Now Available on ECM New Series: András Schiff's Recording of Brahms' Klavierstücke

András Schiff
Johannes Brahms
Klavierstücke

András Schiff, Blüthner piano

Albumblatt, Klavierstücke op.76, Fantasien op.116, Intermezzi op.117, Klavierstücke op.118, Klavierstücke op.119

ECM New Series 2730/31
Out Now

Downloads and CDs available upon request.

Early works and late works, the young Brahms and the mature Brahms: how could the music not sound different? Yet for his new recording of Brahms's piano pieces, András Schiff does not begin with any of the composer's better-known youthful works—from the Scherzo, op. 4, to the Ballades, op. 10, of 1854. Instead, he opens with a musical miniature that remained unknown for many years: little more than a sounding vignette from that period.

Brahms wrote the Albumblatt during a concert tour, inscribing it as a musical dedication in the Album Amicorum of Arnold Wehner, director of the University of Göttingen. Other artists, including Schumann, Mendelssohn and Liszt, had also left their mark there. Brahms later revised the fleeting little piece and incorporated it into his Horn Trio, op. 40. In the context of this recording, this wistful work by the twenty-year-old Johannes Brahms serves as an atmospheric and finely judged introduction to everything that follows. For András Schiff, it is something like “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”.

The "mature" Brahms emerges in the Eight Piano Pieces, op. 76, composed largely in 1878—a collection of Capriccios and Intermezzi. These works reflect Beethoven, Schumann and Chopin far less directly than Brahms's earlier music, and they certainly make no demands for an orchestral style of piano playing. Instead, they are intimate, profound miniatures. The critic Eduard Hanslick aptly described them, with their restrained manner, as "soliloquies," while the French Brahms biographer Claude Rostand called them "a cycle of pianistic reveries tinged with a Nordic world-weariness. 

Between 1866 and 1878, Brahms had largely neglected solo piano music. He returned to the genre only with op. 76 and the Two Rhapsodies, op. 79, before devoting himself once again, in 1892 and 1893, almost exclusively to piano pieces. The Fantasies, op. 116, and the Intermezzi, op. 117, could just as easily have borne that general title. Brahms's friend Theodor Billroth was no admirer of these small-scale works. He considered them "not varied enough, mostly too ponderous," and advised the composer to "remain with the grand style." Posterity, however, reached a very different verdict. These intimate works have come to be regarded as among the finest achievements of late Romantic piano music.

The term Klavierstück ("piano piece") was, incidentally, a catch-all designation in the nineteenth century, encompassing a wide range of lyrical forms: impromptus, ballades, romances, rhapsodies, capriccios, intermezzi and Songs Without Words, with fluid boundaries between the various genres. Brahms himself favoured the designations Capriccio and Intermezzo, using them almost as complementary opposites in terms of tempo, dynamics and musical character. On the one hand are the animated, more passionate Capriccios, full of rhythmic ingenuity and finely shaded dynamics. On the other are the introspective Intermezzi, restrained in expression and avoiding sharp contrasts.

In the recording booklet, András Schiff contributes highly personal notes on the individual works, touching on both their expressive content and aspects of their formal construction. He also observes that "the colours of these autumnal Brahms pieces" remind him, through a kind of elective affinity, of the sequence of colours in Paul Klee's painting Ancient Sound—especially when played on a historical instrument such as "the beautifully maintained 1859 Blüthner, lovingly cared for by Christoph Kern."

With the release of these piano pieces, András Schiff continues his sequence of Brahms recordings for ECM’s New Series. It began with the Clarinet Sonatas, recorded with Jörg Widmann, and has since expanded to include the Piano Concertos with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Violin Sonatas with Yuuko Shiokawa.

Nov 20: Islandia Music Records Releases Third Volume in Weather Systems Series from Steven Schick - It’s About Time

Islandia Music Records Releases Third Volume in
Weather Systems Series from Steven Schick

It’s About Time – Out on November 20, 2026

“Philosopher King of Percussion” – The New York Times 

Upcoming Performances by Steven Schick: December 4 & 5, 2026 – World Premiere by Tyshawn Sorey
Park Avenue Armory, New York, NY
Tickets & Information 

Press downloads and promotional CDs available upon request.

www.stevenschick.com | www.islandiamusic.com

New York, NY – Islandia Music Records announces Weather Systems III – It’s About Time, the final volume in a three-volume series from “one of the great percussion virtuosos of our time” (San Francisco Chronicle) Steven Schick. Weather Systems is a set of recordings of the percussion music that has been most meaningful to Schick, which spans more than 100 years. Weather Systems III – It’s About Time will be released on November 20, 2026. A single from the album, David Lang’s Unchained Melody, will be released on November 6, 2026. 

Percussionist, conductor, and author Steven Schick has championed contemporary percussion music by commissioning or premiering more than one hundred-fifty new works. The title of his series, Weather Systems, and the first album, A Hard Rain (2022), reflect Schick’s background growing up in a farming family in Iowa, always having one eye on the weather and in particular, on the rain. The second installment, Soundlines: On Language and the Land (2023), is an echo of Schick’s walk up the California coast: a musical changing of perspectives and connection with the world. In his liner notes, Schick writes, “Each [of these recordings] presents layered emotions in which a humorous façade dissolves to reveal deeper truths.”

This third volume in the series, It’s About Time, explores time as both a large-scale concept and a micro-temporal component of music. The 2-CD set features highly contrasting works for percussion by David Lang (Unchained Melody, String of Pearls, The Anvil Chorus), Michael Gordon (XY), Harrison Birtwistle (The Axe Manual), Iannis Xenakis (Rebonds), Brian Ferneyhough (Bone Alphabet), Kaija Saariaho (Six Japanese Gardens), and Rand Steiger (For Robert Erickson). Schick describes the collection as, “an ode to the reciprocal wisdom between past and present, between pieces I have lived with for decades and the newest of the new.”

Weather Systems is released on Islandia Music Records, the record label of cellist and producer Maya Beiser. Beiser says, “Steve Schick and I met over 30 years ago, in New York City. Both of us were involved with the Bang on a Can festival; we became founding members of the Bang on a Can All-Stars. Steve is a true virtuoso, possessing a rare artistic force which melds rigorous discipline with mesmerizing, hypnotic performance energy. Over the years we have collaborated on many different projects and remained close friends and artistic confidants. I am so thankful for the opportunity to help bring this monumental project to fruition with Islandia Music Records.”

Schick writes in his liner notes for this release:

“Any retrospective survey such as the Weather Systems series—seven CDs of personally meaningful solo and small-form chamber music that I recorded about the time I turned seventy—risks lapsing into nostalgia, that ill-advised desire to return to, purportedly, better times. But music helps us resist the backward urge. It shows us that the past need not be an anchor; it can be a root system.

The spine of It’s About Time consists of music from my decade as percussionist with the Bang on Can All-Stars, from 1992 to 2002. The founders of the Bang collective—composers, Michael Gordon, Julia Wolfe, and David Lang—and my original bandmates, Evan Ziporyn, Mark Stewart, Lisa Moore, Robert Black, and Maya Beiser are not only fearless artistic collaborators, they are life-long friends. This music is heard here in dialogue with canonic works by other composers important to me.”

About the Music:

David Lang’s Unchained Melody (2002) was, in Schick's words, “a gift from David when I left the All-Stars” that made the sadness of that departure more bearable. Each pitch of a simple melody played on the glockenspiel is paired with a unique percussive noise, and on this recording Schick teams up with computer musician William Brent, whose “ludbots” (MIDI-triggered kick-drum beaters) join gongs, bells, and broken cymbals to form what Schick describes in his liner notes as, “a strange and beautiful grunge gamelan.”

Schick describes Lang's String of Pearls (2006) as “a single line on a single instrument played out like the long arc of a fly fisherman’s line cast onto still water. Harmonies move slowly. The player’s hands move fast. And the listener is mesmerized by the beguiling eddies of marimba sound.”

Lang's The Anvil Chorus (1991), now a staple of the solo percussion repertoire, grew out of the image of a circle of blacksmiths all working together around the same piece of metal, carefully counting their blows to avoid striking one another. Scored for metallic instruments (ringing, dry, and a third group Lang once called “nasty”) as well as bass drum and wood blocks, Schick toured the piece with the Bang on a Can All-Stars performing on portable and borrowed instruments. For this recording Schick created what he calls, “a distinctly non-tour-able version,” featuring large brass bells, the heaviest of which takes three people to lift.

Michael Gordon's XY (1998) transforms five drums into what Schick hears as “an eloquent chorus,” built from interlocking crescendo/decrescendo phrases that escalate into ever more complex polyrhythms. Schick writes in his liner notes that, “The music projects the energy and expansiveness of an Elvin Jones solo, but at its core it is a barren aria with the inescapable melancholy of a Beowulf monologue.” 

Schick recorded Harrison Birtwistle's The Axe Manual (2000) with pianist Aleck Karis. The complex piece sets independent strands of piano and percussion against one another, often in different meters and tempos. Schick describes the goal as “organicity.” He writes, “With each instrument speaking its natural language, the stage is set for a ludic interplay of rhythm and texture; time and harmony.” 

Kaija Saariaho's Six Japanese Gardens (1994) was written after an extended visit to Kyoto, and references specific gardens in some cases through field recordings of Japanese music and natural sound. Schick finds that the music remains evocative throughout. He writes, “The sounds of Buddhist chanting accompanied by the tolling of gongs in the fourth movement, ‘The Rock Garden of Ryoan-ji,’ is haunting. And the solitary plinks of bell, stone, and triangle notes imitate the ubiquitous sounds of dripping water in the Moss Garden (Saiho-ji), perhaps the greenest place I have ever seen. In a final ingenious sleight of hand, one worthy of a composer of the stature of Saariaho, at the end of the sixth movement, ‘Stone Bridges,’ she pivots seamlessly to the music of the opening. We are returned to a sonic Urwelt of insects and drums; bells and breath. And we realize that we have not lost contact with the earth at all.”                                   

Rand Steiger's For Robert Erickson (2024), an homage to the co-founder of the University of California, San Diego, explores rhythm at a micro-level through what Schick describes as, “the frisson of acoustic beating between two vibraphones,” each one with one manual tuned to equal temperament and the other to just intonation. Schick writes, “As with any Steiger piece, the texture is electric with a lively interplay of rhythm and harmony. And I find that the slow bowed section at the middle of the piece, exploring the delicious differences between tuning systems, is among the most beautiful passages in all the solo percussion repertoire.”

Iannis Xenakis's Rebonds (1989) has become core repertory for percussionists, often performed, in Schick's view, with “a sense of triumph” as the player “vanquishes” its considerable challenges. Schick hears something different. He writes, “But in each Xenakis piece that I know there are moments of true impossibility, designed to thwart the heroic urge. When those impossible passages occur, the player has a simple choice—either stop playing or find a flawed and human solution to an unsolvable problem. Thus, Xenakis transforms a musical problem into an ethical one. Rebonds invites us to jettison the heroic and embrace the human.”

Brian Ferneyhough's Bone Alphabet (1992) is so extremely difficult and dense that Schick learned it at what he describes as, “the glacial pace of roughly one month of intense practice per minute of music.” That slowness became its own kind of teacher, as Schick learned the piece over a long period of time, which included his father’s death in 1991. He writes, “I began learning Bone Alphabet by trying to show my mastery as a percussionist and ended with a willingness to reveal my shortcomings. . . Try it slower, then faster. Succeed here; let yourself fail there. Play it again. Practice. It might be difficult to imagine being comforted by music as prickly as Bone Alphabet. But without it I would have been lost.”

More About Steven Schick: Percussionist, conductor, and author Steven Schick was born in Iowa and raised in a farming family. Hailed by Alex Ross in The New Yorker as, “one of our supreme living virtuosos, not just of percussion but of any instrument,” he has championed contemporary percussion music by commissioning or premiering more than one hundred-fifty new works. The most important of these have become core repertory for solo percussion. Schick was inducted into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 2014. 

Steven Schick was artistic director of the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus from 2007 to 2022, and previously, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. As a conductor, he has appeared with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony, Ensemble Modern, the International Contemporary Ensemble, and the Asko/Schönberg Ensemble.

Schick’s publications include a book, The Percussionist’s Art: Same Bed, Different Dreams, and many articles. He has released numerous recordings including the 2010 Percussion Works of Iannis Xenakis, and its companion, The Complete Early Percussion Works of Karlheinz Stockhausen, in 2014 (both on Mode). He received the “Diapason d’Or” as conductor (Xenakis Ensemble Music with ICE) and the Deutscheschallplattenkritikpreis, as percussionist (Stockhausen), each for the best new music release of 2015.

Steven Schick is Distinguished Professor of Music and holds the Reed Family Presidential Chair at the University of California, San Diego. He was music director of the 2015 Ojai Festival, and co-artistic director, with Claire Chase, of the Summer Music Program at the Banff Centre from 2017-2019.

About Islandia Music Records: Islandia Music Records is an independent label founded by cellist and producer Maya Beiser. A home for boundary-breakers and sonic visionaries, it brings together avant-garde musicians, visual artists, sound designers, and technologists to forge new frontiers in art and sound. 

Steven Schick: Weather Systems III – It’s About Time
Islandia Music Records
Release Date: November 20, 2026 

Disc I
David Lang: Unchained Melody (2002) (7:13) *
David Lang: String of Pearls (2006) (9:20)
David Lang: The Anvil Chorus (1991) (8:00)
Michael Gordon: XY (1998) (16:02)
Harrison Birtwistle: The Axe Manual (2000) (23:38) ** 

Disc II
Iannis Xenakis: Rebonds (1989) (12:41)
Brian Ferneyhough: Bone Alphabet (1992) (12:19)
Kaija Saariaho: Six Japanese Gardens (1994) (16:06)
Rand Steiger: For Robert Erickson (2024) (21:06) 

*with William Brent, ludbots
**with Aleck Karis, piano

Recording engineers:

Samantha Dunscombe
David Lang: The Anvil Chorus; Kaija Saariaho: Six Japanese Gardens; Rand Steiger: For Robert Erickson 

Andrew Munsey
Iannis Xenakis: Rebonds; Brian Ferneyhough: Bone Alphabet; Harrison Birtwistle: The Axe Manual; Michael Gordon: XY 

Josef Kucera
David Lang: Unchained Melody; David Lang: String of Pearls

All pieces recorded at the University of California, San Diego, Studio A. 

