye says, "American Mirror reflects on the coming together of cultures in our society, which consists of many generations and descendants of refugees, immigrants, and slaves, and how intercultural collaborations are essential to the well-being of American society.” The piece infuses influences from West African, North African, and Eastern European vocal techniques and ornamentations with open harmonies commonly found in Appalachian folk music. Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59 No. 1 is the first of his “Razumovsky” quartets, nicknamed for Prince Razumovsky, the Russian ambassador to Vienna who commissioned Beethoven to write these pieces, asking him to include a Russian theme in each of the Quartets.

In August 2023, the Telegraph Quartet released 20th Century Vantage Points: Divergent Paths, the first in a trilogy of recordings on Azica Records exploring the string quartets of the first half of the 20th century – an era of music that the group has felt especially called to perform since its formation. Divergent Paths features two works that (to the best of the Quartet’s knowledge) have never been recorded on the same album before: Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major and Arnold Schoenberg’s String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 7. The Quartet’s new album, 20th Century Vantage Points: Edge of the Storm is out now on Azica Records. Read the press release online here. This second volume of the trilogy examines music from the turbulent war years of 1941-1951 and features a thoughtfully curated program of works by Grażyna Bacewicz, Benjamin Britten, and Mieczysław Weinberg.

More about Telegraph Quartet: The Quartet has performed in concert halls, music festivals, and academic institutions across the United States and abroad, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Chamber Masters Series, and at festivals including the Chautauqua Institute, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and the Emilia Romagna Festival. The Quartet is currently the Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Michigan.

Notable collaborations include projects with pianists Leon Fleisher and Simone Dinnerstein; cellists Norman Fischer and Bonnie Hampton; violinist Ian Swensen; and the St. Lawrence Quartet and Henschel Quartett. A fervent champion of 20th- and 21st-century repertoire, the Telegraph Quartet has premiered works by Osvaldo Golijov, John Harbison, Robert Sirota, and Richard Festinger.

Beyond the concert stage, the Telegraph Quartet seeks to spread its music through education and audience engagement. The Quartet has given master classes at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Collegiate and Pre-College Divisions, through the Morrison Artist Series at San Francisco State University, and abroad at the Taipei National University of the Arts, National Taiwan Normal University, and in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Telegraph has also served as artists-in-residence at the Interlochen Adult Chamber Music Camp, SoCal Chamber Music Workshop, and Crowden Music Center Chamber Music Workshop. In November 2020, the Telegraph Quartet launched ChamberFEAST!, a chamber music workshop in Taiwan. In fall 2020, Telegraph launched an online video project called TeleLab, in which the ensemble collectively breaks down the components of a movement from various works for quartet. In the summers of 2022 and 2024, the Telegraph Quartet traveled to Vienna to work with Schoenberg expert Henk Guittart in conjunction with the Arnold Schoenberg Center, researching all of Schoenberg's string quartets.

For more information, visit www.telegraphquartet.com.

Telegraph Quartet: Gretna Music 2026 Artists-in-Residence - Public Events

Telegraph Quartet
Sunday, June 14, 2026 at 3pm
Mt. Gretna Playhouse | 200 Pennsylvania Ave | Mt. Gretna, PA
Derrick Skye – American Mirror, Part 1
Franz Joseph Haydn – String Quartet in C Major, Op. 54 No. 2
Ludwig van Beethoven – String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59 No. 1
Tickets: www.gretnamusic.org

Free Family Event with the Telegraph Quartet
Monday, June 15, 2026 at 10am
Hall of Philosophy | 212 Gettysburg Ave. | Mt. Gretna, PA
Free and Open to the Public

June 9: GRAMMY-Nominated Brooklyn Pianist Simone Dinnerstein Performs Bach and Philip Glass in Free Central Park Concert at Naumburg Bandshell

Photo of Simone Dinnerstein and Baroklyn by Grayson Dantzic available in high resolution here.

GRAMMY®-Nominated Pianist Simone Dinnerstein at Naumburg Bandshell
with Baroklyn and CONCORA

Performing Music from New Albums Complicité and Hourglass

Presented by Naumburg Orchestral Concerts

Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 7:30pm
Naumburg Bandshell on the Concert Ground in Central Park 
Near W. 72nd St., Mid-Park
Free and Open to the Public | More Information

“an artist of strikingly original ideas and irrefutable integrity” – The Washington Post

PLUS Dinnerstein and Baroklyn’s New Philip Glass Album Hourglass Out June 5 on Naïve

Review downloads & CDs available upon request.

Simone Dinnerstein: www.simonedinnerstein.com

New York, NY – On Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 7:30pm, GRAMMY®-nominated pianist Simone Dinnerstein –described by The New Yorker as an artist of “lean, knowing, and unpretentious elegance” – performs a free concert at Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park (mid-park at 72nd St.) presented by Naumburg Orchestral Concerts. Dinnerstein will perform music by J.S. Bach and Philip Glass from her newest albums Complicitéand Hourglass (out June 5 on naïve) with Baroklyn (the string ensemble she founded and directs) and CONCORA – Connecticut Choral Artists. The performance will be broadcast live and streamed on WQXR for those unable to attend in person.

Known for her distinctive musical voice and her interpretations of music by J.S. Bach and Philip Glass, Dinnerstein sees a natural affinity between the music of the two composers. The resonance can be found in the two composers’ deeply polyphonic visions, quest for the absolute independence of each line, and an abiding concern for the singing quality of musical phrases.

She says, “When I think about the music of Philip Glass, I think about time. The music is intricate and polyphonic. It’s layered, with patterns that keep shifting in the subtlest of ways. Though the harmonies are clearly important in the musical narrative, Glass’s music is multi-linear in a way that evokes the music of Bach. It is music on the horizontal, as opposed to the vertical. If anything, it is circular music.”

Dinnerstein’s concert in Central Park includes Herr Gott, BWV 617 by J.S. Bach; The Hours by Philip Glass; Cantata 9, Es ist das Heil uns Kommen her, BWV 9 (1734), (with continuo realizations by Philip Lasser) by J.S. Bach; Three Movements from Cantatas 99, 22, and 182 by J.S. Bach, featuring CONCORA; and In the Air, a recomposition by Philip Lasser, of J.S. Bach’s Air on the G String. Dinnerstein will be conducting the cantatas and for the rest of the program, she will be directing the artists from the piano.

On June 5, 2026, just before her performance in New York City, Dinnerstein releases Hourglass –– her first album on naïve since signing with the label earlier this year. The new recording features Philip Glass’s Suite from The Hours and his TirolConcerto for Piano and Orchestra (Piano Concerto No. 1) with Baroklyn. The album is another milestone in her close artistic association with the renowned composer, who celebrates his 90th birthday in January 2027. The first single, The Hours, is out now–listen here. Read the album press release here.

Dinnerstein says of her group Baroklyn, “Baroklyn is a group of string players which I lead from the piano. We’re a community that shares the artistic vision that is most important to me, that music should be creative and new. Rehearsal is important to us, and I’ve been influenced by theater practice in which we listen to each other and pass musical ideas and phrases within the group. We rehearse and perform in a semi-circle around the piano and I rearrange parts to emphasize lines, voices and imitative qualities to create a sense of dialogue.” The ensemble’s name is a portmanteau of Baroque and Brooklyn, Dinnerstein’s home borough.

