Christopher Jesina 2/27/26 Christopher Jesina 2/27/26

Out Today: Sarah Kirkland Snider's Forward Into Light - New Amsterdam/Nonesuch Records

Sarah Kirkland Snider Releases Forward Into Light

A New Album Featuring Four Orchestral Works
Out February 27 on New Amsterdam/Nonesuch Records

Recorded by Metropolis Ensemble
Andrew Cyr, Artistic Director/Conductor

“Her music can sound ageless and contemporary at once, with an emotional impact that's direct and immediate.” – Gothamist

Featured on NPR’s New Music Friday

Review CDs and downloads available upon request.

New York, NY – February 27, 2026 – Sarah Kirkland Snider’s fifth full-length LP, a new, all-orchestral album titled Forward Into Light, produced by multi-GRAMMY-winning producer Silas Brown and recorded by GRAMMY-nominated Metropolis Ensemble led by artistic director/conductor Andrew Cyr, is out today, co-released by Nonesuch Records and the label that Snider co-founded, New Amsterdam Records.

The new album features four of Snider’s orchestral works: Forward Into Light, a commission for the New York Philharmonic inspired by the American women’s suffrage movement; the string orchestra and harp (Noël Wan) version of Drink the Wild Ayre, a reimagining of the string quartet Snider wrote for the Emerson String Quartet as the ensemble’s final commission; Eye of Mnemosyne, a multimedia orchestral work on memory, innovation, and culture as refracted through the lens of photography, commissioned by the Rochester Philharmonic; and Something for the Dark, a meditation on resilience, commissioned by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra after Snider won its Lebenbom Competition in 2014.

The album has already been met with critical acclaim:

“…Forward Into Light, teems with creative ideas. An arresting introduction reverberates with a shimmering gesture on harp and chiming percussion, underpinned by a falling melody in disjunct motion first heard in the string section…A similarly searching, questing spirit belongs to Drink the Wild Ayre, heard here in a version for harp and string orchestra, where interlocking variations yield a rich sonic palimpsest of layers stacked in ever-increasing intensities…Interlocking sections and movements also shape the eight-part suite Eye of Mnemosyne, which abounds in dramatic, filmic chiaroscuro effects, while the earliest piece on the album, Something for the Dark, explores similar themes of resilience and hope found in Forward Into Light.” – Pwyll ap Siôn, Gramophone

"[Forward Into Light] reveals Snider as, among other things, a master orchestral colorist…there is sheer beauty in Snider’s dynamic wielding of the orchestral voices…intriguing and accessible, complex and emotionally gripping…an exhilarating listening experience…this music adds significantly to her oeuvre.” – Jon Sobel, Blogcritics

“As indicated by the title, Forward Into Light is a hopeful album, suggesting that history is tilting toward something brighter and more positive. This attitude may be in short supply these days, but its rarity makes it all the more essential…The Metropolis Ensemble, conducted by Andrew Cyr, is precise and controlled, unleashing its energy in increments….like an army of angels, war in the skies, darkness and light colliding in a thunderclap of Biblical proportions…This is what Sarah Kirkland Snider offers: not the assurance that everything will be all right, but that resistance is resilience, no matter what the outcome.” – Richard Allen, A Closer Listen

Snider, deemed “one of new music’s leading names” (Gramophone), writes music of direct expression and dramatic narrative that has been hailed as “rapturous” (New York Times), “groundbreaking” (Boston Globe), and “ravishingly beautiful” (NPR). With an attention to detail that is “as intricate and exquisite as a spider’s web” (BBC Music Magazine), her music synthesizes diverse influences to render a nuanced command of immersive storytelling.

“I chose to create an album of these four works because they share themes of perseverance, alliance, and evolution through dark and light – concepts that have been at the forefront of my mind in recent years,” Sarah Kirkland Snider says. “Beyond that, there are musical connections: three of the works feature certain motivic ideas that have haunted me over the past few years, appearing in different guises across projects.”

The album has been recorded with 21st century listeners in mind. Snider states:

“Some of my most vivid memories of feeling awake and alive – whether walking city streets as an adult or lying in the dark on the floor in my childhood bedroom – have been inspired by listening to orchestral music recordings on headphones. In some ways, I’ve loved listening this way even more than live, because it feels private and personal – like a dream you can revisit in any way, at any time. Since childhood, I’ve longed to be on the other side of that alchemical exchange, creating sonic journeys that a listener can personalize in even the most mundane settings.

When I began thinking about recording my own orchestral music, I knew I wanted a sonically immersive, dynamic, and intricate listening experience – one in which the subtlest orchestration details and tempo changes could be fully realized. To that end, Metropolis and I recorded this music with intentionally idiosyncratic approaches to isolation and tempo mapping, maximizing control over individual lines without sacrificing musicality or expressivity. With that freedom, the mix became painstakingly detailed – but also deeply gratifying.”

Andrew Cyr, Metropolis Ensemble's artistic director and conductor, shares this vision for the recording process. He says, “At Metropolis, the studio is another stage, and recording is its own artistic medium. What draws me to it is the potential for a different kind of closeness: an intensely shared attentiveness between performer and listener. On one end, the composer, musicians, and engineers shape every breath and balance; on the other, technology carries that intention directly to the ear. For this album, we lived with the music for eight months – playing, listening, refining. From tracking to post-production, we worked with a panoramic syntax, engineered for Atmos and modern playback, letting depth, focus, and perspective carry Sarah’s orchestration and vision.”

The new album joins Sarah Kirkland Snider’s previous full-length LPs – The Blue Hour (New Amsterdam/Nonesuch, 2022), Mass for the Endangered (New Amsterdam/Nonesuch, 2020), Unremembered (New Amsterdam, 2015), and Penelope (New Amsterdam, 2010) – which have garnered year-end nods and critical acclaim from The New York Times, NPR, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Gramophone Magazine, Pitchfork, BBC Music Magazine, The Nation, and many others.

About Sarah Kirkland Snider: Sarah Kirkland Snider’s music has been commissioned and/or performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Cleveland Orchestra; Detroit Symphony Orchestra; National Symphony Orchestra; New York Philharmonic; San Francisco Symphony; Philharmonia Orchestra; Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Residentie Orkest; Birmingham Royal Ballet; Emerson String Quartet; Renée Fleming and Will Liverman; Deutsche Grammophon for mezzo Emily D’Angelo; percussionist Colin Currie; eighth blackbird; A Far Cry; and Roomful of Teeth, among many others. In addition to the music on this album, Snider’s recent works include Mass for the Endangered, a Trinity Wall Street-commissioned prayer for the environment for choir and ensemble, programmed by dozens of choirs the world over; and Embrace, an orchestral ballet for the Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Highlights of Snider’s 2025-2026 concert season include the milestone premieres of three major new works – her first opera, HILDEGARD, for which she also wrote the libretto, co-commissioned by Beth Morrison Projects and the Aspen Music Festival and School and presented in rolling world premieres by Los Angeles Opera (November 5-9, 2025) and PROTOTYPE Festival in New York (January 9-17, 2026), with subsequent performances at the Aspen Music Festival and School (Summer 2026); a new work for dance for the New World Symphony and Miami City Ballet (April 17-19, 2026); and the professional world premiere performances of Snider’s latest orchestral work Marmoris by the Monterey Symphony (May 16-17, 2026). Her music will be performed around the world this season in cities including Paris, France; Offenbach, Germany; Toronto and Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; Abbotsford, Victoria, Australia; and Antwerp, Belgium; as well as across the United States from Brooklyn, New York and Baltimore, Maryland to Wheeling, West Virginia; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Berkeley, California.

A founding Co-Artistic Director of Brooklyn-based non-profit New Amsterdam Records, Sarah Kirkland Snider has an M.M.and Artist’s Diploma from the Yale School of Music, and a B.A. from Wesleyan University. The winner of the 2014 Detroit Symphony Orchestra Lebenbom Competition, Snider was a Visiting Lecturer at Princeton University in fall 2023. Her music is published by G. Schirmer. For more information about Sarah Kirkland Snider: www.sarahkirklandsnider.com/bio

About Metropolis Ensemble: Metropolis Ensemble is a GRAMMY-nominated, New York City-based orchestral collective and non-profit production house shaping today’s musical landscape. Founded in 2006 by GRAMMY-nominated conductor-producer Andrew Cyr, Metropolis champions exceptional composers and performers at pivotal moments – turning ideas into premieres, site-specific experiences, and definitive recordings. Metropolis provides the scaffolding artists need – bespoke ensembles, creative productions, multi-genre collaborations, and direct on-ramps to global stages – launching careers and inspiring new audiences. The ensemble has been presented by BAM’s Next Wave, The Met, Lincoln Center, Celebrate Brooklyn, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, New Victory Theater, and Prototype. Cross-genre collaborators include Questlove & The Roots, Wye Oak, Deerhoof, Emily Wells, Caroline Rose, and the Immanuel Wilkins Quartet, with stages from the Hollywood Bowl and Brooklyn Steel to Sounds from a Safe Harbour and Eaux Claires Hiver. Its recordings have earned wide acclaim – including Canada’s JUNO Award for Vivian Fung’s Violin Concerto (2013 Best Contemporary Composition) and GRAMMY recognitions for Avner Dorman’s Mandolin Concerto (2010 Best Solo Instrumental Performance), Timo Andres’s Home Stretch (part of David Frost’s 2013 Producer of the Year), and Timo Andres: The Blind Banister (2025 Best Engineered Album, Classical), which also landed on year-end lists from The New York Times, NPR Music, and Gramophone. Recognized as one of New York City’s most prolific incubators of new talent, Metropolis is a national model for artist-driven innovation. For more information about Metropolis: www.metropolisensemble.org

ALBUM TRACK LISTING:

Forward Into Light
Sarah Kirkland Snider | Metropolis Ensemble | Andrew Cyr
New Amsterdam/Nonesuch Records | Release Date: February 27, 2026
All Music by Sarah Kirkland Snider

1. Forward Into Light [15:04]

2. Drink the Wild Ayre [12:45]
Noël Wan, harp

Eye of Mnemosyne
3. Prelude: Eye of Mnemosyne [2:28]
4. Mnemonic: Wheel of the Muses [1:41]
5. Mori: Memory of the Dead [1:43]
6. Vivere: Power of the Snapshot [3:21]
7. Memento: Defense Against Time [3:17]
8. Nostos: War Story [2:57]
9. Ephemera: Fragmented Memory Psyche [1:36]
10. (Epilogue): Lens of Nostalgia [4:13]

Something for the Dark
11. The Promise [6:28]
12. Of Rise and Renewal [5:36]

Total time: 61:09

Produced by Silas Brown and Andrew Cyr
Engineered by Silas Brown, Wellington Gordon, Charles Mueller, Mike Tierney, Doron Schachter, and Ryan Streber
Mixed by Silas Brown; Silas Brown and Mike Tierney (Drink the Wild Ayre)
Mastered by Silas Brown/Legacy Sound
Recorded at Drew University, FSU College of Music, Field Notes, Sandbox Percussion, Oktaven Audio (January-June, 2025)
Graphic Design by David (DM) Stith
Photography by Anja Schütz

Christopher Jesina 2/27/26 Christopher Jesina 2/27/26

March 21 & 22: California Symphony Led by Donato Cabrera Presents Northern Lights - Music by Politically and Religiously Oppressed Composers

Photo by Kristen Loken. Hi res photos available here.

California Symphony's 2025-2026 Season Continues with
NORTHERN LIGHTS

Music by Politically and Religiously Oppressed Composers
Valentin Silvestrov, Arvo Pärt, and Jean Sibelius

Led by Donato Cabrera, Artistic & Music Director

Featuring California Symphony Violinists Jennifer Cho and Sam Weiser in Pärt’s Tabula Rasa

In Concert March 21 at 7:30pm & March 22, 2026 at 4:00pm
At Walnut Creek's Lesher Center for the Arts

Tickets & Information: www.californiasymphony.org

WALNUT CREEK, CA – California Symphony and Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera continue the 2025-2026 season with NORTHERN LIGHTS – a program featuring defiant and resolute music by politically and religiously oppressed composers including Valentin Silvestrov’s Stille Musik (Quiet Music), Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa, and Jean Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2 on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at 7:30pm and Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 4:00pm at Hofmann Theatre at the Lesher Center for the Arts (1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek). Tickets include a free 30-minute pre-concert talk by award-winning instructor Scott Foglesong, one hour before the performances.

The music included on California Symphony’s March concerts is connected on several levels – stylistically, as expressions of deep emotion, and as explicit or implicit artistic responses to Russian/Soviet oppression. The program opens with Silvestrov's Stille Musik (Quiet Music), which sets a reflective tone, taking listeners on an emotional journey through vivid, crystalline memories. California Symphony all-stars Jennifer Cho and Sam Weiser are then featured in Pärt's Tabula Rasa, a minimalistic, melodic conversation between two violins, in a deeply moving and powerful modern masterpiece. The concerts culminate with Sibelius’s stirring and uplifting Symphony No. 2, which captures the breathtaking beauty of the Nordic landscape and evokes a sense of fearless optimism. Its sweeping melodies and bold themes make it a powerful celebration of resilience and triumph.

“Art created in response to political and religious oppression has been, throughout history, a most effective tool and a lasting memorial,” Donato Cabrera says. “From the protest art against the pharaohs of ancient Egypt to Picasso's Guernica, from Goya’s Tres de Mayo to Banksy’s Napalm, these images remain an forever indelible commentary on the atrocities committed against the innocent and thought provoking. The same has been true for musical works throughout the ages. From Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro to John Adams’s Nixon in China, music has also been a most effective mirror for our society. In style, personality, and career trajectory, the three composers I have chosen for this concert couldn't be more different from one another, but their music and respective cultural significance clearly places them in this long and noble line of composers of music of resistance and change.”

Valentin Silvestrov is a Ukrainian composer who has been living in Berlin since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He wrote Stille Musik in 2002, and the work was premiered that year in Kyiv. In Fanfare magazine, Robert Carl describes Stille Musik, writing that it “positively drips with fin de siècle world-weariness. Its three movements are a slow and ever-fading waltz, a melancholy but lilting serenade, and a suitably elegiac finale. I find the piece truly haunting in the beauty of its melodies and the deeply sincere love it expresses.”

California Symphony joins the worldwide celebration of iconic Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s 90th birthday this season by performing his masterpiece Tabula Rasa, composed in 1977. This double concerto for two violins with orchestra was one of Pärt’s first works after eight years of compositional silence, brought on by both political and personal crisis. Pärt emerged with a new approach to composing, which he called tintinnabuli, influenced by his experiences with early music and Gregorian chant. After the premiere of Tabula Rasa, composer Erkki-Sven Tüür said, “I was carried beyond. I had the feeling that eternity was touching me through this music.”

Finnish composer Jean Sibelius wrote his second symphony in 1901 and 1902, starting the work in the mountains of Italy. After its premiere in Helsinki, the public connected the piece with Finland’s struggle for independence during a time of Russian sanctions, due to its Nordic themes and resilient sound. Sibelius’s intentions with the work are unknown, but many listeners were drawn to this interpretation. “There is something about this music – at least for us – that leads us to ecstasy; almost like a shaman with his magic drum,” said Finnish composer Sulho Ranta.

California Symphony’s signature approach to creating vibrant concerts, rich in storytelling and spanning the breadth of orchestral repertoire, the 2025-2026 season explores evocative programmatic music including Maurice Ravel’s Boléro, Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and Valentin Silvestrov’s Stille Musik; the fruitful intersection of jazz and classical in music by Jessie Montgomery, Friedrich Gulda, and George Gershwin; the monumental symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Jean Sibelius, and Alexander Borodin; the timelessness of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart including excerpts from Don Giovanni; and world-class soloists in riveting concertos including pianist Robert Thies in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, Nathan Chan in Friedrich Gulda’s Cello Concerto, violinists Jennifer Cho and Sam Weiser in Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa, and pianist Sofya Gulyak in Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3.

This season, California Symphony continues to serve its community beyond the stage through its nationally recognized educational initiative Sound Minds and its innovative lifelong learning program Fresh Look: The Symphony Exposed. It will also expand its programs for vulnerable populations at Trinity Center Walnut Creek and continue community partnerships to reach more underserved youth throughout Contra Costa County.

Founded in 1986, California Symphony has been led by Donato Cabrera since 2013. Its concert season at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California serves a growing number of music lovers from across the Bay Area. California Symphony believes that the concert experience should be fun and inviting, and its mission is to create a welcoming, engaging, and inclusive environment for the entire community. Through this commitment to community, imaginative programming, and its support of emerging composers, California Symphony is a leader among orchestras in California and a model for regional orchestras everywhere.

Single tickets start at $50 and at $25 for students 25 and under. More information is available at CaliforniaSymphony.org or call the Lesher Center Ticket Office at (925) 943-7469 (open Wed – Sun, 12pm to 6pm).

FOR CALENDAR EDITORS:

WHAT: California Symphony and Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera celebrate the triumph of the human spirit. These concerts open with the rich harmonies of GRAMMY-winning composer Jessie Montgomery’s Overture and continue with Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 featuring pianist Robert Thies, closing with Ludwig van Beethoven’s towering Symphony No. 3 – the Eroica, a bold, powerful celebration of struggle, triumph, and humanity.

California Symphony takes the stuffiness out of the concert experience: Take selfies at the photo booth, order a signature cocktail, and sip at your seat. Tickets include a free 30-minute pre-concert talk by Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera, starting one hour before the show.