Executive producer: Maya Beiser
Label manager: Kristen Loring
Art direction: Denise Burt / elevator-design.dk

OUT TODAY: Pianist Lucas Debargue Releases Gershwin Variations – New Album on Sony Classical

Pianist Lucas Debargue Releases New Album on Sony Classical Gershwin Variations

Out Today - Listen Here

Worldwide Album Release Date: Out Today

In Concert at Ladies Morning Musical Club in Montreal on October 25, 2026
In Concert at Lincoln Center in New York City on October 29, 2026

Lucas Debargue presents Gershwin Variations, an ambitious tribute to George Gershwin in two parts: One recorded with the Orchestre de Paris conducted by Elim Chan, the other devoted to the pianist's original creations inspired by Gershwin's songs.

Internationally acclaimed pianist Lucas Debargue's Gershwin Variations stand as an ambitious and unprecedented project, born from the desire to explore a radically different universe after recording Scarlatti sonatas and the complete solo piano works of Fauré. This double album, which is out today on Sony Classical – listen here, is an ode to George Gershwin, an unclassifiable composer standing at the crossroads of classical music and jazz, whose singularity inspired Lucas to create a work equally impossible to categorize.

The album is divided into two parts, both equally grandiose and virtuosic… yet each with its own distinct identity.

The first part, recorded at the Philharmonie de Paris on Stephen Paulello’s unique SP/287 piano, features some of Gershwin’s most iconic works, including the Concerto in F with the Orchestre de Paris conducted by Elim Chan, the Three Preludes for Piano, and a highly personal version of Rhapsody in Blue, enriched with the pianist’s own cadenzas.

The second part, recorded at the Paulello Studio, is entirely devoted to twelve virtuosic études composed by Lucas from Gershwin’s most popular songs, spanning all chromatic keys. This cycle represents the most ambitious creation of his career as a pianist to date, affirming a deep commitment to freedom and invention, while placing itself in the tradition of the great composers who wrote their own études.

The Gershwin Variations is neither a classical album nor a jazz album, but a hybrid work reflecting the anticonformist spirit and the American dream embodied by Gershwin. Lucas offers a bold and poetic reinterpretation in which counterpoint, shifting harmonies, and unconventional rhythms reveal the richness of Gershwin’s melodies. He invites listeners to rediscover a repertoire where popularity is never synonymous with triviality, and where music becomes a space for freedom, daring, and vitality.

Lucas Debargue says: “I wanted to create an album that captures the spirit of constant transformation that breathes life into music in general—and into Gershwin’s music in particular. It features moments of spontaneous improvisation, original compositions, and interpretive choices that leave no trace in the original scores. That is why I decided to title it Gershwin Variations.”

TRACKLIST

CD 1

Rhapsody in Blue, 3 Preludes, Concerto in F
Lucas Debargue – piano
Orchestre de Paris, Orchestra
Elim Chan – conductor

George Gershwin (1898-1937)

1. Prelude I - Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
2. Piano Concerto in F - I. Allegro
3. Piano Concerto in F - II. Adagio – Andante con moto
4. Piano Concerto in F - III. Allegro agitato
5. Prelude II - Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
6. Rhapsody in blue - Molto moderato (Cadenzas: Lucas Debargue)
7. Rhapsody in blue - Meno mosso e poco scherzando (Cadenzas: Lucas Debargue)
8. Rhapsody in blue - Andantino moderato (Cadenzas: Lucas Debargue)
9. Rhapsody in blue -- Agitato e misterioso (Cadenzas: Lucas Debargue)
10. Prelude III - Allegro ben ritmato e deciso

[Total Time: 55:02]

CD 2

12 Virtuoso Etudes on Gershwin Songs
Lucas Debargue, piano

Lucas Debargue
1. Embraceable You - Rumba, in E
2. Fascinating Rhythm - Valse, in A
3. Someone To Watch Over Me, in D - Pavane
4. Someone To Watch Over Me, in D - Gaillarde
5. It Ain’t Necessarily So, in G - Fantaisie
6. It Ain’t Necessarily So, in G - Chaconne
7. It Ain’t Necessarily So, in G - Fugue
8. Liza - Gavotte § Double, in C
9. But Not For Me, in F – Prelude
10. But Not For Me, in F – Perpetuum Mobile ****
11. I Want To Stay Here (I love you Porgy) Adagio Dekadent, in B-flat
12. The Man I Love - Mirage, in E-flat
13. They Can’t Take That Away From Me - Romance, in A-flat
14. I Got Rhythm (I Really Got Rhythm !) - Boom Bap, in D-flat - Part I
15. I Got Rhythm (I Really Got Rhythm !) - Boom Bap, in D-flat - Part II
16. I Got Rhythm (I Really Got Rhythm !) - Boom Bap, in D-flat - Part III
17. Lady Be Good - Berceuse, in F-sharp

Summertime - 20 Concert Variations & Finale, on a Theme of George Gershwin, in B
18. Summertime - Introduction
19. Summertime - Thème
20. Summertime - Variation 1: Tempestoso
21. Summertime - Variation 2: Tango
22. Summertime - Variation 3: Scherzino
23. Summertime - Variation 4: Polonaise
24. Summertime - Variation 5: Féroce
25. Summertime - Variation 6: Scintillante
26. Summertime - Variation 7: Nocturne
27. Summertime - Variation 8: Marcia Funèbre
28. Summertime - Variation 9: Sicilienne
29. Summertime - Variation 10: Intermezzo
30. Summertime - Variation 11: Reggae
31. Summertime - Variation 12: Con Fuoco
32. Summertime - Variation 13: Caccia
33. Summertime - Variation 14: Choral
34. Summertime - Variation 15: Toccatina
35. Summertime - Variation 16: Bossa Nova
36. Summertime - Variation 17: Largo Recitativo
37. Summertime - Variation 18: Teneramente
38. Summertime - Variation 19: Fugue
39. Summertime - Variation 20: Tarentelle
40. Summertime – Finale: Alla Marcia

[Total Time: 55:29]

ABOUT LUCAS DEBARGUE

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Quiet Hours - Nocturnes by Ellis Ludwig-Leone Recorded in the Homes of Some of Today’s Most Celebrated Pianists - Available Now

Cover art available in high resolution here.

Quiet Hours
Nocturnes for Solo Piano by Ellis Ludwig-Leone

Read The New York Times Feature

Tickets on Sale Soon: Quiet Hours presented by Death of Classical
November 7, 2026

Recorded in the Homes of Some of Today’s Most Celebrated Pianists –
Timo Andres, Han Chen, Aaron Diehl, Simone Dinnerstein, David Kaplan, Lisa Kaplan, Ellis Ludwig-Leone, Dan Schlosberg, and Adam Tendler

 www.ellisludwigleone.com | www.bettercompanyrecords.com

Press downloads and CDs available upon request, contact Christina Jensen, christina@jensenartists.com.

NEW YORK, NY — In an impressive collaborative feat, acclaimed composer and pianist Ellis Ludwig-Leone, lauded by The New Yorker for his “knack for simultaneously expressing beauty and crisis,” has released Ludwig-Leone: Quiet Hours on Better Company Records. Moving beyond the traditional boundaries of the solo piano format, the album brings together nine of today’s generation-defining classical pianists for a singular concept: nine original nocturnes, each custom-written by Ludwig-Leone for the pianist and recorded on their home instrument. In addition to releasing the album, Ludwig-Leone is also publishing all of his nocturnes as a songbook alongside a series of score-following videos on his YouTube channel, so that other pianists can bring these pieces into their own living rooms. This special project was the subject of a recent feature in The New York Times, written by Brian Seibert. Quiet Hours will be celebrated in concert this fall, presented by Death of Classical on November 7, 2026 (tickets on sale soon).

Quiet Hours features nine solo nocturnes by Ellis Ludwig-Leone for himself and eight other pianists – Timo Andres, Han Chen, Aaron Diehl, Simone Dinnerstein, David Kaplan, Lisa Kaplan, Dan Schlosberg, and Adam Tendler. Rather than gathering these soloists in a sterile studio environment, Ludwig-Leone launched a cross-country road trip, bringing a mobile recording setup into their living rooms and private studios from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles.

The result is a moving conceptual alignment. Because these pieces are nocturnes—historically rooted in the quiet, reflective spaces of the night—they double as intimate sonic portraits of the spaces, habits, and instruments that make up each musician’s creative home. By capturing the unique mechanical character, subtle imperfections, and deep-seated familiarities of each pianist's own piano, Quiet Hours transforms the listening experience into a literal and psychological invitation into their private worlds.

“Sitting side-saddle to each player's creative process in their own space was fascinating,” says Ludwig-Leone. “I found my music constantly challenged and enriched. It brought me back to being a student, close-reading a text together to reveal a deeper understanding of the whole.”

For Ludwig-Leone, Quiet Hours converges several threads of his artistry—a pianist since childhood, he also leads the rock collective San Fermin, in addition to composing for such classical luminaries as Attacca Quartet, Eighth Blackbird, the Philadelphia Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, and New York City Ballet. As Seibert writes in The New York Times, “While the nocturnes on Quiet Hours are formally complex contemporary classical compositions, they are at heart songs, even lullabies.” Ludwig-Leone alludes to the personal nature of these pieces in the article, saying, “I’ve thought of composition as building a house or making structures, and songwriting more as inviting someone in for coffee.” The nocturnes on this unusual album masterfully combine aspects of both of his approaches.

Ludwig-Leone has also long found inspiration in literary sources, and while he avoids setting poetry to music, the nocturnes on Quiet Music are influenced by texts concerning the night by poets and writers including William Collins, Emily Dickinson, Emma Healey, Carey McHugh, Jacques Prévert, Karen Russell, Wallace Stevens, Elizabeth Sylvia, and Cynthia Zarin.

He says of the album, “Recently, moving into a new apartment, I inherited an old upright. In the quiet of this unfamiliar space, I found that sitting at the piano became a way of making the place mine, of feeling at home. From this unexpected reunion emerged a collection of nocturnes: intimate, quasi-narrative pieces that filled the room with memory, imagination, a sense of belonging. Each nocturne was shaped by a piece of writing that is important to me, many of them written by my close friends. In ‘setting’ these words, the project became not only a return to the piano but also an invitation to a wider community. Together, these nocturnes are portraits of home: intoxicating, gnarly, lovely, frustrated, wistful—in other words, the kaleidoscope of feelings that arise when you come back to something you thought you had lost.”

About Ellis Ludwig-Leone:

Ellis Ludwig-Leone has forged a singular career as both a celebrated contemporary classical composer and the creative force behind the band San Fermin. Ludwig-Leone writes music that balances warm, naturalistic textures with moments of thorny complexity, paying special attention to the psychological intersection of wonder and dread. Since coming to international attention with San Fermin’s 2013 debut, he has maintained a prolific dual practice, touring extensively while composing numerous works for the stage and concert hall. In addition to five studio albums with the band, his discography includes two acclaimed albums of chamber music, featuring collaborations with world-class ensembles such as the Attacca Quartet. His compositions have been performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra, and the New York City Ballet, with recordings appearing on Sony Classical, New Amsterdam, and Better Company Records. His expansive stage and chamber output includes the dance-driven opera The Night Falls, praised by The New Yorker for its “ingenious, gorgeous score” and named one of The New York Times’ Best Dance Performances of 2023. A recipient of residencies from MacDowell, Yaddo, and the Banff Centre for the Arts, Ludwig-Leone was honored as the recipient of the 2025 Ellis-Beauregard Composer Award.

Album Details:
Ludwig-Leone: Quiet Hours
Better Company Records
Release Date: August 14, 2026

Composed by Ellis Ludwig-Leone

1. Quiet Hours recorded by Han Chen (4:30)
2. Downstairs Neighbors recorded by Aaron Diehl (2:32)
3. Barcarole for a Sunken City recorded by David Kaplan (4:00)
4. Trois Allumettes (for M.H.) recorded by Ellis Ludwig-Leone (3:26)
5. The House at Night recorded by Simone Dinnerstein (3:05)
6. Bright Room, Dark Corners recorded by Lisa Kaplan (4:33)
7. Nocturne recorded by Timo Andres (3:16)
8. Family Portrait recorded by Adam Tendler (3:57)
9. A Long, Long Sleep recorded by Dan Schlosberg (4:52)

Produced by Ellis Ludwig-Leone
Mixed and mastered by Tyler McDiarmid
All tracks engineered by Tyler McDiarmid, except:

“Nocturne” engineered by Timo Andres
“The House at Night” engineered by Silas Brown, co-produced with Silas Brown and Simone Dinnerstein
“Bright Room, Dark Corners” engineered by Greg Miner
“Barcarole for a Sunken City” engineered by Sergey Parfenov
“Family Portrait” engineered by Aaron Ross 

All tracks recorded at private residences except:
“The House at Night” recorded at Abeshouse Studios, South Salem, NY
“Bright Room, Dark Corners” recorded at Philharmonic Studios, Vernon Hills, IL
“Barcarole for a Sunken City” recorded at Herb Alpert School of Music, Los Angeles, CA
“Family Portrait” recorded at Yamaha Artist Services, New York, NY 

Cover art by Stephen Halker, incorporating photographs by Ellis Ludwig-Leone and Tyler McDiarmid, with additional color grading by Ellis Ludwig-Leone. 

A portion of this record was written at Yaddo artist residency, December 2024.

Photo by Alex SK Brown. Press photos available here.

About Better Company Records

Co-founded by Ludwig-Leone and Allen Tate, Better Company Records is a Brooklyn-based, artist-driven label headquartered in Fort Greene. Since its launch in 2020, the label has overseen more than 200 releases from an eclectic roster of over 50 artists, dedicated to championing genre-fluid projects that push the boundaries of modern music.

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

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

Out Today - Listen Here
II. Intermezzo. Andantino con moto – Allegro presto
from Cello Concerto in D Minor by Édouard Lalo

Worldwide Release Date: Out Now

Cellist Sol Gabetta’s new album Saint-Saëns & Lalo: Cello Concertos is out today on Sony Classical - listen here. Recorded with the French orchestra Les Siècles, performing on period instruments, the cellist presents Camille Saint-Saëns’ two Cello Concertos alongside Édouard Lalo’s Cello Concerto in D minor—three cornerstone works of the Romantic cello repertoire.