More about Simone Dinnerstein: Dinnerstein has played with orchestras ranging from the New York Philharmonic and Montreal Symphony Orchestra to the London Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale Rai. She has performed in venues from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center to the Berlin Philharmonie, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Seoul Arts Center and Sydney Opera House. She has made fifteen albums, all of which have topped the Billboard classical charts. Her first fourteen albums were recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Adam Abeshouse. During the pandemic she recorded three albums which form a trilogy: A Character of Quiet, An American Mosaic,and Undersong. An American Mosaic was nominated for a Grammy. Her recent recording Complicité (Supertrain Records, 2025), is her first all-Bach album in over ten years and features Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano and Peggy Pearson, oboe d’amore along with the string ensemble Simone founded and directs, Baroklyn. Recorded with producer Silas Brown, the album also includes composer Philip Lasser’s continuo realizations and recomposition of Bach’s Air on the G String.

In recent years, Dinnerstein has created projects that express her broad musical interests. She gave the world premiere of The Eye Is the First Circle at Montclair State University, the first multi-media production she conceived, created, and directed, which uses as source materials her father Simon Dinnerstein’s painting The Fulbright Triptych and Charles Ives’s Concord Sonata. She premiered Richard Danielpour’s An American Mosaic, a tribute to those affected by the pandemic, in a performance on multiple pianos throughout Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery. Following her recording, Mozart in Havana, she brought the Havana Lyceum Orchestra from Cuba to the U.S. for the first time, performing eleven concerts. Philip Glass composed his Piano Concerto No. 3 for her, co-commissioned by twelve orchestras. Working with Renée Fleming and the Emerson String Quartet, she premiered André Previn and Tom Stoppard’s Penelope at the Tanglewood, Ravinia and Aspen music festivals, and performed it at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and presented by LA Opera and the Cleveland Orchestra.

The Washington Post comments, “it is Dinnerstein’s unreserved identification with every note she plays that makes her performance so spellbinding.” In a world where music is everywhere, she hopes that it can still be transformative.

For Calendar Editors:

Description: On Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 7:30pm, GRAMMY®-nominated pianist Simone Dinnerstein – described by The New Yorker as an artist of “lean, knowing, and unpretentious elegance” – performs a free concert at Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park (mid-park at 72nd St.) presented by Naumburg Orchestral Concerts. Dinnerstein will perform music by J.S. Bach and Philip Glass from her newest albums Complicité and Hourglass (out June 5 on naïve) with Baroklyn, the string ensemble she founded and directs, and CONCORA – Connecticut Choral Artists.

Concert details:

Who: Pianist Simone Dinnerstein with Baroklyn and CONCORA
What: Music by J.S. Bach and Philip Glass
When: Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 7:30pm
Where: Naumburg Bandshell, on the Concert Ground, Central Park (72nd St., Mid-Park)
More Information:https://naumburgconcerts.org/upcoming/baroklyn

OUT TODAY: New Sony Classical Album by Pianist Arcadi Volodos Featuring the Music of Franz Schubert & Robert Schumann

New Album by Pianist Arcadi Volodos
Out Today on Sony Classical

Schubert: Piano Sonata No.17 In D Major, D.850
Schumann: Kinderszenen Op.15

Kinderszenen, Op.15/I. Von fremden Ländern und Menschen
Out Today - Listen Here

Album Release Date: Out Today

A musician known for conjuring up magical sounds on the piano is back with a new release – out today. Seven years after his last album, the exceptionally gifted Arcadi Volodos releases a new and long-awaited Sony Classical album, recorded live at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. And again, he is devoting himself to the music of Franz Schubert as well as Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen. Kinderszenen, Op.15: XII. Kind im Einschlummern is out today – listen here.

“The great difficulty with Schubert”, says Volodos, “is the basic outline, the absolute transparency. It is in silence that the personality and the spirituality of the interpreter shine through.” For Volodos as an interpreter, it is here, in this world of stillness and half-tones, that his real work begins, since “this demands simplicity and depth”.

Volodos’s earlier Schubert recordings have included the great sonatas in G major (D 894, released in 2002) and in A major (D 959, first issued in 2019). He is now turning his attention to the D major Sonata D 850, a work sometimes known as the “Gastein” Sonata since Schubert composed it during the summer of 1825, when he was taking the waters at Bad Gastein to the south of Salzburg.

Arcadi Volodos draws particular attention to the “extreme sensibility” of Schubert’s music, which explains why he favours a freedom of approach that allows for flexible tempos.

“It is absurd to want to fix the tempo by means of a metronome,” he argues, because “music is a language, not an equation.” It is very much the many incomparable transition passages, the melodies and the gently changing harmonies that make Schubert’s music so unmistakably his own. And this is all the more true when they are performed by a pianist as exceptional as Arcadi Volodos.

The second work on his new album is Robert Schumann’s Kinderszenen, a set of thirteen priceless miniatures for the piano, the best known of which is the famous “Träumerei”.

“I think that it is only when you grow older that you understand these pieces better and better,” says Volodos, referring obliquely to the fact that Schumann did not write them for children. What matters more, as Volodos explains, is “It is a question of rediscovering within oneself the child’s sense of wonderment, this pure and sincere understanding of a world that one spends an entire lifetime trying to rediscover.”

To that extent this recording of Kinderszenen seems like a summation of Volodos’s whole life as an artist: each piece is a little jewel that allows the piano to radiate with light and to shine in all its colours and nuances. One could argue that this profundity is accessible only to those artists who, like Volodos, have a relatively manageable repertory at their command, at least in terms of their public appearances. “I like it when the works come to life inside me and become a part of me.” The present recording attests to the truth of this comment in many different ways.

Arcadi Volodos was born in St. Petersburg and it was there, too, that he studied. He first became famous for his highly virtuosic piano arrangements of Romantic orchestral works but since his international breakthrough in the late 1990s he is now invariably numbered among the finest pianists currently before the public. He appears in all the leading concert halls and at festivals all over the world. His relatively few recordings have regularly garnered the most prestigious international awards.

Oct. 2: Classical Soul Pianist Alexis Ffrench Announces New Album 24 on Sony Masterworks – New Two-Track Bundle Out Today

PR Photo: Credit – Alex Lake (Download)

Pioneering Composer and Pianist 
Alexis Ffrench

Shares New Two-Track Bundle
Blackbird Rising and Blackbird Returning

Out Today - Listen Here
Taken From Upcoming Album, 24

Worldwide Album Release Date: October 2, 2026
Pre-Save Here

New York, NY – May 1, 2026 – Today, pioneering pianist, composer and chart-topping Classical Soul artist Alexis Ffrench has shared Blackbird Rising / Blackbird Returning - listen here, a fluttering and thoughtful two-track release taken from his forthcoming album 24 set for release on October 2, 2026 and available for pre-save here.

A calming and contemplative duo of tracks that serve to bookend the day – from the first birdsong of morning to the blackbird’s final lullaby at dusk – Blackbird Rising / Blackbird Returning finds Ffrench artfully reconciling with one of the most distinctive threads in his work: birdsong. From 2018 hit Bluebird, which has been streamed over 200 million times globally and is Gold-certified in the US, to 2022’s Songbird and now to the blackbird, birds have circled his music throughout the span of his career.

Ffrench explains: “That sense of awe and wonder when you look at a bird in flight makes you feel that you’re part of this incredible Earth when we’re all connected.”

The new tracks also coincide with International Dawn Chorus Day on Sunday, May 3, 2026. A global celebration encouraging us to wake at sunrise to hear the “natural symphony” of Spring’s peak birdsong, the Dawn Chorus celebrates connection with nature and the notion that the beauty of the natural world can be appreciated from the most ordinary locations: whether from a garden, woodland or urban park.

Formed of 24 meticulously crafted piano pieces and intended as a musical companion to the clockwork regularity of everyday life, 24 unveils as an intimate and immersive snapshot of a singular day.

Gently guiding listeners from dawn to dusk – through the quiet of early morning into the busy heart of day and on to the evening’s golden hour – 24 is woven from daydreams, memories of human connection and the desire for authenticity amongst an ever evolving and increasingly simulated digital age. 