WHEN:
Saturday, November 15, 2025 at 7:30pm
Sunday, November 16, 2025 at 4:00pm

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

CONCERT:
BEETHOVEN’S EROICA
Donato Cabrera, conductor
California Symphony

PROGRAM:
Jessie Montgomery: Overture (2022)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 (1785)
Robert Thies, piano
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 (Eroica) (1804)

TICKETS: Single tickets start at $50 and at $25 for students 25 and under. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit CaliforniaSymphony.org or call the Lesher Center Ticket Office at (925) 943-7469 (open Wed – Sun, 12pm to 6pm).

PHOTOS: Available here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more information, visit CaliforniaSymphony.org.

California Symphony’s 2025-26 season is sponsored by the Lesher Foundation.

Christopher Jesina 2/27/26 Christopher Jesina 2/27/26

OUT TODAY: PERSEVERANTIA by Composer & Pianist Vadim Neselovskyi – Featured on NPR's Morning Edition – Coinciding with the Fourth Anniversary of the Invasion of Ukraine

Ukrainian-Born Composer and Pianist Vadim Neselovskyi
Releases New Album PERSEVERANTIA on Tzadik Today

Coinciding with the Fourth Anniversary of the Invasion of Ukraine
Listen Here

Featured on NPR's Morning Edition

“The album takes you on a journey,”
– Leila Fadel, Morning Edition

Album Release Concert at Roulette
Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 8pm | 509 Atlantic Ave. | Brooklyn, NY 11217
Tickets and More Information | Livestream

“Neselovskyi is a rare mix of classically trained pianist and brilliant jazz improviser, a musical omnivore for whom different sounds have always flowed together.”
– PBS Newshour

Downloads, press photos, and CDs available to press on request

VadimNeselovskyi.com | Tzadik.com

Today, February 24, 2026, Ukrainian-born, Brooklyn-based Vadim Neselovskyi — composer, pianist, and Professor of Jazz Piano at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA — releases his new album PERSEVERANTIA, executive produced by John Zorn for Tzadik. PERSEVERANTIA is an original suite for piano and string trio in 11 movements, recorded with the Netherlands-based Ysaÿe String Trio (Rada Ovcharova, violin; Emlyn Stam, viola and Willem Stam, cello). The album’s release date coincides with the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. Neselovskyi performs music from PERSEVERANTIA at Roulette (509 Atlantic Ave.) on Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 8pm with violinist Pauline Kim Harris, violist Celia Hatton, and cellist Andrew Janss. The concert will be livestreamed and available on demand.

“Composing PERSEVERANTIA was my way of processing everything that has happened in my home country since February 2022,” says Neselovskyi. “Music, particularly instrumental music devoid of lyrics, is a universal language. And while I did not intend for this work to be an easy listening experience, I hope that its message of resilience, empathy, and hope reaches those who choose to listen.”

Neselovskyi spoke with Leila Fadel about PERSEVERANTIA for NPR's Morning Edition – listen here.

“I don’t know what the next year will bring us but the little I can do, I will be doing,” says Neselovskyi. “And that is, being honest, sharing empathy and awareness, and perhaps, car[ing] for each other––the basic human values––through music, as much as it’s possible. That’s all I can do, and hope and pray for better times.”

PERSEVERANTIA is Vadim Neselovskyi’s seventh full-length album and follows his most recent work — 2022’s critically acclaimed ODESA (Sunnyside Records) — an emotionally vivid and personal reflection on Neselovskyi’s Ukrainian birthplace and its connection to his multifaceted life. ODESA features compositions inspired by Ukrainian landmarks like the Odesa Railway Station, Potemkin Stairs, and Odesa Conservatory. The New York Times described how throughout the album, Neselovskyi “takes care to depict each given scene or concept with a sure compositional hand.” The album was also featured by NPR’s Morning Edition, WNYC's All of It, PBS Newshour, The Boston Globe, and more.

As a young composer and pianist growing up in Odesa, Ukraine, Neselovskyi discovered that his calling was not to follow any one stylistic path but to become a “creator of music.” Known for his collaborations with Gary Burton, John Zorn, and Fred Hersch, he has long since fulfilled that early promise in myriad ways both inventive and unexpected: as a composer whose vision is expansive enough to spark inspired interpretations from jazz trio and symphony orchestra alike; as an improviser carving surprising pathways through the straightahead, the avant-garde, and the indefinable; and as a collaborator valued by peers, mentors and fellow innovators.

Four years after ODESA, both Neselovskyi’s compositional instincts and his sense of resilience have only grown, paving the way for PERSEVERANTIA — an album that tells a story of compassion, empathy, willpower, resistance, sincerity, falsehood, freedom, and the arduous path to it.

Neselovskyi says, “Stylistically, PERSEVERANTIA weaves together the many strands of my life, as a post-classical composer, world-touring jazz musician, and individual inextricably connected to my Ukrainian and Jewish roots, ultimately converging toward a single cohesive artistic statement.”

As a Ukrainian, Neselovskyi is deeply connected to current events. However, this suite is not only about the devastating war; it speaks to everyone, reflecting on timeless human challenges and the best aspects of human nature. Placing exhilarating piano improvisations in the context of gorgeous compositions for classical string trio, PERSEVERANTIA evokes a cornucopia of emotions and striking scenes, encouraging unhurried consideration from beginning to end.

Vadim Neselovskyi
PERSEVERANTIA: A Suite for Piano and String Trio

Release Date: February 24, 2026 | Tzadik
Recorded October 16-17, 2024 in Bethlehemkerk, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Tracklist:

[1] Before 24 [8:02]
[2] Tanks Near Kyiv [5:44]
[3] March Passacaglia [8:14]
[4] I Don’t Need a Ride [5:18]
[5] Orwell [6:27]
[6] Refugees [6:38]
[7] Dancing As If Nothing Ever Happened [5:59]
[8] Chorale [5:35]
[9] Lviv Funeral [2:56]
[10] Perseverantia [8:26]
[11] After 24 [7:54]

[Total Time: 71:13]

Vadim Neselovskyi, Piano
Rada Ovcharova, Violin
Emlyn Stam, Viola
Willem Stam, Cello

Executive Producer: John Zorn
Engineered by Joeri Saal
Mixed by Christian Heck
Edited by Lukas Lohner
Pre-Mastered by Christoph Stickel
Mastered by Scott Hull
Album Front Cover Photos by Alexander Yakimchuk
Album Back Cover Photos by Arkady Mitnik
Album Design by Heung Heung Chin

About Vadim Neselovskyi: The Los Angeles Times has praised Vadim Neselovskyi’s “extraordinary playing” while The Guardian (UK) called him “the most promising of the young improvisers." Whether as a pianist, composer, improviser, soloist or bandleader, Neselovskyi creates music that is truly inspired and wholly unique. His work has been played by jazz greats like Randy Brecker, Antonio Sanchez, Julian Lage, and Gary Burton, as well as classical artists (Daniel Gauthier, whose recording of Neselovskyi’s “San Felio” won an ECHO Classical Award) and symphony orchestras in the United States and Europe.

Those diverse talents have attracted the attention of revered artists crossing the boundaries of genre, including legendary vibraphonist Gary Burton, who famously enlisted Neselovskyi for his acclaimed Generations Quintet; the prestigious Graz Philharmoniker, which performed his composition “Prelude for Vibes” on their New Year’s program; iconoclastic composer/saxophonist John Zorn, who invited Neselovskyi to contribute to The Book Beriah, the final installment of his Masada project; and French horn/alphorn pioneer Arkady Shilkloper, a profound influence with whom the pianist now shares a longstanding duo collaboration. In the summer of 2022, an orchestral version of Winter in Odesa — one of the movements from the Odesa Suite — was premiered at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, featuring classical saxophone star Asya Fateyeva and Ensemble Reflektor as part of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. The concert was recorded and broadcast by ARTE TV.

About the Ysaÿe Trio: Founded in 2006 by Rada Ovcharova (violin), Emlyn Stam (viola) and Willem Stam (cello) the Ysaÿe Trio performs regularly at the leading festivals and concert halls throughout the Netherlands as well as abroad. “The Ysaÿe Trio performs with conviction, craftsmanship and love. Superb!” Haarlems Dagblad (Haarlem, Netherlands)

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Christina Jensen 2/27/26 Christina Jensen 2/27/26

Newport Classical presents Two Chamber Series Concerts - Benjamin Appl on March 13 and Ars Poetica on March 27

*L-R: Benjamin Appl and James Baillieu, Ars Poetica. Photos available in high resolution* *here.*

Newport Classical Continues 2025-2026 Chamber Series

Baritone Benjamin Appl and Pianist James Baillieu Perform Franz Schubert’s Die Winterreise
Friday, March 13, 2026 at 7:30pm

Ars Poetica Performs Dance and Transfiguration
Friday, March 27, 2026 at 7:30pm

Information & Tickets: www.newportclassical.org

Newport, RI – Newport Classical continues its fifth full-season Chamber Series, which features twelve concerts held on select Fridays between September 2025 and June 2026 at the organization’s home venue, the Newport Classical Recital Hall (42 Dearborn St.), with two concerts in March. Baritone Benjamin Appl and pianist James Baillieu perform on Friday, March 13, 2026 at 7:30pm and Baroque ensemble Ars Poetica performs on Friday, March 27, 2026 7:30pm.

On Friday, March 13, baritone Benjamin Appl, whose voice “belongs to the last of the old great masters of song” (Süddeutsche Zeitung) and whose artistry has been described as “unbearably moving” (The Times), presents Schubert's hauntingly beautiful Die Winterreise with his frequent collaborator, pianist James Baillieu. Named Gramophone Award Young Artist of the Year in 2016, Appl continues to captivate listeners with artistry that gracefully weaves timeless tradition and vivid, heartfelt expression. He brings this hauntingly beautiful song cycle to life, offering an unforgettable journey through loneliness, memory, and the stark poetry of winter. Appl’s recent recital debuts include Carnegie Hall, San Francisco Performances, Dallas Opera, Boston Celebrity Series, New York’s Park Avenue Armory (of all three Schubert song cycles), Sydney Opera House, Mozarteum Salzburg, Festival St. Denis, and three presentations of Winterreise by the Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona.

Watch Benjamin Appl and James Baillieu Perform Die Post from Die Winterreise

On Friday, March 27, Newport Classical presents Ars Poetica, an ensemble of acclaimed musicians who share a passion for bringing historical music to the stage. Comprised of a colorful array of Baroque instruments, including viola, lute, recorder, and voice, Ars Poetica’s concerts combine innovative repertoire choices, particularly of music from the high Renaissance to early Baroque, with sophisticated interpretations. Their Newport Classical program Dance and Transfiguration finds its inspiration in music that has taken previous material and turned it into something new. This is celebrated in the beauty of bastarda repertoire, diminution practices, and in music with strong text settings. Each of these genres rely on previously written material to come to life.

Watch Ars Poetica Perform Diego Ortiz:

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

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

The Chamber Series continues with violinist Yevgeny Kutik, who makes his Newport Classical debut on April 10 alongside returning pianist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner. Praised for his "dark-hued and razor-sharp technique" (The New York Times), Kutik performs works by Debussy, Prokofiev, and Grieg. Rising-star pianist James Zijian Wei, first-prize winner at the 2024 Cleveland International Piano Competition, makes his highly anticipated Newport debut on May 8 with a program featuring Ravel, Liszt, and more. The Chamber Series concludes on June 5 with flutist Amir Hoshang Farsi and pianist Chelsea Wang, both Carnegie Hall Ensemble Connect alumni, presenting a program of sparkling impressionism featuring works by Fauré, Lili Boulanger, and contemporary composers Reena Esmail, Ian Clarke, and Yuko Uebayashi.

The 2026 Newport Classical Music Festival will take place from July 2-19, 2026.

About Newport Classical

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

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

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

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

Christopher Jesina 2/27/26 Christopher Jesina 2/27/26

OUT TODAY: Pianist and Composer Olivia Belli Releases Daimon – Her First Piano Concerto on Sony Classical

Pianist and Composer Olivia Belli
Releases Her First Piano Concerto Daimon on Sony Classical
Out Today - Listen Here

Album Release Date: Out Today

Whether Johann Sebastian Bach, Frédéric Chopin, Philip Glass or Arvo Part– the works of these composers have inspired Olivia Belli, one of the most captivating voices in the neoclassical scene. Equally, art and literature open new worlds for her, fueling her creativity as a composer. The starting point for her new album Daimon –– out today on Sony Classical –– was Homer’s  Odyssey. “It was Odysseus’ fate to return to his homeland Ithaca,” says Olivia Belli. “That’s where his wife and son were – everything that defined him.”

The idea that every life is essentially a journey, one that inevitably leads us toward our true purpose, deeply fascinated the Italian artist from the picturesque Marche region. From this concept emerged the piano concerto Daimon – recorded with a string orchestra and inspired by Italian Baroque music. It consists of three movements: The Departure, The Journey, and The Return. The second movement, The Journey, stands out in particular. It reflects the trials, hardships, and suffering faced not only by Odysseus but also by Olivia Belli herself on her path to catharsis. These emotional highs and lows unfold in strikingly epic soundscapes.

Olivia Belli consciously wove her own biography into the concerto. Daimon spans her life from adolescence to the present. As the daughter of a bank manager, she moved frequently as a child. Despite discovering exciting cities, she always felt something was missing – though she couldn’t quite name it.

That changed at age 14, when an accident left her bedridden for several months. “During that time, I was thrown back on myself. With no distractions, I realized what I truly needed: music and nature.” She had reached the point Socrates once described: “You must know who you are before you go out into the world.” In other words, Olivia Belli had found what the Greek term daimon expresses – her calling. Since then, she has never lost sight of her purpose.

Olivia Belli studied with distinguished pianists and pedagogues including Alexander Lonquich, Jörg Demus, Franco Scala, and Piero Rattalino, and also pursued composition studies, enriching her artistic identity. She has performed at acclaimed events such as the Piano Nights in Amsterdam, the Montreal Jazz Festival, and the Steinway & Sons Piano Series at the Royal Albert Hall (Elgar Room). Olivia Belli has also composed works for various artists, including Norwegian violinist Mari Samuelsen, French cellist Gautier Capuçon, and British organist Anna Lapwood. Above all, she has continually embarked on sonic explorations for her own recordings – often inspired by nature or Greek mythology. Her latest creative phase, especially with the piano concerto Daimon, has produced something truly exceptional for a neoclassical artist. Rather than relying on force and orchestral grandeur, this work calls for sensitivity – expressed in Olivia Belli’s unmistakable musical language. She favors gentleness, nuanced emotion, and pastel tonal colors.

Following Daimon, her recording continues with the Ithaca Suite, another musical journey into ancient Greece. This piece portrays the characters Odysseus encounters upon his return – including his father Laertes and his son Telemachus. In these Rencontres, cellist Raphaela Gromes, violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing, and saxophonist Jess Gillam shine as guest musicians. Olivia Belli not only contributes her musical signature but also embraces the collaborative spirit with her fellow artists. Her openness to shared creative processes and her refined sense for musical dialogue make her a sought-after partner – both as a pianist and composer. This artistic connection is also reflected in Olivia Belli’s own compositions, where she interweaves personal themes with universal emotions.

Odysseus’ wife Penelope is honored by Olivia Belli with a piano solo at the heart of the Ithaca Suite, its melody gently oscillating between melancholy and hope. “There is no Odysseus without Penelope,” the musician reflects. “Knowing you’re not alone is essential. We exist above all thanks to the people by our side.”

The album concludes with a sonata that openly reveals its unpretentious beauty: the Sonatina for Nausicaa. Nausicaa was the daughter of the Phaeacian king. She did not shy away when she found the shipwrecked Odysseus on the shore, but instead offered him clothes and food. “Nowadays, few would invite a homeless person into their home,” Olivia Belli observes. “For many, a person’s worth is measured primarily by success or money. Yet we all have our own unique calling.”

Daimon: Piano Concerto, Ithaca Suite & Sonatina for Nausicaa
Release Date: February 20, 2025

Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra Daimon

1            I. The Departure
2            II. The Journey
3            III. The Return

              Ithaca Suite
4            I. Proci
5            II. Telemachus
6            III. Eumaeus
7            IV. Penelopeia
8            V. Eurycleia
9            VI. Laertes
10          VII. Pax Athenae

              Sonatina for Nausicaa
11          I. Semplice
12          II. Andantino
13          III. Allegretto

Olivia Belli & Eldbjørg Hemsing – Telemachus (Official Music Video)

# # #

CONNECT WITH OLIVIA BELLI
Website | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube

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

Christopher Jesina 2/26/26 Christopher Jesina 2/26/26

Simone Dinnerstein Joins Management Roster of MKI Artists and Signs New Recording Contract with Naïve

Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco available in high resolution here.

Simone Dinnerstein Joins Management Roster of MKI Artists and Signs New Recording Contract with Naïve

“Dinnerstein is an artist of strikingly original ideas and irrefutable integrity. These attributes, combined with elegance and grace, lend her music-making its captivating beauty.” – The Washington Post

simonedinnerstein.com | mkiartists.com | naiverecords.com

February 26, 2026 – Pianist Simone Dinnerstein, one of the most distinctive voices in classical music today, announces two major new partnerships: she has joined the esteemed roster of MKI Artists for management and has signed a new recording contract with the celebrated label naïve for future albums.