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

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

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

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

Repertoire:

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

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

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

Oct. 2: Ariel Quartet Completes Monumental Beethoven String Quartet Cycle with Three Albums on Orchid Classics – New Single Out Today

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

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

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

Out Today: String Quartet in C-sharp Minor - Allegro Op. 131

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

Review CDs and downloads available upon request. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Disc 1: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

String Quartet in E-flat major, Op.127

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

String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op.131

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

Total time: [78:06]

Disc 2

String Quartet in A minor, Op.132

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

String Quartet in F major, Op.135

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

Total time [71:24]

Disc 3

String Quartet in B-flat major, Op.130

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

Total time [50:35]

Ariel Quartet:

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

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

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

© 2025 Orchid Music Limited

Oct. 2: ensemble132 Releases Masques and Marionettes Steinway & Sons Debut – Video Feature in The Strad for Clara Schumann's Three Romances, Op. 22: I. Andante molto

ensemble132 Announces Masques and Marionettes
Steinway & Sons Debut Album Out October 2, 2026

Featuring New Chamber Arrangements of
Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka and Robert Schumann’s Carnaval

Video Feature for The Strad
Clara Schumann's Three Romances, Op. 22: I. Andante molto 
Watch Here

Worldwide Release Date: October 2, 2026
Pre-Order Available Now

ensemble132 | Steinway & Sons

Internationally acclaimed chamber music collective ensemble132 (Sahun Sam Hong, Co-Artistic Director, arranger, piano; Zachary Mowitz, Co-Artistic Director, cello; Abi Fayette, violin; Maria Ioudenitch, violin; and Luther Warren, viola) announces its new album and Steinway & Sons recording debut, Masques and Marionettes. The album is scheduled for release on October 2, 2026.

Today, The Strad shares a video feature for new single, Three Romances, Op. 22: I. Andante molto by Clara Schumann – watch here.

A convergence of world-class artists from around the globe, ensemble132 unites with a shared mission to reimagine the chamber music landscape. The only group of its kind to continually create and premiere new standards in the chamber music repertoire with its artist-crafted arrangements, ensemble132 excites the imagination of audiences with its uniquely genre-defying programs and programming.

This artistic vision is on full display with Masques and Marionettes, as Sahun Sam Hong, Co-Artistic Director of ensemble132, pianist, and arranger for the album, embraces intricate and adventurous energy in new imaginings of Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka for piano quintet, Robert Schumann’s Carnaval, Op. 9 for piano quartet; as well as Stravinsky’s Two Poems of Konstantin Balmont and Clara Schumann’s Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22, each performed by different ensemble members.

“The music featured on Masques and Marionettes is a truly collaborative creation through and through,” writes Hong in the album’s liner notes. “By design, ensemble132 is a fluid collective; every rehearsal and performance is a fresh inquiry into a composer’s intent, our own evolving sonic landscape, and the nature of musical inevitability.”

In the time leading up to the creation of this album, Hong writes that a single principle steered and shaped how he approached his work writing arrangements for the ensemble: “Great music transcends the confines of instrumentation.” He and the rest of ensemble132 would come to know the depth of what “confines” could mean during the early days of the pandemic in spring 2020, which descended not long after ensemble132’s founding in fall 2019. However, the disruption and instability brought on by the pandemic itself ended up providing a sense of clarity for the ensemble and a sense of purpose to fuel their musical collaboration, strengthening their bond as an evolving group.

“During those unpredictable early days of the pandemic,” Hong says, “our close-knit musical family, then based in Boston, used our music-making as a means of connecting with one another, channeling our collective emotions and anxieties of a world in flux.”

Much the way the world turned to creativity and imagination to find reprieve from the fixed realities of social separation, on Masques and Marionettes, ensemble132 dives into the fantastical, the visionary, the intangible, and the boundless, through the poetry of Balmont, and the music of Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, and Igor Stravinsky.

“Konstantin Balmont’s poetry is steeped in the sensory, the fleeting, and the ethereal,” writes Hong, who explains that Balmont’s poems were included as part of the album “for their distinctive storytelling qualities, reflecting Stravinsky’s vision of storytelling.”

Stravinsky’s Petrushka meanwhile, explores the vast plains of imagination through the story of a puppet empowered by magic and sorcery. Mirroring the iconic harmonic clash of the “Petrushka chord,” the music is filled with wonderful contrasts – its complex rhythms, beautifully simple folk tunes, enchanting textures, jarring distortions make the piece uniquely evocative.

Robert Schumann chose to explore creative possibilities while looking inward. He juxtaposed his musical ideas with figures of his real life relationships with his closest friends and colleagues. Schumann then concludes his Carnaval with another fanciful scenario, driven by an imaginary music society called des Davidsbündler (the League of David), who triumph over the Philistines – a symbol for the music critics of Schumann’s time. Clara Schumann’s Romances take a much more intensely introspective dive into the open and abstract nature of human emotions, brought forth through the unique lens of each pair of ensemble132 artists.

Throughout each of these works, ensemble132 comes together to find new ways to embody the characters, places, feelings, motives, and stories reflected in the music – a goal with the potential to ever evolve, alongside the group’s own dynamics and shifting perspectives with the passage of time. “My hope,” writes Hong, “is that these virtuosic arrangements not only expand the chamber repertoire but push both the players and the listener to rethink the relationship between the artist and their instrument.”

Ensemble132’s debut album fits seamlessly with its mission. Chamber ballets, transcriptions of symphonies and jazz standards, and orchestrations of solo works comprise just a few of ensemble132’s programming highlights. Each member of ensemble132’s dynamic roster brings their unique blend of uncompromising individuality and collaborative spirit to traditional masterworks as well as unearthed gems. The artists of ensemble132 have collaborated closely at music festivals such as Marlboro, Ravinia, Music@Menlo, Verbier, and Taos, and appear regularly with ensembles such as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Catalyst Quartet, Borromeo Quartet, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. They are prizewinners at major competitions such as the Paganini, Joseph Joachim, Tibor Varga, Sibelius, Primrose, Beethoven Vienna, Vendome Prize, and American Pianists Awards. In 2025, ensemble132 became a Steinway Ensemble and was awarded an Artistic Projects Award from Chamber Music America.

ensemble132
Masques and Marionnettes
Release Date: October 2, 2026 | Steinway & Sons

Tracklist:

Igor Stravinsky: Two Poems of Konstantin Balmont (arr. Sahun Hong)

[1] Forget-me-nots (Nyezabudochka-tsvyetochek) [1:27]
[2] The Dove (Golub) [2:01]

Igor Stravinsky: Petrushka for piano quintet (arr. Sahun Hong)

[3] Petrushka, Scene I: The Shrovetide Fair [5:20]
[4] Petrushka, Scene I (The Magic Trick) [2:05]
[5] Petrushka, Scene I (Russian Dance) [2:49]
[6] Petrushka, Scene II: Petrushka's Room [4:21]
[7] Petrushka, Scene III: The Moor's Room [2:44]
[8] Petrushka, Scene III (Dance of the Ballerina) [0:45]
[9] Petrushka, Scene III (Waltz) [3:02]
[10] Petrushka, Scene IV: The Fair Towards Evening [1:12]
[11] Petrushka, Scene IV (Wet-Nurses' Dance) [2:24]
[12] Petrushka, Scene IV (Peasant with Bear) [1:42]
[13] Petrushka, Scene IV (Gypsies) [0:55]
[14] Petrushka, Scene IV (Dance of the Coachmen) [2:08]
[15] Petrushka, Scene IV (Masqueraders) [2:04]

Clara Schumann: Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22

[16] Andante molto [3:08]
[17] Allegretto [3:10]
[18] Leidenschaftlich schnell [3:55]

Robert Schumann: Carnaval, Op. 9 for piano quartet (arr. Sahun Hong)

[19] Préambule [2:16]
[20] Pierrot [1:54]
[21] Arlequin [1:05]
[22] Valse noble [2:09]
[23] Eusebius [1:59]
[24] Florestan [1:02]
[25] Coquette [1:53]
[26] Réplique [0:50]
[27] Sphinxes [0:39]
[28] Papillons [0:46]
[29] A.S.C.H. - S.C.H.A. (Lettres dansantes) [0:51]
[30] Chiarina [1:27]
[31] Chopin [1:05]
[32] Estrella [0:34]
[33] Reconnaissance [1:43]
[34] Pantalon et Colombine [0:58]
[35] Valse allemande [0:56]
[36] Paganini – Tempo I ma più vivo [1:23]
[37] Aveu [1:16]
[38] Promenade [2:19]
[39] Pause [0:18]
[40] Marche des Davidsbündler contre les Philistins [3:47]

Total Time: 1:16:46

Sahun Sam Hong, Co-Artistic Director, arranger, piano
Zachary Mowitz, Co-Artistic Director, cello
Abi Fayette, violin
Maria Ioudenitch, violin
Luther Warren, viola

Executive Producers: Eric Feidner, Jon Feidner, Vivian Chiu
Producer: Jesse Lewis
Recording Engineer: Christopher Moretti
Mixing: Christopher Moretti
Mastering: Jesse Lewis
Piano Technician: Paul Rattigan
Art Direction: Jackie Fugere
Cover Design: Timea Kolozsvary
Booklet Design, Cover to Cover Design, Anilda Carrasquillo
Project Coordinator: Renée Oakford
Recorded August 14-17, 2025 at Futura Productions, Roslindale, Massachusetts

ensemble132 is a recipient of a 2025 grant from Chamber Music America’s Artistic Projects
program, funded through the generosity of The Howard Gilman Foundation, for the Recording.

Hans Zimmer Announces North American Return with Hans Zimmer Live - The Next Level – Tour Beginning in February 2027

Photo credit: Frank Embacher

Hans Zimmer Announces North American Return
with Hans Zimmer Live - The Next Level in February 2027

The Oscar® and GRAMMY® Award-Winning Composer Returns to the U.S. and Canada with an All-New Electrifying Production
Where Music, Tech, and Imagination Collide

Presale Tickets Available September 23-24; General On Sale September 25
Sign Up For Presale at HansZimmerLive.com

LOS ANGELES - SEPTEMBER 17, 2026 - Multiple Academy Award® and GRAMMY® Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer, together with Semmel Concerts and RCI Global, today announced the North American leg of Hans Zimmer Live - The Next Level, his groundbreaking new live production featuring Zimmer himself on stage alongside his 19-piece band. Following its record-breaking success in Europe, where it ranked among the Top 10 tours worldwide in the first half of 2026, Hans Zimmer Live - The Next Level will arrive in the U.S. and Canada beginning February 17, 2027, in Hartford, Connecticut, as part of its ongoing world tour.

The Hans Zimmer Live - The Next Level artist presale begins Thursday, September 24 at 10am. local time. To receive the artist presale password, sign up at HansZimmerLive.com. The general on sale begins Friday, September 25 at 10am local time.

American Express is providing eligible Card Members access to Amex Presale Tickets®, available for purchase HERE beginning Wednesday, September 23 at 10am local time, through Thursday, September 24 at 10pm. local time, before the general public on sale, while supplies last. Terms apply. This is one of the many entertainment benefits American Express Card Members can access across select arts, theater, sports and music events through Amex Experiences™.

A bold evolution of Zimmer's celebrated live concerts, The Next Level combines powerful electronic soundscapes, spectacular lighting design and an entirely new stage production to create a powerful audiovisual spectacle on an unprecedented scale. Fueled by Zimmer's constant desire to push creative boundaries and explore new sonic territory, the show takes audiences on a journey beyond the traditional concert experience. Joining Zimmer on stage is a 19-piece ensemble featuring some of the world's most accomplished musicians and performers.

Watch the official trailer here.

"I want fans to feel like they're at a rave party or riding a roller coaster. For me, every show is a new voyage of discovery," says Zimmer. "The greatest challenge is the status quo - you have to do everything in your power to leave it behind and find and create something new."

For decades, Zimmer's unmistakable melodies and groundbreaking compositions have captivated audiences across generations and around the world. His scores have helped define some of the most iconic films in modern cinema, including The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Interstellar, Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lion King, Dune: Part One, Dune: Part Two, No Time to Die, Dunkirk, Man of Steel, The Last Samurai, Wonder Woman, Kung Fu Panda, 12 Years a Slave and Top Gun: Maverick.

Having already played to audiences in some of the world's largest arenas across 17 countries, Hans Zimmer Live - The Next Level has quickly established itself as one of the most ambitious live productions of Zimmer's career. Following its European runs in 2025 and 2026, the world tour will make its highly anticipated North American debut in February 2027, with dates across the U.S. and Canada continuing through April 2027, concluding in Portland, Oregon.

The 2027 tour schedule includes:

February 17 Hartford, CT             PeoplesBank Arena
February 19 Belmont Park, NY    UBS Arena
February 21 Newark, NJ              Prudential Center
February 23 Philadelphia, PA    Xfinity Mobile Arena
February 24 Boston, MA            TD Garden
February 26 Ottawa, ON             Canadian Tire Centre
February 28 Quebec City, QC   Videotron Centre
March 2 Hamilton, ON                 TD Coliseum
March 3 Detroit, MI                    Little Caesars Arena
March 5 Chicago, IL                    United Center
March 7 Cincinnati, OH               Heritage Bank Center
March 9 Charlotte, NC                Spectrum Center
March 11 Orlando, FL                 Kia Center
March 13 Miami, FL                    Kaseya Center
March 14 Tampa, FL                   Benchmark International Arena
March 16 Atlanta, GA                  State Farm Arena
March 17 Nashville, TN              Bridgestone Arena
March 19 Kansas City, MO         T-Mobile Center
March 21 Oklahoma City, OK    Paycom Center
March 22 Fort Worth, TX            Dickies Arena
March 25 Denver, CO                 Ball Arena
March 27 Salt Lake City, UT       Delta Center
March 30 Phoenix, AZ                Mortgage Matchup Center
April 1 Los Angeles, CA              Crypto.com Arena
April 2 Anaheim, CA                    Honda Center
April 4 San Francisco, CA           Chase Center
April 5 Sacramento, CA              Golden 1 Center
April 8 Vancouver, BC                 Rogers Arena
April 9 Seattle, WA                      Climate Pledge Arena
April 11 Portland, OR                Moda Center

For more information and tickets, please visit HansZimmerLive.com.

Hans Zimmer Live On Social Media:
Instagram – Facebook

Hans Zimmer On Social Media:
Instagram – Facebook – Spotify – TikTok – YouTube

About Hans Zimmer

Hans Zimmer has scored more than 500 projects across all mediums, which combined grossed over $30 billion at the worldwide box office. He has been honored with two Academy Awards®, three Golden Globes®, five Grammys®, an American Music Award, seven Emmy® nominations and a Tony® nomination. Zimmer’s career highlights include Dune: Part One and Two, Interstellar, co-scoring Blade Runner 2049, Gladiator, The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception and 12 Years a Slave. Upcoming, Zimmer will score the third part in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune franchise, releasing December 18.

