OUT TODAY: Joshua Bell and The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Release All-Paganini Album on Sony Classical

Album Artwork – For Media Use (Download)

Joshua Bell and The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Release All-Paganini Album on Sony Classical
Digital Album Out Today – Listen Here

Today, August 21, 2026, GRAMMY winner and honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to Music Joshua Bell releases PAGANINI on Sony Classical with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, where he is about to embark on his fifteenth season as Music Director. The digital-only album is available now and features Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 – with a new cadenza by Bell – and Cantabile, arranged by James Stephenson for solo violin and chamber orchestra. Bell’s recording of Paganini’s Carnival of Venice, originally released on the Ladies in Lavender soundtrack, is included as a bonus track. A trailer for the concerto is available here.

An exclusive Sony Classical artist, Bell has recorded more than 40 albums, winning Grammy, Mercury, Gramophone, Diapason d’Or, and OPUS KLASSIK awards. His release of Chopin: Nocturne in E-flat, capturing Bell’s own arrangement of the piano piece for violin and strings, has already been streamed more than 26 million times. Bell has led the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields on several albums, including Beethoven’s 4th and 7th Symphonies, Bach Concertos, and the 2019 GRAMMY-nominated Bruch: Scottish Fantasy.

Bell first performed Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1 at just 13 years old. More than 40 years later, he returns to one of the violin repertoire's most technically demanding works with the insight and artistry that come from a lifetime of performing.

Bell explains: "Just a decade after [the composition of] Beethoven's iconic Violin Concerto, Paganini pushed the violin's physical capabilities further than anyone had before. Despite its obvious technical difficulty, this concerto is rich with musical challenges – it is extraordinarily operatic, straight out of The Barber of Seville, full of wit, charm, and drama. As the soloist, you get to play every character! This is not just a ‘showpiece,’ it is a masterpiece in its own way.”

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Principal First Violin Harvey de Souza comments about Bell’s approach to the concerto:

"Joshua is one of those rare musicians who can meet every one of its extraordinary demands while making the music feel spontaneous, expressive and completely alive. To experience him combining that breathtaking virtuosity with the generosity and connection of directing the orchestra from the violin was genuinely thrilling for all of us."

Annie Lydford, Chief Executive, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, adds:

“In 2022, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields undertook a major tour across Germany, with Joshua playing Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 (and then, incredibly, coming back onstage after the interval to direct Schumann’s Second Symphony from the violin). The performances, quite simply, took my breath away. To hear Joshua’s interpretation of this virtuosic work, which placed such emphasis on the beauty and lyricism of the writing, felt like a breath of fresh air. Without a separate conductor, the bond between Joshua and this orchestra is very special indeed: trusting, sensitive, adventurous, and like chamber music presented on the grandest scale. After performing this piece to standing ovations around the world, I am so pleased that Joshua and ASMF have captured it in a recording so that listeners can continue to enjoy it for years to come. This coming season, we will celebrate 15 years with Joshua as ASMF Music Director, coinciding perfectly with a record that celebrates so much of what is special about this important artistic relationship.”

Since succeeding Sir Neville Marriner as Music Director of London’s Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) in 2011, Bell has “brought a new bite and vigour to the band’s well-established aristocratic nobility,” which makes for “captivating music-making” (The Scotsman). Indeed, the success of their multifaceted partnership has been recognized with a Grammy nomination and the extension of Bell’s contract through the 2027-28 season. As the UK’s Arts Desk puts it: “Who needs a conductor with a leader-soloist of this calibre?”

Download high-resolution photos here.

Joshua Bell: Paganini
Release date: Aug 21

Joshua Bell, violin and conductor
Academy of St Martin in the Fields, orchestra

Track list:

Niccolò Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 6

1. Allegro maestoso (original cadenza by Joshua Bell)
2. Adagio espressivo
3. Rondo. Allegro spiritoso

Niccolò Paganini: Cantabile in D major (arr. James Stephenson)

[BONUS TRACK] Niccolò Paganini: The Carnival of Venice 

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.

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Oct. 2: Classical Soul Pianist Alexis Ffrench Releases New Album 24 on Sony Masterworks – New Single Midnight Dreamer Out Today

PR Photo: Credit – Alex Lake (Download)

Pioneering Composer and Pianist 
Alexis Ffrench

New Single: Midnight Dreamer
Out Today - Listen Here
Taken From Upcoming Album, 24

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

New York, NY – Pioneering pianist, composer and chart-topping Classical Soul artist Alexis Ffrench has shared new single, Midnight Dreamer, out now from his forthcoming album 24 - listen here. The album set for release on October 2, 2026 and available for pre-save here. “Midnight Dreamer is all about quiet, introspection, and meditation. It represents the space between the end of one and the start of another.” says Ffrench.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alexis Ffrench - New Album 24 out October 2, 2026
Listen to Midnight Dreamer and Pre-Save 24 here

About Alexis Ffrench

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

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

Alexis Ffrench Socials
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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/.

Out Today: New Single from Violinist Esther Abrami's Sony Classical Album Amour - Carmen: L'amour est un oiseau rebelle "Habanera"

Acclaimed Violinist Esther Abrami
Releases New Album Amour on Sony Classical

Album Marks Major Artistic Milestone For Abrami
Who Presents Her First Own Large-Scale Composition

New Single: L'amour est un oiseau rebelle Habanera (Arr. for Violin & Orchestra) from Carmen

Out Today - Listen Here

Worldwide Album Release Date: October 9, 2026
Pre-Order Available Now

Celebrated violinist and social media sensation Esther Abrami will release her new album Amour on October 9, 2026 on Sony Classical. The new single, out today, is L'amour est un oiseau rebelle Habanera (Arr. for Violin & Orchestra) from Bizet's Carmen. One of the most popular opera melodies ever written made into an epic instrumental version: Esther Abrami reimagines Georges Bizet's Habanera from Carmen for solo violin and orchestra. Originally written for the opera's lead character, the aria has become one of the best-known works in the classical repertoire. Esther's new arrangement brings the famous melody to the violin, offering a fresh take while preserving the character of Bizet's original.

Marking a major artistic milestone, ‘Amour’ is the first album where Abrami presents an original own large-scale composition at its core: a self-written nine-part suite. Conceived as an intimate and deeply expressive exploration of love in all its forms, the work captures the full spectrum of emotions, from tenderness and passion to longing and heartbreak, and stands at the heart of a project that blends original music with newly reimagined works for violin and orchestra.

“With ‘Amour’, I wanted to explore love in all its forms – not just the joy and beauty, but also the vulnerability, the longing, the anger and the pain that often comes with it. Writing my own suite of nine movements allowed me to express a range of very personal emotions, while the other pieces on the album reflect how universal these feelings are across time and genres. Love is something that we all experience, for the best and the worst but at the end, that’s what connects us all. I hope this album resonates with anyone who listens to it,” says Esther Abrami.

Beyond the central suite, ‘Amour’ brings together a diverse selection of iconic classical works about love, each newly arranged for solo violin and orchestra. A particular highlight of the album is Nino Rota’s ‘Romeo and Juliet: Love Theme’, featuring the celebrated mezzo-soprano Marina Viotti. Viotti’s vocals add a captivating dimension to the piece as she engages in a duet with Esther’s violin. The programme further includes epic versions for violin and orchestra of Céline Dion’s All by Myself’ and Georges Bizet’s Carmen: L’amour est un oiseau rebelle from Habanera. New arrangements of Francis Poulenc’s Les chemins de l’amour, Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice: Dance of the Blessed Spirits (Melodie), and the virtuosic intensity of Tomaso Antonio Vitali’s Chaconne in G minor add even more musical colours to this collection of works centred around love. The album also features a new version arranged by Esther Abrami of Charlie Chaplin’s Désillusion amoureuse from the movie “The Circus”, a poignant composition that reveals the legendary filmmaker’s deeply expressive musical voice.

Throughout her career, Esther Abrami has been known for her ability to connect classical music with a wide and diverse audience, bringing fresh perspectives to the repertoire. With ‘Amour’, she reaches a new artistic dimension, uniting her work as a composer with her unique voice as an interpreter, thus shaping a musical language that is unmistakably her own.

This new chapter in her career follows a period of exceptional success. Since the release of her album ‘Women’ in April 2025, Esther Abrami has become one of the most visible young artists in classical music. Especially in her home country, France, she has appeared on major television programmes, performing for millions of viewers and captivating audiences through a series of highly successful concerts. Her book ‘La musique est (aussi) une affaire de femmes’ has quickly become a genre bestseller and will be released in English and German in September under the title ‘Music is (also) a Women’s Affair’. In recognition of her artistic impact, she will receive an Opus Klassik Award 2026, the most important classical music prize in the German speaking world.

Amour features the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of conductor Irene Delgado-Jiménez and will be available for streaming and digital download in stereo and the immersive format Dolby Atmos. The album will also be released as CD and a limited-edition 2x Ecorecord InkPlosion Colour LP – pre-order here.

Amour - Track List

1. Désillusion amoureuse (Charlie Chaplin)
2. – 10. Amour Suite (Esther Abrami)
11. Romeo and Juliet: Love Theme (Nino Rota) – feat. Marina Viotti
12. All by Myself (Céline Dion)
13. Carmen: L’amour est un oiseau rebelle (Bizet)
14. Moods, Impressions and Souvenirs, Op. 41: Lento (Fibich)
15. Les chemins de l’amour (Poulenc)
16. Orpheo and Euridice: Dance of the Blessed Spirits (Gluck)
17. Chaconne in G minor (Vitali)

* City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Irene Delgado-Jiménez

Emerald City Music Announces Season Eleven Programming from October 2026 to May 2027 – Single Tickets on Sale Now

High resolution press photos available here.

A New Decade for Emerald City Music:
Announcing Eleventh Season for 2026-2027

Fourteen Concerts from October 2026 through May 2027
in Seattle and Olympia, WA

Late Night Sessions Concert Series Returns for Second Season

Violinist Kristin Lee, Artistic Director; Sean Campbell, Executive Director

Season Subscriptions on Sale Now
Single Tickets on Sale in August

www.emeraldcitymusic.org

Seattle & Olympia, WA – Artistic Director and violinist Kristin Lee and Executive Director Sean Campbell are thrilled to announce the eleventh season of Emerald City Music (ECM), with fourteen Mainstage performances from October 16, 2026 through May 15, 2027 in Seattle and Olympia, plus the continuation of ECM’s Late Night Sessions and Chamber Music Karaoke. Emerald City Music is the Pacific Northwest home for eclectic, intimate, and vibrant classical chamber music experiences. Known for a casual environment combined with award-winning artists, ECM has gained increasing recognition since its founding in 2016. Season subscriptions are on sale now and single tickets will be on sale in August.

Through thrilling performances, community events, late-night collaborations and pre-concert conversations, every part of the season is shaped by Emerald City Music’s mission: making world-class music approachable, social, and deeply human. The Seattle Times reports: "ECM isn’t falling back on the tried-and-true, under the assumption that a new listener is an unadventurous, easily frightened-off listener. Instead, they’re betting that the tried-and-true could be precisely one of the barriers to sparking interest that classical-music organizations need to overcome."

“Welcome to a new decade of Emerald City Music!” says ECM Artistic Director Kristin Lee. “This next chapter of ECM is an especially exciting one as we deepen our commitment to creating meaningful impact through more performances, more opportunities for engaging with our audience, and more ways for all of us to experience the transformative power of music.

The 2026–27 season will also be shaped by very meaningful celebrations, including the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s passing and the 90th birthdays of two of America’s most influential composers. Through these, I look forward to exploring music on a deeper level while discovering human connections through the shared experience of live performance.”

“Every aspect of Emerald City Music’s eleventh season is centered around bringing audiences closer to the music, both as listeners and as participants,” says ECM Executive Director Sean Campbell. “Through impactful and intimate performances, thoughtful conversations, and opportunities for our communities to make music together, ECM continues to break down the barriers between artists and audiences, making world-class performance a personal and community-driven experience.”

ECM’s newest season explores a wide range of musical voices honoring major milestones including the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s passing with special November performances focused on his piano sonatas, performed by Gilles Vonsattel. In honor of their 90th birthdays, the season also reflects on the lasting influence of Steve Reich and Philip Glass, focusing on the expansive ways they’ve transformed how we think about sound, structure, and what music can be. In December, that spirit of experimentation comes to the forefront in an immersive program that challenges the very act of listening. The Evolution Series returns this season, co-curated by violinist and scholar Aaron Boyd, with a March program tracing the evolution of violin technique. In April, ECM’s commitment to collaboration continues with Animal Fire Theater, bringing music and Shakespeare into conversation through a vivid exploration of storytelling across art forms. Mainstage performances throughout the season will be held at ECM’s signature venues – in Seattle at 415 Westlake and in Olympia at The Minnaert Center for the Arts or Capital High School Performing Arts Center. This season, ECM is also proud to have a new partnership with Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Olympia.

This season focuses on expanded ways to gather around music. Chamber Music Karaoke returns to Seattle and makes its way to Olympia, inviting community members to be a part of joyful music-making. In Olympia, a new community concert series before each performance will spotlight local students and community members, creating more space for shared creativity and artistic exchange. In addition, ECM’s Late Night Sessions are back for a second season, featuring three new performances. This series embraces an intimate concert experience and directly follows the conclusion of selected mainstage performances, keeping the music going well into the night. ECM’s new Late Night Sessions will spotlight outstanding local musicians and offer audiences an eclectic mix of genres. Dates for this season’s Late Night Sessions will be announced in August.

The concept of the concert series as a platform where artists and audiences transform one another breathes life into every element of what ECM does – from the casual open-bar setting of its flagship Seattle concert experiences, to the enthusiastic communities that faithfully assemble in its concert halls in Olympia and beyond. At Emerald City Music concerts, the audience’s presence matters, transforming the artists, the community, and the future of classical music.

Emerald City Music’s Season 11 Mainstage Performances

Rhapsodic Musings

Friday, October 16, 2026 at 415 On Westlake | Seattle, WA
Saturday, October 17, 2026 at Minnaert Center | ​​2011 Mottman Rd. SW | Olympia, WA

Blayne Barnes, Sunmi Chang, Pala Garcia, James Garlick, Kristin Lee, Vanessa Moss, violin | David Auerbach, Alexander Grimes, Katie Liu, viola | Efe Baltacigil, Christine Lee, Holly Reeves, cello | Will Langlie-Miletich, double bass

Emerald City Music’s 11th season opens with a vibrant, festive evening of string music, bringing together Seattle and Olympia’s most celebrated string instrumentalists. Featuring works by Grażyna Bacewicz, Antonín Dvořák, and Béla Bartók, the program showcases the virtuosity and power brought through the different formations of the string instruments. At its core is Elliott Carter’s short but electrifying work for solo violin, a striking centerpiece that gives the program its name.

Grażyna Bacewicz: Divertimento for String Orchestra (1965)
Antonín Dvořák: String Quartet No. 14 in A-flat Major, Op. 105, B. 193 (1895)
Elliott Carter: Rhapsodic Musings from Four Lauds for solo violin (2000)
Béla Bartók: Divertimentofor String Orchestra Sz. 113, BB. 118 (1939)

Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas

Friday, November 13, 2026 at 415 On Westlake | Seattle, WA
Saturday, November 14, 2026 at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd | 1601 North St. SE | Olympia, WA

Gilles Vonsattel, piano

Over two evenings in Seattle and Olympia, pianist Gilles Vonsattel offers an intimate journey through nine of Ludwig van Beethoven’s most beloved works, his piano sonatas, in honor of the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s passing. Spanning his early, middle, and late periods, the two evenings will explore a distinct facet of his evolving voice, distilled through the singular presence of one artist at the piano. Each performance begins with a pre-concert lecture by Vonsattel, inviting audiences to listen more deeply and step inside the emotional and architectural world of these extraordinary works.

PROGRAM 1 (Seattle)

Ludwig van Beethoven:
Sonata No. 10 in G Major, op. 14, No. 2 (1798-1799)
Sonata No. 17 in D minor, op. 31, No. 2, The Tempest (1801-1802)
Sonata No. 15 in D Major, Op. 28, Pastoral (1801)
Sonata No. 22 in F Major, Op. 54 (1804)
Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57, Appassionata (1803)

PROGRAM 2 (Olympia)

Ludwig van Beethoven:
Sonata No. 19 in G minor, Op. 49, No. 1 (1797)
Sonata No. 3 in C Major, Op. 2, No. 3 (1794-1795)
Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101 (1816)
Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111 (1822)

Disassembly of Sound

Friday, December 4, 2026 at 415 On Westlake | Seattle, WA
Saturday, December 5, 2026 at Capital High School | 2707 Conger Ave. NW | Olympia, WA

Sooyun Kim, piccolo, flute, alto flute, bass flute | Ji Hye Jung, percussion, toy piano, steel pan | Jordan Dodson, ukulele, guitar, banjo, mandolin

What is music? When is sound considered music? This program explores the answers to these obscure questions through works that dissolve the boundaries between silence, gesture, dance, and theater. John Cage’s 4’33” reframes listening itself, while Vinko Globokar’s ?Corporel transforms the performer’s body into both instrument and stage. Marin Marais’s Les Folies d’Espagne anchors the program in Baroque variation and dance, leading into Mauricio Kagel’s Serenade, which satirically reimagines classical performance conventions through theatrical invention.