The GRAMMY-nominated pianist first came to wider public attention in 2007 through her recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, reflecting an aesthetic that was both deeply rooted in the score and profoundly personal. Dinnerstein is, wrote The New York Times, “a unique voice in the forest of Bach interpretation.” This approach extends to all of the repertoire she performs, from J.S. Bach to Philip Glass. The Washington Post comments that “ultimately, it is Dinnerstein’s unreserved identification with every note she plays that makes her performance so spellbinding.”

Since her recording of the Goldberg Variations, in addition to establishing a busy performing career, Simone Dinnerstein has made fourteen albums – all of which have topped the Billboard classical charts. She has played with orchestras ranging from the New York Philharmonic and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra to the London Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale Rai. She has performed in venues from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center to the Berlin Philharmonie, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Seoul Arts Center, and the Sydney Opera House.

Of her new chapter with MKI Artists, Dinnerstein says, “I feel honored to join the wonderful roster of MKI Artists. John Zion and Alicia Horwitz have a strong commitment to the values that I hold most dear — artistic integrity, balance between life and music, and a mission to bring music of meaning to the community of music lovers. I am very excited to collaborate with them in developing my musical projects and dreams.”

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Simone Dinnerstein to MKI Artists,” say John Zion, President & CEO and Alicia Horwitz, Director of Artist Management and Booking. “Simone is a rare musician whose artistry combines intellectual depth, emotional honesty, and a profound sense of purpose. Her ability to connect meaningfully with audiences reflects the kind of thoughtful, enduring artistry we value deeply. It's an honor to partner with an artist of her integrity and vision, and we look forward to supporting the next chapter of her remarkable career.”

Of naïve’s new relationship with Dinnerstein, Aurélia Rippe, Head of A&R at naïve classique, says, “It is such an honor for our label to welcome Simone Dinnerstein for a new recording chapter. Simone has always spoken up with a truly personal artistic vision. Recognized ambassador of Bach and Philip Glass, Simone is passionate about sharing with the audience the way the score resonates deep in her soul — which she does with a unique sense of phrasing and harmonic balance. The generosity she shows in her artistic collaborations contributes to making her one of the most creative and sensitive figures of today's musical life. Warm welcome to naïve, dear Simone!”

Dinnerstein adds, “I'm at a point in my life where I am particularly inspired by collaborating with artists whose own work challenges me to be ever more creative. This is the case with my ensemble Baroklyn, A Far Cry, Philip Lasser and of course, more than ever, Philip Glass. I am so happy to have found a home with Pierre-Antoine, Aurélia, and indeed all of the wonderful, inventive team at naïve, with whom I will release the results of these inspiring collaborations.”

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

In recent years, Dinnerstein has created projects that express her broad musical interests. She gave the world premiere of The Eye Is the First Circle at Montclair State University, the first multi-media production she conceived, created, and directed, which uses as source materials her father Simon Dinnerstein’s painting The Fulbright Triptych and Charles Ives’s Concord Sonata. In 2024, she released The Eye Is the First Circle on Supertrain Records, coinciding with Ives’ 150th birthday. She premiered Richard Danielpour’s An American Mosaic, a tribute to those affected by the pandemic, in a performance on multiple pianos throughout Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery. Following her recording Mozart in Havana, she brought the Havana Lyceum Orchestra from Cuba to the U.S. for the first time, performing eleven concerts. Philip Glass composed his Piano Concerto No. 3 for her, co-commissioned by twelve orchestras. Working with Renée Fleming and the Emerson String Quartet, she premiered André Previn and Tom Stoppard’s Penelope at the Tanglewood, Ravinia and Aspen music festivals, and performed it at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and presented by LA Opera and the Cleveland Orchestra. She also premiered Philip Lasser’s The Circle and the Child, which he composed for her, with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and recorded it for Sony Classical. In New York, she regularly curates and performs on an innovative Bach series at the Miller Theatre, and she was an Artist-in-Residence at the Kaufman Music Center, where she mentored student musicians and performed Philip Glass’s The Hours and Tirol piano concerto with Baroklyn.

Simone Dinnerstein is committed to giving concerts in non-traditional venues and to audiences who don’t often hear classical music. For many years, she played concerts throughout the United States for the Piatigorsky Foundation, an organization dedicated to the widespread dissemination of classical music. It was for the Piatigorsky Foundation that she gave the first piano recital in the Louisiana state prison system at the Avoyelles Correctional Center. She has also performed at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women in a concert organized by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. From 2009-2020, Dinnerstein produced Neighborhood Classics, a concert series open to the public and hosted by New York City Public Schools to raise funds for their music education programs. She also created a program called Bachpacking during which she brought a digital keyboard to elementary school classrooms, helping young children get close to the music she loves. She is a committed supporter and proud alumna of Philadelphia’s Astral Artists, which supported young performers. She has served on the jury of the Leeds International Piano Competition, the Bach Competition Leipzig, the ARD International Music Competition, the Young Concert Artists Auditions, and the Hilton Head International Piano Competition. Dinnerstein is on the piano faculty of the Mannes School of Music and is a guest host of WQXR’s Young Artists Showcase.

Simone Dinnerstein counts herself fortunate to have studied with three unique artists: Solomon Mikowsky, Maria Curcio and Peter Serkin, very different musicians who shared the belief that playing the piano is a means to something greater. In a world where music is everywhere, she hopes that it can still be transformative.

Christina Jensen 2/20/26 Christina Jensen 2/20/26

Newport Classical Launches 2026 Music Festival Poster Competition – Submit by April 1

Newport Classical Launches 2026 Music Festival Poster Competition

www.newportclassical.org

More Information: newportclassical.org/2026-poster-competition

Newport, RI – Newport Classical is thrilled to launch its first-annual 2026 Newport Classical Music Festival Poster Competition. Artists, designers, and creatives of all backgrounds are invited to submit original art for a future poster that will become a part of Newport Classical’s story and be seen by audiences from around the world. One winning design will become the official poster for the 2026 Newport Classical Summer Music festival. The poster will be placed around town to promote Newport Classical’s Summer festival, it will be featured on Newport Classical’s social media, and will be shown at Newport Classical’s festival concerts in July.

For over 56 years, Newport Classical has brought world-class musicians to some of the most iconic venues in Newport, Rhode Island — from gilded-age mansions to seaside outdoor venues, celebrating the living art of classical music.

Participants are encouraged to draw inspiration from Newport Classical’s venues, the Newport area, and the live performing arts but also to leave plenty of room for unique artistic expression.

Submissions are due April 1, 2026. The winning design will be announced on May 5, 2026. All submissions should be emailed to info@newportclassical.org with the subject line “Poster Competition Submission.” The winner will be compensated $500.00 USD.

Please provide a brief description of submitted work and any inspiration to explain the piece. All submissions must be in .PNG or .JPG file format and sized to 6.5" × 9" (3900 × 5400 px).

The 2026 Newport Classical Music Festival will take place from July 2-19, 2026.

Schedule and line-up to be announced March 24, 2026.

About Newport Classical

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.”

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.

Christina Jensen 2/20/26 Christina Jensen 2/20/26

Caramoor Presents Three Rosen House Concerts in March - Schwab Vocal Rising Stars and Steven Blier, Goitse, Víkingur Ólafsson

L-R: Previous performance of the Schwab Vocal Rising Stars and Artistic Director Steven Blier, photo by Gabe Palacio; Goitse, photo by Eddie Kavanagh; Víkingur Ólafsson by Ari Magg. Available in high resolution here.

Caramoor Continues Rosen House Concert Series With Three Concerts in March 2026

March 8: Schwab Vocal Rising Stars
March 20: Irish Quintet Goitse
March 22: Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson

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

KATONAH, NY – Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, a vibrant cultural destination nestled on 81 acres of historic gardens and woodlands in Katonah, NY, continues its intimate Rosen House Concert Series with three performances in March. On Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 3:00pm, Caramoor presents the Schwab Vocal Rising Stars’ culminating performance. Goitse, a traditional Irish quintet, takes the stage on Friday, March 20, 2026, at 7:30pm. Acclaimed Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson will perform on Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 3:00pm. Caramoor’s Rosen House Concert Series is 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 Walter and Lucie Rosen once entertained their many friends.

The Rosen House Concert Series spring season begins on Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 3:00pm, with the Schwab Vocal Rising Stars’ culminating performance, To the Sea. Every year since 2009, Schwab Vocal Rising Stars’ Artistic Director Steven Blier has selected four promising singers and a pianist for a week-long Caramoor residency that includes daily coaching, rehearsals, and workshops, culminating in a concert in the Music Room. Assisted by Bénédicte Jourdois and developed in conjunction with the New York Festival of Song, this year’s program, To The Sea, is a hymn to the lure (and the menace) of the ocean, including works by Elgar, Guastavino, Rachmaninoff, Pauline Viardot, and Debussy. This year’s Schwab Vocal Rising Stars are Shiyu Zhuo, soprano; Anna Maria Vacca, mezzo-soprano; Nathan Romportl, tenor; Will Kim, baritone; and Luis Villarreal, piano. Tickets are free for audience members ages 18 and under. Prior to this performance, on Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 7:00pm, Caramoor presents Steven Blier in Conversation with David Pogue in the Music Room. In this engaging evening, Blier will discuss his recently released memoir From Ear to Ear: A Pianist’s Love Affair with Song, named a Wall Street Journal Best Book of the Year.

Caramoor’s Rosen House Concert Series continues on Friday, March 20, 2026 at 7:30pm, with powerhouse Irish quintet Goitse. Born from Limerick’s Irish World Academy, these five exceptional musicians are taking traditional music to thrilling new heights. They have won hearts (and numerous awards) with their perfect blend of time-honored Irish tunes and their own fresh compositions. When Áine McGeeney’s expressive fiddle playing and vocals meet Colm Phelan’s award-winning bodhrán rhythms, something magical happens. Add Conal O’Kane’s masterful guitar work, Alan Reid’s versatile multi-instrumental talents, and Daniel Collins’ lively accordion, and audiences will be tapping their feet from start to finish.

The acclaimed Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson is next on the Concert Series, performing on Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 3:00pm. Ólafsson’s rare blend of technical mastery and poetic sensitivity has captivated audiences around the globe. Hailed for his visionary artistry, he has amassed over one billion streams and earned some of the highest accolades in classical music, including the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for his Goldberg Variations, BBC Music Magazine’s Album of the Year, and two Opus Klassik Awards for Solo Recording of the Year. He has also been named Gramophone’s Artist of the Year, Musical America’s Instrumentalist of the Year, and received the prestigious Icelandic Export Award, presented by the President of Iceland. Ólafsson’s Caramoor recital is an exploration of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in E major, Op. 109, which he contextualizes with the same composer’s E minor sonata, Op. 90, and works in both keys by Bach and Schubert. This concert is sold out; the Caramoor website will be updated with availability.

About Caramoor

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

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

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

Upcoming Rosen House Concert Series

Sunday, March 8 at 3:00pm: Schwab Vocal Rising Stars
Friday, March 20 at 7:30pm: Goitse
Sunday, March 22 at 3:00pm: Víkingur Ólafsson, piano
Sunday, April 12 at 3:00pm: Junction Trio
Sunday, April 19 at 3:00pm: Steven Isserlis, cello & Connie Shih, piano
Friday, May 1 at 7:30pm: Anat Cohen Quartethinho
Sunday, May 3 at 3:00pm: Poiesis Quartet
Friday, May 8 at 7:30pm: Solomon Hicks

For Caramoor’s complete schedule including Beyond the Music events, visit: caramoor.org/whats-on

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.

More information about visiting Caramoor: caramoor.org/visit-us

Christopher Jesina 2/20/26 Christopher Jesina 2/20/26

March 20: Cantaloupe Music Releases Evening Light: Raga Cycle I by Michael Harrison and Ina Filip - First Single Water Jhala Out Today

Cantaloupe Music Releases Evening Light: Raga Cycle I on March 20

By Michael Harrison and Ina Filip

First Single, Water Jhala, Out Today
Listen Now

Live Performance During Bang on a Can’s Long Play Festival
April 30-May 3, 2026 in New York
Information & Festival Tickets

“music of positively intoxicating beauty” – Steve Smith, The New Yorker, on Harrison’s music

www.michaelharrison.com | www.inafilip.ca | www.cantaloupemusic.com

New York, NY (February 20, 2026) – On March 20, 2026, coinciding with the spring equinox, Cantaloupe Music will release Evening Light: Raga Cycle I. The new album opens the first chapter of the Raga Cycle, an eight-album series conceived by celebrated composer/pianist Michael Harrison, featuring collaborations with a range of musicians from around the world. Each album corresponds to a different three-hour segment of the day and night, following the Indian raga time cycle. This first installment, co-composed with vocalist Ina Filip (originally from Brazil and based in Québec), blends Indian classical ragas with lyrical and minimalist piano, multi-layered vocals, and electroacoustic textures. The album also features composer Elliot Cole on synthesizer, French composer Benoit Rolland on electroacoustics, and Bangladeshi tabla virtuoso Mir Naqibul Islam. Water Jhala, the first single, is available today. Harrison, Filip, Cole, Islam, and Hansford Rowe will perform Evening Light live during Bang on a Can’s Long Play Festival in New York, which runs April 30 to May 3, 2026.

Ragas are structures for melodic improvisation that capture a specific attitude, mood, and spiritual reality. In India they have been transmitted aurally from teacher to student for hundreds of years. Michael Harrison has studied this music devotedly for over 40 years with masters Pandit Pran Nath (alongside Terry Riley and La Monte Young) and Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan.

Evening Light centers on the ragas Yaman and Bhupali, inhabiting the atmosphere of early evening — traditionally associated with expansiveness, luminosity, and quiet intensity. At its core is a finely shaped exchange between Harrison’s just intonation piano — the result of four decades of experience bridging Indian and Western classical traditions — and Filip’s voice. Harrison’s just intonation tuning system means the intervals are pure and uncompromised, creating a more beautiful resonance than traditional equal-tempered pianos, and more faithfully matching the tuning of traditional Indian ragas. Grounded in the discipline of Dhrupad, yet expansive in scope, Filip’s vocal writing shapes layered architectures and intricate interplay with the piano. Together their work melds the musical worlds of North India with those of Europe and America.

The opening Water Jhala — the album’s lead single, out today — unfolds through an intricate voice-and-piano exchange. In Angelim Tree the artists use low-register vocals and delicate piano lines to create an atmosphere of intimacy yet intensity. In Evening Light, the calm interplay is intended to draw the listener into stillness. Woven Sky unfolds through gradually shifting piano ostinati and quietly evolving harmonies, contrasting with the kinetic drive of Harrison’s Tarana Counterpoint – a polyphonic arrangement of a traditional melody attributed to 13th century musician and poet Amir Khusrau. Mahadev stands as a luminous devotional rendering, and the final track, Désancrage, closes the album in a poignant and intimate reflection.

Michael Harrison’s latest album Seven Sacred Names (Cantaloupe 2021) features performances by Grammy-winning Roomful of Teeth, violinist Tim Fain, cellist Ashley Bathgate, and others, with Harrison on piano. Just Constellations commissioned and recorded by Roomful of Teeth (New Amsterdam 2020), was called “glacially beautiful” and “luminous” by Alex Ross in The New Yorker and selected for NPR's Best 100 Songs of 2020 and Bandcamp's Best of Contemporary Classical 2020. His Time Loops album (Cantaloupe 2012) was chosen for NPR's Top 10 Classical Albums of 2012. His work, Revelation (Cantaloupe 2007), achieved international recognition and inclusion in the Best Classical Recordings of 2007 selections of The New York Times and Boston Globe and was called “the most brilliant and original extended composition for solo piano since the early works of Frederic Rzewski three decades ago” by Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Tim Page. Harrison’s music has also been recorded on Innova, New Albion, New World, and Important Records.

More about Michael Harrison: Composer/pianist Michael Harrison (called “an American maverick” by Philip Glass) forges a new approach to composition through just intonation (the system of tuning based on pure harmonic proportions). His works blend classical music traditions of Europe and North India. He is a Guggenheim Fellowship and NYFA Artist Fellowship recipient.

Harrison creates dedicated tuning systems for many of his works. He pioneered a structural approach to composition in which the proportions of harmonic relationships organically determine other musical elements such as pitch, duration, and dynamics. He also invented the "harmonic piano," a grand piano that plays 24 notes per octave, documented in the Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. Harrison seeks expressions of universality via the physics of sound — music that brings one into a state of concentrated listening as a meditative and even mind-altering experience.

His music has been performed at BAM Next Wave Festival, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Park Avenue Armory, the Louvre, Centre Pompidou, MASS MoCA, Big Ears Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, the United Nations, Klavier Festival Ruhr, and the Sundance Film Festival. His recent engagements include the Minimal Music Festival at the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, the Italian Virtual Pavilion of the Venice Biennale 2021, the Mattatoio Museum in Rome, and the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. Harrison collaborates with performers including Alarm Will Sound, Cello Octet Amsterdam, Maya Beiser, Clarice Jensen, Del Sol String Quartet, and Contemporaneous, who have commissioned his works using just intonation. He has collaborated with visual and media artists, choreographers, and filmmaker Bill Morrison.

