Newport Classical Presents April and May Chamber Series Concerts in Downtown Newport

Photos available in high resolution here.

Newport Classical Presents
April and May Chamber Series Concerts in Downtown Newport

Violinist Bella Hristova performs Bach and Grieg
Friday, April 25 at 7:30pm 

Pianist Orion Weiss performs Bach’s Goldberg Variations
Friday, May 16 at 7:30pm

Newport Classical Recital Hall | 42 Dearborn St | Newport, RI
Tickets and Information

Newport, RI – Newport Classical continues its fourth full-season Chamber Series, featuring twelve concerts held on select Fridays at 7:30pm at the organization’s home venue the Newport Classical Recital Hall (42 Dearborn St.), with internationally renowned Bulgarian-American violinist Bella Hristova performing on Friday, April 25, 2025 at 7:30pm and one of the most sought-after soloists and chamber music collaborators of his generation, pianist Orion Weiss performing on Friday, May 16, 2025 at 7:30pm. 

Bella Hristova, who has won acclaim for her “expressive nuance and rich tone” (The New York Times), performs frequently with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York, and has given recitals at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and Boston’s Isabella Gardner Museum. She is a recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and many other awards, including First Prize in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. In collaboration with returning pianist Anna Polonsky, Hristova will make her Newport debut in a compelling program that includes favorite works by Bach, a transcription of a movement from Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, Grieg’s thrilling second violin sonata, and folk songs from the childhood of Indian-American composer Reena Esmail. The Washington Post has praised Bella Hristova’s “impressive power and control.” She has distinguished herself on the world stage as a performing artist with a remarkably diverse repertoire and a bold approach to programming.

Watch Bella Hristova

Pianist Orion Weiss, known for his “powerful technique and exceptional insight” (The Washington Post) returns to Newport for a solo recital of Bach’s beloved Goldberg Variations, the composer’s most popular keyboard work, consisting of an aria and 30 variations. Weiss is widely regarded as a “brilliant pianist” (The New York Times), and has performed with all of the major orchestras of North America, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the New York Philharmonic. As a recitalist and chamber musician, Weiss has appeared at venues and festivals including the Ravinia Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, Tanglewood, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, the Edinburgh International Festival, Hong Kong Premiere Performances, the Lucerne Festival, Bravo! Vail, and many others. He recently released his latest album, Arc III, the final album in his recital trilogy, which he describes as an exploration of "our resilience, our rebound, our irrepressibility.”

Watch Orion Weiss in Bach’s Goldberg Variations

Newport Classical's Chamber Series takes place at Newport Classical Recital Hall in downtown Newport, known for its striking architecture and excellent acoustics. The Chamber Series, newly expanded to twelve concerts held between September and June, reaffirms Newport Classical’s commitment to offer year-round classical music programming. Audiences are invited to enjoy performances by world-class classical musicians in a relaxed setting, with a complimentary glass of wine from Greenvale Vineyards and homemade treats by Newport Classical volunteers.

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

Up next, Newport Classical presents two Community Concerts – Ji Su Jung’s Percussion Playground on April 27 at the historic Great Friends Meeting House, and Rasa String Quartet with percussionist Brian Shankar Adler on May 18 on the Newport Craft Brewing Lawn. Audiences can look forward to enjoying these casual, engaging, and welcoming concerts right in their Newport neighborhoods. Newport Classical’s Community Concerts Series is free and open to the community; advanced registration is requested but not required for both performances.

The Newport Classical Chamber Series at Newport Classical Recital Hall concludes on June 13 with the GRAMMY®-nominated Norwegian Trio Mediaeval, who captivate audiences with their crystalline voices, in an enchanting evening of Norwegian and Swedish traditional songs, hymns, fiddle tunes, and ballads. 

Tickets are now available for the 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival, which takes place from July 4-22, 2025. Highlights include Opening Night featuring Two Pianos with Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung; two evenings with Broadway star Jessica Vosk, best known for her lead role in Wicked; performances by extraordinary pianists Inon Barnatan, Sara Davis Buechner, and Wynona Wang; celebrated soprano Karen Slack's African Queens project co-commissioned by Newport Classical with a national consortium; the US premiere of a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang co-commissioned by Newport Classical with an international consortium; performances by world-class artists including violinist Leila Josefowicz, The Westerlies, Third Coast Percussion, harpist Emily Levin, guitarists Ziggy and Miles, Palaver Strings, Attacca Quartet, Twelfth Night, The Gesualdo Six, Tallā Rouge, Empire Wild, and more; Opera Night: An American Tapestry; and Closing Night with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and violinist Stefan Jackiw. For the fifth year in a row, Newport Classical has commissioned a brand new work to be premiered at the Festival. This year's Composer-in-Residence is Cris Derksen, a Juno-nominated Indigenous cellist and composer, who has written a new work for the Galvin Cello Quartet.