John Cage: 4’33” (1952)
Vinko Globokar: ?Corporel (1984)
Marin Marais: Les Folies d’Espagne (1700)
Mauricio Kagel: Serenade (1994)

Quartet in Spotlight: Poiesis Quartet

Friday, February 12, 2027 at 415 On Westlake | Seattle, WA
Saturday, February 13, 2027 at Minnaert Center | ​​2011 Mottman Rd. SW | Olympia, WA

Poiesis Quartet
Sarah Ma, Max Ball, violins | Jasper de Boor, viola | Drew Dansby, cello

The Poiesis Quartet, First Prize winner at the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition, makes its debut on Emerald City Music’s stage. Formed at Oberlin Conservatory in 2022, the ensemble has been praised for its “multifaceted artistry” and “bold, forward-thinking programming” (The New York Times). For their debut, they present a program that considers music as a response to the political and human conditions of our time.

Michi Wiancko: To Unpathed Waters, Undreamed Shores (2021)
Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson: String Quartet No. 1, “Calvary” (1956)
Jeff Scott: Tapestry of the Beloved Beatified* (2026)
Kevin Lau: String Quartet No. 7, “Surfacing” (2025)

Evolution Series: The Violin

Friday, March 12, 2027 at 415 On Westlake | Seattle, WA
Saturday, March 13, 2027 at Minnaert Center | ​​2011 Mottman Rd. SW | Olympia, WA

Aaron Boyd, co-curator, violin, viola | Kristin Lee, Sean Lee, Tianyou Ma, violin | Hana Coho, cello | Jennifer Godfrey, double bass | Oksana Ejokina, piano, harpsichord

The Evolution Series returns this season, focusing on one of music’s most celebrated instruments: the violin. Remarkably, the violin has retained its fundamental form since its earliest development. Instead, composers and performers have continually expanded its possibilities, driving innovation through new techniques and fresh modes of expression. Guided by violinist and lecturer Aaron Boyd, the evening traces four centuries of development, revealing how early breakthroughs continue to shape and challenge its musical language today.

Pietro Locatelli: Caprice in D Major “Labyrinth” (1733)
J.S. Bach: Adagio and Fugue from Sonata No. 3 for Solo Violin in C Major BWV 1005
Carlo Farina: Capriccio stravagante (1627)
Niccolo Paganini: Selections from 24 Caprices for Solo Violin (1802-1817)
John Cage: Selections from Freeman Etudes for Solo Violin (1977-1990)
Eugène Ysaÿe: Sonata for Solo Violin, Op. 27, No. 2, “Jacques Thibaud”(1923)
Ludwig Wilhelm Maurer: Concertante for Four Violins, Op. 55 (c.1831)

Inspired by Shakespeare

Friday, April 9, 2027 at 415 On Westlake | Seattle, WA
Saturday April 10, 2027 at Minnaert Center | ​​2011 Mottman Rd. SW | Olympia, WA

Tony Arnold, soprano | Michael Stephen Brown, piano | Kristin Lee, Susie Park, violin | Melissa Reardon, viola | Raman Ramakrishnan, cello | Animal Fire Theater, artistic partner

Shakespeare’s words have long shaped not only literature, but the broader landscape of human expression across the arts. This program explores how composers across time have drawn from his plays and poetry, using the themes of love, illusion, tragedy, and transform them into music. In partnership with Animal Fire Theater, an actor-driven, all-volunteer company based in Olympia, the evening bridges theater and music, allowing each form to illuminate and reshape the other.

Henry Purcell: If Music Be the Food of Love arranged for Soprano and String Quartet (1692)
Brett Dean: String Quartet No. 2 “And once I played Ophelia”(2014)
Felix Mendelssohn / Sergei Rachmaninoff: “Scherzo”from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1842, arr. 1933)
Felix Mendelssohn / Franz Liszt: “Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (arr. Brown) (1842, arr. 2023)
William Shakespeare: Selected Readings from Romeo and Juliet (1597)
Sergei Prokofiev: Suite from Romeo and Juliet (arr. Lidia Baich / Matthias Fletzberger) (1935)
Ludwig van Beethoven: Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato from String Quartet No. 1 in F major (1797-1800)

Opus One

Friday, May 14, 2027 at 415 On Westlake | Seattle, WA
Saturday May 15, 2027 at Capital High School, 2707 Conger Ave. NW | Olympia, WA
Sahun Sam Hong, Wu Qian, piano | Kristin Lee, Chad Hoopes, violin | Matthew Lipman, viola | Nicholas Canellakis, cello

Every composer has a moment when they take the bold step of sharing their first work with the world- a gesture that is at once vulnerable yet defining. Even those we now revere as the “greatest” began with these early statements, testing boundaries, discovering their voice, and building the confidence to create what would follow. This program brings together such beginnings by Beethoven, Suk, Schumann, and Dohnányi, offering a glimpse into the origins of their artistic identities. Within these works, we encounter their imagination and individuality with each composer revealing a distinct voice already taking shape, even at the very start.

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Trio in E-flat major, Op. 1, No. 1
Josef Suk: Piano Quartet in A minor, Op. 1
Robert Schumann: “Abegg” Variations, Op. 1
Ernő Dohnányi: Piano Quintet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 1

Emerald City Music’s Season 11 Late Night Sessions

Queen of Hearts

Friday, December 4, 2026 | 10:00pm at 415 Westlake Ave N, Seattle
Carrie Jennings, flugelhorn & vocals | Tara Chugh, keyboard & vocals | Karen Laura Peters, cello & vocals | Thomas Jennings, guitar

D'Vonne Lewis Trio

Friday, February 12, 2027 | 10:00pm at 415 Westlake Ave N, Seattle
Marc Seales, piano | Trevor Ford, bass | D'Vonne Lewis, drums

Greta Matassa Quintet

Friday, April 9, 2027 | 10:00pm at 415 Westlake Ave N, Seattle
Greta Matassa, vocals | Alexey Nikolaev, saxophones | David Lee Joyner, piano | Clipper Anderson, bass | Mark Ivester, drums

For Emerald City Music’s Complete Schedule and Concert Details, visit www.emeraldcitymusic.org.

Emerald City Music’s 2026-2027 concerts take place on Fridays at 415 Westlake in Seattle, WA and on Saturdays at The Minnaert Center for the Arts in Olympia (2011 Mottman Rd.), Capital High School Performing Arts Center (2707 Conger Ave NW) or Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd (1601 North Street SE). Season tickets and tickets to individual concerts are on sale now and in August respectively. Please visit www.emeraldcitymusic.org for more details.

About Kristin Lee, ECM Artistic Director

Kristin Leeis a violinist of remarkable versatility and impeccable technique who enjoys a vibrant career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and artistic director. “Her technique is flawless, and she has a sense of melodic shaping that reflects an artistic maturity,” writes the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and The Strad reports, “She seems entirely comfortable with stylistic diversity, which is one criterion that separates the run-of-the-mill instrumentalists from true artists.”

As a soloist, Lee has appeared with leading orchestras including The Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Hawai’i Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Ural Philharmonic of Russia, Korean Broadcasting Symphony, Guiyang Symphony Orchestra of China, and Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional of Dominican Republic. She has performed on the world’s finest concert stages, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the Kennedy Center, Kimmel Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Ravinia Festival, the Louvre Museum, the Phillips Collection, and Korea’s Kumho Art Gallery. In 2026, she makes her solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall performing her program American Sketches with pianist John Novacek. An accomplished chamber musician, Kristin Lee is a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, performing regularly in New York at Lincoln Center and on tour. In addition to her prolific performance career, Lee is a devoted educator. She has served on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and she has also been in residence with the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, the El Sistema Chamber Music Festival of Venezuela, and is a summer faculty member at Music@Menlo’s Chamber Music Institute. Lee is also the founding artistic director of Emerald City Music (ECM), a chamber music series that presents authentically unique concert experiences and bridges the divide between the highest caliber classical music and the many diverse communities of the Puget Sound region of Washington State.

Kristin Lee’s honors include an Avery Fisher Career Grant, top prizes in the Walter W. Naumburg Competition and the Astral Artists National Auditions, and awards from the Trondheim Chamber Music Competition, Trio di Trieste Premio International Competition, the SYLFF Fellowship, Dorothy DeLay Scholarship, the Aspen Music Festival’s Violin Competition, the New Jersey Young Artists’ Competition, and the Salon de Virtuosi Scholarship Foundation.

Born in Seoul, Lee moved to the United States and studied under prestigious teachers including Sonja Foster, Catherine Cho, Dorothy DeLay, Donald Weilerstein, and Itzhak Perlman. Lee holds a Master’s degree from The Juilliard School. Lee’s violin was crafted in Naples, Italy in 1759 by Gennaro Gagliano and is generously loaned to her by Paul & Linda Gridley.

For more information, visit www.violinistkristinlee.com.

About ECM

Emerald City Music (ECM) is the Pacific Northwest home for eclectic, intimate, and vibrant classical chamber music experiences. Deemed "the beacon for the casual-classical movement" (CityArts), ECM hosts world-renowned musicians in unique concert experiences across seven Mainstage productions annually. Each program visits Seattle in our home venue in South Lake Union (415 On Westlake, a chic contemporary venue with an open bar), and Olympia in a variety of modern concert halls.

Committed to deepening relationships through music, ECM hosts Late Night Sessions, a Seattle-based series that builds bridges across genres and cultivates new audiences. ECM also presents Chamber Music Karaoke, free events in Seattle and Olympia where community musicians gather to read chamber music and perform works they have been preparing, all centered around connection, collaboration, and the joy of music-making.

ECM gained recognition regionally and nationally as a major player in the chamber music scene. Artistic Director Kristin Lee –– a touring violinist awarded the Avery Fisher Career Grant and who is a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center –– is regarded for her innovative programming that both honors the tradition of chamber music while expanding the genre’s boundary past common limits.

Emerald City Music made a name for itself beginning in its second season with a national collaborative commission with Grammy-winning composer John Luther Adams, and has continued to push the boundaries of chamber music with accolades like Steve Reich’s iconic Music for 18 Musicians, Simeon ten Holt’s hypnotic Canto Ostinato, and the West Coast debut of the Danish folk group, Dreamers’ Circus. Recent highlights include partnerships with GRAMMY-winning Sandbox Percussion, Meany Center for the Performing Arts, University of Washington, Metropolis Ensemble, and East Coast Chamber Orchestra.

ECM values real, authentic connection and holds the belief that music possesses the innate power to bring people together from varying backgrounds and perspectives. Over the last decade, artists from every corner of the globe have visited Emerald City Music to prove just that: live performance centered around personal connection cultivates empathy, discovery, a sense of wonder, and community.

Follow ECM on Social Media

Facebook: www.facebook.com/emeraldcitymusic
Instagram: www.instagram.com/emeraldcitymusic

Aug. 28: Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, and Yo-Yo Ma Announce Fifth Album in Beethoven For Three Series on Sony Classical

Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, and Yo-Yo Ma
Announce Fifth Album in Beethoven For Three Series

Symphony No. 3 Eroica and Leonore Overture No. 3
with Violist Antoine Tamestit
Arranged for Piano Quartet by Shai Wosner

Scherzo from Symphony No. 3 Eroica
Out Now - Listen Here

Worldwide Album Release Date: August 28, 2026
Pre-Order Available Now

Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, and Yo-Yo Ma announce the fifth album in their acclaimed Beethoven for Three series, out August 28, 2026 on Sony Classical. Pre-order is available now. Pairing Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, Eroica, with Leonore Overture No. 3 from the composer’s only opera, Fidelio, this new recording marks another milestone in three friends' journey through the marvels of one extraordinary composer. This installment welcomes celebrated violist Antoine Tamestit into the ensemble for the first time. The Scherzo from Symphony No. 3, Eroica, is available now – listen here.

Beethoven for Three features three friends in pursuit of the essential elements of Beethoven's musical language, presenting his most iconic symphonies in arrangements for small groups. By performing the symphonies on three (and now four) instruments, the artists give audiences a rare look at Beethoven's compositional language at its most intimate and raw.

"We all feel that being able to participate in a symphony is such a wonderful thing to do," says Ma. "One of the things that has separated people since recording began is the categories that we put people in, in which chamber musicians, orchestra players, people who play concertos, people who do transcriptions, people who compose, people who conduct, are all viewed as separate categories with no overlap. That siloed thinking discourages actual creativity and collaboration between people. And so, we feel that one of the things that is really important to do today is to actually go back to the first principles of music, the simple interaction between friends who want to do something together."

"The beginnings of all this music were first arranged," says Ax. "It used to be completely normal that the first release of a symphony would not be the full score. You wouldn't get that music until dozens of years later. You would get the arrangement for one piano four hands, or trio, or quartet, that was done by the composer and handed to the publisher. And that's how you got to know the music."

An avid performer of chamber music, violist Antoine Tamestit joins the group following a recent collaboration with the trio in recital at the Koussevitzky Music Shed at Tanglewood, opening the 2025–26 Tanglewood season. Tamestit, a founding member of Trio Zimmermann with Frank Peter Zimmermann and Christian Poltéra, has a rich, deeply colored tone and formidable technique that have made him one of the most sought-after violists of his generation, with premieres including Jörg Widmann's Viola Concerto, which was written for him.

Pianist and composer Shai Wosner’s arrangements have become central to the project's distinctive sound and reflect the tradition of Beethoven's own era, when symphonic works were commonly disseminated through chamber arrangements. Wosner has arranged Beethoven's Symphonies Nos. 1, 4, and 6 for the trio in addition to this new arrangement of "Eroica" for quartet. His arrangement of the Sixth Symphony, "Pastorale," was singled out by Gramophone for the way it honors Beethoven's original writing without being confined by it. Wosner's own honors as a pianist include an Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award.

This new album brings together two defining masterpieces from Beethoven's heroic period, the "Eroica" Symphony's journey from struggle to triumph and the Leonore Overture's vivid musical drama capture a composer expanding the possibilities of Classical form and paving the way toward the early Romantic era.

Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 Eroica represents one of the most profound artistic statements of the composer's heroic period. Originally conceived as a tribute to Napoleon Bonaparte, whom Beethoven admired as a champion of the ideals of the French Revolution and the promise of a new age, the symphony underwent a profound transformation when Napoleon crowned himself emperor in 1804. Disillusioned by what he viewed as Napoleon's abandonment of those ideals, Beethoven famously erased the dedication and instead presented the work as a broader exploration of heroism itself.

Complementing the “Eroica” on the album is Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 3, originally conceived as an overture to Fidelio. First composed around 1803, the opera underwent nearly a decade of revision before achieving success in its final 1814 version. In the process, Beethoven wrote four overtures for the work: three now known as the Leonore Overtures, named after the opera's heroine, and a fourth, the Fidelio Overture. Of the four, Leonore No. 3 has become the most celebrated as a standalone concert work. The piece references the dramatic climax of the final act of Fidelio, distilling the essence of Beethoven's heroic-humanist opera into a concentrated fifteen minutes of potent, exhilarating music.

Ax, Kavakos, and Ma first performed together as a trio at the 2014 Tanglewood Festival, playing a program of Brahms's piano trios; their first recording effort, Brahms: The Piano Trios, was released in 2017 to universal critical acclaim, with Gramophone observing that the performances "get straight to the heart of Brahms's music, relishing its pull of opposites."

Beethoven for Three: Symphony No. 3 Eroica and Leonore Overture No. 3
Yo-Yo Ma, Leonidas Kavakos, Emanuel Ax, Antoine Tamestit

Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55 Eroica

1. I. Allegro con brio
2. II. Marcia funebre. Adagio assai
3. III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace
4. IV. Finale. Allegro molto

5. Leonore Overture No. 3 in C Major, Op. 72b

The concept of Beethoven for Three has its origins at the 2021 Tanglewood Music Festival, where Ax, Kavakos, and Ma first performed Beethoven's Symphony No. 2 in trio format. The performance was an instant success, leading to the first release in the series, Beethoven for Three: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 5, released December 3, 2021 on Sony Classical, featuring an arrangement of Symphony No. 2 attributed to Beethoven's friend and student Ferdinand Ries, working under the composer's supervision, alongside a new arrangement of Symphony No. 5 by contemporary English composer Colin Matthews. Gramophone noted that "the performance by Ax, Kavakos and Ma is not just aptly intense—the opening Allegro con brio is as involving as any orchestral performance I've heard—but also incredibly sensitive to the music's crucial juxtapositions, as one can hear in the Andante con moto, where they so deftly balance delicacy and heroic swagger—note the vulnerability in Kavakos's tone at 1'42"—in a way that I find deeply moving."