While still an undergraduate student, Harrison met composer La Monte Young. Soon Young brought him to New York as his protégé to study composition, performance, and Indian classical music. Harrison was the exclusive tuner for Young's custom Bösendorfer concert grand and became the only person other than the composer to perform Young's six-hour The Well-Tuned Piano. Living in Young's Tribeca loft during this formative decade, Harrison was immersed in the world of minimal music and art. Terry Riley became a close friend and mentor within a broader circle that included John Cage, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, Marian Zazeela, and the Dia Art Foundation's founders (the patrons of Harrison's work with Young). Most importantly, he became a disciple of Young and Riley's music guru, Pandit Pran Nath, traveling to India with Pran Nath and Riley for extensive study and practice periods.

Harrison’s residencies include MacDowell, Yaddo, Camargo, McColl Center, Ucross, Djerassi, Millay, Bogliasco, La Napoule, I-Park, MASS MoCA, and the Visiting Artists program of the American Academy in Rome. In addition to the Guggenheim, his awards include an Aaron Copland Recording Grant, Classical Recording Foundation Award, IBLA Foundation Prize, American Composers Forum residency and performance in the Havana Contemporary Music Festival, and a New Music USA Grant. Harrison received his Masters in Composition, studying with Reiko Fueting, at Manhattan School of Music.

About Ina Filip: Ina Filip is a Brazilian-born vocalist and composer based in Québec whose work bridges Indian classical music, modal improvisation, and contemporary composition. Drawing on rigorous training and cross-cultural musical influences, she has developed a distinctive vocal and compositional language that is both deeply personal and creatively expansive.

She undertook intensive training in Dhrupad — the most microtonally refined and contemplative tradition of North Indian classical music — under the guidance of the Gundecha Brothers, widely regarded as the foremost living exponents of the form. Filip lived and studied for several years in their residential gurukul in India within the Guru–Shishya Parampara system, India’s traditional pedagogical system grounded in daily, long-term oral transmission between teacher and disciple. This rigorous formation immersed her in the raga system while cultivating advanced microtonal precision.

In parallel, her improvisational practice has been profoundly shaped by Bobby McFerrin’s vocal approach, which she has explored, studied, and embodied through years of playful experimentation and deep listening. Filip has developed a distinctive compositional approach that brings traditional vocal practice into contemporary contexts. Her work integrates layered vocal architectures, contrapuntal interplay, and electroacoustic textures, expanding the expressive possibilities of voice.

Her collaborative scope extends into interdisciplinary creation. She co-created the music for 24 Hours at Once, an installation with Harrison and filmmaker Bill Morrison, presented by Art Letters & Numbers (New York), and contributed to Passage, in collaboration with Harrison and visual artist Nina Elder, presented at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts (North Carolina).

Filip’s voice has appeared in projects spanning ambient electroacoustic composition and raga-based vocal polyphony. Her discography includes Cantos de Ma, a solo album centered on voice and silence, and Polyphonic Malkauns, a contemporary raga reinterpretation created with composer Payton MacDonald. She has also contributed to the international electronic music scene through collaborations with producers including Soohan and Adham Shaikh, whose releases featuring her vocals reached global audiences.

Filip’s projects have been supported by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) and the Canada Council for the Arts (CAC) through grants for composition, production and performance. She has also participated in artist residencies including Avaloch Farm Music Institute (New Hampshire) and Art Letters & Numbers (New York).

Across all her projects, Filip’s voice carries the discipline of long-dedicated practice and the freedom of improvisation, inviting listeners into a space of resonance, presence, and expanded perception.

ALBUM TRACK LISTING & CREDITS:

Evening Light: Raga Cycle I
Michael Harrison and Ina Filip
Cantaloupe Music

Release Date: March 20, 2026

1. Water Jhala (Raga Yaman)
2. Angelim Tree
3. Evening Light (Raga Yaman)
4. Woven Sky (Raga Yaman)
5. Tarana Counterpoint (Raga Yaman Kalyan)
6. Mahadev (Raga Bhupali)
7. Désancrage

Produced by Elliot Cole and Benoit Rolland
Engineered and mixed by Louis Morneau in Montreal

Michael Harrison, piano tuned in just intonation, vocals on Mahadev
Ina Filip, vocals
Elliot Cole, synthesizer, vocals on Tarana Counterpoint and Angelim Tree
Benoit Rolland, electro-acoustics, synth bass
Mir Naqibul Islam, tabla
Shawn Mativetsky, tabla on Tarana Counterpoint
Gabriel Cabezas, Audréanne Filion, cellos on Désancrage

All music composed by Michael Harrison and Ina Filip, except Désancrage composed by Michael Harrison, Ina Filip and Elliot Cole

Tarana Counterpoint and Mahadev are based on traditional melodies, adapted by Michael Harrison

The artists acknowledge the support of Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec and the Canada Council for the Arts

Executive producers: Michael Gordon, David Lang, Kenny Savelson and Julia Wolfe
Cantaloupe Club Producers Circle: Patricia & Martin Angerman, Eric Scott Klein, Ken Nielsen, Roger Stude, Ola Torstensson
Label manager: Bill Murphy
Licensing manager: Brian Petuch
Label assistant: Yael Gordon
Art direction and graphic design: Noah Scalin/Another Limited Rebellion

Album cover image by Hans Jenny from his book Cymatics: A Study of Wave Phenomena and Vibration, used by permission from MacroMedia Publishing

Christopher Jesina 2/20/26 Christopher Jesina 2/20/26

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s March Concerts - Goldmund Quartet and pianist Gloria Chien; Paul O’Dette, lute; Borromeo Quartet; Castle of Our Skins with Daniel Bernard Roumain and Val-Inc

Clockwise L-R: Goldmund Quartet, Gloria Chien, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Val-Inc, Castle of Our Skins, Borromeo String Quartet, Paul O’Dette. Press photos available here .

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s Weekend Concert Series
March Performances

March 1: Goldmund Quartet with Gloria Chien, piano
March 8: Paul O’Dette, lute
March 15: Borromeo String Quartet
March 29: Castle of Our Skins with Daniel Bernard Roumain, electric violin and Val-Inc, sound chemist

“The museum’s handsome Calderwood Hall remains one of the city’s most uniquely intimate and acoustically stunning venues.” — A.Z. Madonna, The Boston Globe

Information & Tickets: gardnermuseum.org/about/music

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

BOSTON, MA – The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum continues its Winter/Spring 2026 Weekend Concert Series, presenting the Goldmund Quartet with pianist Gloria Chien on Sunday, March 1, 2026 at 1:30pm; lutenist Paul O’Dette on Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 1:30pm; the Borromeo String Quartet on Sunday, March 15, 2026 at 1:30pm; and Castle of Our Skins with Daniel Bernard Roumain, electric violin and Val-Inc, sound chemist, on Sunday, March 29, 2026 at 1:30pm. This fifteen-concert season curated by Abrams Curator of Music George Steel runs from January 25 through May 17, 2026, and features world-class artists in the Museum’s extraordinary Calderwood Hall—a 300-seat “sonic cube” with three levels of balconies designed so that 80% of seats are front row, creating a uniquely intense and intentional listening experience.

On March 1, Boston piano star Gloria Chien joins the young German stars of the Goldmund Quartet in composer Amy Beach’s Piano Quintet, one of the finest works by the greatest of Boston’s “Second New England School” of composers. The Goldmunds will offer Haydn’s String Quartet in E-flat major, nicknamed his “Joke” quartet, from his astonishing Opus 33 set of quartets, along with the fourth quartet of Polish mid-century modernist Grażyna Bacewicz. Her music, only now finding a wider audience, balances Baltic intensity and Mendelssohnian wit.

The outstanding Paul O’Dette comes to Calderwood Hall, one of Boston’s best venues to hear the lute, on March 8. He will perform a recital in celebration of John Dowland, the great Elizabethan composer and lutenist who died 400 years ago. O’Dette will perform dances and laments of exquisite Tudor melancholy, celebrating the life and intimate music of this master musician. One of the most influential figures in his field, O’Dette has helped define the technical and stylistic standards to which twenty-first-century performers of early music aspire. He is a Professor of Lute and Director of Early Music at the Eastman School of Music and Artistic Co-Director of the Boston Early Music Festival.

Boston’s beloved Borromeo String Quartet pays a visit to the Gardner Museum on March 15 with a program built around Schubert’s monumental “Death and the Maiden” quartet, one of his supreme late masterpieces and a paragon of the Romantic spirit. The Borromeos also bring a quartet by jazz pianist and composer Vijay Iyer, who is Harvard’s Franklin D. and Florence Rosenblatt Professor of the Arts and a MacArthur Fellow. Nicholas Kitchen has arranged a pair of preludes and fugues from Bach and Shostakovich, while Entr’acte by Museum-favorite Caroline Shaw and Jessie Montgomery’s Source Code round out this adventurous and eclectic program that showcases the quartet’s remarkable range.

The Gardner’s longtime collaborators, Castle of Our Skins, perform a portrait concert on March 29 of violinist, composer, and musical firebrand Daniel Bernard Roumain, joined by the composer himself on electric violin along with Val-Inc as sound chemist. This concert includes three string quartets from Roumain’s cycle of musical portraits of major Black figures: String Quartet No. 1, “X” (1993); String Quartet No. 2, “King” (2001); and String Quartet No. 4, “Angelou” (2004). Roumain’s music thrillingly mixes classical American music, jazz, and hip-hop, all transformed through his own unique voice. His quartets are powerful testimonies to the lives and legacies of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Maya Angelou.

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

Winter/Spring 2026 At-a-Glance Concert Schedule

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

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

Ticketing Information

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

About the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

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

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

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

Christopher Jesina 2/20/26 Christopher Jesina 2/20/26

New Single Out Now from Countertenor Randall Scotting's Divine Impresario: Nicolini on Stage - Full Album Out March 13

Countertenor Randall Scotting Announces New Album

Divine Impresario: Nicolini on Stage

Celebrating the Legendary 18th-Century Castrato
Through Rarely Heard Baroque Repertoire
Including Nine Works Recorded for the First Time

New Single Now Available: Crudel tu non farai from Handel's Amadigi
Listen Here

Release Date: March 13, 2026
Signum Classics

www.randallscotting.com | www.signumrecords.com/product/divine-impresario

Review CDs and downloads available upon request.

Internationally acclaimed countertenor Randall Scotting announces the release of Divine Impresario: Nicolini on Stage, out March 13, 2026 on Signum Classics. The landmark album celebrates Nicolò Grimaldi, the castrato who conquered the opera world under the stage name Nicolini (1673 - 1732). Recorded with the Academy of Ancient Music under the direction of Laurence Cummings, with soprano Mary Bevan, the album features rarely performed arias and duets from the early 18th century, nine of which have never been recorded before and have not been heard since Nicolini's lifetime.

While Nicolini is best remembered today for the music Handel wrote for him, including beloved arias from Rinaldo and Amadigi, this album reveals his far broader musical world. For Divine Impresario, Scotting has revived works by a range of composers who wrote for this castrato, drawn to his dramatic range and vocal brilliance, including Francesco Gasparini, Nicola Porpora, Riccardo Broschi, Francesco Mancini, Attilio Ariosti, and Giovanni Antonio Giaj.

Divine Impresario takes its title from Nicolini's unique role as both performer and visionary. “When I think about Nicolò Grimaldi, the word that comes to mind is impresario,” explains Scotting. “Not in the limited sense of a theatre manager, but rather as a creative force who shaped the artform itself. Nicolini wasn't content just to stand and sing; he directed performances, he reworked libretti, and he elevated the standard of acting in opera.”

For Scotting, this project marries his onstage and offstage roles. Sought-after by some of the world's most esteemed opera houses and concert halls, the countertenor’s performances have been described as “expressive” (The New York Times), “rich-toned” (Musical America), “luminous” (Ópera Actual), “ravishing” (BBC Music Magazine), and “flexible and rich” (Early Music Review). His breakout moment came in 2019 at London's Royal Ballet & Opera when he stepped in last-minute for Sir David McVicar's production of Britten's Death in Venice, praised for “singing brilliantly” to sold-out audiences, after which he joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera. In 2023, he created the role of Adone in the world premiere of Venere e Adone at the Staatsoper Hamburg under Kent Nagano, earning praise for a “vocally and physically muscular” performance. He has previously worked with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Santa Fe Opera, the New York Philharmonic, Italy's Spoleto Festival, Boston Baroque, and Sydney's Pinchgut Opera, among others. He recently made spectacular debuts at the Royal Ballet & Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, and Staatsoper Hamburg, with upcoming debuts at Carnegie Hall and La Fenice in Venice.

Holding a PhD from the Royal College of Music in London, where his dissertation focused on the castrato Senesino and early 18th-century Italian opera, Scotting is also that rare performer who has trained extensively as a scholar – a background that served him well in researching and bringing to life the repertoire he performs here.

After extensive research into Nicolini’s performing career, Scotting sought out manuscripts from archives in England, Belgium, Austria, Germany, and Sweden. Choosing the best of what he found, he then meticulously created modern performing editions for all the music on the album so that it could be performed and recorded.

“For me, stepping into this repertoire is a kind of conversation across time, with Nicolini, but also with the idea of what it means to be an impresario today,” says Scotting. “Like him, I'm drawn to music-making that is dramatically committed. In recording this music, I sought to channel the intensity for which Nicolini was famous and to honor his legacy as the divine impresario: defined by an ambition for opera to be more than just dazzling technique, but also a captivating and emotional experience.”

Born into a poor Neapolitan family in 1673, Nicolò Grimaldi rose to become one of the most celebrated performers of his era. After making his stage debut in Naples at only twelve years old, he rapidly gained fame throughout Italy, eventually being inducted into the Order of Saint Mark’s Cross in Venice in 1705 for his outstanding performances. His reputation soon spread across Europe, and in 1708 he arrived in London with a three-year contract and an extraordinary £1,000 salary (an amount that at that time would have taken a skilled tradesman thirty years to earn).

Nicolini quickly became an international superstar, praised not only for his vocal brilliance but for his exceptional acting. One of the album's highlights is “Mostro crudel che fai?” from Riccardo Broschi's Idaspe, representing the famed lion-fighting scene that electrified London audiences. In Mancini's Idaspe fedele, Nicolini became notorious for slaying a “live” lion onstage in a nude-colored costume – a theatrical spectacle that became one of early 18th-century London's most talked-about moments. The album also includes the delicate and lyrical aria “È vano ogni pensiero” from Mancini's setting of the opera, revealing how Nicolini could, as Scotting puts it in his liner note for the album, “wrestle monsters and still sing with incomparable elegance.”

More about Randall Scotting:

Dramatically persuasive and intensely musical, Randall Scotting is recognized for winning over audiences with his vocal beauty, stylish singing, and charismatic stage presence. He has released several solo albums in recent years, building a growing profile as a recording artist. For his debut album, The Crown, with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment led by Laurence Cummings, he was lauded for "ravishing vocalism" and "impressive beauty and warmth." Signum Classics then released Lovesick, an album of lute and folk songs featuring Scotting and Grammy-award winner and lutenist Stephen Stubbs, widely praised and noted as "not only beautifully sung, but 'lived'." His most recent album, Infinite Refrain, with London's Academy of Ancient Music, offers 17th-century arias and love duets for countertenor and tenor, receiving glowing acclaim as "a vibrantly seductive" and "strikingly beautiful declaration of same-sex love."

Remarkable for the breadth of his artistic curiosity, Scotting delights in defying expectations, from improvising live with Bobby McFerrin at Carnegie Hall to performing with the avant-garde cabaret troupe Company XIV in a blend of opera, folk, and pop music. Trained at London's Royal College of Music, the Juilliard School, and as a Fulbright Scholar at Budapest's Liszt Academy, his scholarly credentials complement his performing career. In 2018 he was awarded a PhD from the Royal College of Music in London for his thesis on the castrato Senesino (Francesco Bernardi) and early 18th-century Italian opera

About Mary Bevan:

Mary Bevan is one of Britain's most celebrated sopranos, equally at home in opera, concert, and recital. During the 2025/26 season, she debuts with the Dutch National Opera in a new Michel van der Aa commission Theory of Flames, sings Pat Nixon in John Adams's Nixon in China conducted by the composer in Rome, and returns to the Semperoper Dresden in Handel's Saul.

In recent seasons she has sung the title role in La Calisto with the Bayerische Staatsoper, Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare with Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Morgana in Alcina at Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and Eurydice in Orfeo ed Eurydice for Teatro La Fenice. Her concert appearances have included her Carnegie Hall debut with the English Concert, Haydn's Creation at the Barbican with the Academy of Ancient Music, and Bach's Mass in B Minor at the BBC Proms. She has toured extensively across Europe, Australia, Asia, and the US. Bevan's many releases on Signum Records include Elegy, art song albums, Voyages and Divine Muse, French song album Visions Illuminées, and Handel's Queens. She was awarded an MBE in the Queen's birthday honors list in 2019 and was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 2025.

About Laurence Cummings:

Laurence Cummings is Music Director of the Academy of Ancient Music and Orquestra Barroca Casa da Música in Porto, and one of Britain’s most exciting exponents of historical performance both as a conductor and harpsichordist. A noted authority on Handel, the Guardian has written that “he now ranks as one of the composer's best advocates in the world. Self-effacing on the podium, faithful above all to the score, he matches Handel's energy and invention with unmistakable lyricism, generosity and dignity.”