About Newport Classical

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

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

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

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

May 15-17: World Premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Cello Concerto Performed by Johannes Moser & the San Francisco Symphony Conducted by Dalia Stasevska

Photo by Anna Maggy. High resolution photos available here.

World Premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Cello Concerto

Before we fall
Performed by Cellist Johannes Moser & the San Francisco Symphony
Conducted by Dalia Stasevska

May 15, 16, and 17, 2025 at 7:30pm
Davies Symphony Hall | 201 Van Ness Ave. | San Francisco, CA
Tickets & Information: http://sfsymphony.org/stasevska

“[Thorvaldsdottir] has carved her own corner in contemporary music by creating symphonic works of sustained brilliance” – The Times

www.annathorvalds.com

San Francisco, CA – Composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s highly anticipated cello concerto, Before we fall, will have its world premiere performances on May 15, 16, and 17, 2025 at 7:30pm, performed by cello soloist Johannes Moser and the San Francisco Symphony led by conductor Dalia Stasevska at Davies Symphony Hall (201 Van Ness Ave.), paired with Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 5. The new concerto is written for Moser and co-commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony, BBC Proms, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, and Odense Symphony Orchestra.

Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s striking sound world has made her “one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music” (NPR). Speaking to Alex Ross of The New Yorker, Esa-Pekka Salonen said of her music, “She has identity, voice, a unique sound world. Her clear sense of form counterbalances her complex textures. And she can create breathtaking moments of real emotion.” The Guardian reports, “Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s natural instrument is the symphony orchestra, but in her hands it is reborn as a natural organism.”

Her unique command of the orchestra on vivid display, the concerto carries Thorvaldsdottir's signature “combination of power and intimacy” (Gramophone) yet also distinctively expands her oeuvre. A cellist herself, Anna writes of the new piece: 

“The core inspiration behind Before we fall centres around the notion of teetering on the edge, of balancing on the verge of a multitude of opposites. The musical structure flows between lyricism and a sense of distorted energy – two main forces that stabilise this entropic pull. Driven by the strong sense of lyricism that permeates the piece, the work also orbits a forward-moving energy that connects and balances the opposites in different ways. The stable fundament – a grounding power of sustained harmonic presence – communicates with ethereal and distorted sounds, together providing the earth for the essence of the solo cello, the structure upon which it stands and within which it moves. The cello, both alone and deeply connected to the orchestral elements in its expression, generates the atmospheric progression of the world it inhabits, yet continuously on the verge of falling outside the reality it is building for itself. 

As with my music generally, the inspiration is not something I am trying to describe through the music or what the music is ‘about,’ as such. Inspiration is a way to intuitively tap into parts of the core energy, structure, atmosphere and material of the music I am writing each time. It is a fuel for the musical ideas to come into existence, a tool to approach and work with the fundamental materials, the ideas and sensations, that provide and generate the initial spark to the music – the various sources of inspiration are ultimately effective because I perceive qualities in them that I find musically captivating. I do often spend quite a bit of time finding ways to articulate some of the important elements of the musical ideas or thoughts that play certain key roles in the origin of each piece but the music itself does not emerge from a verbal place, it emerges as a stream of consciousness that flows, is felt, sensed, shaped and then crafted. So inspiration is a part of the origin story of a piece, but in the end the music stands on its own.”

Her other large orchestral works AERIALITY (2011), METACOSMOS (2017), AIŌN (2018), CATAMORPHOSIS (2020), and ARCHORA (2022) continue to receive country and local premieres as well as repeat performances throughout the world, and are all recorded on the Sono Luminus label.

Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s current season includes performances of her music across at least nineteen countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States, and Wales. The current schedule of performances of Anna’s music is available on her website.