The second installment, Symphony No. 6 "Pastorale" and Op. 1, No. 3, followed on November 11, 2022, offering listeners two very different sides of the composer using the same three voices: the brilliant exploration of each instrument's expressive capabilities in the C Minor piano trio, and, in the "Pastorale," lovingly reimagined for trio by Shai Wosner, a vision of the piano, violin, and cello transcending their own identities to become, in turn, bird, brook, and storm. The Strad noted that "the blend and balance between these three hugely experienced players is just about ideal in the relaxed outer movements [of Symphony No. 6] and in the 'Scene by the Brook', while the 'Peasants' Merrymaking' is as rustic and playful as the 'Storm' is disruptive...This is Ax's stamping ground and he brings his string-playing friends along with him for a performance that beguiles and delights from beginning to end."

The third volume, pairing the unforgettable "Archduke" trio with Symphony No. 4, again arranged by Wosner, was released March 15, 2024. The London Times wrote, "Ax's ten fingers provide most of the symphony's harmonic support, leaving Ma and Kavakos free to concentrate on melodic charms and quirks. All unite in ensemble verve and kaleidoscopic hues... intimate chamber music playing doesn't come much better than this."

The fourth volume, released August 22, 2025, featured Symphony No. 1 (Op. 21) alongside the "Gassenhauer" (Op. 11) and "Ghost" (Op. 70, No. 1) piano trios — three works spanning more than a decade of the composer's output, from his early years well into his "middle" period.

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/.

APPROVED PR IMAGE (Credit: Vincent Tullo): Download
Left to Right: Leonidas Kavakos, Emanuel Ax, Antoine Tamestit, Yo-Yo Ma

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Antoine Tamestit
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Sept. 19: GRAMMY®-Nominated A Far Cry Opens 20th Anniversary Season Performing The Goldberg Variations with Pianist Simone Dinnerstein

Photo of A Far Cry by Anja Schütz available in high resolution here.
Photo of Simone Dinnerstein by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco available in high resolution here

GRAMMY®-Nominated Chamber Orchestra A Far Cry

Opens 20th Anniversary Season in Boston on September 19
The Goldberg Variations with Simone Dinnerstein at Jordan Hall

Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 7:30pm
Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory | 30 Gainsborough St. | Boston, MA
Tickets and More Information

www.afarcry.org | www.simonedinnerstein.com

Boston, MA – GRAMMY®-nominated chamber orchestra and “world-wide phenomenon” (WBUR) A Far Cry (AFC)opens its 20th anniversary season with its first Mainstage Concert of the year on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 7:30pm at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall (30 Gainsborough St.), performing a modern reimagining of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations with pianist Simone Dinnerstein. A Far Cry and Dinnerstein are developing their collaboration during a residency at the Tanglewood Learning Institute in August, and will record the work for later commercial release.

Described as “a unique voice in the forest of Bach interpretation” by The New York Times, Simone Dinnerstein first came to wider public attention in 2007 through her recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, reflecting an aesthetic that was both deeply rooted in the score and profoundly personal. This new envisioning of the work, created by A Far Cry members (or “Criers”) Alex Fortes and Sarah Darling with Dinnerstein, expands Bach’s iconic keyboard masterpiece in revelatory and unexpected ways into a living dialogue for piano and string orchestra. The arrangement draws out the hidden possibilities within each variation: a hint of trio sonata here, a French overture there, even a jazz-inflected bass line or a playful quodlibet. Solo piano and strings continually trade, mirror, and transform one another, revealing new colors, textures, and moments of surprise while remaining true to the brilliance of Bach’s original.

“I'll forever remember the moment when we finished our first public performance of this piece. I witnessed so many of our audience members with tears in their eyes - and that felt so right,” says AFC co-artistic director, violinist and violist Sarah Darling. “The sweep of this beautiful work puts the entire world inside your heart, from start to finish. The whole point of our arrangement is just to make that world even richer, more colorful, more wild! Bach created it all, but if we can pay homage to it and help others to come inside it more deeply, that's the mission.”

“My ongoing collaboration with A Far Cry on our arrangement of the Goldberg Variations has been one of the artistic highlights of my career,” says Simone Dinnerstein. “The Criers’ creativity and fresh approach to all that they do has been an inspiration for me, influencing so many other projects that I have pursued. Our shared voyage through this magnificent work has revealed so many unusual elements lying beneath the surface of Bach’s extraordinary musical text. I am so excited to share our discoveries with the listening public!”

A Far Cry’s 20th anniversary season includes nine thoughtfully curated programs presented throughout the Boston area including a grand finale anniversary celebration, from September 2026 through June 2027 at venues including New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, St. John’s Episcopal Church in Jamaica Plan, Old South Church in Boston, First Church in Cambridge, and the Boston Center for the Arts Cyclorama. See schedule below.

A Far Cry was founded in 2007 on the belief that every voice deserves to be heard; so instead of one artistic director, the collective of musicians curate and submit program ideas inspired by individual curiosities, the greater musical community, and what is happening in the world at large. The result is a dynamic representation of music and collaborators across genres and backgrounds. The Criers believe it is this core value and sense of curiosity and mission that led The Boston Globe to write that, “even though A Far Cry has decisively established itself as a mainstay of the Boston musical community, something about it feels perpetually fresh with every performance.” In addition to its home season in Boston, the ensemble tours nationally, collaborates regularly with other world-class musicians throughout the country, and has twice been nominated for GRAMMY Awards in the Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance category. The group’s recording of Rounds by Jessie Montgomery with pianist Awadagin Pratt on his album Stillpoint garnered Montgomery the GRAMMYAward for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 2024.

A Far Cry’s national tours have taken the ensemble to leading venues including The Kennedy Center, National Gallery of Art, Kaufman Music Center, the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park, at Caramoor, the Ravinia Festival, Rockport Chamber Music Festival-Shalin Liu, Groton Hill Music Center, Newport Classical Music Festival, and many more. The Criers are proud to call Boston home, and maintain strong roots in the city. Collaborating with local students through educational partnerships with the New England Conservatory and Project STEP, A Far Cry aims to pass on the spirit of collaboratively-empowered music to the next generation.

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

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

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

More about A Far Cry: www.afarcry.org/group-bio

More about Simone Dinnerstein: www.simonedinnerstein.com

A Far Cry Season 20: At-a-Glance Concert Schedule

September 19: Goldberg Variations with Simone Dinnerstein, piano
October 24-25: Folie à deux
November 7: Mighty Fortress with Boston Children's Chorus, Ariadne Greif, soprano; Clare McNamara, alto; Brian Giebler, tenor; and Paul Max Tipton, bass
December 19-20: Brandenburgs (12/19), (12/20)
January 9-10, 2027: Coming to Boston: From Haiti with Charlot Lucien, Haitian poet (1/9), (1/10)
February 12, 2027: Heartstrings: The Most Beautiful Music in the World with Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah, Boston Poet Laureate
March 13-14, 2027: The Greatest (3/13), (3/14)
April 10, 2027: Side by Side: Absolute Cinema with Students from New England Conservatory and Project STEP
June 5, 2027: Season 20 Celebration - Mix Tape for Boston: Costumes Change, Pulse Remains
A Far Cry’s full performance calendar: afarcry.org/all-concerts

For Calendar Editors:

Description: GRAMMY®-nominated chamber orchestra and “world-wide phenomenon” (WBUR) A Far Cryopens its 20th anniversary season with its first Mainstage Concert of the year at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, performing a modern reimagining of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations with pianist Simone Dinnerstein.

Concert details:

Who: GRAMMY®-nominated chamber orchestra A Far Cry with pianist Simone Dinnerstein
What: J.S. Bach’s The Goldberg Variations
When: Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 7:30pm
Where: Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory, 30 Gainsborough St., Boston, MA 02115
Tickets and More Information: https://www.afarcry.org/all-concerts/goldberg-variations-2

Sept 26 & 27: California Symphony’s 40th Anniversary Season Launches with SIBELIUS, HIGDON, AND BARTÓK – AMERICAN CONNECTIONS

Photo by Kristen Loken. Hi res photos available here.

California Symphony’s 40th Anniversary Season Launches September 26 & 27 with SIBELIUS, HIGDON, AND BARTÓK – AMERICAN CONNECTIONS

Three works that premiered in the United States, a fitting nod as the nation marks its 250th anniversary and reflects on artistic ties across continents and generations

Led by Donato Cabrera, Artistic & Music Director
Featuring Julian Schwarz, Cello Soloist

In Concert September 26 at 7:30pm & September 27, 2026 at 4:00pm
At Walnut Creek's Lesher Center for the Arts
Tickets & Information

40th Anniversary Season Opening Celebration Dinner on September 27, 2026 at 6:00pm
Tickets & Information

WALNUT CREEK, CA – California Symphony, led by Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera and Executive Director Lisa Dell, opens its 40th anniversary season with SIBELIUS, HIGDON, AND BARTÓK – AMERICAN CONNECTIONS on Saturday, September 26 at 7:30pm and Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 4:00pm in the Hofmann Theatre at the Lesher Center for the Arts (1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek). The concert, which features three works that were premiered in the United States, is a fitting nod as the nation marks its 250th anniversary. From the serenity of Sibelius’s ocean to Higdon’s fresh contemporary voice and Bartók’s exhilarating finale, this program offers a vivid musical arc. On September 27, following the performance at 6:00pm, California Symphony celebrates its milestone season with a special 40th Anniversary Season Opening Celebration Dinner at Prime Steakhouse and Martini Garden in Walnut Creek, raising funds for the organization’s music and education programs. Concert tickets include a free 30-minute pre-concert talk by award-winning instructor Scott Foglesong, one hour before each performance.

California Symphony’s season-opening performances explore American connections through music spanning the past century. Finnish composer Jean Sibelius composed The Oceanides in 1914 for his only trip to America, creating a vivid representation that was hailed at its U.S. premiere as “the finest evocation of the sea.” GRAMMY Award-winning American composer Jennifer Higdon's Cello Concerto receives its Northern California premiere, performed by the cellist for whom it was written, Julian Schwarz. The concerto showcases Higdon's distinctive voice—lyrical, rhythmically vibrant, and deeply expressive. Hungarian composer Béla Bartók fled to America during World War II, and while living in New York in 1943, composed his Concerto for Orchestra, commissioned by conductor Serge Koussevitzky for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. A true showpiece, the work turns every instrument in the orchestra into a soloist throughout its five movements.

“Our season opens with a concert that not only perfectly captures the spirit of adventure that California Symphony has had since its inception forty years ago, but also celebrates the 250th anniversary of the United States,” Donato Cabrera says. “The U.S. has always drawn enormous strength from the diversity and individuality of the opinions and voices that can be heard here, when one chooses to listen. The three voices you will hear in this concert, Sibelius, Higdon, and Bartók, couldn't be more beautifully unique. The stories behind these works are fascinating in their own right. But what matters is the emotion these three composers infuse into every note, and that is what stays with you when you leave the concert hall.” 

The title of Sibelius’s The Oceanides refers to the nymphs in Greek mythology that inhabited the Mediterranean Sea, and the work traverses the calm ocean and an ominous storm, culminating in thundering waves. It was commissioned by an American patron of the arts, Carl Stoeckel, and premiered at the Norfolk Music Festival in Connecticut in 1914. Sibelius revised the work extensively on his way by ship across the Atlantic to conduct the new piece in Norfolk. After the performance, Stoeckel wrote, “Everyone who was fortunate enough to be in the audience agreed that it was the musical event of their lives, and after the performance of the last number there was an ovation to the composer which I have never seen equalled anywhere.”

Jennifer Higdon’s Cello Concerto, written for Julian Schwarz, who performs it with the California Symphony, was premiered in April 2026 by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. The piece is in four virtuosic sections—“Poet,” “Dances,” “Fervent,” and “Lines.” In her program notes, Higdon writes, “When getting to know Julian’s playing, I was struck by the lyrical gift that he brings to the cello; I knew immediately that melody would be at the heart of this work… In the initial stages of composing, the first movement’s title of ‘Poet’ inspired the idea that all the movement titles should be related in a way that if those titles were lined up sequentially, I would have a little poem: Poet Dances Fervent Lines. It is an apt description of this piece, and of the magnificent history of this noble instrument, as well as a tribute to the gifted cellist, Julian Schwarz.”

Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra from 1943 is one of his best-loved works. In it, he showcases each section of the orchestra equally through virtuosic and soloistic writing. Bartók made numerous trips to the United States, remaining in the country from 1940 as he and his family fled the rise of fascism. A few years later while he was in the hospital due to what was later discovered to be leukemia, he received word of the commission for this piece and luckily for future listeners, rallied to compose it. The premiere by the Boston Symphony Orchestra the following year was a massive success and Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra was an instant favorite. The piece embodies the composer’s guiding philosophy. Bartók described his purpose as serving the idea of “the brotherhood of peoples, brotherhood in spite of all wars and conflicts,” adding that he tried, “to the best of my ability—to serve this idea in my music.”

The performance on September 27 will be immediately followed by California Symphony’s 40th Anniversary Season Opening Celebration Dinner at Prime Steakhouse and Martini Garden (1719 Bonanza St., Walnut Creek), benefiting the orchestra’s music and education programs. The evening will begin at 6:00pm with a martini reception, where guests will mingle with California Symphony musicians, select featured artists from the 2026-27 season, and fellow supporters. Throughout the evening, guests will hear behind-the-scenes stories and share in the excitement of the season ahead. Proceeds directly support California Symphony’s upcoming season of inspiring performances, impactful community engagement programs, and free music education for under-resourced members of the community, reaching thousands of Contra Costa residents each year.

During the 2026-2027 season, California Symphony celebrates 40 years of bringing vibrant orchestral music to the Bay Area in five compelling programs over ten performances from September 2026 to May 2027, plus the return of California Symphony’s Holiday Traditions concerts in December 2026. California Symphony's signature programming approaches orchestral music as storytelling, and this season explores American connections across continents and generations; musical contemporaries from Russia and America; the grandeur of the Enlightenment era in Paris; California innovators alongside Beethoven's bold optimism; and evocative orchestral landscapes from Spain, Mexico, and Italy. World-class soloists join the orchestra in riveting concertos, including cellist Julian Schwarz in Jennifer Higdon's Cello Concerto, clarinetist Cory Tiffin in Aaron Copland's Clarinet Concerto, violinist Helen Kim in John Adams' Violin Concerto, and pianist Tanya Gabrielian in Manuel de Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain.

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.

During the 2026-2027 season, California Symphony will continue to serve its community beyond the stage through its nationally recognized educational initiative Sound Minds and its innovative lifelong learning program Fresh Look: The Symphony Exposed. It will also continue and expand its community partnerships with the Amateur Music Network and the Trinity Center Walnut Creek.

FOR CALENDAR EDITORS:

WHAT: California Symphony opens its 40th anniversary season with a program celebrating American connections. All three works on the program share a common thread: they were premiered in the United States, a fitting nod as the nation marks its 250th anniversary and reflects on artistic ties across continents and generations. Finnish composer Jean Sibelius composed The Oceanides in 1914 for his only trip to America, creating a vivid representation that was hailed at its U.S. premiere as "the finest evocation of the sea." GRAMMY Award-winning American composer Jennifer Higdon's Cello Concerto receives its Northern California premiere, performed by the cellist for whom it was written, Julian Schwarz. The concerto showcases Higdon's distinctive voice—lyrical, rhythmically vibrant, and deeply expressive. Hungarian composer Béla Bartók fled to America during World War II, and while living in New York in 1943, composed his Concerto for Orchestra, commissioned by conductor Serge Koussevitzky for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. A true showpiece, the work turns every instrument in the orchestra into a soloist, offering dazzling displays across all five movements. From the serenity of Sibelius's ocean to Higdon's fresh contemporary voice and Bartók's exhilarating finale, this program offers a vivid musical arc.

Tickets include a free 30-minute pre-concert talk by award-winning instructor Scott Foglesong, one hour before each performance.

WHEN:
Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 7:30pm
Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 4pm 

WHERE:
Hofmann Theatre at the Lesher Center for the Arts
1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek

CONCERT:
SIBELIUS, HIGDON, AND BARTÓK – AMERICAN CONNECTIONS
Donato Cabrera, conductor
California Symphony

PROGRAM:
Jean Sibelius: The Oceanides (1914)
Jennifer Higdon: Cello Concerto (Northern California Premiere)
Julian Schwarz, cello
Béla Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra (1943)

TICKETS: Single tickets ($50-110) and student tickets ($25 for students 25 and under with valid Student ID) on sale now. Subscribe to a 5-, 4-, or 3-Concert Series for 20% savings on tickets. For more information or to purchase, visit CaliforniaSymphony.org or call (925) 280-2490.

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.

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 2026-27 season is sponsored by the Lesher Foundation.