Frequently praised for his stylish and compelling performances in the opera house, his career has taken him across Europe conducting productions at Royal Ballet and Opera Covent Garden, Glyndebourne, Opernhaus Zurich, Dutch National Opera, Theater an der Wien, and Gothenburg Opera, working with directors including David McVicar, Christoph Marthaler, Deborah Warner, and Peter Sellars. He is equally at home on the concert platform, regularly invited to conduct both period and modern instrument orchestras worldwide.

His previous collaborations with Randall Scotting include The Crown, Heroic Arias for Senesino with Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and Infinite Refrain, Music of Love's Refuge with Academy of Ancient Music, both on Signum Classics.

About Academy of Ancient Music:

Academy of Ancient Music is an orchestra with a worldwide reputation for excellence in baroque and classical music. Using historically informed techniques, period-specific instruments and original sources, they bring music vividly to life in committed, vibrant performances.

Established more than 50 years ago by Christopher Hogwood, AAM has released more than 300 albums to date, collecting countless accolades including Classic BRIT, Gramophone and Edison awards. They are the most listened-to period-instrument orchestra online, with over one million monthly listeners on streaming platforms. AAM recently celebrated their Golden Anniversary with the completion of a landmark project to record Mozart's complete works for keyboard and orchestra, a series described by the Financial Times as having “set new standards.”

Beyond the concert hall, AAM is committed to nurturing the next generation of musicians through their innovative AAMplify initiative, working with music colleges and universities across the UK. AAM holds the position of Associate Ensemble at London’s Barbican Centre and the Teatro San Cassiano, Venice, and Orchestra-in-Residence at the University of Cambridge and The Apex, Bury St Edmunds.

About Signum Records:

Signum Records is a leading British independent label, specialising in classical music. Founded in 1997, Signum boasts a catalogue of over 900 titles collectively streamed over 850 million times and continues to release 40+ new recordings each year by internationally acclaimed artists. Signum works closely with its sister company, Floating Earth, the leading production and engineering specialist service provider in Europe.

Album Track Listing & Credits:

Divine Impresario: Nicolini on Stage
Randall Scotting, countertenor | Mary Bevan, soprano | Academy of Ancient Music led by Laurence Cummings
Release Date: March 13, 2026
Signum Classics

1. *Mostro crudel che fai? from Idaspe [4:34]
Riccardo Broschi (c. 1698-1756) | Venice 1730

2. Porto piagato in petto from Ambleto [3:01]
Francesco Gasparini (1661-1727) | London 1712

3. Sinfonia from Rinaldo | Instrumental [1:02]
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) | London 1711

4. Cara sposa from Rinaldo [10:00]
G.F. Handel | London 1711

5. *Spiegami il tuo desio from Siface [5:55]
Nicola Porpora (1686-1768) | Venice 1726
with Mary Bevan, soprano

6. Oh notte!… Notte amica from Amadigi [4:47]
G.F. Handel | London 1715

7. *Come nave in mezzo all'onda from Siface [5:28]
N. Porpora | Venice 1726

8. *Per te bell'idol mio from Antioco [4:48]
F. Gasparini | London 1711
with Mary Bevan, soprano

9. *È vano ogni pensiero from Idaspe fedele [8:56]
Francesco Mancini (1672-1737) | London 1710

10. Venti turbini from Rinaldo [5:02]
G.F. Handel | London 1711

11. *Nò, non piangete nò from Tito Manlio [4:43]
Attilio Ariosti (1666-1729) | London 1717

12. *Sì, t'intendo o core amante from Tomiri [3:41]
F. Gasparini | London 1709

13. *Questo conforto from Antioco [5:47]
F. Gasparini | London 1712

14. *Pensa se ancor from Mitridate [5:18]
Giovanni Antonio Giaj (1690-1764) | Venice 1729

15. Crudel tu non farai from Amadigi [5:30]
G.F. Handel | London 1715
with Mary Bevan, soprano

*recorded for the first time

Total Time: 78:37

Randall Scotting, countertenor
Mary Bevan, soprano
Laurence Cummings, conductor and harpsichord
Academy of Ancient Music

Recorded: November 18-21, 2024
Location: St Jude On-the-Hill, Hampstead, London, UK
Producer: Nicholas Parker
Audio Engineer, Mixing, and Mastering: Tom Lewington
Assistant Engineer: Alex Sermon
Musical Coaching: Yukiko Oba and Murray Hipkin

Concept, Repertoire Selections, and Performing Editions: Randall Scotting, PhD
Album Booklet, Package Design, Copy Editing, and Photo Editing: Nic Mramer

Christopher Jesina 2/20/26 Christopher Jesina 2/20/26

April 17: Sono Luminus Releases SEMMELWEIS - A New Song Cycle with Music by Raymond J. Lustig and Words by Matthew Doherty

Sono Luminus Releases SEMMELWEIS on April 17

A New Song Cycle
Music by Raymond J. Lustig and Words by Matthew Doherty

Featuring Charlotte Mundy, Raymond J. Lustig, and The Rhythm Method

Inspired by the Life of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis

"entrancing...surreally beautiful...ecstatic...rapturous" – The New York Times

"compelling beauty and eerie prescience" – The Washington Post

www.raylustig.com | www.sonoluminus.com

Review CDs and downloads available upon request.

American composer Raymond J. Lustig releases his next album, a recording of his new song cycle SEMMELWEIS, on the Sono Luminus label on April 17, 2026. With words by Matthew Doherty and music by Lustig, the recording featuring soprano Charlotte Mundy, Raymond J. Lustig, and The Rhythm Method, plus violinist Leah Asher, cellist Meaghan Burke, bass clarinetist Chrystof Knoche, and double bassist Ranjit Prasad.

The source material for Lustig’s compelling song cycle is the story of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, the 19th-century obstetrician who championed the practice of handwashing which is the foundation of today’s antiseptic procedures. Amidst a devastating epidemic in the 1840s, Dr. Semmelweis discovered that the deadly disease was being spread to healthy mothers by the unclean hands of their own doctors. Tragically, the medical community rebelled against his discovery. Semmelweis’s insight had a lot to do with watching the washing rituals of midwives. Their practices reflected ancient learned knowledge, and noticing their superior outcomes alerted Semmelweis that his doctors were skipping something of critical importance, with tragic results. An impatient and irascible man, speaking twenty years ahead of the germ theory of disease, and with news that would bring unbearable guilt to countless doctors, he found few ears open to considering his shocking hypothesis. They scoffed at his findings, rejected his theory, stripped him of his credentials, and he was subsequently driven into an asylum where he died alone. It was not until decades later that his discovery was validated and accepted.

Not surprisingly, Dr. Semmelweis had a resurgence of interest during the pandemic. He was even featured as the “Google Doodle” on March 20, 2020, described as being, “widely remembered as ‘the father of infection control,’ credited with revolutionizing not just obstetrics, but the medical field itself, informing generations beyond his own that handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of diseases.”

For many years, composer Raymond Lustig has been intrigued and inspired by Dr. Semmelweis. He first conceived of a stage work around the doctor’s story in 2007. At the time, he was a graduate student in music, but he had spent several years doing biomedical research. After many iterations, the fully staged production of SEMMELWEIS came to fruition in 2018, when Lustig joined forces with writer Matthew Doherty and Hungarian director Martin Boross, and the world premiere performances were presented by Budapest Operetta Theatre and Bartók Plusz Opera Festival.

The song cycle recorded here derives from that production. “Our goal was to make a true studio album, rather than a capture of the stage work,” Lustig says. “I knew I wanted to work with Charlotte Mundy, whose voice has always been the ideal for me for this work. We then decided that, rather than try to build a choir of matching female voices, we would instead use only Charlotte’s voice, multiplied over itself, spread out in the stereo field, one unified voice totally surrounding and overwhelming. These female voices often represent a chorus of ghosts of the mothers he could not save (or ‘mother ghosts,’ as we call them), who haunt Dr. Semmelweis. Engineer and co-producer Maximilien Hein and I, as well as engineer Drew Schlingman, recorded with the musicians in my studio at Respirano on Hudson and at The Hit Factory in New York. The theatrical experience and private listening are very different. We knew we needed to rebuild the music from the ground up, reconsidering every detail, refining and elaborating, revising and revising, to get to the true emotional heart of the story as an auditory experience.”

The entire action of SEMMELWEIS may be seen as a reflection – a fever dream or death dream – of Ignaz Semmelweis’ inner psyche at his life’s end. Dr. Semmelweis re-experiences events from throughout his life, perhaps out of sequence, distorted, or unreliable, as if through a lens of a mind in turmoil.

“We envisioned it as a story made of glass that had fallen to the floor, smashed, and the shards lay there reflecting only segments of the meaning, but somehow, gazing upon all of them, letting them come back together in the mind, the meaning might be perceived,” explains Lustig. “Maybe, or maybe just partially, or maybe not at all.”

About Raymond J. Lustig: ASCAP-award-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist Raymond Lustig’s music stretches boundaries to weave together his classical upbringing, his love of folk choral traditions, and indie rock. Having also taken a significant detour into the world of biomedical research, he continues to draw inspiration from nature and the sciences.

His critically acclaimed 2013 work Latency Canons—composed for an orchestra made up of musicians playing literally from around the globe via the internet—brought international attention to his music. Premiering seven years before the Covid pandemic at Carnegie Hall and simultaneously at sites worldwide, it pioneered remote music making as something accessible to traditional players and audiences.

Lustig has collaborated with cellist Joshua Roman, tenor Nicholas Phan, American Composers Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony, Metropolis Ensemble, Budapest Operetta Theater, the Bartok Plusz Opera Festival, the American Opera Project, pianist Blair McMillen, and classical guitar ensemble Duo Noire. He is currently working closely with Italian alternative rock artist Luigi Porto, with whom he co-leads the alternative rock band Manicburg, whose debut album premiered in 2024.

Lustig’s work has been honored with the Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, ASCAP’s Rudolf Nassim Prize for his orchestral work UNSTUCK, the Aaron Copland Award from Copland House, the Juilliard Orchestra competition, the New Juilliard Ensemble competition.

ALBUM TRACK LISTING & CREDITS:

SEMMELWEIS
Music by Raymond Lustig
Words by Matthew Doherty
Raymond Lustig | Charlotte Mundy | The Rhythm Method
Sono Luminus
Release Date: April 17, 2026

1. What is the Day
2. Market Squares
3. Give Birth on the Earthworks
4. Best Idea
5. My Doctor's Hands
6. Never a Choice
7. Out in the Yard
8. Archaeology
9. Our Skin So Fair
10. As if Your Body Were a Cathedral
11. You Cannot Stay
12. My Dark Disgrace
13. Etiology
14. Eureka
15. I am the Experiment
16. Madness
17. Once a Candle
18. The Only One
19. Lullaby
20. Finale

Total Time: 65:28

Music by Raymond J. Lustig
Words by Matthew Doherty
Additional Latin words: Martin Boross, Diána Eszter Mátrai, Julia Jakubowska

Charlotte Mundy - voice of Woman and the Mother Ghosts
Raymond J. Lustig - voice of Semmelweis, piano, organ, accordion, music boxes
The Rhythm Method - string quartet
Leah Asher - violin
Meaghan Burke - cello
Ranjit Prasad - double bass
Chrystof Knoche - bass clarinet

Produced by Raymond J. Lustig and Maximilien Hein
Executive Produced by Raymond J. Lustig
Additional Production by Drew Schlingman (“Best Idea”, “Eureka”)
Recorded by Maximilien Hein and Drew Schlingman
Mixed by Maximilien Hein
Mastered by Daniel Shores

Recorded at The Hit Factory, NYC and Respirano on Hudson, NYC from 2023 to 2025
Assistant Engineer at The Hit Factory: Brendan O’Neill

Album Art by Alex Sopp
Graphic Design by Josh Frey

Christina Jensen 2/20/26 Christina Jensen 2/20/26

GatherNYC Presents Sunday Concerts at 11AM - Up Next: Exponential Ensemble, Cellist Inbal Segev, Palaver Strings, The Knights, and String Trios with Miranda Cuckson, Jessica Meyer, Laura Metcalf

Collage of Artists (Clockwise): Jessica Meyer, Inbal Segev, The Knights, Miranda Cuckson, Palaver Strings, Laura Metcalf, Exponential Ensemble — Clockwise: Jessica Meyer, Inbal Segev, The Knights, Miranda Cuckson, Palaver Strings, Laura Metcalf, Exponential Ensemble

GatherNYC Continues Expanded 2025-2026 Season in NYC
at Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in Columbus Circle

31 Concerts – Now Held Weekly, Every Sunday Morning at 11AM through May 31, 2026

Up Next:
March 1: Exponential Ensemble (Mixed Chamber Ensemble)
March 8: Inbal Segev (Cello)
March 15: Palaver Strings (String Ensemble)
March 22: The Knights – An Interactive Family Concert (String Orchestra)
March 29: Miranda Cuckson, Jessica Meyer, Laura Metcalf (Violin, Viola, Cello)

“thoughtful, intimate events curated with refreshing eclecticism by its founders, the cellist Laura Metcalf and the guitarist Rupert Boyd, complete with pastries and coffee – The New Yorker

“A sweet chamber music series” – The New York Times

“Impressive Aussie/American led concert series proves music can be a religion.”
– Limelight Magazine

Museum of Arts and Design | The Theater at MAD | 2 Columbus Circle | NYC

Tickets & Information: www.gathernyc.org

New York, NY – GatherNYC, a revolutionary concert experience founded in 2018 by cellist Laura Metcalf and guitarist Rupert Boyd, continues its expanded 2025-2026 season at the series’ home venue, Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) (2 Columbus Circle). For the first time, GatherNYC is offering weekly concerts, held every Sunday morning at 11am, in The Theater at MAD. Coffee and pastries are served before each performance at 10:30am. Admission for children under 12 is free. The series will present an astonishing thirty-one concerts between October 2025 and May 2026.

Guests at GatherNYC are served exquisite live classical music performed by New York’s immensely talented artists, artisanal coffee and pastries, a taste of the spoken word, and a brief celebration of silence. The entire experience lasts one hour and evokes the community and spiritual nourishment of a religious service – but the religion is music, and all are welcome.

Spoken word artists perform briefly at the midpoint of each concert, many of whom are winners of The Moth StorySLAM events. “It’s an interesting moment of something completely different from the music, and it often connects with the audience,” Metcalf told Strings magazine in a feature about the series. “Then we have a two-minute celebration of silence when we turn the lights down, centering ourselves in the center of the city. Then the lights come back on, and the music starts again out of the silence. We find that the listening and the feeling in the room changes after that.”

Metcalf and Boyd say, “We are thrilled to be offering 31 concerts throughout our expanded 2025-2026 season, by far our largest lineup yet. In these challenging times, we feel it’s essential to provide our community with a gathering place each week where we can enjoy world-class artists together in an intimate, unique setting – complete with spoken word, silence, coffee and a communal, welcoming environment. We look forward to welcoming new and old friends week after week.”

Up Next – All Concerts Take Place on Sundays at 11AM:

March 1: Exponential Ensemble
Exponential Ensemble, led by clarinetist Pascal Archer, is one of the most innovative ensembles on the NYC music scene. Exponential Ensemble’s mission includes commissioning and premiering works by living composers that are inspired by math, science and literacy, and their GatherNYC debut showcases the woodwind players from the Ensemble performing works by French and American composers, including “Wild Birds” by Brad Balliett inspired by wild birds living in New York City’s Central Park!

March 8: Inbal Segev, cello
Inbal Segev, a formidable cello soloist who stands out not only for her captivating sound and stage presence, but also for her curiosity and creativity. She has commissioned and premiered numerous concertos for cello and orchestra, and for this intimate solo performance she invites us into her compelling sound world, playing both her own compositions and music of Anna Clyne, Missy Mazzolli and more.

March 15: Palaver Strings
GatherNYC is proud to present this masterful and creative Portland, ME- based string chamber orchestra. Their program “The Apple of Their Eyes” explores the African-American experience in classical music, through the eyes of Black composers. It begins with William Grant Still’s lush and lyrical Mother and Child, and continues with Perry’s understated Prelude for Piano, arranged for strings. At the heart of the program is Edmund Thornton Jenkins Romance and Reverie Phantasy for Violin and String Orchestra, restored, edited, and arranged by Tuffus Zimbabwe, featuring Palaver violinist Maïthéna Girault. The Apple of their Eyes encapsulates the African-American experience, and celebrates the richness and depth of Black classical music.

March 22: The Knights – An Interactive Family Concert
Following their wildly successful family concert in November 2024, The Knights return to GatherNYC with a new program, also designed for the whole family. “Toy Bricks” is an interactive family concert that highlights playful interactions between stringed instruments, both large and small! Musical games and friendly competition bring friends together in a range of repertoire, culminating in a performance of Paul Wiancko’s Toy Bricks for violin, two cellos, and bass. This program is created and hosted by Knights cellist Caitlin Sullivan.

March 29: String Trios – Miranda Cuckson, violin + Jessica Meyer, viola + Laura Metcalf, cello
This program brings together four electrifying contemporary string trios by living female composers: Jessica Meyer, Missy Mazzolli, Nina C. Young, and Dobrinka Tabakova. These powerful works push the boundaries of what is possible on three stringed instruments.

2026 GatherNYC Schedule:

April 5: Rachell Ellen Wong, violin + David Belkovski, harpsichord
Following their much-loved performance at GatherNYC in 2023 as part of the early music collective Twelfth Night, Wong and Belkovski return to the stage for a charming and intimate recital featuring impeccably performed Baroque gems.