Beyond his award-winning compositions, Zimmer is a remarkably successful touring artist. He recently concluded his first North American and European “Hans Zimmer Live – The Next Level” tours and will bring the show to Asia and Australia this fall. 

About Semmel Concerts

Semmel Concerts Entertainment GmbH is one of the leading live-event promoters in Europe and, for years, has ranked among POLLSTAR's Top 10 promoters worldwide. Together with CTS Eventim AG, Europe's biggest ticket service provider, the company has taken a leading national and international position under the EVENTIM LIVE entertainment network umbrella.

The Semmel Concerts network has roughly 150 employees at eight offices throughout Germany. The company also holds shares in Promoters Group Munich and Arena Berlin Betriebs GmbH and has been the sole shareholder of Show Factory Entertainment GmbH in Vienna since 2020.

In addition to the Semmel Concerts division, the company structure also includes Semmel Exhibitions and Semmel Artists & Events. Dieter Semmelmann is the company's CEO. With a range of national and international themes and a variety of in-house generated productions, the company organizes more than 1,500 shows with over 5 million visitors each year. Semmel Concerts Entertainment GmbH has earned several Live Entertainment Awards (LEA), including "Promoter of the Year."

About RCI

RCI Global, founded by Steven Kofsky and Hans Zimmer and based in Santa Monica, focuses on live entertainment and special projects. RCI Global is the producer of previous Hans Zimmer Live shows.

About AEG Presents
Combining the power of the live event with a focus on true artist development, AEG Presents is a world leader in the music and entertainment industries. Operating across five continents, the company has an unparalleled commitment to artistry, creativity, and community. Its tentpole festivals and multi-day music events — which include the iconic Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and the legendary New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival alongside British Summer Time at Hyde Park, Stagecoach, Electric Forest, Rock En Seine and All Points East — continue to set the bar for the live music experience. AEG Presents promotes global tours for artists such as ATEEZ, Justin Bieber, Zach Bryan, Sabrina Carpenter, Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Celine Dion, ENHYPEN, Elton John, Carin León, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and Tyler, The Creator, in addition to — through its network of clubs, theatres, arenas, stadiums and renowned partner brands such as The Bowery Presents, Cárdenas Marketing Network, Concerts West, Frontier Touring, Goldenvoice, Marshall Arts, MCT Agentur, Messina Touring Group, Outback Presents, PromoWest Productions, and Zero Mile Presents — creating and developing an unmatched infrastructure for artist development and audience reach. More information can be found at www.aegpresents.com.

Oct 9 and 23: Newport Classical Presents Trio Azura and Rasa String Quartet at Newport Classical Recital Hall

Photos available in high resolution here.

Newport Classical Launches 2026-2027 Chamber Series

October 9: Trio Azura performs “Piano Trio Through Time”
October 23: Rasa String Quartet performs “Portraits of an American Patchwork”

Information & Tickets: www.newportclassical.org

Newport, RI – Newport Classical continues its sixth full-season Chamber Series, which features twelve concerts held on select Fridays between September 2026 and June 2027, at the organization's home venue Newport Classical Recital Hall (42 Dearborn St.), with two not-to-be-missed concerts in October. Rising-star ensemble Trio Azura performs on Friday, October 9, 2026 at 7:30pm and the celebrated Boston-based Rasa String Quartet performs on Friday, October 23, 2026 at 7:30pm.

Newport Classical's Chamber Series takes place at Newport Classical Recital Hall in downtown Newport, known for its striking architecture and excellent acoustics. The Chamber Series reaffirms Newport Classical’s commitment to year-round classical music programming. Audiences are invited to enjoy performances by world-class classical musicians in a relaxed setting, with complimentary wine generously provided by Gold's Wine and Spirits served during intermission. After the concerts, all audience members are also invited to a reception with the artists at The Brenton Hotel, featuring complimentary wine and charcuterie, with additional food and beverages available for purchase. Both performers and audience members alike have described these performances as some of their favorites. “The venue was the perfect place for a magical evening,” raved one attendee, while others have described their experiences as “amazing and very entertaining,” “riveting,” and “an absolute delight.”

Trio Azura (October 9) is quickly emerging as one of today’s most promising young ensembles, characterized by “intelligence and imagination” and “profound emotion” (Gramophone). Having won the Grand Prize, Gold Medal, Lift Every Voice Prize, and Horszowski Trio Prize at the 51st Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in 2024, the trio is rapidly establishing itself on major concert stages across the United States and beyond. In a program anchored by Ravel and Mendelssohn’s cornerstone Piano Trios, Trio Azura invites audiences to explore the world of the piano trio across eras, from the Romantic and Impressionist traditions to the contemporary voice of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon. Trio Azura consists of Canadian violinist Duncan McDougall, South Korean cellist Yejin Hong, and Chinese pianist Yanfeng (Tony) Bai. Although they come from different backgrounds, their unique perspectives are a constant source of inspiration. They are currently the Ensemble-in-Residence at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, where they formed in 2022.

In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, Rasa String Quartet (October 23) presents a musical patchwork quilt, weaving together the cultural traditions that have shaped the nation’s identity. Spanning jazz, bluegrass, Latin pop, Indigenous traditions, global folk music, and classical favorites, the program captures the vibrant creative spirit of American music. From the soulful lyricism of William Grant Still and the Latin groove of Bad Bunny to the infectious swing of Billy Strayhorn and the driving energy of Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, the Rasa String Quartet’s An American Patchwork brings America’s multitude of rich soundscapes all together on one stage. Rasa String Quartet (Emma Powell, violin; Maura Shawn Scanlin, violin; Kiyoshi Hayashi, viola; and Mina Kim, cello) explores the musical space where classical and folk traditions intersect and influence one another, and has collaborated with renowned folk artists like Celtic harpist Maeve Gilchrist, Irish fiddler Liz Carroll, and singer-songwriter Judy Collins, performing across the U.S. and abroad. In Sanskrit, the term rasa refers to the indescribable power of art to move, inspire, and connect us – a quality Rasa String Quartet strives to embody in every performance.

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

Up next, Newport Classical presents two free concerts as part of its Community Concerts Series presented by BankNewport taking place on Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 1:00pm and 3:30pm, performed by Ensemble Mélange at Newport Classical Recital Hall. Ensemble Mélange puts the audience in the driver's seat for a pair of interactive concerts unlike any other. With a menu of more than 30 selections spanning classical favorites, jazz, Latin, Broadway, and beyond, audience members are randomly chosen to select what the ensemble performs next. The result is an engaging, high-energy concert where no two performances are ever the same, offering an exciting musical adventure for concertgoers of all ages.

The Newport Classical Chamber Series continues with pianist Michael Leonardo Davidman, winner of the 2025 American Piano Awards and praised by Upstage for his “thunderous authority and loads of interpretive nuance,” making his Newport debut on November 6 with a program of J.S. Bach, Franz Schubert, César Franck, and Franz Liszt. On November 20, Raphaël Feuillâtre, hailed as one of the leading classical guitarists of his generation, performs “Latin Passions,” a vibrant survey of Spanish and Latin American repertoire by Francisco Tárrega, Isaac Albéniz, Astor Piazzolla, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and more. Cellist Sterling Elliott and pianist Elliot Wuu take the stage on January 29, 2027, performing the sonatas of Maurice Ravel, Richard Strauss, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Elliott, a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, has been described by The Millbrook Independent as a cellist who has "risen beyond hopeful promise," while Wuu, a 2018 Gilmore Young Artist, is recognized for his “power, speed and finesse” (Tribune Star). On February 19, flutist Anna Urrey and harpist Kristi Shade perform a program of Nino Rota, Lili Boulanger, Jules Mouquet, Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, and Astor Piazzolla, exploring the coloristic possibilities of flute and harp across centuries and styles. Urrey has appeared at leading venues including Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Le Poisson Rouge, and National Sawdust. A sought-after collaborator, Shade has appeared with artists ranging from Andrea Bocelli and John Legend to Florence + The Machine. The Dorian Wind Quintet, praised by the Los Angeles Times for delivering “chamber music as it was meant to be,” performs on March 12 in “Preludes and Variations,” pairing J.S. Bach chorale arrangements with Antonín Dvořák's Wind Quintet, Op. 105 and a set of Anniversary Variations by Richard Rodney Bennett, George Perle, Billy Childs, Bruce Adolphe, and Lee Hoiby on a theme from a wind quintet by Antonin Reicha written specifically for the Dorian Wind Quintet to celebrate the ensemble’s 40th anniversary. Versatile artist Chelsea Guo, the first musician to win the Young Concert Artists auditions in both voice and piano, and hailed by Gramophone as “clearly a special talent,” takes the stage on April 9 in a program of Frédéric Chopin, Pauline Viardot, Johannes Brahms, and Robert Schumann's Dichterliebe, singing while accompanying herself on piano.

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

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

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

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

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

About Newport Classical

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

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

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

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

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

Caramoor Celebrates the Holiday Season & New Year - Christmas with Cantus Concerts, Holiday Tea Musicales, Holiday Rosen House Tours, and Much More

Photos available in high resolution here.

Caramoor Celebrates the Holiday Season & New Year

November 19: Juilliard Extension Class – Sacred Songs, Folk Roots: The Making of the Christmas Carol

December 3: Rosen House Studio Nights – Winter Wreath-Making
December 5: Kids Crafts at Caramoor – Winter Wreath-Making
December 6: Christmas with Cantus Concerts
December 9 to 20: Holiday Rosen House Tours
December 9 to 20: Holiday Tea Musicales
December 19: Gingerbread House Decorating for Families
January 5 to 26: Yoga in the Music Room Series

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, celebrates the season and welcomes the New Year with holiday-themed performances, classes, workshops, house tours, and teas from November through January. Highlights include Christmas with Cantus as part of the Rosen House Concert Series on Sunday, December 6, 2026 at 2:00pm and 4:00pm; plus Holiday Rosen House Tours, showing off the house decked for the holidays, running from December 9 to 20, 2026 at 12:30pm and 1:00pm (by advance ticket purchase only); Holiday Tea Musicales from December 9 to 20, 2026; and two Winter Wreath-Making workshops, one for adults on December 3 and one for children on December 5, 2026. Caramoor will also offer a Gingerbread House Decorating event for families, in collaboration with local bakery BreadsNBakes, on December 19, 2026 at 10:00am. New this year, through its inaugural lifelong-learning collaboration with Juilliard Extension Caramoor offers the class Sacred Songs, Folk Roots: The Making of the Christmas Carol on November 19, 2026. Additionally, from December 9 to 20, 2026 Caramoor’s Summer Dining Room is transformed into a Holiday Gift Shop, which includes locally made artisan goods. In January, Caramoor invites guests to reset for the New Year with Yoga in the Music Room, on Tuesday evenings throughout the month. Once the estate of music and art lovers Walter and Lucie Rosen, Caramoor is one of the region’s most distinctive destinations for live performance, cultural engagement, and exploration. 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.

Caramoor’s Rosen House Concert Series runs from October through May, held in the exquisite Music Room of the historic home – a Mediterranean-style villa from 1939 filled with treasures from around the world. Audiences enjoy performances by some of today’s most in-demand artists in the same living room salon setting where the Rosens once entertained their many friends. As part of this Series, Caramoor rings in the season with Christmas with Cantus in two performances Sunday, December 6, 2026 at 2:00pm and 4:00pm. Now in its 32nd season, the widely acclaimed low-voice ensemble Cantus is known for its trademark warmth, blend, and innovative programming. Lessons and Carols for Our Time invites audiences to a rich, contemplative holiday experience that merges tradition with timely resonance. Cantus reimagines the beloved format of Lessons and Carols, exploring themes of hope, peace, and unity through classic carols, music from around the world, and a captivating blend of poetry curated by award-winning author Michael Kleber-Diggs. Celebrate the season with the timeless beauty of carols such as “Silent Night” and “I Saw Three Ships,” alongside recent works from bold, fresh compositional voices like Zanaida Robles, Kim Andre Arnesen, and Sarah Quartel. The program unfolds with a dynamic range of emotions and textures, featuring pieces by Eric Whitacre and Taku Izumi that spark reflections on faith and humanity. At once classic and modern, Lessons and Carols for Our Time is a heartfelt program that evokes the spirit of celebration and reflection.

Watch Cantus at Westminster Presbyterian Church

Prior to Christmas with Cantus, audiences have the opportunity to learn more about the caroling tradition on Thursday, November 19, 2026 from 6:00 to 8:00pm with Sacred Songs, Folk Roots: The Making of the Christmas Carol, one of the six classes that Caramoor is offering this season through a new collaboration with Juilliard Extension. Participants will learn from acclaimed professors and lecturers and engage in thoughtful discussion with fellow music lovers. Long before becoming synonymous with Christmas, carols originated in medieval Europe as lively folk dances, before eventually giving rise to some of the world's most cherished anthems. This lecture explores that rich evolution through the surprising backstories of several iconic carols, including Veni Emmanuel, O Tannenbaum, and Stille Nacht. Together, these vignettes reveal how local folk customs and monastic devotion intersected to forge a global holiday tradition. Taught by Juilliard Extension Music Theory and Analysis Chair Patrick Kreeger, who serves as associate organist at New York City’s historic Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church where he works with a 20-voice professional choir, this class is a great primer for Christmas with Cantus.

From December 9 to 20, 2026, Caramoor invites guests to step into a holiday wonderland on special Holiday Rosen House Tours at 12:30pm and 1:00pm daily (by advance ticket purchase only). The art-filled Rosen House is decked out for the holidays with enchanting decorations inspired by the cherished Rosen family archive. Beloved favorites like the towering Music Room tree will return, but there are new decorations as well, so returning visitors and first-time guests will be beguiled. The House offers a number of treasures, including complete 18th-century rooms, originally from private villas and chateaux in Italy, France, and England. The Burgundian Library is a French 17th-century, paneled room with a brilliant blue groin-vaulted ceiling. An exquisite 16th-century painted Spanish ceiling resides in an alcove off the Music Room. The Formal Dining Room features doors thought to have been designed by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1695-1770), made for a Venetian palace, along with turquoise Chinese export wallpaper featuring birds perched in flowering trees. The Music Room includes Renaissance furniture and architectural elements such as the intricately carved coffered ceiling from a house in Lecce, Italy; a pair of pink marble twisted columns from Verona, once in the collection of William Randolph Hearst; and a magnificent Franco-Flemish tapestry titled “The Holy Family.” With the holiday decor enhancing these extraordinary rooms, Caramoor’s Holiday Rosen House Tours offer a unique seasonal experience steeped in art, history, and beauty.