Sept. 19: Violinist Yevgeny Kutik Gives World Premiere of New Violin Concerto by Eric Nathan with the Rhode Island Philharmonic – Conducted by Music Director Ruth Reinhardt

Photo of Yevgeny Kutik by Corey Hayes available in hi-resolution here.

Violinist Yevgeny Kutik is Featured Soloist in Three Concerts
with the Phoenix Symphony

Performing Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77
by Dimitri Shostakovich
Conducted by Andrew Litton

Friday, November 7, 2025 at 11am
Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 7:30pm
Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 2pm
 Symphony Hall | 75 North 2nd Street | Phoenix, AZ
Tickets and More Information

“polished dexterity and genteel, old-world charm” –WQXR

www.yevgenykutik.com

Phoenix, AZ — Violinist Yevgeny Kutik, who The New York Times describes as having a “dark-hued tone and razor-sharp technique,” is the featured soloist in three performances with the Phoenix Symphony, conducted by Andrew Litton. Kutik will perform Dimitri Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77 as part of a performance that will also include Ludwig van Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Orchestral Suite No. 3. This concert program will be performed on Friday, November 7 at 11am, Saturday, November 8 at 7:30pm, and Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 2pm. All three concerts will take place in Symphony Hall (75 North 2nd Street).

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 standard works as well as rarely heard and newly composed repertoire.

“I grew up with Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 as a constant presence—its intensity and honesty became part of my musical language from an early age,” says Kutik. “Each time I return to it, I discover anew how music can embody strength, resilience, and vulnerability all at once. I’m especially thrilled to bring it to Phoenix this November with Maestro Litton.”

Composed between 1947-48, Shostakovich called his Violin Concerto No. 1 “a symphony for violin and orchestra.” Part of his inspiration for this concerto was the extraordinary violin playing of his friend, David Oistrakh. After Shostakovich finished composing the work, he and Oistrakh performed it together privately on violin and piano, however the concerto could not be performed publicly because of Soviet censorship until 1955, two years after Joseph Stalin’s death. Oistrakh premiered the concerto with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Evgeny Mravinsky. As time has gone on, the work has come to be thought of as one of the great violin concertos of the 20th century.

More about Yevgeny Kutik: Committed to the music of our time, Kutik regularly gives premiere and repeat performances of major works by today’s most celebrated composers. This season, he gives the world premiere of a new work by Jonathan Leshnoff with pianist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner presented by Newport Classical. In January 2025, he made his debut with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, led by Michelle Merrill, in a performance of Philip Glass’s Violin Concerto No. 2. In 2022 at the Tanglewood Music Festival, he gave the world premiere of Cântico, a work for solo violin by Andreia Pinto Correia co-commissioned for Kutik by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 2021, he debuted with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra led by Leonard Slatkin, performing the world premiere of Joseph Schwantner’s Violin Concerto, written for him. The concerto is based on Schwantner’s earlier work, The Poet’s Hour – Soliloquy for Violin, which Kutik recorded on episode six of Gerard Schwarz’s All-Star Orchestra, released on DVD by Naxos and broadcast nationally on PBS.

A native of Minsk, Belarus, Yevgeny Kutik immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of five. His 2014 album, Music from the Suitcase: A Collection of Russian Miniatures (Marquis Classics), features music he found in his family’s suitcase after immigrating to the United States from the Soviet Union in 1990, and debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Classical chart. The album garnered critical acclaim and was featured on NPR's All Things Considered and in The New York Times. Kutik’s recent releases on Marquis include The Death of Juliet and Other Tales (2021) and Meditations on Family (2019), for which he commissioned eight composers to translate a personal family photo into a short musical miniature – a project featured on the cover of Strings magazine. Kutik’s other recordings include his debut album, Sounds of Defiance (2012), and Words Fail (2016), both released to critical acclaim.  

Other recent performance highlights include debuts at the Kennedy Center presented by Washington Performing Arts, and at the Ravinia Festival, as well as recital appearances as part of the Dame Myra Hess Concerts Chicago; at UCLA; Peoples' Symphony Concerts, Kaufman Music Center, and National Sawdust in New York City; the Embassy Series and The Phillips Collection in Washington D.C.; and at the Lobkowicz Collections Prague presented by Prince William Lobkowicz. Festival performances have included the Tanglewood Music Festival, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Ravinia, the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele in Germany, and the Verbier Festival in Switzerland.  

Kutik made his major orchestral debut in 2003 with Keith Lockhart and The Boston Pops as the First Prize recipient of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition, and has since performed with orchestras throughout the country including the Rochester and Dayton Philharmonics; the Detroit, New Haven, Asheville, and Wyoming symphony orchestras; and more. Abroad, he has appeared with Germany’s Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock and WDR Rundfunk Orchestra Köln, Montenegro’s Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, Japan’s Tokyo Vivaldi Ensemble, and the Cape Town Philharmonic in South Africa.

Passionate about his heritage and its influence on his artistry, Kutik is an advocate for the Jewish Federations of North America, the organization that assisted his family in coming to the United States, and regularly speaks and performs across the United States to both raise awareness and promote the assistance of refugees from around the world.  

Yevgeny Kutik began violin studies with his mother, Alla Zernitskaya, and went on to study with Zinaida Gilels, Shirley Givens, Roman Totenberg, and Donald Weilerstein. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory. Kutik is ​​the Artistic Director and co-founder of The Birch Festival – a festival built around connecting and integrating leading musicians with the Berkshire community, while highlighting the unique and original stories of those who make up the Berkshires. His violin was crafted in Italy in 1915 by Stefano Scarampella.  For more information, please visit www.yevgenykutik.com.

For Calendar Editors:

Description: Violinist Yevgeny Kutik, described as having a “dark-hued tone and razor-sharp technique,” (The New York Times) is the featured soloist in three performances with the Phoenix Symphony, conducted by Andrew Litton. Kutik will perform Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77. The concert program will also include Ludwig van Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Orchestral Suite No. 3.

Concert details:

Who: Violinist Yevgeny Kutik
Presented by Phoenix Symphony
Conducted by Andrew Litton
What: Music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Dimitri Shostakovich, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
When: Friday, November 7, 2025 at 11am
Saturday, November 8, 2025 7:30pm
Sunday, November 9, 2025 2pm
Where: 75 North 2nd Street Phoenix, AZ 85004
Tickets and information: www.phoenixsymphony.org/shows/litton-conducts-tchaikovsky

Oct 18: Newport Classical Presents Ensemble Mélange in Two Free Community Concerts

Ensemble Mélange, photo by Nir Arieli, available in high resolution here.

Newport Classical Presents Ensemble Mélange in Two Free Community Concerts in October

Free, Casual, and Welcoming to All
Presented by BankNewport

Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 1:00pm and 3:30pm
Newport Classical Recital Hall | 42 Dearborn St. | Newport, RI

Information & Registration: newportclassical.org/event/melange

Newport, RI – Newport Classical announces two free concerts as part of its Community Concerts Series presented by BankNewport taking place on Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 1:00pm and 3:30pm, performed by Ensemble Mélange at Newport Classical Recital Hall (42 Dearborn St.). 

Ensemble Mélange puts the audience in the driver's seat for a pair of interactive concerts unlike any other. With a menu of more than 30 selections spanning classical favorites, jazz, Latin, Broadway, and beyond, audience members are randomly chosen to select what the ensemble performs next. The result is an engaging, high-energy concert where no two performances are ever the same, offering an exciting musical adventure for concertgoers of all ages.

The New York Times praised the ensemble's unique concert experience, describing Mélange as the kind of group that relishes "the bond with a living, choosing audience." Ensemble Mélange’s members are accomplished soloists and chamber musicians who perform extensively worldwide, including Ariadne Greif, soprano; Grace Park, violin; Sofia Nowik, cello; Moran Katz, clarinet; Stuart Breczinski, oboe; plus pianist to be announced. Audiences will help shape these concerts in real time during these free, fast-paced, family-friendly performances that are sure to be full of surprises.

Newport Classical's Community Concerts Series is free and open to the community; advanced registration is requested but not required for all performances. These concerts are generously presented as part of the BankNewport Community Concerts Series with additional support from the Newport County Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation. 

Up next, Newport Classical's Chamber Series opens on September 18, 2026 with returning favorites Invoke, a multi-instrumental quartet encompassing traditions from across America, including bluegrass, Appalachian fiddle tunes, jazz, and minimalism. On October 9, the rising Trio Azura, a recent Grand Prize and Gold Medal winner at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, invites audiences to explore the world of the piano trio across eras from the Impressionist and Romantic works of Maurice Ravel and Felix Mendelssohn to the contemporary voice of Jennifer Higdon. The Boston-based Rasa String Quartet makes its Newport Classical debut on October 23 with “Portraits of an American Patchwork,” a musical quilt that weaves together the cultural traditions that have shaped the nation’s identity, spanning jazz, bluegrass, Latin pop, Indigenous traditions, global folk music, and classical favorites. Pianist Michael Leonardo Davidman, winner of the 2025 American Piano Awards and praised by Upstage for his “thunderous authority and loads of interpretive nuance,” makes his Newport debut on November 6. On November 20, Raphaël Feuillâtre, hailed as one of the leading classical guitarists of his generation, performs “Latin Passions.” 

Cellist Sterling Elliott, a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, and pianist Elliot Wuu perform on January 29, 2027  in the sonatas of Maurice Ravel, Richard Strauss, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. On February 19, flutist Anna Urrey and harpist Kristi Shade perform a program of Nino Rota, Lili Boulanger, Jules Mouquet, Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, and Astor Piazzolla. The Dorian Wind Quintet, praised by the Los Angeles Times for delivering “chamber music as it was meant to be,” performs on March 12 in “Preludes and Variations,” pairing J.S. Bach chorale arrangements with Antonín Dvořák's Wind Quintet, Op. 105 and a set of Anniversary Variations by Richard Rodney Bennett, George Perle, Billy Childs, Bruce Adolphe, and Lee Hoiby on a theme from a wind quintet by Antonin Reicha written specifically for the Dorian Wind Quintet to celebrate the ensemble’s 40th anniversary. Versatile artist Chelsea Guo, the first musician to win the Young Concert Artists auditions in both voice and piano, and hailed by Gramophone as “clearly a special talent,” takes the stage on April 9 in a program of Frédéric Chopin, Pauline Viardot, Johannes Brahms, and Robert Schumann's Dichterliebe, singing while accompanying herself on piano. On April 23, Newport Classical presents violinist Rubén Rengel and Friends, with pianist Gabriel Chakarji and percussionist Juan Diego Villalobos, who come together for an evening celebrating the music of Latin America. Accordionist Radu Ratoi, winner of the 2024 Young Concert Artists “Susan Wadsworth” International Auditions, will be joined by violinist Alexandra Tirsu, a 2021 ARD Competition prizewinner, on May 7. The 2026-2027 Chamber Series concludes on June 4 with violinist Njioma Grevious, a Juilliard graduate and founding member of the Abeo Quartet, who appears regularly at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, and the Concertgebouw.

The 2027 Newport Classical Music Festival will take place from July 1-18, 2027.

For Newport Classical’s complete concert calendar, visit www.newportclassical.org/concerts

About Newport Classical

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

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

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

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

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

Sept. 18: Cellist Sol Gabetta Releases New Album on Sony Classical – Saint-Saëns & Lalo: Cello Concertos with Les Siècles New Single Out Now

Sol Gabetta Releases New Album on Sony Classical Saint-Saëns & Lalo: Cello Concertos with Les Siècles

New Single Out Now - Listen Here
II. Allegretto con moto
from Camille Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33

Worldwide Release Date: September 18, 2026
Pre-Order Available Now

On September 18, 2026, cellist Sol Gabetta’s new albumSaint-Saëns & Lalo: Cello Concertoswill be released on Sony Classical – pre-order is available now. Recorded with the French orchestra Les Siècles, performing on period instruments, the cellist presents Camille Saint-Saëns’ two Cello Concertos alongside Édouard Lalo’s Cello Concerto in D minor—three cornerstone works of the Romantic cello repertoire. New single, II. Allegretto con moto from Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33 by Camille Saint-Saëns is out now - listen here.

Bringing together historically informed orchestral sound with her own distinctive voice, Sol Gabetta explores the contrasting musical worlds of these concertos. Saint-Saëns’ First Concerto and Lalo’s concerto, composed within a span of just a few years, both place a strong emphasis on the orchestra, creating a dynamic dialogue between soloist and ensemble. By contrast, Saint-Saëns’ Second Concerto—written three decades later—emerges as a highly virtuosic and structurally expansive work that demands exceptional technical and expressive range from the soloist.

Known for her expressive intensity and clarity of interpretation, Sol Gabetta shapes each of these works with a strong sense of narrative and colour, highlighting their lyrical qualities while bringing out their distinctive characters. The collaboration with Les Siècles adds a further dimension to the recording, offering a sound palette that reflects the stylistic context of the late 19th century while remaining vivid and immediate.

Saint-Saëns & Lalo: Cello Concertos by Sol Gabetta with Les Siècles will be available from September 18, 2026 on CD, as well as for download and streaming in Stereo and in Dolby Atmos.

Sol Gabetta is one of the leading cellists of her generation, internationally acclaimed for her expressive playing and wide-ranging repertoire. She performs regularly with major orchestras and conductors worldwide and is known for her close engagement with both core repertoire and lesser-known works. She appears with leading orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, and London Symphony Orchestra, and is a frequent guest at major international venues and festivals including the Lucerne Festival and New York’s Lincoln Center. Following her recent return to the United States, she made her debut with the New York Philharmonic and appeared with The Cleveland Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, while her international touring activity has also taken her to Asia, including appearances at the BBC Proms Japan. Sol Gabetta performs on a rare Matteo Goffriller cello from 1730.

Repertoire:

Camille Saint-Saëns:
Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Allegretto con moto
III. Molto allegro

Cello Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 119
I. Allegro moderato e maestoso – Andante sostenuto
II. Allegro non troppo – Cadenza – Molto allegro

Édouard Lalo:
Cello Concerto in D Minor
I. Prélude. Lento – Allegro maestoso
II. Intermezzo. Andantino con moto – Allegro presto
III. Introduction. Andante – Allegro vivace

Sept 13: Caramoor Presents K-Pop Sensation Big Ocean

Press photo available here.

Caramoor Presents K-Pop Sensation Big Ocean on September 13

Sunday, September 13, 2026 at 7:30pm
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts | Rosen House Music Room
149 Girdle Ridge Road | Katonah, NY

Tickets on Sale to the Public on August 7 at 10:00am: caramoor.org/event/big-ocean-2026

Getting to Caramoor from NYC: Caramoor is an approximately one-hour ride on Metro-North from Grand Central to Katonah, NY.

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

KATONAH, NY – Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, a vibrant cultural destination nestled on 81 acres of historic gardens and woodlands in Katonah, NY, will present a special concert featuring K-Pop sensation Big Ocean on Sunday, September 13, 2026 at 7:30pm in the Rosen House Music Room.

Big Ocean is the world's first K-pop group composed of artists who are hard of hearing, redefining what performance and accessibility can look like on a global stage. Since their debut in 2024, the trio has gained international recognition for seamlessly incorporating Korean Sign Language (KSL), American Sign Language (ASL), and visual storytelling into their performances, proving that music can be experienced far beyond sound. Their mission is simple yet powerful: to create a world where music is accessible to everyone. 

Consisting of PJ, Chanyeon, and Jiseok, Big Ocean has been featured by major international outlets including The New York Times, BBC, ABC News, CNN, and the Associated Press, while collaborating with multiple United Nations agencies and organizations advocating for accessibility and inclusion. Through their music, performances, and global outreach, Big Ocean continues to inspire audiences around the world, demonstrating that differences can become strengths and that music has the power to connect people across every language and barrier.

When Big Ocean visited Caramoor this past June, they fell in love with the historic Rosen House and all Caramoor has to offer. They tested out Lucie Rosen's theremin, played the piano, and gave an impromptu private performance on the Music Room stage. They enjoyed the space so much that they are returning to Katonah for this very special evening.