April 12: Boyd Meets Girl and Friends play Clarice Assad & Osvoldo Golijov
This exciting program for flute, guitar and string quartet pair works by two superstar Latin-American composers whose styles contrast and compliment each other. Golijov’s achingly beautiful Tenebrae is juxtaposed with Clarice Assad’s exhilarating Sephardic Suite. Boyd Meets Girl is joined by violinists David Felberg and Jennifer Choi and violist En-Chi Cheng.

April 19: Kebra-Seyoun Charles, bass + composer
Kebra-Seyoun Charles is a distinguished double bass soloist and composer lauded for their counter-classical musical language and their ability to aptly communicate complex ideas and emotions to audiences. For their GatherNYC debut, they will perform a new work entitled “Shango” for bass and percussion duo, interspersed with virtuosic double bass solos.

April 26: Poeisis Quartet
Fresh off their win at the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition (arguably the most important competition of its kind in the world), this fast-rising young string quartet will treat audiences to its vital and energetic approach to music-making and programming.

Says Poeisis of their program: “In collaboration with five emerging QTPOC (Queer/Trans People of Color) composers from our alma mater, Oberlin College & Conservatory, the Oberlin Commission Project expands the string quartet canon with approaches to music-making that are too often unheard. This initiative brings underrepresented voices, genres, and influences to the forefront, and also serves as an act of resistance and perseverance. Composer Zola Saadi-Klein's composition is rooted in the Persian Dastgāh music tradition, and through their work they are "acknowledging our queer and ancestral identities can freely coexist beyond the binaries of classical music and societal expectations." As queer musicians and as Oberlin graduates, this project serves as our way of giving back to the communities who raised us and brought us together.”

May 3: Thomas Mesa, cello + JP Jofre, bandoneon
Two of the most exciting soloists working today, Mesa and Jofre come together for a morning of tango and tango-inspired works that spotlight the unusual combination of their instruments, cello and bandoneon, while allowing each performer to shine.

May 10: Curtis Stewart, violin + composer
GatherNYC favorite, Curtis Stewart, returns to the stage with a preview of his much-anticipated project “24 American Caprices.” The 24 American Caprices are inspired by a kaleidoscope of recorded American music, with some honorary American additions...musical aspects of each inspiration are abstracted and imbued with challenging violin techniques emulating the sounds and styles of their origin. In the full meaning of caprice, these violin fragments dance and sing lightly from inspiration to ornamentation, both with flights of fantasy and fastidious settings of referenced material, creating playful musical dialogue around American lineage and individual perspective in Classical music.

May 17: Catalyst Quartet
The GRAMMY-winning Catalyst Quartet, known for their masterful, comprehensive recordings of music by Black composers throughout history, bring their signature polish and style back to GatherNYC for the second time.

May 24: Aeolus Quartet
The acclaimed Aeolus Quartet presents a touching and thoughtful program for their first performance at GatherNYC. From a Bach chorale composed to unite the voices of church congregations to the expansive Overture and Chorale by Andrea Casarrubios inspired by it; from the textural celebration of Montgomery's Strum to the bubbling virtuosity of Bacewicz’s Quartet No. 3 composed in the new world that arose from the ashes of WWII. In this program, storytelling and silence give way to the tender slow movement of Price’s G Major Quartet rooted in the tradition of Black spirituals.

May 31: Season Finale – Musicians from the NY Phil with Boyd Meets Girl
GatherNYC artistic directors Laura Metcalf and Rupert Boyd once again team up with members of the New York Philharmonic, including returning violist Leah Ferguson, violinist Alina Kobialka and more, to craft an exhilarating program centered around Aaron Jay Kernis’ tour de force for guitar and string quartet, “100 Greatest Dance Hits.” Dance into the summer and celebrate the conclusion of another wonderful season of GatherNYC!

For tickets and information, visit www.gathernyc.org.

Christopher Jesina 2/17/26 Christopher Jesina 2/17/26

March 26: Pianist Charlotte Hu Presented by Boston Conservatory at Berklee – Performing the Music of Enrique Granados

Photo of Charlotte Hu by Dario Acosta available in high resolution at www.jensenartists.com/artists-profiles/charlotte-hu

Pianist Charlotte Hu
Presented by Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Performing the Music of Enrique Granados

Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 8pm
Seully Hall | Boston Conservatory at Berklee | 8 Fenway, Floor 4 | Boston, MA
More Information | Watch Free Livestream

“praises follow [Charlotte Hu] all around the world” – International Piano

charlottehu.com

Boston, MA – Internationally acclaimed Taiwanese-American pianist Charlotte Hu will be presented in concert by Boston Conservatory at Berklee on Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 8pm in Seully Hall. The performance is part of Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s Artistry in Action series, celebrating exceptional artists and initiatives that exemplify the conservatory’s core values of excellence, innovation, and community engagement. A livestream of the performance will be available to watch online, free of charge.

In this solo recital, Hu – who serves as an associate professor at Boston Conservatory at Berklee – takes the audience on a captivating journey through Spanish composer Enrique Granados’ masterpiece Goyescas, which is inspired by Francisco Goya’s paintings. Hu has recently recorded the work for her second PENTATONE album, which will be released in June 2026. The program showcases Granados’s brilliant fusion of Spanish folk elements with sophisticated piano writing. From the flirtatious Los requiebros, to the haunting Serenata del Espectro, this colorful, passionate suite evokes the full emotional spectrum of Spanish Romanticism and stands as one of the pinnacles of Spanish piano literature. The program includes the following selection from the Goyescas – Book 1: I. Los requiebros, II. Coloquio en la reja, and III. El fandango de candil; Book 2 I. Quejas, o la Maja y el Ruiseñor, II. El amor y la Muerte, and III. Epilogo: Serenata del Espectro.

“My first encounter with Granados' Goyescas came during my years as a student at Juilliard,” says Hu.

“Like many artists discovering this cornerstone of Spanish piano literature, I was immediately captivated by the vivid world Granados had created on the keyboard. What struck me most was not simply the technical brilliance of the writing, but rather the poetry embedded within—the nuanced characters, the narrative arc that unfolds across the entire suite, the distinctly Spanish flavors interwoven with profound emotional depth, and the virtuosity that never overshadows the music's intimate storytelling. Here was a masterwork that seemed to contain entire worlds: passion, tenderness, humor, shadow, and light all coexisting within its six movements.”

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

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

An active recording artist, Charlotte Hu’s debut album of Chopin works on ArchiMusic was named Best Classical Album of the Year by Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Melody Award, and recordings released on Naxos/CAG Records and BMOP/sound with Boston Modern Orchestra Project have received overwhelming critical acclaim. Her Rachmaninoff album on Centaur/Naxos received a five-star review by the U.K.’s Pianist magazine, which called it “essential listening for Rachmaninoff admirers.” Her latest album, Liszt Metamorphosis, was released by PENTATONE in July 2024. In June 2026, Charlotte will release her next album on PENTATONE, which will feature Enrique Granados’ Goyescas suite in its entirety.

Charlotte Hu is the founder of two piano festivals across two continents: the Yun-Hsiang International Music Festival in Taipei and the PYPA Piano Festival in Philadelphia. Now in its 13th year, PYPA has become an important fixture in the classical music world, cultivating a deeper appreciation for classical music and serving as a cultural bridge between East and West.

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

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

For more information, visit www.charlottehu.com

For Calendar Editors:

Description: Taiwanese-American pianist Charlotte Hu, for whom “praises follow her all around the world” (International Piano) is presented in a solo recital held at Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s Seully Hall. Hu will perform the Goyescas Piano Suite by Enrique Granados — a deeply expressive suite that stands as one of the pinnacles of Spanish piano literature. This emotive music makes up Hu’s forthcoming second PENTATONE album, out in June.

Concert details:

Who: Pianist Charlotte Hu
Presented by Boston Conservatory at Berklee
What: The Goyescas Suite by Enrique Granados
When:Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 8pm
Where: Seully Hall, Floor 4, 8 Fenway, Boston, MA 02215
More information: https://bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/events/faculty-recital-charlotte-hu-piano
Livestream: https://bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/seully-hall

Christopher Jesina 2/13/26 Christopher Jesina 2/13/26

OUT TODAY: The Swan – Superstar Cellist HAUSER Revisits The Magic of Great Classical Melodies with New Sony Masterworks Recording

HAUSER
Revisits The Magic of Great Classical Melodies
with His New Musical Collection
The Swan
Out Today - Listen Here

Album Release Date: Out Today

Hauser’s ‘Musical Love Letter’ Features Seven All-New Recordings
Performed With The London Symphony Orchestra

International cello sensation HAUSER adds a grace note to his global hits Classic and Classic II with the release of The Swan — out today via Sony Masterworks on all digital music platforms — a new “musical love letter” to his instrument. The new musical collection features seven beautiful classical melodies transformed by the HAUSER’s deeply felt signature style and virtuosity, once again with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robert Ziegler.

The Swan – a gentle, rapturous melody from Camille Saint-Saëns’ The Carnival of the Animals – is an obvious choice for HAUSER. The piece has a profound, personal meaning to him.

“I was just a few years old when I heard a cello on the radio for the first time, playing Saint-Saëns’ ‘The Swan’,” HAUSER recalls. “I just fell in love with the sound when I heard it. It was like… I can’t describe it. It’s not usual for a child to know what he wants at an early age. But that was the sound. I remember thinking, ‘That’s it.’”

The Swan also includes all-new arrangements of two favorites by the French composer Gabriel Fauré – Après un rêve (After a Dream) and the lightly dancing Pavane; perhaps Puccini’s most beloved aria, O mio babbino caro from the opera Gianni Schicchi, popularized on the soundtrack the classic film A Room with a View; a worldwide hit from over a century ago, Sir Edward Elgar’s charming Salut d’amour (Love’s Greeting); and the robust, instantly recognizable zest of Johannes Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5.

HAUSER tops off this musical bouquet with a new take on the soaring pop anthem You Raise Me Up, best known in Josh Groban’s chart-topping recording.

Though Saint-Saëns’ The Swan was written for the cello, the other selections on The Swan were written for voice, various other instruments or the orchestra. Like the selections on Classic and Classic II, they reflect HAUSER’s passion for taking the most expressive and unforgettable melodies, and adapting them to showcase the warm, singing tone of the cello.

HAUSER – THE SWAN
RELEASE DATE: OUT TODAY

OFFICIAL TRACKLIST –

1. The Swan
2. Après un rêve
3. Pavane
4. mio babbino caro
5. Salut d'Amour
6. Hungarian Dance No. 5
7. You Raise Me Up

ABOUT HAUSER

Following an incredible 10-year run as half of 2CELLOS, global superstar HAUSER has ushered in a new era as a solo artist and visual concept creator, using his innovative musical skills and irresistible charisma to bring a new wave of cello music to fans everywhere. Making his solo debut in 2020 with the release of CLASSIC, followed by The Player (2022), HAUSER CHRISTMAS (2023), CLASSIC II (2024) and CINEMA (2025), HAUSER has amassed over 2 billion audio streams and 4 billion video views globally. Revered globally for his captivating live performance, the Croatian musician is a phenomenon that thrives on audience interaction, hitting the stage in over 40 countries across the globe including historic venues like New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and London’s Royal Albert Hall and performing alongside such wide-ranging acts as Andrea Bocelli, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Elton John, as well as adored by Céline Dion. His electric stage presence has also led to several high-profile appearances, including an opening night performance at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival, performing at the Vatican for the Pope, and special features for both the NFL and UEFA. Named one of People Magazine’s 2022 Sexiest Men Alive and featured by the likes of Rolling Stone, Forbes, and The New York Times, HAUSER has graced the stage for numerous broadcast performances, most recently adding Love Island to a long resume of appearances that includes The Bachelorette, TODAY Show, Good Morning America, Ellen, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CNN en Español and more. In 2025, HAUSER launched “Music Unites the World” on his social media -- a passion project where he will record an iconic song from each nation around the globe to spread a message of unity through music.

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

# # #

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

Christopher Jesina 2/13/26 Christopher Jesina 2/13/26

UPDATE: Michael Pärt to Give Pre-Concert Talks Feb 19 & 20 - Arvo Pärt’s Music for Strings Performed by Experiential Orchestra at Cathedral of St. John the Divine

James Blachly and EXO at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, photo by Allison Stock.
Photo of Arvo Pärt by Kaupo Kikkas. Press photos available in high resolution here.

GRAMMY®️-winning Experiential Orchestra (EXO) Continues 2025-2026 Season

James Blachly, Music Director

Silence and Sound: Arvo Pärt’s Music for Strings
Featuring the US Premieres of Pärt’s Sequentia and Für Lennart in memoriam
February 19-21, 2026

JUST ANNOUNCED: PRE-CONCERT TALKS BY MICHAEL PÄRT
Co-Founder of the Arvo Pärt Centre & Arvo Pärt's Son
February 19 & 20, 2026 at 6:30pm

Thursday & Friday, February 19 & 20, 2026 at 7:30pm
Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 3:30pm

Cathedral of St. John the Divine, St. James Chapel
1047 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY
Tickets & Information

New York, NY – The GRAMMY®️-winning Experiential Orchestra (EXO) continues its 2025-2026 season, titled Origins, running from November 2025 through May 2026. Led by founding Music Director James Blachly, EXO presents four immersive programs this season, each reflecting the origins and mission of the organization – 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. In three performances on Thursday, February 19 and Friday, February 20 at 7:30pm, and on Saturday, February 21 at 3:30pm, EXO and Blachly present Silence and Sound: Arvo Pärt’s Music for Strings at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in the intimate St. James Chapel (1047 Amsterdam Ave., NYC), joining the worldwide celebration of the iconic Estonian composer’s 90th birthday season. EXO will welcome to these performances Michael Pärt, Arvo Pärt's son and co-founder of the Arvo Pärt Centre in Estonia. Peter Bouteneff, author of Arvo Pärt: Out of Silence, has served as an advisor for these concerts on the Orthodox traditions that underpin several of the works to be performed.

On February 19 and 20 at 6:30pm, Michael Pärt will give pre-concert talks. He will be joined on February 20 by Peter Bouteneff. These talks, which are open ticket buyers, offer a rare opportunity to hear directly from those closest to Pärt's artistic and spiritual legacy before being immersed in the composer's music.

Blachly and EXO bring their deep connection to the music of Pärt, building on their capacity concerts of his music at The Metropolitan Museum’s Temple of Dendur in 2021 and at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in 2023. This season, EXO invites listeners to explore the unique acoustics of the largest chapel of the Cathedral, where each note will reflect and reverberate – a meditation in stone, wood, and silence, as well as sound and space.

Blachly has carefully curated this program of music for strings and percussion, which includes some of Pärt’s most beloved works – Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten and Vater Unser – as well as the US premieres of his Pärt’s Sequentia and Für Lennart in memoriam. Pärt composed Sequentia in 2014 for the production Adam’s Passion and dedicated the work to Robert Wilson. The program will also include Pärt’s Orient & Occident, Psalom, Silouan’s Song, and Da pacem Domine. Pärt's setting of the Lord's Prayer, Vater Unser, will be sung by mezzo soprano Meg Bragle, a leading interpreter of Baroque and Classical repertoire hailed for her “memorable, raw-silk voice” (Toronto Star). Orient & Occident was composed in 2000, and is based on the text of Credo, the Nicene Creed in the Church Slavonic language – one of the few religious texts that are the same in the Western and Eastern Church.

Blachly says, “I chose Sequentia for this program because of the extraordinarily delicate way the percussion interacts with both the strings and silence, and how those sonorities will ring in this space.”

Also this season, on April 10 and 11, 2026, in partnership with the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, EXO presents Music in the Crypt: Out of the Shadows in the rarely accessible Crypt at the Cathedral, featuring music chosen especially for this mysterious and shadowy space. 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 once again outdoors in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on June 6, 2026.

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 on collaboration and co-creation, and 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 subscription concert at The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, an immersive performance of Strauss’s Four Last Songs with cellist Andrew Yee and soprano Sarah Brailey, and the New York premiere of Julia Perry’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra with soloist Curtis Stewart. 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, Creative Partner Catherine Gregory, Concertmasters Alex Fortes and Henry Wang, Personnel Manager Arthur Sato, and Artistic Advisors Patrick Castillo, Brad Balliett, and Doug Balliett. Leila Amineddoleh serves as Board Chair.

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.

Christopher Jesina 2/10/26 Christopher Jesina 2/10/26

Violinist Kristin Lee & Sandbox Percussion Premiere New Work by Vivian Fung – Co-Commissioned by a National Consortium

(Left to Right) Kristin Lee, Vivian Fung, Sandbox Percussion — L-R Kristin Lee by Lauren Desberg, Vivian Fung by Titilayo Ayangade, Sandbox Percussion by Alex Lee
available in high resolution here.

Violinist Kristin Lee and Sandbox Percussion
Premiere New Work Composed by Vivian Fung
Co-Commissioned by a National Consortium of Presenters:

Emerald City Music, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Music@Menlo, Constellations Chamber Concerts, and Newport Classical

violinistkristinlee.com | vivianfung.ca | sandboxpercussion.com

Violinist Kristin Lee, praised in The Strad for her “elegance” and “vivacity and electric energy,” and GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble Sandbox Percussion, described by The Guardian as “utterly mesmerizing,” are joining forces this year to give the premiere performances of a new work composed for them by JUNO Award-winning composer Vivian Fung. The new piece, titled Goddess//Insect, is co-commissioned by a national consortium of presenters – Emerald City Music, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Music@Menlo, Constellations Chamber Concerts, and Newport Classical.