Made at legendary Provençal studio Miraval, owned by Brad Pitt and Damien Quintard, Ffrench recorded 24 during ten-days of near-total immersion on an array vintage of grand pianos, upright pianos and organs. Adding delicate ripples of percussion to the record’s kaleidoscopic sound, 24 also enlists a string ensemble featuring harp and upright bass.

Inspired in part by the many messages Ffrench has received from listeners throughout his career, 24 finds Ffrench reflecting on what his music means to those who find solace in it and the cherished moments it has served to soundtrack. He explains: “I wanted this album to reflect the everyday miracles in people’s lives.”  

Throughout his career, Ffrench has asked one question above all others: “what do my listeners need from me?”  Now, with 24, the answer is both simple and profound: music to live by.

2026 also marks the 20th anniversary of Ffrench’s seminal debut album Piano Diaries. With each piece evoking the pull of a series of intimate and reflective moments, the record fuses cinematic simplicity with an emotionally direct and highly accessible composition that welcomes all listeners to step directly into Ffrench’s intimate and atmospheric world.

One of the world’s most exciting artists, Alexis Ffrench has played a pivotal role in bringing instrumental music to an ever-increasing audience. His accolades speak for themselves, with well over 1 billion streams across his catalogue, multiple No.1 albums and Gold-selling status in the USA for his single “Bluebird.” 

Whether he’s performing at the King’s Coronation Concert to an audience of over 18 million, scooping an ARIA Award for his Apple Music show Classical Connections, hosting brand-new Classic FM series “Music to Live By”, performing at major festivals and selling out venues worldwide, hosting masterclasses with schools & charitable organizations or putting his own spin on contemporary pop hits for his enthusiastic social media audience, Alexis is driven by the desire to make music accessible to all. 

Refusing to be penned in by genre, time period or the expectations of the kind of musician he should be, and rather than leaning into the traditional understanding of the ‘classical’ genre, Alexis instead leans outward – with his expansive perspective drawing on a multifarious mosaic of influences that takes his listeners by the hand and leads them on a journey through a world of possibility.

With the new album acting as a timelessly enchanting musical journey through the in numerous possibilities held inside one singular day, 24 is the first studio album from Alexis Ffrench since 2024’s Classical Soul Vol. 1 – welcoming in a contemplative and captivating new dawn for the forerunner of contemporary classical music.

Alexis Ffrench - New Album 24 out October 2, 2026
Listen to Blackbird Rising and Blackbird Returning, and Pre-Save 24 here

About Alexis Ffrench

Alexis Ffrench is an artist with a special ability to create music for the soul. A pioneering superstar and trailblazer of ‘Classical Soul’, Alexis’ sound refuses to be penned in by genre, time period, or the expectations of the kind of musician he should be. Rather than leaning into the narrow, traditional understandings of ‘classical’, Alexis instead leans outward, expansive in his perspective, drawing on a multifarious mosaic of influences that takes the listener by the hand and leads them on a journey through a world of possibility.

Alexis’ accolades speak for themselves, as he has surpassed a staggering 1 billion streams across his catalogue, his record Evolution and his single ‘Bluebird’ achieved RIAA Gold status in the US.
 
A passionate advocate for music education, Alexis is the first-ever Artistic Director of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) in its 133-year history. He is also Trustee and Governing Body Member and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, London, and Honorary Fellow of Homerton College, Cambridge. Alexis is an Ambassador for Restore The Music, who work with state schools to provide funding to buy musical instruments and ensure every young person has access to music.

Alexis Ffrench Socials
Website | Instagram | X | TikTok | YouTube

Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, Milan Records, XXIM Records, and Masterworks Broadway imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.sonymusicmasterworks.com/.

June 5: Pianist Charlotte Hu Releases New PENTATONE Album Featuring Enrique Granados’ Goyescas Suite – New Single Out Today

Pianist Charlotte Hu Announces New PENTATONE Album
Featuring Enrique Granados’ Goyescas Suite

New Single: Los Requiebros Out Today
Listen Here | Watch the Music Video

“Hu lends her dazzling technique to Goyescas” – WRTI

Release Date (Worldwide): June 5, 2026

CDs or press downloads available upon request.

www.charlottehu.com | www.pentatonemusic.com

Pianist Charlotte Hu announces Goyescas, her second album on PENTATONE, which will be released on June 5, 2026. Following the release of her 2024 PENTATONE debut, Liszt: Metamorphosis, Hu now turns her attention to Spanish and Catalan composer and pianist, Enrique Granados (July 27, 1867–March 24, 1916) and his iconic piano suite, Goyescas: Los majos enamorados (The Gallants in Love). The recording also highlights two Spanish Dances by Granados, No. 2, “Oriental” and No. 5, “Andaluza.” New single, Los Requiebros is out today – listen here and watch the music video here.

“Recording this album has been a journey of deep engagement with a composer whose music continues to reveal new dimensions with each encounter,” Charlotte Hu says. “My first encounter with Granados’ Goyescas came during my years as a student at Juilliard. I was immediately captivated by the vivid world Granados had created on the keyboard. What struck me most was not simply the technical brilliance of the writing, but rather the poetry embedded within — the nuanced characters, the narrative arc that unfolds across the entire suite, the distinctly Spanish flavors interwoven with profound emotional depth, and the virtuosity that never overshadows the music’s intimate storytelling. Here was a masterwork that seemed to contain entire worlds: passion, tenderness, humor, shadow, and light all coexisting within its six movements. That fascination never left me. Years later, I decided that I wanted to explore this work in its complete form, to understand every layer of Granados’ genius. It is my hope that this recording will help bring Goyescas back into concert halls, where this beautiful masterwork deserves to be heard far more often than it currently is.”

Described as a “first-class talent” (Philadelphia Inquirer) possessing a “superstar quality — musical, energetic, and full of flair” (Jerusalem Post), Taiwanese-American pianist Charlotte Hu has been praised by audiences and critics across the globe for her dazzling virtuosity, captivating musicianship, and magnetic stage presence.

As a soloist, Hu has astounded audiences across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, performing sold-out concerts at many of the world’s most prestigious venues — including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw, Taipei National Concert Hall, and Osaka’s Symphony Hall. She is a frequent guest at music festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival, Ruhr-Klavier Festival, and Oregon Bach Festival. Concerto engagements have included performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and Taiwan Philharmonic, among others. Recent and upcoming highlights for Charlotte Hu include performances presented by Newport Classical, the Mansion at Strathmore, the Gilmore Piano Festival, the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra, the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Taipei Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Center, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and the Taichung Opera House.

Goyescas was inspired by the work of painter Francisco Goya. Hu writes in her liner notes for the album, “Enrique Granados drew his inspiration from the paintings of Francisco Goya, the 18th-century Spanish master whose dark, sensual works explore themes of love, desire, flirtation, and the human condition. Each movement of Goyescas corresponds to a painting or draws from Goya’s visual universe, allowing Granados to translate visual art into musical narrative.”

From the playful charm of “Los requiebros” to the lyrical intimacy of “La maja y el ruiseñor” and the profound emotional summit of “El amor y la muerte,” Granados’ masterwork reveals a world of dramatic contrasts and refined storytelling. Complementing the suite are two Spanish Dances: the hauntingly introspective No. 2, “Oriental,” and the vibrant, guitar-inflected No. 5, “Andaluza.”

With this pairing, Hu captures both the virtuosic brilliance and the deeply intimate narrative of the music, illuminating its modern harmonic language and unmistakable Spanish spirit with freshness and reverence.

More about Charlotte Hu: An active recording artist, Charlotte Hu’s debut album of Chopin works on ArchiMusic was named Best Classical Album of the Year by Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Melody Award, and her recordings released on Naxos/CAG Records and BMOP/sound with Boston Modern Orchestra Project have received overwhelming critical acclaim. Her Rachmaninoff album on Centaur/Naxos received a five-star review by the U.K.’s Pianist magazine, which called it “essential listening for Rachmaninoff admirers.” Her latest album, Liszt Metamorphosis, was released by PENTATONE in July 2024.

Charlotte Hu is the founder of two piano festivals across two continents: the Yun-Hsiang International Music Festival in Taipei and the PYPA Piano Festival in Philadelphia. Now in its 14th year, PYPA has become an important fixture in the classical music world, cultivating a deeper appreciation for classical music and serving as a cultural bridge between East and West.

With a fierce dedication to making classical music more accessible, Charlotte presents captivating programs that tell human stories inclusive of gender and race. By juxtaposing audience favorites with underperformed treasures and newly commissioned works, Charlotte’s recitals consistently offer musical and narrative contrasts that encourage people to listen deeply and discover anew the work of even the most well-known composers.

At the heart of Charlotte’s success is a story of strength, dedication, and resilience that has powered her dream of becoming a world-class artist. Moving to the United States from Taiwan at age 14 without her parents to begin studies at The Juilliard School was the first of many challenges Charlotte has overcome in building her illustrious career — one that’s included winning top prizes at the 12th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition and the Concert Artists Guild Competition, performing on classical music’s biggest stages, and fostering the next generation of musicians as an advocate for classical music through entrepreneurial and philanthropic initiatives. A tireless advocate for humanity, Charlotte raised $27,000 for youth education charities through a Hope Charity Concert live-streamed on her Facebook page in June 2020. The online concert reached more than 140,000 people across the globe.

A Steinway Artist, Charlotte Hu serves as an associate professor at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and as an artist in residence at Temple University in Philadelphia, in addition to her busy performance schedule. She is a frequent guest artist, leading master classes and artist residencies at universities and music festivals worldwide. She holds degrees from The Juilliard School, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Germany’s Hanover University of Music, Drama, and Media, where she studied with Herbert Stessin, Sergei Babayan, and Karl-Heinz Kammerling, respectively.

Goyescas
Charlotte Hu, Piano
Pentatone | Release Date (Worldwide): June 5, 2026

Track List:
Enrique Granados (1867-1916)

Goyescas Suite

1. I. Los Requiebros [8:44]
2. II. Coloquio en la Reja [11:56]
3. III. El Fandango del Candil [5:57]
4. IV. Quejas o la Maja y el Ruiseñor [6:56]
5. V. El Amor y la Muerte: Balada [12:35]
6. VI. Epílogo (Serenata del Espectro) [8:15]

12 Danzas españolas
7. No. 2, Oriental [5:28]
8. No. 5, Andaluza [3:45]

Total playing time: [63:41]

June 11: Telegraph Quartet Kicks Off Morris Museum's 2026 Back Deck Outdoor Concert Series

Photo of the Telegraph Quartet by Lisa Marie Mazzucco available in high resolution here.

Telegraph Quartet Performs on the Morris Museum’s Back Deck
Kicking Off the Celebrated Summer Outdoor Concerts Series

Thursday, June 11, 2026 at 7:30pm
Morris Museum’s Outdoor Concerts on the Back Deck
6 Normandy Heights Road | Morristown, NJ
Tickets and More Information

“soulfulness, tonal beauty and intelligent attention to detail ... an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape.”
– San Francisco Chronicle

www.TelegraphQuartet.com

Morristown, NJ – On Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 7:30 pm, the Telegraph Quartet (Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; Pei-Ling Lin, viola; Jeremiah Shaw, cello) will return to perform for the Morris Museum’s seventh annual Back Deck season. This outdoor concert series began during the pandemic, and The New York Times describes it as “Live Music Splendor in a Parking Lot.” The Telegraph, a group The New York Times describes as being “…full of elegance and pinpoint control…” last performed on the series in July 2024.

Known for technical prowess and an appreciation for the history behind music, the Telegraph Quartet brings its fluid synchronicity and refined artistry to a musically diverse program featuring Eleanor Alberga’s String Quartet No. 3, The Way You Look Tonight by Jerome Kern, and Claude Debussy’s String Quartet.

Jamaican-British composer Eleanor Alberga’s music has been commissioned by the BBC Proms and The Royal Opera, and performed all over the world. She was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2021 for Services to British Music. She wrote her third string quartet in 2001, and describes it as “reflective and inward looking.” The Telegraph pairs Alberga’s quartet with a Great American Songbook transcription of Jerome Kern’s The Way You Look Tonight, originally written for the film Swing Time. The program’s finale is the only string quartet written by iconic French composer Claude Debussy, whose Impressionist style influenced many great artists of the Jazz Age.

“Playing on Morris Museum's Back Deck is always a unique experience, one we've gotten to try out for several years now since it started during the Pandemic,” says Joseph Maile, co-violinist of the Telegraph Quartet. “Who would have thought that what was originally a gritty invention of necessity would create this literally out-of-the-box space in the community for music, wine and food, all against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset! Looking forward to sending the impressionistic colors of each of these works out into the community!”

The Telegraph Quartet formed in 2013 with an equal passion for standard and contemporary chamber music repertoire. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape” and “powerfully adept… with a combination of brilliance and subtlety,” the Telegraph Quartet was awarded the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.

The Telegraph has performed in concert halls, music festivals, and academic institutions across the United States and abroad, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Chamber Masters Series, and at festivals including the Chautauqua Institute, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and the Emilia Romagna Festival. The Quartet is currently the Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Michigan.

Notable collaborations include projects with pianists Leon Fleisher and Simone Dinnerstein; cellists Norman Fischer and Bonnie Hampton; violinist Ian Swensen; and the St. Lawrence Quartet and Henschel Quartett. A fervent champion of 20th- and 21st-century repertoire, the Telegraph Quartet has premiered works by Osvaldo Golijov, John Harbison, Robert Sirota, and Richard Festinger.

The Telegraph Quartet released its celebrated debut album Into The Light in 2018 and is currently recording an extensive three-album series titled 20th Century Vantage Points for Azica Records, exploring string quartets of the 20th century. The first volume, Divergent Paths (2022), features two works that (to the best of the Quartet’s knowledge) have never been recorded on the same album before: Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major and Arnold Schoenberg’s String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 7. In August 2025, the Telegraph released the second volume, Edge of the Storm, which examines the turbulent years of war and its aftermath from 1941-1951 through string quartets by Grażyna Bacewicz, Benjamin Britten, and Mieczysław Weinberg. Volume three will be released in fall 2027. In addition, the Telegraph releases recordings of the string quartets of Robert Sirota in summer 2026 (Azica Records) and of Kenji Bunch in spring 2027 (Phenotypic Records).

Beyond the concert stage, the Telegraph Quartet seeks to spread its music through education and audience engagement. The Quartet has given master classes at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Collegiate and Pre-College Divisions, through the Morrison Artist Series at San Francisco State University, and abroad at the Taipei National University of the Arts, National Taiwan Normal University, and in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Telegraph has also served as artists-in-residence at the Interlochen Adult Chamber Music Camp, SoCal Chamber Music Workshop, and Crowden Music Center Chamber Music Workshop. In November 2020, the Telegraph Quartet launched ChamberFEAST!, a chamber music workshop in Taiwan. In fall 2020, Telegraph launched an online video project called TeleLab, in which the ensemble collectively breaks down the components of a movement from various works for quartet. In the summers of 2022 and 2024, the Telegraph Quartet traveled to Vienna to work with Schoenberg expert Henk Guittart in conjunction with the Arnold Schoenberg Center, researching all of Schoenberg's string quartets.