Caramoor, once the estate of music and art lovers Walter and Lucie Rosen, is one of the region’s most distinctive destinations for live performance, cultural engagement, and exploration. This concert, as well as Caramoor’s Rosen House Concert Series, will be held in the exquisite Music Room of the historic home – a Mediterranean-style villa from 1939 filled with treasures from around the world. Audiences enjoy performances by some of today’s most in-demand artists in the same living room salon setting where the Rosens once entertained their many friends. The estate’s gardens and grounds are also open year round to visitors, free of charge, for picnicking and walking daily from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

About Caramoor

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

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

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

How to get to Caramoor: caramoor.org/visit-us/amenities

More information about visiting Caramoor: caramoor.org/visit

For Caramoor’s complete schedule: caramoor.org/events

Aug. 28: Composer Robert Sirota Releases Contrapassos New Album on Azica – World Premiere Recordings Performed by the Telegraph Quartet and Soprano Abigail Fischer

Composer Robert Sirota Releases Contrapassos
New Album on Azica Out August 28, 2026

World Premiere Recordings
Performed by the Telegraph Quartet and Soprano Abigail Fischer

Worldwide Release Date: August 28, 2026

Downloads and CDs available to press on request

“[Robert] Sirota’s compositional voice has a distinctive tartness and rhythmic bite.”
– Anthony Tomassini, The New York Times

Robert Sirota | Telegraph Quartet | Abigail Fischer | Azica

Two of Robert Sirota’s chamber works, Contrapassos for String Quartet and Soprano (2019) and String Quartet No. 3, Wave Upon Wave (2018), will be released on August 28, 2026 on a new album on Azica Records. This is the eleventh album featuring Sirota’s music, and his second for Azica, following the release of 212: Symphony No. 1 earlier this year. Contrapassos, which was commissioned by the Sierra Chamber Society and includes text by Stevan Cavalier, is performed by the Telegraph Quartet with soprano Abigail Fischer. Wave Upon Wave is performed by the Telegraph Quartet.

Over five decades, 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.”

Sirota states: “Collaborating with the Telegraph Quartet and Abigail Fischer in the creation of these works has been a deeply rewarding and satisfying experience. After several years of delay, I am delighted that this recording is now a reality.”

Robert Sirota composed his third string quartet, Wave Upon Wave, in 2017. Commissioned by the Naumburg Foundation, the award-winning Telegraph Quartet gave the world premiere in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in 2018. Wave Upon Wave is the third work in a trilogy that Sirota began with his first string quartet, Triptych, in 2002. Sirota describes all three quartets as “a long journal entry reflecting a response to our times,” with Wave Upon Wave focusing on “our fears, our hopes, and our prayers that we will triumph over the forces of darkness which threaten to overwhelm us,” writes Sirota in his program notes. Of the sold out world premiere performance at Carnegie Hall, New York Daily Music described the work as, “chillingly cinematic.” The San Francisco Classical Voice described Wave Upon Wave as being shaped by a “variety of moods” and “heartbeat rhythms” throughout the work’s movements.

In 2019 Sirota composed Contrapassos. Due to the pandemic lockdown, the performance date endured almost as many changes as the music itself, which is inspired by the imagery of Dante. After several postponements of the initial 2020 world premiere, the Telegraph Quartet and soprano Abigail Fischer were finally able to come together and give the highly anticipated world premiere in July 2022.

“[Contrapassos] begins with memories of the quotidian joys of childhood, quickly turning to darkness and thoughts of early death by suicide, heart attacks in middle age, and final judgment,” says Sirota. “And yet throughout, there is the vigorous embrace of abundant life, of the beauty of our world, and of our striving for faith.” In performance, Contrapassos reflects a seamless collaboration between poetry, vocal, and instrumental music. 

Robert Sirota’s works have been performed by orchestras across the US and Europe; ensembles such as The Cecilia Chorus of New York, Alarm Will Sound, Sequitur, yMusic, Chameleon Arts, and Dinosaur Annex; the Chiara, American, Telegraph, and Blair String Quartets; the Neave, Peabody, Concord, and Webster Trios; and at festivals including Tanglewood, Aspen, Yellow Barn, and Cooperstown music festivals; Bowdoin Gamper and Bowdoin International Music Festival; and Mizzou International Composers Festival. Commissions for Sirota@70 in honor of his 70th birthday included works for Thomas Pellaton, Carol Wincenc, Linda Chesis & the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival, and Sierra Chamber Society.

Additional recent commissions include the music for Rising, an evening-length dance collaboration with choreographer Gabrielle Lamb, Pigeonwing Dance, and the Neave Trio; A Migrant’s Dream, a choral work commissioned by Judith Clurman for Essential Voices USA; Sirota’s third string quartet, Wave Upon Wave for the Naumburg Foundation; his fourth string quartet Contrapassos for the Sierra Chamber Society, Immigrant Songs for the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine; Luminous Bodies performed by Jeffrey Kahane and yMusic at the Sarasota Music Festival; Hafez Songs for Palladium Musicum; O Blessed Holy Trinity for choir and organ, for Trinity Episcopal Church, Indianapolis; and his Cello Sonata No. 2, for Benjamin Larsen and Hyungjin Choi. Sirota’s arrangements of songs for Paul Simon and yMusic were performed on Simon’s farewell tour, including an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Sirota is a recipient of grants from the Guggenheim and Watson Foundations, United States Information Agency, National Endowment for the Arts, Meet the Composer, and the American Music Center. His works are recorded on Navona Records, Legacy Recordings, National Sawdust Tracks, and the Capstone, Albany, New Voice, Gasparo and Crystal labels. His music is published by Muzzy Ridge Music, Hal Leonard, MorningStar, Theodore Presser, and To the Fore.

Before becoming Director of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in 1995, Sirota served as Chairman of the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions at New York University and Director of Boston University's School of Music. From 2005-2012, he was the President of Manhattan School of Music, where he was also a member of the School’s composition faculty.

A native New Yorker, Sirota studied at Juilliard, Oberlin, and Harvard and divides his time between New York and Searsmont, Maine with his wife, Episcopal priest and organist Victoria Sirota. They frequently collaborate on new works, with Victoria as librettist and performer, at times also working with their children, Jonah and Nadia, both world-class violists.

The Telegraph 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.

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

Beyond the concert stage, the Telegraph Quartet is deeply committed to education, mentorship, and meaningful audience engagement. The ensemble has presented masterclasses globally, including for the Collegiate and Pre-College Divisions of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, through the Morrison Artist Series at San Francisco State University, and internationally at Taipei National University of the Arts, National Taiwan Normal University, and in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

As Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Michigan, Telegraph has also launched an initiative designed to help emerging musicians bridge the gap between academic study and professional life. Through this program, selected chamber music students join the Quartet on tour, gaining professional experience by rehearsing, traveling, and performing alongside the ensemble.

The Quartet has also served as artists-in-residence at Gretna Music, the Interlochen Adult Chamber Music Camp, SoCal Chamber Music Workshop, and Crowden Music Center Chamber Music Workshop. In November 2020, Telegraph launched ChamberFEAST!, a chamber music workshop in Taiwan. That same year, the ensemble created TeleLab, an online video series in which the musicians collectively explore and break down the individual components of selected string-quartet movements. TeleLab has since expanded into an in-person lecture-demonstration and performance program.

In the summers of 2022 and 2024, the Telegraph Quartet traveled to Vienna to work with Schoenberg specialist Henk Guittart in collaboration with the Arnold Schönberg Center, undertaking an in-depth study of Schoenberg’s complete string quartets.

For more information, visit www.telegraphquartet.com.

About Abigail Fischer: Abigail Fischer is an internationally acclaimed American soprano celebrated for performances of exceptional emotional depth, dramatic honesty, and vocal artistry. The New York Times praised her “disarming intimacy,” and chief classical music critic Zachary Woolfe wrote, “Ms. Fischer sings with a passionate restraint that has no equal in her generation. You didn’t want her to stop.”

Known for her versatility across opera, concert repertoire, and contemporary music, Fischer has been featured at Los Angeles Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Baroque, American Bach Soloists, Ars Lyrica Houston, Da Camera of Houston, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Beijing Music Festival, Teatro Comunale di Bolzano, and the Hong Kong New Vision Arts Festival. Her performances have taken her to Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, and major festivals throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.

As a defining interpreter of contemporary opera, Fischer created the leading role in Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s Song from the Uproar, and Du Yun and Royce Vavrek’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Angel’s Bone. She has premiered works by Nico Muhly, Elliott Carter, John Zorn, Bernard Rands, David Lang, Harold Meltzer, Robert Sirota, and performed Toshio Hosokawa’s Hanjo and The Raven in Trento, Italy.

Fischer has enjoyed a vibrant concert career spanning Bach, Handel, Mozart, Purcell, Mahler, Berg and George Benjamin. Highlights include Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Mass in B Minor and Magnificat, Mahler’s Symphony No. 3, Lieberson’s Neruda Songs, Berg’s Sieben Frühe Lieder, and Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder. Before transitioning to soprano, Fischer spent fifteen years performing professionally as a mezzo soprano, singing repertoire from Dido and Aeneas, Cenerentola and Carmen, while also working as a professional choral singer and cellist in New York.

A graduate of Vassar College and the Eastman School of Music, Fischer also trained at the Marlboro Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and Tanglewood Music Center.

Fischer’s work has expanded from interpreting the music of others to creating original musical experiences of her own. Today, through her Earthshine project, Fischer composes, performs, and facilitates immersive musical experiences integrating conscious breathwork, sound meditation, vocal improvisation, nervous system awareness, intuitive development, emotional energy release, shamanic journeying, inner child healing, shadow work, and voice activation. She has guided hundreds of individuals and groups through retreats, ceremonial concerts, and transformational experiences, continuing to explore music’s extraordinary capacity to awaken beauty, authenticity, healing, and wonder.

Contrapassos by Robert Sirota | Azica
Telegraph Quartet, Soprano Abigail Fischer
Release Date: August 28, 2026 (Worldwide)

String Quartet No. 3 - Wave Upon Wave

1. I. Relentless [5:07]
2. Interlude 1 Adagio Expressivo [1:20]
3. II. eighth note = 104 [3:22]
4. III. Rapido [2:24]
5. Interlude 2 Appassionata [0:49]
6. IV. quartet note = 72 [5:59]

Contrapassos

7. I. Dreamlike [4:37]
8. II. quarter note = 76 [3:56]
9. III. quartet note = 104, IV. quartet note = 60 [4:03]
10. V. Tempo Giusto, Dirgelike VI. quarter note = 96 [5:19]
11. VII. quarter note = 104 [1:40]
12. VIII. quarter note = 80 [2:52]

Total time [​​41:28]

Sept 4: ECM New Series Releases Samuel Beckett's Stirrings Still - Music by Trevor Bača, Narrated by Paul Griffiths, Performed by JACK Quartet

Samuel Beckett
Stirrings Still 

Text by Samuel Beckett
Music by Trevor Bača

Paul Griffiths, narrator
JACK Quartet: Christopher Otto, violin; Austin Wulliman, violin; John Pickford Richards, viola; Jay Campbell, violoncello

ECM New Series 2801
Release Date: September 4, 2026

Downloads and CDs available upon request.

Stirrings Still was Samuel Beckett’s last message in prose, completed in 1987, and first published the following year. More monologue than story, it comes from a narrator on the edge between life and what lies beyond, which might be a vast wheatfield seen in black-and-white, or might be a swirl of stumbling memories. 

Beckett cherished music, in particular the songs and string quartets of Franz Schubert. His writing is musical, in its meticulous phrasing, its use of repetition, and often its form. Stirrings Still is an example: a composition of interweavings and developments. 

The music, created for this release by composer Trevor Bača, is no accompaniment but rather a parallel stream, heard in alternation with the words, reflecting and contemplating what they have to say. Imagined for the musicianship of JACK Quartet, it is a stream into which the listener is drawn from time to time, not away from the words but more deeply into them, through another medium.

Trevor Bača was born in California in 1975 and grew up in Texas. His concerns as composer include “lost and secret texts, and the powers of musical storytelling.” Samuel Beckett’s protagonist, in the final section of Stirrings Still, hears something from deep within, a sentence with a word he cannot catch, and Bača’s writing for the string quartet conveys some of the intense yearning to grasp it.

Bača studied art, music, literature and languages at the University of Texas, composition and string techniques with Stefano Scodanibbio in Macerata, Italy, and composition with Julio Estrada in Mexico City. He holds a PhD in composition from Harvard University. His music has been played throughout the world, with recent performances in New York, Tokyo, Berlin and Barcelona. Bača's compositions have been anthologized as part of Notations 21, in which graphic and experimental manuscripts of a hundred  international composers are displayed and contrasted, and his scores have also been exhibited as art at the Chelsea Gallery in New York City and the Hutchins Gallery on Long Island. In 2019 he joined the faculty of the Department of Music at Yale University, where he lectures on 20th- and 21st-century music.

JACK Quartet was formed in 2005, its name an acronym of the initials of the founding members. Violist John Pickford Richards and violinist Christopher Otto were there from the beginning, with violinist Austin Wulliman and cellist Jay Campbell joining the quartet in 2016. They have established a reputation for their commitment to challenging contemporary repertoire and experimental chamber music – from Elliott Carter to John Zorn, from John Luther Adams to George E. Lewis – and enjoyed close working relationships with many composers.

Paul Griffiths, born in 1947 in Bridgend, Wales, is a British music critic, novelist and librettist, best known for his prolific writings on modern music. He wrote the libretto for Elliott Carter’s only opera What Next?, recorded for ECM New Series in 2000, as well as the libretti for Tan Dun’s opera Marco Polo, and Hans Abrahamsen’s opera let me tell you.  In 2003, ECM recorded his collaboration with cellist-composer-improviser Frances Marie Uitti, there is still time, subtitled "scenes for speaking voice and cello," which featured Griffiths as narrator of his own text. 

The author of more than twenty books on music as well as novels, a collection of short stories, and numerous liner notes, Paul Griffiths has received many awards and prizes for his work, including an OBE for services to music, literature and composition.

Stirrings Still was recorded in 2023 and 2024 at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano, and produced by Manfred Eicher, who has long been fascinated by the inherent musicality of Samuel Beckett’s writing.

Oct. 2: Ariel Quartet Completes Monumental Beethoven String Quartet Cycle - Three Albums Over Two Years on Orchid Classics

Ariel Quartet Completes Monumental Beethoven String Quartet Cycle
Three Volumes Over Two Years

Third Volume to be Released Worldwide on October 2, 2026
on Orchid Classics

Special Box Set in 2027 will Honor Beethoven’s
Legacy 200 Years After His Passing

“The immediacy and commitment I noted in their playing in the first volume is even more evident here, with superb sound, dazzling fast passages and outstanding nuance, dynamics and phrasing.” – David Olds, The WholeNote on Vol. 2

Review CDs and downloads available upon request. 

Ariel Quartet: www.arielquartet.com/the-cycle
Upcoming Performances: www.arielquartet.com/schedule

The Ariel Quartet (Alexandra Kazovsky, violin; Gershon Gerchikov, violin; Jan Grüning, viola; and Amit Even-Tov, cello) – distinguished by its virtuosity, probing musical insight, and impassioned performances – will release the complete Beethoven String Quartets over two years on the Orchid Classics label, culminating in 2027, the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death. The Quartet released the first volume of the series on April 4, 2025, volume two on November 7, 2025, with volume three arriving on October 2, 2026 and a special box set release in March 2027.

The Ariel Quartet’s first volume of this Beethoven Cycle was met with considerable critical acclaim, with positive reviews in The New York Times, Gramophone, The Whole Note, Classical Voice of North America, and more. Richard Wigmore wrote in Gramophone magazine that the album included, “supremely skillful, deeply considered performances . . . no one could deny the physical and intellectual energy of the Ariel’s playing, or their sheer technical brilliance.” Of the second volume, Jean-Yves Duperron of The Classical Music Sentinel writes, “There's just something about the Ariel Quartet that draws life out of every note on the page.”

The third volume of the cycle, recorded across three CDs, includes Beethoven’s Late Quartets – String Quartet in E-flat major, Op.127; String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op.131; String Quartet in A minor, Op.132; String Quartet in F major, Op.135; and String Quartet in B-flat major, Op.130, including the ‘Große Fuge’ Op.133. The first single from the album, Allegro from String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op.131, will be released on September 18, 2026.

Formed when the members were just teenagers studying at the Jerusalem Academy Middle School of Music and Dance in Israel, the Ariel Quartet has a long history with the quartets of Beethoven. His String Quartet in C minor, Op.18 No.4 was the very first piece that the group tackled together as thirteen year olds, and the members credit the work for hooking them on the genre, for life.

In 2013 to mark its 15th anniversary, the Ariel Quartet performed its first complete Beethoven cycle – a landmark for the group, which has been performing Beethoven’s music since its inception. Since then, the Ariel has performed the complete cycle on six occasions throughout the United States and Europe. They view the complete quartets as part of their personal life-long journey reflected in Beethoven’s music – works that are interwoven with the evolution of the string quartet genre as well as the group’s own genesis story.

Of their history with Beethoven’s late quartets, the Ariel Quartet writes in this volume’s liner notes:

“Our journey with [Beethoven’s] late quartets began with Op.132 in 2004, and despite encountering sentiments that young musicians shouldn’t readily dive into these worlds this work quickly became one of our favorites to perform. Truthfully, this music does not ripen in us without performing it incessantly, and the notion that our deep love and respect for art should be expressed by staying away from it really makes more sense for a museum. How a given section, theme or movement relates, a tempo feels and a character comes to life will only truly be put to the test in a concert, where the moment is everything. We feel especially with this [third] Volume, that recording it is a touch like capturing a rare creature in Himalaya-like territory and displaying it in the zoo – ethically as debatable as choosing to declare that one specific version of any given phrase or character should persist. The sole reason to jump over one’s own artistic shadow and proceed nevertheless is to make a record in the spirit of how we feel these masterworks should come to life.”