Other highlights for Anna this season include serving as the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich’s Creative Chair. Since 2015, the orchestra has invited a composer to hold this position each season, including, formerly, Arvo Pärt, Esa-Pekka Salonen, John Adams, and Toshio Hosokawa, among others. From September 2024 to June 2025, a wide variety of Anna’s music is being performed, ranging from string quartets to large orchestral pieces. The season-opening concerts in September featured ARCHORA, conducted by music director Paavo Järvi. Two of Anna’s orchestral works received their Swiss premieres – CATAMORPHOSIS at the Sonic Matter Festival Zurich conducted by André de Ridder on November 29 and METACOSMOS conducted by Eva Ollikainen on April 3 and 4.

Additionally, Anna continues her two-year period as one of ten CHANEL Next Prize winners. The biennial prize is awarded to ten international contemporary artists who are redefining their chosen discipline. Each artist embodies CHANEL’s mission to advance the new and the next and receives €100,000 in funding, allowing them to fully realize their most ambitious artistic projects. The NEXT Prize was established in 2021 as part of the CHANEL Culture Fund, CHANEL’s global initiative to accelerate the ideas that advance culture, extending the House’s century-long legacy of cultural patronage.

The 2024-2025 season also brought a new album featuring Anna’s chamber work Ubique, which was released worldwide on Sono Luminus on February 28. The 45-minute piece was co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall, The Pnea Foundation, The Cheswatyr Foundation, and Kurt Chauviere for Claire Chase’s Claire Chase’s Density project. The world premiere was given in May 2023 at Carnegie Hall, performed by Claire Chase, flutes; Katinka Kleijn and Seth Parker Woods, cellos; Cory Smythe, piano; and Levy Lorenzo, live sound. The same musicians have recorded the new album, and will perform its West Coast premiere at the Ojai Festival in California on June 7. Anna writes of the piece, “Ubique lives on the border between enigmatic lyricism and atmospheric distortion. Through a combination of sounds, pitches, and textural nuances, low deep drones envelop lyrical materials and harmonies that breathe in and out of focus throughout the progress of the piece. The flow of the music is primarily guided by continuous expansion and contraction — of various kinds and durations — as it streams with subtle interruptions and frictions but ever moving forward in the overall structure.” Listen here.

Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s music is composed as much by sounds and nuances as by harmonies and lyrical material – it is written as an ecosystem of sounds, where materials continuously grow in and out of each other, often inspired in an important way by nature and its many qualities, in particular structural ones, like proportion and flow. Her work is frequently performed internationally and has been commissioned by many of the world’s leading orchestras, ensembles, and arts organizations, including the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Danish String Quartet, International Contemporary Ensemble, BBC Proms, and Carnegie Hall. Her “detailed and powerful” (The Guardian) orchestral writing has garnered her awards from the New York Philharmonic, Lincoln Center, the Nordic Council, and the UK’s Ivors Academy. Anna was Composer-in-Residence with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra from 2018-2023, and was in 2023 also in residence at the Aldeburgh Festival and the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music. She holds a PhD from the University of California in San Diego, and is currently based in the London area. All of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s orchestral music and many of her other works are recorded on the Sono Luminus label, and featured on Apple Music’s Anna Thorvaldsdottir Essentials Playlist. The music of Anna Thorvaldsdottir is published by Chester Music, part of Wise Music Group. For more information: www.annathorvalds.com/bio

Hailed by Gramophone Magazine as “one of the finest among the astonishing gallery of young virtuoso cellists,” German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser has performed with the world’s leading orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, BBC Philharmonic at the Proms, London Symphony, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Tokyo NHK Symphony, Philadelphia and Cleveland orchestras with conductors of the highest level including Riccardo Muti, Lorin Maazel, Mariss Jansons, Valery Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, Vladimir Jurowski, Franz Welser-Möst, Christian Thielemann, Pierre Boulez, Paavo Järvi, Semyon Bychkov, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Gustavo Dudamel. His recordings include the concertos by Dvořák, Lalo, Elgar, Lutosławski, Dutilleux, Tchaikovsky, Thomas Olesen and Fabrice Bollon (electric cello), which have gained him the prestigious Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik and the Diapason d’Or. Johannes is renowned for his efforts to expand the reach of the classical genre to all audiences, and his passionate involvement in commissioning new works for his instrument. He performs on an Andrea Guarneri Cello from 1694 from a private collection. For more information about Johannes Moser: www.johannes-moser.com/biography-english