The world premiere performances will be presented by Emerald City Music (March 6 in Seattle, WA and March 7, 2026 in Olympia, WA), with regional and local premieres presented by Constellations Chamber Concerts in Rockville, MD (April 13, 2026) and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York, NY (April 30, 2026). Additional local and regional premiere performances will be presented by Concert Nova in Cincinnati, OH; Music@Menlo in Atherton, CA; and Newport Classical in Newport, RI during summer 2026 and the 2026-2027 concert season. For these performances, Sandbox and Lee pair Fung’s new work with To Sing Or Dance by Joan Tower, which was also co-commissioned by Emerald City Music, as well as Gabriella Smith’s new work for Sandbox Percussion, FIVE.

Kristin Lee and Vivian Fung have a fruitful history of musical collaboration. In 2009, Lee joined Fung on a tour of Bali with the gamelan that Fung was performing with. This trip informed the violin concerto that Fung would write for Lee the following year. Of that work, Fung writes in her note on the piece, “The concerto draws on the sights, sounds, and memories of Bali that have remained in my heart from the tour, as well as my getting to know Kristin, her firebrand style of playing, and, complementing that, the intense lyricism that she expresses as well.”

“Goddess//Insect is derived from the term ‘God-Bug Syndrome’ where a ‘god complex' (inflated self-importance) acts as a defense against deep-seated feelings of worthlessness,” Vivian Fung says. “I believe our world right now is facing these conflicting emotions, and so this work is ultimately a work that reflects our turbulent and chaotic times. This piece explores many of the sounds that the term embodies — little critter sounds against soaring lines in the violin, an improv section that is more dance-like and free, chromatic lines and rustling textures to embody the scurrying creatures. I see Goddess//Insect as a violin concerto of sorts, but in a more adventurous vein, as a percussion orchestra forms the backdrop for this setting. There is an inherent theatricality in the sound world I am seeking to explore, and so, as part of the process of composition, I worked with the performers to maximize the use of spatial possibilities in the room, placement of instruments, and movement of performers.”

Kristin Lee says, “This project has been in the works for several years, and I couldn’t be more excited that it has finally come to life. My admiration for Sandbox Percussion’s vast sound world and Vivian Fung’s boundless creativity grew out of two very different musical chapters in my life, and bringing them together feels like a dream come true.”

“Beyond my own personal excitement, this piece is a celebration of an instrumentation with enormous potential; the combination of percussion quartet and violin,” Lee adds. “Yet, this pairing remains underrepresented in the repertoire. By sharing works by Vivian and Joan, I hope this project will inspire others to expand the possibilities for this instrumentation and help bring its powerful impact to a wider audience.”

Victor Caccese says, “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Kristin Lee on a new work by Vivian Fung and to explore the dialogue between an instrument with a rich history like the violin and the expansive, ever-evolving sound world of a percussion quartet. Sandbox Percussion has long admired Kristin’s artistry and the singular path she has forged as a violinist, and this collaboration feels like a perfect fit. This project offers a meaningful opportunity to expand the chamber music repertoire for violin and percussion quartet. Vivian’s music is endlessly creative, drawing on long-standing musical traditions while blending them with fresh, contemporary ideas. Her work opens up a rich and expressive space for these instruments together, and we’re excited to bring a new voice into this still largely underexplored corner of the chamber music landscape.”

Concert Details:

Emerald City Music – World Premiere
Friday, March 6, 2026 at 8pm
415 Westlake in Seattle, WA
Tickets: https://bit.ly/EmeraldLeeSandboxSeattleMarch26

Emerald City Music – Olympia Premiere
Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 7:30pm
Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts
2011 Mottman Rd SW in Olympia, WA
Tickets: https://bit.ly/EmeraldLeeSandboxOlympiaMarch26

Constellations Chamber Concerts – East Coast Premiere
Monday, April 13, 2026 at 7:30pm
Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center
51 Mannakee St. in Rockville, MD
Tickets: https://bit.ly/LeeSandboxFungConstellationsApril1326

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center – New York Premiere
Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 7:30pm
Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse
Rose Building, 165 West 65th Street, New York, NY
Tickets: https://bit.ly/LeeSandboxFungCMSLCApril2026

About Vivian Fung: JUNO Award-winning composer Vivian Fung has a unique talent for combining idiosyncratic textures and styles into large-scale works, reflecting her multicultural background. NPR calls her “one of today’s most eclectic composers,” and The Philadelphia Inquirer praises her “stunningly original compositional voice.”

Fung continues to elevate her reputation for artistic ingenuity, with recent collaborations expanding how we experience her music. Her powerful song cycle Lamenting Earth premiered in 2024 with Nicholas Phan, Jasper String Quartet, and Myra Huang. Centering around poet Claire Wahmanholm’s prize-winning poem “O,” the 20-minute cycle reflects the fragile state of the earth’s environment. This work has been recorded by the performers to be released on Earth Day, April 22, 2026. Ominous, commissioned and premiered by Grossman Ensemble and conductor Jeffrey Meyer in 2024, portrays the composer’s experience with her mother’s recent diagnosis of dementia through punctuations, pitch bends, and murmurings across the 13-member work.

Fung’s 2025-2026 premieres began in October 2025 with a new work for string quartet and poet, as part of Del Sol Quartet’s project Facing the Moon: Songs of Diaspora, featuring the poetry of San Francisco-based Jenny Lim. In addition to the new work for Kristin Lee and Sandbox Percussion, Fung will write a new piece for Ensemble for These Times to include homemade percussion for Haruka Fujii. Continued partnerships include Fung’s first opera, My Family//Cambodia, 1975 with librettist Royce Vavrek; Girl from the 905, a new song cycle with Vavrek and soprano Andrea Núñez; and a new work for violin and electronics to be premiered in early 2027, based on a recent fieldwork trip to Guizhou, China with violinist Nancy Zhou.

A recipient of numerous grants and awards, Fung received a 2025 JUNO Nomination for “Classical Composition of the Year” for String Quartet No. 4; the 2013 JUNO Award for “Classical Composition of the Year” for Violin Concerto No. 1; a Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship; and grants from NewMusicUSA, ASCAP, and the Canada Council for the Arts. Fung’s music can be heard on a number of professional albums, most recently Glimpses on Australian pianist Andrea Lam’s album Piano Diary; and Insects & Machines: Quartets of Vivian Fung, a portrait album featuring Fung’s first four string quartets performed by the Jasper String Quartet. The last album won the 2025 Chamber Music America award for Album of the Year. Born in Edmonton, Canada, Fung began her composition studies with composer Violet Archer and received her doctorate from The Juilliard School in New York. She currently lives in California with her husband Charles Boudreau, their son Julian, and their dog Coco.

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

As a soloist, Lee has appeared with leading orchestras including The Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Hawai’i Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Ural Philharmonic of Russia, Korean Broadcasting Symphony, Guiyang Symphony Orchestra of China, and Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional of Dominican Republic. She has performed on the world’s finest concert stages, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the Kennedy Center, Kimmel Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Ravinia Festival, the Louvre Museum, the Phillips Collection, and Korea’s Kumho Art Gallery. In March 2026, she makes her solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall performing her program American Sketches with pianist John Novacek.

An accomplished chamber musician, Kristin Lee is a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, performing regularly in New York at Lincoln Center and on tour. In addition to her prolific performance career, Lee is a devoted educator. She has served on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and she has also been in residence with the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, the El Sistema Chamber Music Festival of Venezuela, and is a summer faculty member at Music@Menlo’s Chamber Music Institute. Lee is also the founding artistic director of Emerald City Music (ECM), a chamber music series that presents authentically unique concert experiences and bridges the divide between the highest caliber classical music and the many diverse communities of the Puget Sound region of Washington State.

In fall 2024, Kristin Lee released her debut solo album, American Sketches, on First Hand Records. The album has a personal resonance for Lee. A native of Seoul, Korea, she emigrated to the U.S. at the age of seven. During her childhood, playing the violin was a refuge from bullying and racism for Kristin – she moved to the U.S. not speaking any English, and felt the violin became her voice. As a foreign-born citizen of the U.S., Lee was compelled to select this repertoire to express her heartfelt sentiments for the country she now calls her own. The album includes works by H.T. Burleigh, Kevin Puts, Amy Beach, Thelonious Monk, Scott Joplin, and George Gershwin. American Sketches encapsulates both Kristin Lee's journey as an American, as well as the journeys of these composers in the United States. San Francisco Classical Voice writes, "[Beach's Romance] elicits Lee’s richest and most gorgeous tones, its high ending executed so beautifully as to make Fritz Kreisler proud." Textura listed American Sketches as #6 on their Top 20 Classical Albums of 2024.

Kristin Lee’s honors include an Avery Fisher Career Grant, top prizes in the Walter W. Naumburg Competition and the Astral Artists National Auditions, and awards from the Trondheim Chamber Music Competition, Trio di Trieste Premio International Competition, the SYLFF Fellowship, Dorothy DeLay Scholarship, the Aspen Music Festival’s Violin Competition, the New Jersey Young Artists’ Competition, and the Salon de Virtuosi Scholarship Foundation. Born in Seoul, Lee moved to the United States and studied under prestigious teachers including Sonja Foster, Catherine Cho, Dorothy DeLay, Donald Weilerstein, and Itzhak Perlman. Lee holds a Master’s degree from The Juilliard School. Lee’s violin was crafted in Naples, Italy in 1759 by Gennaro Gagliano and is generously loaned to her by Paul & Linda Gridley.

About Sandbox Percussion: The “exhilarating” (The New York Times) and “utterly mesmerizing” (The Guardian) GRAMMY®- nominated Sandbox Percussion champions living composers through its unwavering dedication to contemporary chamber music. In 2011, Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum, and Terry Sweeney were brought together by their interest in expanding the percussion repertoire. Today, they are established leaders in contemporary music for percussion, engaging a wider audience for classical music through collaborations with leading composers and artists. In 2025, Sandbox Percussion made its debut on NPR’s Tiny Desk with a genre-defying program of pieces by Andy Akiho and Viet Cuong; and, in 2024, they recorded percussion for the feature film The Wild Robot (DreamWorks). Sandbox Percussion is the first percussion ensemble to receive the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant; at the 2024 ceremony, they performed “Pillar V,” from Seven Pillars, Akiho’s 2021 suite for percussion quartet, which The New York Times called “as pure as music gets.” It was nominated for two GRAMMY® awards and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

In addition to this collaboration with Kristin Lee and Vivian Fung, over this season Sandbox Percussion embarks on a new project with Andy Akiho; continues to champion Re(new)al, Viet Cuong’s green energy and environment-themed 2017 concerto for percussion quartet; and performs Simeon ten Holt’s minimalist work Canto Ostinato. The group’s arrangement for percussion quartet and two pianos was performed at Lincoln Center Summer for the City. A new recording by Sandbox Percussion, Erik Hall, and Metropolis Ensemble is scheduled for release in spring 2026 on the Western Vinyl label. At Duke University, Sandbox Percussion and the Tyshawn Sorey Trio present Max Roach at 100, a tribute to the influential jazz drummer. At Stanford Live, Sandbox Percussion joins the choir The Crossing for You Are Who I Love, the last work by the late Harold Meltzer, set to Aracelis Girmay’s poem about the undocumented immigrant experience in the U.S.

The group’s latest release is Don’t Look Down (PENTATONE, 2025), an album that “stretches and challenges the listeners’ ears” (BBC Music Magazine), featuring music by longtime collaborator Christopher Cerrone, with Hanick on piano and mezzo-soprano Elspeth Davis. The album received three GRAMMY® Award nominations, for Best Classical Compendium, Best Contemporary Classical Composition (the title piece), and Best Engineered Album, Classical and won in the Best Engineered category. Sandbox Percussion also recorded percussion music for its first feature film, The Wild Robot (DreamWorks, 2024), an animated science fiction film directed by Chris Sanders, with music by Kris Bowers. It received three Academy Award nominations, and a GRAMMY® Award nomination for the score.

Sandbox Percussion holds the positions of ensemble-in-residence and percussion faculty at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, The New School’s College of Performing Arts, and at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. Sandbox Percussion endorses Pearl/Adams musical instruments, Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks and mallets, Remo drumheads, and Black Swamp accessories.

Christopher Jesina 2/6/26 Christopher Jesina 2/6/26

March 2: Portland Premiere of Lisa Bielawa's The Trojan Women – Performed by String Quartet mousai REMIX

Photo by Shawn Poynter available in hi-resolution at www.jensenartists.com/lisa-bielawa

Lisa Bielawa’s The Trojan Women in Portland Premiere
Performed by String Quartet mousai REMIX

Monday, March 2, 2026 at 7pm
Polaris Hall | 625 N Killingsworth Court | Portland, OR
Tickets and More Information

“Bielawa’s music is thoughtful and approachable. She’s a voice in what you might call the new accessible avant-garde.” – Gramophone Magazine

Lisa Bielawa: www.lisabielawa.net

Portland, OR – Composer, producer, and vocalist Lisa Bielawa –– described as “a dynamic and innovative composer” by The Boston Globe –– will have her work for string quartet, The Trojan Women, performed by string quartet mousai REMIX (Emily Cole, violin; Shin-young Kwon, violin; Jennifer Arnold, viola; Marilyn de Oliveira, cello) of Portland-based music collective 45th Parallel, at Polaris Hall (625 N Killingsworth Court on Monday, March 2, 2026 at 7pm. This will be the Portland, OR premiere of the piece. The concert will also include music by Tomeka Reid (b. 1977), Fanny Mendelssohn and Grażyna Bacewicz.

Lisa Bielawa is a 2023 Guggenheim fellow and Rome Prize winner, who takes inspiration for her work from literary sources and close artistic collaborations. Her music has been described as “ruminative, pointillistic and harmonically slightly tart,” by The New York Times, and “fluid and arresting ... at once dramatic and probing,” by the San Francisco Chronicle.

In 1999, she composed a continuous score for Euripides' tragedy The Trojan Women for a production directed by JoAnn Akalaitis. The following year, she composed this string quartet based on the production, which was premiered by the Miami String Quartet presented by Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. She writes of the work, “The special musical challenge of this project was to identify and convey, in three movements, three variegated forms of grief, each one a consequence of one woman's particular sufferings: ‘Hecuba,’ ‘Cassandra,’ and ‘Andromache.’ These women lost husbands and sons in the notorious brutality of the Trojan War. Each time I revisited the piece as it evolved from music for the theatre, to string quartet, and finally to string orchestra, I was informed by a slightly different understanding of the nature of public and private grieving. Euripides’ eulogy to the fallen Troy takes its place alongside the picture of Jerusalem in the Lamentations of Jeremiah, W.G. Sebald’s searching inquiries into the rubble of Dresden, or the jarring pictures we see daily in the media.”

Lisa Bielawa’s 2025-2026 season features bold programming, new collaborations, and world premieres of several new works. Knoxville Broadcast, a new installment in Bielawa’s Broadcast series, was premiered on October 17 and 18, 2025 in Knoxville, TN in three site-specific performances at Knoxville’s World’s Fair Park presented by Big Ears. Violinist Tessa Lark has given the first two premiere performances of Bielawa’s Violin Concerto No. 2, PULSE with two of the co-commissioning orchestras – the world premiere performances with the Louisville Orchestra, conducted by Teddy Abrams on October 24 and 25, 2025; and the Cincinnati premiere with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Music Director Cristian Mӑcelaru, on November 29 and 30, 2025. She will perform it with another co-commissioner, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project on April 19, 2026. On February 26, 2026, Miller Theatre at Columbia University will present a Composer Portrait concert dedicated exclusively to Bielawa’s music, including the world premiere of a new work, all performed by Contemporaneous led by David Bloom, with Bielawa singing. Bielawa also serves as Howard Hanson Visiting Professor at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY for 2025-2026, where she will work with students who will be performing her music throughout the academic year. Eastman will present her next large-scale Broadcast in April 2026.

More about Lisa Bielawa: Lisa Bielawa is the recipient of the Music Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, an OPERA America Grant for Female Composers, a 2025 commission from The Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress, and is a 2025 New Music USA Amplifying Voices composer. She was named a William Randolph Hearst Visiting Artist Fellow at the American Antiquarian Society for 2018 and was Artist-in-Residence at Kaufman Music Center in New York for the 2020-2021 season. During the 2022-23 season, she was a member of the inaugural Louisville Orchestra’s Creators Corps. Her music is frequently performed throughout the U.S. and abroad. Her work has recently been premiered at the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, SHIFT Festival, Town Hall Seattle, Naumburg Orchestral Concerts Summer Series in New York’s Central Park, National Sawdust, Le Poisson Rouge, Rouen Opera, Helsinki Music Center, Arsenal de Metz, Japan Society, and MAXXI Museum in Rome, among others. Orchestras that have championed her music include the Louisville Orchestra, The Knights, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, American Composers Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the Orlando Philharmonic; she has also written for the combined forces of The Knights, San Francisco Girls Chorus, and Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Premieres of her work have been commissioned and presented by leading ensembles and organizations including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Big Ears, Miami String Quartet, Brooklyn Rider, Seattle Chamber Music Society, American Guild of Organists, American Pianists Association, California Music Center, Akademiska Sångföreningen (Helsinki), Paul Dresher Ensemble, SOLI Chamber Ensemble, the Washington and PRISM Saxophone Quartets, Ensemble Variances (commissioned by Radio France), and more. Bielawa’s music has been recorded on the Tzadik, Orange Mountain, Supertrain, Cedille, TROY, Innova, BMOP/sound, and Sono Luminus labels.

