Caramoor Launches Free Digital Guide to the Estate's Gardens, Grounds and History on Bloomberg Connects
Caramoor Launches Free Digital Guide to the Estate's Gardens, Grounds and History on Bloomberg Connects
Caramoor Launches Free Digital Guide to the Estate's Gardens, Grounds and History on Bloomberg Connects
The Bloomberg Connects App is Available via the Apple App Store or Google Play Store
KATONAH, NY – Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts has launched its official digital guide on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app from Bloomberg Philanthropies. The guide invites visitors to explore Caramoor's 81-acre estate in Westchester County at their own pace, with a 23-stop, one-mile walking tour of the gardens, architecture, and outdoor performance venues that have defined the property since Walter and Lucie Rosen opened it to the public in 1946. Because Caramoor's grounds are free and open to the public daily, any visitor can now walk the estate with expert commentary in hand — no ticket, no guide, no admission fee. The guide is available in multiple languages and was made possible through the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The Caramoor guide is available now on Bloomberg Connects, a free digital guide to cultural organizations around the world, which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and viewed online at guides.bloombergconnects.org. The app requires no ticket, login, or subscription. Caramoor's gardens and grounds are free and open to the public every day from 10:00am to 4:00pm, unless otherwise noted. Visitors can walk the entire tour without a ticket or reservation.
At the center of the guide is Caramoor's Gardens and Grounds, a self-guided tour of roughly 90 minutes that traces a one-mile loop across the estate. Stops include the Pegasus Gates by sculptor Malvina Hoffman, the open-air Venetian Theater designed by Frederick Kiesler, the Spanish Courtyard and Italian Pavilion by Christian Rosborg, the Sunken Garden and Tapestry Hedge laid out by landscape designer Flora MacDonald Potter, and Friends Field and Stage by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects with Avant Garden Designs. Along the way, visitors encounter the Dovecote and Marjorie Carr Adams Sense Circle, the Woodland Garden, and the bronze Caldwell doors that once hung in the Rosens' New York townhouse. The tour also introduces five permanent sound art installations sited across the grounds: Dyning in the Dovecote by Liz Phillips, t(ch)ime by Taylor Deupree, Wild Energy by Annea Lockwood and Bob Bielecki, in“C” by Trimpin, and Stone Song by Ranjit Bhatnagar.
The guide's second tour, Five Essays on Caramoor, a Sound Walk, is a five-stop, hour-long audio and visual work by artist Lisa Renée Coons. Created for the estate, the piece moves across the grounds through a sequence of essays that draw on Caramoor's history, its landscape, and the archival record, pairing Coons's compositions with collaged visual scores installed on site.
Throughout the guide, eighteen audio clips bring Caramoor's history and its people into the visitor's ear. Among them is an excerpt from a 1962 broadcast of the television program Camera Three, in which Lucie Rosen welcomes host James Macandrew to Caramoor and describes how music became central to the family's life. Anne Bigelow Stern, the Rosens' daughter, recalls the Italian-American gardeners who tended the estate's grounds. Caramoor trustee David Pogue explains what makes the Italian Pavilion noteworthy; Floy Kaminski, chair of the Rosen House Committee, discusses the Caldwell doors; and artists Liz Phillips and Taylor Deupree describe the thinking behind their installations. Lisa Renée Coons introduces the sound walk in her own voice.
A Welcome to Caramoor section orients first-time visitors with a message from President and CEO Gillian Fox, a short history of the institution, and a profile of Walter and Lucie Rosen — the art collectors and music patrons whose Mediterranean-style country house, built between 1929 and 1939 and now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, anchors the estate and remains a stop on the walking tour.
The guide also includes a detailed Accessibility at Caramoor section covering parking, complimentary wheelchairs, restrooms, service animals, and pathway surfaces across the grounds, along with a mapped location for Caramoor's wellness and sensory-friendly space — a quiet room with rocking chairs, children's books, and a changing table where guests can rest, take a break from live music, or nurse in privacy. Caramoor's accessibility work has been supported by Floy and Amos Kaminski and Nicole and Gerald Mayer.
Every audio clip in the guide is accompanied by a full text transcript. Content can be used on site while walking the grounds or explored remotely from anywhere.
About Caramoor
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is a vibrant cultural destination nestled on 81 acres of historic gardens and woodlands in Katonah, NY. Once the home of music and art lovers Walter and Lucie Rosen, Caramoor has evolved into one of the region’s most distinctive destinations for live performances, cultural engagement, and exploration – a sanctuary for music, art, and nature.
Each year, Caramoor presents an exciting array of concerts across genres – from classical, opera, and chamber music to jazz, American roots, global sounds, and the American songbook. Caramoor’s acclaimed Summer Season brings audiences together for unforgettable outdoor performances from June into August in five distinct settings (the 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’s concert schedule is available at caramoor.org/events/concerts.
Caramoor is a place where music, history, and nature come together to create moments of beauty and connection for all who visit. Caramoor has expanded its Beyond the Music slate of community and family programming to include tours, teas, yoga, and more, giving visitors a wide variety of ways to experience this unique setting in addition to its world-class concerts. 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 summer concessions Bravo Bar, and a selection of public programs such as yoga, art classes, and large-scale community events. Beyond the Music programs are announced on a rolling basis at caramoor.org/events/beyond-the-music.
Caramoor’s official digital guide is available on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app from Bloomberg Philanthropies, via the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The guide invites visitors to explore the estate at their own pace, with a 23-stop, one-mile walking tour. The app requires no ticket, login, or subscription. Visitors can walk the entire tour without a ticket or reservation.
For Caramoor’s complete concert and events schedule, visit: caramoor.org/events/calendar
Caramoor is located at 149 Girdle Ridge Road in Katonah, NY. How to get to Caramoor: caramoor.org/visit-us/amenities
More information about visiting Caramoor: caramoor.org/visit
Out Today: Sono Luminus Releases Her Only Light - Songs of Connie Converse - Vocalist Emmy Bean & Composer/Arranger Ronnie Kuller
Out Today: Sono Luminus Releases Her Only Light - Songs of Connie Converse - Vocalist Emmy Bean & Composer/Arranger Ronnie Kuller
Her Only Light: Songs of Connie Converse
Vocalist Emmy Bean | Composer/Arranger Ronnie Kuller
Out Today: October 2, 2026
Sono Luminus
Live in Concert in Ann Arbor, MI: November 12, 2026
Tickets & Information
13 brand new arrangements of the music of Connie Converse, a pioneering singer-songwriter whose work as a composer has been largely overlooked until now. The full scope of her genius is revealed in this album of chamber music arrangements that draws together the golden threads of Converse's legacy into a tapestry of wonder, sorrow, and whimsy.
www.heronlylight.com | www.sonoluminus.com
CDs or press downloads available upon request.
Chicago, IL — The generative, ten-year collaboration between vocalist Emmy Bean and composer/arranger Ronnie Kuller is making its recording debut with Her Only Light, a new album released worldwide today on Sono Luminus. Her Only Light features the folk songs and art songs of the enigmatic artist Elizabeth Eaton “Connie” Converse (b. 1924), whose music was largely unperformed and unrecorded in her lifetime, the pages lying dormant in the storied filing cabinet she left behind as an archive upon her mysterious disappearance in 1974.
Her Only Light realizes Converse’s harmonically adventurous, formally fluid works in newly orchestrated brilliance by Kuller, delivered empathetically by Bean with contributions by Sarah Plum, violin; Vannia Phillips, viola; Melissa Bach, cello; Lauren Hayes, harp; Emily Rach Beisel and Katherine Jimoh, clarinets.
Connie Converse was born in Laconia, New Hampshire in 1924. She was, according to her brother, a polymath genius, but dropped out of college to move to New York City. There she took up music, and — her biographer Howard Fishman writes — became “a master of the acoustic guitar,” writing tunes and lyrics that upend “the traditional format and subject of the song form.” Her efforts gained her the appreciation of musical connoisseurs, and in 1954 landed her an appearance on Walter Cronkite’s CBS morning show. In 1961, she moved to join her brother in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There she continued to compose music, play casually with friends and family, work as an editor, and engage in political activism until her disappearance in 1974, when — at the age of 50 — she wrote goodbye notes to friends and family and vanished, never to be heard from again.
While the fanbase for Converse’s folk-oriented oeuvre continues to expand exponentially, in part due to the recent re-release of her kitchen table recordings on Third Man Records (How Sad, How Lovely), her art songs have been heard with less frequency. Referred to by Converse as her “guitar songs” (folk song) and her “piano songs” (art song), Kuller and Bean discovered that these approaches had far more in common than their genre monikers might suggest. Bean writes:
“The guitar songs are no less solid, no less fully realized than the ones she wrote on piano. They completely stand on their own, and they welcome any singer with the imagination and humility to hear them and be with them. The reward of singing them is to be inside Connie's mind for a moment, to feel such great joy and such deep empathy, and to be able to smile at things that are so, so sad.”
Regarding the experience of inhabiting Converse’s deeply personal, often devastating but always witty writing, Bean goes on to explain:
“I was surprised to find how Connie's songs invite another singer into them. Some songs belong so intimately to their writer's voice—especially folk singers or singer-songwriters—that it feels wrong to sing them or hear them sung by others. It wasn't until we got into the studio that Ronnie and I figured out that I could be the same singer throughout; there was no need to over-stylize the art songs or under-sing the folk songs. Together we were able to find an approach that honored the depth of her writing in both contexts, and that kind of broke the spell of genre over the whole thing.”
“When How Sad, How Lovely was first released, I was captivated by the beauty and immediacy of Connie's songs to such a degree that they became part of me," says Kuller. “As I continued learning and singing them, I found that they rewarded close study: graceful chromaticism and time-stretching, unexpected harmonic shifts, every element carefully considered and in service of the deceptively simple whole. Connie's Piano Songs initially presented themselves as a radical departure, but as I listened more closely, I could hear how the compositional language of her guitar songs had developed into something even more adventurous, and I was excited to find the throughlines and connect the dots. During the dormancy of the pandemic, yearning for closeness and meaning and music, Emmy and I conjured up Her Only Light to save us from our solitude, a project in which we would use a carefully chosen palette of lush orchestral color to imagine for Connie's songs an alternate existence. It was a joy to build this pedestal that is also a bridge connecting the full breadth of Connie's incredible compositions.”
Bean says, “The song ‘Father Neptune’ became important to me during quarantine. Her lyrics paint a picture of a woman whose relationship to her man is defined by distance and longing and even queerness (all those bearded men on the ship, no need for wives ‘except on shore’...) and her own belief – he might as well be imaginary, but his presence, even if only in her imagination, keeps her alive, keeps her heart beating. She says so much in so few words here, and those words are so funny and so true; I felt a kind of kinship to her as I turned that song over and over in my head, and I wanted to sing it to everyone I knew. So I guess that was the moment I knew I wanted to take this on as a project.”
Between Kuller’s beautifully nuanced arrangements and Bean’s sumptuous delivery, the result is an entrancing one, illuminating an altogether new perspective of an artist unfairly neglected in her lifetime for both longtime devotees and new listeners alike.
Ronnie Kuller is a composer, arranger, pianist and accordionist who has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Joffrey Ballet, the Chicago Philharmonic, and Mister Tom Musick, and whose compositions have been performed at Ear Taxi Festival and recorded onto wax cylinder at Edison National Historical Park. She lives in Chicago with her wonderful husband Patrick and amazing daughter Sylvie.
Emmy Bean is a singer, performer, and interdisciplinary artist. She writes songs and performs as a soloist and with the trio 80 Foots. She has been seen in Facility Theater’s Little Match Girl Passion , Theater Oobleck’s Baudelaire in a Box, and The Carter Family Family Show with the Neo-Futurists. She has collaborated with ~Nois saxophone quartet, Stacy Rene Erenberg, Erica Mott, Naima Lowe, Opera-Matic, and Beyond This Point. She improvises with the vocal ensemble Tender.
Sarah Plum, violin
Vannia Phillips, viola
Melissa Bach, cello
Lauren Hayes, harp
Emily Rach Beisel, clarinets
Katherine Jimoh, clarinet
For more information, visit: www.heronlylight.com
[liner notes linked here]
[complete descriptions of each track linked here]
Her Only Light: Songs of Connie Converse
Sono Luminus Records | Release Date: October 2nd, 2026
1. Talkin Like You (Two Tall Mountains)
2. I Have Considered the Lillies
3. Vanity of the Vanities
4. The Rainmaker
5. Father Neptune
6. Incommunicado
7. anyone lived in a pretty how town (text by e.e. cummings)
8. Cassandra’s Entrance
9. The Age of Noon
10. Song for Old Wars
11. She Think of Heaven
12. She Devises a Lullaby
13. One by One
Engineered and mixed by Mathieu Lejeune at Lost Boy Sound, Chicago, IL
Produced by Ronnie Kuller and Emmy Bean
Assistant Producer: Emma Hospelhorn
Cover photograph by Elizabeth Converse
Artwork by Lizi Breit
Layout: Joshua Frey
Liner notes: Doyle Armbrust
Executive producer: Collin J. Rae
Out Today: ECM Releases Steve Reich Recordings on ECM - A 3-LP Box Set In Honor of Reich's 90th Birthday
Out Today: ECM Releases 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
Out Today: October 2, 2026
Available Now via the 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. Music for 18 Musicians has also been re-released digitally, divided into tracks.
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.
OUT TODAY: Ariel Quartet Completes Monumental Beethoven String Quartet Cycle on Orchid Classics – Feature Interview in The Strad
OUT TODAY: Ariel Quartet Completes Monumental Beethoven String Quartet Cycle on Orchid Classics – Feature Interview in The Strad
Ariel Quartet Completes Monumental Beethoven String Quartet Cycle
Three Volumes Over Two Years
Third Volume Out Today on Orchid Classics
Special Box Set in 2027 will Honor Beethoven’s
Legacy 200 Years After His Passing
Interview with The Strad - Read Here
Featuring String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131 - Allegro
“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 and volume two on November 7, 2025. Volume three arrives today, October 2, 2026, and a special box set follows in March 2027.
Accompanying today's release, The Strad has published an feature interview with Ariel Quartet, alongside a new video for Beethoven's String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131 - Allegro – read here.
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 October 2, 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: String Collective ensemble132 Releases Masques and Marionettes – Steinway & Sons Debut Album
OUT TODAY: String Collective ensemble132 Releases Masques and Marionettes – Steinway & Sons Debut Album
ensemble132 Releases Masques and Marionettes
Steinway & Sons Debut Album
Featuring New Chamber Arrangements of
Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka and Robert Schumann’s Carnaval
Worldwide Release Date: Out Today
Today, October 2, 2026, internationally acclaimed chamber music collective ensemble132 (Sahun Sam Hong, Co-Artistic Director, arranger, piano; Zachary Mowitz, Co-Artistic Director, cello; Abi Fayette, violin; Maria Ioudenitch, violin; and Luther Warren, viola) releases its new album and Steinway & Sons recording debut, Masques and Marionettes - listen here.
The Strad shares a video feature for new single, Three Romances, Op. 22: I. Andante molto by Clara Schumann – watch here.
A convergence of world-class artists from around the globe, ensemble132 unites with a shared mission to reimagine the chamber music landscape. The only group of its kind to continually create and premiere new standards in the chamber music repertoire with its artist-crafted arrangements, ensemble132 excites the imagination of audiences with its uniquely genre-defying programs and programming.
This artistic vision is on full display with Masques and Marionettes, as Sahun Sam Hong, Co-Artistic Director of ensemble132, pianist, and arranger for the album, embraces intricate and adventurous energy in new imaginings of Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka for piano quintet, Robert Schumann’s Carnaval, Op. 9 for piano quartet; as well as Stravinsky’s Two Poems of Konstantin Balmont and Clara Schumann’s Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22, each performed by different ensemble members.
“The music featured on Masques and Marionettes is a truly collaborative creation through and through,” writes Hong in the album’s liner notes. “By design, ensemble132 is a fluid collective; every rehearsal and performance is a fresh inquiry into a composer’s intent, our own evolving sonic landscape, and the nature of musical inevitability.”
In the time leading up to the creation of this album, Hong writes that a single principle steered and shaped how he approached his work writing arrangements for the ensemble: “Great music transcends the confines of instrumentation.” He and the rest of ensemble132 would come to know the depth of what “confines” could mean during the early days of the pandemic in spring 2020, which descended not long after ensemble132’s founding in fall 2019. However, the disruption and instability brought on by the pandemic itself ended up providing a sense of clarity for the ensemble and a sense of purpose to fuel their musical collaboration, strengthening their bond as an evolving group.
“During those unpredictable early days of the pandemic,” Hong says, “our close-knit musical family, then based in Boston, used our music-making as a means of connecting with one another, channeling our collective emotions and anxieties of a world in flux.”
Much the way the world turned to creativity and imagination to find reprieve from the fixed realities of social separation, on Masques and Marionettes, ensemble132 dives into the fantastical, the visionary, the intangible, and the boundless, through the poetry of Balmont, and the music of Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, and Igor Stravinsky.
“Konstantin Balmont’s poetry is steeped in the sensory, the fleeting, and the ethereal,” writes Hong, who explains that Balmont’s poems were included as part of the album “for their distinctive storytelling qualities, reflecting Stravinsky’s vision of storytelling.”
Stravinsky’s Petrushka meanwhile, explores the vast plains of imagination through the story of a puppet empowered by magic and sorcery. Mirroring the iconic harmonic clash of the “Petrushka chord,” the music is filled with wonderful contrasts – its complex rhythms, beautifully simple folk tunes, enchanting textures, jarring distortions make the piece uniquely evocative.
Robert Schumann chose to explore creative possibilities while looking inward. He juxtaposed his musical ideas with figures of his real life relationships with his closest friends and colleagues. Schumann then concludes his Carnaval with another fanciful scenario, driven by an imaginary music society called des Davidsbündler (the League of David), who triumph over the Philistines – a symbol for the music critics of Schumann’s time. Clara Schumann’s Romances take a much more intensely introspective dive into the open and abstract nature of human emotions, brought forth through the unique lens of each pair of ensemble132 artists.
Throughout each of these works, ensemble132 comes together to find new ways to embody the characters, places, feelings, motives, and stories reflected in the music – a goal with the potential to ever evolve, alongside the group’s own dynamics and shifting perspectives with the passage of time. “My hope,” writes Hong, “is that these virtuosic arrangements not only expand the chamber repertoire but push both the players and the listener to rethink the relationship between the artist and their instrument.”
Ensemble132’s debut album fits seamlessly with its mission. Chamber ballets, transcriptions of symphonies and jazz standards, and orchestrations of solo works comprise just a few of ensemble132’s programming highlights. Each member of ensemble132’s dynamic roster brings their unique blend of uncompromising individuality and collaborative spirit to traditional masterworks as well as unearthed gems. The artists of ensemble132 have collaborated closely at music festivals such as Marlboro, Ravinia, Music@Menlo, Verbier, and Taos, and appear regularly with ensembles such as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Catalyst Quartet, Borromeo Quartet, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. They are prizewinners at major competitions such as the Paganini, Joseph Joachim, Tibor Varga, Sibelius, Primrose, Beethoven Vienna, Vendome Prize, and American Pianists Awards. In 2025, ensemble132 became a Steinway Ensemble and was awarded an Artistic Projects Award from Chamber Music America.
ensemble132
Masques and Marionnettes
Release Date: October 2, 2026 | Steinway & Sons
Tracklist:
Igor Stravinsky: Two Poems of Konstantin Balmont (arr. Sahun Hong)
[1] Forget-me-nots (Nyezabudochka-tsvyetochek) [1:27]
[2] The Dove (Golub) [2:01]
Igor Stravinsky: Petrushka for piano quintet (arr. Sahun Hong)
[3] Petrushka, Scene I: The Shrovetide Fair [5:20]
[4] Petrushka, Scene I (The Magic Trick) [2:05]
[5] Petrushka, Scene I (Russian Dance) [2:49]
[6] Petrushka, Scene II: Petrushka's Room [4:21]
[7] Petrushka, Scene III: The Moor's Room [2:44]
[8] Petrushka, Scene III (Dance of the Ballerina) [0:45]
[9] Petrushka, Scene III (Waltz) [3:02]
[10] Petrushka, Scene IV: The Fair Towards Evening [1:12]
[11] Petrushka, Scene IV (Wet-Nurses' Dance) [2:24]
[12] Petrushka, Scene IV (Peasant with Bear) [1:42]
[13] Petrushka, Scene IV (Gypsies) [0:55]
[14] Petrushka, Scene IV (Dance of the Coachmen) [2:08]
[15] Petrushka, Scene IV (Masqueraders) [2:04]
Clara Schumann: Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22
[16] Andante molto [3:08]
[17] Allegretto [3:10]
[18] Leidenschaftlich schnell [3:55]
Robert Schumann: Carnaval, Op. 9 for piano quartet (arr. Sahun Hong)
[19] Préambule [2:16]
[20] Pierrot [1:54]
[21] Arlequin [1:05]
[22] Valse noble [2:09]
[23] Eusebius [1:59]
[24] Florestan [1:02]
[25] Coquette [1:53]
[26] Réplique [0:50]
[27] Sphinxes [0:39]
[28] Papillons [0:46]
[29] A.S.C.H. - S.C.H.A. (Lettres dansantes) [0:51]
[30] Chiarina [1:27]
[31] Chopin [1:05]
[32] Estrella [0:34]
[33] Reconnaissance [1:43]
[34] Pantalon et Colombine [0:58]
[35] Valse allemande [0:56]
[36] Paganini – Tempo I ma più vivo [1:23]
[37] Aveu [1:16]
[38] Promenade [2:19]
[39] Pause [0:18]
[40] Marche des Davidsbündler contre les Philistins [3:47]
Total Time: 1:16:46
Sahun Sam Hong, Co-Artistic Director, arranger, piano
Zachary Mowitz, Co-Artistic Director, cello
Abi Fayette, violin
Maria Ioudenitch, violin
Luther Warren, viola
Executive Producers: Eric Feidner, Jon Feidner, Vivian Chiu
Producer: Jesse Lewis
Recording Engineer: Christopher Moretti
Mixing: Christopher Moretti
Mastering: Jesse Lewis
Piano Technician: Paul Rattigan
Art Direction: Jackie Fugere
Cover Design: Timea Kolozsvary
Booklet Design, Cover to Cover Design, Anilda Carrasquillo
Project Coordinator: Renée Oakford
Recorded August 14-17, 2025 at Futura Productions, Roslindale, Massachusetts
ensemble132 is a recipient of a 2025 grant from Chamber Music America’s Artistic Projects
program, funded through the generosity of The Howard Gilman Foundation, for the Recording.
Oct 18: The Gardner Museum Presents ACRONYM in Esther in the Age of Rembrandt - A Concert in Conjunction with the Museum’s Current Exhibition
Oct 18: The Gardner Museum Presents ACRONYM in Esther in the Age of Rembrandt - A Concert in Conjunction with the Museum’s Current Exhibition
ACRONYM, photo by Jeff Weeks. Press photos available here.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Presents ACRONYM in
Esther in the Age of Rembrandt on October 18, 2026
A Concert Coinciding with the Museum’s Current Exhibition
The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt
Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 1:30pm
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum | Calderwood Hall | 25 Evans Way | Boston, MA
Tickets: www.gardnermuseum.org/calendar/acronym-20261018
For press tickets, please contact Christina Jensen at christina@jensenartists.com
BOSTON, MA – The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum continues its Fall 2026 Weekend Concert Series, presenting ACRONYM in Esther in the Age of Rembrandt on Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 1:30pm. This ten-concert autumn season curated by Abrams Curator of Music George Steel runs from September 13 through November 22, 2026 and features world-class artists in the Museum’s extraordinary Calderwood Hall—a 300-seat “sonic cube” with three levels of balconies designed so that 80% of seats are front row, creating a uniquely intense and intentional listening experience.
Baroque band ACRONYM’s performance is presented in conjunction with the Museum’s exhibition The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt, running from August 6, 2026 through January 18, 2027 in the Hostetter Gallery. The exhibition illuminates how the ancient story of a Jewish heroine became a source of inspiration for people across faiths in the 17th-century Netherlands. ACRONYM’s program offers rare performances of three Esther cantatas from Rembrandt’s time. It includes two works by women composers of the time – Esther from 1708 by the remarkable French composer Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre and Sinfonia à5, No. 5 from circa 1625–1650 by Flemish composer Leonora Duarte, who came from a Portuguese-Jewish converso family. The concert will also include Sinfonia grave à5 and Gagliarda Massara (c. 1607) by Jewish Mantuan composer Salamone Rossi, plus Regina Hester (c. 1640-50) by Giacomo Carissimi, Balletto, genandt das Narrenspitall (c. 1667) by Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, and Historia Esther from 1677 by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. ACRONYM will perform with a roster of leading vocal soloists as special guests: Amanda Forsythe and Teresa Wakim, sopranos; Kim Leeds, alto; Aaron Sheehan, tenor; and Jesse Blumberg, baritone.
Founded in 2012, ACRONYM is dedicated to giving modern premieres of the music of the 17th-century. The group has recorded ten critically acclaimed albums, many of which are the first modern recordings of composers whose works were nearly lost to time. The ensemble has been praised by The New York Times for playing with “consummate style, grace, and unity of spirit” and by the Boston Musical Intelligencer for its “unadulterated joy and funk” and “spirit of spontaneous adventure.”
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 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.
Oct. 30: Movie Night Recital Presented by Telegraph Quartet – University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance Quartet-in-Residence
Oct. 30: Movie Night Recital Presented by Telegraph Quartet – University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance Quartet-in-Residence
Photo of the Telegraph Quartet by Lisa Marie Mazzucco available in high resolution here.
Telegraph Quartet Presents Movie Night
University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance Quartet-in-Residence
Friday, October 30, 2026, at 7:30pm
Stamps Auditorium at the Walgreen Drama Center
1226 Murfin Ave. | Ann Arbor, MI | Free and Open to the Public
More Information | Livestream Here
“precise tuning, textural variety and impassioned communication” – The Strad
Ann Arbor, MI – On Friday, October 30, 2026, at 7:30pm, the Telegraph Quartet, quartet-in-residence with the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, will present its first university recital of the season in Stamps Auditorium at the Walgreen Drama Center. The concert, titled Movie Night, features a screening of the 1924 Buster Keaton silent film Sherlock Jr., with a film score by composer Stephen Prutsman performed live by the Telegraph Quartet with recent U-M doctoral graduate, pianist Takeshi Nagayasu. The program also includes two other works influenced by film or staged works – Dimitri Shostakovich’s Elegy and Polka, and Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 34.
The Telegraph (Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; Pei-Ling Lin, viola; Jeremiah Shaw, cello) formed in 2013 with an equal passion for standard and contemporary chamber music repertoire; they rose quickly, winning the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Today, they perform across the United States and abroad, at venues including New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Town Hall; San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre; the Philharmonie de Paris; and at festivals including the Chautauqua Institute, Music in the Vineyards in Napa Valley, and the Emilia Romagna Festival in Italy.
A stylistically versatile composer, Prutsman has written scores to accompany several of Buster Keaton’s silent films – many of which are decidedly comedic. For this story, which involves a dream sequence, a secret theft, a wild villain chase, and pining after a love interest, Prutsman turns to an assortment of tones, rhythms, and musical techniques in order to emphasize the emotional stakes throughout the film. Shostakovich wrote Elegy and its companion piece Polka in a single night in 1931. Elegy is the transcription of a haunting aria from his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, while Polka is a version of a comical dance from his soccer-inspired ballet The Golden Age. These short pieces were lost for many years and not rediscovered until the 1980s, when they were made available by the USSR State Copyright Agency. Korngold’s String Quartet No. 3 was his last chamber music work, completed in 1945. Korngold was one of the most influential composers in Hollywood, and in his third string quartet he quoted from his scores for films, including Between Two Worlds (1944), The Sea Wolf (1941), and Devotion (1943).
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 Telegraph 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 released a recording of the string quartets of Robert Sirota in summer 2026 (Azica Records) and will release a recording of Kenji Bunch string quartets in spring 2027 (Phenotypic Records).
Beyond the concert stage, the Telegraph Quartet seeks to spread its music through education and audience engagement. The Telegraph has given master classes, served as artists-in-residence, and launched ChamberFEAST!, a chamber music workshop in Taiwan. In fall 2020, the Telegraph launched an online video project called TeleLab, in which the ensemble collectively breaks down the components of a movement from various works for quartet. In the summers of 2022 and 2024, the Telegraph Quartet traveled to Vienna to work with Schoenberg expert Henk Guittart in conjunction with the Arnold Schoenberg Center, researching all of Schoenberg's string quartets.
For more information, visit www.telegraphquartet.com.
Concert details:
Who: Telegraph Quartet Presents Movie Night
Presented by the University of Michigan
What: Music by Stephen Prutsman, Dimitri Shostakovich, and Erich Korngold
When: Friday, October 30, 2026, at 7:30pm
Where: Stamps Auditorium at the Walgreen Drama Center, 1226 Murfin Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
More information: (Free and Open to the Public): https://smtd.umich.edu/event/30-october-2026-3/
Livestream: https://smtd.umich.edu/live-stream-stamps/
Description: The Telegraph Quartet – the quartet-in-residence at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance – presents Movie Night, the group’s first faculty recital of the 2026-2027 season. The program includes Sherlock Jr. by Stephen Prutsman, the score for Buster Keaton’s 1924 silent film of the same name; Dimitri Shostakovich’s Elegy and Polka; and Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 34. The latter will be performed live by Telegraph and recent U-M doctoral graduate Takeshi Nagayasu on piano, alongside a screening of the film.
Oct. 11: Telegraph Quartet Performs at The Chapel at Camp Wi-Ne-Ma – Presented by Neskowin Chamber Music
Oct. 11: Telegraph Quartet Performs at The Chapel at Camp Wi-Ne-Ma – Presented by Neskowin Chamber Music
Photo of the Telegraph Quartet by Lisa Marie Mazzucco available in high resolution here.
Telegraph Quartet Performs at The Chapel at Camp Wi-Ne-Ma
Presented by Neskowin Chamber Music
“soulfulness, tonal beauty” – San Francisco Chronicle
“full of elegance” – The New York Times
Sunday, October 11, 2026 at 3pm
The Chapel at Camp Wi-Ne-Ma | 5195 Wi Ne Ma Road | Cloverdale, OR
More information
Cloverdale, OR – On Sunday, October 11, 2026 at 3pm, the Telegraph Quartet (Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; Pei-Ling Lin, viola; Jeremiah Shaw, cello), a group described by The San Francisco Chronicle as being “an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape,” will perform at The Chapel at Camp Wi-Ne-Ma (5195 Wi Ne Ma Road) presented by Neskowin Chamber Music.
The Telegraph formed in 2013 with an equal passion for standard and contemporary chamber music repertoire and rose quickly, winning the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Today, they perform across the United States and abroad, at venues including New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Town Hall; San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre; the Philharmonie de Paris; and at festivals including the Chautauqua Institute, Music in the Vineyards in Napa Valley, and the Emilia Romagna Festival in Italy. They are the Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The Telegraph is known for its technical prowess and an appreciation for the history behind music. The celebrated group’s concert in Cloverdale features three emotionally rich works which all draw inspiration from other works in the composers’ catalogs, including Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich’s Elegy and Polka; German composer Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2, Op. 13, “Es ist wahr?;” and Austrian-American composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 34.
Of the program, the Telegraph Quartet says,
“Very much looking forward to returning to Neskowin Chamber Music and performing in the Wi-Ne-Ma Chapel again! This program mixes the earnest with the whimsical, juxtaposing Shostakovich's poignant Elegy and laugh-out-loud antics of the Polka as a microcosmic jumping-off-point for the program. This vein continues with Mendelssohn's youthfully earnest and masterful channelling of Beethoven's late quartet style in which Mendelssohn had immersed himself, while still retaining his characteristic scherzando nimbleness. And lastly, Korngold, the famed Hollywood composer of high adventure who imbedded themes of his popular scores into a work that contains the darkness and struggle of that war-time era, capped with the celebration of the victorious end of it!”
Shostakovich wrote Elegy and its companion piece Polka in a single night in 1931. Elegy is transcription of a haunting aria from his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, while Polka is a version of a comical dance from his soccer-inspired ballet The Golden Age. These short pieces were lost for many years and not rediscovered until the 1980s when they were made available by the USSR State Copyright Agency. Mendelssohn wrote his String Quartet No. 2 in 1827 when he was just 18 years old. The passionate piece is heavily influenced by another great German composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, who had recently died. The title that Mendelssohn added, “Ist es wahr?" or “Is it true?,” quotes the first line of a song he had written just a few months earlier, "Is it true that you wait for me in the arbour by the vineyard wall?". Korngold’s String Quartet No. 3 was his last chamber music work, completed in 1945. Korngold was one of the most influential composers in Hollywood, and in his third string quartet he quoted from his scores for films including Between Two Worlds (1944), The Sea Wolf (1941), and Devotion (1943).
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, including music by Ravel, Schoenberg, Britten, Bacewicz, and Weinberg. Of the first installment, Divergent Paths, The New York Times reported, “Every minute of their account sounds gripping and purposeful.” The second installment, Edge of the Storm, was named Album of the Year by Chamber Music America in 2025. Volume three will be released in fall 2027. Committed to recording music by living composers as well, the Telegraph also releases the string quartets of Robert Sirota in summer 2026 (Azica Records) and of Kenji Bunch in spring 2027 (Phenotypic Records).
Beyond the concert stage, the Telegraph Quartet seeks to spread its music through education and audience engagement. The Quartet has given master classes, served as artists-in-residence, and launched ChamberFEAST!, a chamber music workshop in Taiwan. In fall 2020, Telegraph launched an online video project called TeleLab, in which the ensemble collectively breaks down the components of a movement from various works for quartet. In the summers of 2022 and 2024, the Telegraph Quartet traveled to Vienna to work with Schoenberg expert Henk Guittart in conjunction with the Arnold Schoenberg Center, researching all of Schoenberg's string quartets.
For more information, visit www.telegraphquartet.com.
For Calendar Editors:
Concert details:
Who: Telegraph Quartet
Presented by Neskowin Chamber Music
What: Music by Dimitri Shostakovich, Felix Mendelssohn, and Erich Korngold
When: Sunday, October 11, 2026 at 3pm
Where: The Chapel at Camp W-Ne-Ma; 5195 Wi Ne Ma Road; Cloverdale, OR 97112
Tickets and information: https://www.neskowinchambermusic.org/2026-2027-season.html
Description: The award-winning Telegraph Quartet, a group described by The San Francisco Chronicle as being “an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape,” performs a concert presented by Neskowin Chamber Music. The emotionally rich, musically complex program features Shostakovich’s Elegy and Polka, Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2, Op. 13, “Es ist wahr?” and Korngold’s String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 34.
Oct. 10: Telegraph Quartet Performs at Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Performing Arts (PRAx) – Presented by Chamber Music Corvallis
Oct. 10: Telegraph Quartet Performs at Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Performing Arts (PRAx) – Presented by Chamber Music Corvallis
Photo of the Telegraph Quartet by Lisa Marie Mazzucco available in high resolution here.
Telegraph Quartet Performs at
Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Performing Arts (PRAx)
Presented by Chamber Music Corvallis
“full of elegance” – The New York Times
“precise tuning, textural variety and impassioned communication”
– The Strad
Saturday, October 10, 2026 at 7pm
Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Performing Arts (PRAx)
470 SW 15th St. | Corvallis, OR
More information
Corvallis, OR – On Saturday, October 10, 2026 at 7pm, the Telegraph Quartet (Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; Pei-Ling Lin, viola; Jeremiah Shaw, cello), a group described by The San Francisco Chronicle as being “an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape,” will perform at the Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Performing Arts (PRAx) (470 SW 15th St.), presented by Corvallis Chamber Music.
The Telegraph formed in 2013 with an equal passion for standard and contemporary chamber music repertoire and rose quickly, winning the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Today, they perform across the United States and abroad, at venues including New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Town Hall; San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre; the Philharmonie de Paris; and at festivals including the Chautauqua Institute, Music in the Vineyards in Napa Valley, and the Emilia Romagna Festival in Italy. They are the Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The Telegraph is known for its technical prowess and an appreciation for the history behind music. The celebrated group’s Corvallis performance features three emotionally rich works which all draw inspiration from other works in the composers’ catalogs, including Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich’s Elegy and Polka; German composer Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2, Op. 13, “Es ist wahr?;” and Austrian-American composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 34.
Shostakovich wrote Elegy and its companion piece Polka in a single night in 1931. Elegy is transcription of a haunting aria from his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, while Polka is a version of a comical dance from his soccer-inspired ballet The Golden Age. These short pieces were lost for many years and not rediscovered until the 1980s when they were made available by the USSR State Copyright Agency. Mendelssohn wrote his String Quartet No. 2 in 1827 when he was just 18 years old. The passionate piece is heavily influenced by another great German composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, who had recently died. The title that Mendelssohn added, “Ist es wahr?" or “Is it true?,” quotes the first line of a song he had written just a few months earlier, "Is it true that you wait for me in the arbour by the vineyard wall?". Korngold’s String Quartet No. 3 was his last chamber music work, completed in 1945. Korngold was one of the most influential composers in Hollywood, and in his third string quartet he quoted from his scores for films including Between Two Worlds (1944), The Sea Wolf (1941), and Devotion (1943).
Telegraph Quartet has this to say about the program:
“This program mixes the earnest with the whimsical, juxtaposing Shostakovich's poignant Elegy and laugh-out-loud antics of the Polka as a microcosmic jumping-off-point for the program. This vein continues with Mendelssohn's youthfully earnest and masterful channelling of Beethoven's late quartet style in which Mendelssohn had immersed himself, while still retaining his characteristic scherzando nimbleness. And lastly, Korngold, the famed Hollywood composer of high adventure who imbedded themes of his popular scores into a work that contains the darkness and struggle of that war-time era, capped with the celebration of the victorious end of it!”
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, including music by Ravel, Schoenberg, Britten, Bacewicz, and Weinberg. Of the first installment, Divergent Paths, The New York Times reported, “Every minute of their account sounds gripping and purposeful.” The second installment, Edge of the Storm, was named Album of the Year by Chamber Music America in 2025. Volume three will be released in fall 2027. Committed to recording music by living composers as well, the Telegraph also releases the string quartets of Robert Sirota in summer 2026 (Azica Records) and of Kenji Bunch in spring 2027 (Phenotypic Records).
Beyond the concert stage, the Telegraph Quartet seeks to spread its music through education and audience engagement. The Quartet has given master classes, served as artists-in-residence, and launched ChamberFEAST!, a chamber music workshop in Taiwan. In fall 2020, Telegraph launched an online video project called TeleLab, in which the ensemble collectively breaks down the components of a movement from various works for quartet. In the summers of 2022 and 2024, the Telegraph Quartet traveled to Vienna to work with Schoenberg expert Henk Guittart in conjunction with the Arnold Schoenberg Center, researching all of Schoenberg's string quartets.
For more information, visit www.telegraphquartet.com.
For Calendar Editors:
Concert details:
Who: Telegraph Quartet
Presented by Chamber Music Corvallis
What: Music by Dimitri Shostakovich, Felix Mendelssohn, and Erich Korngold
When: Saturday, October 10, 2026 at 7pm
Where: Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Performing Arts (PRAx), 470 SW 15th St., Corvallis, OR 97331
Tickets and information: https://prax.oregonstate.edu/events/chamber-music-corvallis-telegraph-quartet
Description: The award-winning Telegraph Quartet, a group described by The Strad as having “precise tuning, textural variety and impassioned communication,” performs a concert presented by Chamber Music Corvallis. The emotionally rich, musically complex program features Shostakovich’s Elegy and Polka, Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2, Op. 13, “Es ist wahr?” and Korngold’s String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 34.
Nov. 6: Composer and Multi-Instrumentalist Amir ElSaffar Announces Ashwaaq on Maqām Records – New Single Out Today
Nov. 6: Composer and Multi-Instrumentalist Amir ElSaffar Announces Ashwaaq – New Album on Maqām Records
Composer and Multi-Instrumentalist Amir ElSaffar
Announces New Album Ashwaaq
Out November 6, 2026 on Maqām Records
Pre-Order Available Now
AlHubbu Dini (Love is My Religion) الحُبُّ دِينِي وِإِيمَانِي
New Single Out Today - Listen Here
Ashwaaq Album Release Concert
Friday, November 6, 2026 at 5:00pm
Maqām Studio | 250 44th St. | Brooklyn, NY
More Information
CDs or press downloads available upon request.
On November 6, 2026, New York City-based Iraqi-American composer, trumpeter, santur player, vocalist, and modular synthesist Amir ElSaffar will release his new album Ashwaaq on Maqām Records, part of Maqām Studio, of which ElSaffar is the founder and Artistic Director. Ashwaaq is Amir ElSaffar’s ninth studio album and his second on Maqām Records. This recording is comprised of an original seven-movement composition for string quartet, voice, and santur (Iraqi hammered-dulcimer) by ElSaffar, that pairs his music with verses of poetry by thirteenth-century poet Ibn Arabi. New single, AlHubbu Dini (Love is My Religion) الحُبُّ دِينِي وِإِيمَانِي, is out today - listen here.
Alongside ElSaffar, Ashwaaq features renowned Syrian vocalist Khaled AlHafez, a carrier of traditional singing from Aleppo, and a string quartet with whom ElSaffar has deep musical relationships: his sister, Dena El Saffar on viola, with whom he co-leads an Iraqi Maqam ensemble; violinist Megan Gould, a major player in the Arabic music scene in New York who has played with Dena for over 30 years; Eylem Basaldi, an innovative violinist and improviser rooted in Turkish music; and cellist Naseem AlAtrash, a virtuoso and composer in his own right and member of the Turtle Island String Quartet.
Amir ElSaffar works at the intersections of jazz, Western classical, electro-acoustic music, and Iraqi and Arabic Maqam. Described as “the celebrated trumpeter and composer who explores vital connections between jazz and Arabic music” (New York Times), and “The Innovator” (SPIN), ElSaffar has created a unique microtonal language that merges the Arabic maqam modal system with jazz and Western classical harmony.
Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, or simply Ibn Arabi (1165-1240), is one of the most revered Sufi philosophers and mystics, whose work embodies the ideals of love and transcendence. The epic Turjuman Al-Ashwaq (Translator of Desires) is a collection of 61 poems that explores the divine and ecstatic nature of unity amid the diversity and variety of the manifest world. On Ashwaaq, selections from Ibn Arabi’s verses are paired with voice and string quartet, using the natural and inherent sound of string instruments to interpret and reflect upon the deeper meanings of Ibn Arabi’s texts.
“My heart can take on any form: a meadow for gazelles, a cloister for monks,
For the idols, sacred ground, Ka'ba for the circling pilgrim,
the tables of the Torah, the scrolls of the Qur'án.
I profess the religion of love; wherever its caravan turns along the way, that is the
belief, the faith I keep.”
The final lines of this poem are among the most widely read and quoted in Arabic poetry, about love of the divine in its constantly changing manifestations. Here, Ibn Arabi finds the unity in all religions, faiths, and philosophies from a place free of dogma. That which is infinite cannot be grasped or contained and is perceived through an open heart “capable of every form.”
The musical side of Ashwaaq is built on much more than the series of melodies and rhythms. ElSaffar is driven by a transcultural perspective which draws on the universality of composing, listening, and reacting to music, reflecting the sentiments of Ibn Arabi’s verses. In his approach to this composition, ElSaffar explores the vast possibilities of sound, melody, harmony, and rhythm through the combination of traditional Arabic singing with the string quartet, to create a work that’s less about conventional analysis or structure and more about expressing the ecstasy, spirituality, and emotion of the poetry.
In order to best achieve his artistic vision, ElSaffar embraced a musical language known as maqam, a system of modes that has been practiced for centuries in North Africa, Western Asia, and Central Asia. These modes – similar to Western scales but with microtones and greater melodic specificity – determine the feeling and spiritual quality of a piece of music.
“Rather than relying on Western harmony or counterpoint, two approaches that conflict with the maqam’s inherent logic,” says ElSaffar, “the harmonies of Ashwaaq emerge from sustained microtonal resonances inherent to the maqam, and heterophony — the simultaneous renderings of a single melodic phrase with variation.”
ElSaffar finds even more inspiration in Arab musicality for Ashwaaq, using overtones of the Arab takht – chamber ensemble – as well as rhythmic pulsations that conjure folk instruments and dance. He then brings these elements together with string techniques and aspects of contemporary music. The choice to include a string quartet of Western instruments, as opposed to traditional Arab musical instruments, was guided by ElSaffar’s desire to express the plurality and multitude of meanings in Ibn Arabi’s text, a departure from the single-melody approach characteristic of traditional Maqam music. The work proposes a new form of polyphony based on the microtonal maqam, a delicate undertaking few have attempted, making it a unique contribution in both maqam music as well as Western chamber music.
Composed in 2014 on a commission from the Royaumont Foundation in France, where ElSaffar was composer-in-residence for three years, the work premiered at the Festival d’Avignon and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, and had follow-up performances throughout Europe.
Left to right: Eylem Basaldi, Naseem AlAtrash, Khaled AlHafez, Amir ElSaffar, Dena El Saffar, Megan Gould
More about Amir ElSaffar: Amir ElSaffar leads the acclaimed six-piece Two Rivers ensemble and 17-piece Rivers of Sound Orchestra, and recently founded his New Quartet featuring microtonal piano. He is also the santur player and musical director for vocalist Hamid Al-Saadi, one of the last living practitioners of the Iraqi Maqam.
ElSaffar is the founder and Artistic Director of Maqam Studio and Maqam Records, an initiative supported by the Mellon Foundation, which seeks to preserve and foster innovation within the Maqam musical tradition of the Middle East. He is also composing an Arabic-language Maqam opera, which will have its concert premiere in 2027.
ElSaffar’s compositional output includes works for jazz ensembles, string quartets, mixed chamber ensembles, and symphony orchestras. In addition, he has led numerous hybrid projects with Raga, Flamenco, Stambeli (Tunisian Gnawa) and Subsaharan African trance music. In his most recent works he has incorporated electronic elements, such as analog modular synthesizer.
He has premiered new works at the Newport Jazz Festival, Berlin Jazz Festival, Dream City Festival (Tunisia), Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Festival d’Avignon (France), Flamenco Biennale (Netherlands), the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, and Pierre Boulez Saal, among others.
ElSaffar’s awards and honors include a Mellon Foundation Arts and Culture grant (2023-2028), Doris Duke Performing Artist Award (2013), United States Artists Fellowship (2018), a Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University (2020-2021), an Opera America IDEA Grant (2025-2026) and Creative Capital Award (2026), in support of hisopera. in Arabic.
Ashwaaq
Music by Amir ElSaffar
Release Date: November 6, 2026
Maqām Records
Featuring Amir ElSaffar (santur and composition); Khaled AlHafez (voice); Megan Gould, Eylem Basaldi (violin); Dena El Saffar (viola); Naseem AlAtrash (cello)
Tracklist:
1. Introduction - Nizam [1:36]
2. I - Layta Shi'ri [2:29]
3. II - Qif Bil-Manazili [6:09]
4. III - Tal'a Al-Badru [4:28]
5. VI - Qalat [3:20]
6. V - Lam’at Lana Bil-Abraqayn [4:17]
7. VI - Al Hubbu Dini (Love is My Religion) [7:32]
8. VII - Ala Ya Banat Al-Wadi [2:37]
Total Time: [32:31]
Poetry by Ibn Arabi (1165-1240 AD)
Music by Amir ElSaffar
Produced by Maqām Records
Recorded by Marc Urselli at EastSide Sound, New York, NY on November 10, 2025
Mixed & Mastered by Marc Urselli at Audio Confidential, New York, NY
Cover Art by Amina Ahmed
Design by Buyana Jargalsaikhan
Commissioned by the Royaumont Foundation in 2014
Premiered at Festival d’Avignon and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in July, 2014
Dedicated to the memory of Frederic Deval (1951-2016)
Excerpts from Ibn Arabi’s collection of mystical love poems, Turjumān al-Ashwāq (The Translator of Desires), written in Mecca in 1215. Excerpts from a translation into English by Michael Sells (Princeton University Press, 2021) are included in the linear notes.
Newport Classical Celebrates the Holiday Season with Six December Concerts over Two Festive Weekends
Newport Classical Celebrates the Holiday Season with Six December Concerts over Two Festive Weekends
Clockwise: Photos of Frisson by Lisette Rooney, Cantus by Nate Ryan, Messiah at the Mansion by Lisette Rooney. Available in high resolution here.
Newport Classical Celebrates the Holiday Season with Six December Concerts
Christmas with Cantus
Saturday, December 5, 2026 | 1pm and 3:30pm
Newport Classical Recital Hall | Newport, RI
Messiah at the Mansion
Sunday, December 6, 2026 | 1pm and 3:30pm
Rosecliff | 548 Bellevue Ave. | Newport, RI
Classical Christmas with Frisson
Saturday, December 12, 2026 | 1pm and 3:30pm
Emmanuel Church | 42 Dearborn St. | Newport, RI
Tickets On Sale October 6: www.newportclassical.org
Newport, RI – Newport Classical celebrates the holiday season with six performances across two festive weekends in December – Christmas with Cantus on Saturday, December 5, 2026 at 1pm and 3:30pm at the Newport Classical Recital Hall (42 Dearborn St.); Messiah at the Mansion on Sunday, December 6, 2026 at 1pm and 3:30pm at Rosecliff (548 Bellevue Ave.); and Classical Christmas with Frisson on Saturday, December 12, 2026 at 1pm and 3:30pm at Emmanuel Church (42 Dearborn St.). Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at www.newportclassical.org.
After two sold-out performances in 2024, Cantus returns to Newport on December 5 for an afternoon of beloved Christmas carols and contemporary choral works. This premier low-voice ensemble is known worldwide for its incomparably rich and resonant blend. With music ranging from Silent Night and O Come, All Ye Faithful to fresh, new works from today’s acclaimed composers including Zanaida Robles and Eric Whitacre, Christmas with Cantus will be a warm and moving celebration of the season. Set in the intimate and acoustically exceptional Newport Classical Recital Hall, these two festive one-hour performances at 1pm and 3:30pm offer a beautiful mix of familiar traditions and new perspectives on the season.
Set in the stunning Rosecliff Mansion, Newport Classical invites you to experience Handel’s legendary oratorio Messiah on December 6, a cherished tradition during Newport’s holiday season, featuring Rhode Island’s acclaimed vocal ensemble Ensemble Altera and the Professional Choristers of The Choir School of Newport County conducted by Christopher Lowrey. A bold reimagining of a beloved masterpiece, this one-hour chamber version (to be performed at 1pm and 3:30pm) brings together some of the most moving moments of Handel's timeless oratorio, including the iconic Hallelujah Chorus – perfect for longtime Messiah lovers and first-time listeners alike. These performances are made possible through Cynthia Sinclair’s generous philanthropic support of The Choir School of Newport County.
Hailed as “the classical group that does it all,” the dynamic 11-piece chamber orchestra Frisson returns to Newport on December 12 for two holiday concerts at 1pm and 3:30pm in the stunning English Gothic Revival setting of Emmanuel Church. Featuring selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Vivaldi’s Winter, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, Carol of the Bells, and a Christmas sing-along, this festive program brings together classical favorites and seasonal traditions for a joyful afternoon of music audiences of all ages will enjoy.
Up next on October 9 as part of Newport Classical’s Chamber Series at the Newport Classical Recital Hall, 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.
On October 18, Newport Classical presents two free concerts at 1pm and 3:30pm as part of its Community Concerts Series presented by BankNewport, performed by Ensemble Mélange at Newport Classical Recital Hall. 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 Chamber Series continues on October 23 when the Boston-based Rasa String Quartet makes its Newport Classical debut 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.
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, Winner of the 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.
Oct. 6-7: The Jupiter String Quartet Gives Two Performances in Buffalo Presented by the Buffalo Chamber Music Society & University at Buffalo
Oct. 6-7: The Jupiter String Quartet Gives Two Performances in Buffalo Presented by the Buffalo Chamber Music Society & University at Buffalo
Photo of the Jupiter Quartet by Todd Rosenberg available in high resolution at www.jensenartists.com/artists-profiles/jupiter-string
The Jupiter String Quartet
Gives Two Performances in Buffalo on October 6 and 7
Presented by the Buffalo Chamber Music Society & University at Buffalo
“technical finesse and rare expressive maturity” – The New Yorker
Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 7:30pm
Presented by the Buffalo Chamber Music Society (BCMS)
Mary Seaton Room, Kleinhans Music Hall | 3 Symphony Circle | Buffalo, NY
Tickets and Information
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at 7:30pm
Presented by the University at Buffalo in Partnership with BCMS
Slee Hall, Lippes Concert Hall | 120 Coventry Rd. | Buffalo, NY
Tickets and Information
Buffalo, NY – The Jupiter String Quartet, described by The Cleveland Plain-Dealer as “an alert and energetic ensemble, with plenty of communication and an individual sonic sheen,” will give two concerts in Buffalo in early October. On Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 7:30pm, they perform at Kleinhans Music Hall (3 Symphony Circle) presented by the Buffalo Chamber Music Society (BCMS). On Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at 7:30pm, they perform in Lippes Concert Hall (120 Coventry Road) co-presented by BCMS and the University at Buffalo.
The Jupiter String Quartet is a particularly intimate group, consisting of violinists Mélanie Clapiès and Meg Freivogel, violist Liz Freivogel (Meg’s older sister), and cellist Daniel McDonough (Meg’s husband, Liz’s brother-in-law). Founded in 2001, the ensemble is firmly established as an important voice in the world of chamber music, and exudes an energy that is at once friendly, knowledgeable, and adventurous. They give concerts all over the country, and are artists-in-residence and faculty at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The quartet chose its name because Jupiter was the most prominent planet in the night sky at the time of its formation and the astrological symbol for Jupiter resembles the number four.
The Jupiter’s program on October 6 features music by Austrian composers from three centuries, each very different in style and mood, from the extroverted expressions of Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet in C Major, Op 76 No. 3 “Emperor” from 1797; to the heartfelt passion felt in Franz Schubert’s String Quartet in A minor, D 804, “Rosamunde” from 1824; and the intense emotional arc of Alban Berg’s Lyric Suite from 1925. Haydn’s “Emperor” quartet was the result of his becoming acquainted with an emerging genre of music, the national anthem, during his visits to London in the 1790s. When he returned to Vienna, he proposed to music patron Baron von Swieten that he should compose a new work that would serve a similar function in Austria as “God Save the King” did in England. He did so in 1797, and the song became an instant success, later becoming the Austrian national anthem in 1847. Haydn made it the focal point of his bold new string quartet, incorporating the melody and a set of variations into the piece. Alban Berg was inspired to write his Lyric Suite by his infatuation with Hanna Fuchs-Robettin – he hid her initials in the piece using the musical notes, and encoded other symbols and messages about their love in the six-movement work. Franz Schubert’s “Rosamunde” quartet represents a turning point in his music from lighter and more fanciful work, to a more intense, darker tone. Schubert’s failing health and a troubled love affair are thought to be the causes behind his artistic shift. The piece was the only one of his chamber works to be published during his lifetime. Its nickname is the title of a play for which Schubert wrote incidental music, that includes some of the same music as this quartet.
The Jupiter’s concert on October 7 will include four pieces, each showcasing the human connections that are often inextricably woven into music – Clarice Assad’s Canções da America; Juri Seo’s Respiri; Shulamit Ran’s Quartet No. 3, Glitter, Doom, Shards, Memory; and Johannes Brahms’ Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 51, No. 2. Brazilian American composer, pianist, vocalist, and educator Clarice Assad is known for writing music with evocative colors and rich textures, which she imparts to Canções da America, a work celebrating the many cultures and histories found in South America through its own musical styles, from the Milonga dance of Uruguay to the choro of Brazil and the Tango of Argentina. Assad dedicated the piece to Argentine composer Claudia Montero, who died in 2021. Korean-born American composer Juri Seo wrote her piece Respiri in 2016, in memory of British composer Jonathan Harvey. Seo wrote her dissertation on Harvey’s string quartets and corresponded extensively with him during his final year of life. Israeli-American composer Shulamit Ran’s third string quartet – Glitter, Shards, Doom, Memory – is a tribute to the Jewish artist Felix Nussbaum and other victims of the Holocaust. The work’s name is tied to “Glitter and Doom,” the title of an exhibition previously on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Brahms’s expansive and lyrical Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 51, No. 2 was premiered in 1873 by the string quartet of his good friend, Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim. Joachim's motto was “Frei, aber einsam” (Free, but lonely). In the opening movement of the quartet, Brahms encoded a special message for his friend, using the pitches F-A-E and also F-A-F to counter with, “Frei, aber froh” (Free, but glad). This personal connection between composer and performer was also evident in Brahms' use of Hungarian melodies and musical gestures in the second movement and the Finale.
The Jupiter Quartet has performed in some of the world’s finest halls, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, Boston’s Jordan Hall, Mexico City's Palacio de Bellas Artes, Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center and Library of Congress, Austria’s Esterhazy Palace, and Seoul’s Sejong Chamber Hall. Their major music festival appearances include the Aspen Music Festival and School, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Rockport Music Festival, Caramoor International Music Festival, Music at Menlo, Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival, the Banff Centre, the Seoul Spring Festival, and many others. In addition to their performing career, they have been artists-in-residence at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign since 2012, where they maintain private studios and direct the chamber music program. Their chamber music honors and awards include the grand prizes in the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition; the Young Concert Artists International auditions in New York City; the Cleveland Quartet Award from Chamber Music America; an Avery Fisher Career Grant; and a grant from the Fromm Foundation. From 2007-2010, they were in residence at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Two. The Jupiter has recorded extensively for the Marquis Classics label, Azica Records, and Orchid Classics.
For more information, visit www.jupiterquartet.com.
Oct. 4: The Jupiter String Quartet Performs Free Concert at Vassar College – Music Shaped by Deep Expressions of Love and Admiration
Oct. 4: The Jupiter String Quartet Performs Free Concert at Vassar College – Music Shaped by Deep Expressions of Love and Admiration
Photo of the Jupiter Quartet by Todd Rosenberg available in high resolution here
The Jupiter String Quartet Performs Free Concert at Vassar College
Music Shaped by Deep Expressions of Love and Admiration
“An ensemble of eloquent intensity, has matured into one of the mainstays of the American chamber-music scene” – The New Yorker
Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 3pm
Skinner Hall of Music | Vassar College | 100 Raymond Ave. | Poughkeepsie, NY
Free and Open to the Public
More Information
Poughkeepsie, NY – On Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 3pm, the Jupiter String Quartet – an ensemble described by The New Yorker as having “technical finesse and rare expressive maturity” – will perform a free concert at Vassar College in Skinner Hall of Music (100 Raymond Ave.). The concert will include Canções da America by Clarice Assad, Lyric Suite by Alban Berg, Respiri by Juri Seo, and String Quartet in A minor, D 804, “Rosamunde” by Franz Schubert.
The Jupiter String Quartet is a particularly intimate group, consisting of violinists Mélanie Clapiès and Meg Freivogel, violist Liz Freivogel (Meg’s older sister), and cellist Daniel McDonough (Meg’s husband, Liz’s brother-in-law). Founded in 2001, the ensemble is firmly established as an important voice in the world of chamber music, and exudes an energy that is at once friendly, knowledgeable, and adventurous. They give concerts all over the country, and are artists-in-residence and faculty at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The quartet chose its name because Jupiter was the most prominent planet in the night sky at the time of its formation and the astrological symbol for Jupiter resembles the number four.
The program the Jupiter Quartet will perform at Vassar is composed of music from across cultures and time periods, shaped by deep expressions of love and admiration. Brazilian American composer, pianist, vocalist, and educator Clarice Assad is known for writing music with evocative colors and rich textures, which she imparts to Canções da America, a work celebrating the many cultures and histories found in South America through its own musical styles, from the Milonga dance of Uruguay to the choro of Brazil and the Tango of Argentina. Assad dedicated the piece to Argentine composer Claudia Montero, who died in 2021. Austrian composer Alban Berg was inspired to write his Lyric Suite in 1925, when he first became infatuated with Hanna Fuchs-Robettin – he hid her initials in the piece using the musical notes, and encoded other symbols and messages about their love in the six-movement work. Korean-born American composer Juri Seo wrote her piece Respiri in 2016, in memory of British composer Jonathan Harvey. Seo wrote her dissertation on Harvey’s string quartets and corresponded extensively with him during his final year of life. Respiri is influenced by Harvey’s Buddhist beliefs as well as his musical approach. Austrian composer Franz Schubert wrote his “Rosamunde” string quartet in 1824, and the piece represents a turning point in his music from lighter and more fanciful work, to a more intense, darker tone. Schubert’s failing health and a troubled love affair are often thought to be the causes behind his artistic shift.
The Jupiter Quartet has performed in some of the world’s finest halls, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, Boston’s Jordan Hall, Mexico City's Palacio de Bellas Artes, Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center and Library of Congress, Austria’s Esterhazy Palace, and Seoul’s Sejong Chamber Hall. Their major music festival appearances include the Aspen Music Festival and School, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Rockport Music Festival, Caramoor International Music Festival, Music at Menlo, Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival, the Banff Centre, the Seoul Spring Festival, and many others. In addition to their performing career, they have been artists-in-residence at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign since 2012, where they maintain private studios and direct the chamber music program. Their chamber music honors and awards include the grand prizes in the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition; the Young Concert Artists International auditions in New York City; the Cleveland Quartet Award from Chamber Music America; an Avery Fisher Career Grant; and a grant from the Fromm Foundation. From 2007-2010, they were in residence at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Two. The Jupiter has recorded extensively for the Marquis Classics label, Azica Records, and Orchid Classics.
For more information, visit www.jupiterquartet.com.
For Calendar Editors:
Description: The Jupiter Quartet, described by The New Yorker as having “technical finesse and rare expressive maturity,” performs a free concert at Vassar College. The award-winning ensemble’s program features music shaped by deep expressions of love and admiration from across cultures and time periods, featuring the works of Clarice Assad, Alban Berg, Juri Seo, and Franz Schubert. This performance is free and open to the public.
Concert details:
Who: Jupiter String Quartet
Presented by Vassar College
What: Music by Clarice Assad, Alban Berg, Juri Seo, and Franz Schubert
When: Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 3pm
Where: Vassar College, Skinner Hall of Music, 100 Raymond Ave, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
Tickets and information: https://www.vassar.edu/news/events/jupiter-string-quartet
Oct. 16: Acclaimed UK Pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason Releases Songs Without Words EP on Sony Classical – First Single Out Today (Copy)
Oct. 16: Acclaimed UK Pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason Releases Songs Without Words EP on Sony Classical – New Single Out Today
Acclaimed UK Pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason
Releases Songs Without Words EP on Sony Classical
New Single Out Today
Song Without Words in A Major by Florence Price
Listen Here
Today, from acclaimed young pianist, Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, comes the first single from her forthcoming EP Songs Without Words, scheduled for release on October 16, 2026 on Sony Classical. Thoughtfully curated by the artist, the EP brings together music by Felix Mendelssohn, Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, Camille Saint-Saëns and Nina Simone, continuing Jeneba's passion for championing overlooked voices and tracing the evolution of the Songs Without Words tradition across generations, musical styles and genres. Jeneba Kanneh-Mason's new single, Song Without Words in A Major by Florence Price, is out today, September 25, 2026 - listen here.
Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, of whom Gramophone wrote: “her future will surely be dazzling” and who impressed BBC Music Magazine with her “sparkle and self-possession”, has chosen a remarkable piece as the first single from this EP. In a tribute to the legendary pianist, singer, songwriter and activist, Nina Simone (1933-2003), Jeneba performs Saint-Saëns’ (1835-1921) popular aria ‘Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix’ (‘Softly awakes my heart’) from his opera ‘Samson and Delilah’, Op. 67. Nina Simone famously performed her own arrangement of this work as a solo piano piece during her 1963 debut solo concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall, enriching the piece with embellishments and improvisatory flourishes. Jeneba honours this seminal artist with a transcription of that singular 1963 live performance.
Of this first single, Jeneba Kanneh-Mason remarks, "I've always loved Nina Simone, and when I discovered her solo piano version of Saint-Saëns' 'Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix', I was completely captivated. I love the freedom and individuality she brings to the music, while never losing sight of the original melody. Including a transcription of her performance on this EP felt like a natural way to celebrate her artistry alongside the more traditional Songs Without Words, bringing together so many of the musical worlds that inspire me."
To acknowledge the origins of the genre Songs Without Words, the theme of her forthcoming EP, Jeneba Kanneh-Mason has chosen Felix Mendelssohn’s Song Without Words in G major, Op. 62 No. 1 Andante espressivo. Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) and his sister, Fanny Hensel Mendelssohn (1805-1847), were among the first composers to write ‘Lieder ohne Worte’, Felix Mendelssohn writing eight volumes of six songs, which became hugely popular.
Continuing her commitment to championing music by black women composers and bringing their often-overlooked repertoire to a wider audience, Jeneba returns to African American composers, Florence Price (1887-1953) and Margaret Bonds (1913-1972), both of whom were featured on her debut album, ‘Fantasie’. For Songs Without Words, she has chosen two rarely recorded works by Price: Song Without Words in G major ‘Pleading’ (c. 1928) and the lyrical yet dramatic Song Without Words in A major (1932). These sit alongside Bonds' The Bells, the second movement from her ‘Spiritual Suite for Piano’ and based on the spiritual Peter, Go Ring Dem Bells, which Bonds developed into an elaborate piano piece.
Having made her mark in March 2025 with her debut album on Sony Classical, Fantasie, featuring works by Frederic Chopin, Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, William Grant Still, Claude Debussy and Alexander Scriabin, of which International Piano magazine noted “…This is a debut recording of exceptional bravura and insight… Already she compels attention”, this much in demand young artist and member of the supremely talented Kanneh-Mason family of musicians, followed it in December 2025 with an exceptionally fine self-curated EP ‘Jane Austen’s Piano’, exploring the musical world of fellow pianist and world-famous author, Jane Austen, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of her favourite writer’s birth.
TRACKLIST:
1. Felix Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Wrote V, op. 62: I. Andante espressivo
2. Florence Price: Song Without Words in A Major
3. Margaret Bonds: Spiritual Suite: II. The Bells
4. Florence Price: Song Without Words in G Major ("Pleading”)
5. Camille Saint-Saëns: Theme from Samson and Delilah (arr. Nina Simone)
OUT TODAY: New Single from Violinist Esther Abrami's Sony Classical Album Amour - VIII. Deuxième Chance from Abrami's Amour Suite
OUT TODAY: New Single from Violinist Esther Abrami's Sony Classical Album Amour - VIII. Deuxième Chance from Abrami's Amour Suite
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: Movement VIII. Deuxième Chance
from Esther Abrami's Amour Suite
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. New single, Movement VIII. Deuxième Chance from Esther Abrami's Amour Suite is out today.
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
Oct. 16: Caramoor Continues 2026-2027 Rosen House Concert Series with Indie-Folk-Pop Trio Bandits on the Run
Oct. 16: Caramoor Continues 2026-2027 Rosen House Concert Series with Indie-Folk-Pop Trio Bandits on the Run
Photo of Bandits on the Run by Hunter Brown. Available in hi-resolution here.
Caramoor Continues 2026-2027 Rosen House Concert Series
with Indie-Folk-Pop Trio Bandits on the Run
Friday, October 16, 2026 at 7:30pm
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts | Rosen House
149 Girdle Ridge Drive | Katonah, NY
Tickets & Information
“[Bandits on the Run] bring a theatrical feel to their performances,” –Strings
“[Bandits on the Run blends] rotating lead vocals, vibrant instrumentation, and a shared storytelling spirit that feels at once timeless and entirely their own.” –Atwood Magazine
KATONAH, NY – Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, a vibrant cultural destination nestled on 81 acres of historic gardens and woodlands in Katonah, NY, continues its intimate Rosen House Concert Series for 2026-2027 with a performance by Brooklyn based indie-folk-pop trio, Bandits on the Run, on Friday, October 16, 2026 at 7:30pm. 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. Caramoor’s Rosen House Concert Series runs from October through May, 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.
Bandits on the Run is an indie-folk-pop group consisting of cellist and vocalist Sydney Shepherd, guitarist and vocalist Adrian Enscoe, percussionist, xylophonist, toy sound player, and vocalist Regina Strayhorn. The trio hail from Brooklyn, NY and are known for their vivacious performance style, genre-defying sound, soaring harmonies, and ability to make music-magic happen everywhere from subway platforms to concert halls. Their three-part harmonies have been heard filling iconic venues while opening for The Wood Brothers’ 2025 East Coast tour, on the main stages at Colorado’s Rocky Mount Folks Fest and Michigan’s Blissfest, and in a sold out residency at Manhattan’s Bowery Electric.
About Bandits on the Run
Bandits on the Run are a musical trio from the Brooklyn-Queens border. Born from a chance encounter busking on the subway, Adrian Blake Enscoe, Sydney Shepherd, and Regina Strayhorn defy convention with an impressive trade-off of lead vocals and instruments. The Bandits marry acoustic, electric, and bass guitar sounds with cello, accordion, suitcases-turned-kick drums, and (if you’re lucky) sometimes even a megaphone.
The Bandits’ songs have been featured by NPR’s Tiny Desk and The Moth Story Slam, as well as in Netflix’s Ask the StoryBots and the feature film The Same Storm. The Bandits tour nationally and internationally, with appearances at Cambridge Folk Festival, Floydfest, Summerfest Milwaukee, Americanafest, F1 Singapore Grand Prix, Mile of Music, and more. Their theatrical indie-folk lends itself quite well to storytelling and their work adapting text for a musical production of As You Like It later became their EP The Shakespeare Tapes.
In addition to all their touring and recording work, Bandits on the Run are also in the business of writing musicals, sometimes as a trio and sometimes with collaborators. The stage musical adaptation of the novel What’s Eating Gilbert Grape with actor-musician-longtime friend Christopher Sears and newfound friend Academy Award Nominee Peter Hedges, supported by MCC Theater,will be opening off-Broadway in June 2027. Bandits on the Run are also developing an original musical, Yukon Ho, about a group of Black prospectors in the Alaskan gold rush. Yukon Ho was researched on the ground in Skagway, Alaska with support from the NEA, and has been workshopped with support from Prospect Musicals. They are alumni of several musical theater writing development programs, including Berkeley Rep Ground Floor, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, and the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Grove at Goodspeed Musicals.
Adrian, Sydney, and Regina bring their individual corners of the creative universe into the room when they collaborate. Adrian Blake Enscoe made their Broadway debut in The Avett Brothers’ Swept Away in 2024 and can be seen playing Austin Dickinson in the Apple TV+ Series Dickinson. Sydney Shepherd was most recently seen in the 2025 world premiere of The Ruins at the Guthrie Theater. Regina Strayhorn also works in casting, bringing to life shows for HBO, Amazon, Apple TV, CBS & Hulu.
Beyond the Music: Yoga, Teas, Talks, & More
Caramoor has expanded its slate of community and family programming to include tours, teas, yoga and more, giving visitors a wide variety of ways to experience this unique setting in addition to its world-class concerts. Caramoor offers Rosen House Signature Tours on Fridays and Saturdays, inviting visitors to explore the historic Rosen House through a docent-led experience which shares the stories behind the House’s carefully assembled treasures. Caramoor will also continue its popular Afternoon Teas, offering a variety of tea sandwiches, scones with crème fraîche and preserves, delicious desserts, and a selection of fragrant teas. Tea is served in the Music Room, a unique opportunity to relax with friends and family in a breathtaking historic setting. In addition, Caramoor invites the community to unwind and restore in a serene setting with Sunset Yoga in the Sunken Garden in September and Yoga in the Music Room in January. This special yoga series is designed to nurture both body and mind. Each session offers a gentle, mindful practice led by an experienced instructor, with an emphasis on breath, alignment, and presence. Caramoor also offers family activities in all seasons including making Halloween treats and winter wreaths during Halloween Dessert Decorating Kids Cooking Class and Winter Wreath-Making for Families. Caramoor also offers Rosen House Studio Nights: Art and Aperitifs for adults on select Wednesday evenings, with themes including ceramic tile painting, stained glass mosaics, and jewelry design.
New this season, Caramoor is teaming up with The Juilliard School to offer a series of six Extension classes, no pre-requisite knowledge required, offering audiences the opportunity to dive deeper into the themes presented on stage throughout the Rosen House Concert Series. Participants will learn from some of the most acclaimed professors and lecturers and engage in thoughtful discussion with fellow music lovers. Classes can be taken individually or as an entire series. Topics include Beethoven to Bartók: The Expanding World of Chamber Music; The String Quartet Across Three Centuries; Music, Faith, and Power in the Baroque World; and more.
Please visit the Caramoor website for the full schedule of Beyond the Music programs, which are announced on a rolling basis: caramoor.org/events/beyond-the-music
About Caramoor
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is a vibrant cultural destination nestled on 81 acres of historic gardens and woodlands in Katonah, NY. Once the home of music and art lovers Walter and Lucie Rosen, Caramoor has evolved into one of the region’s most distinctive destinations for live performances, cultural engagement, and exploration – a sanctuary for music, art, and nature.
Each year, Caramoor presents an exciting array of concerts across genres – from classical, opera, and chamber music to jazz, American roots, global sounds, and the American songbook. Caramoor’s acclaimed Summer Season brings audiences together for unforgettable outdoor performances from June into August in five distinct settings (the 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 summer seasonal concessions Bravo Bar, and a selection of public programs such as yoga, art classes, and large-scale community events.
Ticketing Information
Concert tickets are available for purchase online at caramoor.org; by phone at 914.232.1252 Tuesdays through Fridays from 10am-4pm; and on site from the Box Office two hours before each performance.
Caramoor is located at 149 Girdle Ridge Road in Katonah, NY.
How to get to Caramoor: caramoor.org/visit-us/amenities
More information about visiting Caramoor: caramoor.org/visit
At-a-Glance Calendar: 2026-27 Rosen House Concert Series Performances
Friday, October 2, 2026 at 7:30pm: Nobuntu
Friday, October 16, 2026 at 7:30pm: Bandits on the Run
Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 3:00pm: Countertenor Iestyn Davies and Harpist Oliver Wass
Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 3:00pm: Pianist Jonathan Biss
Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 3:00pm: Evnin Rising Stars
Friday, November 6, 2026 at 7:30pm: Pianist Aaron Diehl
Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 3:00pm: Renaissance Quartet
Sunday, December 6, 2026 at 2:00pm and 4:00pm: Christmas with Cantus
Sunday, March 7, 2027 at 3:00pm: Schwab Vocal Rising Stars
Sunday, April 4, 2027 at 3:00pm: Viano Quartet
Friday, April 9, 2027 at 7:30pm: The Summer Camargo Quintet
Sunday, April 11, 2027 at 3:00pm: ACRONYM and Countertenor Reginald Mobley
Sunday, April 25, 2027 at 3:00pm: Pianist Inon Barnatan
Sunday, May 2, 2027 at 3:00pm: Renaissance Quartet
Friday, May 7, 2027 at 7:30pm: Sister Sadie
Friday, May 14, 2027 at 7:30pm: Cabaret in the Music Room with Vocalist Mandy Gonzalez
For Caramoor's complete schedule, including the Rosen House Concert Series and Beyond the Music events: caramoor.org/events/calendar
Caramoor’s Rosen House Concert Series runs from October through May, held in the exquisite Music Room of the Rosens’ historic home – a Mediterranean-style villa from 1939 filled with treasures from around the world.
Photo by Gabe Palacio available in high resolution here.
Oct. 24-25: A Far Cry Continues 20th Anniversary Season with Folie à Deux – A Neighborhood Chamber Music Concert Curated by Rafael Popper-Keizer
Oct. 24-25: A Far Cry Continues 20th Anniversary Season with Folie à Deux – A Neighborhood Chamber Music Concert Curated by Rafael Popper-Keizer
Photo by Josh Reynolds available in high resolution here.
GRAMMY®-Nominated A Far Cry Continues 20th Anniversary Season with Folie à Deux on October 24 and 25
A Neighborhood Chamber Music Concert
Curated by A Far Cry Cellist Rafael Popper-Keizer
Saturday, October 24, 2026 3:00pm
St. John’s Episcopal Church | 1 Roanoke Avenue | Jamaica Plain, MA
Tickets and More Information
Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 3:00pm
First Church Cambridge | 11 Garden Street | Cambridge, MA
Tickets and More Information
Boston, MA – GRAMMY®-nominated chamber orchestra and “world-wide phenomenon” (WBUR) A Far Cry (AFC) continues its 20th anniversary season with Folie à Deux, its first set of Neighborhood Chamber Concerts of the year, on Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 3pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church (1 Roanoke Avenue, Jamaica Plain) and Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 3pm at First Church Cambridge (11 Garden Street, Cambridge).
Curated by A Far Cry cellist Rafael Popper-Keizer, Folie à Deux explores musical partnership through six striking duos for violin, viola, cello, and marimba. Moving through every two-part permutation of the ensemble’s four instruments, this program reveals how intimacy, tension, and joy emerge when two voices come together.
The performance will showcase a colorful assortment of vibrant works by contemporary composers, ranging from the shimmering stillness of Akshaya Avril Tucker’s Breathing Sunlight to the mournful echoes of Osvaldo Golijov’s Mariel; from the playful textures of Caroline Shaw’s Limestone and Felt to the profound gravity of Penderecki’s Ciaccona, to the spirit of perseverance fueling Fabian Otten’s L’Assillo, to the American and Japanese folk influences shaping Paul Wiancko’s American Haiku. Together the full program forms a kaleidoscopic meditation on memory, identity, and the power of shared experience.
“Making music with another person is an act of mutual trust and shared vulnerability; it requires an open mind and a willingness to live in the space where the sound of one instrument ends and the other begins,” says Rafael Popper-Keizer. “In Folie à Deux, I wanted to celebrate this intimacy with six remarkable duos, each of which creates a richly complex world of sound and emotion with the smallest possible ensemble.”
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 GRAMMY Award 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.
More about A Far Cry: www.afarcry.org/group-bio
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 Cry continues its 20th anniversary season with Folie à Deux, its first set of Neighborhood Chamber Concerts of the year, on Saturday, October 24 at St. John’s Episcopal Church and Sunday, October 25 at First Church Cambridge. Curated by A Far Cry cellist Rafael Popper-Keizer, Folie à Deux explores musical partnership through six striking duos for violin, viola, cello, and marimba.
Concert details:
Who: GRAMMY®-nominated chamber orchestra A Far Cry
What: Folie à Deux – A Neighborhood Community Concert
When: Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 3:00pm
Where: St. John’s Episcopal Church, 1 Roanoke Avenue, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Tickets and More Information: https://www.afarcry.org/all-concerts/folie-deux-jp
Who: GRAMMY®-nominated chamber orchestra A Far Cry
What: Folie à Deux – A Neighborhood Community Concert
When: Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 3:00pm
Where: First Church Cambridge, 11 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Tickets and More Information: https://www.afarcry.org/all-concerts/folie-deux-cambridge
Oct 23: GRAMMY-Winning Experiential Orchestra Opens Season with The Music of Anna Clyne Featuring Cellist Inbal Segev in the New York City Premiere of DANCE
Oct 23: GRAMMY-Winning Experiential Orchestra Opens Season with The Music of Anna Clyne Featuring Cellist Inbal Segev in the New York City Premiere of DANCE
GRAMMY®️-Winning Experiential Orchestra (EXO) Opens 2026-2027 Season on October 23 with An Embrace of Sound: The Music of Anna Clyne
Featuring Cellist Inbal Segev in the New York City Premiere of Clyne’s DANCE
James Blachly, Music Director
Friday, October 23, 2026 at 8pm
Pre-Concert Conversation with Anna Clyne at 7:15pm
The DiMenna Center for Classical Music | 450 W. 37th St., New York, NY
Tickets & Information
New York, NY – The GRAMMY®️-winning Experiential Orchestra (EXO) led by founding Music Director James Blachly will open its 2026-2027 season, titled Beauty in the Face of Adversity and running from October 2026 through June 2027, with An Embrace of Sound: The Music of Anna Clyne, on Friday, October 23, 2026 at 8pm at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music (450 W. 37th St.). A pre-concert conversation with Anna Clyne, moderated by New Music USA President & CEO Vanessa Rose, starts at 7:15pm. EXO will present four immersive programs this season, each reflecting the mission of the orchestra – to curate programs that embrace the unique acoustics and characters of each venue, creating a one-of-a-kind listening environment and a new experience of sound.
This season opening concert on October 23, An Embrace of Sound, is a celebration of the music of composer Anna Clyne and features the New York City premiere of her piece DANCE for cello and orchestra, performed with cello soloist Inbal Segev (who commissioned and recorded the work). The program also includes Clyne’s This Midnight Hour, an evocative tour de force for orchestra, which was written in part as a response to the poetry of Charles Baudelaire and Juan Ramón Jiménez. Clyne’s Within Her Arms, written in the wake of the death of her mother, opens the program, with the EXO strings surrounding the audience at the DiMenna Center in a sound embrace.
Experiential Orchestra Music Director James Blachly says, “This season brings together extraordinary composers, internationally acclaimed soloists, and beautiful venues to create concerts that we hope will speak directly to our audience from a place of strength and comfort. For our season opening concert, we embrace the way that Anna Clyne's music is uniquely attuned to the way we can turn to music and poetry in life's hardest moments. The program includes Within Her Arms, written after the death of Anna’s mother, an elegy for string orchestra – this is music that is imbued with grief. The work opens with a short descending theme that becomes the basis for a musical meditation on love and life and loss. I couldn’t be more honored to present the New York City premiere of Anna’s DANCE for cello and orchestra, with the incredible soloist Inbal Segev. Each of the concerto’s five movements corresponds to a line of the Rumi poem that inspired the piece. I am greatly looking forward to bringing this expansive and lyrical piece to New York with the cellist for whom it was written.”
After co-commissioning Anna Clyne’s concerto DANCE, Inbal Segev premiered the work under Cristian Măcelaru’s leadership at the 2019 Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in California and recorded it alongside Elgar’s iconic concerto with Marin Alsop and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Released by Avie, the album was an instant success, topping the Amazon Classical Concertos chart and inspiring glowing praise from The Guardian, BBC Radio 3 and other outlets; DANCE’s opening movement was named among NPR Music’s “Favorite Songs of 2020,” receiving more than twelve million listens on Spotify. Combining “thrillingly projected, vibrato-rich playing” (Washington Post) with “complete dedication and high intelligence” (San Francisco Classical Voice), Inbal Segev makes solo appearances at leading international venues and with preeminent orchestras and conductors worldwide. Celebrated for her fresh insights into music’s great masterworks, the New York-based Israeli American cellist is equally committed to reinvigorating the cello repertoire and has commissioned and premiered major new works from an international who’s who of today’s foremost contemporary composers.
Up next in EXO’s season, on February 20, 2027 at Roulette Intermedium (509 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, NY), the orchestra presents Music in a Time of War, a concert featuring three acclaimed soloists: Paul Neubauer, Stewart Goodyear, and Michelle Barzel Ross. On May 22, 2027 at the New York Society for Ethical Culture (2 W 64th St., New York, NY), EXO performs the choral music of Arvo Pärt, expanding the orchestra’s ongoing relationship with the Estonian composer. The final event of the season is a reprise of EXO’s celebrated collaboration with composer Brad Balliett in his A Field Guide to Imaginary Birds, to be held outdoors at Inwood Hill Park in Spring 2027 (details TBA).
About Experiential Orchestra:
The GRAMMY®️-winning Experiential Orchestra (EXO) brings audiences close to the music by engaging listeners through imaginative, immersive, and interactive concert experiences. Founded by Music Director James Blachly in 2009, EXO’s performances and recordings have been described as “strikingly persuasive” by the San Francisco Chronicle and “immaculate” by Musical America, and have been praised for having “luscious tone and poise” by Classics Today.
EXO was founded to forge transformative concerts in community, where each curated performance is imbued with a generous spirit of celebration, facilitating the exploration of what Blachly calls, “a new experience of sound” by audiences. The orchestra’s performances take place in and outside the concert hall with audiences invited to participate in unorthodox ways. EXO has performed the music of Arvo Pärt in the Temple of Dendur at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, invited audiences to dance during Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker at National Sawdust, enveloped the audience in concerts at Lincoln Center with audience and orchestra members sitting together, and presented Symphonie fantastique and Petrushka with circus choreography at The Muse in Brooklyn.
Recent highlights have included a concert at The Library of Congress in Washington, DC; an immersive performance of Strauss’s Four Last Songs with cellist Andrew Yee and soprano Sarah Brailey; and an ongoing close relationship with the Arvo Pärt Centre, Michael Pärt, and the Estonian Embassy in yearly presentations of the music of Arvo Pärt. In January 2024, EXO performed Pärt’s masterwork Passio at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, offering audiences the opportunity to experience the concert while reclining on yoga mats. In March 2024, the orchestra co-presented a four-day Julia Perry Centenary Celebration and Festival in New York, coinciding with Perry’s 100th birthday that month.
EXO is known for imaginative and groundbreaking programming that frequently advocates for under-celebrated masterpieces and composers. The orchestra’s world premiere recording of Dame Ethel Smyth’s The Prison (1930) was released on Chandos Records in 2020 to international critical acclaim in The New York Times, Gramophone, The New Yorker, The Guardian, and many other publications. The album won the GRAMMY for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album in 2021 – the first GRAMMY ever awarded for Smyth’s music. EXO’s world premiere recording of Julia Perry’s Violin Concerto, with soloist Curtis Stewart, was released on the Bright Shiny Things label in March 2024 and earned two GRAMMY nominations.
EXO is led by Founder and Music Director James Blachly, General Manager Sandy Choi, Concertmasters Alex Fortes and Henry Wang, Personnel Manager Arthur Sato, and Artistic Advisor Patrick Castillo.
About Founding Music Director James Blachly:
James Blachly is a GRAMMY®-winning conductor dedicated to enriching the concert experience by connecting with audiences in memorable and meaningful ways. James Blachly serves as Music Director of Experiential Orchestra and Johnstown Symphony Orchestra. He is a versatile guest conductor in diverse repertoire for orchestras including New York Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and WDR Funkhausorchester. A strong supporter of composers of our time, Blachly has commissioned and premiered more than 40 works by composers including Jessie Montgomery, Courtney Bryan, Viet Cuong, Michi Wiancko, Kate Copeland Ettinger, Tommy Daugherty, Patrick Castillo, Brad and Doug Balliett, and many others. In recent seasons, he has collaborated with soloists Daniel Hope, Paul Jacobs, Julia Bullock, Dashon Burton, Michelle Cann, Andrew Yee, Curtis Stewart, Simone Porter, and more. In addition to his work with Experiential Orchestra, with the Johnstown Symphony, Blachly has conducted the orchestra at the Flight 93 Memorial for the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, in a former steel mill in a concert that was featured on Katie Couric’s America Inside Out, at the First Summit Arena at the War Memorial, and in eight seasons the orchestra has increased season ticket sales and annual giving each by more than 50%. In 2021, he received a commendation by the City of Johnstown and the Johnstown chapter of the NAACP. In recent seasons, Blachly has introduced an annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Juneteenth, and youth concert. For more information, visit www.jamesblachly.com.
Oct & Nov: Classical Music Highlights at Caramoor - Countertenor Iestyn Davies and Harpist Oliver Wass, Pianist Jonathan Biss, and Anthony Roth Costanzo on his New Book
Oct & Nov: Classical Music Highlights at Caramoor - Countertenor Iestyn Davies and Harpist Oliver Wass, Pianist Jonathan Biss, and Anthony Roth Costanzo on his New Book
Photos available in high resolution here.
October and November Classical Highlights at Caramoor
Rosen House Concert Series: Countertenor Iestyn Davies and Harpist Oliver Wass
Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 3:00pm
Rosen House Concert Series: Pianist Jonathan Biss
Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 3:00pm
Conversations at Caramoor: Anthony Roth Costanzo on his New Book Countertenor
Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 3:00pm
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts | Rosen House
149 Girdle Ridge Road | Katonah, NY
Tickets & Information
Getting to Caramoor from NYC: Caramoor is an approximately one-hour ride on Metro-North from Grand Central to Katonah, NY.
KATONAH, NY – Caramoor, a vibrant cultural destination nestled on 81 acres of historic gardens and woodlands in Katonah, NY, continues its intimate 2026-2027 Rosen House Concert Series with two October performances plus a very special installment of Conversations at Caramoor in November. Celebrated British countertenor Iestyn Davies and harpist Oliver Wass perform on Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 3:00pm and renowned pianist Jonathan Biss performs on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 3:00pm, as part of the Rosen House Concert Series. On Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 3:00pm, countertenor and author Anthony Roth Costanzo will speak about his new book, Countertenor (Farrar, Straus, Giroux, October 27, 2026) as part of the Conversations at Caramoor series. All three events take place in the Music Room at the Rosen House.
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. Caramoor’s Rosen House Concert Series runs from October through May, 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.
Countertenor Iestyn Davies is known for his vocal beauty and technical dexterity. An esteemed Handelian, he is a GRAMMY-winner and recipient of multiple Gramophone awards, with appearances at The Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, and Carnegie Hall. He earned an Olivier Award nomination for his performance in the play Farinelli and the King in London and New York. In 2022, Davies appeared with lutenist Thomas Dunford in the Music Room, and on October 18 he returns to Caramoor with Oliver Wass, the first harpist ever to win the prestigious Guildhall Gold Medal, for a recital that includes Dowland’s Flow My Tears; In Darkness Let Me Dwell; Now, O Now I Needs Must Part; Say Love if Ever Thou Didst Find; Time Stands Still; Can She Excuse My Wrongs; and My Thoughts Are Wing'd With Hopes; Purcell’s “Strike the viol, touch the lute” from Come, ye sons of art, away, Handel’s “Sento Amor” from Partenope and “Oh Lord Whose Mercies Numberless” from Saul; Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice Cantata (arranged by Davies), selections from J.S. Bach’s French Suite No.3 BWV 814; Mozart’s Rondo Alla Turka; Monteverdi’s Laudate Dominum in sanctis eius SV287; and Trabaci’s Toccata Seconda and Ligature per l'arpa.
Pianist Jonathan Biss is recognized globally for his impeccable taste and formidable technique. He has appeared as a soloist with the foremost ensembles of the world, including the Los Angeles and New York Philharmonics, the Boston Symphony, and the Royal Concertgebouw. Biss is particularly renowned for his deep engagement with the music of Beethoven. An alum of the Evnin Rising Stars program, he has a rich history with Caramoor, performing many times over the years and last appearing with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 during the 2019 Summer Season. He has recorded the complete piano sonatas of the composer, created a widely viewed Coursera lecture series, spearheaded the Beethoven/5 commissioning project, and is the author of the acclaimed book Unquiet: My Life with Beethoven. Beyond his extensive touring and advocacy for newly commissioned works, Biss serves as the Co-Artistic Director of the Marlboro Music School and Festival. He is a frequent contributor to The New York Times and the recipient of numerous prestigious honors, including the Leonard Bernstein Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and a Gilmore Young Artist Award. At Caramoor on October 25, he will present his program Words Fail! featuring selections from Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words, Janáček’s “Words Fail!” from On the Overgrown Path, Kurtág’s “Quiet talk with the Devil” and “Silence” from Játékok, Amy Beth Kirsten’s (speak to me), and Schumann’s Variations on an Original Theme and Fantasy in C Major, Op. 17.