From December 9 to 20, 2026 at 2:00pm, Caramoor also offers Holiday Tea Musicales (by reservation only), featuring tea service in the Music Room and seasonal performances by vocalist Kimberley Hawkey with pianist Peter Yarin on December 9, 10, and 11; plus alumni of Caramoor’s Schwab Vocal Rising Stars program including mezzo-soprano Kate Morton with pianist Michele Wong on December 12, 13, and 15;  tenor Nathan Romportl on December 16 and 17; and soprano Sophia Baete with pianist Francesco Barfoed on December 18, 19, and 20. Following the spirited performances, the tea service includes an assortment of finger sandwiches, scrumptious holiday treats, a variety of teas, and hot chocolate with marshmallows for children.

On Thursday, December 3, 2026 from 6:30 to 8:00pm, Caramoor hosts Rosen House Studio Nights: Winter Wreath-Making. In this seasonal hands-on art workshop, floral designer Abby Blatte guides participants in creating their very own holiday wreath using fresh flowers and fragrant greens. Taking inspiration from the Rosen House’s beautiful holiday décor, the event will start with a self-guided tour of the West Corridor of the Rosen House. Participants will craft a stunning, personalized wreath that reflects their unique style, creating the perfect festive centerpiece to take home and enjoy all season long. All premium materials will be provided. On Saturday, December 5, 2026 from 10:00 to 11:30am, children can enjoy their own wreath making workshop with Kids Crafts at Caramoor: Winter Wreath-Making, also led by Abby Blatte. Parents or guardians must stay for the duration of the class.

On Saturday, December 19, 2026 at 10:00am, Caramoor invites families to celebrate the season with a festive Gingerbread House Decorating event in collaboration with BreadsNBakes. Perfect for children ages 4 and up (accompanied by an adult), this cozy, hands-on class offers a creative morning of holiday magic as participants bring their own candy cottages to life while sipping warm hot chocolate. Before the class begins, families can stroll through the Rosen House to gather inspiration from its holiday decor. Each child will take home their own decorated gingerbread house and gingerbread friend, wrapped and ready to display (or eat!). All materials are included: pre-baked gingerbread house pieces, icing bags, candies, and packaging.

Following the holidays, Caramoor begins the New Year with a special yoga series on Tuesdays at 5:30pm throughout the month of January. Yoga in the Music Room is designed to nurture both body and mind. Each session offers a gentle, mindful practice led by an experienced instructor, with an emphasis on breath, alignment, and presence, providing a peaceful way to end the day while experiencing Caramoor from a new perspective.

About Caramoor

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

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

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

Ticketing Information

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

Caramoor is located at 149 Girdle Ridge Road in Katonah, NY.

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

More information about visiting Caramoor: caramoor.org/visit

At-a-Glance Calendar: 2026-27 Rosen House Concert Series Performances

Friday, October 2, 2026 at 7:30pm: Nobuntu

Friday, October 16, 2026 at 7:30pm: Bandits on the Run

Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 3:00pm: Countertenor Iestyn Davies and Harpist Oliver Wass

Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 3:00pm: Pianist Jonathan Biss

Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 3:00pm: Evnin Rising Stars

Friday, November 6, 2026 at 7:30pm: Pianist Aaron Diehl

Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 3:00pm: Renaissance Quartet

Sunday, December 6, 2026 at 2:00pm and 4:00pm: Christmas with Cantus

Sunday, March 7, 2027 at 3:00pm: Schwab Vocal Rising Stars

Sunday, April 4, 2027 at 3:00pm: Viano Quartet

Friday, April 9, 2027 at 7:30pm: The Summer Camargo Quintet

Sunday, April 11, 2027 at 3:00pm: ACRONYM and Countertenor Reginald Mobley

Saturday April 17, 2027 at 7:30pm and Sunday, April 18, 2027 at 3:00pm: The Other Mozart with Creator & Actress Sylvia Milo

Sunday, April 25, 2027 at 3:00pm: Pianist Inon Barnatan

Sunday, May 2, 2027 at 3:00pm: Renaissance Quartet

Friday, May 7, 2027 at 7:30pm: Sister Sadie

Friday, May 14, 2027 at 7:30pm: Cabaret in the Music Room with Vocalist Mandy Gonzalez

For Caramoor's complete schedule, including the Rosen House Concert Series and Beyond the Music events: caramoor.org/events/calendar

Oct. 9: Composer and Multi-Instrumentalist David Crowell Releases New Album This World and Another – New Single Out Today

Composer and Multi-Instrumentalist David Crowell
Announces New Album This World and Another
Out on Better Company Records October 9

Featuring Pianist Vicky Chow, Guitarist Gregg Belisle-Chi,
and Unheard-of Ensemble

New Single: Memories of the Imagined (II) is Out Today
Listen Here

“[David Crowell’s music] glistens, sparkles, and dances with joy.”
–John Lewis, The Guardian included in the “10 Best Contemporary Albums of 2024”

Pre-Order Available Now

CDs or press downloads available upon request.

DavidCrowellMusic.com | BetterCompanyRecords.com

New York, NY – New York-based composer, saxophonist, and guitarist David Crowell announces This World and Another, a new album to be released on October 9, 2026 via Better Company Records. The album features his music performed by pianist Vicky Chow, guitarist Gregg Belisle-Chi, Unheard-of Ensemble, and Crowell himself, and includes the works Memories of the Imagined, Exoplanet, and This World and Another. The first single from the album, Memories of the Imagined (II), is out today - listen here.

Following the release of Point / Cloud in 2024, which The Guardian describes as “music that glistens, sparkles, and dances with joy,” the works on Crowell’s new album This World and Another consider the passage of time and how human memories – which have both essential truths and misremembered details – shape our perception of chronological movement and recollection of the past. “I recorded samples of the acoustic instrumentalists in each piece and then processed them into the electronics you hear on the album,” Crowell says. He describes each piece as representing an alternative reality, and as the artists perform they encounter a vision of themselves in the electronics, heavily altered but recognizable in the same way that people understand the distorted reality of their dreams.

Over the album’s ten tracks, Crowell shares three new works. Memories of the Imagined, composed for Unheard-of Ensemble harkens back to Point / Cloud’s finale, 2 Hours in Zadar. Both pieces feature singing cellist Iva Casian-Lakos alongside electronics, but Memories of the Imagined diverges from its predecessor in how it channels the floating, ethereal atmosphere into a more driven, frequently pulse-based musical world. “As the music progresses,” says Crowell, “performers are drawn progressively deeper into the complex, hazy swirl of electronics, only to emerge from the dream with cathartic clarity.”

“The contemplative, introspective nature of Memories of the Imagined is largely cast aside in Exoplanet,” says Crowell. While the music retains a degree of manipulated sampling, Crowell’s alto and tenor saxophones, alongside Gregg Belisle-Chi’s expressive guitar, embrace a heavy bassline and distinct beat-oriented direction, placing nostalgic saxophone loops and padded chordal textures at the forefront alongside dynamic and lively improvisation.

For the finale and the album’s title work, pianist Vicky Chow demonstrates stunning virtuosity as she navigates a dichotomy of electronic sounds, from noisy interruptions and interjections to graceful and melodic loops. Chow takes her piano on a sonic journey lined with disparate textures – metallic, chiming, glassy – an inspiring demonstration of transformation that encourages introspection and reflection. Crowell describes Chow’s elegant performance as “winding its way through a varied and occasionally intimidating landscape, ending the album as it began, with a beautifully played, introspective solo piano passage.”

This World and Another is a multilayered expression of sound, experience, memory, and the relationships that exist between each. The music showcases how these elements connect with and shape one another, uncovering new perspectives and highlighting the unique worlds – both internal and external – that form in the wake of writing, performing, and interpreting the music and stories David Crowell is striving to tell.

About David Crowell: David Crowell’s work crosses stylistic boundaries, encompassing contemporary classical composition, improvisation, jazz, and experimental rock and pop. Artistic processes vary piece by piece, from composing purely for acoustic instruments to the use of electronics and manipulations of originally sampled sound. Improvisation plays an important role in generating material, either to exist on its own terms or for later development in a more deliberate compositional manner. The New York Times has called his music “coiled and contained, but pulsing with small, ecstatic fibrillations.” His music has been released on New Amsterdam, Better Company, Innova, National Sawdust Tracks, Coviello Classics, and Skirl.

Crowell’s music has been performed at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, Park Avenue Armory, Bravo! Vail, Lucerne Festival Spotlights Series, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Dumbarton Oaks, Library of Congress, Phillips Collection, Kennedy Center REACH, Bang on a Can Summer Marathon, the London Jazz Festival, Cortona Sessions for New Music, Kultursommer Wien, Caramoor Festival, Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival, American Music Festival (EMPAC), Tribeca New Music Festival, MATA Festival, National Sawdust, Merkin Hall, Le Poisson Rouge, Barbes, and Joe’s Pub. Commissioning ensembles and institutions have included A Far Cry, JACK Quartet, Sandbox Percussion, New Morse Code, NOW Ensemble, icarus Quartet, Ensemble Illyrica, Dumbarton Oaks, Da Camera Los Angeles, Tribeca New MusicFestival, Arts at the Park, Boston Conservatory, University of Massachusetts, University of North Texas, University of Kentucky, and the University of Wisconsin.

Crowell’s music has been supported through composer fellowships, grants, and residencies at Dumbarton Oaks, New York State Council on the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, Canada Council for the Arts, I-Park Foundation, Ellis-Beauregard Foundation, Avaloch Farm Music Institute, Bang on a Can Summer Institute and the Mizzou International Composers Festival. He has presented numerous lectures on his work, including at Dumbarton Oaks, Manhattan School of Music, Duquesne University and California State University (Sacramento) where he was the featured composer at the Festival of New American Music.

As a member of the Philip Glass Ensemble (2007-16), and performing on saxophones and flute, Crowell toured four continents during the 2012-15 revival of Einstein on the Beach, cited by Alex Ross of The New Yorker as “the music event of the year ... a creation of timeless artifice ... whose beauty blazes on.” Crowell’s genre-defying, composer-led band, Empyrean Atlas, has been featured numerous times on WNYC’s New Sounds, and on Soundcheck for a live performance and interview with John Schaefer. Crowell received a PhD in composition at Stony Brook University and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Saxophone Performance from the Eastman School of Music.

Track List:

This World and Another
Music by David Crowell
Release Date: October 9, 2026
Better Company Records

Featuring David Crowell (Saxophone and Electronics), Vicky Chow (Piano), Gregg Belisle-Chi (Guitar), and Unheard-of Ensemble

1. Memories of the Imagined (I)
2. Memories of the Imagined (II)
3. Memories of the Imagined (III)
4. Memories of the Imagined (IV)

Performed By Unheard-Of Ensemble: Iva Casian-Lakos (Voice, Cello), Matheus Souza (Violin), Ford Fourqurean (Bass Clarinet), Daniel Anastasio (Piano).
Engineered By Mike Tierney at The Bunker, Brooklyn, NY.

5. Exoplanet

Performed by David Crowell (Saxophones), Gregg Belisle-Chi (Guitar).
Engineered by David Crowell at Kensington Manor, Brooklyn, NY.

6. This World and Another (I)
7. This World and Another (II)
8. This World and Another (Interlude)
9. This World and Another (III)
10. This World and Another (IV)

Performed by Vicky Chow (Piano).
Engineered by Ryan Streber at Oktaven Audio, Mount Vernon, NY.

Total Time: [43:24]

David Crowell, electronics and saxophone; Vicky Chow, piano; Gregg Belisle-Chi, guitar; Unheard-of Ensemble: Ford Fourqurean, clarinet; Matheus Souza, violin; Iva Casian-Lakos, voice & cello; Daniel Anastasio, piano

All music by David Crowell
Produced and Mixed by David Crowell

Additional Mixing on Exoplanet by Christopher Botta

Mastered by Christopher Botta.
Cover Art by Rebecca Crowell
Album Design by Carlo Costa

Oct. 9: Classical Soul Pianist Alexis Ffrench Releases New Album 24 on Sony Masterworks – New Single Before the World Sings Out Now

Pioneering Composer and Pianist
Alexis Ffrench

New Single: Before the World Sings
Out Now - Listen Here
Taken From Upcoming Album, 24

Worldwide Album Release Date: October 9, 2026
Pre-Save Here

New York, NY – Pioneering pianist, composer and chart-topping Classical Soul artist Alexis Ffrench has shared new single, Before the World Sings, out now from his forthcoming album 24 - listen here. The album is now scheduled for release on October 9, 2026 and available for pre-save here. Formed of 24 meticulously crafted piano pieces and intended as a musical companion to the clockwork regularity of everyday life, 24 unveils as an intimate and immersive snapshot of a singular day.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alexis Ffrench - New Album 24 out October 2, 2026
Listen to Nine on Blue and Pre-Save 24 here

PR Photo: Credit – Alex Lake (Download)

About Alexis Ffrench

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

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

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

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

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

Photo by Kristen Loken. Hi res photos available here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FOR CALENDAR EDITORS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PHOTOS: Available here

ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA SYMPHONY:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more information, visit CaliforniaSymphony.org.

California Symphony’s 2026-27 season is sponsored by the Lesher Foundation.

Oct 16: ECM New Series Releases Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica - Pages of a Biography

Gidon Kremer
Kremerata Baltica
Pages of a Biography 

Works by Arvo Pärt, Andrius Žlabys and Georgs Pelēcis
Gidon Kremer, violin
Kremerata Baltica

ECM New Series 2803
Release Date: October 16, 2026

Downloads and CDs available upon request

Gidon Kremer and his Kremerata Baltica ensemble continue the longstanding relationship with ECM’s New Series on Pages of a Biography, a programme of works by Georgs Pelēcis, Andrius Žlabys and Arvo Pärt. The three composers heard here are closely connected to Kremer’s work as an interpreter and advocate of Baltic music: Pelēcis and Žlabys have written works specifically for him and Kremerata Baltica, while Pärt’s music has been a constant presence throughout his artistic life.

The album opens with Pärt’s Passacaglia, written in 2007 for Kremer’s 70th birthday. Scored for two violins, vibraphone ad libitum and strings, it explores the relationship between a recurring harmonic pattern and the changing character of the violin line. For Kremer, the piece also establishes a direct connection with Tabula Rasa, Pärt’s 1977 composition which became the first album to be released on the New Series imprint in 1984.

The connection between Pärt and Kremer is both musical and biographical. Tabula Rasa was a decisive recording in the history of ECM’s New Series and in the international reception of Pärt’s music. More than four decades later, Passacaglia places Kremer once again inside a dialogue with the composer’s work, while Darf ich …, composed in 1999 for solo violin, tubular bell and strings, brings the programme to a more intimate conclusion. Kremer describes the latter as “almost a prayer” and as a reminder of the responsibility of the musician to serve something beyond the self.

Between the two Pärt works are pieces by two composers with particularly close connections to Kremer. The title work, Georgs Pelēcis’s Pages of a Biography, was written specifically for Kremer in 2007. Pelēcis and Kremer grew up together in Riga and later shared a room at the Moscow Conservatory. His concerto draws directly on memories of Kremer’s early career, from his prize-winning performances in Latvia and at the Queen Elisabeth Competition to his victories at the Tchaikovsky Competition and his interpretations of the Brahms, Elgar, Sibelius and Beethoven violin concertos. These memories become part of the musical material itself. Pelēcis incorporates quotations from the four concertos into the work, setting them against more dramatic episodes and passages for solo violin that he describes as “intimate pages from a personal diary”.

Andrius Žlabys’s Kaleidoscope of Lost Time, written between 2014 and 2020, is dedicated to Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica. Its five movements — Prelude, Scherzacaglia, Dissonance, Quarter=87 and Perpetuum — approach the idea of time from different perspectives. Žlabys describes the work as an attempt to capture “the feeling of time slipping away like sand through fingers”, transforming experiences of beauty and sadness into something that can be revisited through music. The violin writing was conceived with Kremer’s sound in mind from the earliest sketches.

Founded by Kremer in 1997, Kremerata Baltica brought together young musicians from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, giving a permanent form to his commitment to the musical culture of the region. Pages of a Biography continues this work through a programme in which the connections are unusually direct. It furthermore marks the anniversaries of both the ensemble, which turns 30 in 2027, and of Gidon Kremer himself, who’s 80th birthday celebrations in 2027 are inaugurated with this release.

It is thus an album in which Kremer’s artistic biography is not simply the subject of the music but part of its history. The pieces belong to different moments and generations, yet their connections — between composers and performer, between memory and the present — form a continuous thread through Kremer’s long association with the label.

Oct 2: ECM Releases Steve Reich Recordings on ECM - A 3-LP Box Set In Honor of Reich's 90th Birthday

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

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

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

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

Available October 2, 2026 via ECM

Available for Pre-Order Now via the ECM US Store

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

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

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

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

Now Available on ECM New Series: Samuel Beckett's Stirrings Still - Music by Trevor Bača, Narrated by Paul Griffiths, Performed by JACK Quartet

Samuel Beckett
Stirrings Still 

Text by Samuel Beckett
Music by Trevor Bača

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

ECM New Series 2801
Release Date: September 4, 2026

Downloads and CDs available upon request.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nov. 13: Anna Lapwood Releases Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost on Sony Music Masterworks – Featuring The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony

Anna Lapwood Unveils Her Most Ambitious Album Yet
Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

Featuring The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony
Anna Lapwood’s Transcription of Howard Shore’s Iconic Soundtrack

Worldwide Album Release Date: November 13, 2026
Pre-Order Available Now

Acclaimed organist Anna Lapwood returns with her new album, Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost, set for release on Friday, November 13, 2026 on Sony Music Masterworks, one that will whisk you away into a vividly realised world of fantastical characters, dark forests, looming mountains and tempestuous seas. Pre-order the album here.

One of the most gifted artists of her generation, Lapwood is famed for introducing the organ to millions of new fans through her interpretations of both classical and contemporary works. On this new record – her most ambitious to date – she dives into two of the most iconic film soundtracks, Howard Shore’s The Lord of the Rings and Hans Zimmer’s Pirates of the Caribbean, reimagining them as major works for organ and using them to showcase the Steinmeyer organ of Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim.

Ahead of the album, the first two tracks – Prologue: One Ring to Rule Them All and The Shire/Concerning Hobbits, both taken from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Organ Symphony – arriving, Friday, September 11, and feature Lapwood singing in Elvish. Elsewhere on the album, Lapwood is joined on Rivendell and Song For Justice by the Nidaros Cathedral Girls’ Choir, conducted by Johanna Bjørkhaug.

The album grew out of a chance encounter in a New York City coffee shop, when a young girl called Katherine requested Concerning Hobbits from The Lord of the Rings. That ignited a spark which would eventually become Lapwood’s largest transcription project yet: The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony.

Lapwood says: “It has been the most extraordinary journey delving into JRR Tolkien's world in more detail, and into Howard Shore’s incredible scores. I knew that if I was going to do it, I would need to go all in! When I wrote the Pirates of the Caribbean Suite a couple of years ago it was my largest scale (and hardest!) transcription I had ever written. I feel like everything I learned from that informed The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony, which is by far the biggest project I’ve ever worked on and has completely transformed how I think about the organ. It has been such a beautiful process and has made me fall in love with the organ all over again!”

Transcribing everything by ear, Lapwood enlisted the help of fellow The Lord of the Rings fans to choose which movements to include, exploring Howard Shore’s motivic development while maintaining a clear sense of the story’s narrative arc. She also had the opportunity to speak with Howard Shore himself, who offered suggestions along the way. “Howard and his team have been so kind and generous with their time and support during this whole process, and I’m incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to ask their advice!” she says.

Demonstrating her talent in concert halls around the world and drawing a huge and loyal following on social media, Lapwood shot to fame on TikTok and now has over 4 million followers across all platforms. She has been hailed as a sensation by the media, covered by major titles including The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph and The New York Times with Tatler hailing her “the Taylor Swift of classical music”. “Social media has helped make me who I am as a performer” Lapwood has previously explained, “in that it’s made me realise that I’m allowed to be myself onstage. Now I actually feel like I’m the freest version of myself when I’m performing - and that’s a rather lovely thing”.

Lapwood trained at the Junior Royal Academy of Music on the piano, harp, viola, and violin. Naturally shy, she found music was one of the ways she could most easily communicate. At school in Oxford, she played 15 different instruments, four of them to Grade 8 standard. In 2012, she became the first woman in Magdalen College, Oxford’s 560-year history to be awarded an organ scholarship.

Then, when she was just 21, Lapwood became the youngest person ever to hold the position of Director of Music at Oxford or Cambridge, leading the choirs at Pembroke College, Cambridge. She stepped down in 2025, after nine years in the role to pursue a full-time career as a concert organist. She has performed with pop stars like RAYE and Florence & the Machine, opened for Ludovico Einaudi at the O2 arena, and has even given Tom Cruise an organ lesson at the Royal Albert Hall, where she is the Official Organist.

A lover of storytelling through the instrument, Lapwood introduces a new element on this album, singing in Elvish throughout The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony. “I’ve never done anything like this before, but for me it was very important to the project. The Lord of the Rings isn’t just a story you read; it’s a world that you enter” she explains. “I really feel like I’ve lived it for the past year, as though I’ve been living in Middle Earth. I knew Howard Shore was a genius before I started this project, but the more you look at it and the more time you spend with his music, the more extraordinary it is.”

Lapwood has worked hard to shift the narrative around both the organ and classical music. With Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost, she is keen to promote the intrinsic value of film music. “This is the music I played in my school orchestras, when I was growing up; it’s the music that made me want to compose,” she says. “It is incredible, intelligent, beautiful music, and I think it is deserving of so much respect! I’ve tried to treat it with that respect in creating this album, showing just how virtuosic if can be. Film music isn’t some secondary art form; it is essential to the success of the stories we know and love. For me, film music is the music that makes my heart sing.”

Hi res press shots – Credit Ben Wright

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost Tracklist:

1. I. Prologue: One Ring to Rule Them All (The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony)
2. II. The Shire/Concerning Hobbits (The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony)
3. III. A Knife in the Dark (The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony)
4. IV. Rivendell (The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony)
5. V. The Ring Goes South (The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony)
6. VI. The Three Hunters (The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony)
7. VII. The Grace of Undómiel (The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony)
8. VIII. The Lighting of the Beacons (The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony)
9. IX. The Battle of the Pelennor Fields (The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony)
10. X. A Far Green Country (The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony)
11. XI. The Black Gate Opens (The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony)
12. XII. For Frodo (The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony)
13. XIII. The Crack of Doom (The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony)
14. XIV. The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings Organ Symphony)
15. Song For Justice
16. I. Hoist the Colours/Davy Jones (Suite from Pirates of the Caribbean)
17. II. Jack Sparrow (Suite from Pirates of the Caribbean)
18. III. One Day (Suite from Pirates of the Caribbean)
19. IV. Drink Up, Me Hearties, Yo Ho! (Suite from Pirates of the Caribbean)
20. Romantic Flight/Test Drive (from How to Train Your Dragon)

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

Caramoor Announces a New Collaboration with Juilliard Extension - Six Continuing Education Classes Dive Deeper into the Music Presented Onstage

Caramoor Announces a New Collaboration with Juilliard Extension

Six Classes Dive Deeper into the Themes Presented Onstage During Caramoor's Rosen House Concert Series and Summer Season

October 22, 2026 through April 7, 2027
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts | Rosen House
149 Girdle Ridge Road | Katonah, NY
Tickets & Information

KATONAH, NY – Caramoor, a vibrant cultural destination nestled on 81 acres of historic gardens and woodlands in Katonah, NY, announces further expansion of its public programming through a new collaboration with Juilliard Extension, Juilliard’s flagship continuing education program. Caramoor and Juilliard Extension will offer a series of six classes between October 22, 2026 and April 7, 2027, giving audiences the opportunity to dive deeper into the themes presented on stage throughout Caramoor's Rosen House Concert Series and Summer Season. Classes can be taken individually or as an entire course. 

Participants will learn from acclaimed professors and lecturers and engage in thoughtful discussion with fellow music lovers. Topics include Beethoven to Bartók: The Expanding World of Chamber Music; The String Quartet Across Three Centuries; Music, Faith, and Power in the Baroque World; and more. 

Caramoor, once the estate of music and art lovers Walter and Lucie Rosen, is one of the region's most distinctive destinations for live performance, cultural engagement, and exploration. Caramoor's Rosen House Concert Series runs from October through May, held in the exquisite Music Room of the historic home – a Mediterranean-style villa from 1939 filled with treasures from around the world. Audiences enjoy performances by some of today's most in-demand artists in the same living room salon setting where the Rosens once entertained their many friends.

“…Caramoor has been dedicated to the proposition that cultural, mental and spiritual recreation…are necessary to the pursuit of happiness to all human beings. It…is my hope and intent that Caramoor shall be an artistic, music and educational center with lasting benefits to Bedford, the State and the Nation…” – Lucie Bigelow Rosen 

“We are committed to expanding how guests experience Caramoor beyond our concert offerings, with a deeper focus on lifelong learning,” said Gillian Fox, President and CEO of Caramoor. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Juilliard Extension to offer world-class continuing education directly to our community, welcoming everyone regardless of their prior musical background.”

“Juilliard Extension believes that engagement with the arts should continue across a lifetime,” said John-Morgan Bush, Dean of Juilliard Extension. “This collaboration with Caramoor brings together two institutions with a shared commitment to curiosity, music, and education. These classes invite audiences to go deeper into the music they hear on stage and build a richer connection to the works, artists, and ideas behind each performance.”

The Juilliard Extension program classes will take place in Caramoor’s Rosen House Music Room, and will include:

From Beethoven to Bartók: The Expanding World of Chamber Music
Thursday, October 22, 2026 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm

Across more than a century, chamber music transformed from an elegant form of domestic entertainment into one of the most powerful vehicles for personal expression in Western art. This lecture follows that evolution through the works of Beethoven, Brahms, and Bartók, three composers who reimagined what could be said through a small ensemble of instruments. Beginning with Beethoven's bold reworking of Classical forms, moving through the warmth and grandeur of Brahms's late Romantic voice, and culminating in the haunting introspection of Bartók's final string quartet, participants will explore how chamber music became a laboratory for innovation and artistic risk. Along the way, we will examine the changing social and cultural worlds that shaped these works and consider why the string quartet remains one of music's most enduring genres.

This class, taught by Juilliard faculty member Sam Nester, is a great primer for the Evnin Rising Stars performance on November 1, 2026.

Sacred Songs, Folk Roots: The Making of the Christmas Carol
Thursday, November 19, 2026 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm 

Long before becoming synonymous with Christmas, carols originated in medieval Europe as lively folk dances structured around alternating stanzas and refrains. Over centuries, this versatile genre moved from communal revelry into sacred traditions, giving rise to some of the world's most cherished anthems. This lecture explores that rich evolution through the surprising backstories of several iconic carols, including “Veni Emmanuel,” which originated as a funeral chant; “O Tannenbaum,” a tribute to nature that doubled as a Civil War anthem; and “Stille Nacht,” written in a quiet Austrian village before famously echoing across a World War I battlefield. Together, these vignettes reveal how local folk customs and monastic devotion intersected to forge a global holiday tradition.

This class, taught by Juilliard Extension Music Theory and Analysis Chair Patrick Kreeger, is a great primer for the Christmas With Cantus performance on December 6, 2026.

Night, Memory, and Imagination: The Romantic Piano Tradition
Thursday, January 14, 2027 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

The piano became the defining instrument of the nineteenth century because it could capture both the grandest emotions and the most intimate reflections. Centered on the music of Chopin and the composers who inspired and followed him, this lecture explores the poetic traditions of the nocturne, ballade, and mazurka. Participants will discover how John Field established the nocturne as a musical genre, how Chopin transformed it into a vehicle for profound artistic expression, and how later composers such as Samuel Barber, Karol Szymanowski, and Thomas Adès engaged with this legacy. Through these works, we will consider how composers use music to evoke memory, storytelling, longing, and imagination, creating some of the most personal and enduring works in the piano repertoire.

This class, taught by Juilliard Extension instructor, Juilliard Creative Enterprise Fellow, and pianist Derek Wang, is a great primer for Inon Barnatan's performance on April 25, 2027.

Mendelssohn's Grand Tour: Travel, Discovery, and the Sound of Europe
Wednesday, February 24, 2027 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Grand Tour became a defining educational experience for Europe's young artists, writers, and aristocrats. Travel offered an opportunity to encounter great works of art, ancient ruins, dramatic landscapes, and vibrant musical traditions. The journey shaped taste, inspired creativity, and influenced a generation of cultural leaders. Felix Mendelssohn embraced this tradition with enthusiasm. His travels through Scotland, Italy, and across Europe inspired some of his finest orchestral works, including the Hebrides Overture, the Scottish Symphony, and the Italian Symphony. This lecture explores the places, people, and experiences that found their way into these beloved compositions through musical excerpts, letters, paintings, and historical context. 

This class, taught by a Juilliard Extension instructor, is a great primer for an upcoming Summer Season concert featuring Orchestra of St Luke's.

The String Quartet Across Three Centuries
Wednesday, March 24, 2027 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm

Few musical genres have proven as adaptable, resilient, and expressive as the string quartet. Spanning works by Haydn, Mendelssohn, Dvořák, and contemporary composer Reena Esmail, this lecture traces the remarkable journey of the quartet from its eighteenth-century origins to the present day. Participants will explore how successive generations of composers expanded the possibilities of the genre while maintaining a dialogue with tradition. Particular attention will be given to questions of cultural exchange, national identity, and musical inheritance, revealing how the string quartet continues to serve as a meeting place for history, innovation, and artistic imagination. 

This class, taught by Juilliard Extension instructor and cellist Mitchell Lyon, is a great primer for the Viano Quartet performance on April 4, 2027.

Music, Faith, and Power in the Baroque World
Wednesday, April 7, 2027 from 6:00 to 8:00pm 

The courts, churches, and noble households of seventeenth-century Europe were vibrant centers of artistic experimentation, where music served as both spiritual expression and political spectacle. Drawing on the repertoire performed by ACRONYM and countertenor Reginald Mobley, this lecture introduces participants to the rich musical world of the early Baroque. Through works by Monteverdi, Leonarda, Sances, Bertali, and others, we will examine how composers navigated the intersections of devotion, drama, and authority during a period of profound cultural transformation. Participants will also explore the rise of the countertenor voice, the emergence of new expressive styles, and the enduring influence of this remarkable era on Western musical culture.

This class, taught by Juilliard Extension's Chair of Music History Jonathan Yaeger, is a great primer for the ACRONYM and Reginald Mobley performance on April 11, 2027.

At-a-Glance Calendar: 2026-27 Rosen House Concert Series Performances

Friday, October 2, 2026 at 7:30pm: Nobuntu

Friday, October 16, 2026 at 7:30pm: Bandits on the Run

Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 3:00pm: Countertenor Iestyn Davies and Harpist Oliver Wass

Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 3:00pm: Pianist Jonathan Biss

Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 3:00pm: Evnin Rising Stars

Friday, November 6, 2026 at 7:30pm: Pianist Aaron Diehl

Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 3:00pm: Renaissance Quartet

Sunday, December 6, 2026 at 2:00pm and 4:00pm: Christmas with Cantus

Sunday, March 7, 2027 at 3:00pm: Schwab Vocal Rising Stars

Sunday, April 4, 2027 at 3:00pm: Viano Quartet

Friday, April 9, 2027 at 7:30pm: The Summer Camargo Quintet

Sunday, April 11, 2027 at 3:00pm: ACRONYM and Countertenor Reginald Mobley

Saturday April 17, 2027 at 7:30pm and Sunday, April 18, 2027 at 3:00pm: The Other Mozart with Creator & Actress Sylvia Milo

Sunday, April 25, 2027 at 3:00pm: Pianist Inon Barnatan

Sunday, May 2, 2027 at 3:00pm: Renaissance Quartet

Friday, May 7, 2027 at 7:30pm: Sister Sadie

Friday, May 14, 2027 at 7:30pm: Cabaret in the Music Room with Vocalist Mandy Gonzalez

For Caramoor's complete schedule, including the Rosen House Concert Series and Beyond the Music events: caramoor.org/events/calendar

Beyond the Music: Yoga, Teas, Talks, & More

In addition to the new collaboration with Juilliard, Caramoor has expanded its slate of community and family programming to include tours, teas, yoga and more, giving visitors a wide variety of ways to experience this unique setting in addition to its world-class concerts. Caramoor offers Rosen House Signature Tours on Fridays and Saturdays, inviting visitors to explore the historic Rosen House through a docent-led experience which shares the stories behind the House's carefully assembled treasures. Caramoor will also continue its popular Afternoon Teas, offering a variety of tea sandwiches, scones with crème fraîche and preserves, delicious desserts, and a selection of fragrant teas. Tea is served in the Music Room, a unique opportunity to relax with friends and family in a breathtaking historic setting. In addition, Caramoor invites the community to unwind and restore in a serene setting with Sunset Yoga in the Sunken Garden in September and Yoga in the Music Room in January. This special yoga series is designed to nurture both body and mind. Each session offers a gentle, mindful practice led by an experienced instructor, with an emphasis on breath, alignment, and presence. Caramoor also offers family activities in all seasons including making Halloween treats and winter wreaths during Halloween Dessert Decorating Kids Cooking Class and Winter Wreath-Making for Families. Caramoor also offers Rosen House Studio Nights: Art and Aperitifs for adults on select Wednesday evenings, with themes including ceramic tile painting, stained glass mosaics, and jewelry design.

On November 8 as part of the Conversations at Caramoor series, Anthony Roth Costanzo, one of today’s leading opera singers, will celebrate his debut book, Countertenor (Farrar, Strauss, Giroux, October 27, 2026). Part memoir, part cultural history, the book traces the countertenor voice from its origins in the castrati of the baroque era to its singular place in opera today, exploring how this extraordinary range continues to challenge our ideas of gender, identity, and sound itself. With the same wit and vitality that define his performances, Costanzo reflects on his own path as a singer, producer, and curator shaping the future of the art form. This is a rare opportunity to hear one of opera's most compelling voices speak candidly about the instrument that made his career. Copies of Countertenor will be available for purchase, with a book signing to follow the talk.

Please visit the Caramoor website for the full schedule of Beyond the Music programs, which are announced on a rolling basis: caramoor.org/events/beyond-the-music

About Caramoor

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

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

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

About Juilliard

Founded in 1905, The Juilliard School is a world leader in performing arts education. The school’s mission is to cultivate excellence through the highest caliber of education in music, dance, and drama for gifted students from around the world, so they may achieve their fullest potential, expanding the reach and elevating the impact of the arts. Juilliard is led by Damian Woetzel, seventh president of the school, who has prioritized affordability and access to the highest level of artistic education while championing Juilliard’s tradition of excellence.

Located at Lincoln Center in New York City, Juilliard offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, drama (acting and playwriting), and music (classical, jazz, historical performance, and vocal arts). More than 800 artists from 42 states and 50 countries and regions are enrolled in Juilliard’s College Division, where they appear in more than 800 annual performances in the school’s five theaters; at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully and David Geffen halls and at Carnegie Hall; as well as at other venues around New York City, the U.S., and the world. The continuum of learning at Juilliard also includes nearly 400 students from elementary through high school enrolled in the Preparatory Division—Pre-College and Music Advancement Program (MAP); MAP serves students from diverse backgrounds often underrepresented in the classical music field. More than 1,200 students are enrolled in Juilliard Extension, the flagship continuing education program taught both in person and remotely by a dedicated faculty of performers, creators, and scholars. Beyond its New York campus, Juilliard is defining new directions in performing arts education for a range of learners and enthusiasts through a global K–12 educational curricula and preparatory and graduate studies at The Tianjin Juilliard School in China. 

Ticketing Information 

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

Caramoor is located at 149 Girdle Ridge Road in Katonah, NY.

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

More information about visiting Caramoor: caramoor.org/visit

Oct. 23: Vocalist Tui Hirv and Composer / Guitarist Páll Ragnar Pálsson Release Layers – New Album on Sono Luminus

Vocalist Tui Hirv and Composer / Guitarist Páll Ragnar Pálsson
Release New Album Layers
Out on Sono Luminus October 23, 2026

Featuring Ambient Interpretations of Old Nordic Folk Songs
with Guest Artists Sóley, Skúli Sverrisson, Kaktus Einarsson, and Sander Saarmets

Worldwide Release Date: October 23, 2026
Pre-Order Available Now

Páll Ragnar Pálsson | Tui Hirv | Sono Luminus

On October 23, 2026, married duo, Estonian vocalist Tui Hirv and Icelandic composer and guitarist Páll Ragnar Pálsson, will release their new album, Layers, on Sono Luminus. This unique concept album brings together the spiritual and historical lineages of several Nordic folk songs, through thoughtful, ambient interpretations that consider the works in their entirety: compositional form, emotional direction, historical context, social significance, and cultural purpose.

Layers showcases the many sides of the history behind music both secular and sacred and how its place in the lives of those who hear it can vary based on the time, place, language, and meaning that surrounds the music when it’s found and integrated into daily life. Through this mindful and meticulously crafted recording, Pálsson and Hirv shed light on the power of folk music to be both a lasting record of people and times past, as well as a living, evolving demonstration of the perspective seen and felt by people of today’s vast and multicultural world.

The album contains 17 folk songs and hymns of various Nordic, Latin, and English origins: Nüüd hingvad inimesed (Now Rest Beneath Night’s Shadow); Bred dina vida vingar (Thy Holy Wings O Savior); Mitt hjerte alltid vanker (My Heart Will Always Wander); Hátíð fer af höndum ein (Joyous Tides Do Now Begin); There Is No Rose Of Such Virtue; Gjendines bådnlåt (Gjendine’s Lullaby); In the Bleak Midwinter; Nú kemur heimsins hjálparráð (Saviour of the Nations Come); Nüüd südant, inimene (Ye Sons of Men, Oh, Hearken); Jeesus kõige ülem hää (Jesus Is the Best of All Good Things); Kes Jumalat nii laseb teha (If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee); Oh Jeesus, Sinu valu (O Sacred Head, Sore Wounded); Ma vaatan üles mäele (I Gaze Up at the Hill); Kas sureb nii mu kõige armsam elu (Alas, Does My Most Beloved Life Thus Die?); Su hooleks ennast annan ma (My all I to my God commend); Nú er á himni og jörð (Now in Heaven and on Earth); and The Snow it Melts the Soonest.

Contemporary chamber music plays a significant part in Tui Hirv’s artistic profile. While in Estonia, she worked with new music ensembles and occasionally premiered pieces written for her by local composers. Hirv’s collaboration with her composer husband Páll Ragnar Pálsson has been especially fruitful, resulting in more than ten pieces for Hirv as soloist and ensembles of varying scale. They keep developing their musical language, walking new and unknown paths with every project.

After undergraduate studies at Iceland University of the Arts Páll Ragnar Pálsson obtained a Master‘s and doctoral degree from Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in 2014. Dwelling in the musically intense environment of Tallinn and being a student of Helena Tulve added another cultural layer on Pálsson’s indie rock background from 1990‘s Reykjavik and made him the artist he is today. During his formative years as a guitar player, Pálsson’s sense of sound was refined in recording studios, perceiving music rather in masses of noise than melodic-harmonic patterns, rather in a physical and instinctive than an intellectual and analytical manner. Sounds and textures are thus still central to Pálsson’s music.

As artists that also share foundations in academia, Pálsson and Hirv have explored the long, winding paths of origin behind the songs on Layers and come to a deep understanding of where this music fits in the lives of people from different nations, spanning many generations. Layers of spiritual singing reach seamlessly from Estonia – across the Swedish-speaking areas of Estonia to mainland Sweden and Norway and overseas to Iceland – making a stop in England where similar cultural processes took place earlier. Latin hymns translate into local languages, blend into folk tradition, get picked up again, make their way into art music directly or indirectly, and become a source of inspiration once again.

“For centuries, spiritual singing was an inseparable part of everyday life of mankind,” Hirv explains. “It accompanied the course of day, course of life and course of year – acting as a kind of measure to keep in touch with the flow of time. There were songs to sleep and wake by, to pray for God‘s mercy in all situations possible, and to maintain a harmonious and modest life. These songs travelled through Europe mostly with the help of Protestant pastors and songbooks, but blended into local folk heritage in every parish. Different versions of well-known chorales create a unifying web across Western culture while maintaining a distinct, irreplicable voice of the isolated communities. These songs, either straight from songbooks or transcribed during field trips by scholars of the early 20th century, make up the core of Layers.”

In their endeavor to connect these folk songs with modern day musicality and stylization, like many before them, Pálsson and Hirv chose carefully where to uphold and where to bend the lines of traditional conventions of western music, which give each song its original musical character and social purpose.

“We encounter these songs in an environment where boundaries between social classes, styles of music, scenes and venues get blurred over and over, each time according to a whole different logic,” Hirv says. “We break a few canons, clichés and customs by approaching spiritual hymns with modern equipment, still making the vocals sound natural, timeless and unprocessed, vulnerable and enlightened. In our arrangements, we are aware of the tradition but treat the material with playfulness and a slight sense of irresponsibility. This is the layer we add to the heritage that has shaped our identities as individuals and nations, keeping the very core of human knowledge and spiritual existence alive and relevant.”

Beyond their intention to balance the history of the past and their creativity in the present, Pálsson and Hirv’s arrangements add yet another layer to the hymn tradition.

Hirv explains in the album’s liner notes: “As a melodic element, we use notated transcriptions that educated musicians wrote down on their field trips to record the disappearing vocal heritage of Estonian villages. A big part of Estonian folklore is spiritual and has its roots in the Lutheran tradition. Going to church on Sundays and praising the Lord at home was a general practice. It was a natural part of existence equally in the ethnic Estonian and Swedish communities that lived side by side for many centuries. Texts were written down in psalmbooks but the melodies were learned by ear and passed on within the family.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, during the wave of national awakening, the Estonian student fraternity of Tartu University organized a wide-spread expedition of folk-song gathering all over Estonia that lasted for a number of summers. Secular songs were considered more original and valuable at the time than the ones developed from Lutheran hymns. For Estonian professional music life later on, the folk hymns have proved an invaluable source of inspiration and tokens of identity at difficult times. They underline Estonia‘s connection to Western culture while maintaining an irreplicable, unifying voice.”

More about Tui Hirv: Singer and musicologist Tui Hirv was born in Tallinn, Estonia in 1984. Tui Hirv graduated from Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre with a BA degree in singing in 2007 and MA in musicology in 2009. From an early age and until moving to Iceland in 2013 she was very active in Estonia’s vivid and highly professional scene of choral music. For a period of time she was a member of some of the most renowned vocal groups such as Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Vox Clamantis. Both ensembles place great emphasis on the music of Arvo Pärt, their fellow Estonian and one of the most performed composers at a global scale. Both ensembles have extensive international reach and regularly record albums for leading labels such as ECM New Series and Harmonia Mundi. The 2014 ECM release of Adam’s Lament led by EPCC’s founding conductor Tõnu Kaljuste contains a version of Pärt’s L’Abbé Agathon for choir and chamber orchestra where Tui Hirv sings lead. The album received the GRAMMY Award for Best Choral Performance.

More about Páll Ragnar Pálsson: Páll Ragnar Pálsson has ongoing collaborations with artists all over the world and his music has been performed by internationally renowned ensembles and orchestras in sought-after venues. In recent years, Páll has collaborated on several occasions with Sono Luminus. Atonement with a selection of chamber pieces was released in 2020, while Concurrence, a collaboration with Icelandic Symphony Orchestra featuring Quake was nominated for the GRAMMYAward in 2021. The Icelandic motion picture Quake directed by Tinna Hrafnsdóttir featured original music by Páll and Eðvard Egilsson, released on an album named Skjálfti by Sono Luminus in 2023. One of the highlights of recent years was the premiere of Páll’s first symphony in April 2026 at the Harpa concert house in Reykjavík commissioned by Icelandic Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Eva Ollikainen.

Layers: Tui Hirv and Páll Ragnar Pálsson
Release Date: October 23, 2026 | Sono Luminus

Tracklist:

1. Nüüd hingvad inimesed (Now Rest Beneath Night’s Shadow)[3:55]
2. Bred dina vida vingar (Thy Holy Wings O Savior)[3:05]
3. Mitt hjerte alltid vanker (My Heart Will Always Wander)[4:47]
4. Hátíð fer af höndum ein (Joyous Tides Do Now Begin)[2:49]
5. There Is No Rose Of Such Virtue [3:53]
6. Gjendines bådnlåt (Gjendine’s Lullaby)[3:40]
7. In the Bleak Midwinter [3:36]
8. Nú kemur heimsins hjálparráð (Saviour of the Nations Come)[3:25]
9. Nüüd südant, inimene (Ye Sons of Men, Oh, Hearken) [5:07]
10. Jeesus kõige ülem hää (Jesus Is the Best of All Good Things)[3:04]
11. Kes Jumalat nii laseb teha (If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee)[3:54]
12. Oh Jeesus, Sinu valu (O Sacred Head, Sore Wounded)[3:21]
13. Ma vaatan üles mäele (I Gaze Up at the Hill)[4:01]
14. Kas sureb nii mu kõige armsam elu (Alas, Does My Most Beloved Life Thus Die?)[5:05]
15. Su hooleks ennast annan ma (My all I to my God commend)[3:10]
16. Nú er á himni og jörð (Now in Heaven and on Earth)[2:30]
17. The Snow it Melts the Soonest [3:36]

Total Time: [63:02]

Páll Ragnar Pálsson, Composer, Guitars, Electronics
Tui Hirv, Vocals, Piano (tracks 9, 17)
Sóley Stefánsdóttir, Accordion (track 17)
Skúli Sverrisson, Bass (track 10)
Kaktus Einarsson, Trumpet (track 12)
Sander Saarmets Electronics (track 8)

Executive Producers: Páll Ragnar Pálsson and Tui Hirv
Arrangements: Tui Hirv and Páll Ragnar Pálsson
Recorded and Produced: Páll Ragnar Pálsson
Mixing: Eðvarð Egilsson
Mastering: Daniel Shores
Layout: Joshua Frey
Liner Notes: Tui Hirv and Páll Ragnar Pálsson
Artwork on cover: Valgerður Briem (1914-2002)
Artist portrait: Brynjar Gunnarsson
Recorded in Vesturbær, Reykjavík throughout 2025

Sept. 28: The Birch Festival: Fall Edition 2026 – Encounter: The Bach Suites and Ravel

L-R: Cellist Jan Vogler, Violinist Yevgeny Kutik, Actor Tamara Hickey

The Birch Festival: Fall Edition 2026
Encounter: The Bach Suites and Ravel

Yevgeny Kutik, Artistic Director & Rachel Barker, Executive Director

Featured Performance:
Cellist Jan Vogler, Actor and Writer Tamara Hickey, and Violinist Yevgeny Kutik

Monday, September 28, 2026 at 7pm
First Congregational Church Stockbridge | 4 Main Street | Stockbridge, MA
Tickets and Registration Information: www.thebirchfestival.org

Stockbridge, MA — The arrival of the fall season will be brightened by the return of the The Birch Festival to Stockbridge, MA, which presents a featured performance on Monday, September 28, 2026 at 7pm. Birch Festival Artistic Director and esteemed violinist Yevgeny Kutik welcomes acclaimed cellist Jan Vogler and award-winning actor and writer Tamara Hickey, for a collaborative concert at First Congregational Church Stockbridge (4 Main Street). The program will include J.S. Bach’s Cello Suites Nos. 1 and 6, Maurice Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Cello, and Handel-Halvorsen’s Passacaglia. Berkshire County Students and a guardian may attend the concert for free. Prior to the concert, the artists will also be presenting a private workshop for students in local public schools.

This fall’s featured performance, Encounter: The Bach Suites and Ravel, traces a journey from solitude to encounter, and from encounter to transformation. With the musicianship of iconic cellist Jan Vogler, a voice emerges, unfolding in Bach’s first cello suite, before Ravel brings violin and cello into a vivid exchange of tension and discovery. The journey returns to Bach with his sixth suite: the original solitary voice transformed by everything that has come before. Completing the encounter, both violin and cello come together at the end in the exuberant union of Handel–Halvorsen’s Passacaglia. Joining Vogler and Kutik will be the Berkshires’ own Tamara Hickey of Shakespeare & Company for special readings before each piece. Interwoven with the music of Bach and Ravel, these readings will help trace the evening’s themes of Beginnings, Encounter, and Transcendence—bringing music and words together in what will be a particularly special Birch performance. Hickey is an award-winning actor, writer, and theater-maker whose work spans theater, film, and television in the U.S. and Canada. Based in the Berkshires, she is a company member of Shakespeare & Company and creates original theater through her production company, MetaGirl Productions.

“Jan Vogler brings extraordinary artistry and a deeply personal connection to Bach’s Cello Suites, and I’m thrilled to welcome him to the Berkshires for this special program, pairing Bach with Ravel’s gorgeous Sonata for Violin and Cello,” says Birch Festival Artistic Director Yevgeny Kutik. “With Tamara’s readings woven throughout the evening, and the opportunity to bring these artists into our local schools, this is a wonderful expression of what we hope to offer through Birch: discovery, connection, and music that brings our community together.”

The Birch Festival was founded in 2022 by Lenox-based husband-and-wife team Yevgeny Kutik, an internationally renowned violinist who serves as Artistic Director, and Rachel Barker, who is the non-profit organization’s Executive Director. The Birch Festival promotes and propels distinct voices in music, whether through new composition or creative interpretation of old favorites. It offers leading musicians a chance to play and establish relationships in the Berkshires, while recognizing the importance of their work by offering compensation that sustains and values their efforts in this industry. The Birch Festival’s mission is to bring world-leading musicians for artist residencies in Berkshire County schools, and work in tandem with local business and cultural partnerships. Kutik, a Belarusian-Jewish refugee resettled in Pittsfield by the Jewish Federation in the 1990s, named the festival for his grandmother Sima Berezkina, whose last name means “birch tree.” With significance in many global cultures, birch trees symbolize growth, resilience, and adaptability – qualities that Sima embodied.

The Birch Festival will also be presenting its spring festival on Friday, May 14, 2027, in partnership with the Tanglewood Learning Institute, presenting the Boston Conservatory at Berklee Percussion Ensemble in a performance featuring Lou Harrison’s Concerto for Violin and Percussion Orchestra. Tickets are on sale now and more information can be found here.

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The Birch Festival’s Fall 2026 Schedule:

Bach & Birds
Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (472 W Mountain Rd, Lenox, MA 01240)
Monday, September 28, 2026 at 9:30am
Registration: www.massaudubon.org/programs/pleasant-valley/104320-bach-birds

As part of its Fall 2026 edition, The Birch Festival will partner with Mass Audubon to present Bach & Birds, a free pop-up performance at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Lenox, Massachusetts. Cellist Jan Vogler will perform excerpts from Bach’s Cello Suites and share insights into these transformative works, surrounded by an exhibition of watercolor paintings of birds from around the world by artist Robin Crofut-Brittingham. The performance will take place in Pleasant Valley’s historic barn, a fully accessible program space. Accessible parking and seating will be available, and coffee will be provided. Made possible through the generous support of an anonymous donor and the partnership between The Birch Festival and Mass Audubon, Bach & Birds is free and open to the public.

The Birch Festival Featured Performance – Encounter: The Bach Suites and Ravel
Monday, September 28, 2026 at 7pm
First Congregational Church Stockbridge (4 Main Street, Stockbridge, MA 01262)
Tickets: www.thebirchfestival.org

Violinist and Birch Festival Artistic Director and Co-Founder Yevgeny Kutik comes together with acclaimed cellist Jan Vogler and award-winning actor and writer Tamar Hickey to perform the emotive and thought-provoking works by J.S. Bach and Maurice Ravel, as well as Johan Halvorsen’s interpretation of Frederic Handel’s Passacaglia, in a program inspired by the themes of solitude, encounter, and transformation. Berkshire County Students and a guardian may attend for free.

About the Artists & Festival Directors:

About Yevgeny Kutik: With a “dark-hued tone and razor-sharp technique” (The New York Times), violinist Yevgeny Kutik has captivated audiences worldwide with an old-world sound that communicates a modern intellect. Praised for his technical precision and virtuosity, he is lauded for his poetic and imaginative interpretations of both standard works and newly composed repertoire. A native of Minsk, Belarus, Kutik began violin studies with his mother, Alla Zernitskaya, and immigrated to the U.S. with his family at the age of five. An advocate for the Jewish Federations of North America, the organization that assisted his family in coming to the US, he regularly speaks and performs across the country to promote the assistance of refugees from around the world. Kutik’s discography, all on Marquis Classics, includes The Death of Juliet and Other Tales (2021), Meditations on Family (Marquis Classics 2019), Words Fail (2016), Music from the Suitcase (2014), and Sounds of Defiance (2012). Committed to the music of our time, Kutik regularly gives premiere and repeat performances of major works by today’s most celebrated composers.  For more information, please visit www.yevgenykutik.com. 

About Rachel Barker: Rachel Barker is an educator and writer. Barker has been awarded spots in writers workshops for both nonfiction and fiction, including the Key West Literary Seminar, the Aspen Institute's Aspen Summer Words, and multiple residencies with Write On, Door County. She has consulted and presented for a number of organizations throughout the country, including the Yale Council for African Studies, Flint Institute of Music, Boston University's African Studies Center, Primary Source, and the Wayland/Weston Interfaith Council on Teaching Religion in Schools. Rachel Barker’s MEd. is from Boston College, where she graduated with a focus on social justice and teaching English language learners. Her undergraduate degree in Anthropology is from Boston University, and she currently studies Religion at Harvard University.

About Jan Vogler: Jan Vogler’s distinguished career has brought him together with renowned conductors and internationally acclaimed orchestras around the world, such as London Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. His great ability allowed him to explore the sound boundaries of the cello and to establish an intensive dialogue with contemporary composers and artists. This includes regular world premieres, including works by Tigran Mansurian (with WDR Symphony Orchestra conducted by Semyon Bychkov), John Harbison (with Mira Wang and the Boston Symphony Orchestra), Udo Zimmermann (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra), Wolfgang Rihm (Double Concerto with Mira Wang), Jörg Widman (Cello Concerto Dunkle Saiten, dedicated to Jan Vogler himself), Nico Muhly, Sven Helbig and Zhou-Long (Drei Kontinente – Konzert für Cello und Orchester, composed for Jan Vogler) and Sean Shepherd (On a Clear Day based on a cycle of poems by Ulla Hahn, for cello, choirs and orchestra, which was premiered in 2023 with the Philharmonic State Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano). The New York Times praises his “soulful, richly hued playing” and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung grants him the ability “to make his cello speak like a singing voice.”

Highlights of Jan Vogler’s career as a soloist are concerts with the New York Philharmonic – both in New York and Dresden at the occasion of the reopening of the rebuilt Dresdner Frauenkirche under the direction of Lorin Maazel in 2005 –, Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh and Montréal Symphony Orchestras, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra dell’ Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic as well as with The Knights. He collaborates with conductors such as Andris Nelsons, Fabio Luisi, Sir Antonio Pappano, Marin Alsop, Valery Gergiev, Thomas Hengelbrock, Manfred Honeck and Kent Nagano.

About Tamara Hickey: Tamara Hickey (she/her) is a 500-hour certified trauma-sensitive yoga instructor who integrates biomechanics, pain science, and somatic movement to guide students toward strength, resilience, and ease. Current role with WAM: Teaching Artist for Yoga Cry It Out event WAM Theatre: First WAM theatre collaboration Selected Theatre Credits Elsewhere: Henry 6, Part II, Much Ado About Nothing, Times Stands Still, Heisenberg, The Tempest, Cymbeline, The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare & Company); Appropriate (SpeakEasy Stage); God’s Ear, Henry VIII, Pericles, Living in Exile (Actors’ Shakespeare Project); Cabaret (A.R.T.) Additional artistic credits: Film/TV: Defending Jacob, Mother/Android, John & The Hole, The Equalizer 2, The Judge, Olive Kitteridge, Bull.

Creative inspiration: Hickey’s 13 year old daughter, going to the theatre Community Engagement/Activist work: Tamara leads classes and workshops at Berkshire Yoga Dance & Fitness, Miraval Berkshires, and through her online yoga studio, The Action Space. She is currently pursuing a two-year Meditation Certification with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. Membership/Affiliations: SAG-AFTRA, AEA, Yoga Alliance Selected training: MFA in Theatre from American Repertory Theatre Awards/proudest achievements: Elliot Norton Award (Best Actress, Best Production) God’s Ear; Tamara recently created, starred in, and produced a one-woman show THIS IS IT with Kate Kohler Amory, which led to the founding of their production company, MetaGirl Productions. Final word: Collaboration is Queen.