More about the Ariel Quartet: The Ariel Quartet was named a recipient of the prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award, granted by Chamber Music America in recognition of artistic achievement and career support. Recent highlights include the Quartet’s sold-out Carnegie Hall debut, a series of performances at Lincoln Center together with pianist Inon Barnatan and the Mark Morris Dance Group, as well as the release of a Brahms and Bartók album for Avie Records. In 2020, the Ariel gave the U.S. premiere of the Quintet for Piano and Strings by Daniil Trifonov, with the composer as pianist for the Linton Chamber Music Series in Cincinnati. The Quartet serves as the Faculty Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where they direct the chamber music program and present a concert series in addition to maintaining a busy touring schedule in the United States and abroad.

The Ariel Quartet regularly collaborates with today’s eminent and rising young musicians and ensembles, including pianist Orion Weiss, cellist Paul Katz, and the American, Pacifica, and Jerusalem String Quartets. The Quartet has toured with cellist Alisa Weilerstein and performed frequently with pianists Jeremy Denk and Menahem Pressler. In addition, the Ariel served as Quartet-in-Residence for the Steans Music Institute at the Ravinia Festival, the Yellow Barn Music Festival, and the Perlman Music Program, as well as the Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence at the Caramoor Festival.

Formerly the resident ensemble of the Professional String Quartet Training Program at the New England Conservatory, from which the players obtained their undergraduate and graduate degrees, the Ariel was mentored extensively by acclaimed string quartet giants Walter Levin and Paul Katz. It has won numerous international prizes in addition to the Cleveland Quartet Award: First Prize at the prestigious Franz Schubert and Modern Music Competition in Graz/Austria, Grand Prize at the 2006 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the Székely Prize for the performance of Bartók’s String Quartet No. 4, and Third Prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition. About its performances at the Banff competition, the American Record Guide described the group as “a consummate ensemble gifted with utter musicality and remarkable interpretive power” and noted, in particular, their playing of Beethoven’s monumental Quartet in A minor, Op. 132, as “the pinnacle of the competition.”

The Ariel Quartet has received significant support from the American-Israel Cultural Foundation, Dov and Rachel Gottesman, and the Legacy Heritage Fund. Most recently, they were awarded a grant from the A.N. and Pearl G. Barnett Family Foundation.

Follow the Ariel Quartet:
www.instagram.com/arielquartet
www.facebook.com/ArielQuartet

ALBUM TRACK LISTING:
Beethoven: The Complete String Quartets Vol. 3
Ariel Quartet
Orchid Classics | Release Date: October 2, 2026

Disc 1: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

String Quartet in E-flat major, Op.127

1 Maestoso – Allegro [6:55]
2 Adagio ma non troppo e molto cantabile [15:54]
3 Scherzo, Vivace [9:13]
4 Allegro [7:34]

String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op.131

5 Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo [6:25]
6 Allegro molto vivace [3:07]
7 Allegro moderato [0:51]
8 Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile [13:59]
9 Presto [5:08]
10 Adagio quasi un poco andante [1:57]
11 Allegro [7:03]

Total time: [78:06]

Disc 2

String Quartet in A minor, Op.132

1 Assai sostenuto – Allegro [9:49]
2 Allegro ma non tanto [9:55]
3 Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit, in der lidischen Tonart. Molto adagio – Neue Kraft fühlend. Andante [17:33]
4 Alla marcia, assai vivace [2:23]
5 Allegro appassionato [6:46]

String Quartet in F major, Op.135

6 Allegretto [6:57]
7 Vivace [3:27]
8 Assai lento, cantate e tranquillo [7:34]
9 Der schwer gefaßte Entschluß: Grave, ma non troppo tratto – Allegro [7:00]

Total time [71:24]

Disc 3

String Quartet in B-flat major, Op.130

1 Adagio ma non troppo – Allegro [13:57]
2 Presto [2:01]
3 Poco scherzoso. Andante con moto ma non troppo [7.37]
4 Alla Danza tedesca. Allegro assai [3:40]
5 Cavatina. Adagio molto espressivo [7:06]
6 Overtura. Allegro – Meno mosso e moderato – Allegro. Fuga* [16:13]

Total time [50:35]

Ariel Quartet:

Alexandra Kazovsky, violin
Gershon Gerchikov, violin
Jan Grüning, viola
Amit Even–Tov, cello

* This movement was later published separately as Op.133 under the title Grande Fugue, tantôt libre, tantôt recherchée.

Producer: Jesse Lewis
Recording Engineer: Shauna Barravecchio, Jesse Lewis
Editing Engineer: Caroline Shaffer Robin, Shauna Barravecchio, Alexandre Robin, Thiago Wolf
Mix Engineer: Jesse Lewis
Denoise Engineer: Mark Alletag
Mastering Engineer: Christopher Moretti
Immersive Producer: Jesse Lewis
Immersive Mixing and Mastering Engineer: Christopher Moretti

© 2025 Orchid Music Limited

OUT TODAY: Guitarist Marcin Releases Live Sessions – New Sony Music Masterworks EP

EP Artwork (Download)

Marcin Releases Live Sessions
New EP on Sony Music Masterworks
Out Today - Listen Here

New Video: Art Of Guitar (Live) Feat. Yamandu Costa
Watch Here

Catch Marcin Live on His Art of Guitar World Tour
Tickets & Info Here

JULY 31 – NEW YORK, NY – Today, Marcin releases LIVE SESSIONS, a new EP of nine songs that capture the guitar mastermind’s extraordinary musicianship in its purest form — listen here. The EP was recorded live without an audience and showcases Marcin’s unique fusion of virtuosity, percussive guitar technique, and genre-defying arrangements. It features classics such as the Moonlight Sonata and Chopin Nocturne alongside original compositions, and his recent streaming hit Art of Guitar. Accompanying the EP is the release of a new live video for “Art of Guitar,” this time, featuring renowned Brazilian guitarist and composer, Yamandu Costa – watch here.

Of his new Live Sessions EP, Marcin notes: “As I'm working on my second studio record, I wanted to keep things fresh, so I decided to record a brand-new EP featuring live studio versions of my most engaging arrangements and compositions. It includes songs from Dragon In Harmony, as well as some older arrangements that I play at my shows. Meeting Yamandu Costa for this project was a highlight for me. I've been following him for a long time, and he's a real inspiration for me. Collaborating with him in Warsaw on a remix of “Art of Guitar” was a real honor. His performance on the song is fantastic, and I’m also excited about the new reworked elements added in this live version. I'm very proud of this release. It captures raw, unfiltered performances of songs I love to play, and I hope audiences enjoy listening to them.”

Fans can experience Marcin performing live on the final leg of his Art of Guitar World Tour, which kicks off in Asia on August 7, and includes stops in India, Thailand, China, Indonesia, as well as three sold out shows in his native Poland. For ticketing and information, please visit https://marcin.tix.to/tour.

LIVE SESSIONS: TRACKLIST

1. Just The Two Of Us (Live)
2. Smooth Operator (Live)
3. Tribute to Paco (Live)
4. Art of Guitar (Live), feat. Yamandu Costa
5. Chopin Nocturne (Live)
6. Toccata (Live)
7. Carmen (Live)
8. Bite Your Nails (Live)
9. Moonlight Sonata (Live)

ABOUT MARCIN

Named “one of the most talented guitarists of his generation” by Guitar World, Marcin is one of the pioneers of a new percussive style, rooted in flamenco and classical. With nods from Rolling Stone, Billboard, Guitar World, Premier Guitar and more, plus a performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and his first-ever cover for Total Guitar, Marcin continues to captivate millions of fans and followers with his show-stopping guitar style across multiple platforms. In a few short yet explosive years, Marcin’s virtuosic technique has been championed by the likes of Tom Morello, Paul Stanley, Madonna, BTS’ Jungkook, Timbaland, Ty Dolla $ign and Wyclef Jean, to name a few.  In 2022, Marcin launched a signature guitar with Ibanez Guitars as an ambassador for the Japanese brand. The electrifying performances by this Polish-born musician extend far beyond the screen, selling out across Asia and Europe in weeks.  Marcin is currently on the road for his first-ever global headline Art of Guitar tour performing hits and music from his debut album, Dragon in Harmony (Sony Masterworks).

Connect With Marcin:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

ART OF GUITAR TOUR DATES:
TICKETING AND INFO HERE

AUG 7 – Mumbai, India – NMACC
AUG 8 – Bengaluru, India – PCPA
AUG 9 – Delhi, India – Siri Fort Auditoriums
AUG 12 – Shillong, India – Latiri
AUG 15 – Bangkok, Thailand – MGI Hall (2)
AUG 18 – Hong Kong, China – Tung Po
AUG 20 – Haikou, China – Hainan Centre
AUG 22 – Jakarta, Indonesia – Lalala Festival
DEC 13 – Wrocław, Poland – Narodowe Forum Muzyki
DEC 22 – Warsaw, Poland – Palladium
DEC 23 – Warsaw, Poland – Palladium

# # # 

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/.

ECM to Release Steve Reich: Recordings on ECM - A 3-LP Box Set - In Honor of Reich's 90th Birthday

In Honor of Steve Reich's 90th Birthday, ECM Releases Steve Reich: Recordings on ECM

A 3-LP Box Set Including Reich's Albums That Were Released on the Label Between 1978-1982:

Music for 18 Musicians
Octet / Music for a Large Ensemble / Violin Phase
Tehillim

Presented as Facsimile Editions Housed in a High-Quality Cardboard Box with a Booklet Containing Photos from the Archives, Manuscript Pages and Liner Notes by Paul Griffiths

Available October 2, 2026 via ECM

Exclusive Preorder Starting on July 31, 2026 on ECM US Store

Compiling “some of the minimalist composer’s finest works, including the definitive recording of his undisputed masterpiece Music for 18 Musicians” (Pitchfork), Steve Reich: Recordings on ECM comprises the three Steve Reich albums that were released on the label between 1978-1982, presented as facsimile editions housed in a high-quality cardboard box with a booklet containing photos from the archives, manuscript pages and liner notes by Paul Griffiths.

Sourced from the original analogue master tapes and bearing the official AAA label, confirming their all-analogue provenance, these vinyl editions authentically re-introduced the listener to recordings that have since become staples in contemporary music. The works included on these three albums are Music for 18 Musicians, Octet, Music for a Large Ensemble, Violin Phase and Tehillim, tracing the influential early creative period of the composer and his development over the course of fifteen years. The box set arrives on the occasion of Reich’s 90th birthday in October 2026.

“About the famed ECM Recordings, much has already been written. Suffice to say that they confirm that Reich could convey the pulse and spirit of American urban life as brilliantly as Gershwin did 30 years earlier. Even the unity that arises from out of phase quasi-chaos is revelatory. Recorded 1976–1981, the works' emphasis on percussive sounds makes for anything but soothing background listening. It's all fabulous stuff. Although listening to multiple works in one sitting could possibly induce numbness – taken one at a time, they are as exhilarating as they are essential.” – Jason Victor Serinus, Stereophile Magazine

For more information on Steve Reich, please visit stevereich.com.

Emerald City Music Announces Eleventh Season for 2026-2027 with Fourteen Concerts from October 2026 to May 2027

High resolution press photos available here.

A New Decade for Emerald City Music:
Announcing Eleventh Season for 2026-2027

Fourteen Concerts from October 2026 through May 2027
in Seattle and Olympia, WA

Late Night Sessions Concert Series Returns for Second Season
Violinist Kristin Lee, Artistic Director; Sean Campbell, Executive Director

Season Subscriptions on Sale Now
Single Tickets on Sale in August

www.emeraldcitymusic.org

Seattle & Olympia, WA – Artistic Director and violinist Kristin Lee and Executive Director Sean Campbell are thrilled to announce the eleventh season of Emerald City Music (ECM), with fourteen Mainstage performances from October 16, 2026 through May 15, 2027 in Seattle and Olympia, plus the continuation of ECM’s Late Night Sessions and Chamber Music Karaoke. Emerald City Music is the Pacific Northwest home for eclectic, intimate, and vibrant classical chamber music experiences. Known for a casual environment combined with award-winning artists, ECM has gained increasing recognition since its founding in 2016. Season subscriptions are on sale now and single tickets will be on sale in August.

Through thrilling performances, community events, late-night collaborations and pre-concert conversations, every part of the season is shaped by Emerald City Music’s mission: making world-class music approachable, social, and deeply human. The Seattle Times reports: "ECM isn’t falling back on the tried-and-true, under the assumption that a new listener is an unadventurous, easily frightened-off listener. Instead, they’re betting that the tried-and-true could be precisely one of the barriers to sparking interest that classical-music organizations need to overcome."

“Welcome to a new decade of Emerald City Music!” says ECM Artistic Director Kristin Lee. “This next chapter of ECM is an especially exciting one as we deepen our commitment to creating meaningful impact through more performances, more opportunities for engaging with our audience, and more ways for all of us to experience the transformative power of music.

The 2026–27 season will also be shaped by very meaningful celebrations, including the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s passing and the 90th birthdays of two of America’s most influential composers. Through these, I look forward to exploring music on a deeper level while discovering human connections through the shared experience of live performance.”

“Every aspect of Emerald City Music’s eleventh season is centered around bringing audiences closer to the music, both as listeners and as participants,” says ECM Executive Director Sean Campbell. “Through impactful and intimate performances, thoughtful conversations, and opportunities for our communities to make music together, ECM continues to break down the barriers between artists and audiences, making world-class performance a personal and community-driven experience.”

ECM’s newest season explores a wide range of musical voices honoring major milestones including the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s passing with special November performances focused on his piano sonatas, performed by Gilles Vonsattel. In honor of their 90th birthdays, the season also reflects on the lasting influence of Steve Reich and Philip Glass, focusing on the expansive ways they’ve transformed how we think about sound, structure, and what music can be. In December, that spirit of experimentation comes to the forefront in an immersive program that challenges the very act of listening. The Evolution Series returns this season, co-curated by violinist and scholar Aaron Boyd, with a March program tracing the evolution of violin technique. In April, ECM’s commitment to collaboration continues with Animal Fire Theater, bringing music and Shakespeare into conversation through a vivid exploration of storytelling across art forms. Mainstage performances throughout the season will be held at ECM’s signature venues – in Seattle at 415 Westlake and in Olympia at The Minnaert Center for the Arts or Capital High School Performing Arts Center. This season, ECM is also proud to have a new partnership with Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Olympia.

This season focuses on expanded ways to gather around music. Chamber Music Karaoke returns to Seattle and makes its way to Olympia, inviting community members to be a part of joyful music-making. In Olympia, a new community concert series before each performance will spotlight local students and community members, creating more space for shared creativity and artistic exchange. In addition, ECM’s Late Night Sessions are back for a second season, featuring three new performances. This series embraces an intimate concert experience and directly follows the conclusion of selected mainstage performances, keeping the music going well into the night. ECM’s new Late Night Sessions will spotlight outstanding local musicians and offer audiences an eclectic mix of genres. Dates for this season’s Late Night Sessions will be announced in August.

The concept of the concert series as a platform where artists and audiences transform one another breathes life into every element of what ECM does – from the casual open-bar setting of its flagship Seattle concert experiences, to the enthusiastic communities that faithfully assemble in its concert halls in Olympia and beyond. At Emerald City Music concerts, the audience’s presence matters, transforming the artists, the community, and the future of classical music.
 

Emerald City Music’s Season 11 Mainstage Performances
 

Rhapsodic Musings

Friday, October 16, 2026 at 415 On Westlake | Seattle, WA
Saturday, October 17, 2026 at Minnaert Center | ​​2011 Mottman Rd. SW | Olympia, WA

Kristin Lee, Rachel Lee Priday, James Garlick, Vanessa Moss, Blayne Barnes, violin | David Auerbach, Alexander Grimes, Katie Liu, viola | Efe Baltacigil, Christine Lee, Holly Reeves, cello | Will Langlie-Miletich, double bass

Emerald City Music’s 11th season opens with a vibrant, festive evening of string music, bringing together Seattle and Olympia’s most celebrated string instrumentalists. Featuring works by Grażyna Bacewicz, Antonín Dvořák, and Béla Bartók, the program showcases the virtuosity and power brought through the different formations of the string instruments. At its core is Elliott Carter’s short but electrifying work for solo violin, a striking centerpiece that gives the program its name.