May 16-17 Announcing The Birch Festival 2025 Spring Edition: Shostakovich and Bach

The Birch Festival: 2025 Spring Edition

Shostakovich and Bach
May 16-17, 2025

Yevgeny Kutik, Artistic Director & Rachel Barker, Executive Director

Featured Performance: May 17, 2025 at 3pm
First Congregational Church Stockbridge
4 Main Street | Stockbridge, MA

Music of Dmitri Shostakovich and J.S. Bach

Violinist Francesca dePasquale, Violist Margaret Dyer Harris, Cellist Julian Schwarz
and Violinist Yevgeny Kutik

Tickets and Registration Information: www.thebirchfestival.org

Lenox & Stockbridge, MA — The Birch Festival returns to the Berkshires this spring with its newest installment, Shostakovich and Bach, featuring a free event on Friday, May 16, 2025 and a concert on Saturday May 17, 2025 in Lenox and Stockbridge. Now in its fourth iteration, the beloved festival presents a featured performance with guest artists that will include violinist Francesca dePasquale, Violin Professor at Oberlin Conservatory; violist Margaret Dyer Harris of the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra and GRAMMY® nominated orchestra The Knights; and cellist Julian Schwarz, Cello Professor at Shenandoah Conservatory. These three exceptional artists will collaborate with Birch Festival Artistic Director and Co-Founder Yevgeny Kutik for a dramatic and moving concert program.

This year’s festival honors the music of one of the most important composers of the 20th century, Dmitri Shostakovich, in this 50th year since his passing. Shostakovich’s music has long been a source of inspiration for many, and his work continues to offer profound reflections on the strength and resilience of the human spirit. During the festival’s featured performance, Shostakovich’s work will be interspersed with several selections from J.S. Bach’s timeless The Art of the Fugue. In addition to the main concert, festival attendees can look forward to a festive opening evening that includes a brief performance complemented by small plates and a free wine tasting; and a morning “Don’t Tap on the Glass” open rehearsal.

Birch Festival Artistic Director Yevgeny Kutik says, “Shostakovich’s music has always been a source of inspiration for me, and in these times, his work offers profound reflections on the strength and resilience of the human spirit. I'm so thrilled to be able to share two of his most important quartets, No.'s 8 and 9 with these truly remarkable artists along with the timeless music of J.S. Bach. As part of our mission to be accessible to the community in a variety of ways, we are delighted to continue our open rehearsal series, Don't Tap on the Glass. The general public rarely gets to see the behind-the-scenes of preparations for a performance, and this series aims to give everyone the opportunity to glimpse into the "fishtank." It can be a fascinating experience to watch artists at work!”

The Birch Festival was founded in 2022 by Lenox-based husband-and-wife team Yevgeny Kutik, an internationally renowned violinist who serves as Artistic Director, and Rachel Barker, who is the non-profit organization’s Executive Director.

The Birch Festival’s mission is to bring world-leading musicians for artist residencies in Berkshire County schools, and work in tandem with local business and cultural partnerships. Kutik, a Belarusian-Jewish refugee resettled in Pittsfield by the Jewish Federation in the 1990s, named the festival for his grandmother Sima Berezkina, whose last name means “birch tree.” With significance in many global cultures, birch trees symbolize growth, resilience, and adaptability – qualities that Sima embodied.

On Friday, May 16, 2025 from 6-8pm, The Birch Festival will return to Doctor Sax House in Lenox, MA (35 Walker St) in the Carriage House for an opening night of food, music, and conversation. Those in attendance will have the chance to meet and mingle with Dyer, dePasquale, Schwarz, and Kutik while enjoying some small bites, a festival signature drink, and free wine tasting hosted by Dare Bottleshop and Provisions.. The event is free and open to the public; space is limited and registration is required. The next morning, Saturday, May 17 at 10am, the public is welcome to come to the festival’s “Don’t Tap on the Glass” open rehearsal at the First Congregational Church, in Stockbridge, MA (4 Main St). This is a chance to see an up-close view of a rehearsal in action. No registration is required.