Anthony Roth Costanzo, one of today’s leading opera singers, will celebrate his debut book, Countertenor (Farrar, Strauss, Giroux, October 27, 2026), with a talk at Caramoor on November 8. Part memoir, part cultural history, the book traces the countertenor voice from its origins in the castrati of the baroque era to its singular place in opera today, exploring how this extraordinary range continues to challenge our ideas of gender, identity, and sound itself. With the same wit and vitality that define his performances, Costanzo reflects on his own path as a singer, producer, and curator shaping the future of the art form. This is a rare opportunity to hear one of opera's most compelling voices speak candidly about the instrument that made his career. Copies of Countertenor will be available for purchase, with a book signing to follow the talk.
Beyond the Music: Yoga, Teas, Talks, & More
Caramoor has expanded its slate of community and family programming to include tours, teas, yoga, and more, giving visitors a wide variety of ways to experience this unique setting in addition to its world-class concerts. Caramoor offers Rosen House Signature Tours on Fridays and Saturdays, inviting visitors to explore the historic Rosen House through a docent-led experience which shares the stories behind the House’s carefully assembled treasures. Caramoor will also continue its popular Afternoon Teas, offering a variety of tea sandwiches, scones with crème fraîche and preserves, delicious desserts, and a selection of fragrant teas. Tea is served in the Music Room, a unique opportunity to relax with friends and family in a breathtaking historic setting. In addition, Caramoor invites the community to unwind and restore in a serene setting with Sunset Yoga in the Sunken Garden in September and Yoga in the Music Room in January. This special yoga series is designed to nurture both body and mind. Each session offers a gentle, mindful practice led by an experienced instructor, with an emphasis on breath, alignment, and presence. Caramoor also offers family activities in all seasons, including making Halloween treats and winter wreaths during Halloween Dessert Decorating Kids Cooking Class and Winter Wreath-Making for Families. Caramoor also offers Rosen House Studio Nights: Art and Aperitifs for adults on select Wednesday evenings, with themes including ceramic tile painting, stained glass mosaics, and jewelry design.
New this season, Caramoor is teaming up with Juilliard Extension to offer six classes that give audiences the opportunity to dive deeper into the themes presented on stage throughout the Rosen House Concert Series and Summer Season. Participants will learn from acclaimed professors and lecturers and engage in thoughtful discussion with fellow music lovers. Topics include Beethoven to Bartók: The Expanding World of Chamber Music; The String Quartet Across Three Centuries; Music, Faith, and Power in the Baroque World; and more. Classes can be taken individually or as an entire series.
Please visit the Caramoor website for the full schedule of Beyond the Music programs, which are announced on a rolling basis: caramoor.org/events/beyond-the-music
About Caramoor
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is a vibrant cultural destination nestled on 81 acres of historic gardens and woodlands in Katonah, NY. Once the home of music and art lovers Walter and Lucie Rosen, Caramoor has evolved into one of the region’s most distinctive destinations for live performances, cultural engagement, and exploration – a sanctuary for music, art, and nature.
Each year, Caramoor presents an exciting array of concerts across genres – from classical, opera, and chamber music to jazz, American roots, global sounds, and the American songbook. Caramoor’s acclaimed Summer Season brings audiences together for unforgettable outdoor performances from June into August in five distinct settings (the 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 summer seasonal concessions Bravo Bar, and a selection of public programs such as yoga, art classes, and large-scale community events.
At-a-Glance Calendar: 2026-27 Rosen House Concert Series Performances
Friday, October 2, 2026 at 7:30pm: Nobuntu
Friday, October 16, 2026 at 7:30pm: Bandits on the Run
Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 3:00pm: Countertenor Iestyn Davies and Harpist Oliver Wass
Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 3:00pm: Pianist Jonathan Biss
Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 3:00pm: Evnin Rising Stars
Friday, November 6, 2026 at 7:30pm: Pianist Aaron Diehl
Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 3:00pm: Renaissance Quartet
Sunday, December 6, 2026 at 2:00pm and 4:00pm: Christmas with Cantus
Sunday, March 7, 2027 at 3:00pm: Schwab Vocal Rising Stars
Sunday, April 4, 2027 at 3:00pm: Viano Quartet
Friday, April 9, 2027 at 7:30pm: The Summer Camargo Quintet
Sunday, April 11, 2027 at 3:00pm: ACRONYM and Countertenor Reginald Mobley
Sunday, April 25, 2027 at 3:00pm: Pianist Inon Barnatan
Sunday, May 2, 2027 at 3:00pm: Renaissance Quartet
Friday, May 7, 2027 at 7:30pm: Sister Sadie
Friday, May 14, 2027 at 7:30pm: Cabaret in the Music Room with Vocalist Mandy Gonzalez
For Caramoor's complete schedule, including the Rosen House Concert Series and Beyond the Music events: caramoor.org/events/calendar
Ticketing Information
Concert tickets are available for purchase online at caramoor.org; by phone at 914.232.1252 Tuesdays through Fridays from 10am-4pm; and on site from the Box Office two hours before each performance.
Caramoor is located at 149 Girdle Ridge Road in Katonah, NY.
How to get to Caramoor: caramoor.org/visit-us/amenities
More information about visiting Caramoor: caramoor.org/visit
Nov. 6: Composer and Multi-Instrumentalist Amir ElSaffar Announces Ashwaaq – New Album on Maqām Records
Nov. 6: Composer and Multi-Instrumentalist Amir ElSaffar Announces Ashwaaq – New Album on Maqām Records
Composer and Multi-Instrumentalist Amir ElSaffar
Announces New Album Ashwaaq
Out November 6, 2026 on Maqām Records
Featuring the Poetry of 13th-Century Sufi Mystic Ibn Arabi
Sung by Aleppan vocalist Khaled AlHafez
Set to a Tapestry of Harmonized Maqam Modes
performed by String Quartet and Santur
Release Date: November 6, 2026
Pre-Order Available Now
CDs or press downloads available upon request.
On November 6, 2026, New York City-based Iraqi-American composer, trumpeter, santur player, vocalist, and modular synthesist Amir ElSaffar will release his new album Ashwaaq on Maqām Records, part of Maqām Studio, of which ElSaffar is the founder and Artistic Director. Ashwaaq is Amir ElSaffar’s ninth studio album and his second on Maqām Records. This recording is comprised of an original seven-movement composition for string quartet, voice, and santur (Iraqi hammered-dulcimer) by ElSaffar, that pairs his music with verses of poetry by thirteenth-century poet Ibn Arabi.
Alongside ElSaffar, Ashwaaq features renowned Syrian vocalist Khaled AlHafez, a carrier of traditional singing from Aleppo, and a string quartet with whom ElSaffar has deep musical relationships: his sister, Dena El Saffar on viola, with whom he co-leads an Iraqi Maqam ensemble; violinist Megan Gould, a major player in the Arabic music scene in New York who has played with Dena for over 30 years; Eylem Basaldi, an innovative violinist and improviser rooted in Turkish music; and cellist Naseem AlAtrash, a virtuoso and composer in his own right and member of the Turtle Island String Quartet.
Amir ElSaffar works at the intersections of jazz, Western classical, electro-acoustic music, and Iraqi and Arabic Maqam. Described as “the celebrated trumpeter and composer who explores vital connections between jazz and Arabic music” (New York Times), and “The Innovator” (SPIN), ElSaffar has created a unique microtonal language that merges the Arabic maqam modal system with jazz and Western classical harmony.
Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, or simply Ibn Arabi (1165-1240), is one of the most revered Sufi philosophers and mystics, whose work embodies the ideals of love and transcendence. The epic Turjuman Al-Ashwaq (Translator of Desires) is a collection of 61 poems that explores the divine and ecstatic nature of unity amid the diversity and variety of the manifest world. On Ashwaaq, selections from Ibn Arabi’s verses are paired with voice and string quartet, using the natural and inherent sound of string instruments to interpret and reflect upon the deeper meanings of Ibn Arabi’s texts.
“My heart can take on any form: a meadow for gazelles, a cloister for monks,
For the idols, sacred ground, Ka'ba for the circling pilgrim,
the tables of the Torah, the scrolls of the Qur'án.
I profess the religion of love; wherever its caravan turns along the way, that is the
belief, the faith I keep.”
The final lines of this poem are among the most widely read and quoted in Arabic poetry, about love of the divine in its constantly changing manifestations. Here, Ibn Arabi finds the unity in all religions, faiths, and philosophies from a place free of dogma. That which is infinite cannot be grasped or contained and is perceived through an open heart “capable of every form.”
The musical side of Ashwaaq is built on much more than the series of melodies and rhythms. ElSaffar is driven by a transcultural perspective which draws on the universality of composing, listening, and reacting to music, reflecting the sentiments of Ibn Arabi’s verses. In his approach to this composition, ElSaffar explores the vast possibilities of sound, melody, harmony, and rhythm through the combination of traditional Arabic singing with the string quartet, to create a work that’s less about conventional analysis or structure and more about expressing the ecstasy, spirituality, and emotion of the poetry.
In order to best achieve his artistic vision, ElSaffar embraced a musical language known as maqam, a system of modes that has been practiced for centuries in North Africa, Western Asia, and Central Asia. These modes –– similar to Western scales but with microtones and greater melodic specificity –– determine the feeling and spiritual quality of a piece of music.
“Rather than relying on Western harmony or counterpoint, two approaches that conflict with the maqam’s inherent logic,” says ElSaffar, “the harmonies of Ashwaaq emerge from sustained microtonal resonances inherent to the maqam, and heterophony — the simultaneous renderings of a single melodic phrase with variation.”
ElSaffar finds even more inspiration in Arab musicality for Ashwaaq, using overtones of the Arab takht – chamber ensemble – as well as rhythmic pulsations that conjure folk instruments and dance. He then brings these elements together with string techniques and aspects of contemporary music. The choice to include a string quartet of Western instruments, as opposed to traditional Arab musical instruments, was guided by ElSaffar’s desire to express the plurality and multitude of meanings in Ibn Arabi’s text, a departure from the single-melody approach characteristic of traditional Maqam music. The work proposes a new form of polyphony based on the microtonal maqam, a delicate undertaking few have attempted, making it a unique contribution in both maqam music as well as Western chamber music.
Composed in 2014 on a commission from the Royaumont Foundation in France, where ElSaffar was composer-in-residence for three years, the work premiered at the Festival d’Avignon and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, and had follow-up performances throughout Europe.
Left to right: Eylem Basaldi, Naseem AlAtrash, Khaled AlHafez, Amir ElSaffar, Dena El Saffar, Megan Gould
More about Amir ElSaffar: Amir ElSaffar leads the acclaimed six-piece Two Rivers ensemble and 17-piece Rivers of Sound Orchestra, and recently founded his New Quartet featuring microtonal piano. He is also the santur player and musical director for vocalist Hamid Al-Saadi, one of the last living practitioners of the Iraqi Maqam.
ElSaffar is the founder and Artistic Director of Maqam Studio and Maqam Records, an initiative supported by the Mellon Foundation, which seeks to preserve and foster innovation within the Maqam musical tradition of the Middle East. He is also composing an Arabic-language Maqam opera, which will have its concert premiere in 2027.
ElSaffar’s compositional output includes works for jazz ensembles, string quartets, mixed chamber ensembles, and symphony orchestras. In addition, he has led numerous hybrid projects with Raga, Flamenco, Stambeli (Tunisian Gnawa) and Subsaharan African trance music. In his most recent works he has incorporated electronic elements, such as analog modular synthesizer.
He has premiered new works at the Newport Jazz Festival, Berlin Jazz Festival, Dream City Festival (Tunisia), Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Festival d’Avignon (France), Flamenco Biennale (Netherlands), the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, and Pierre Boulez Saal, among others.
ElSaffar’s awards and honors include a Mellon Foundation Arts and Culture grant (2023-2028), Doris Duke Performing Artist Award (2013), United States Artists Fellowship (2018), a Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University (2020-2021), an Opera America IDEA Grant (2025-2026) and Creative Capital Award (2026), in support of hisopera. in Arabic.
Ashwaaq
Music by Amir ElSaffar
Release Date: November 6, 2026
Maqām Records
Featuring Amir ElSaffar (santur and composition); Khaled AlHafez (voice); Megan Gould, Eylem Basaldi (violin); Dena El Saffar (viola); Naseem AlAtrash (cello)
Tracklist:
1. Introduction - Nizam [1:36]
2. I - Layta Shi'ri [2:29]
3. II - Qif Bil-Manazili [6:09]
4. III - Tal'a Al-Badru [4:28]
5. VI - Qalat [3:20]
6. V - Lam’at Lana Bil-Abraqayn [4:17]
7. VI - Al Hubbu Dini (Love is My Religion) [7:32]
8. VII - Ala Ya Banat Al-Wadi [2:37]
Total Time: [32:31]
Poetry by Ibn Arabi (1165-1240 AD)
Music by Amir ElSaffar
Produced by Maqām Records
Recorded by Marc Urselli at EastSide Sound, New York, NY on November 10, 2025
Mixed & Mastered by Marc Urselli at Audio Confidential, New York, NY
Cover Art by Amina Ahmed
Design by Buyana Jargalsaikhan
Commissioned by the Royaumont Foundation in 2014
Premiered at Festival d’Avignon and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in July, 2014
Dedicated to the memory of Frederic Deval (1951-2016)
Excerpts from Ibn Arabi’s collection of mystical love poems, Turjumān al-Ashwāq (The Translator of Desires), written in Mecca in 1215. Excerpts from a translation into English by Michael Sells (Princeton University Press, 2021) are included in the linear notes.