Christopher Jesina 2/6/26 Christopher Jesina 2/6/26

Feb. 27: Pianist Alexander Malofeev Announces Sony Classical Debut Album Forgotten Melodies – Lilacs by Sergei Rachmaninoff Out Today

Pianist Alexander Malofeev Announces Sony Classical Debut Album
Forgotten Melodies

Out Today: New Single
12 Romances, Op. 21: V. Lilacs by Sergei Rachmaninoff
Listen Here

“…His intensity overwhelms…[he] makes a monumentally thunderous impression with his music…” – The Los Angeles Times

Worldwide Album Release Date: February 27, 2026
Pre-Order Available Now

Sony Classical is thrilled to announce the debut album of world-renowned pianist Alexander Malofeev titled Forgotten Melodies set for release on February 27, 2026 and available for preorder here. New single 12 Romances, Op. 21: V. Lilacs by Sergei Rachmaninoff is out today – listen here.

“A world piano revolution” (Der Standard) at just twenty-three, Alexander Malofeev has already become one of the most captivating pianists of his generation. Praised by Il Giornale for embodying “the piano mastery of the new millennium,” he has performed with leading orchestras worldwide.

Born in Moscow in 2001, Malofeev studied at two of Russia’s most renowned institutions: the Gnessin Special School and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. In 2014, at just thirteen, he won first prize at the junior edition of the prestigious International Tchaikovsky Competition.

Today, Alexander Malofeev lives in Berlin. With this recording, he seeks to connect traces of his heritage with those of the present. “I chose Berlin more or less by accident, but previously it had been home to Glinka, Glazunov and Medtner at some point in their lives.”

For his album, Malofeev has selected four composers who were all born in Russia but died far from their homeland: Alexander Glazunov in Paris (1936), Mikhail Glinka in Berlin (1857), Sergei Rachmaninoff in Beverly Hills (1943), and Nikolai Medtner in London (1951).

Yet more than the theme of exile - which shaped the lives of these four composers -what moves Malofeev most is another idea: “They all share a similar feeling of nostalgia,” he explains. “But you cannot really figure out which moment in time they are actually nostalgic for. It’s almost as if they are nostalgic for a very similar setting which never really existed in history. It’s like it is totally made up, almost a dream world - and you can find it everywhere on this album.”

Alongside Medtner’s cycle Forgotten Melodies, the most extensive work on the album is Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Sonata, composed while he was still in Russia and revised nearly two decades later in Switzerland. “I’ve loved Rachmaninoff for as long as I can remember,” Malofeev admits - referring to his composing and piano: “His freedom, his spirit, his hands, his genius.” Malofeev deliberately chose the revised version of the Sonata, as it is shorter, more concise, and more economical in its writing - and therefore closer to Medtner.

Not yet in his mid-twenties, Alexander Malofeev has already stepped into the international spotlight, thanks to his phenomenal technique and, above all, the remarkable expressiveness of his playing. Conductor Riccardo Chailly notes that he is “not just a child prodigy,” recognizing that Malofeev “already possesses depth as well as technical, musical and mnemonic abilities.” The international press has hailed him as a “Russian genius” (Corriere della Sera); his performances are described as a “piano-world revolution” (Der Standard), his “magnetic pull” and ability to create a “weightlessly singing tone” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) already marking him, at such a young age, as a truly exceptional artist.

ALEXANDER MALOFEEV – FORGOTTEN MELODIES – TRACKLIST:

Glinka – A Farewell to Saint Petersburg: No. 10, The Lark
Glinka – Mazurka in C Major
Glinka – Mazurka in C Minor
Glinka – Polka in D Minor
Glinka – Farewell Waltz
Medtner – I – Sonata reminiscenza
Medtner – II. Danza graziosa
Medtner – III. Danza festiva
Medtner – IV. Canzona fluviala
Medtner – V. Danza rustica
Medtner – VI. Canzona serenata
Medtner – VII. Danza silvestra
Medtner – VIII. Alla reminiscenza
Medtner – 2 Fairy Tales, Op. 48: No. 2, Tale of the Elves
Rachmaninoff – 5 Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3: No. 2, Prélude in C-Sharp Minor - Lento
Rachmaninoff – Fragments, Op.posth
Rachmaninoff – I. Allegro agitato
Rachmaninoff – II. Non allegro
Rachmaninoff – III. Allegro molto
Rachmaninoff - 12 Romances, Op. 21: V. Lilacs
Rachmaninoff – 5 Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3: No. 1, Élégie in E-Flat Minor
Rachmaninoff – No. 3: Grave
Rachmaninoff – No. 7: Moderato
Rachmaninoff – No. 8: Grave
Glazunov – 3 Études for Piano, Op. 31: No. 3. La nuit
Glazunov – Song of the Volga Boatmen, Op. 97
Glazunov – Idylle, Op. 103
Glazunov – 3 Miniatures for Piano, Op. 42: Valse - Allegretto

ALEXANDER MALOFEEV 2025 – 2026 PERFORMANCE DATES:

Oct 24 – Frankfurt, Germany – Alte Oper Frankfurt
Nov 9 – Leipzig, Germany – Mendelssohn-Haus Leipzig
Nov 10 – Berlin, Germany – Philharmonie Berlin
Nov 13 – Munich, Germany – Isarphilharmonie Munich
Nov 27 – Bari, Italy – Teatro Petruzzelli
Nov 30 – Trento, Italy – Sala Filarmonica
Dec 14 – Brussels, Belgium – Bozar / Centre for Fine Arts
Jan 12 – Bologna, Italy – Teatro Auditorium Manzoni
Jan 14 – Lausanne, Switzerland – Week-End Musical de Pully
Jan 15 – Grenoble, France – Auditorium du Musée
Jan 17 – Vienna, Austria – Konzerthaus
Jan 21 – Milan, Italy – Milan Conservatory / Sala Verdi
Jan 23 – Paris, France – Salle Gaveau
Jan 28 – Hamburg, Germany – Elbphilharmonie
Jan 31 – Shenzhen, China – Shenzhen Concert Hall / Verbier Festival
Feb 6 – Shenzhen, China – Shenzhen Concert Hall / Verbier Festival
Feb 7 – Shenzhen, China – Shenzhen Concert Hall / Verbier Festival
Feb 8 – Shenzhen, China – Shenzhen Concert Hall / Verbier Festival
Feb 14 – Brussels, Belgium – Festival Musiq3 / Flagey
Feb 25 – Hamburg, Germany – Elbphilharmonie / Großer Saal
Mar 3 – Orlando, FL, USA – Steinmetz Hall
Mar 5 – Houston, TX, USA – Jones Hall

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Gardner Museum Continues Weekend Concert Series Through May - Announces Two Programming Changes

L-R: Paul O’Dette courtesy of the artist, the Butter Quartet by Łukasz Rajchert.
Press photos available here.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s
Winter/Spring 2026 Weekend Concert Series Continues Through May

Announcing Two Programming Changes:
Paul O’Dette replaces Hopkinson Smith on March 8, 2026
The Butter Quartet replaces Diderot String Quartet on April 26, 2026

Information & Tickets: gardnermuseum.org/about/music

BOSTON, MA – The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum announces two programming changes during its Winter/Spring 2026 Weekend Concert Series, a fifteen-concert season curated by Abrams Curator of Music George Steel running from through May 17, 2026. On March 8, 2026, GRAMMY-winning lutenist Paul O’Dette will perform instead of Hopkinson Smith. On April 26, 2026, the celebrated period-instrument Butter Quartet will perform instead of the Diderot String Quartet. Ticket holders have been contacted and all previously purchased tickets will be honored.

Paul O’Dette’s concert program will celebrate the great Elizabethan composer and lutenist John Dowland, marking the 400th anniversary of Dowland’s death. O’Dette, who took home his second GRAMMY Award this year, will perform dances and laments of exquisite Tudor melancholy, celebrating the life and intimate music of this master musician. The Butter Quartet, formed during the members’ studies at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, presents a concert exploring the origins of the Classical period. The four composers on the program—Haydn, Mozart, Vaňhal, and Dittersdorf—are reported to have performed together as a string quartet at private gatherings.

Other upcoming performances include the celebrated Claremont Trio returning with Louise Farrenc's Piano Quintet No. 1 alongside music by Ravel and Shulamit Ran (February 8); the impossibly talented Attacca Quartet performing a Museum-commissioned Boston premiere by David Lang paired with works by Mendelssohn and Bartók (February 22); Ensemble Signal performing Steve Reich’s monumental work Music for 18 Musicians as part of the Gardner Museum’s new Thursday Night Music series (February 26); Boston piano star Gloria Chien joining the young German stars of the Goldmund Quartet for Amy Beach's Piano Quintet alongside music by Haydn and Grażyna Bacewicz (March 1); Boston's beloved Borromeo String Quartet in Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" and works by Vijay Iyer, Caroline Shaw, and Jessie Montgomery (March 15); longtime Gardner Museum collaborators Castle of Our Skins presenting a portrait concert of violinist-composer Daniel Bernard Roumain (March 29); superstar guitarist Paul Galbraith performing on his remarkable eight-string “Brahms Guitar” (April 5); the return of virtuoso violinist Randall Goosby in a program of music by Beethoven, Debussy, and Amy Beach (April 12); Boston Children's Chorus honoring the legacy of civil rights icon Melnea Cass (April 18); the remarkable Imani Winds in a varied program including music by Simon Shaheen, Stevie Wonder, Valerie Coleman, and Fazil Say (April 19); stellar pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason in a thoughtful program including Beethoven's "Moonlight" and "Waldstein" sonatas, Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit, and selections by Dobrinka Tabakova (May 10); and the Renaissance String Quartet (violinists Randall Goosby and Jeremiah Blacklow, violist Jameel Martin, and cellist Daniel Hass) with works by Florence Price, Brahms, and Daniel Hass (May 17).

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

Winter/Spring 2026 Weekend Concert Series Overview - Upcoming Performances

The celebrated Claremont Trio returns to the Gardner Museum on February 8, joined by violist Rosemary Nelis and bassist Bradley Aikman, for a performance of 19th-century French composer Louise Farrenc’s Piano Quintet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 30. Farrenc, whose music is only now receiving the attention it deserves, was a formidable pianist and composer whose piano quintet stands alongside the finest chamber works of her era. The trio will also take on Ravel’s luscious piano trio and Shulamit Ran’s yearning Soliloquy, which grew out of her work on an operatic adaptation of The Dybbuk by S. An-sky.

The impossibly talented Attacca Quartet returns to Calderwood Hall on February 22, bringing Bartók’s pungent fourth quartet, which mixes Hungarian folk music and modernism with foot-stomping ferocity. Mendelssohn’s Apollonian musicianship will be on display in his elegant String Quartet in E minor. The program is balanced by the Boston premiere of a Museum-commissioned work by David Lang, daisy, from the composer who created his “in-ear opera” true pearl for the Gardner Museum’s Tapestry Room in 2018. Lang’s music continues to surprise and delight with its inventive approaches to texture and form.

The inaugural Thursday Night Music concert on February 26 features Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians performed by Ensemble Signal led by Co-Artistic Director Brad Lubman. Reich, a music pioneer and living legend, celebrates his 90th birthday in 2026. He has been called “the most original musical thinker of our time” (The New Yorker) and “among the great composers of the century” (The New York Times). Massively ambitious, the hour-long Music for 18 Musicians features four grand pianos, three full-size marimbas, two xylophones, four singers, clarinet, violin, and cello. In this work, Reich drew influences from a wide variety of sources including Balinese gamelan, plainchant, and jazz. It premiered 50 years ago in 1976 and continues to loom large in today’s musical landscape.

Boston piano star Gloria Chien returns to the Gardner Museum on March 1 to join the young German stars of the Goldmund Quartet in composer Amy Beach’s Piano Quintet, one of the finest works by the greatest of Boston’s “Second New England School” of composers. The Goldmunds will offer Haydn’s String Quartet in E-flat major, nicknamed his “Joke” quartet, from his astonishing Opus 33 set of quartets, along with the fourth quartet of Polish mid-century modernist Grażyna Bacewicz. Her music, only now finding a wider audience, balances Baltic intensity and Mendelssohnian wit.

The outstanding Paul O’Dette comes to Calderwood Hall, one of Boston’s best venues to hear the lute, on March 8. He will perform a recital in celebration of John Dowland, the great Elizabethan composer and lutenist who died 400 years ago. O’Dette will perform dances and laments of exquisite Tudor melancholy, celebrating the life and intimate music of this master musician.

Boston’s beloved Borromeo String Quartet pays a visit to the Gardner Museum on March 15 with a program built around Schubert’s monumental “Death and the Maiden” quartet, one of his supreme late masterpieces and a paragon of the Romantic spirit. The Borromeos also bring a quartet by jazz pianist and composer Vijay Iyer, who is Harvard’s Franklin D. and Florence Rosenblatt Professor of the Arts and a MacArthur Fellow. Nicholas Kitchen has arranged a pair of preludes and fugues from Bach and Shostakovich, while Entr’acte by Museum-favorite Caroline Shaw and Jessie Montgomery’s Source Code round out this adventurous and eclectic program that showcases the quartet’s remarkable range.

The Gardner’s longtime collaborators, Castle of Our Skins, perform a portrait concert on March 29 of violinist, composer, and musical firebrand Daniel Bernard Roumain, joined by the composer himself on electric violin along with Val-Inc as sound chemist. This concert includes three string quartets from Roumain’s cycle of musical portraits of major Black figures: String Quartet No. 1, “X” (1993); String Quartet No. 2, “King” (2001); and String Quartet No. 4, “Angelou” (2004). Roumain’s music thrillingly mixes classical American music, jazz, and hip-hop, all transformed through his own unique voice. His quartets are powerful testimonies to the lives and legacies of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Maya Angelou.

On April 5, the Gardner Museum presents superstar Paul Galbraith, one of the great guitarists of our time and a superb interpreter. With the music of J.S. Bach and Albéniz at the heart of his program, Galbraith will perform on his remarkable eight-string “Brahms Guitar,” which he holds like a cello. His instrument and his artistry are sui generis. There is simply no one else doing what Galbraith does. The program ranges from Dowland’s Elizabethan gems through J.S. Bach’s French Suites and Partitas, to a sonata by Haydn, Albéniz’s masterpieces Suite Española and España, Ravel’s Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn, and Lennox Berkeley’s Quatre pièces. There is no better place to hear Galbraith’s miraculous playing than in the superb acoustics of Calderwood Hall.

Virtuoso violinist Randall Goosby returns on April 12 with pianist Zhu Wang for an intimate recital of epic music. Two major sonatas bookend the program: Debussy’s elusive and gorgeous sonata is paired with Beethoven’s sunny F major essay in the form. The concert also includes Southland Sketches by Harry Burleigh, who was key in forging a quintessential American musical language, modifying the gorgeous modal inflections of spirituals with the chromatic ambiguities of Wagner’s harmony. Romance by Boston’s Amy Beach, the best of the Second New England School of composers, gorgeously drinks from a similar Wagnerian well. Dvořák’s Four Romantic Pieces provide a bridge between these worlds, showing how Romanticism and folk traditions can be seamlessly interwoven.

Boston Children’s Chorus honors the remarkable legacy of Melnea Cass, the “First Lady of Roxbury,” on April 18. A tireless advocate for justice, Cass championed women’s suffrage, Black employment, early childhood education, care for the elderly, and civil rights leadership as president of Boston’s NAACP. Her lifelong commitment to equity shaped generations in Boston and her influence continues to resonate today. Audiences are invited to celebrate the enduring impact of this powerful yet often unsung Boston icon through a program of music that reflects her spirit of activism, community, and hope.

The celebrated wind quintet Imani Winds returns to the Gardner Museum on April 19 with a typically wide-ranging program showcasing works by composer-performers. Including the great American ‘oud player Simon Shaheen, Turkish pianist Fazil Say, the nonpareil Stevie Wonder, and Imani’s own Valerie Coleman, this program demonstrates the quintet’s commitment to expanding the wind repertoire with music that crosses cultural and stylistic boundaries. From Wonder’s jubilant Overjoyed to Coleman’s evocative Red Clay & Mississippi Delta, from Finnish composer Kalevi Aho’s substantial Wind Quintet No. 1 to Paquito D’Rivera’s A Little Cuban Waltz, this wonderful program is full of color and invention.

The Butter Quartet, a period-instrument string quartet, presents a program exploring the origins of the Classical period string quartet on April 26. The four composers on this program—Haydn, Mozart, Vaňhal, and Dittersdorf—are reported to have performed together as a string quartet at private gatherings. At the core of this program is a musical tip-of-the-hat between two of them: Hadyn’s Opus 20 “Sun” quartets number among his greatest works—witty, erudite, profound. Dazzled by Haydn’s fusion of counterpoint and gallant gesture, Mozart dedicated his most learned set of quartets to Haydn.

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

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

Winter/Spring 2026 At-a-Glance Concert Schedule

Ticketing Information

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

About the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum