June 20: GRAMMY®-Nominated Neave Trio Releases La Mer – New Album on Chandos Records Featuring the Music of Debussy (arr. Sally Beamish), Saint-Saëns, and Bonis
June 20: GRAMMY®-Nominated Neave Trio Releases La Mer – New Album on Chandos Records
GRAMMY®-Nominated Neave Trio Releases La Mer
New Album on Chandos Records
Featuring the Music of
Claude Debussy (arr. Sally Beamish), Camille Saint-Saëns, and Mel Bonis
Listen to the First Single – Out Now
Saint-Saëns’s Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 92, Mvt. II
Worldwide Release: June 20, 2025
Pre-Order Available Now
Downloads and CDs available to press on request
“Passion, vibrancy and a riot of colours” –The Strad
“I was spellbound by the generous and warm-hearted, utterly beguiling playing” –BBC Music Magazine
www.neavetrio.com | www.chandos.net
On June 20, 2025, the GRAMMY®-nominated Neave Trio (violinist Anna Williams, cellist Mikhail Veselov, and pianist Eri Nakamura), releases La Mer, the ensemble’s seventh album on Chandos Records. Following the folk-inspired program of Neave’s 2024 album Rooted, La Mer is a celebration of French works for piano trio focused on three pieces composed around the turn of the twentieth century – Trio No. 2, Op. 92 in E minor by Camille Saint-Saëns; Soir-Matin, Op. 76 by Mel Bonis; and La Mer by Claude Debussy, arranged by Sally Beamish. The first single, the second movement of Saint-Saëns’s Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 92, is out now – listen here.
With this album, the Neave Trio continues its dedication to crafting compelling recordings with inspired thematic focus – a passion that has thrived since the release of Musical Remembrances in 2022, which was nominated for a GRAMMY® in the Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble category.
“Together, these works form a richly textured soundscape, capturing the sea’s many forms: majestic, mysterious, and vulnerable,” says the Neave Trio. “In creating La Mer, we sought not only to explore the emotional range of this repertoire, but to reflect on our shared connection to the natural world — and the urgent need to preserve its beauty.”
The album’s titular work is Claude Debussy's orchestral masterpiece La Mer, as arranged by Sally Beamish. This three-movement symphonic work presented Beamish with an exceptional challenge. Beamish says she strove to “reinvent Debussy's orchestral score with the piano trio in mind… This meant exploring what strings and piano can do in terms of texture and concentrating on idiomatic and natural techniques.” By studying and recreating Debussy's colors and textures, rather than attempting to transcribe every note, Beamish produced an arrangement that presents the performers and listeners with a completely new perspective on these well-loved seascapes.
Saint-Saëns’ Piano Trio No. 2 dates from 1892. Unusually for Saint-Saëns, the work took a great deal of time from conception to completion – over five years – and then went through several subsequent revisions before Saint-Saëns was finally satisfied. Though smaller in scale, Mel Bonis’s two pieces, Soir and Matin, are equally powerful works, bridging the worlds of Romanticism and Impressionism. Soir is dominated by a cantabile melody, while Matin is more chromatic and harmonically complex.
Of La Mer’s oceanic theme and its connection with the musicality of the works on the album, the Neave Trio says:
“La Mer is a meditation on the sea – its power, fragility, and timeless mystery. At a time when the ocean is more than ever at the center of our global consciousness, we were drawn to music that explores, whether overtly or in more subtle ways, the sea’s emotional and atmospheric depths. Sally Beamish’s masterful arrangement of Debussy’s La Mer for piano trio anchors the album – preserving the vast scope and color of the original while offering an intimate and transparent new lens. While the works by Camille Saint-Saëns and Mel Bonis are not programmatic in the same way, we felt they resonate with Debussy’s vision. Each offers a vivid, almost visual impression of motion, power, atmosphere, and beauty. The opening of the Saint-Saëns Trio No. 2 rolls forward with the momentum of crashing waves, while Bonis’s trio evokes a glowing sonic landscape – fluid, layered, and alive.”
The Neave Trio has emerged as one of the finest young ensembles of its generation. It has been praised by WQXR Radio in New York City, with the station noting the alignment of the trio’s unique name and exemplary musicality: “'Neave' is actually a Gaelic name meaning 'bright' and 'radiant', both of which certainly apply to this trio's music making." The trio is also described by The Strad as having "elegant phrasing and deft control of textures," and praised by The New York Times for its "excellent performances."
Previous albums include Rooted (Chandos, 2024), which celebrates the folk inspired music of Bedřich Smetana, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Josef Suk, and Frank Martin; Musical Remembrances (Chandos, 2022), which features Rachmaninoff’s Trio élégiaque No. 1, Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 8, and Ravel’s Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 67; the highly celebrated Her Voice (Chandos, 2019), which features the works of women composers Louise Farrenc, Amy Beach, and Rebecca Clarke; A Room of Her Own (Chandos, 2024), the thematic successor to Her Voice that highlights music by Cécile Chaminade, Ethel Smyth, Germaine Tailleferre, and Lili Boulanger – two pairs of women composers from two different generations; French Moments (Chandos, 2018), which includes the only known piano trios by Debussy, Fauré, and Roussel; and Neave’s Chandos debut, American Moments (2016), featuring works by Korngold, Foote, and Bernstein. In 2018, Neave Trio also released its critically acclaimed album, Celebrating Piazzolla (Azica Records, 2018), featuring mezzo-soprano Carla Jablonski.
Formed in 2010, the Neave Trio – currently Ensemble-in-Residence at Virginia Commonwealth University – strives to champion new works by living composers and reach wider audiences through innovative concert presentations, regularly collaborating with artists of all mediums. These collaborations include the premiere of Robert Paterson’s Triple Concerto with the Mostly Modern Orchestra under the direction of JoAnn Falletta; D-Cell: an Exhibition & Durational Performance, conceived and directed by multi-disciplinary visual artist David Michalek; the commissioning and premiere of Vast Palette – a new work by Jennifer Higdon – and Gathering Light, a collaboration with visual artist and Harvard professor Sharon Harper; in the premiere of Klee Musings by acclaimed American composer Augusta Read Thomas; in the premiere of Eric Nathan’s Missing Words V, sponsored by Coretet; in Leah Reid’s Cloud Burst for piano trio and electronics; in Dale Trumbore’s Another Chance; and in a music video by filmmaker Amanda Alvarez Díaz of Astor Piazzolla’s "Otoño Porteño.” The Neave Trio’s latest project is Rising, a collaboration with Pigeonwing Dance, composer Robert Sirota, and choreographer Gabrielle Lamb. Rising is a meditation not only on rising temperatures and sea levels but also on humanity’s rising awareness of our connection to and dependence on the Earth’s oceans.
For more information, visit www.neavetrio.com.
La Mer – French Works for Piano Trio | Neave Trio | Chandos Records
Release Date: June 20, 2025 (Worldwide)
Recorded July 23-25, 2024 at Potton Hall, Dunwich, Suffolk, England
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921): Trio No. 2, Op. 92 in E minor • in e-Moll • en mi mineur for Piano, Violin, and Cello
À Madame la Vicomtesse de Guitaut (née Anna Hoskier) (1892) [32:51]
[1] I. Allegro non troppo [11:10]
[2] II. Allegretto – Allegro – Allegretto – Allegro –
Allegretto (poco meno) – A tempo ma tranquillo [5:44]
[3] III. Andante con moto [4:11]
[4] IV. Grazioso, poco allegro [4:13]
[5] V. Allegro – Allegro moderato [7:32]
Mel [Mélanie Hélène Domange, née] Bonis (1858-1937): Soir-Matin, Op. 76 for Piano Trio (1907) [8:16]
[6] Soir. Andante cantabile – Cédez un peu [4:19]
[7] Matin. Andantino – Più vivo [3:56]
Achille-Claude Debussy (1862-1918): La Mer (The Sea) (1903-05) [23:58]
Arranged by Sally Beamish (b. 1956)
Three Symphonic Sketches for Orchestra
À Jacques Durand – 1905
Arranged 2013 (revised 2015) for Piano Trio
[8] I. De l’aube à midi sur la mer [8:00]
[9] II. Jeux de vagues [7:51]
[10] III. Dialogue du vent et de la mer [8:05]
Total Time: [65:05]
Recording producer: Jonathan Cooper
Sound engineer: Jonathan Cooper
Editor: Jonathan Cooper
Front cover Photograph of Neave Trio by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco
Back cover Photograph by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco
Design and Typesetting: Cass Cassidy
Chandos Records Ltd, Colchester, Essex CO2 8HX, England
June 21: Garden of Memory – Beloved Summer Solstice Concert Presented by New Music Bay Area and Chapel of the Chimes
June 21: Garden of Memory – Beloved Summer Solstice Concert Presented by New Music Bay Area and Chapel of the Chimes
Photo credit: Ted Sapphire
Garden of Memory
Beloved Bay Area Concert Set for Summer Solstice on June 21
Presented by New Music Bay Area and Chapel of the Chimes
Celebrating Performers and Composers of the Bay Area
Saturday, June 21, 2025, 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, $5 children 5-12) available through Eventbrite.
No tickets sales on-site; online sales only; Limited to 3000 Tickets
More information: www.gardenofmemory.com
Oakland, CA – On Saturday, June 21, 2025 from 5-9pm, New Music Bay Area and Chapel of the Chimes present Garden of Memory at the Chapel of the Chimes (4499 Piedmont Avenue). The beloved annual summer solstice celebration commemorates the year’s longest day with an exciting and inspiring variety of musical performances. Tickets, which will be available through online sales only, are limited to 3000. There is no waitlist.
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 regularly sold-out solstice event features an abundance of performances happening concurrently throughout the gorgeous grounds of the Chapel of the Chimes. Composers, musicians, sound artists, and other performers present a wide assortment of music – acoustic, solo, group, electronic – sound installations, and interactive events. Those in attendance are free to explore the multilevel labyrinth of the iconic columbarium’s interior gardens, cloisters, stairwells, fountains, alcoves, pools, and antechambers during the performances. There is no formal schedule and artists are tucked into virtually every available space, leading to a myriad of possibilities around how each person can plot out their journey and personal experience with the music throughout the day.
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.
Cahill recalls, “As I meandered around the building, 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. 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 is a “fiercely gifted” (New York Times) pianist and champion of new music. She has commissioned and premiered over seventy compositions for solo piano. For her performance, Cahill will fill the gorgeous Chimes Chapel with the sounds of composer Terry Riley’s music in honor of his 90th birthday on June 24. Cahill’s program will include Be Kind to One Another, Keyboard Studies, and Fandango on the Heaven Ladder.
Esotérica Tropical (created by singer-songwriter María José Montijo) is a queer Boricua bruja who transcends musical boundaries with her commanding voice, intuitive folk harp, and a fusion of Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba rhythms and electronic innovation. Her work boldly challenges colonial mentality, advocating for sovereignty and surrealism.
Kaitlin McSweeney is a visual artist, musician and writer. She works in several healing modalities (yoga, meditation, astrology, tarot) and is inspired by collaboration. As part of her performance, McSweeney will invite listeners to contribute notes, prayers, and wishes on small strips of paper, and then integrate their words into voice and cello loops, gradually creating an altar of sorts.
The Cornelius Cardew Choir is a SF Bay Area-based vocal performance ensemble that sings at the intersection of community and experimental music, strongly influenced by Cardew and his circle in the 1960s in England. Inspired by the experimental music tradition, Pauline Oliveros, John Cage and others, the Cardew Choir intends their mutually supportive work to be compassionate, joyful and liberating political action. The choir will invite audience members to join them during a four-hour performance of Pauline Oliveros' Heart Chant, the first time the ensemble has performed it indoors since the pandemic.
Liu Xi「柳溪」(Willow Stream) Diana Rowan and Winnie Wong form a dynamic duo that merges the ethereal sounds of the Celtic harp and the timeless resonance of the Chinese guzheng. Drawing upon their rich cultural heritages, they create a musical experience that transcends borders and eras, blending Chinese and Celtic traditions with the vibrant, multicultural energy of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Matt Robidoux is a San Francisco based composer, improviser, and educator interested in the convergence of movement and sound as it relates to free improvisation and accessibility. Their primary instrument is the “corn synth” — (Kinetically Operated Randomness Network) a modular system that interprets physical input from two “ears of corn” sculptures cast in aluminum. Physical interactions with the architecture will directly translate into sound—each movement of the body intertwined in acoustic events revealing the unique resonant qualities of these sacred spaces.
Additional artists confirmed to perform this year, many of whom are familiar in the Bay Area, include:
The Dennis Aman/Andy Meyerson Problem; Amendola/Manring/Evangelista Trio; Anne Hege, Julie Herndon & Rachel Beetz; Beth Custer; Brenda Hutchinson and the dailybell ensemble; Cornelius Cardew Choir; duo B.; Dylan Mattingly; Edward Schocker; Fred Frith Trio; freeHorn Ensemble (Krys Bobrowski, Giacomo Fiore, Amy Beal and guests); Gino Robair‘s Radical Divination; Harmonic Drift; Jens Ibsen & Tin Yi Chelsea Wong; Joel St. Julien; John Benson’s Vibrating Milk; John Schott & Cecilia Engelhart; Kaitlin McSweeney; Kitka; Kristin Norderval; Laura Inserra; Liam Herb; Majel Connery + Jonathan Vinocour; Matt McBane; Matt Robidoux; The Mycos Project; Orchestra Nostalgico; Pamela Z; Paul Dresher & Joel Davel; Plonsey Scheme (Dan Plonsey & family); Randy Porter; Ray-Kallay Duo; Regular Music; Rova Saxophone Quartet; Shanti Lalita; Sidney Chen; SoRIAH with Thomas Dimuzio; Stephen Kent; Thea Farhadian; Theresa Wong & Kanoko Nishi-Smith; Wayne Grim; Wendy Reid, Lulu & the Bird Ensemble; and Xxhe; Zachary James Watkins.
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 14-23: Telegraph Quartet Comes to Mount Gretna for Artist Residency with Gretna Music – Seven Performances in Nine Days
June 14-23: Telegraph Quartet Comes to Mount Gretna for Artist Residency with Gretna Music – Seven Performances in Nine Days
Photo of the Telegraph Quartet by Lisa Marie Mazzucco available in high resolution here.
Award-Winning Telegraph Quartet Comes to Mount Gretna for Nine-Day Artist Residency with Gretna Music from June 14-23
The Quartet will Perform Seven Concerts including
Music with Silent Films, Concerts for Kids, and House Concerts
“soulfulness, tonal beauty and intelligent attention to detail ... an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape.” – San Francisco Chronicle
Mt. Gretna, PA – The Telegraph Quartet (Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; Pei-Ling Lin, viola; Jeremiah Shaw, cello), a group described by The Strad as having "precise tuning, textural variety and impassioned communication,” will be Gretna Music’s 2025 Artists-in-Residence this summer, giving a total seven performances over nine days from June 14-23, 2025 with events taking place at Mt. Gretna Playhouse (200 Pennsylvania Ave) and Hall of Philosophy (212 Gettysburg Ave.), and private residences. As part of the residency, the Telegraph will perform a wide variety of classical works both historical and modern, will connect with the community through interactive programs dedicated to children and families, and through intimate house concerts presented around the Mt. Gretna area.
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.
This residency will bring the Telegraph Quartet together with the Mt. Gretna community in ways that illuminate the group’s exemplary musicianship and affinity for educational experiences. Audiences can choose from a variety of settings to hear the group during their time in Mt. Gretna – at more traditional concert venues, at performances for families with younger listeners, or at casual and intimate house concerts. Highlights of the Telegraph Quartet’s performances include a concert featuring the music of Brahms, Henry Cowell, and Béla Bartók on June 15 with cellist Clyde Thomas Shaw and violist Doris Lederer collaborating on the Brahms’ String Sextet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 36; live music with pianist Jeffrey LaDeur accompanying the screening of short films, including College, the 1927 silent film directed by Buster Keaton on June 19; and a concert featuring music by Rebecca Clarke, Kenji Bunch, and Beethoven on June 22. Telegraph’s free family performances on June 16 and June 23 are open to the public. They will combine live classical music for young audiences, string instrument demonstrations, and an opportunity for children to ask the musicians questions. Full details on the Telegraph Quartet’s performances are below.
The Telegraph Quartet’s latest album, 20th Century Vantage Points: Divergent Paths, was released in 2023 on Azica Records. The first in the Telegraph’s three-album series focused on string quartets of the first half of the 20th century, Divergent Paths explores the bewildering and unbridled creativity of the period through the music of Arnold Schoenberg and Maurice Ravel, whose music on this album weaves threads of great contrast and surprising similarity. The album has been met with critical acclaim, with The New York Times reporting, “[I]n the Schoenberg, they achieve something truly special, meticulously guiding its often wayward progress. At times Schoenberg makes the four strings sound almost orchestral, but the Telegraph players can also make his contrapuntal tangles radiantly clear. Every minute of their account sounds gripping and purposeful, which is one of the highest compliments you can pay the piece.”
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.
In August 2023, the Telegraph Quartet released its latest album Divergent Paths, the first in a series of recordings titled 20th Century Vantage Points, on Azica Records. This first volume 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. Through this series, the Telegraph Quartet intends to explore string quartets of the 20th century – an era of music that the group has felt especially called to perform since its formation. The New York Times praised the Telegraph’s performance as “…full of elegance and pinpoint control…” Divergent Paths follows Into The Light (Centaur, 2018), an album highlighting a gripping set of works by Leon Kirchner, Anton Webern, and Benjamin Britten.
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’s 2025 Artists-in-Residence - Public Events
Telegraph Quartet with Cellist Clyde Thomas Shaw and Violist Doris Lederer
Sunday, June 15, 2025 at 3pm
Mt. Gretna Playhouse | 200 Pennsylvania Ave | Mt. Gretna, PA
Henry Cowell – String Quartet No. 4, “The United”
Béla Bartók – String Quartet No. 2
Brahms – String Sextet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 36 (with Doris Lederer and Clyde Shaw)
Tickets: www.gretnamusic.org
Free Family Event with the Telegraph Quartet
Monday, June 16, 2025 at 10am
Hall of Philosophy | 212 Gettysburg Ave. | Mt. Gretna, PA
Free and Open to the Public
Music with Film: Buster Keaton Silent Film - College
Telegraph Quartet and Pianist Jeffrey LaDeur
Thursday, June 19 at 7pm
Mt. Gretna Playhouse | 200 Pennsylvania Ave. | Mt. Gretna, PA
Tickets: www.gretnamusic.org
Telegraph Quartet
Sunday June 22, 2025 at 7:30pm
Mt. Gretna Playhouse | 200 Pennsylvania Ave. | Mt. Gretna, PA
Rebecca Clarke: Poem for String Quartet
Kenji Bunch: String Quartet No. 5: "Songs For A Shared Space"
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 23, 2025 at 10am
Hall of Philosophy | 212 Gettysburg Ave. | Mt. Gretna, PA
Free and Open to the Public
ECM New Series Celebrates Keith Jarrett: Eighty on May 8
ECM New Series Celebrates Keith Jarrett: Eighty on May 8
Photo by Rose Anne Colavito
ECM New Series Celebrates Keith Jarrett: Eighty on May 8
Keith Jarrett’s Classical Releases on ECM New Series Include:
1988: J.S. Bach – The Well-Tempered Klavier, Book I
1988: J.S. Bach – Goldberg Variations
1991: J.S. Bach – The Well-Tempered Klavier, Book II
1992: Dmitri Shostakovich – 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op.87
1993: J.S. Bach – The French Suites
1994: J.S. Bach – Three Sonatas for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord
1995: G.F. Handel – Suites for Keyboard
1996: W.A. Mozart – Piano Concertos, Masonic Funeral Music, Symphony in G Minor
1999: W.A. Mozart – Piano Concertos, Adagio and Fugue
2013: J.S. Bach – Six Sonatas for Violin and Piano
2015: Barber / Bartók / Jarrett
2023: Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Württemberg Sonatas
Keith Jarrett’s Complete ECM Discography:
www.ecmrecords.com/artists/keith-jarrett
As Keith Jarrett turns 80 today, May 8, ECM reflects with gratitude on an extraordinary musical journey, documented in a discography unprecedented in creative range.
At ECM the story began with 1971’s Facing You – the first of his many collaborations with producer Manfred Eicher – and it continues with the upcoming New Vienna, due in a few weeks. A relationship of more than half a century at one label, based on artistic affinity and friendship.
Beyond the legendary improvised solo piano recordings, where the perennially-popular Köln Concert is but one of very many highlights – including Bremen-Lausanne, Sun Bear Concerts, La Scala, Radiance, Rio, Budapest Concert and more – there are the great Jarrett bands to consider, each with its profound impact on jazz history. The American quartet with Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden and Paul Motian, and the European quartet with Jan Garbarek, Palle Danielsson and Jon Christensen, were bands of strikingly different temperament. Jarrett’s writing for the groups underlined the individual and collective strengths of the players. And the mystery and intensity of The Survivors’ Suite remain as compelling as the lyricism and buoyancy of Belonging or My Song. The association with Jan Garbarek led to evocative music with string orchestra on Luminessence and Arbour Zena, the latter also featuring Charlie Haden. Jarrett and Haden’s closeness as jazz improvisers is in evidence, too, on the ‘reunion’ albums Jasmine and Last Dance.
For 30 years, Jarrett’s trio with Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette set standards in multiple senses. Raising the bar for interpretive performances of music of the Great American Songbook, honoring the melodies of Broadway songwriters and bebop instrumentalists, but also playing standards with an exhilarating sense of freedom on numerous recordings including the definitive jazz club box set At The Blue Note. And sometimes, indeed, setting standards aside – in albums of sustained group creativity such as Changeless, Inside Out and Always Let Me Go. Also of musical-historical significance: the night when Paul Motian substituted for DeJohnette, documented on At The Deer Head Inn and The Old Country.
Jarrett’s improvised projects outside of jazz have resolutely defied classification – from experiments with the mighty baroque organ of Ottobeuren Abbey (Hymn/Spheres) to intimate clavichord discoveries (Book of Ways), and multi-instrumental undertakings (Spirits, No End).
A recording of Sacred Hymns introduced the music of G. I. Gurdjieff to a new audience, and Jarrett’s contribution to Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa, partnering Gidon Kremer in a realization of Fratres, was no less revelatory or crucial. From the 1980s onwards, in parallel with his jazz activities, he went on to establish himself as an insightful interpreter of music of classical tradition with performances of J.S. Bach and C.P.E. Bach, Händel, Mozart, Shostakovich, Bartók, and Samuel Barber.
Speaking of his thoughtful Bach renditions, Jarrett once said: “Correct playing has nothing to do with disputes over style. The first thing to consider is if there is music being made.” Amen. This has seldom been in question, of course, in any context with Keith Jarrett’s participation!
Newport Classical Announces Executive Director Gillian Fox is Completing her Tenure
Newport Classical Announces Executive Director Gillian Fox is Completing her Tenure
Photo by Lisette Rooney for Newport Classical. Available in high resolution here.
Newport, RI – Newport Classical announced today that Gillian Fox, the organization’s Executive Director since 2021, will be stepping down to become the next President and CEO of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, NY, beginning on June 9.
Fox will work closely with the Board and staff through the start of the Music Festival to ensure a smooth transition, returning on July 5 to celebrate her tenure on Opening Night. The Board of Directors has begun the process to launch a robust national search for Newport Classical’s next Executive Director.
Fox leaves Newport Classical in a position of strength, both artistically and structurally. The organization has significantly expanded beyond its annual summertime Newport Classical Music Festival to encompass a wide array of programming that brings exceptional classical music to Newport on an ongoing, year-round basis. In 2021, Newport Classical established a new home at Emmanuel Church on Dearborn Street and opened the Newport Classical Recital Hall. The Chamber Series, held at the Recital Hall from September through June, brings world-class musicians to downtown Newport; Newport Classical’s Community Concerts Series brings free performances to families right in their own neighborhoods; and the Music Education and Engagement Initiative has inspired and enriched the lives of over 2,500 children through in-school and community engagements since 2021. The Newport Classical Music Festival has also drawn record numbers of new audience members in the summer, with one-third of patrons attending for the first time, and is known nationally as a destination for live classical music.
Newport Classical Board President Suzanna Laramee says, “In the four and a half years that Gillian has been at Newport Classical she has worked tirelessly with the Board and her staff to bring our organization to international recognition with outstanding artistry and organizational stability, which we are thrilled to sustain and build upon. We are grateful for Gillian’s transformative leadership, which now leaves Newport Classical stronger than ever, with a newly completed three-year strategic plan about to be announced and implemented. Working closely with her has been a distinct pleasure and privilege.”
“It has been a true honor to lead Newport Classical at this remarkable moment in its history,” says Gillian Fox. “This is a magical organization – one that presents truly one-of-a-kind concerts and is supported by an extraordinarily vibrant and passionate community of music lovers. I am deeply grateful for the meaningful relationships I’ve built over the past four and a half years – with the dedicated and talented Board of Directors, the creative and committed staff, and the many generous supporters and patrons. I am especially thankful for the partnership, friendship, and inspiring leadership of Board President Suzanna Laramee and Vice President Steve Huttler. Thank you for welcoming my family and me into this extraordinary community. We will always cherish our time here.”
Newport Classical continues its spring and summer with a full slate of performances. Tickets are now available for the 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival, which takes place from July 4-22, 2025. Highlights include Opening Night featuring Two Pianos with Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung; two evenings with Broadway star Jessica Vosk, best known for her lead role in Wicked; performances by extraordinary pianists Inon Barnatan, Sara Davis Buechner, and Wynona Wang; celebrated soprano Karen Slack's African Queens project co-commissioned by Newport Classical with a national consortium; the US premiere of a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang co-commissioned by Newport Classical with an international consortium; performances by world-class artists including violinist Leila Josefowicz, The Westerlies, Third Coast Percussion, harpist Emily Levin, guitarists Ziggy and Miles, Palaver Strings, Attacca Quartet, Twelfth Night, The Gesualdo Six, Tallā Rouge, Empire Wild, and more; Opera Night: An American Tapestry; and Closing Night with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and violinist Stefan Jackiw. For the fifth year in a row, Newport Classical has commissioned a brand new work to be premiered at the Festival. This year's Composer-in-Residence is Cris Derksen, a Juno-nominated Indigenous cellist and composer, who has written a new work for the Galvin Cello Quartet.
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 music 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, and Clarice Assad.
May 23: Benjamin Appl Honors his Mentor Legendary Baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau with Centenary Tribute Album and Extensive Booklet
May 23: Benjamin Appl Honors his Mentor Legendary Baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau with Centenary Tribute Album and Extensive Booklet
Baritone Benjamin Appl Pays Tribute to his Mentor Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Coinciding with May 2025 Centenary
For Dieter: The Past and The Future
Album + 140-Page CD Booklet by Appl on Fischer-Dieskau
Worldwide Digital Release Date: May 23, 2025
US CD Release Date: June 20, 2025
Alpha Classics
Pre-Save / Listen to Singles: https://lnk.to/ForDieterAr
“Appl’s voice has a burnished, oaky beauty as well as considerable sweetness, while the interpretations are suffused with a gentle intelligence, an instinct for unforced but direct communication and what feels like a real love for the repertoire.” – Gramophone
Review CDs and downloads available upon request.
www.benjaminappl.de | alpha-classics.com
German baritone Benjamin Appl pays tribute to his teacher and mentor, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (1925-2012), with For Dieter: The Past and The Future, to be released by Alpha Classics worldwide digitally on May 23, 2025 and on CD in the US on June 20, 2025, coinciding with Fischer-Dieskau’s centenary on May 28, 2025. Two singles – Heidenröslein from The Singspielsesenheim by Albert Fischer-Dieskau and Nur Wer Die Sehnsucht Kennt, Op. 6/6 from Tchaikovsky’s Six Romances – are available now. Appl’s next performances in North America include For Dieter concerts presented by San Francisco Performances on October 24, 2025 and Carnegie Hall in New York on October 28, 2025, with additional dates to be announced.
The repertoire on this monumental release is structured to reflect the major stages of Fischer-Dieskau’s incredible life and includes compositions by his family members Albert and Klaus Fischer-Dieskau, repertoire he sang as a soldier during World War II and as an American Prisoner of War in Italy, and pieces that were composed especially for him, as well as favourite lieder by Schubert. Appl is joined on the recording by one of his regular collaborators, pianist James Baillieu.
The album also includes a 140-page booklet created by Benjamin Appl, which contains a personal narrative written by Appl alongside historical insights and numerous previously unpublished photos and letters, offering a glimpse into who Fischer-Dieskau was as a person, outside of his obvious public successes and accolades.
Benjamin Appl’s musical journey began as a young chorister at the renowned Regensburger Domspatzen; he later continued his studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. Mentored by the legendary Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Appl describes the partnership as, “an invaluable and a hugely formative influence. He [Fischer-Dieskau] is an inspiration – someone who is always searching and seeking a deeper understanding of music and of life. He was a role model for how to prosper as an artist, never just delivering, but each time creating.”
Appl says, “The first time I heard [Fischer-Dieskau’s] voice was at school when I was twelve years old. In 2009, I applied for his master class at the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg which was the start of a long and transformative relationship. I was fortunate to work with him on my entire repertoire over countless hours in his homes in Berlin and Bavaria.”
In an excerpt from the booklet, Appl writes of the experience working on this project:
I was very nervous when, on 1 September 2009, I went on stage in front of a full audience to work with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau for the first time. After the four-day course he sent for me, gave me his personal contact details and offered me the opportunity to study with him privately. From that moment onwards I had the incredible fortune of working with him on my entire repertoire for countless hours at his homes in Berlin and Berg until just a few weeks before his death. To this day I regard this experience as one of the greatest gifts of my professional life.
It is thanks to curating this 100th anniversary celebratory album and related concerts that I have been able to spend countless hours over the past months and years studying an immense number of his letters, contracts, programmes, diary entries, photo albums and books. These were very personal moments for me, as they brought me closer not only to Fischer-Dieskau the artist but even more so to the man himself; they sharpened my memories of character traits I knew so well and also allowed me to observe new facets of his multi-lavered personality. This project is intended to provide a subjective representation of Fischer-Dieskau as well as to give an insight into the man behind all the great successes and accolades, and onto what moved him and what shaped him as a human being.
About Benjamin Appl: Benjamin Appl’s exclusive partnership with Alpha began with Winterreise which was received to outstanding critical acclaim in 2021, and released in parallel with a film commissioned by BBC 4 which followed Benjamin’s Winter Journey through the Swiss Alps, with Schubert’s music for company. His eclectic second album Forbidden Fruit followed in 2023, then in 2024, The Christmas Album reached number two on the UK Classical Charts – a recording combining traditional German and English carols with the Regensburger Domspatzen and Munich Radio Orchestra. Lines of Life: Schubert & Kurtág (released February 2025) is an album that celebrates the relationship between Benjamin and György Kurtág, in an intimate collection of performances from Kurtág on piano, alongside many of his own compositions. Appl’s latest release For Dieter: The Past and the Future is an equally heartwarming dedication, this time to his longtime mentor and friend, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, celebrating 100 years since his birth.
Benjamin Appl is a recipient of the prestigious Gramophone Young Artist of the Year Award and the title of both BBC New Generation Artist and Echo Rising Star. His career has led him to perform at some of the most prestigious festivals and venues worldwide. In Europe, he appears regularly at London’s Wigmore Hall, Schleswig Holstein, Rheingau, BBC Proms and Edinburgh Festivals, and he has performed at major concert venues including the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona, Royal Albert Hall and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, to name but a few. Benjamin enjoys regular recitals stateside including at Carnegie Hall, Boston Celebrity Series, Park Avenue Armory New York, Dallas Opera, San Francisco Performances, and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.
Appl’s profile has led him to enjoy some significant musical partnerships with orchestras across the globe, including Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Klaus Mäkelä, Munich Philharmonic/Andrew Manze, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse/Ton Koopman, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra/Andreas Reize, NHK Symphony Orchestra/Paavo Järvi, Philadelphia Orchestra/Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Staatskapelle Dresden/Christian Thielemann, Philharmonia/Maxim Emelyanychev, Vienna Symphony/Karina Canellakis and many others, in repertoire ranging from Bach to Jörg Widmann.
A versatile artist, Appl enjoys performing on the opera stage. His recent and upcoming roles include Guglielmo in Cosí fan tutte, Harlequin in Ariadne auf Naxos, and Papageno in Die Zauberföte. www.benjaminappl.com
About James Baillieu: Described by The Daily Telegraph as “in a class of his own,” James Baillieu is one of the leading song and chamber music pianists of his generation, and a Senior Professor at the Royal Academy of Music, alongside a coach for the Jette Parker Young Artist Program at the Royal Opera House. He has given solo and chamber recitals throughout the world and collaborates with a wide range of singers and instrumentalists including Benjamin Appl, Lise Davidsen, the Elias and Heath Quartets, Dame Kiri te Kanawa, and Adam Walker. James has performed at many of the world’s most distinguished music centres including Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera House, Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Berlin Konzerthaus, and Vienna Musikverein. www.james-baillieu.com
Album Track List & Credits:
For Dieter: The Past and The Future | Benjamin Appl, Baritone & James Baillieu, Piano | Alpha Classics
Release Dates: May 23, 2025 (Digital Worldwide); June 20, 2025 (CD, US)
Recorded: April 27-30, 2024 at Deutschlandfunk Kammermusiksaal, Cologne (Germany)
Prologue
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
[1] An Die Musik, D547 (Schober) [2:50]
Childhood in Berlin
Albert Fischer-Dieskau (1865-1937)
[2] Heidenröslein, From The Singspielsesenheim (Goethe)* [2:36]
Klaus Fischer-Dieskau (1921-1994)
[3] Nocturne I, Op. 1/1 (Excerpt) (Dedicated To Mother)* [1:08]
[4] Wehmut, Op. 3/2 (Goethe)* [2:30]
Teenage Years and First Steps as a Singer
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
[5] Wie Bist Du, Meine Königin, Op. 32/9 (Daumer) [3:57]
A Soldier in War 1943-1945
Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)
[6] Andenken (Matthisson) [2:20]
Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957)
[7] Liebesbriefchen, Op. 9/4 (Honold) [2:29]
Franz Schubert
[8] Strophe Aus “die Götter Griechenlands”, D677 (Schiller) [4:32]
Aribert Reimann (1936-2024)
[9] Tenebrae (Celan) [3:15]
A Prisoner Of War 1945-1947
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
[10] Schöner Abend, L. 84 (Bourget/Fischer-Dieskau) [2:29]
Christian Sinding (1856-1941)
[11] Sylvelin, Op. 55/1 (Vislie/Henzen) [1:42]
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
[12] Nur Wer Die Sehnsucht Kennt, Op. 6/6 (Goethe) [3:13]
Eduard Künneke(1885-1953)
[13] Ich Bin Nur Ein Armer Wandergesell (Haller/Rideamus) 1:39
Returning Home In 1947
Fanny Hensel (1805-1847)
[14] Ach, Die Augen Sind Es Wieder (Heine) 1:23
Hanns Eisler (1898-1962)
[15] Die Heimkehr (Brecht) [1:42]
Klaus Fischer-Dieskau (1921-1994)
[16] Aus Schmerzen Und Freuden Geboren, Op. 22/1 (Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau)* [2:28]
Birth of Three Sons
Bruno Walter (1876-1962)
[17] Des Kindes Schlaf (Eichendorff) [1:57]
Song Accompanists and Friends
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
[18] An Mein Klavier, D342 (Schubert) [4:04]
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
[19] Proverb III, From Songs and Proverbs of William Blake, Op. 74 (Blake) 0:57
The Bitter Loss of Irmel, His First Wife In 1963
Carl Loewe (1796-1869)
[20] Süßes Begräbnis, Op. 62/4 (Rückert) [2:56]
Death of His Mother Theodora In 1966
Hanns Eisler (1898-1962)
[21] Mutterns Hände (Tucholsky) [2:07]
Marital Life
(Ruth Leuwerik 1965-1967, Kristina Pugell 1968-1975, Julia Varady 1977-2012)
Franz Grothe (1908-1982)
[22] Excerpt From Music For The Film: Vater Braucht Eine Frau [1:26]
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
[23] Liebhaber In Allen Gestalten, D558 (Goethe) [1:38]
Clara Schumann(1819-1896)
[24] Liebst Du Um Schönheit, Op. 12/2 (Rückert) [2:13]
Commissions and World Premieres
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
[25] Hörnersang, Op. 66 from War Requiem (Owen/Fischer-Dieskau) [2:49]
Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Three Songs, Op. 45 (1974)
[26] Now I Have Fed and Eaten Up the Rose (Keller/Joyce) [1:59]
[27] A Green Lowland of Pianos (Harsymowicz/Miłosz) [2:15]
[28] O Boundless, Boundless Evening (Heym/Middleton) [3:04]
Teaching and Personal Experiences
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
[29] An die Laute, D905 (Rochlitz) [1:36]
Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)
[30] Sterb’ ich, so hüllt in Blumen meine Glieder (Heyse) [2:39]
Farewell To Stage
Carl Maria Von Weber (1786-1826)|
[31] Meine Lieder, meine Sänge, Op. 15/1 (Löwenstein-Werthheim) [2:58]
Epilogue
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
[32] Requiem, Op. 90/7 (Dreves) [3:51]
Total Time: 79:00
* World premiere recording
A co-production between Benjamin Appl, Deutschlandradio & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France 2025
Alpha Classics Director: Didier Martin
Executive Producer: Mascha Drost (Dlfkultur)
Recording Producer: Michael Havenstein
Sound Engineer: Eva Pöpplein
Production: Louise Burel
Editorial coordination: Amélie Boccon-Gibod
French Adaptation: Claire Boisteau
English Translation: Peter Lockwood
Design & Artwork: Valérie Lagarde
Front Cover, Back Cover & Inside Photos (pp. 27, 53, 81, 109, 140): David Ruano
Front Cover: Selbst (dispersion, 75cmx75cm), 1985
p.27: Grunewaldsee (oil, 80cmx60cm), 1961, p.109: Luzern (ink, 15cmx21cm), 1979, p. 140: Selbst (dispersion, 75cmx75cm), 1985
Back Cover: Weg nach Münsing (acrylic/dispersion, 50cmx60cm), 1984
Sony Classical Celebrates Composer John Williams with Historic 3-Volume Set including Soundtracks from First Three Star Wars Films - Available for Pre-Order May 4
Sony Classical Celebrates Composer John Williams with Historic 3-Volume Set including Soundtracks from First Three Star Wars Films
Sony Classical Celebrates Composer John Williams
With a Historic 3-Volume Set to be Released Throughout 2025 in Celebration of his Extraordinary Career
John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 1 1969-1990
First Volume of this 3-Part Anthology Showcasing Williams’ Acclaimed Film Scores from 1969 to 1990
Available July 18, 2025
The 22-Disc First Volume Includes Original Soundtrack Recordings of the First Three Star Wars Films, Jaws, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the First Two Indiana Jones Adventures, Superman, and 18 Other Films
(MAY 4 – NEW YORK, NY) Sony Classical embarks on a definitive, one-of-a-kind celebration of the music of five-time-Oscar®-winning composer John Williams, with the release of John Williams: The Anthology. The three-volume comprehensive collection will be released as three individual box sets throughout 2025. It will encompass the seven-decade career of the most popular and admired composer of his time, plus feature many of the maestro’s original soundtrack recordings and concert music recordings.
John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 1 1969-1990 is set for release on July 18th and available now preorder. The 22 discs in Volume 1 showcase Williams’ music for 27 films that established him as one of the most influential and imaginative composers in the history of film music. They include his unforgettable scores for the first three Star Wars films, Jaws, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the first two Indiana Jones adventures, Superman and a range of others from The Reivers (1969) to Home Alone (1990).
Three of the scores included in this first volume – Jaws (1975), Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – won Williams the Academy Award® for Best Original Score. Fifteen more Oscar® nominations were accorded to other scores in Volume 1, as well as five BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes and 14 Grammy® Awards.
“I have often said that without John Williams, bicycles do not fly, nor do brooms in Quidditch matches or heroes in red capes. Dinosaurs do not walk the earth. Sharks do not terrorize idyllic summer beaches. And Jedi do not return,” the director Steven Spielberg, the composer’s most frequent collaborator, writes in the foreword for this collection.
“Without the magic of John Williams, audiences do not wonder, or weep, or believe. Whether in an elegant concert hall or a darkened cinema, John’s music is instantly recognizable both for its emotional power and its ability to tap into our collective unconscious… to inspire us, to captivate us, and to illuminate our shared journey through the human experience.”
This historic box set retrospective will be completed later this year with the releases of John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 2 1991-2008 and John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 3 2011-2022. All three volumes combined will comprise a magnificent 75-disc collection celebrating the most beloved composer of our time.
JOHN WILLIAMS: THE ANTHOLOGY – VOL. 1 1969-1990
SET CONTENTS:
DISC 1: THE REIVERS
DISC 2: THE COWBOYS
DISC 3: EARTHQUAKE + THE TOWERING INFERNO
DISC 4: JAWS + JAWS 2
DISC 5: STAR WARS (EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE)
DISC 6: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
DISC 7: THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS + 1941
DISC 8: THE FURY
DISC 9: SUPERMAN
DISC 10: DRACULA + MONSIGNOR
DISC 11: STAR WARS (EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK)
DISC 12: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
DISC 13: E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
DISC 14: STAR WARS (EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI)
DISC 15: INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM
DISC 16: SPACECAMP
DISC 17: THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK
DISC 18: EMPIRE OF THE SUN
DISC 19: THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST
DISC 20: INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE
DISC 21: BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY + Always
DISC 22: HOME ALONE
ABOUT JOHN WILLIAMS
John Williams began his career in Hollywood in the 1950s, as a studio musician as well as a composer, while also writing music for television. In the mid-1960s, he began scoring major Hollywood films. His rise coincided with that of Steven Spielberg, and the partnership of the two is unique in film history – all but three of the feature films Spielberg has directed since 1974 have had scores by Williams.
The composer is the second-most nominated person (after Walt Disney) in the 97-year history of the Academy Awards. In addition to his five Oscars – out of 54 career nominations – he has won 26 Grammy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, five Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. When he was 91 years of age, Williams became oldest nominee in Oscar history with his nomination for Best Original Score for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
John Williams is also a recipient the Kennedy Center Honor (2004), the National Medal of the Arts (2009) and was the only composer to receive the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award (2016). Among his many other honors, he was named by Queen Elizabeth II an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) for “services to film music.”
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 8 - Celestial Wind: A Concert Featuring Organist Victoria Sirota and Composer Robert Sirota
June 8 - Celestial Wind: A Concert Featuring Organist Victoria Sirota and Composer Robert Sirota
Photo by Ryuhei Shindo available in high resolution at: www.jensenartists.com/artists-profiles/robert-sirota
Celestial Wind
A Concert Featuring Victoria Sirota, Organist
& Robert Sirota, Composer
Presented by
The Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Portland, Maine
Sunday, June 8, 2025 at 2pm
Cathedral Church of St. Luke | 143 State Street | Portland, ME
Suggested Free Will Offering of $15.00
www.stlukesportland.org
“a compelling musical voice of our time”
– The American Organist on Robert Sirota
Portland, ME – On Sunday, June 8, 2025 at 2pm, organist Victoria R. Sirota and composer/pianist Robert Sirota will give a concert titled Celestial Wind, presented by The Cathedral Church of St. Luke’s (Episcopal) in Portland (143 State Street). For the performance, the married musicians – who have been a part of the Searsmont, Maine community since 1986 – have crafted a thoughtful program of music by J.S. Bach, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Robert Sirota.
Victoria Sirota says, “Bob and I have been each other’s primary muse since before we were married over 50 years ago. Over those years he has written more than a dozen works for organ. This one hour recital, which we are calling Celestial Wind, includes music by two composers who have had a strong influence on our musical and spiritual lives: J.S. Bach and Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, as well as three Robert Sirota works: Letters Abroad for Piano and Organ (1982), Celestial Wind (1987), and his most recent organ composition, Prayer (2020).”
Over five decades, composer Robert Sirota has developed a distinctive voice, clearly discernible in all of his work – whether symphonic, choral, stage, or chamber music. Writing in the Portland Press Herald, Allan Kozinn asserts: “Sirota’s musical language is personal and undogmatic, in the sense that instead of aligning himself with any of the competing contemporary styles, he follows his own internal musical compass.”
Sharing a long history intertwined with family, faith, and music, Robert and Victoria will join together for the concert’s collaborative highlight, Letters Abroad for Piano and Organ – a nine-movement work written by Robert Sirota in 1982. Around this extensive work, Victoria Sirota will perform J.S. Bach’s Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, BWV 686, which references a Lutheran hymn of 1524 written by Martin Luther as a paraphrase of the Biblical Psalm 130; Fanny Mendelssohn’s Präludium für Orgel F-Dur, one of the last pieces Mendelssohn wrote before her marriage to Wilhelm Hensel; Robert Sirota’s 2020 composition Prayer for organ; and his 1987 work Celestial Wind – a work also inspired by Biblical scripture which Victoria premiered in 1987.
The central piece of the program, Letters Abroad, is imbued with feelings Robert Sirota experienced during the summer of 1980 when Victoria traveled abroad to pursue research on Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel while he remained in Massachusetts with their young son, Jonah. The work reflects a collection of musical “postcards” Sirota composed in order to, as he says, “ease the pain of separation” from Victoria. Not only does the piece contain a climax that’s intended as an homage to Fanny Mendelssohn but when the Sirotas collaborated on the recording, Robert and Victoria needed to be physically separated by a distance of 100 feet to successfully capture each individual part. Robert Sirota explains that this divide embodies the central metaphor of the work: “The organ and the piano speak to each other over time and space, and create a sense of separation, and ultimately of being reunited.” In this way, both Letters Abroad and Celestial Wind as a whole reflect the kind of personal and artistic intuition for which Robert Sirota is known.
More about Robert Sirota: Robert Sirota’s works have been performed by orchestras across the US and Europe; ensembles such as Alarm Will Sound, Sequitur, yMusic, Chameleon Arts, and Dinosaur Annex; Concerts on the Slope; the Chiara, American, Elmyr, Blair and Telegraph String Quartets; the Peabody, Concord, and Webster Trios; and at festivals including Tanglewood, Aspen, Yellow Barn, and Cooperstown; Bowdoin Gamper and Bowdoin International Music Festival; and Mizzou International Composers Festival. Recent commissions include Jeffrey Kahane and the Sarasota Music Festival, Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, Palladium Musicum, American Guild of Organists, the American String Quartet, Alarm Will Sound, the Naumburg Foundation, Neave Trio, and yMusic, Thomas Pellaton, Carol Wincenc, Linda Chesis, Trinity Episcopal Church (Indianapolis), and Sierra Chamber Society, as well as arrangements for Paul Simon.
Since 2021, Sirota has presented Muzzy Ridge Concerts, an annual series featuring performances by world-class musicians, in his home studio in Searsmont, Maine. Robert Sirota has received grants from the Guggenheim and Watson Foundations, NEA, Meet the Composer, and the American Music Center. His music is recorded on Legacy Recordings, National Sawdust Tracks, and the Capstone, Albany, New Voice, Gasparo and Crystal labels, and is published by Muzzy Ridge Music, Schott, Music Associates of New York, MorningStar, Theodore Presser, and To the Fore. For complete information, visit www.robertsirota.com.
About Victoria R. Sirota: Victoria Sirota, organist, Episcopal priest and author, holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Boston University and Harvard Divinity School. She has studied organ with Andre Marchal in Paris and Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam and has performed organ recitals in the United States, France and Germany. The Rev. Dr. Sirota has taught at Boston University, Yale Divinity School and Institute of Sacred Music, and The Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary and University. Former National Chaplain for the American Guild of Organists and The Association of Anglican Musicians, she is the author of articles, reviews and texts for hymns, cantatas and song cycles. Her book Preaching to the Choir: Claiming the Role of Sacred Musician is available from Church Publishing, and, in addition to recordings on Northeastern and Gasparo labels, her recording of organ works by Robert Sirota Celestial Wind is available from Albany Records.
For Calendar Editors:
Description: Searsmont, ME composer Robert Sirota, whose music is described by The Portland Press Herald as “personal and undogmatic,” and organist Victoria R. Sirota, are presented in concert by The Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Portland, Maine. The Sirotas will perform a program titled Celestial Wind, which features Victoria Sirota on organ and Robert Sirota on piano, performing the music of J.S. Bach, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Robert Sirota.
Short description: Composer Robert Sirota, whose music is described as “personal and undogmatic,” (Portland Press Herald), and organist Victoria R. Sirota are presented by St Luke’s Cathedral performing music by J.S. Bach, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Robert Sirota.
Concert details:
Who: Organist Victoria Sirota and Composer Robert Sirota Presented by
St. Luke’s Cathedral, Portland, ME
What: Music by J.S. Bach, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Robert Sirota
When: Sunday, June 8, 2025 at 2pm
Where: Cathedral Church of St. Luke, 143 State St., Portland, ME
(Suggested free will offering $15)
May 23: ECM New Series Releases Erkki-Sven Tüür's ÆRIS recorded by the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra
ECM New Series Releases Erkki-Sven Tüür's ÆRIS recorded by the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra
ECM New Series Releases
Erkki-Sven Tüür: ÆRIS
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Olari Elts
Release Date: May 23, 2025
ECM 2784
Press downloads and CDs available upon request.
On May 23, 2025, ECM New Series releases ÆRIS, the ninth album on the label to feature the vibrant and highly expressive music of Erkki-Sven Tüür. Olari Elts, a long-time champion of Tüür’s compositions, conducts the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in compelling, intensely-focused performances of Phantasma, De Profundis and Tüür’s tenth symphony ÆRIS, a vast drama of shifting energies and interactions, which is scored for horn quartet and orchestra.
The symphony is in four movements that transition seamlessly. Tüür says, “Each movement expresses a different development between the ensemble of soloists and the orchestra. Sometimes their motifs spread into the orchestra like memes that start changing and gradually take on lives of their own.” The album was recorded at Tallinn’s Estonian Concert Hall.
Track List:
1. Phantasma for orchestra (2018) [13:12]
2. Symphony No. 10 "ÆRIS" for horn quartet and orchestra (2021) [29:45]
3. De Profundis for orchestra (2013) [18:01]
Dedicated to Olari Elts
Recorded September 2022
Estonian Concert Hall, Tallinn
Tonmeister: Tammo Sumera
Executive Producer: Manfred Eicher
An ECM Production
Newport Classical Presents April and May Chamber Series Concerts in Downtown Newport
Newport Classical Presents April and May Chamber Series Concerts in Downtown Newport
Photos available in high resolution here.
Newport Classical Presents
April and May Chamber Series Concerts in Downtown Newport
Violinist Bella Hristova performs Bach and Grieg
Friday, April 25 at 7:30pm
Pianist Orion Weiss performs Bach’s Goldberg Variations
Friday, May 16 at 7:30pm
Newport Classical Recital Hall | 42 Dearborn St | Newport, RI
Tickets and Information
Newport, RI – Newport Classical continues its fourth full-season Chamber Series, featuring twelve concerts held on select Fridays at 7:30pm at the organization’s home venue the Newport Classical Recital Hall (42 Dearborn St.), with internationally renowned Bulgarian-American violinist Bella Hristova performing on Friday, April 25, 2025 at 7:30pm and one of the most sought-after soloists and chamber music collaborators of his generation, pianist Orion Weiss performing on Friday, May 16, 2025 at 7:30pm.
Bella Hristova, who has won acclaim for her “expressive nuance and rich tone” (The New York Times), performs frequently with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York, and has given recitals at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and Boston’s Isabella Gardner Museum. She is a recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and many other awards, including First Prize in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. In collaboration with returning pianist Anna Polonsky, Hristova will make her Newport debut in a compelling program that includes favorite works by Bach, a transcription of a movement from Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, Grieg’s thrilling second violin sonata, and folk songs from the childhood of Indian-American composer Reena Esmail. The Washington Post has praised Bella Hristova’s “impressive power and control.” She has distinguished herself on the world stage as a performing artist with a remarkably diverse repertoire and a bold approach to programming.
Pianist Orion Weiss, known for his “powerful technique and exceptional insight” (The Washington Post) returns to Newport for a solo recital of Bach’s beloved Goldberg Variations, the composer’s most popular keyboard work, consisting of an aria and 30 variations. Weiss is widely regarded as a “brilliant pianist” (The New York Times), and has performed with all of the major orchestras of North America, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the New York Philharmonic. As a recitalist and chamber musician, Weiss has appeared at venues and festivals including the Ravinia Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, Tanglewood, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, the Edinburgh International Festival, Hong Kong Premiere Performances, the Lucerne Festival, Bravo! Vail, and many others. He recently released his latest album, Arc III, the final album in his recital trilogy, which he describes as an exploration of "our resilience, our rebound, our irrepressibility.”
Newport Classical's Chamber Series takes place at Newport Classical Recital Hall in downtown Newport, known for its striking architecture and excellent acoustics. The Chamber Series, newly expanded to twelve concerts held between September and June, reaffirms Newport Classical’s commitment to offer year-round classical music programming. Audiences are invited to enjoy performances by world-class classical musicians in a relaxed setting, with a complimentary glass of wine from Greenvale Vineyards and homemade treats by Newport Classical volunteers.
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 also visit Newport-area schools to perform for, speak with, and inspire students, through Newport Classical’s Music Education and Engagement Initiative.
Up next, Newport Classical presents two Community Concerts – Ji Su Jung’s Percussion Playground on April 27 at the historic Great Friends Meeting House, and Rasa String Quartet with percussionist Brian Shankar Adler on May 18 on the Newport Craft Brewing Lawn. Audiences can look forward to enjoying these casual, engaging, and welcoming concerts right in their Newport neighborhoods. Newport Classical’s Community Concerts Series is free and open to the community; advanced registration is requested but not required for both performances.
The Newport Classical Chamber Series at Newport Classical Recital Hall concludes on June 13 with the GRAMMY®-nominated Norwegian Trio Mediaeval, who captivate audiences with their crystalline voices, in an enchanting evening of Norwegian and Swedish traditional songs, hymns, fiddle tunes, and ballads.
Tickets are now available for the 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival, which takes place from July 4-22, 2025. Highlights include Opening Night featuring Two Pianos with Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung; two evenings with Broadway star Jessica Vosk, best known for her lead role in Wicked; performances by extraordinary pianists Inon Barnatan, Sara Davis Buechner, and Wynona Wang; celebrated soprano Karen Slack's African Queens project co-commissioned by Newport Classical with a national consortium; the US premiere of a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang co-commissioned by Newport Classical with an international consortium; performances by world-class artists including violinist Leila Josefowicz, The Westerlies, Third Coast Percussion, harpist Emily Levin, guitarists Ziggy and Miles, Palaver Strings, Attacca Quartet, Twelfth Night, The Gesualdo Six, Tallā Rouge, Empire Wild, and more; Opera Night: An American Tapestry; and Closing Night with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and violinist Stefan Jackiw. For the fifth year in a row, Newport Classical has commissioned a brand new work to be premiered at the Festival. This year's Composer-in-Residence is Cris Derksen, a Juno-nominated Indigenous cellist and composer, who has written a new work for the Galvin Cello Quartet.
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 music 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, and Clarice Assad.
May 15-17: World Premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Cello Concerto Performed by Johannes Moser & the San Francisco Symphony Conducted by Dalia Stasevska
May 15-17: World Premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Cello Concerto Performed by Johannes Moser & the San Francisco Symphony Conducted by Dalia Stasevska
Photo by Anna Maggy. High resolution photos available here.
World Premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Cello Concerto
Before we fall
Performed by Cellist Johannes Moser & the San Francisco Symphony
Conducted by Dalia Stasevska
May 15, 16, and 17, 2025 at 7:30pm
Davies Symphony Hall | 201 Van Ness Ave. | San Francisco, CA
Tickets & Information: http://sfsymphony.org/stasevska
“[Thorvaldsdottir] has carved her own corner in contemporary music by creating symphonic works of sustained brilliance” – The Times
San Francisco, CA – Composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s highly anticipated cello concerto, Before we fall, will have its world premiere performances on May 15, 16, and 17, 2025 at 7:30pm, performed by cello soloist Johannes Moser and the San Francisco Symphony led by conductor Dalia Stasevska at Davies Symphony Hall (201 Van Ness Ave.), paired with Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 5. The new concerto is written for Moser and co-commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony, BBC Proms, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, and Odense Symphony Orchestra.
Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s striking sound world has made her “one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music” (NPR). Speaking to Alex Ross of The New Yorker, Esa-Pekka Salonen said of her music, “She has identity, voice, a unique sound world. Her clear sense of form counterbalances her complex textures. And she can create breathtaking moments of real emotion.” The Guardian reports, “Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s natural instrument is the symphony orchestra, but in her hands it is reborn as a natural organism.”
Her unique command of the orchestra on vivid display, the concerto carries Thorvaldsdottir's signature “combination of power and intimacy” (Gramophone) yet also distinctively expands her oeuvre. A cellist herself, Anna writes of the new piece:
“The core inspiration behind Before we fall centres around the notion of teetering on the edge, of balancing on the verge of a multitude of opposites. The musical structure flows between lyricism and a sense of distorted energy – two main forces that stabilise this entropic pull. Driven by the strong sense of lyricism that permeates the piece, the work also orbits a forward-moving energy that connects and balances the opposites in different ways. The stable fundament – a grounding power of sustained harmonic presence – communicates with ethereal and distorted sounds, together providing the earth for the essence of the solo cello, the structure upon which it stands and within which it moves. The cello, both alone and deeply connected to the orchestral elements in its expression, generates the atmospheric progression of the world it inhabits, yet continuously on the verge of falling outside the reality it is building for itself.
As with my music generally, the inspiration is not something I am trying to describe through the music or what the music is ‘about,’ as such. Inspiration is a way to intuitively tap into parts of the core energy, structure, atmosphere and material of the music I am writing each time. It is a fuel for the musical ideas to come into existence, a tool to approach and work with the fundamental materials, the ideas and sensations, that provide and generate the initial spark to the music – the various sources of inspiration are ultimately effective because I perceive qualities in them that I find musically captivating. I do often spend quite a bit of time finding ways to articulate some of the important elements of the musical ideas or thoughts that play certain key roles in the origin of each piece but the music itself does not emerge from a verbal place, it emerges as a stream of consciousness that flows, is felt, sensed, shaped and then crafted. So inspiration is a part of the origin story of a piece, but in the end the music stands on its own.”
Her other large orchestral works AERIALITY (2011), METACOSMOS (2017), AIŌN (2018), CATAMORPHOSIS (2020), and ARCHORA (2022) continue to receive country and local premieres as well as repeat performances throughout the world, and are all recorded on the Sono Luminus label.
Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s current season includes performances of her music across at least nineteen countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States, and Wales. The current schedule of performances of Anna’s music is available on her website.
Other highlights for Anna this season include serving as the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich’s Creative Chair. Since 2015, the orchestra has invited a composer to hold this position each season, including, formerly, Arvo Pärt, Esa-Pekka Salonen, John Adams, and Toshio Hosokawa, among others. From September 2024 to June 2025, a wide variety of Anna’s music is being performed, ranging from string quartets to large orchestral pieces. The season-opening concerts in September featured ARCHORA, conducted by music director Paavo Järvi. Two of Anna’s orchestral works received their Swiss premieres – CATAMORPHOSIS at the Sonic Matter Festival Zurich conducted by André de Ridder on November 29 and METACOSMOS conducted by Eva Ollikainen on April 3 and 4.
Additionally, Anna continues her two-year period as one of ten CHANEL Next Prize winners. The biennial prize is awarded to ten international contemporary artists who are redefining their chosen discipline. Each artist embodies CHANEL’s mission to advance the new and the next and receives €100,000 in funding, allowing them to fully realize their most ambitious artistic projects. The NEXT Prize was established in 2021 as part of the CHANEL Culture Fund, CHANEL’s global initiative to accelerate the ideas that advance culture, extending the House’s century-long legacy of cultural patronage.
The 2024-2025 season also brought a new album featuring Anna’s chamber work Ubique, which was released worldwide on Sono Luminus on February 28. The 45-minute piece was co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall, The Pnea Foundation, The Cheswatyr Foundation, and Kurt Chauviere for Claire Chase’s Claire Chase’s Density project. The world premiere was given in May 2023 at Carnegie Hall, performed by Claire Chase, flutes; Katinka Kleijn and Seth Parker Woods, cellos; Cory Smythe, piano; and Levy Lorenzo, live sound. The same musicians have recorded the new album, and will perform its West Coast premiere at the Ojai Festival in California on June 7. Anna writes of the piece, “Ubique lives on the border between enigmatic lyricism and atmospheric distortion. Through a combination of sounds, pitches, and textural nuances, low deep drones envelop lyrical materials and harmonies that breathe in and out of focus throughout the progress of the piece. The flow of the music is primarily guided by continuous expansion and contraction — of various kinds and durations — as it streams with subtle interruptions and frictions but ever moving forward in the overall structure.” Listen here.
Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s music is composed as much by sounds and nuances as by harmonies and lyrical material – it is written as an ecosystem of sounds, where materials continuously grow in and out of each other, often inspired in an important way by nature and its many qualities, in particular structural ones, like proportion and flow. Her work is frequently performed internationally and has been commissioned by many of the world’s leading orchestras, ensembles, and arts organizations, including the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Danish String Quartet, International Contemporary Ensemble, BBC Proms, and Carnegie Hall. Her “detailed and powerful” (The Guardian) orchestral writing has garnered her awards from the New York Philharmonic, Lincoln Center, the Nordic Council, and the UK’s Ivors Academy. Anna was Composer-in-Residence with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra from 2018-2023, and was in 2023 also in residence at the Aldeburgh Festival and the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music. She holds a PhD from the University of California in San Diego, and is currently based in the London area. All of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s orchestral music and many of her other works are recorded on the Sono Luminus label, and featured on Apple Music’s Anna Thorvaldsdottir Essentials Playlist. The music of Anna Thorvaldsdottir is published by Chester Music, part of Wise Music Group. For more information: www.annathorvalds.com/bio
Hailed by Gramophone Magazine as “one of the finest among the astonishing gallery of young virtuoso cellists,” German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser has performed with the world’s leading orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, BBC Philharmonic at the Proms, London Symphony, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Tokyo NHK Symphony, Philadelphia and Cleveland orchestras with conductors of the highest level including Riccardo Muti, Lorin Maazel, Mariss Jansons, Valery Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, Vladimir Jurowski, Franz Welser-Möst, Christian Thielemann, Pierre Boulez, Paavo Järvi, Semyon Bychkov, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Gustavo Dudamel. His recordings include the concertos by Dvořák, Lalo, Elgar, Lutosławski, Dutilleux, Tchaikovsky, Thomas Olesen and Fabrice Bollon (electric cello), which have gained him the prestigious Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik and the Diapason d’Or. Johannes is renowned for his efforts to expand the reach of the classical genre to all audiences, and his passionate involvement in commissioning new works for his instrument. He performs on an Andrea Guarneri Cello from 1694 from a private collection. For more information about Johannes Moser: www.johannes-moser.com/biography-english
May 16-17 Announcing The Birch Festival 2025 Spring Edition: Shostakovich and Bach
May 16-17: Announcing The Birch Festival 2025 Spring Edition: Shostakovich and Bach
The Birch Festival: 2025 Spring Edition
Shostakovich and Bach
May 16-17, 2025
Yevgeny Kutik, Artistic Director & Rachel Barker, Executive Director
Featured Performance: May 17, 2025 at 3pm
First Congregational Church Stockbridge
4 Main Street | Stockbridge, MA
Music of Dmitri Shostakovich and J.S. Bach
Violinist Francesca dePasquale, Violist Margaret Dyer Harris, Cellist Julian Schwarz
and Violinist Yevgeny Kutik
Tickets and Registration Information: www.thebirchfestival.org
Lenox & Stockbridge, MA — The Birch Festival returns to the Berkshires this spring with its newest installment, Shostakovich and Bach, featuring a free event on Friday, May 16, 2025 and a concert on Saturday May 17, 2025 in Lenox and Stockbridge. Now in its fourth iteration, the beloved festival presents a featured performance with guest artists that will include violinist Francesca dePasquale, Violin Professor at Oberlin Conservatory; violist Margaret Dyer Harris of the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra and GRAMMY® nominated orchestra The Knights; and cellist Julian Schwarz, Cello Professor at Shenandoah Conservatory. These three exceptional artists will collaborate with Birch Festival Artistic Director and Co-Founder Yevgeny Kutik for a dramatic and moving concert program.
This year’s festival honors the music of one of the most important composers of the 20th century, Dmitri Shostakovich, in this 50th year since his passing. Shostakovich’s music has long been a source of inspiration for many, and his work continues to offer profound reflections on the strength and resilience of the human spirit. During the festival’s featured performance, Shostakovich’s work will be interspersed with several selections from J.S. Bach’s timeless The Art of the Fugue. In addition to the main concert, festival attendees can look forward to a festive opening evening that includes a brief performance complemented by small plates and a free wine tasting; and a morning “Don’t Tap on the Glass” open rehearsal.
Birch Festival Artistic Director Yevgeny Kutik says, “Shostakovich’s music has always been a source of inspiration for me, and in these times, his work offers profound reflections on the strength and resilience of the human spirit. I'm so thrilled to be able to share two of his most important quartets, No.'s 8 and 9 with these truly remarkable artists along with the timeless music of J.S. Bach. As part of our mission to be accessible to the community in a variety of ways, we are delighted to continue our open rehearsal series, Don't Tap on the Glass. The general public rarely gets to see the behind-the-scenes of preparations for a performance, and this series aims to give everyone the opportunity to glimpse into the "fishtank." It can be a fascinating experience to watch artists at work!”
The Birch Festival was founded in 2022 by Lenox-based husband-and-wife team Yevgeny Kutik, an internationally renowned violinist who serves as Artistic Director, and Rachel Barker, who is the non-profit organization’s Executive Director.
The Birch Festival’s mission is to bring world-leading musicians for artist residencies in Berkshire County schools, and work in tandem with local business and cultural partnerships. Kutik, a Belarusian-Jewish refugee resettled in Pittsfield by the Jewish Federation in the 1990s, named the festival for his grandmother Sima Berezkina, whose last name means “birch tree.” With significance in many global cultures, birch trees symbolize growth, resilience, and adaptability – qualities that Sima embodied.
On Friday, May 16, 2025 from 6-8pm, The Birch Festival will return to Doctor Sax House in Lenox, MA (35 Walker St) in the Carriage House for an opening night of food, music, and conversation. Those in attendance will have the chance to meet and mingle with Dyer, dePasquale, Schwarz, and Kutik while enjoying some small bites, a festival signature drink, and free wine tasting hosted by Dare Bottleshop and Provisions.. The event is free and open to the public; space is limited and registration is required. The next morning, Saturday, May 17 at 10am, the public is welcome to come to the festival’s “Don’t Tap on the Glass” open rehearsal at the First Congregational Church, in Stockbridge, MA (4 Main St). This is a chance to see an up-close view of a rehearsal in action. No registration is required.
The Birch Festival’s main performance, Shostakovich and Bach, will be at the First Congregational Church Stockbridge (4 Main St) on Saturday, May 17 at 3pm. Francesca dePasquale, Margaret Dyer, Julian Schwarz, and Yevgeny Kutik will give emotive performances of J.S. Bach’s Contrapunctus 1; Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8; Bach’s Vor deinen Thron tret’ ich hiermit, BWV 668; Bach’s Contrapunctus 4; and Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 9. There will be a pre-concert talk at 2:15pm hosted by Shostakovich scholar Matthew Heck. An informal reception, open to all ticket holders, will follow the performance. Berkshire County Students and a guardian may attend for free. Tickets are available at www.thebirchfestival.org.
The Birch Festival promotes and propels distinct voices in music, whether through new composition or creative interpretation of old favorites. The Festival offers leading musicians a chance to play and establish relationships in the Berkshires, while recognizing the importance of their work by offering compensation that sustains and values their efforts in this industry.
The Birch Festival’s 2025 Spring Schedule:
Artist Meet-and-Greet & Wine Tasting
Friday, May 16, 2025 from 6-8pm
Doctor Sax House - Carriage House
35 Walker St. Lenox, MA
Free, registration required: www.thebirchfestival.org
The Birch Festival returns to Doctor Sax House, opening the spring 2025 edition in its Carriage House with signature drinks, mocktails, and a chance to mingle with the artists. Wine tasting hosted by Dare Bottleshop and Provisions. Space is limited, registration is required.
“Don’t Tap on the Glass” Open Rehearsal
Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 10am
First Congregational Church Stockbridge
4 Main Street
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Free and open to the public.
The Birch Festival welcomes the community of the Berkshires to enjoy a morning preview of the festival’s featured concert at its “Don’t Tap on the Glass” open rehearsal at First Congregational Church Stockbridge. No registration required.
The Birch Festival Feature Performance – Shostakovich and Bach
Sunday, May 17, 2025 at 3pm
First Congregational Church Stockbridge
4 Main Street
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Tickets: www.thebirchfestival.org
Violinist Francesca dePasquale, violist Margaret Dyer, cellist Julian Schwarz, along with violinist and Birch Festival Artistic Director and Co-Founder Yevgeny Kutik, will perform a program titled Shostakovich and Bach, highlighting the music of Dmitri Shostakovich and J.S. Bach. The program will include: J.S. Bach’s Contrapunctus 1; Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8; Bach’s Vor deinen Thron tret’ ich hiermit, BWV 668; Bach’s Contrapunctus 4; and Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 9. There will be a pre-concert talk at 2:15pm hosted by Shostakovich scholar Matthew Heck. An informal reception, open to all ticket holders, will follow the performance. Berkshire County Students and a guardian may attend for free.
About the Artists & Festival Directors:
About Yevgeny Kutik: With a “dark-hued tone and razor-sharp technique” (The New York Times), violinist Yevgeny Kutik has captivated audiences worldwide with an old-world sound that communicates a modern intellect. Praised for his technical precision and virtuosity, he is lauded for his poetic and imaginative interpretations of both standard works and newly composed repertoire. A native of Minsk, Belarus, Kutik began violin studies with his mother, Alla Zernitskaya, and immigrated to the U.S. with his family at the age of five. An advocate for the Jewish Federations of North America, the organization that assisted his family in coming to the US, he regularly speaks and performs across the country to promote the assistance of refugees from around the world. Kutik’s discography, all on Marquis Classics, includes The Death of Juliet and Other Tales (2021), Meditations on Family (Marquis Classics 2019), Words Fail (2016), Music from the Suitcase (2014), and Sounds of Defiance (2012). Committed to the music of our time, Kutik regularly gives premiere and repeat performances of major works by today’s most celebrated composers. For more information, please visit www.yevgenykutik.com.
About Rachel Barker: Rachel Barker is an educator and writer with over a decade of experience working in public and international schools and currently writes about science and engineering for Harvard University. Barker has been awarded spots in writers workshops for both nonfiction and fiction, including the Key West Literary Seminar, the Aspen Institute's Aspen Summer Words, and multiple residencies with Write On, Door County. She has consulted and presented for a number of organizations throughout the country, including the Yale Council for African Studies, Flint Institute of Music, Boston University's African Studies Center, Primary Source, and the Wayland/Weston Interfaith Council on Teaching Religion in Schools. Rachel Barker’s MEd. is from Boston College, where she graduated with a focus on social justice and teaching English language learners. Her undergraduate degree in Anthropology is from Boston University, and she currently studies Religion at Harvard University.
About Francesca dePasquale: Described by critics as “scintillating” and celebrated for her “rich, expressive playing” (MusicalAmerica), violinist Francesca dePasquale is the First Prize winner of the 2010 Irving M. Klein International String Competition and recipient of the prestigious 2014-2016 career grant from the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund for the Performing and Visual Arts. Earning her the 2015 Classical Recording Foundation Young Artist Award, her self-titled debut album released in March of 2016 encompasses works that scope from Bach to a new commission from composer Paola Prestini for violin and electronics. For the album and accompanying recital tour, Francesca was praised for “sincerity, intensity” and “individual voice” (Philadelphia Inquirer), and “immaculate and discreet phrasing” (Strad Magazine). Additionally, she was featured in Strings magazine and on SiriusXM, WNYC, WQXR, WRTI (Philadelphia), and WFMT (Chicago).
About Margaret Dyer Harris: Margaret Dyer Harris currently holds positions as Assistant Principal violist in the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, violist in Wicked on Broadway, and proud new member of The Knights! In recent seasons, she has appeared as guest artist with the Daedalus, Parker, and Hausmann Quartets as well as Decoda, the affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall. Margaret was a founding member of the GRAMMY-nominated chamber orchestra, A Far Cry, and she is in frequent demand as a guest orchestral principal violist, most recently appearing in that role with the Sarasota Orchestra, the Santa Fe Opera, Princeton Symphony, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the Long Island Philharmonic. From 2010-2012, Margaret was a fellow in Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble ACJW. She has given masterclasses and workshops in Mexico, Peru, UAE, and across the United States. Margaret received her training at the San Francisco Conservatory and at New England Conservatory in Boston.
About Julian Schwarz: Julian Schwarz has been heralded from a young age as a cellist destined to rank among the greatest of the 21st century, Julian’s powerful tone, effortless virtuosity, and extraordinarily large color palette are hallmarks of his style. As a chamber musician, Mr. Schwarz performs extensively in recital with pianist Marika Bournaki. In 2016 Schwarz & Bournaki were awarded first prize at the inaugural Boulder International Chamber Music Competition’s “The Art of Duo”, and subsequently embarked on an extensive 10-recital tour of China in March 2017. Mr. Schwarz is a founding member of the New York based touring ensemble “Frisson” and was recently appointed the newest core member of the Olmos Ensemble in San Antonio, TX. He is a member of the Palladium Chamber Players (St Petersburg FL), the Alaria Ensemble (New York NY), and has given over 100 performances at Brooklyn’s Bargemusic. He has appeared at the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Josef Gingold Chamber Music Festival, Verbier Festival, and the Salzburg Mozarteum. In addition, he runs programming for the Tuesday evening chamber music series at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC. A devoted teacher, Mr. Schwarz serves as Associate Professor of Cello and String Area Coordinator at Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University (Winchester, VA), and on the artist faculty of NYU’s Steinhardt School of Music. In the summer, he teaches and performs at the Eastern Music Festival and the Josef Gingold Festival.
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California Symphony Goes Vintage Vegas in Annual Gala - Viva Las Symphony - Benefitting Musicians and Music Education Programs
California Symphony Goes Vintage Vegas in Annual Gala
Photos by Drew Altizer Photography, available in high resolution here.
California Symphony Goes Vintage Vegas in Viva Las Symphony!
Hosted by Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera
WALNUT CREEK, CA – On Saturday, April 5, 2025 at Berkeley’s iconic Claremont Hotel, California Symphony presented its annual gala, this year titled Viva Las Symphony!, hosted by Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera. Over one hundred guests mixed and mingled at the vintage Vegas-themed night of glitz, glamour, and timeless music. The gala honoree was Michael Weiner, a long-time California Symphony Board Member and Walnut Creek philanthropist.
The event raised over $169,000, with proceeds supporting the musicians of the California Symphony and music education initiatives including the acclaimed Young American Composer-in-Residence program and the nationally recognized Sound Minds program for underserved local students. The gala co-chairs were Julie Basque and Mike Elmore. Among the guests enjoying the festivities were California Symphony Music and Artistic Director Donato Cabrera of San Francisco; Barbara Hodgkinson, president of the California Symphony Board of Directors; Bay Area philanthropist Sharon Simpson; Navid and Bill Armstrong of Walnut Creek; and Classical KDFC host Dianne Nicolini. Tables at the event were hosted by civic and social leaders including Sharon Simpson, Timothy Carlson, California Symphony Alliance, Julie Basque, and Michael and Denise Weiner.
Following a cocktail hour, guests enjoyed a 3-course gourmet dinner, paired with wine from Wine Family Group, and an open bar. Fundraising continued with a fund-a-need paddle raise and live auction, led by auctioneer Graham Crow. Entertainment was provided by California Symphony musicians Anne Ranzani, principal bassoon and Marc Shapiro, principal keyboard. Afterward, guests tried their luck at the casino tables and danced the night away to live music provided by Jason Marquez and the Sin City Trio, flown in directly from Las Vegas specifically for this occasion. It all added up to an unforgettable party for Bay Area culture-lovers, philanthropists, and movers and shakers, with proceeds benefitting the musicians of the California Symphony and music programs that uplift and inspire our community.
Donato Cabrera says, “Our annual themed fundraising event has become known throughout the Bay Area as being both an evening of raising awareness and money for our world-class orchestra and our celebrated education programs, as well as being just a fun party! I am always humbled by the generosity of our donors and we simply couldn’t do all of the things we’ve become so well-known for without their support.”
Founded in 1986, California Symphony has been led by Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera since 2013. It is distinguished by its innovative programming and for redefining the concert experience. Reaching far beyond its concert series at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California, the orchestra’s performances 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. In 2017, California Symphony became the first orchestra with a public statement of a commitment to diversity, and it’s one of just a few orchestras to offer a website that is available in both Spanish and English.
California Symphony’s mission is to present engaging and inclusive concert experiences, and to provide music education that inspires and connects people of all ages. Through world-class performances, supporting emerging composers, and a commitment to community, our vision is to be a leader among orchestras in California and a model for regional orchestras everywhere.
May 12: GRAMMY®-Nominated Pianist Simone Dinnerstein and her Ensemble Baroklyn Perform First Ever All-Philip Glass Concert
May 12: GRAMMY®-Nominated Pianist Simone Dinnerstein and her Ensemble Baroklyn Perform First Ever All-Philip Glass Concert at Kaufman Music Center in NYC
Presented by Kaufman Music Center
Monday, May 12, 2025 at 7:30pm
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center
129 West 67th Street | New York, NY
Tickets & Information
PLUS Dinnerstein & Baroklyn’s New Bach Album Complicité Out May 30
Review downloads and CDs available upon request
New York, NY – On Monday, May 12, 2025 at 7:30pm, GRAMMY®-nominated pianist Simone Dinnerstein, an Artist-in-Residence with the Kaufman Music Center (KMC) this season, performs her first ever all-Philip Glass concert at KMC’s Merkin Hall (129 West 67th St), as part of KMC’s Piano Dialogues series. Described by The New York Times as “colorful and idiosyncratic,” Dinnerstein will perform three works by the American minimalist master – Glass’s Mad Rush for solo piano, plus two concertos – Glass’s “Tirol” Piano Concerto (Piano Concerto No. 1) and – for the first time ever – his Suite from The Hours. Dinnerstein will perform the latter two works with Baroklyn, the string ensemble she founded and directs. (The ensemble’s name is a portmanteau of Baroque and Brooklyn, Dinnerstein’s home borough). As part of her residency at the Kaufman Music Center, Dinnerstein will also lead a performance of J.S. Bach’s keyboard concertos with young pianists from Kaufman’s Special Music School High School on May 22, 2025, and lead a performance of Philip Glass ‘s Etudes with Lucy Moses School students and faculty on June 8, 2025.
Simone Dinnerstein is well known for her distinctive musical voice and increasingly so for her interpretations of music by Philip Glass. She has performed and recorded his Piano Concerto No. 3, which Glass wrote for her in 2017, co-commissioned by twelve orchestras. NPR Music reported of her recording of the piece, “Dinnerstein's creamy tone and elastic phrasing gives the music an air of Schubertian warmth and wistfulness.”
Of what is particularly special about her string ensemble Baroklyn, Dinnerstein says: “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.”
Dinnerstein and Baroklyn’s performance at Kaufman Music Center comes just before the May 30 release of their new album, Complicité, on Supertrain Records. This is Dinnerstein’s first recording with Baroklyn. The album features the music of J.S. Bach and Philip Lasser. Complicité includes Dinnerstein and Baroklyn’s arrangement of Bach’s chorale Herr Gott, nun schleuß den Himmel auf, BWV 617, Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in E Major, BWV 1053 and his chorale Der Leib war in der Erden, BWV 161 (also arranged by Dinnerstein and Baroklyn); Bach’s Cantata 170, Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust with continuo realization by Philip Lasser; and In the Air, Lasser’s recomposition of Bach’s Air on the G String. Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano, and Peggy Pearson, oboe d’amore, join Dinnerstein and Baroklyn on this deeply felt recording, which embodies the artistic vision that Dinnerstein and Baroklyn hold dear. Read the album press release here.
Dinnerstein and Baroklyn’s all-Glass program at Kaufman Music Center will also be recorded for future commercial release, following the concert.
Glass’s “Tirol” Piano Concerto, composed in 2000, went unperformed in New York for more than 20 years until Dinnerstein’s performance of the work with the Brooklyn Orchestra and Olivier Glissant in November 2023. Glass based the concerto on melody fragments of traditional Austrian Volkslied, or folk music, in the Tyrolean tradition. Dinnerstein says of the piece, “The second movement of the ‘Tirol’ is what first drew me to it. Built almost as a set of variations, the sound is lush and pulsating, and its mood relates to his Symphony No 3 for strings. I love the play between intense lyricism and a feeling of austerity, so reminiscent of Schubert’s writing.”
Glass’s Suite from The Hours is a three-movement piano concerto taken from his film score for Stephen Daldry’s film The Hours, an adaptation of the novel by Michael Cunningham. The score received Golden Globe, GRAMMY, and Academy Award nominations, along with winning a British Academy Film Award in Film Music.
Glass’s Mad Rush was originally composed for the organ at New York City’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Dinnerstein recorded the piece for her 2022 album Undersong (Orange Mountain Music). The Washington Post wrote of her interpretation, “The vast architecture of Glass’s Mad Rush was shot through with ever-changing light, creating a hypnotic effect with a delicate symbiosis of the physical and spiritual,” while NPR called it, “gorgeous, transportive.”
More 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 idiosyncratic. She is, wrote The New York Times, “a unique voice in the forest of Bach interpretation.”
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 fourteen albums, all of which topped the Billboard charts and were recorded by 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.
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, an Artist-in-Residence with the Kaufman Music Center (KMC) this season, performs an all-Philip Glass concert as part of KMC’s Piano Dialogues series. Described by The New York Times as “colorful and idiosyncratic,” Dinnerstein will perform three works by the American minimalist master – Glass’s Mad Rush for solo piano, plus two concertos with her string ensemble Baroklyn – Glass’s “Tirol” Piano Concerto (Piano Concerto No. 1) and, for the first time, his Suite from The Hours.
Concert details:
Who: Pianist Simone Dinnerstein Performs an All-Philip Glass Concert with her string ensemble Baroklyn
What: Philip Glass’s “Tirol” Piano Concerto, Mad Rush, and Suite from The Hours
When: Monday, May 12, 2025 at 7:30pm
Where: Merkin Hall at Kaufmann Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023
Tickets and information: https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/simone-dinnerstein-with-baroklyn
Sony Classical Signs World-Renowned Pianist Alexander Malofeev
Sony Classical Signs World-Renowned Pianist Alexander Malofeev
“…His intensity overwhelms…[he] makes a monumentally thunderous impression with his music…” – The Los Angeles Times
Sony Classical is thrilled to announce the exclusive signing of world renowned pianist Alexander Malofeev. His debut album for Sony Classical is expected in the fall.
The twenty-three-year-old Berlin-based musician has quickly emerged as one of the most prominent pianists of his generation, captivating audiences and garnering high praises from critics. The Guardian noted of him: “Malofeev doesn’t just play the notes; he brings every phrase to life as if it tells something entirely new...” Der Standard in Austria described his 2022 debut at the world-famous Musikverein as a: “world piano revolution.”
On the signing of this exclusive agreement with Alexander Malofeev, Per Hauber, President, Sony Classical noted: “Alexander Malofeev is undoubtedly one of the most exciting pianists of his generation. Despite his young age, he can already look back on an impressive career on stage. We believe the time has now come for him to embark on his career in the recording studio. With his unique debut album and many more ideas for the future, we can look forward to a brilliant recording career for Alexander Malofeev. Sony Classical is very proud to be his exclusive partner for this.”
Alexander Malofeev added: “In Sony Classical, I have found the right place to bring my personal recording vision to life - with genuine trust, openness and a shared sense of artistic curiosity. Recording for me is about capturing a moment that feels magical and honest. It’s an exciting beginning."
Malofeev gained international attention when in 2014, he won the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians aged just thirteen with high praise including: “…an incredible maturity. Crystal clear sounds and perfect balance revealed his exceptional ability” (Amadeus). Since then, he has performed with many leading orchestras around the world, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala and many more.
Alexander Malofeev regularly works with some of the most distinguished conductors of the day, including Charles Dutoit, Michael Tilson Thomas, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, JoAnn Falletta and Riccardo Chailly, who has said of him: “he is very young but already possesses depth and technical abilities…”. As well as performing on leading stages internationally, Malofeev has been a guest at world-famous music festivals such as Verbier Festival, Tanglewood Music Festival and Aspen Music Festival (USA), among others.
Renowned for his virtuosic technique and profound musical expressiveness, Malofeev's exceptional talent has also been recognized with numerous awards and prizes. In addition to his first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, he won the Grand Prix at the 1st International Competition for Young Pianists Grand Piano. In 2017, he became the first Yamaha Young Artist.
Gramophone’s Mark Pullinger reviewing a 2022 Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra concert from the city’s Alte Oper – where Malofeev stepped in for the indisposed original soloist - wrote that: “Alexander Malofeev…played a truly exciting rendition of Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto, displaying glittering dexterity, expansive rubatos and a demonic first movement cadenza.”
Official Channels
Alexander Malofeev: Official Website
Alexander Malofeev: On YouTube
Alexander Malofeev: On Instagram
Alexander Malofeev: On Facebook
Announcing the 27th Annual MATA Festival — in Partnership with ISSUE Project Room — INTERGALACTIC INFINITY: Music Between Spaces
June 11-14: 27th Annual MATA Festival — in Partnership with ISSUE Project Room — INTERGALACTIC INFINITY: Music Between Spaces
June 11-14, 2025
Featuring Music by 18 Early-Career Composers
Alongside Major Works by Jessie Cox, Oliver Lake, George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, and a World Premiere by Reza Vali
Performances by Sun Ra Arkestra, FLUX Quartet, Ensemble LPR, TROPOS, RE:duo, MATA Mavens, and More
“the most exciting showcase for outstanding young composers from around the world” – The New Yorker
June 11-14, 2025 at 7pm (Doors 6:30pm)
ISSUE Project Room | 22 Boerum Place | Brooklyn, NY
Festival Passes On Sale April 22, Single Tickets Available May 1:
www.matafestival.org/mata-festival-2025
New York, NY – From June 11-14, 2025, MATA presents its 27th annual MATA Festival, this year in partnership with ISSUE Project Room, featuring four concerts across four nights exploring the concept of INTERGALACTIC INFINITY: Music Between Spaces – music that connects with the diaspora of ancestry and heritage, around ideas of imagination, mysticism, liberation, science fiction, history, fantasy, and technoculture. The New York Times has hailed the MATA Festival as “nondogmatic, even antidogmatic,” while The Wall Street Journal reports that it “tells us a lot about how composers are thinking now.”
The MATA Festival has been a much-anticipated fixture of the New York and worldwide new music scene since its founding in 1996 by Philip Glass, Eleonor Sandresky, and Lisa Bielawa, who established “Music at the Anthology,” now called MATA, as a means of providing early-career composers a platform for finding community and creating performance opportunities. Nearly 30 years later, MATA still serves as an incubator for adventurous emerging artists experimenting with composition, multi-media, performance art, and every imaginable sound in between. Its annual MATA Festival has become one of the most sought-after opportunities for young and emerging composers.
Curated by MATA Executive Director Pauline Kim Harris, the 2025 MATA Festival features works by 18 composers in the early stages of their professional careers, selected by Harris and a panel of eight esteemed composers and artists – Titilayo Ayangade, Tom Chiu, Felix Fan, John Glover, Conrad Harris, Max Mandel, Paula Matthusen, and Kal Sugatski – from a free, global call resulting in over 300 submissions.
Pauline Kim Harris has crafted four unique concert programs for the Festival that combine the works of these early-career composers with major works by six legendary artists – Jessie Cox (whose Enter the Impossible was written for and will be performed by Sun Ra Arkestra and FLUX Quartet), Oliver Lake, George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, and Reza Vali. The 2025 MATA Festival performers include Sun Ra Arkestra, FLUX Quartet, Ensemble LPR conducted by Tito Muñoz, TROPOS, RE:duo, and the MATA Mavens to include Majel Connery, soprano; Oshay LeGare, baritone; Titilayo Ayangade, cello; Laura Cocks, flutes; Louis Arques, clarinets; Sam Nester, trumpet; Han Chen, piano; Erika Dohi, piano; Paul Kerekes, piano; Sam Yulsman, piano; and Josh Perry, percussion.
“This year’s festival brings focus to a past and future of musical exploration by living legends, manifesting a legacy which continues to influence, inspire and impact generations of composers — grounded by the complexities and intersections of identity, race, history, and cultural ethos,” says MATA Executive Director Pauline Kim Harris. “Each night of the four-day festival is titled after a work by an iconic pioneer in the fabric of the American sound that makes up music today, performed by the illustrious FLUX Quartet and on opening night, Sun Ra Arkestra. Programs are further illuminated by the selected early-career composers, our very own MATA Mavens and invited guest artists and ensembles, igniting the intimacy of the experience, uniquely curated for a four-night journey. Attending the full festival is highly recommended.”
Composers that have been presented by MATA early in their careers include future Rome, Alpert, Takemitsu, Siemens, and Pulitzer Prize-winners, Guggenheim Fellows, and MacArthur “Geniuses.” For a full list of MATA Alumni, visit www.matafestival.org/mata-alumni. This year’s cohort of 18 composers includes:
Diallo Banks is interested in sympathetic resonance, open scores, improvisation, and instrument modification. As a performer, his work pushes the Hammond organ’s capabilities to its limits while still firmly engaging with its history as a sonic signifier of Black identity. His works have been commissioned and performed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Yale Philharmonia, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, Aspen Conducting Orchestra, and Contemporary Insights Ensemble in Leipzig, Germany. In the fall of 2025, he will begin his Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition at Columbia University.
Anuj Bhutani is a first-generation Indian-American whose work is focused on liminal spaces, and as such is often highly interdisciplinary, engaging with theater, dance, and film while drawing on his musical background in classical, emo/screamo, ambient, singer/songwriter, and electronic music, resulting in genre- and culturally-fluid pieces that firmly situate the listener between multiple musical worlds at once. His music has been called "alternately celestial and dark" by WNYC's John Schaefer.
Inga Chinilina is a multimedia composer with concert pieces ranging from solo to orchestral compositions, alongside works for dance, film, and installations. She sees music as an act of translation, a concept she explores in both her academic and creative work. In her creative practice, Inga transforms personal stories into sonic expressions, reflecting a wide range of societal issues, including immigration, womanhood, and the environment. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Music and Multimedia Composition at Brown University.
Rodrigo Espino is a Mexican composer and sound artist. His music is a visceral experience, produced and perceived through the entire body. The driving force behind his music emerges from the experience of epilepsy and physical pain, exploring the body’s inability to voice itself as a catalyst for transforming convulsion into creative energy. His works have been presented at Mexico's most important venues, such as the Palacio Nacional de Bellas Artes, as well as in Brazil and Switzerland.
Ledah Finck is a violinist, violist, improviser, and composer based in New York City. A passionate performer, creator, and curator of contemporary classical and experimental music, she is a co-founder of the Bergamot Quartet, as well as Tropos and earspace ensemble. As a composer, she has been commissioned by Imani Winds, Alarm Will Sound, Ayane and Paul, and more. Her music embodies a desire to create and share a sound-world in which the classical tradition, the folk music with which she grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and an extensive improvisatory sensibility, are in productive dialogue.
Nina Fukuoka is a Japanese and Polish composer and performer based in New York City. She makes instrumental and computer music and uses various media and technologies to express extramusical meaning. Her works are focused on the contemporary world through the lens of horror esthetics, video games, and feminist scholarships. She explores the possibilities of communicating through art by superimposing latent meanings with distinct images within the context of tradition and mass culture.
Kylan Hillman is a composer, guitarist, and improviser whose primary interest is destroying and scrambling material to investigate the beauty in imperfection. His music often includes visceral computerized glitches, novel approaches to traditional instruments, and harsh walls of noise. Kylan’s recent output includes Methods of Crunching which uses objects like butterknives, screwdrivers, and guitar picks to create overwhelming scratching, popping, and rubbing sound. He is currently a Master’s student studying composition at Montclair State University in New Jersey.
New York City-based composer, pianist, and video artist Brian Mark has been hailed by the American Composers Forum as an “intelligent, modern composer who employs many media elements and does so with marked idiosyncrasy and depth.” He has had works performed by the BBC Singers, Chelsea Symphony, Pacific Chamber Orchestra, Psappha Ensemble, members of the London Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Signal, the Ligeti Quartet, and more. He completed his Ph.D. at the Royal Academy of Music and is also a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Berklee College of Music, and Boston University.
Anna Meadors is a composer, saxophonist, electronic music producer, and educator. Her music is inspired by nature walks and small details, birds, slightly uneven pulses, the buzzy stillness of bodies of water, and joyful improvisation. Her saxophone playing has been described as “potently feral” (American Pancake) and “sprawling across the walls and dripping onto the floor all John Zorn-like” (Outside Left). She graduated from Peabody Conservatory with a B.M. in saxophone performance, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with an M.M. in Composition, and recently finished her Ph.D. at Princeton University in Music Composition.
Giordano Bruno do Nascimento, born in Brazil, is a German composer distinguished by his profound artistic exploration of the role of the human voice in our society. Do Nascimento’s artistic practice is dedicated to exploring the diverse meanings and functions of the human voice. These investigations frequently culminate in new works. His research also delves into the intersections of gender and voice, examining how vocal expressions can transcend traditional gender norms and contribute to a more fluid understanding of identity. Currently, do Nascimento is exploring “the boundaries of the human voice in its definitions” as part of his doctoral studies at the HfMT Hamburg.
The "spellbinding" (Washington Post) music of Chicago-based composer Paul Novak immerses listeners in shimmering and subtly crafted musical worlds full of color, motion, light, and magic. His recent projects engage with dreams and memory, queer identity, climate change and the natural world, and psychosomatic illness. His music has been heard at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, New World Center, and Chicago's Symphony Center. Novak is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Chicago.
Sofia Jen Ouyang is committed to creating artwork that both expressively and critically engages with other people and the world. Her works have been performed across the US, Europe, and Asia, including in venues such as Lincoln Center, Frankfurt Oper, Columbia University Miller Theatre, Luzern KKL, Arvo Pärt Center, National Sawdust, New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall, and more. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Composition at Columbia University.
Born in Puerto Rico, Luis Quintana is an internationally recognized composer based in France who extends the frontiers of his musical universe from concert music to acousmatic pieces and sound installations. Captivated by cultural fusions and their sonic expressions, he engages in an ongoing dialogue between diverse traditions, merging ancient heritages, natural soundscapes, and contemporary practices. He holds a Master’s Degree from the Paris National Conservatory.
Kevin Ramsay is a composer, producer, recording/mixing/mastering/sound engineer, and musician on several critically acclaimed international albums. Brooklyn born and based, Ramsay’s work focuses primarily on theoretical, practical aspects of sound recording/reproduction with unpredictable pairings of acoustic and electronic instruments. Kevin’s current works explore new ways to capture, mix, and process immersive audio for playback on multichannel sound systems.
Jee Seo is a South Korean contemporary classical music composer. Over the last decade, his works have been presented by numerous performers and ensembles in more than 50 cities and about 20 countries across four continents. Jee has been collaborating on a wide range of projects with artists, dancers, and filmmakers, and his collaborative music videos have been screened at festivals worldwide. He is currently a doctoral student at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.
Negar Soleymanifar is an Iranian composer and performer currently based in Middletown, CT. She centers her work on an interpersonal perspective and its relationship to other human beings, exploring psychological states, inner struggles, and social contexts through her music, with the aim of communicating what seems uncommunicable. She holds a bachelor's degree in music composition from the Tehran University of Art and is pursuing an M.A. in music with a concentration in experimental music and composition at Wesleyan University.
Andrew Stock is a composer and artist working in concert and installative formats with focus areas in experimental music, conceptual art, and Black studies. His work has been commissioned or programmed by groups and festivals including LA Phil/wild Up, Fonema Consort, Quince Ensemble, the New York Virtuoso Singers, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, and Ostrava Days (CZ). He is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Chicago.
Petra Strahovnik is an internationally acclaimed composer and interdisciplinary artist, celebrated for her fearless exploration of sound and music. Her groundbreaking works blend music, performance, and visual art, drawing inspiration from societal issues and human experiences. She won the 66th International Rostrum of Composers Prize and her achievements also include a Fellowship and Art Residency at Villa Concordia in Bamberg, and the Berlin Art Prize for Music 2021.
In addition to its annual MATA Festival, MATA’s activities include MATA Presents, which brings commissioned projects to venues and non-conventional spaces throughout New York; MATA Jr., an evening of music by pre-college composers, mentored by emerging composers, and performed by top performers in new music; special MATAthon fundraising events throughout the year which bring supporters in close communion with MATA artists; and MATAlab, a new concert platform that embraces the casual atmosphere of a chamber music reading party that allows composers, musicians, and audiences to mingle and discover new music together. ASCAP has awarded MATA its prestigious Aaron Copland Award in recognition of its ongoing work.
27th Annual MATA Festival Schedule
ENTER THE IMPOSSIBLE
Opening Night: Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at 7pm (doors 6:30)
ISSUE Project Room, 22 Boerum Place, Brooklyn, NY
Performances by Sun Ra Arkestra; FLUX Quartet; Jessie Cox, drums; and Sam Yulsman, piano and electronics
Program:
Jessie Cox: Enter the Impossible (2023) for Sun Ra Arkestra; commissioned by the Paul Fromm Foundation
Oliver Lake: One Move (2022, New York Premiere)
Jessie Cox: Sound Drape Painting (2025, World Premiere)
+*Diallo Banks: Sarmad for String Quartet (2025, World Premiere)
The 27th annual MATA Festival opens with Jessie Cox’s evening-length opus Enter the Impossible, written for and performed by the unparalleled Sun Ra Arkestra, with FLUX Quartet and Sam Yulsman. Enter the Impossible is imagined as a space flight, journeying through different musical spaces, including many pieces from Sun Ra Arkestra’s large collection of works, such as Say from their recent record Swirling, or the classic Space is the Place, among others. The concert also includes the world premiere of Cox’s Sound Drape Painting, inspired by Sam Gilliam’s drape paintings and exploring new ways of hearing musical form and movement through the sonic. Cox explains, “Music as aesthetic experience proposes, or is a site to imagine, ways of spacing – how we come to inhabit and make space and time." FLUX Quartet will also perform the New York premiere of jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer, poet, and visual artist Oliver Lake’s One Move as well as the world premiere of MATA Festival 2025 Early-Career Composer Diallo Banks’ Sarmad for string quartet. Sarmad is structured around the concept of yati, a principle in South Indian music that shapes musical phrases through systematic variation.
Full program information: www.matafestival.org/mata-festival-2025
THE CAPITOL
Night Two: Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 7pm (doors 6:30)
ISSUE Project Room, 22 Boerum Place, Brooklyn, NY
Performances by FLUX Quartet, MATA Mavens, TROPOS, and RE:duo
Program:
Wadada Leo Smith: String Quartet No. 17 (The Capitol, Washington D.C.: An Experiment With Democracy and Capitalism) for String Quartet (2024, New York Premiere)
Roscoe Mitchell: 9/9/99 With CARDS for String Quartet (2009/2011, rev. 2021, New York Premiere)
*Ledah Finck: The Best Donuts In Pennsylvania for Violin, Saxophone, Piano and Drums (2023)
*Inga Chinilina: Shock Workers for Viola, Saxophone and Motors (2024, New York Premiere)
*Kylan Hillman: Methods of Crunching for Electric Guitar (2024)
*Anna Meadors: Encircle, recirculate for Saxophone and No-Input Mixer (2025, World Premiere)
*Jee Seo: On Fever II for Solo Violin (2017, New York Premiere)
*Brian Mark: Per Aspera Ad Astra for Solo Violin and Digital Delay Processing Pedal with Video (2020)
Night Two of the 27th Annual MATA Festival features the New York premiere of Wadada Leo Smith's String Quartet No. 17 (The Capitol, Washington D.C.: An Experiment With Democracy and Capitalism) which examines the U.S. Capitol building as both a symbol of democracy and insurrection, performed by FLUX Quartet. FLUX Quartet also performs the New York premiere of Roscoe Mitchell's 9/9/99 With CARDS, which Mitchell describes as a “scored improvisation,” in which each player is given six cards with musical notation on them that they can arrange, reshuffle, and perform in different “hands.” Night Two also includes six works by MATA Festival 2025 Early-Career Composers for varying instrumentation – from solo violin to an ensemble of viola, saxophone, and motors – performed by MATA Mavens, TROPOS, and RE:duo.
Full program information: www.matafestival.org/mata-festival-2025
SALMAK (World Premiere)
Night Three: Friday, June 13, 2025 at 7pm (doors 6:30)
ISSUE Project Room, 22 Boerum Place, Brooklyn, NY
Performances by FLUX Quartet and MATA Mavens
Program:
Reza Vali: String Quartet No. 6, Salmak (2024, World Premiere)
*Petra Strahovnik: Attack for String Quartet (2023, New York Premiere)
*Anuj Bhutani: On Letting Go for Solo Cello and Electronics (2020)
*Rodrigo Espino: Responso el en Vacío for Contrabass Clarinet and Electronics (2023, World Premiere)
*Negar Soleymanifar: Prelude to the Ashes for Cello and Narrator (2023, New York Premiere)
Night Three of the 27th Annual MATA Festival is centered around the world premiere of Reza Vali’s String Quartet No. 6, Salmak, a tribute to the great 13th century Persian music theorist and musician Safialdin Ormavi. Vali says of the work, “I have used some of Ormavi’s 13th century medieval modes and have interpolated these modes with some of the modes of the modern Persian modal system, the Dastgâh system.” The evening also includes four pieces by 2025 MATA Festival Early-Career Composers, each exploring varying heightened emotional states – surviving survival instincts; pain and lamentation; catharsis after the pandemic; and the struggle to release unresolved emotions – performed by FLUX Quartet and the MATA Mavens.
Full program information: www.matafestival.org/mata-festival-2025
EXPERIMENTS IN LIVING
Night Four: Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 7pm (doors 6:30)
ISSUE Project Room, 22 Boerum Place, Brooklyn, NY
Performances by Members of FLUX Quartet; Ensemble LPR led by Tito Muñoz, conductor; Majel Connery, soprano; Erika Dohi, piano; Paul Kerekes, piano; Han Chen, piano; and Oshay LeGare, baritone
Program:
George Lewis: String Quartet 1.5, “Experiments in Living” (2016)
*Giordano Bruno do Nascimento: Vis-aVis(a) for 3 Performers and One Grand Piano, 3 Toms and Credit Cards (2020, New York Premiere)
*Paul Novak: seven dreams about my body for microtonal sextet (2024, New York Premiere)
*Andrew Stock: “Les concerts ne sont jamais de veritable musique, on doit renoncer a y entendre, ce qu’il y a de beau dans l’art.” for Piano, Flute, Clarinet (or bass clarinet), Violin (or viola), Cello, and Percussion (2024, New York Premiere)
*Luis Quintana: Textos Invisibles for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Viola, Cello, Piano, Soprano/Mezzo (2015, New York Premiere)
*Sofia Jen Ouyang: Return to Root for Conductor, Flutes, Soprano, Percussion, Recorded-improvisation, and Video (2022)
*Nina Fukuoka: Polka is a Czech Dance for Flutes, Clarinets, Cello, Percussion, Piano, with Video (2023, US Premiere)
*Kevin Ramsay: Golden Euphonics for Alto Flute, CB Clarinet, Piccolo A Trumpet, Violin, Cello, Piano, and Baritone (2023)
The centerpiece for Night Four of the 27th Annual MATA Festival is George Lewis’s String Quartet 1.5 "Experiments in Living” from 2016; Lewis's first string quartet. He says of the work, “I take ‘Experiments in Living,’ a phrase from John Stuart Mill, to express my notion of recombinant assemblage, associative sonic discourses that appear and recur in ever new forms and guises, suffused with the power of noise. . . I’m looking for listeners to experience the volatility of memory, resistance, and hope." Night Four includes seven works by 2025 MATA Festival Early-Career composers, all exploring what lies beyond our perception – from a sextet encapsulating vivid dreams during the pandemic to a work exploring the reciprocity of presence and absence – performed by FLUX Quartet, Ensemble LPR led by conductor Tito Muñoz, soprano Majel Connery, pianists Erika Dohi, Paul Kerekes, and Han Chen, and baritone Oshay LeGare.
Full program information: www.matafestival.org/mata-festival-2025
*MATA Festival 2025 Early-Career Composer
+Next Fest Composer, selected from MATA Festival alumni and participants
Programs subject to change. Visit www.matafestival.org for all festival updates and information.
May 3 & 4: California Symphony's Epic Season Finale Features Striking Pair of Unfinished Masterpieces by Schubert and Bruckner
May 3 & 4: California Symphony's Epic Season Finale Features Striking Pair of Unfinished Masterpieces by Schubert and Bruckner
Photo by Kristen Loken; high resolution photos available here.
California Symphony's Epic Season Finale
UNFINISHED BRUCKNER
Featuring the Unfinished Symphonies of Schubert & Bruckner
Led by Donato Cabrera, Artistic & Music Director
In Concert May 3 at 7:30pm & May 4 at 4:00pm
At Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts
California Symphony’s 2024-2025 Season Showcases the Crowning Achievements of
Composers at the Peak of Their Powers: Watch Donato Cabrera’s Introduction
Tickets & Information: www.californiasymphony.org
WALNUT CREEK, CA – California Symphony and Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera conclude the 2024-2025 season, which has showcased the crowning achievements of composers at the peak of their powers, with UNFINISHED BRUCKNER – two concerts featuring a striking pair of unfinished masterpieces by Franz Schubert and Anton Bruckner on Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 7:30pm and Sunday, May 4, 2025 at 4:00pm at Hofmann Theatre at the Lesher Center for the Arts (1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek).
Declining health, hesitation over how to continue the piece, work overload, or even that the pages were completed but ultimately lost – theories abound, but no one really knows why Schubert never finished his hauntingly beautiful Symphony No. 8. The three completed movements of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 showcase his signature big symphonic sound, iconic themes, and brass fanfares. Featuring one of the largest ensembles to take the stage, Bruckner’s unfinished Symphony No. 9 makes a fittingly epic grand finale to California Symphony’s concert season.
“It has been a longtime wish of mine to program Schubert’s unfinished Symphony No. 8 with Bruckner’s unfinished Symphony No. 9,” says Donato Cabrera. “While over 70 years separate them from one another, they share many of the same attributes and are, in this sense, musical contemporaries. In both symphonies, profound mystery and solemnity are frequently interrupted by emotional and dramatic outbursts. Simple, chorale-like melodies are used by both composers to create a complex web of communal experience, while also suggesting that there is a greater force behind it all. It’s as if both are trying to depict, in music, what is beyond the great veil. Music such as this gives us a great opportunity to contemplate such matters on our own terms, without words or dogma to muddy the waters. It is my hope that people will leave the concert hall in a deep and thoughtful satisfaction, truly changed by these two powerful symphonies.”
Schubert began work on his Symphony No. 8 in 1822 but left only two movements completed, even though he lived for another six years. The symphony was never performed during his lifetime, and lay in storage until the 1860s — more than 30 years after Schubert’s death — until it was discovered in the study of one of his contemporaries and performed in Vienna in 1865. Scholars have had many theories about why the work remained incomplete, but none have been proven. What is clear is that it is a masterpiece, stamped with the composer's indelible voice. The critic Eduard Hanslick wrote after the premiere, “When, after the few introductory measures, clarinets and oboes in unison begin to sound their sweet song above the peaceful murmur of the violins, then each and every child recognizes the composer, and a half-suppressed outcry ’Schubert’ buzzes through the hall. He has hardly entered, but it is as if one knows him by his step, by his manner of lifting the latch."
Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 was left unfinished at the time of his death. A deeply religious man, he dedicated it to “the beloved God.” He began writing the work in 1887 but was frequently interrupted by other work and poor health. By the end of 1894, he had completed three movements. He is quoted as saying, “I have done my duty on earth. I have accomplished what I could, and my final wish is to be allowed to finish my Ninth Symphony. Three movements are almost complete, the Adagio nearly finished. There remains only the finale. I trust that death will not deprive me of my pen.” He worked on the third movement for the next two years, until the morning of the day he died in October 1896, never completing the final movement.
Season tickets are now available for California Symphony’s 2025-2026 season. Illustrating California Symphony’s signature approach to creating vibrant concerts, rich in storytelling and spanning the breadth of orchestral repertoire, next season explores evocative programmatic music including Maurice Ravel’s Boléro, Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and Valentin Silvestrov’s Stille Musik; the fruitful intersection of jazz and classical in music by Jessie Montgomery, Friedrich Gulda, and George Gershwin; the monumental symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Jean Sibelius, and Alexander Borodin; the timelessness of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart including excerpts from Don Giovanni; and world-class soloists in riveting concertos including pianist Robert Thies in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, Nathan Chan in Friedrich Gulda’s Cello Concerto, violinists Jennifer Cho and Sam Weiser in Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa, and pianist Sofya Gulyak in Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3. Read the season announcement here.
Founded in 1986, California Symphony has been led by Donato Cabrera since 2013. 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.
Single tickets start at $50 and at $25 for students 25 and under. A free 30-minute pre-concert talk by lecturer Scott Fogelsong will begin one hour before each performance. More information is available at CaliforniaSymphony.org.
FOR CALENDAR EDITORS:
WHAT: California Symphony presents UNFINISHED BRUCKNER
California Symphony concludes its 2024-2025 season with a striking pair of unfinished masterpieces, each marking the pinnacle of achievement for the composers. Conducted by Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera, the orchestra performs the two surviving movements of Franz Schubert’s hauntingly beautiful Symphony No. 8. Declining health, hesitation over how to continue the piece, work overload, or even that the pages were completed but ultimately lost . . . theories abound, but no one really knows why Schubert never finished it. The three completed movements of Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 conclude the program, showcasing his signature big symphonic sound, iconic themes, and brass fanfares. Featuring one of the largest ensembles to take the stage, Bruckner’s unfinished Symphony No. 9 makes a fittingly epic grand finale to California Symphony’s concert season.
California Symphony takes the stuffiness out of the concert experience: Take selfies at the photo booth, order a signature cocktail, and sip at your seat. Tickets include a free 30-minute pre-concert talk by award-winning instructor Scott Foglesong, starting one hour before the show.
WHEN: Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 7:30pm
Sunday, May 4, 2025 at 4:00pm
WHERE: Hofmann Theatre at the Lesher Center for the Arts
1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek
CONCERT:
Unfinished Bruckner
7:30pm, Saturday, May 3
4:00pm, Sunday, May 4
Donato Cabrera, conductor
California Symphony
PROGRAM:
Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 8 (Unfinished)
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 (Unfinished)
TICKETS: Single tickets start at $50 and at $25 for students 25 and under.
INFO: For more information or to purchase tickets, the public may visit CaliforniaSymphony.org or call the Lesher Center Ticket Office at (925) 943-7469 (open Wed – Sun, noon to 6pm).
PHOTOS: Available here.
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 and are available to stream online year-round.
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.
California Symphony’s 2024-25 season is sponsored by the Lesher Foundation.
May 16-17: Emerald City Music Presents: Evolution of Flute – Featuring Five Exceptional Flutists in Seattle and Olympia
May 16-17: Emerald City Music Presents: Evolution of Flute – Featuring Five Exceptional Flutists in Seattle and Olympia
Emerald City Music Season 09
Evolution of Flute
Friday, May 16, 2025 at 8:00pm
415 Westlake | 415 Westlake Avenue N | Seattle, WA
Tickets: bit.ly/EmeraldEvolutionFluteSeattleMay2025
Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 7:30pm
Capital High School Performing Arts Center | 2707 Conger Ave NW | Olympia, WA
Tickets: bit.ly/EmeraldEvolutionFluteOlympiaMay2025
“Emerald City Music [is] known for its innovative approaches to presenting classical music” – Cascade PBS
Seattle & Olympia WA – On Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17, 2025, Emerald City Music (ECM), along with founding Artistic Director Kristin Lee and newly appointed Executive Director Sean Campbell, prepare for the finale of ECM’s Season 09 with the return of Emerald’s beloved Evolution series, this time delving into the fascinating world of the flute.
Did you know that the flute is among the earliest known identifiable musical instruments, with origins dating back more than 53,000 years? Over millennia, this remarkable instrument has evolved through numerous stages to become the flute of today and is one of the most celebrated woodwind instruments. This extraordinary concert will feature five exceptional flutists –– Emi Ferguson, Anthony Trionfo, Christina Hughes, Joshua Romatowski, and program co-curator Sungwoo Steven Kim –– each showcasing the instrument's remarkable evolution from its ancient origins to its contemporary brilliance. Join Emerald City Music for a one-of-a-kind exploration of the flute’s lineage and the chance to witness a variety of flutes and their diverse repertoires.
Flutist and program-co-curator Sungwoo Kim shares these thoughts ahead of May's season finale:
“Experiencing this program is like walking through a museum, but with a hands-on journey through the flute’s evolution. Each soloist will paint a vivid soundscape: C.P.E. Bach’s Solo Flute in A highlights the sweet timbre and effortless agility of the traverso, while Varèse’s Density 21.5 and Berio’s Sequenza push the flute to its limits, expanding its sonic palette through resistance and advanced performance techniques. Turning to Debussy, the flute merges with literature and transforms into the mythological character Syrinx. And let’s not overlook the piccolo—far from just a staple of Sousa marches, it is a truly charming instrument in its own right.
I am especially looking forward to performing the ensemble pieces. It is rare to hear five solo flute works in a single concert, but even more extraordinary to share the stage with four fellow professional flutists. This concert will bring together both longtime friends and new collaborators, creating an extraordinary musical exchange and the unique opportunity to hear a truly remarkable flute ensemble in action.”
The program will include performances of:
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s Sonata In A Minor For Solo Flute (1747)
performed by Joshua Romatowski on traverso flute
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach’s Duet No. 1 In E Minor (1740-1745)
performed by Christina Hughes and Sungwoo Kim on piccolo
Luciano Berio’s Sequenza (1958)
performed by Anthony Trionfo on flute
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Duo For Two Flutes In G Major (1792)
performed by Joshua Romatowski on Classical 8-Hole flute and Emi Ferguson on Classical 8-Hole flute
Georg Philipp Telemann’s Fantasie No. 5 in C Major (1732-33)
performed by Christina Hughes on piccolo
Friedrich Kuhlau’s Flute Trio in G minor (1814)
performed by Anthony Trionfo, Christina Hughes and Sungwoo Kim on flute
Claude Debussy’s Syrinx for solo flute (1913)
performed by Emi Ferguson on flute
Edgard Varèse’s Density 21.5 for solo flute (1936, rev. 1946)
performed by Sungwoo Kim on flute
Eugene Bozza’s Jour d'été à la Montagne for flute quartet (1955)
performed by Emi Ferguson, Anthony Trionfo, Christina Hughes, and Sungwoo Kim on flute.
Audiences can look forward to the final concerts of Season 09’s Global Resonance on Friday, May 16, 2025 at 8pm in Seattle at 415 Westlake (415 Westlake Avenue N), and Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 7:30pm in Olympia at Capital High School Performing Arts Center (2707 Conger Ave NW). During the concert at 415 Westlake, listeners can enjoy ECM’s flagship “casual experience,” which combines vibrant classical performance with an open bar, and a “wander-around” concert setting with no stage dividing the audience from the musicians.
Emerald City Music (ECM) is the Pacific Northwest home for eclectic, intimate, and vibrant classical chamber music experiences. Deemed “a welcoming and more inclusive environment for intimate music-making” (The Seattle Times), ECM hosts world-renowned musicians in unique concert experiences. Founded in 2015, Emerald City Music produces and tours seven productions annually, with each tour visiting venues including Seattle’s South Lake Union (415 Westlake, a chic contemporary venue with an open bar), Olympia’s Minnaert Center (a 495 seat modern concert hall), Capital High School Performing Arts Center (2707 Conger Ave NW), a once annual concert at the Bellingham Music Festival, and an annual concert in New York City.
About the Artists: www.emeraldcitymusic.org/season-artists
About Kristin Lee, ECM Artistic Director: www.emeraldcitymusic.org/team/kristin-lee
About ECM: www.emeraldcitymusic.org/about
Follow ECM on Social Media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/emeraldcitymusic
Instagram: www.instagram.com/emeraldcitymusic
Announcing the 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival - 29 Concerts from July 4-22 at 11 Iconic Venues
Announcing the 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival - 29 Concerts from July 4-22 at 11 Iconic Venues
Press photos available here.
Announcing the 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival
29 Concerts from July 4-22, 2025
Performances by Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Stefan Jackiw, Jessica Vosk, Leila Josefowicz, Karen Slack, Inon Barnaton, Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung, Sara Davis Buechner, Third Coast Percussion, The Westerlies, and Many More
World Premiere of Cris Derksen’s First Light for the Galvin Cello Quartet
Commissioned by Newport Classical
Soprano Karen Slack’s African Queens Project
Co-Commissioned by Newport Classical
US Premiere of David Lang’s daisy by Attacca Quartet
Co-Commissioned by Newport Classical
Opera Night at The Breakers: An American Tapestry featuring
Music by Gershwin, Previn, Copland, Barber, and More
Historic Venues include The Breakers, The Elms, Blithewold Mansion,
Castle Hill Inn, Rosecliff Terrace, Colony House, and More
Tickets on Sale April 9: www.newportclassical.org/music-festival
Newport, RI – From July 4-22, 2025, the Newport Classical Music Festival offers an unparalleled experience, combining 29 intimate concerts featuring over 100 artists with the grandeur and opulence of 11 iconic venues – including the stunning interiors of The Breakers, The Elms, Redwood Library and Athenaeum, Newport Art Museum, and Colony House, as well as picturesque outdoor settings at Rosecliff Terrace, Norman Bird Sanctuary, Blithewold Mansion, and Castle Hill Inn – making the City by the Sea an ultimate summer destination for live music. For 56 years, Newport Classical has united artists and audiences to experience the joy of music and the connections it inspires, offering concertgoers the opportunity to discover new composers or experience timeless works offered from a fresh perspective. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on April 9.
Highlights of the 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival include Opening Night featuring Two Pianos with Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung; two evenings with Broadway star Jessica Vosk, best known for her lead role in Wicked; performances by extraordinary pianists Inon Barnatan, Sara Davis Buechner, and Wynona Wang; celebrated soprano Karen Slack's African Queens project co-commissioned by Newport Classical with a national consortium; the US premiere of a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang co-commissioned by Newport Classical with an international consortium; performances by world-class artists including violinist Leila Josefowicz, The Westerlies, Third Coast Percussion, harpist Emily Levin, guitarists Ziggy and Miles, Palaver Strings, Attacca Quartet, Twelfth Night, The Gesualdo Six, Tallā Rouge, Empire Wild, and more; Opera Night: An American Tapestry; and Closing Night with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and violinist Stefan Jackiw.
For the fifth year in a row, Newport Classical has commissioned a brand new work to be premiered at the Festival. This year's Composer-in-Residence is Cris Derksen, a Juno-nominated Indigenous cellist and composer, who is writing a new work for the Galvin Cello Quartet. Derksen researched the history of Aquidneck Island, and her new piece First Light focuses on The Wampanoag, a Native American People known as the “People of the First Light,” as well as the story of John Anthony, an enslaved boy, as reimagined by the composer. Cris Derksen is internationally renowned for her genre-defying music that bridges the traditional and contemporary. Her work intricately weaves together her classical training and Indigenous heritage with modern electronic elements.
Other highlights of the 2025 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 Festival Artists in seven performances and several free community events throughout the Festival.
Executive Director Gillian Fox says, “We can all agree that this festival is so much more than three weeks of concerts. It’s an unforgettable celebration of artistry, community, and the thrill of live performance, set against the one-of-a-kind backdrop of Newport’s iconic venues. This summer’s array of programs captures the expansive range of artistic expression within classical music. We can’t wait to welcome you to the 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival.”
Now in its fourth 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 Risa Hokamura (violin); Nathan Meltzer (violin); Mira Williams (viola), Alexander Hersh (cello), and Wynona Wang (piano).
2025 Newport Classical Music Festival Concerts:
The 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival kicks off on Friday, July 4 at 8pm with 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 2025 BankNewport Community Concerts Series.
Newport Classical Music Festival’s Opening Night concert on Saturday, July 5 at 8pm at The Breakers features Two Pianos with Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung. Partners on and off the stage, Bax and Chung are one of the most appealing and impressive piano duos of our time. Together they present a program of abundant artistic chemistry, passion, and stunning virtuosity in music by Busoni, Poulenc, Schubert, Debussy, and Piazzolla, showcasing the duo’s seamless synchronicity and musical artistry in the stunning setting of The Breakers.
On Sunday, July 6 at 8pm, one of the most beloved evenings of the Festival returns. This year, Opera Night: An American Tapestry will showcase a captivating selection of arias, duets, and ensemble numbers from American English operas including Porgy and Bess, Susannah, Moby Dick, A Streetcar Named Desire, and more. Narrated by acclaimed pianist Charlie Kim, this journey through operatic classics features performances by Sarah Tucker, soprano; Melissa Joseph, soprano; Renée Rapier, mezzo-soprano; Dane Suarez, tenor; and Michael Colman, bass. Complete with a red-carpet photo experience, Opera Night promises a dazzling evening of timeless music and storytelling in a setting as beautiful as the performances.
On Monday, July 7 at 4pm, the Festival Artists present an evocative concert exploring the love triangle between Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, and Clara Schumann – one of classical music's most complex relationships – in Musical Love Triangle: Brahms and the Schumanns. Though their love could not be revealed during Robert's life, Johannes and Clara’s bond remained steadfast even after his passing. The music of Brahms and the Schumanns offers a window into their emotional world, brought to life in an intimate concert at the Newport Art Museum. Audience members can arrive early to explore the Museum’s inspiring exhibits for a truly enriching experience.
New York-based brass quartet The Westerlies, hailed by The New York Times as “an arty quartet…mixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk” will present a memorable morning concert at Blithewold Mansion on Tuesday, July 8 at 11am. Drawing from American shape-note music – a tradition designed to make singing more accessible – the ensemble presents kaleidoscopic arrangements of traditional hymns alongside new compositions. With concert hall precision and folklike approachability, The Westerlies reimagines the American musical landscape, inviting audiences on a trailblazing journey through past and present in music by Caroline Shaw, Westerlies members Chloe Rowlands and Andy Clausen, arrangements by Sam Amidon and Nico Muhly, and more.
On Tuesday, July 8 at 7:30pm, audiences can enjoy an elevated concert experience at the picturesque Castle Hill Inn. Acclaimed for her musical command, cosmopolitan artistry, and visionary independence, Sara Davis Buechner is a beloved Festival favorite and one of the most distinctive concert pianists of our time. Lauded for her “intelligence, integrity, and all-encompassing technical prowess” (New York Times), Japan’s InTune magazine sums it up perfectly: “Buechner has no superior.” At Castle Hill Inn, she performs a jazz-inspired program with music by John Alden Carpenter, Vernon Duke, Dana Suesse, Ravel, and Poulenc. The concert includes complimentary desserts and coffee during intermission, set against the stunning backdrop of a Newport summer sunset on the water.
The Festival Artists offer a captivating morning of Piano Quartets on Wednesday, July 9 at 11am, set within the elegant French design of The Elms Ballroom. This program celebrates three monumental composers of the Classical and Romantic eras, tracing the evolution of the piano quartet through their works. With intricate musical architecture and dialogue between piano and strings, the concert showcases the genius of Mozart, Friedrich Kiel, and Brahms.
On Wednesday, July 9 at 8pm, the dynamic ensemble Twelfth Night brings its signature blend of historical performance and dynamic energy to The Breakers. Led by virtuoso violinist Rachell Ellen Wong and harpsichordist David Belkovski, Twelfth Night believes that art thrives as a meeting place of the past, present, and future. Their program of Handel, Vivaldi, Teleman, and more will transport audiences through time, fusing the old with the new in a way only this ensemble can do. Inspired by Shakespeare’s play of the same name, the ensemble strives to invoke a spirit of boundless revelry, celebration, and community in their programming.
The extraordinary pianist Wynona Yinuo Wang presents a morning recital at The Elms on Thursday, July 10 at 11am. Winner of the First Prize at the 2018 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, Wynona Wang is one of Newport Classical’s 2025 Festival Artists and has performed at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House, as well as with renowned orchestras around the world. Her performance at The Elms combines music by Scarlatti, Schubert, and Rachmaninoff with new works by composer Zhang Zhao, offering the perfect blend of Wang’s artistry.
On Thursday, July 10 at 8pm at The Breakers, Third Coast Percussion marks 20 years of genre-defying, award-winning music. Third Coast’s program features selections from five albums with four GRAMMY® nominations and one GRAMMY® Award, along with exciting new works commissioned for the ensemble’s 20th anniversary, including music by Clarice Assad, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Jlin, Jessie Montgomery, and Tigran Hamasyan. Join Third Coast for a night that pushes the boundaries of percussion and showcases the innovative spirit of one of contemporary music’s most celebrated ensembles. Set against the stunning backdrop of The Breakers mansion, this performance offers a unique fusion of genres, history, and sound.
On Friday, July 11 at 5:15am audiences can start their day with a stunning, panoramic sunrise over Newport’s iconic Cliff Walk and the Atlantic Ocean as the Festival Artists present a meditative and uplifting journey in this Sunrise Meditations concert. Set on the terrace of Rosecliff, with its breathtaking views and serene atmosphere, this year’s Sunrise Meditations concert offers a unique opportunity to enjoy music in a peaceful, outdoor setting. The program features a beautiful selection of works, including Telemann’s Fantasia No. 7 for solo viola, Mozart’s Ganz Kleine Nachtmusik, Beethoven’s String Trio in G Major, and more.
The Gesualdo Six, an award-winning British vocal ensemble celebrated for its impeccable blend and imaginative programming, brings its sublime choral artistry to The Breakers on Friday, July 11 at 8pm. This ensemble of the UK’s finest consort singers has captivated audiences worldwide for the past decade, and will bring to Newport a program inspired by the ancient service of Compline, ushering in the darkness of the night and evoking a contemplative atmosphere. Works include Renaissance polyphony by Palestrina, Tallis, and Gesualdo that contain startling harmonic shifts and expressive word painting. Then the light returns, birds sing, and flowers bloom once more, with music by Veljo Tormis, Schubert, and Gerda Blok-Wilson.
On Saturday, July 12 at 9am, surrounded by the serene beauty of the Norman Bird Sanctuary, the Festival Artists will present a delightful outdoor morning program of chamber music in Strings in Nature. Set amidst the sanctuary’s stunning natural surroundings, this year’s concert features Haydn’s playful The Joke Quartet, Spohr’s Grand Duo for Violin and Viola, Schubert’s lyrical String Trio in B-flat Major, and Strauss’s whimsical Variations on a Bavarian Folk Song.
On Saturday, July 12 at 8pm at The Breakers, GRAMMY® Award-winning singer Karen Slack – “one of the nation's most celebrated sopranos” (Trilloquy) – presents African Queens, an extraordinary evening of music and storytelling, featuring a powerful selection of new works by some of today’s most acclaimed composers including Jessie Montgomery, Fred Onovwerosuoke, previous Newport Classical Composer-in-Residence Shawn Okpebholo, Jasmine Arielle Barnes, Will Liverman, Joel Thompson, and Damien Geter. This collaborative song cycle shines a spotlight on seven fierce African Queens, whose legacies as rulers and warriors have often been overlooked in the West, with each piece reflecting their beauty, passion, humility, and power. Slack brings her operatic virtuosity to this project, joined by pianist Kevin J. Miller, to celebrate living composers and elevate voices long underrepresented in classical music. African Queens is commissioned for Karen Slack by a national consortium of prominent presenters – the Ravinia Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival and School, Boston Symphony Orchestra for the Tanglewood Learning Institute, Denver Friends of Chamber Music, Washington Performing Arts, The 92nd Street Y, New York, and Newport Classical Music Festival.
On Sunday, July 13 at 3pm, Ziggy and Miles – “Australian guitarist brothers making history” (The Age) – perform in the intimate and historic surroundings of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. Ziggy and Miles’ performances are known for their “deeply considered musicianship, immaculate care and superlative technique” (5MBS). Winners of the 2023 YCA (Young Concert Artists) Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, the brothers have become the first guitar duo and second guitarists to receive this prestigious award in the organization’s 63-year history. Featuring works by French composers Franck and Debussy, this concert promises an afternoon of vibrant and innovative guitar repertoire that will captivate and inspire.
Following a sold-out performance at the Newport Classical Recital Hall in 2024, Newport Classical is thrilled to welcome the Galvin Cello Quartet back to Newport for an exceptional concert at The Breakers on Sunday, July 13 at 8pm. Fresh off their Silver Medal at the 2021 Fischoff Competition and their win at the 2022 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, the Quartet has quickly become a force in the classical music world. Known for their innovative approach to new music, in this concert the Galvin Cello Quartet features the world premiere of a piece commissioned by Newport Classical from Canadian Indigenous cellist and composer Cris Derksen, alongside works by Beethoven, Mozart, Mussorgsky, and Tchaikovsky, blending beloved classics with exciting new compositions.
On Tuesday, July 15 at 4pm, set amongst stunning works at the Newport Art Museum, the one-of-a-kind Cajun-Persian viola duo Tallā Rouge celebrates the virtuosity of the viola. Lauded as the "little viola duo that could" by Chamber Music America, Tallā Rouge has performed at Carnegie Hall and Dumbarton Oaks, and has won multiple competitions. This concert features works by celebrated living composers and reimagined classical favorites, showcasing the duo’s ability to take audiences on a “musical journey that travels far and wide across ‘genre-defying compositions’.” (Gramophone Magazine).
On Tuesday, July 15 and Wednesday, July 16 at 8pm at The Breakers, Newport Classical presents two Evenings with Broadway Star Jessica Vosk. Vosk is a celebrated singer and actress known for electrifying roles in musical theater and on concert stages, including a sold-out Carnegie Hall debut in 2021. Best known for her star turn as Elphaba in Wicked – first on tour and then for the show’s 15th anniversary on Broadway – Vosk played the iconic green witch for two years. Additional Broadway credits include The Narrator in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat and Jersey in Hell’s Kitchen. Vosk brings her powerhouse vocals and magnetic stage presence to The Breakers for two unforgettable evenings, with pianist Mary-Mitchell Campbell.
Celebrating what would be the 150th birthday of Maurice Ravel, one of France’s most influential composers, Newport Classical’s resident Festival Artists perform on Wednesday, July 16 at 11am at The Elms. This intimate performance will explore Ravel’s unparalleled mastery of orchestration, from his elegant Sonatine for Piano to his String Quartet in F Major, dedicated to his teacher Gabriel Fauré. The program will highlight his emotional depth and distinct style, inviting listeners to experience Ravel’s enduring legacy in a personal and immersive setting within the historic atmosphere of The Elms, honoring a composer whose works continue to resonate across generations.
On Thursday, July 17 at 11am at The Elms, harpist Emily Levin returns to Newport for a mesmerizing concert titled Harp and Harmony, joined by violinist Julia Choi (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra) and cellist Christine Lamprea (Sphinx Medal of Excellence winner). This newly formed trio, Ember, will share works from their debut album Birds of Paradise, blending the rich sounds of violin, cello, and harp. The program will feature pieces by Reena Esmail, Angélica Negrón, Henriette Renié, and more, showcasing the ensemble's dynamic interplay of textures and emotions all set against the historic setting of The Elms.
Palaver Strings, a dynamic musician-led ensemble, brings an evening of stirring performances to The Breakers on Thursday, July 17 at 8pm, showcasing their commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices. Praised for their ability to “command a stage on their own terms” (The Boston Globe), the ensemble explores folk music from around the world, addressing themes of heritage, belonging, and resilience. The program features Kareem Roustom’s new work ḥawwāsh inspired by a traditional Arab line dance, alongside Palaver’s arrangement of Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances, Kinan Azmeh’s Syrian Dances, and more, celebrating folk music as a powerful vehicle for both strength and joy.
On Friday, July 18 at 5:15am, audiences can experience a serene start to the day with The Harp at Sunrise, a tranquil concert set amongst the peaceful beauty of Rosecliff. Harpist Emily Levin brings Hans Otte’s The Book of Sounds to life, a meditative and evocative work that pairs the delicate tones of the harp with the quiet of the early morning. The intimate performance takes place on the terrace of Rosecliff, with its sweeping, panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, providing an enchanting backdrop to this reflective musical experience.
The Newport Classical Festival Artists offer a Free Open Rehearsal on Friday, July 18 at 2pm at Newport Classical Recital Hall, as they finalize preparations for their performance French Quintets: Revivals taking place the following day. The program highlights the rich musical tradition of French composers, featuring works by Louis Gouvy, Reynaldo Hahn, and Jean Cras.
Acclaimed pianist Inon Barnatan presents an evening of exceptional music at The Breakers on Friday, July 18 at 8pm. Described as “one of the most admired pianists of his generation” (New York Times), Barnatan brings his profound depth and expressive power to one of Newport’s most iconic venues. Performing works by Bach, Franck, and Schubert, this evening promises to be an unforgettable musical journey, showcasing Barnatan's ability to forge intimate connections with his audience through his "refined, searching, unfailingly communicative" style (The Evening Standard).
The Festival Artists present French Quintets: Revivals at the historic Emmanuel Church on Saturday, July 19 at 3pm, featuring quintets from the 19th and 20th centuries. Paired with Emmanuel Church’s stunning English Gothic Revival architecture, the ensemble brings a fresh perspective to these classic pieces in a program highlighting the rich musical tradition of French composers, featuring works by Louis Gouvy, Reynaldo Hahn, and Jean Cras.
On Saturday, July 19 at 8pm at The Breakers, Attacca Quartet brings its exceptional artistry to an evening that pairs celebrated classical works with engaging contemporary compositions. Praised by The Washington Post, which reported that “mastery like this is scarce enough in quartets that have played together for decades,” the Attacca Quartet is known for their innovative approach to chamber music, has collaborated with artists such as Caroline Shaw and Billie Eilish, and has contributed to soundtracks for films like Ken Burns’ new documentary, Leonardo da Vinci. The Attacca Quartet’s Newport debut includes the US premiere of daisy by Pulitzer Prize and GRAMMY® Award-winning composer David Lang, alongside Bartók’s String Quartet No. 4 and Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 4. daisy was co-commissioned by an international group of presenters – Newport Classical, La Biennale di Venezia, Kings Place, String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam, Park Avenue Armory, and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
After an energetic and memorable Newport debut last season, Empire Wild returns for a performance on Sunday, July 20 at 11am that pushes musical boundaries with its inventive fusion of genres. Set in the historic Newport Colony House, built in 1739 and rarely open to the public, the ensemble blends pop, folk, jazz, and more. The program includes original songs, dynamic covers, and fresh takes on classical pieces, making for a truly delightful afternoon in one of Newport’s oldest landmark venues.
Hailed for her "technical prowess and expressive depth” (San Francisco Chronicle), violinist Leila Josefowicz brings her extraordinary artistry to The Breakers for an evening of exceptional music on Sunday, July 20 at 8pm. Known for her dynamic performances and commitment to expanding the boundaries of the violin, Josefowicz is joined by acclaimed pianist Alexei Tartakovsky. Together they offer a program featuring works by Beethoven, Debussy, and Stravinsky. This is a rare opportunity to experience Josefowicz’s artistry in one of Newport’s most standout venues.
The 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival ends on a high note on Tuesday, July 22 at 8pm as the incomparable self-conducted Orpheus Chamber Orchestra returns to The Breakers for the Festival’s Closing Night performance, joined by acclaimed violin soloist Stefan Jackiw. Known for its radical approach to musical democracy, Orpheus has proven for over 50 years what happens when exceptional artists collaborate with total trust in one another. Blending the discipline of an orchestra with the spirit of a chamber group, this evening promises to be a celebration of musical excellence and creative collaboration, providing a thrilling conclusion to the Festival. Orpheus performs Arensky’s Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with Jackiw, and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.
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 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, and Clarice Assad.
April 25: Pianists Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers Release World Premiere Recording of UP by D. Riley Nicholson
April 25: Pianists Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers Release World Premiere Recording of UP by D. Riley Nicholson
Pianists Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers Release
World Premiere Recording of UP by D. Riley Nicholson
Worldwide Digital Release Date: April 25, 2025
Press downloads available upon request.
Sarah Cahill: www.sarahcahill.com | Regina Myers: www.reginamusic.com
D. Riley Nicholson: www.rileynicholson.com
Bay Area-based pianists Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers have recorded composer D. Riley Nicholson’s UP for two pianos, a work that they commissioned in 2020. The new recording of the 30-minute piece will be released digitally worldwide on April 25, 2025. Cahill and Myers gave the world premiere performance of the piece at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in September 2022, before recording UP there in 2024.
Nicholson writes of the work, “UP’s one unifying theme is simply that, ‘up.’ The piece moves ‘up’ in so many directions: literally, opening with an upward motif that gets pinged between pianos in a groovy, dizzying counterpoint; gradually with increasing frequency moving up the circle of fifths; with upbeat syncopations and tempi; constantly one upping itself with a burgeoning energy that trips over itself with virtuosic fits; and many other upward motions and themes. Loosely akin to a theme and variations, each movement is a different interpretation of the theme ‘up,’ and given the frenetic energy of every moment, tranquil interludes provide a necessary buffer between the movements, and give the performers a chance to catch their breath. Even with the addition of these palette cleansing interludes, the entirety of the work is a manic trip that both explores joyous energy and that darker underbelly of positivity when energy and motion become simply too much to be contained.”
Of their shared experience commissioning, performing, and now recording UP, Cahill and Myers say,
“When we first spoke with Riley about commissioning a new work from him, we had no idea that it would turn into an epic four-movement piece, which we have grown to know and love as a great work of artistic expression. UP reflects Riley's own style at the piano, with brilliant rapid passagework and interlocking patterns, and it took us several years to find our way into his stylistic approach with all its complexity and intricacy. It's a beautifully powerful piece, and even a global pandemic couldn't stop its path of coming into the world. We are so fortunate to work with Riley, both as a marvelous composer and as an excellent producer of this new album!”
“At this dark moment in time, we need joy – which is what this piece is all about.” says Nicholson. “And what a joy it is to collaborate with Sarah [Cahill] and Regina [Myers], who poured multitudes of energy and love into this incredibly virtuosic, mammoth work.”
Composer and pianist D. Riley Nicholson has composed and performed for a wide range of ensembles and mediums. Notable projects include One, for large string orchestra, which headlined Hot Air Music Festival in 2016. Nicholson composed, produced, and performed Shimmer, for piano, visuals, and electronics which toured nationally in 2018. Later that year, he was honored as the CAPMT Distinguished Composer of the Year. In 2019, his performance of the music of Julius Eastman was described as a “powerful, ingeniously wrought rendition” by the San Francisco Chronicle. That same year, Nicholson wrote a new work for Amaranth String Quartet. In 2021, Nicholson created original music for the Walking Distance Dance Festival (ODC Dance). In 2022, he wrote a full-length electroacoustic piece for David Herrera Performance Company. Currently, Nicholson is writing a new work for HARJO. He is also serving as the Executive Director of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, the longest running and preeminent festival dedicated to new music for orchestra, based in Santa Cruz, CA.
Hailed as “a sterling pianist and an intrepid illuminator of the classical avant-garde” by The New York Times, Sarah Cahill has commissioned and premiered over seventy compositions for solo piano. Composers who have dedicated works to Cahill include John Adams, Terry Riley, Frederic Rzewski, Pauline Oliveros, Julia Wolfe, Roscoe Mitchell, Annea Lockwood, and Ingram Marshall. She was named a 2018 Champion of New Music, awarded by the American Composers Forum (ACF). Cahill’s latest project is The Future is Female, an investigation and reframing of the piano literature featuring more than seventy compositions by women around the globe, from the Baroque to the present day, including new commissioned works. Recent and upcoming performances of The Future is Female include concerts at The Barbican, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carolina Performing Arts, National Gallery of Art, Carlsbad Music Festival, Detroit Institute of Arts, University of Iowa, Bowling Green New Music Festival, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, North Dakota Museum of Art, Gretna Arts, WoCo Festival, Mayville State University, the EXTENSITY Concert Series’ Women Now Festival in New York, and the Newport Classical Music Festival. Cahill also performed music from The Future is Female for NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert series. Sarah Cahill’s discography includes more than twenty albums on the New Albion, CRI, New World, Tzadik, Albany, Innova, Cold Blue, Other Minds, Irritable Hedgehog, and Pinna labels. Her three-album series, The Future is Female, was released on First Hand Records between March 2022 and April 2023. These albums encompass thirty compositions by women from around the globe, from the 17th century to the present day, and include many world premiere recordings. Cahill’s radio show, Revolutions Per Minute, can be heard every Sunday evening from 6 to 8pm on KALW, 91.7 FM in San Francisco. She is on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory and is a regular pre-concert speaker with the San Francisco Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Regina Myers performs as a solo artist and with ensembles around the Bay Area. She received a Bachelor's degree in Piano Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a Master's in Piano Performance and Literature from Mills College, where she focused on new and experimental music under the guidance of pianist Marc Shapiro, ensemble leader and composer Steed Cowart and percussion master William Winant. In 2004 she founded the concert series, and now ensemble, New Keys: New Keys' mission is to surface and promote the newest and most innovative music for the piano. We challenge composers to explore the vast untapped potential of the piano and strive to craft the experience of a piano recital as both captivating and approachable for our audience. Before going on hiatus to rapidly and accidentally expand her family, Regina proudly taught piano to beloved students for 17 years. She has participated in the Hot Air, Switchboard, Garden of Memory Summer Solstice and SF Friends of Chamber Music SF Music Day music festivals and has had the honor of playing many concerts with the William Winant Percussion Group as well as the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. She can be heard on Luciano Chessa's album Petrolio, Danny Clay/Joseph Colombo LP (with New Keys) and on Eighty Trips Around the Sun: Music by and for Terry Riley on which she plays four-hand music by Terry Riley with her duo partner Sarah Cahill. Regina prides herself on expanding the reach of new music for piano by commissioning new works and organizing concerts for their premieres and recording. She relishes working with young and emerging composers as well as keeping seminal new music masterpieces alive.
Up Track List
1. Movement I [5:01]
2. Interlude I [1:55]
3. Movement II [5:10]
4. Interlude II [1:50]
5. Movement III [7:04]
6. Interlude III [3:20]
7. Movement IV [5:27]
Total Time: [29:47]
UP for two pianos, commissioned by Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers
Composer: D. Riley Nicholson
Pianists: Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers
Co-producers: D. Riley Nicholson, Sarah Cahill, and Regina Myers
Audio Engineers: Jason O'Connell and Emma Markowitz
Recorded at the Bowes Center, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, 2024