Grażyna Bacewicz: Concerto for String Orchestra (1948)
Antonín Dvořák: String Quartet No. 14 in A-flat Major, Op. 105 (1895)
Elliott Carter: “Rhapsodic Musings” from Four Lauds for solo violin (2000)
Béla Bartók: Divertimento for String Orchestra Sz. 113, BB. 118 (1939)

Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas

Friday, November 13, 2026 at 415 On Westlake | Seattle, WA
Saturday, November 14, 2026 at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd | 1601 North St. SE | Olympia, WA

Gilles Vonsattel, piano

Over two evenings in Seattle and Olympia, pianist Gilles Vonsattel offers an intimate journey through nine of Ludwig van Beethoven’s most beloved works, his piano sonatas, in honor of the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s passing. Spanning his early, middle, and late periods, the two evenings will explore a distinct facet of his evolving voice, distilled through the singular presence of one artist at the piano. Each performance begins with a pre-concert lecture by Vonsattel, inviting audiences to listen more deeply and step inside the emotional and architectural world of these extraordinary works.

PROGRAM 1 (Seattle)

Ludwig van Beethoven:
Sonata No. 10 in G Major, op. 14, No. 2 (1798-1799)
Sonata No. 17 in D minor, op. 31, No. 2, The Tempest (1801-1802)
Sonata No. 15 in D Major, Op. 28, Pastoral (1801)
Sonata No. 22 in F Major, Op. 54 (1804)
Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57, Appassionata (1803)

PROGRAM 2 (Olympia)

Ludwig van Beethoven:
Sonata No. 19 in G minor, Op. 49, No. 1 (1797)
Sonata No. 3 in C Major, Op. 2, No. 3 (1794-1795)
Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101 (1816)
Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111 (1822)

Disassembly of Sound

Friday, December 4, 2026 at 415 On Westlake | Seattle, WA
Saturday, December 5, 2026 at Capital High School | 2707 Conger Ave. NW | Olympia, WA

Sooyun Kim, piccolo, flute, alto flute, bass flute | Ji Hye Jung, percussion, toy piano, steel pan | Jordan Dodson, ukulele, guitar, banjo, mandolin

What is music? When is sound considered music? This program explores the answers to these obscure questions through works that dissolve the boundaries between silence, gesture, dance, and theater. John Cage’s 4’33” reframes listening itself, while Vinko Globokar’s ?Corporel transforms the performer’s body into both instrument and stage. Marin Marais’s Les Folies d’Espagne anchors the program in Baroque variation and dance, leading into Mauricio Kagel’s Serenade, which satirically reimagines classical performance conventions through theatrical invention.

John Cage: 4’33” (1952)
Vinko Globokar: ?Corporel (1984)
Marin Marais: Les Folies d’Espagne (1700)
Mauricio Kagel: Serenade (1994)

Quartet in Spotlight: Poiesis Quartet

Friday, February 12, 2027 at 415 On Westlake | Seattle, WA
Saturday, February 13, 2027 at Minnaert Center | ​​2011 Mottman Rd. SW | Olympia, WA

Poiesis Quartet
Sarah Ma, Max Ball, violins | Jasper de Boor, viola | Drew Dansby, cello

The Poiesis Quartet, First Prize winner at the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition, makes its debut on Emerald City Music’s stage. Formed at Oberlin Conservatory in 2022, the ensemble has been praised for its “multifaceted artistry” and “bold, forward-thinking programming” (The New York Times). For their debut, they present a program that considers music as a response to the political and human conditions of our time.

Michi Wiancko: To Unpathed Waters, Undreamed Shores (2021)
Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson: String Quartet No. 1, “Calvary” (1956)
Jeff Scott: Tapestry of the Beloved Beatified* (2026)
Kevin Lau: String Quartet No. 7, “Surfacing” (2025)

Evolution Series: The Violin

Friday, March 12, 2027 at 415 On Westlake | Seattle, WA
Saturday, March 13, 2027 at Minnaert Center | ​​2011 Mottman Rd. SW | Olympia, WA

Aaron Boyd, co-curator, violin, viola | Kristin Lee, Sean Lee, Tianyou Ma, violin | Hana Coho, cello | Jennifer Godfrey, double bass | Oksana Ejokina, piano, harpsichord

The Evolution Series returns this season, focusing on one of music’s most celebrated instruments: the violin. Remarkably, the violin has retained its fundamental form since its earliest development. Instead, composers and performers have continually expanded its possibilities, driving innovation through new techniques and fresh modes of expression. Guided by violinist and lecturer Aaron Boyd, the evening traces four centuries of development, revealing how early breakthroughs continue to shape and challenge its musical language today.

Pietro Locatelli: Caprice in D Major “Labyrinth” (1733)
J.S. Bach: Adagio and Fugue from Sonata No. 3 for Solo Violin in C Major BWV 1005
Carlo Farina: Capriccio stravagante (1627)
Niccolo Paganini: Selections from 24 Caprices for Solo Violin (1802-1817)
John Cage: Selections from Freeman Etudes for Solo Violin (1977-1990)
Eugène Ysaÿe: Sonata for Solo Violin, Op. 27, No. 2, “Jacques Thibaud” (1923)
Ludwig Wilhelm Maurer: Concertante for Four Violins, Op. 55 (c.1831)

Inspired by Shakespeare

Friday, April 9, 2027 at 415 On Westlake | Seattle, WA
Saturday April 10, 2027 at Minnaert Center | ​​2011 Mottman Rd. SW | Olympia, WA

Tony Arnold, soprano | Michael Stephen Brown, piano | Kristin Lee, Susie Park, violin | Melissa Reardon, viola | Raman Ramakrishnan, cello | Animal Fire Theater, artistic partner

Shakespeare’s words have long shaped not only literature, but the broader landscape of human expression across the arts. This program explores how composers across time have drawn from his plays and poetry, using the themes of love, illusion, tragedy, and transform them into music. In partnership with Animal Fire Theater, an actor-driven, all-volunteer company based in Olympia, the evening bridges theater and music, allowing each form to illuminate and reshape the other.

Henry Purcell: If Music Be the Food of Love arranged for Soprano and String Quartet (1692)
Brett Dean: String Quartet No. 2 “And once I played Ophelia” (2014)
Felix Mendelssohn / Sergei Rachmaninoff: “Scherzo” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1842, arr. 1933)
Felix Mendelssohn / Franz Liszt: “Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (arr. Brown) (1842, arr. 2023)
William Shakespeare: Selected Readings from Romeo and Juliet (1597)
Sergei Prokofiev: Suite from Romeo and Juliet (arr. Lidia Baich / Matthias Fletzberger) (1935)
Ludwig van Beethoven: Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato from String Quartet No. 1 in F major (1797-1800)

Opus One

Friday, May 14, 2027 at 415 On Westlake | Seattle, WA
Saturday May 15, 2027 at Capital High School, 2707 Conger Ave. NW | Olympia, WA

Sahun Sam Hong, Wu Qian, piano | Kristin Lee, Chad Hoopes, violin | Matthew Lipman, viola | Nicholas Canellakis, cello

Every composer has a moment when they take the bold step of sharing their first work with the world- a gesture that is at once vulnerable yet defining. Even those we now revere as the “greatest” began with these early statements, testing boundaries, discovering their voice, and building the confidence to create what would follow. This program brings together such beginnings by Beethoven, Suk, Schumann, and Dohnányi, offering a glimpse into the origins of their artistic identities. Within these works, we encounter their imagination and individuality with each composer revealing a distinct voice already taking shape, even at the very start.

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Trio in E-flat major, Op. 1, No. 1
Josef Suk: Piano Quartet in A minor, Op. 1
Robert Schumann: “Abegg” Variations, Op. 1
Ernő Dohnányi: Piano Quintet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 1

For Emerald City Music’s Complete Schedule and Concert Details, visit www.emeraldcitymusic.org.

Emerald City Music’s 2026-2027 concerts take place on Fridays at 415 Westlake in Seattle, WA and on Saturdays at The Minnaert Center for the Arts in Olympia (2011 Mottman Rd.), Capital High School Performing Arts Center (2707 Conger Ave NW) or Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd (1601 North Street SE). Season tickets and tickets to individual concerts are on sale now and in August respectively. Please visit www.emeraldcitymusic.org for more details.

About Kristin Lee, ECM Artistic Director

Kristin Lee is a violinist of remarkable versatility and impeccable technique who enjoys a vibrant career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and artistic director. “Her technique is flawless, and she has a sense of melodic shaping that reflects an artistic maturity,” writes the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and The Strad reports, “She seems entirely comfortable with stylistic diversity, which is one criterion that separates the run-of-the-mill instrumentalists from true artists.”

As a soloist, Lee has appeared with leading orchestras including The Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Hawai’i Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Ural Philharmonic of Russia, Korean Broadcasting Symphony, Guiyang Symphony Orchestra of China, and Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional of Dominican Republic. She has performed on the world’s finest concert stages, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the Kennedy Center, Kimmel Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Ravinia Festival, the Louvre Museum, the Phillips Collection, and Korea’s Kumho Art Gallery. In 2026, she makes her solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall performing her program American Sketches with pianist John Novacek. An accomplished chamber musician, Kristin Lee is a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, performing regularly in New York at Lincoln Center and on tour. In addition to her prolific performance career, Lee is a devoted educator. She has served on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and she has also been in residence with the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, the El Sistema Chamber Music Festival of Venezuela, and is a summer faculty member at Music@Menlo’s Chamber Music Institute. Lee is also the founding artistic director of Emerald City Music (ECM), a chamber music series that presents authentically unique concert experiences and bridges the divide between the highest caliber classical music and the many diverse communities of the Puget Sound region of Washington State.

Kristin Lee’s honors include an Avery Fisher Career Grant, top prizes in the Walter W. Naumburg Competition and the Astral Artists National Auditions, and awards from the Trondheim Chamber Music Competition, Trio di Trieste Premio International Competition, the SYLFF Fellowship, Dorothy DeLay Scholarship, the Aspen Music Festival’s Violin Competition, the New Jersey Young Artists’ Competition, and the Salon de Virtuosi Scholarship Foundation.

Born in Seoul, Lee moved to the United States and studied under prestigious teachers including Sonja Foster, Catherine Cho, Dorothy DeLay, Donald Weilerstein, and Itzhak Perlman. Lee holds a Master’s degree from The Juilliard School. Lee’s violin was crafted in Naples, Italy in 1759 by Gennaro Gagliano and is generously loaned to her by Paul & Linda Gridley.

For more information, visit www.violinistkristinlee.com.

About ECM

Emerald City Music (ECM) is the Pacific Northwest home for eclectic, intimate, and vibrant classical chamber music experiences. Deemed "the beacon for the casual-classical movement" (CityArts), ECM hosts world-renowned musicians in unique concert experiences across seven Mainstage productions annually. Each program visits Seattle in our home venue in South Lake Union (415 On Westlake, a chic contemporary venue with an open bar), and Olympia in a variety of modern concert halls.

Committed to deepening relationships through music, ECM hosts Late Night Sessions, a Seattle-based series that builds bridges across genres and cultivates new audiences. ECM also presents Chamber Music Karaoke, free events in Seattle and Olympia where community musicians gather to read chamber music and perform works they have been preparing, all centered around connection, collaboration, and the joy of music-making.

ECM gained recognition regionally and nationally as a major player in the chamber music scene. Artistic Director Kristin Lee –– a touring violinist awarded the Avery Fisher Career Grant and who is a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center –– is regarded for her innovative programming that both honors the tradition of chamber music while expanding the genre’s boundary past common limits.

Emerald City Music made a name for itself beginning in its second season with a national collaborative commission with Grammy-winning composer John Luther Adams, and has continued to push the boundaries of chamber music with accolades like Steve Reich’s iconic Music for 18 Musicians, Simeon ten Holt’s hypnotic Canto Ostinato, and the West Coast debut of the Danish folk group, Dreamers’ Circus. Recent highlights include partnerships with GRAMMY-winning Sandbox Percussion, Meany Center for the Performing Arts, University of Washington, Metropolis Ensemble, and East Coast Chamber Orchestra.

ECM values real, authentic connection and holds the belief that music possesses the innate power to bring people together from varying backgrounds and perspectives. Over the last decade, artists from every corner of the globe have visited Emerald City Music to prove just that: live performance centered around personal connection cultivates empathy, discovery, a sense of wonder, and community.

Follow ECM on Social Media

Facebook: www.facebook.com/emeraldcitymusic
Instagram: www.instagram.com/emeraldcitymusic

Announcing the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s Fall 2026 Weekend Concert Series - 10 Performances at Calderwood Hall

Press photos available here.

Announcing the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s Fall 2026 Weekend Concert Series

Ten Performances at Calderwood Hall from September through November

Information & Tickets:gardnermuseum.org/about/music
Tickets On Sale to the General Public on August 5, 2026

BOSTON, MA (July 29, 2026) – The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum announces its Fall 2026 Weekend Concert Series, a ten-concert autumn season curated by Abrams Curator of Music George Steel held on select Sundays at 1:30pm from September 13 through November 22, 2026. The season features world-class artists performing in the Museum’s extraordinary Calderwood Hall—a 300-seat “sonic cube” with three levels of balconies designed so that 80% of seats are front row, creating a uniquely intense and intentional listening experience.

The Gardner Museum’s Fall Weekend Concert Series includes: violinist Rachel Barton Pine performing a recital of Brahms sonatas (September 13); acclaimed period-instrumentalist, violinist Rachell Ellen Wong, making her Calderwood Hall debut with collaborators from her Twelfth Night Ensemble (September 20; postponed from January due to the blizzard); a chamber music celebration honoring the late Scott Nickrenz, former Abrams Curator of Music at the Gardner, featuring Geneva Lewis and YooJin Jan, violins; Emma Wernig, viola; Jay Campbell, cello; and Conrad Tao, piano (September 27); the excellent Ivalas Quartet with music by Franz Schubert, George Walker, and Carlos Simon (October 4); Esther in the Age of Rembrandt performed by ACRONYM, in conjunction with the Gardner Museum’s exhibition (October 18); Celebrating Chrysanthemums, an exploration of the chrysanthemum as muse coinciding with the Museum’s annual John Lowell Gardner Chrysanthemum Installation (October 25); Jamaican-British composer and pianist Eleanor Alberga with the Green Room Ensemble (November 1); the multiple prize-winning Poiesis Quartet (November 8); the Lysander Piano Trio in a wide ranging program spanning from Swedish violinist and composer Amanda Maier to South African composer Bongani Ndodana-Breen (November 15); and superstar harpsichordist Jean Rondeau in a survey of French Baroque music (November 22).

“We are delighted to announce our new season of concerts in Calderwood Hall,” says George Steel. “Two violinists kick things off: Rachell Ellen Wong, playing Baroque violin, and Rachel Barton Pine, playing Brahms on an instrument he himself selected. I am thrilled that, thanks to the generosity of his many admirers, we are launching a new annual concert in honor of the late Scott Nickrenz. Fittingly, it will be a barnburner, featuring the astounding and seldom-tackled Piano Quintet of Leo Ornstein. For the first time, we are also presenting a concert celebrating one of the Museum’s prized cultivars in conjunction with our John Lowell Gardner Chrysanthemum Installation. This concert will be a feast for the senses! I hope you will join us for this glorious music, throughout our Fall season.”

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

Fall 2026 Weekend Concert Series Overview

Acclaimed violinist Rachel Barton Pine, praised by The New York Times for her “bravura technique and soulful musicianship,” opens the Gardner Museum’s 2026 Fall Weekend Concert Series on Sunday, September 13, returning to Calderwood Hall after her triumphant concert last season. Joined by pianist Matthew Hagle, she presents a recital of Johannes Brahms’s violin sonatas — including Brahms's own violin version of a sonata better known on clarinet, which Pine has been championing. She performs on the astonishing Guarneri "del Gesù" violin that Brahms himself selected for his chamber music partner, Marie Soldat-Roeger.

The long-awaited Boston debut of Twelfth Night Ensemble follows on Sunday, September 20, in a program postponed from January due to the blizzard. Violinist Rachell Ellen Wong—the only Baroque violinist to be awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant—joins harpsichordist David Belkovski and cellist Coleman Itzkoff in Baroque works by Nicola Matteis, Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, John Eccles, Giuseppe Tartini, J.S. Bach, Jean-Marie Leclair, Francesco Maria Veracini, Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer, and Jacques Duphly, alongside contemporary composer Wanessa Dourado's Conto Bachiano from 2023. Inspired by Shakespeare’s play of the same name, Twelfth Night strives to invoke a spirit of boundless revelry, celebration, and community in their programming.

A new annual tradition begins on Sunday, September 27, with the inaugural Chamber Music Celebration, endowed to honor the life and work of the late Scott Nickrenz, the Gardner's first Abrams Curator of Music and a superb violist and chamber music impresario and evangelist. Violinists Geneva Lewis and YooJin Jang, violist Emma Wernig, cellist Jay Campbell, and pianist Conrad Tao present a wide-ranging program featuring music by Henry Purcell and Franz Joseph Haydn, Ruth Crawford Seeger's Suite No. 2 for Four Strings and Piano, and crowned by the thrilling Piano Quintet of Ukrainian-American composer Leo Ornstein, whose life bridged three centuries.

Franz Schubert's monumental “Death and the Maiden” quartet anchors the Ivalas Quartet's program on Sunday, October 4, paired with two American works: an early piece in George Walker's "American" style (Walker died only a few years ago at age 96) and An Elegy: A Cry from the Grave, a moving miniature by Carlos Simon, whose Requiem for the Enslaved had its Boston premiere at the Gardner Museum in 2022. Hailed by The Strad for playing with “tremendous heart and beauty,” the Ivalas Quartet has been changing the face of classical music since its inception in 2017 with a mission to enrich the classical music world by spotlighting past and present BIPOC composers alongside the standard repertory.

In conjunction with the Museum's exhibition, ACRONYM presents Esther in the Age of Rembrandt on Sunday, October 18, offering rare performances of three Esther cantatas written during Rembrandt’s time. The program includes a work by the remarkable French composer Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, alongside music by Flemish composer Leonora Duarte, Jewish Mantuan composer Salamone Rossi, Giacomo Carissimi, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, and Marc-Antoine Charpentier. ACRONYM will perform with a roster of vocal soloists as special guests: Amanda Forsythe and Teresa Wakim, sopranos; Kim Leeds, alto; Aaron Sheehan, tenor; and Jesse Blumberg, baritone.

The Gardner Museum’s annual John Lowell Gardner Chrysanthemum Installation inspires Celebrating Chrysanthemums on Sunday, October 25, an exploration of the flower as artistic muse hosted by the Gardner’s Stanley P. Kozak Director of Horticulture Erika Rumbley and Abrams Curator of Music George Steel, who will also read related poems, letters, and horticultural texts. An all-star cast performs music by Jules Massenet, Léo Delibes, Giacomo Puccini, Scott Joplin, Dora Pejačević, Nikolai Harito, William Penn, Zbigniew Maciejowski, Ernesto Lecuona, Tōru Takemitsu, Xiaogang Ye, and Juantio Becenti.

Jamaican-British composer and pianist Eleanor Alberga, one of the most exciting composers writing in the U.K., takes the stage on Sunday, November 1 with the Green Room Ensemble — violinists Thomas Bowes and Nathan Meltzer, violist Jordan Bak, and cellist Sterling Elliott, who are all stars in their own right. The concert is part of the world premiere tour of Alberga’s Piano Quintet No. 2, “Stark” and will also include her String Quartets Nos. 1, 2, and 3. Alberga has been commissioned by the BBC Proms, The Royal Opera, and Covent Garden, among many others.

Founded only in 2022, the Poiesis Quartet has already become a much-talked-about force in classical music. On Sunday, November 8, they tackle two landmarks of the repertoire—Ludwig van Beethoven's final string quartet (a work full of good humor despite having been written in trying circumstances) and Sergei Prokofiev's String Quartet No. 1. They also bring two recent works: Many Many Cadences, a bright and brilliant work by Sky Macklay, and Tapestry of the Beloved Beatified, a new commission from Jeff Scott, founding horn player of Imani Winds. The Poiesis Quartet was named among the best classical performances of 2025 by The New York Times.

Formed while its members were students at Juilliard, the Lysander Piano Trio performs on Sunday, November 15, featuring music by the remarkable Swedish violinist-composer Amanda Maier, who knew and worked with Brahms and Edvard Grieg. The program also includes works by Grieg and Antonín Dvořák, and Two Nguni Dances by South African composer Bongani Ndodana-Breen, whom the Museum has commissioned in the past, and whose sophisticated style draws on sub-Saharan musical traditions, including those of the Xhosa clan, to which he belongs. The Lysander Piano Trio has been praised by The Washington Post for playing with, “an uncommon degree of heart-on-the-sleeve emotional frankness.”

The Gardner Museum’s Fall 2026 Weekend Concert Series concludes on Sunday, November 22 with superstar harpsichordist Jean Rondeau—perhaps the world's most celebrated performer on the instrument—returning to Calderwood Hall for a survey of French Baroque treasures by Louis Couperin, Jean-Philippe Rameau, François Couperin, and Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer. Rondeau is a global ambassador for the harpsichord, and is at the forefront of bringing the instrument into the 21st century. The Washington Post raves, “He internalizes the music he plays so completely that any interpretive ambivalence or miscalculation is unthinkable. The sincerity and modesty of his delivery are the keys to its power.”

Fall 2026 At-a-Glance Concert Schedule

September 13 Rachel Barton Pine, violin
September 20: Twelfth Night Ensemble
September 27: Chamber Music Celebration
This annual concert celebrates the life and legacy of Scott Nickrenz, first Abrams Curator of Music at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
October 4: Ivalas Quartet
October 18: ACRONYM: Esther in the Age of Rembrandt
October 25: Celebrating Chrysanthemums
This performance is made possible by the Anne Hawley Fund for Programs.
November 1: Eleanor Alberga with Green Room Ensemble
November 8: Poiesis Quartet
November 15: Lysander Piano Trio
November 22: Jean Rondeau, harpsichord

This concert is made possible by the generous support of David Scudder in memory of his wife, Marie Louise Scudder.

All concerts take place on Sundays at 1:30 pm in Calderwood Hall at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (25 Evans Way, Boston, MA).

Ticketing Information

Tickets ($25-$99) go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, August 5, 2026 at 10:00 am and are available at gardnermuseum.org/about/music or by calling the Box Office at 617 278 5156. All concert tickets include Museum admission.

About the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

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

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum • 25 Evans Way, Boston, MA 02115 • Hours: Open Weekends from 10 am to 5 pm, Weekdays from 11am to 5 pm, and Thursdays until 9 pm. Closed Tuesdays. • Admission: Adults $25; Seniors $22; Students $15; Free for members, children 17 and under, and all named “Isabella” • For information 617 566 1401 • Box Office 617 278 5156 • www.gardnermuseum.org

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

Newport Classical Announces 2026-2027 Chamber Series - Twelve Concerts from September 2026 through June 2027

Photos available in high resolution here.

Newport Classical Announces 2026-2027 Chamber Series
Tickets on Sale August 4, 2026

Presenting a Vibrant Season of Twelve Concerts from September 2026 through June 2027

"a thriving musical community, generously supported by locals whose love of the arts equals their pride in the town's elegant past." – BBC Music Magazine

 Information & Tickets: www.newportclassical.org

Newport, RI (July 28, 2026) – Following its successful 57th annual summer festival, Newport Classical presents its sixth full-season Chamber Series held on select Fridays at 7:30pm, featuring twelve concerts held between September 2026 and June 2027, at the organization's home venue, Newport Classical Recital Hall (42 Dearborn St.). Tickets will go on sale to the public on August 4, 2026 at www.newportclassical.org.

“What makes this Chamber Series especially exciting is its sheer variety: twelve concerts, each with a completely different instrumentation, exploring musical forms from sonata to valse to tango,” says Newport Classical Executive Director Oliver Inteeworn. “It’s a wonderful reminder of how endlessly inventive and alive classical music remains.”

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 reaffirms Newport Classical's commitment to year-round classical music programming. Audiences are invited to enjoy performances by world-class classical musicians in a relaxed setting, with complimentary wine generously provided by Gold's Wine and Spirits served during intermission. Both performers and audience members alike have described these concerts as some of their favorites. “The venue was the perfect place for a magical evening,” raved one attendee, while others have described their experiences as “amazing and very entertaining,” “riveting,” and “an absolute delight.”

Newport Classical's Chamber Series opens this fall on September 18 with returning favorites Invoke, a multi-instrumental quartet encompassing traditions from across America, including bluegrass, Appalachian fiddle tunes, jazz, and minimalism, that Strings Magazine reports “cannot be contained by any one label.” Marking the nation's 250th anniversary, their program "American Voices" spotlights influential American composers including William Grant Still, Florence Price, and Duke Ellington alongside original works by the ensemble. On October 9, the rising Trio Azura, a recent Grand Prize and Gold Medal winner at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition that has been praised by Gramophone for “intelligence and imagination,” invites audiences to explore the world of the piano trio across eras from the Impressionist and Romantic works of Maurice Ravel and Felix Mendelssohn to the contemporary voice of Jennifer Higdon. The Boston-based Rasa String Quartet makes its Newport Classical debut on October 23 with "Portraits of an American Patchwork," a musical quilt that weaves together the cultural traditions that have shaped the nation’s identity, spanning jazz, bluegrass, Latin pop, Indigenous traditions, global folk music, and classical favorites, including music by Billy Strayhorn, Shelley Washington, Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, William Grant Still, Hong Nan-pa, and Bad Bunny. Pianist Michael Leonardo Davidman, winner of the 2025 American Piano Awards and praised by Upstage for his “thunderous authority and loads of interpretive nuance,” makes his Newport debut on November 6 with a program of J.S. Bach, Franz Schubert, César Franck, and Franz Liszt. On November 20, Raphaël Feuillâtre, hailed as one of the leading classical guitarists of his generation, performs “Latin Passions,” a vibrant survey of Spanish and Latin American repertoire by Francisco Tárrega, Isaac Albéniz, Astor Piazzolla, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and more.

The Newport Classical Chamber Series continues in 2027 with cellist Sterling Elliott and pianist Elliot Wuu on January 29, in the sonatas of Maurice Ravel, Richard Strauss, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Elliott, a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, has been described by The Millbrook Independent as a cellist who has "risen beyond hopeful promise," while Wuu, a 2018 Gilmore Young Artist, is recognized for his “power, speed and finesse” (Tribune Star). On February 19, flutist Anna Urrey and harpist Kristi Shade perform a program of Nino Rota, Lili Boulanger, Jules Mouquet, Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, and Astor Piazzolla, exploring the coloristic possibilities of flute and harp across centuries and styles. Urrey has appeared at leading venues including Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Le Poisson Rouge, and National Sawdust. A sought-after collaborator, Shade has appeared with artists ranging from Andrea Bocelli and John Legend to Florence + The Machine. The Dorian Wind Quintet, praised by the Los Angeles Times for delivering “chamber music as it was meant to be,” performs on March 12 in “Preludes and Variations,” pairing J.S. Bach chorale arrangements with Antonín Dvořák's Wind Quintet, Op. 105 and a set of Anniversary Variations by Richard Rodney Bennett, George Perle, Billy Childs, Bruce Adolphe, and Lee Hoiby on a theme from a wind quintet by Antonin Reicha written specifically for the Dorian Wind Quintet to celebrate the ensemble’s 40th anniversary.

Versatile artist Chelsea Guo, the first musician to win the Young Concert Artists auditions in both voice and piano, and hailed by Gramophone as “clearly a special talent,” takes the stage on April 9 in a program of Frédéric Chopin, Pauline Viardot, Johannes Brahms, and Robert Schumann's Dichterliebe, singing while accompanying herself on piano. On April 23, Newport Classical presents violinist Rubén Rengel and Friends, with pianist Gabriel Chakarji and percussionist Juan Diego Villalobos, who come together for an evening celebrating the music of Latin America, from their native Venezuela to the vibrant traditions displayed throughout the region. Rengel was the winner of the Robert F. Smith Prize at the 2018 Sphinx Competition, and has appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, and more. Accordionist Radu Ratoi, winner of the 2024 Young Concert Artists “Susan Wadsworth” International Auditions and recipient of Denmark’s prestigious Léonie Sonning Talent Prize, has established himself as a pioneer in expanding the accordion’s repertoire. He is joined by violinist Alexandra Tirsu, a 2021 ARD Competition prizewinner, on May 7 for a program of J.S. Bach, Igor Stravinsky, Béla Bartók, Antonio Vivaldi, Astor Piazzolla, and more. The 2026-2027 Chamber Series concludes on June 4 with violinist Njioma Grevious, a Juilliard graduate and founding member of the Abeo Quartet, who appears regularly at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, and the Concertgebouw. In Newport, she presents a program featuring the music of J.S. Bach, Johannes Brahms, W.A. Mozart, Oliver Messiaen, Edvard Grieg, and Clarence Cameron White. Grevious has been praised for her “violin pyrotechnics” and “sheer intensity” by the Washington Classical Review.

As part of Newport Classical's desire to create connections between classical music, the artists who perform it, and the Newport community, all musicians performing on the Chamber Series will also go into the Newport-area public schools to perform for and speak with students, through Newport Classical's Music Enrichment and Engagement Initiative.

Single tickets start at $45 and packages are available. AARP members and their guests receive discounts on Chamber Series tickets and packages, and thanks to a generous grant from the Gruben Charitable Foundation, a limited number of free student tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

During the 2026-2027 season, Newport Classical will also present several free family-friendly Community Concerts at neighborhood-centered locations, generously sponsored by BankNewport, and holiday programs, which will be announced later this year. The 2027 Newport Classical Music Festival will take place from July 1-18, 2027.

Newport Classical 2026-2027 Chamber Series Schedule At-A-Glance:

September 18: Opening Night: Invoke performs "American Voices"
October 9: Trio Azura performs "Piano Trio Through Time"
October 23: Rasa String Quartet performs “Portraits of an American Patchwork”
November 6: Michael Leonardo Davidman, Gold Medalist of American Piano Awards
November 20: Guitarist Raphaël Feuillâtre performs "Latin Passions"
January 29: Cello Sonatas with Sterling Elliott and Elliot Wuu
February 19: Anna Urrey & Kristi Shade perform Works for Flute and Harp
March 12: Dorian Wind Quintet performs "Preludes and Variations"
April 9: Voice and Piano with Chelsea Guo
April 23: Rubén Rengel and Friends
May 7: Radu Ratoi & Alexandra Tirsu perform Vivaldi, Piazzolla, and more
June 4: Chamber Series Finale: Violinist Njioma Grevious

Complete concert details can be found at www.newportclassical.org/concerts. All Chamber Series concerts are held on select Fridays at 7:30pm at Newport Classical Recital Hall (42 Dearborn Street).

About Newport Classical

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

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

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

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

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

Sony Classical Releases Serge Koussevitzky: The Complete Boston Symphony Recordings (1928–1950) - 55 Albums Out Digitally November 20

Photographic portrait of Serge Koussevitzky (Garo)

Coming this Fall:
Serge Koussevitzky: The Complete Boston Symphony Recordings(1928–1950)

Historic Collection Encompassing 55 Albums To Be Released Digitally by Sony Classical in November 2026

Please note that this is a digital-only release. There will be no advance press copies or downloads available.

As the annual Tanglewood Music Festival marks its founder Serge Koussevitzky’s 152nd birth anniversary this weekend, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Sony Classical announce the digital release this November of Serge Koussevitzky: The Complete Boston Symphony Recordings(1928–1950). The landmark collection encompasses all 55 albums recorded during Koussevitzky’s quarter-century tenure as the BSO’s conductor and music director and includes several first recordings of works the BSO premiered by composers that Koussevitzky championed like Prokofiev, Copland, and Harris. Also included are major works of the great symphonic canon by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Ravel, Schubert, Sibelius, Strauss, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, and others. Set to be released globally on November 20 on the Sony Classical label, the complete Koussevitzky-BSO collection will be available to download and stream, newly remastered and presented in the highest quality audio across digital music platforms, made possible by the generosity of BSO donors.

The earliest album from November 1928 is the Boston Symphony’s very first electrical recording: Stravinsky’s Petroushka and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé suites. The latest recordings of the set, acclaimed performances of Sibelius’s Second Symphony and Grieg’s The Last Spring, were made on November 29, 1950, just six months before Koussevitzky died in Boston.

The highly anticipated collection offers many important works, notable guest soloists, and first recordings, among them:

• The first recording of Bach's St. Matthew Passion in its entirety and all of his Brandenburg Concertos and Orchestral Suites.

• The first recording of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf (a later version featured Eleanor Roosevelt as narrator), his Symphony No. 5, and his Violin Concerto No. 2, with soloist Jascha Heifetz. The BSO gave the American premieres of all three works.

• The first studio recording of Copland's Appalachian Spring orchestral suite and the first recording of Lincoln Portrait.

• The first recording of Harris's Symphony No. 3, a BSO premiere regarded as among the most important mid-century American works.

• The first recording of Ravel's Koussevitzky-commissioned orchestration of Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (BSO gave the American premiere under Koussevitzky) and one of the earliest recordings (1930) of Ravel’s Boléro.

• Koussevitzky was considered one of the great Tchaikovsky interpreters, and the collection includes the Tchaikovsky symphonies nos. 4, 5, and 6, as well as recordings of Romeo and Juliet and Francesca da Rimini.

• Mozart is represented by six symphonies as well as overtures from his operas; Dorothy Maynor sings an aria from The Magic Flute.

• A special highlight is an album on which Koussevitzky himself plays the double bass, including the beautiful slow movement from his own Double Bass Concerto.

More information about Serge Koussevitzky’s life and work with the Boston Symphony Orchestra may be found in the BSO’s online digital exhibits prepared during the celebration of the Koussevitzky 150 Celebration in 2024. Additional information about Sony Classical is available at Sony Classical.