For more information, visit www.telegraphquartet.com.

For Calendar Editors:

Concert details:

Who: Telegraph Quartet
Presented by Morris Museum as part of the Back Deck Outdoor Concert Series
What: Music by Eleanor Alberga, Jerome Kern, and Claude Debussy
When: Thursday, June 11, 2026 at 7:30pm
Where: Outdoors on the Morris Museum’s elevated parking deck, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ
Tickets and information: morrismuseum.org/outdoor-concerts-on-the-back-deck

Description: The award-winning Telegraph Quartet, a group The San Francisco Chronicle describes as having "tonal warmth and communicative urgency,” performs as part of the Morris Museum’s annual Back Deck Outdoor Concert Series. Known for technical prowess and an appreciation for the history behind music, the Telegraph brings its fluid synchronicity and refined artistry to a musically diverse program featuring Eleanor Alberga’s String Quartet No. 3, The Way You Look Tonight by Jerome Kern, and Claude Debussy’s String Quartet.

California Symphony Celebrates 40th Anniversary at Claremont Hotel in Berkeley

Photos by Drew Altizer Photography, available in high resolution here.

California Symphony Celebrates 40th Anniversary at Claremont Hotel in Berkeley

www.californiasymphony.org

WALNUT CREEK, CA – California Symphony’s 40th Anniversary Gala, held on April 18, 2026 at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, brought together a vibrant cross-section of civic leaders, arts champions, and devoted patrons to celebrate four decades of music-making and community impact. Guests gathered to honor longtime champions Ralph and Loella Haskew (former California Symphony Board President and former Walnut Creek Mayor, respectively), whose enduring support has shaped the organization since its earliest days. Attendees included past California Symphony composer Viet Cuong and notable community leaders, including Walnut Creek council members Cindy Silva and Matt Francois. Performances were by the California Symphony and DJ Snick at Night. The evening, emceed by Classical California’s Dianne Nicolini, featured remarks from Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera, Board President Barbara Hodgkinson, Past Board President Bill Armstrong, and Executive Director Lisa Dell. 

The event underscored California Symphony’s mission to present engaging, inclusive concert experiences while investing deeply in education and new music. For 40 years, the California Symphony has been a vibrant cultural cornerstone of Walnut Creek and greater Contra Costa County, bringing world-class music, unforgettable live performances, and accessible education for all to the community. Proceeds from the annual gala advance California Symphony’s mission to deliver innovative performances, cultivate the next generation of artists and audiences, and enrich the cultural life of the community through the power of music. 

The gala raised nearly $200,000 in support of the California Symphony’s artistic and education programs. What set the evening apart was its immersive musical storytelling: guests were surrounded by live performances of selections from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons alongside a beloved work by Viet Cuong, originally premiered by the orchestra online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The night balanced elegance with joy, culminating in a high-energy, unexpected 1980s dance party in celebration of the orchestra’s founding in 1986. The dance floor kept the celebration going late into the night. 

​Notable attendees:

• ​Classical California/KDFC’s Dianne Nicolini, who was the Master of Ceremonies

• California Symphony Artistic & Music Director Donato Cabrera

• ​Board Member Bill Armstrong and his wife Navid Armstrong

• ​Former California Symphony Board member (and former Board President) Ralph Haskew and his wife  Loella Haskew, who has been a longtime volunteer with California Symphony since its first gala (event honorees)

• ​Past California Symphony Composer-in-Residence Viet Cuong

• Walnut Creek Councilmember and former mayor Cindy Silva

• Walnut Creek Councilmember and former mayor Matt Francois

• Interim CEO of Walnut Creek Chamber and Vice President of Visit Walnut Creek Nicole Hankton

• Peggy White, Executive Director of the Diablo Regional Arts Association (DRAA)

• California Symphony Board President Barbara Hodgkinson

• Anne Grodin, former Mayor of Lafayette and councilmember (1991-1999), founder of the Lafayette Community Foundation and past board member.

• Sunne McPeak, former Secretary of the California Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency (2003-2006); on the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors (1979-1994)

• Gail Murray, former Director (District 1) of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board of Directors

• Jim Reiter, California Symphony’s first Board President

• Kathy Hemmingway, Executive Director of Walnut Creek Downtown

ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA SYMPHONY:

Founded in 1986, California Symphony has been led by Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera since 2013. It is distinguished by its vibrant concert programs that span the breadth of orchestral repertoire, including works by American composers and by living composers. Its concert season at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California serves a growing number of music lovers from across the Bay Area.

California Symphony believes that the concert experience should be fun and inviting, and its mission is to create a welcoming, engaging, and inclusive environment for the entire community. Through this commitment to community, imaginative programming, and its support of emerging composers, California Symphony is a leader among orchestras in California and a model for regional orchestras everywhere.

Since 1991, California Symphony's three-year Young American Composer-in-Residence program has provided a composer with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to collaborate with the orchestra over three consecutive years to create, rehearse, premiere, and record three major orchestra compositions, one each season. Every Composer-in-Residence has gone on to win top honors and accolades in the field, including the Rome Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Grammy Awards, and more.

The orchestra's nationally recognized educational initiative Sound Minds impacts students' trajectories by providing instruction for violin or cello and musicianship skills. Sound Minds has proven to contribute directly to improved reading and math proficiencies and character development, as students set and achieve goals, learn communication and problem-solving skills, and gain self-confidence. Inspired by the El Sistema program of Venezuela, the program is offered completely free of charge to the students and families of Downer Elementary School in San Pablo, California.

Through its innovative adult education program Fresh Look: The Symphony Exposed, California Symphony provides lifelong learners a fun-filled introduction to the orchestra and classical music. Led by celebrated educator and California Symphony program annotator Scott Foglesong, these live classes are held over four weeks in the summer annually.

In 2017, California Symphony became the first orchestra with a public statement of a commitment to diversity. Its website is available in both Spanish and English.

Reaching far beyond the performance hall, since 2020 the orchestra's concerts have been broadcast nationally on multiple radio series through Classical California (KUSC/KDFC) and the WFMT Radio Network, reaching over 1.5 million listeners across the country. For more information, visit CaliforniaSymphony.org.​

Newport Classical Concludes 2025-2026 Chamber Series with Concerts in May and June

L-R: Zijian Wei, Amir Hoshang Farsi, Mika Sasaki. Photos available in high resolution here.

Newport Classical Concludes 2025-2026 Chamber Series

Friday, May 8, 2026 at 7:30pm: James Zijian Wei performs Ravel and Liszt

Friday, June 5, 2026 at 7:30pm: Amir Hoshang Farsi and Mika Sasaki

Newport Classical Recital Hall | 42 Dearborn Street | Newport, RI
Information & Tickets: www.newportclassical.org

Newport, RI – Newport Classical concludes its fifth full-season Chamber Series, which features twelve concerts held on select Fridays between September 2025 and June 2026 at the organization’s home venue, the Newport Classical Recital Hall (42 Dearborn St.). On Friday, May 8, 2026 at 7:30pm, pianist James Zijian Wei makes his Newport debut, and on Friday, June 5, 2026 at 7:30pm, flutist Amir Hoshang Farsi and pianist Mika Sasaki close this season’s Chamber Series with a colorful and virtuosic program.

Pianist James Zijian Wei comes to Newport on May 8 following a sweeping first-prize win at the 2024 Cleveland International Piano Competition. A standout among China’s rising generation of pianists, Wei has earned international acclaim on major stages and has been recognized with top prizes at the Lang Lang Cup, the China Grand Canal Festival, and the Beijing International Chopin Competition. In Newport, Wei presents a program of Barber, Ravel, Liszt, and more showcasing the magnetic energy of a major artist on the rise.

Newport Classical Executive Director Oliver Inteeworn writes of the program:

“James Zijian Wei’s concert program has a wonderful dramatic arc. He opens with Scriabin’s Piano Sonata No. 5 in F-sharp Major, Op. 53, a work of volcanic intensity. Scriabin wrote this piece after relocating from Paris to Lausanne, a place he found more peaceful, and where he felt at ease. You can almost hear his sense of liberation and joy in the work, which took him only six days to write. From there, Wei turns to Samuel Barber’s Excursions, Op. 20, four short, distinctly American character pieces that draw on folk idioms including blues, boogie-woogie, fiddle, and even a cowboy ballad. Next, Wei performs Lü Wencheng’s Autumn Moon on a Calm Lake, rooted in the tradition of Cantonese music and evoking the beauty of moonlight on water.The second half of the concert opens with Ravel’s famous work, La Valse, a dizzyingly virtuosic showcase that is very demanding for the soloist. The final piece on Wei’s program is Liszt’s Fantasie über Themen aus Mozarts Figaro und Don Giovanni, S. 697, which brilliantly weaves together melodies from Mozart’s two great operas.”

Flutist Amir Hoshang Farsi and pianist Mika Sasaki join forces on June 5 to close this season’s Chamber Series with brilliance and flair. Hailed as “virtuosic and birdlike” (I Care If You Listen), Farsi brings his lyrical tone and adventurous spirit to a rich and colorful program featuring works by Gabriel Fauré, Lili Boulanger, Ian Clarke, Reena Esmail, and Yuko Uébayashi. Sasaki, praised as a “superb interpreter” (Fanfare) and for her “virtuosity… and sparkling sound” (Times Argus) has performed at leading venues across North America, Europe, and Asia, and is celebrated for her remarkably expressive range. Together, these two rising stars present a program of sparkling Impressionism. This concert is made possible through the generous support of Ron and Maureen Early.

Inteeworn writes of Farsi and Sasaki’s program:

“The duo’s program opens with two short works by French composer Lili Boulanger, who in spite of only living to the age of 24 left us with a catalog of treasured works. Farsi and Sasaki will perform her sunlit D’un matin de printemps (Of a Spring Morning) and her subdued Nocturne. Next, they perform Fauré’s Sonata in A Major, Op. 13, of which fellow composer Saint-Saëns wrote, ‘This sonata has everything that will seduce the gourmet: novel forms, exquisite modulations, uncommon tone colours, the use of the most unexpected rhythms…hovering above all this is a magic which envelops the work…’ The second half of the concert features three vivid new works. Ian Clarke describes his piece Orange Dawn as ‘inspired by the vision of a dawn scene in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa.’ Reena Esmail’s Zinfandel blends Western classical and Hindustani musical traditions. She writes that she imagined ‘a glimmer of light reflecting and refracting off the surface of the dark, rich wine’ while composing it. Yuko Uébayashi’s Sonata for Flute and Piano brings the concert full circle, reflecting both French Impressionist music and the influence of Japanese film music, related to the composer’s experiences in her native Kyoto and in Paris, where she has made her home for many years.”

Newport Classical's Chamber Series takes place at Newport Classical Recital Hall in downtown Newport, known for its striking architecture and excellent acoustics. Audiences are invited to enjoy performances by world-class classical musicians in a relaxed setting, with complimentary wine generously provided by Gold's Wine and Spirits served when the doors open at 7:00pm and again during intermission. Both performers and audience members alike have described these concerts as some of their favorites. “Beautiful concert, high artistry and exciting programming . . . a deeply moving and soulful experience, with a rousing and brilliant virtuosity that kept you on the edge of your seat,” raved one attendee.

As part of Newport Classical's desire to create connections between classical music, the artists who perform it, and the Newport community, all musicians performing on the Chamber Series will also visit a local school or organization to present their talents and meaningfully engage with students and community members of all ages through Newport Classical's Music Enrichment and Engagement Initiative.

Up next, the 2026 Newport Classical Music Festival will take place from July 2-19, 2026. Highlights of the 2026 Festival include Opening Night with chamber orchestra Delirium Musicum; a celebration of the Golden Age of Opera with Lawrence Brownlee and Erin Morley; solo piano performances by Michelle Cann and Dmitry Shishkin, as well as a two-piano recital with Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy; a new work by Vivian Fung, co-commissioned by Newport Classical, performed by Sandbox Percussion and violinist Kristin Lee; performances by violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing, VOCES8, Apollo’s Fire, Trio Karénine, WindSync, Cerus Saxophone Quartet, Beijing Guitar Duo, Parker Quartet, and more; two evenings with Broadway star Jeremy Jordan, known for his lead role in Newsies and most recently The Great Gatsby; and Closing Night with the GRAMMY® Award-winning Harlem Quartet, joined by Newport Classical’s Resident Festival Artists. Additional highlights include the beloved Sunrise Concerts at 5:15am; a concert inspired by nature at Norman Bird Sanctuary; a free Fourth of July concert at King Park; and this year’s young professional Newport ClassicalResidentFestival Artists in eight performances. For details, visit newportclassical.org/concerts.

About Newport Classical

Newport Classical is a premier performing arts organization that welcomes people of every age, culture, and background to intimate, immersive musical experiences. The organization presents world-renowned and up-and-coming artistic talents at stunning, storied venues across Newport – an internationally sought-after cultural and recreational destination.

Originally founded in 1969 as Rhode Island Arts Foundation at Newport, Inc., Newport Classical has a rich legacy of musical curiosity having presented the American debuts of hundreds of international artists and is most well-known for hosting three weeks of concerts in the summer in the historic mansions throughout Newport and Aquidneck Island. In the 56 years since, Newport Classical has become the most active year-round presenter of live performing arts on Aquidneck Island, and an essential pillar of Rhode Island’s cultural landscape, welcoming thousands of patrons all year long.

Newport Classical invests in the future of classical music as a diverse, relevant, and ever-evolving art form through its four core programs – the one-of-a-kind Music Festival; the Chamber Series in the Newport Classical Recital Hall; the free, family-friendly Community Concerts Series; and the Music Education and Engagement Initiative that inspires students in local schools to become the arts advocates and music lovers of tomorrow. These programs illustrate the organization’s ongoing commitment to presenting “timeless music for today.”

In 2021, the organization launched a new commissioning initiative – each year, Newport Classical will commission a new work by a Black, Indigenous, person of color, or woman composer as a commitment to the future of classical music. To date, Newport Classical has commissioned and presented the world premiere of works by Stacy Garrop, Shawn Okpebholo, Curtis Stewart, Clarice Assad, and Cris Derksen.

Gardner Museum Concludes Spring 2026 Weekend Concert Series - Isata Kanneh-Mason on May 10 and Renaissance String Quartet on May 17

L-R: Renaissance String Quartet, Isata Kanneh-Mason. Press photos available here.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Concludes
Winter/Spring 2026 Weekend Concert Series

Sunday, May 10 at 1:30 pm: Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
Sunday, May 17 at 1:30 pm: Renaissance String Quartet

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum | Calderwood Hall | 25 Evans Way | Boston, MA
Tickets: www.gardnermuseum.org/about/music

For press tickets, please contact Christina Jensen at christina@jensenartists.com

BOSTON, MA – The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum concludes its Winter/Spring 2026 Weekend Concert Series, presenting leading pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason on Sunday, May 10, 2026 at 1:30 pm and the Renaissance String Quartet on Sunday, May 17, 2026 at 1:30 pm. This fifteen-concert season curated by Abrams Curator of Music George Steel runs from January 25 through May 17, 2026, and features world-class artists in the Museum’s extraordinary Calderwood Hall—a 300-seat “sonic cube” with three levels of balconies designed so that 80% of seats are front row, creating a uniquely intense and intentional listening experience. 

The stellar pianist member of the great English Kanneh-Mason family of musicians, Isata Kanneh-Mason, takes a moment away from the concerto stage to bring this thoughtfully constructed program to Calderwood Hall on May 10. She performs two of Beethoven’s best-loved sonatas, the “Moonlight” and the “Waldstein;” Ravel’s astonishing three-movement tour-de-force Gaspard de la nuit, inspired by the dark poetry of Aloysius Bertrand; and pair of shorter works, Halo and Nocturne, by Bulgarian-British composer Dobrinka Tabakova. 

Isata Kanneh-Mason is in high demand from concert halls and orchestras worldwide. In July 2024, she was invited to perform at the First Night of the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall with the BBC Symphony and conductor Elim Chan, a performance that resulted in stellar reviews. In addition to performing in recital at the Gardner Museum, this season she also appears at Wigmore Hall in London, the Brucknerhaus in Linz, Powell Hall in St Louis, De Bijloke in Ghent, Norwegian National Opera in Oslo, and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, among others. Her recording of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Philharmonia Orchestra was recently released on Decca. BBC Music Magazine raves, "She is a pianist who makes lines sing beautifully and virtuosic passages dance, finding intimacy and eloquence at telling moments."

The Gardner Museum presents the Renaissance String Quartet on May 17, for the closing performance of the Winter/Spring 2026 Weekend Concert Series. This supergroup includes violinist Randall Goosby, violinist Jeremiah Blacklow, violist Jameel Martin, and cellist Daniel Hass—four terrific musicians who find time in their busy touring lives as soloists and chamber musicians to perform together. Brahms’ String Quartet No. 2 in A minor anchors the program with its characteristic blend of passion and intellectual rigor. The concert also includes the great American composer Florence Price’s String Quartet No. 1 in G Major. Price had a special gift for quartet writing; the exquisite and eloquent slow movement of her first quartet shows her love of American song, especially Black spirituals. The program closes with String Quartet No. 1, “Love and Levity,” by Daniel Hass, the cellist in the Renaissance String Quartet. He describes the piece as “Beethovenian in its thematic and structural tautness, but even more so in its motion towards excess.”

The Renaissance String Quartet is driven by a desire to reimagine the role and capacity of the string quartet as a vehicle for change, inspiring audiences, students, and collaborators around the world. Founded in 2021, the New York City-based quartet was formed on the basis of over a decade of friendship at The Perlman Music Program and The Juilliard School. The quartet feels a responsibility to command a diverse repertoire of classic, underrepresented, and new works, so they can contribute to the reclamation, redefinition, and continuation of a musical tradition that belongs to all of us. They represent and articulate an inclusive vision of the future of classical music, which sees a culture of music wherein all lives and histories are welcomed and celebrated. 

Also in May, the Gardner Museum presents its next Thursday Night Music concert on May 28, 2026, featuring John Zorn’s New Masada Quartet with John Zorn, saxophone; Julian Lage, electric guitar; Jorge Roeder, bass; and Kenny Wollesen, drums. The New Masada Quartet is iconoclastic composer and saxophonist John Zorn’s virtuosic ensemble that performs classic compositions from Zorn’s Masada songbooks—hundreds of short-form pieces marrying Jewish klezmer music and free jazz. Thursday Night Music brings a different energy to the concert hall than the afternoon performances of the Museum’s Weekend Concert Series, featuring edgier, more experimental work. With no intermissions, open seating, and a relaxed atmosphere, these single-set performances offer immersive and adventurous listening experiences. 

George Steel’s music programming for the Museum continues founder and legendary arts patron Isabella Stewart Gardner’s vision of bringing together musicians and audiences for inspiring gatherings. Dating to 1927, the Gardner’s Weekend Concert Series is the longest running museum music program in the country. Much like Isabella Stewart Gardner did in her time, Steel champions unknown repertoire and embraces new works, creates connections and builds community among musicians, and supports them by presenting them in new endeavors and collaborations. His programming also frequently draws on the history of the Gardner Museum, featuring instruments from the Museum’s collection and music by composers who were associated with its founder. In honoring Isabella Stewart Gardner’s musical legacy, Music at the Gardner remains strongly committed to broadening the repertoire of music presented to include previously overlooked and marginalized composers as well as performers of all backgrounds.

Winter/Spring 2026 At-a-Glance Concert Schedule 

January 25 at 1:30pm: Twelfth Night Ensemble (postponed)
February 1 at 1:30pm: Romuald Grimbert-Barré, violin; Tommy Mesa, cello; Albert Cano Smit, piano
February 8 at 1:30pm: Claremont Trio
February 22 at 1:30pm: Attacca Quartet
February 26 at 7 pm: Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians performed by Ensemble Signal - Thursday Night Music
March 1 at 1:30pm: Goldmund Quartet with Gloria Chien, piano
March 8 at 1:30pm: Paul O’Dette, lute
March 15 at 1:30pm: Borromeo String Quartet
March 29 at 1:30pm: Castle of Our Skins with Daniel Bernard Roumain, electric violin and Val-Inc, sound chemist
April 5 at 1:30pm: Paul Galbraith, guitar
April 12 at 1:30pm: Randall Goosby, violin with Zhu Wang, piano
April 18 at 2 pm: Boston Children’s Chorus: The Road She Paved
April 19 at 1:30pm: Imani Winds
April 26 at 1:30pm: The Butter Quartet
May 10 at 1:30pm: Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
May 17 at 1:30pm: Renaissance String Quartet
May 28 at 7 pm: John Zorn’s New Masada Quartet - Thursday Night Music

All concerts take place on Sundays at 1:30 pm, except for Ensemble Signal which performs on Thursday, February 26 at 7 pm and the Boston Children’s Chorus which performs on Saturday, April 18 at 2 pm. All concerts take place in Calderwood Hall at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (25 Evans Way, Boston, MA).

Ticketing Information

Tickets are available at gardnermuseum.org/about/music or by calling the Box Office at 617 278 5156. For additional information including about accessibility, please contact boxoffice@isgm.org.

About the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum invites you to escape the ordinary in a magical setting where art and community come together to inspire new ways of envisioning our world. Embodying the fearless legacy of its founder, the Museum offers a singular invitation to explore the past through a contemporary lens, creating meaningful encounters with art and joyful connections for all. Modeled after a Venetian palazzo, unforgettable galleries surround a luminous Courtyard and are home to masters such as Rembrandt, Raphael, Titian, Michelangelo, Whistler, and Sargent. The Renzo Piano Wing provides a platform for contemporary artists, musicians, and scholars and serves as an innovative venue where creativity is celebrated in all of its forms. 

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum • 25 Evans Way, Boston, MA 02115 • Hours: Open Weekends from 10 am to 5 pm, Weekdays from 11am to 5 pm and Thursdays until 9 pm. Closed Tuesdays. • Admission: Adults $22; Seniors $20; Students $15; Free for members, children under 18, everyone on their birthday, and all named “Isabella” • $2 off admission with a same-day Museum of Fine Arts, Boston ticket • For information 617 566 1401 • Box Office 617 278 5156 • www.gardnermuseum.org

Music at the Gardner is supported by Manitou Fund. The Museum thanks its generous concert donors: The Coogan Concert in memory of Peter Weston Coogan; Fitzpatrick Family Concert; James Lawrence Memorial Concert; Alford P. Rudnick Memorial Concert; David Scudder in memory of his wife, Marie Louise Scudder; Wendy Shattuck Young Artist Concert; and Willona Sinclair Memorial Concert. The piano is dedicated as the Alex d’Arbeloff Steinway. The harpsichord was generously donated by Dr. Robert Barstow in memory of Marion Huse, and its care is endowed in memory of Dr. Barstow by The Barstow Fund. Music at the Gardner is also supported in part by Barbara and Amos Hostetter, Joseph Mari, Sallie and Jim McGregor, Nicie and Jay Panetta, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc., and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which is supported by the state of Massachusetts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

June 23: New York Premiere of Lisa Bielawa’s PULSE Feat. Violinist Tessa Lark with The Knights Conducted by Eric Jacobsen – Presented by Naumburg Orchestral Concerts

Photo of Tessa Lark by Lauren Desberg available here & Lisa Bielawa by Shawn Poynter available here.

New York Premiere of Lisa Bielawa’s Violin Concerto PULSE
on June 23, 2026

Featuring Violin Soloist Tessa Lark with The Knights
Conducted by Co-Artistic Director Eric Jacobsen

Presented by Naumburg Orchestral Concerts

Tuesday, June 23, 2026 at 7:30pm
Naumburg Bandshell, on the Concert Ground, Central Park (72nd St, mid-park)
Free and Open to the Public
More Information

Lisa Bielawa: www.lisabielawa.net | Tessa Lark: www.tessalark.com

New York, NY – Composer Lisa Bielawa’s new violin concerto, PULSE, will receive its New York premiere performed by GRAMMY®-nominated orchestral collective The Knights conducted by Co-Artistic Director Eric Jacobsen on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 at 7:30pm at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park (mid-park at 72nd St.) presented by Naumburg Orchestral Concerts. The featured violin soloist will be Tessa Lark, for whom the piece was written. Lark is winner of the Walter W. Naumburg Int’l Competition Winner (2012).

The Knights’ program will also include

Christina Courtin: Rhapsody on being Giant Proof
Lisa Bielawa: Violin Concerto No. 2: Pulse
Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings
Caroline Shaw: The Mountain that Loved a Bird
Paul Simon (arr. Colin Jacobsen): American Tune

Of her new violin concerto, Bielawa writes, “This concerto was conceived as a way of keeping my finger on the pulse of American life during a period of seismic change and self-examination. Composed over a six-month period starting just before the 2024 presidential election, it is also informed by my immersion during this time in our sentimental history as told through our traditional musics. Tessa Lark’s artistry draws from multiple musical traditions, from Old-time to jazz to the classical avant-garde. I have had the enviable opportunity to hear Tessa play in the Smoky Mountains with Appalachian traditional musicians, at the Blue Note in midtown Manhattan, and on concert stages in concertos and chamber music both new and old.”

Lark, for whom Bielawa wrote this concerto, is one of the most captivating artistic voices of our time, consistently praised by critics and audiences for her astounding range of sounds, technical agility, and musical elegance. Increasingly in demand in the classical realm, in 2020 she was nominated for a GRAMMY in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category. She is also a highly acclaimed fiddler in the tradition of her native Kentucky, delighting audiences with programming that includes Appalachian and bluegrass music and inspiring composers to write for her.

PULSE was co-commissioned by the Koussevitzky Foundation, Library of Congress; Boston Modern Orchestra Project; and Louisville Orchestra; with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Santa Fe Pro Musica. Support has also been provided by James Rosenfield, Justus Schlichting, Kari and Jon Ullman, New Music USA's Amplifying Voices Program, and the Loghaven Artist Residency.

In addition to PULSE, Lisa Bielawa’s 2025-2026 season features more bold programming, new collaborations, and world premieres of several new works. Knoxville Broadcast, a new installment in Bielawa’s Broadcast series, premiered on October 17 and 18, 2025 in Knoxville, TN in three site-specific performances at Knoxville’s World’s Fair Park presented by Big Ears. On February 26, 2026, Miller Theatre at Columbia University in New York presented a Composer Portrait concert dedicated exclusively to Bielawa’s music, including the world premiere of Balloon Variations, a new work, all performed by Contemporaneous led by David Bloom, with Bielawa singing. She is currently at work on her Guggenheim Fellowship project, a hybrid film and live action opera called La Ballonniste or Balloon: A Hot Air Opera – a heartfelt comedy centering on 18th century French opera singer Élisabeth Tible, the first woman to fly in a hot air balloon. Bielawa is also a Howard Hanson Visiting Professor at the Eastman School of Music for this academic year. Her next “spatial symphony,” Rochester Broadcast, will be performed outdoors at Parcel 5 in Rochester on April 18, 2026.

Bielawa and The Knights have a long running collaborative relationship of more than 15 years, including performing and recording of her work Chance Encounter with soprano Susan Narucki, who co-conceived the work with Bielawa. The Knights also co-commissioned Bielawa’s Tempelhof Etude (2011) and premiered the work at the Naumburg Bandshell in June 2011. In 2016, The Knights commissioned Bielawa’s My Outstretched Hand, a full choral-orchestral work, which they premiered at Jazz at Lincoln Center as part of the NY Phil Biennial. In 2019, The Knights commissioned an orchestral arrangement of Bielawa’s chamber work, Fictional Migrations, which they also premiered presented by Naumburg Orchestral Concerts in June 2019.

Lisa Bielawa is a Guggenheim Fellow and Rome Prize winner who takes inspiration for her work from literary sources and close artistic collaborations. She has received awards and fellowships from the Koussevitzky Foundation, American Academy of Arts & Letters, OPERA America, American Antiquarian Society, Loghaven Artist Residency, and was part of the inaugural Louisville Orchestra’s Creators Corps. She received a Los Angeles Area Emmy nomination for her unprecedented, made-for-TV-and-online opera Vireo: The Spiritual Biography of a Witch's Accuser. Bielawa’s music has been premiered at the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, SHIFT Festival, National Cathedral, Rouen Opera, MAXXI Museum in Rome, and Helsinki Music Center, among others. Orchestras that have championed her music include The Knights, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, ROCO, and the Orlando Philharmonic. Premieres of her work have been commissioned and presented by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Rider, Seattle Chamber Music Society, Radio France, Yerevan Concert Hall in Armenia, the Venice Architectural Biennale, American Music Week in Salzburg, the INFANT Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia, and more. Bielawa consistently incorporates community-making as part of her artistic vision. She has created music for public spaces in Lower Manhattan, a bridge over the Ohio River in Louisville, KY, the banks of the Tiber River in Rome, on the sites of former airfields in Berlin and San Francisco, and to mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. During the pandemic, Bielawa cultivated a virtual community using submitted testimonies and recorded voices from six continents through her work Broadcast from Home, now archived by the Library of Congress.

For Calendar Editors:

Description: Composer Lisa Bielawa’s new violin concerto, PULSE, will have its New York premiere performed by GRAMMY®-nominated orchestral collective The Knights, Conducted by co-Artistic Director Eric Jacobsen, with violin soloist Tessa Lark, on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 at 7:30pm at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park. The free concert is part of the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts. The program will also include Rhapsody on being Giant Proof by Christina Courtin, Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber, The Mountain that Loved a Bird by Caroline Shaw, and American Tune by Paul Simon (arr. Colin Jacobsen).

Concert details:

What: PULSE - a new violin concerto by Lisa Bielawa - New York Premiere
Who: The Knights, conducted by Co-Artistic Director Eric Jacobsen, with Violin Soloist Tessa Lark
When: Tuesday, June 23, 2026 at 7:30pm
Where: Naumburg Bandshell, on the Concert Ground, Central Park (72nd St, mid-park)
Free and Open to the Public
More information: https://naumburgconcerts.org/upcoming/theknights