The Birch Festival’s main performance, Shostakovich and Bach, will be at the First Congregational Church Stockbridge (4 Main St) on Saturday, May 17 at 3pm. Francesca dePasquale, Margaret Dyer, Julian Schwarz, and Yevgeny Kutik will give emotive performances of J.S. Bach’s Contrapunctus 1; Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8; Bach’s Vor deinen Thron tret’ ich hiermit, BWV 668; Bach’s Contrapunctus 4; and Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 9. There will be a pre-concert talk at 2:15pm hosted by Shostakovich scholar Matthew Heck. An informal reception, open to all ticket holders, will follow the performance. Berkshire County Students and a guardian may attend for free. Tickets are available at www.thebirchfestival.org.

The Birch Festival promotes and propels distinct voices in music, whether through new composition or creative interpretation of old favorites. The Festival offers leading musicians a chance to play and establish relationships in the Berkshires, while recognizing the importance of their work by offering compensation that sustains and values their efforts in this industry.

The Birch Festival’s 2025 Spring Schedule:

Artist Meet-and-Greet & Wine Tasting
Friday, May 16, 2025 from 6-8pm
Doctor Sax House - Carriage House
35 Walker St. Lenox, MA
Free, registration required: www.thebirchfestival.org

The Birch Festival returns to Doctor Sax House, opening the spring 2025 edition in its Carriage House with signature drinks, mocktails, and a chance to mingle with the artists. Wine tasting hosted by Dare Bottleshop and Provisions. Space is limited, registration is required.

“Don’t Tap on the Glass” Open Rehearsal
Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 10am
First Congregational Church Stockbridge
4 Main Street
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Free and open to the public.

The Birch Festival welcomes the community of the Berkshires to enjoy a morning preview of the festival’s featured concert at its “Don’t Tap on the Glass” open rehearsal at First Congregational Church Stockbridge. No registration required. 

The Birch Festival Feature Performance – Shostakovich and Bach
Sunday, May 17, 2025 at 3pm
First Congregational Church Stockbridge
4 Main Street
Stockbridge, MA 01262
Tickets: www.thebirchfestival.org

Violinist Francesca dePasquale, violist Margaret Dyer, cellist Julian Schwarz, along with violinist and Birch Festival Artistic Director and Co-Founder Yevgeny Kutik, will perform a program titled Shostakovich and Bach, highlighting the music of Dmitri Shostakovich and J.S. Bach. The program will include: J.S. Bach’s Contrapunctus 1; Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8; Bach’s Vor deinen Thron tret’ ich hiermit, BWV 668; Bach’s Contrapunctus 4; and Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 9. There will be a pre-concert talk at 2:15pm hosted by Shostakovich scholar Matthew Heck. An informal reception, open to all ticket holders, will follow the performance. Berkshire County Students and a guardian may attend for free.

About the Artists & Festival Directors:

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

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

About Francesca dePasquale: Described by critics as “scintillating” and celebrated for her “rich, expressive playing” (MusicalAmerica), violinist Francesca dePasquale is the First Prize winner of the 2010 Irving M. Klein International String Competition and recipient of the prestigious 2014-2016 career grant from the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund for the Performing and Visual Arts. Earning her the 2015 Classical Recording Foundation Young Artist Award, her self-titled debut album released in March of 2016 encompasses works that scope from Bach to a new commission from composer Paola Prestini for violin and electronics. For the album and accompanying recital tour, Francesca was praised for “sincerity, intensity” and “individual voice” (Philadelphia Inquirer), and “immaculate and discreet phrasing” (Strad Magazine). Additionally, she was featured in Strings magazine and on SiriusXM, WNYC, WQXR, WRTI (Philadelphia), and WFMT (Chicago).

About Margaret Dyer Harris: Margaret Dyer Harris currently holds positions as Assistant Principal violist in the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, violist in Wicked on Broadway, and proud new member of The Knights! In recent seasons, she has appeared as guest artist with the Daedalus, Parker, and Hausmann Quartets as well as Decoda, the affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall. Margaret was a founding member of the GRAMMY-nominated chamber orchestra, A Far Cry, and she is in frequent demand as a guest orchestral principal violist, most recently appearing in that role with the Sarasota Orchestra, the Santa Fe Opera, Princeton Symphony, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the Long Island Philharmonic. From 2010-2012, Margaret was a fellow in Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble ACJW. She has given masterclasses and workshops in Mexico, Peru, UAE, and across the United States. Margaret received her training at the San Francisco Conservatory and at New England Conservatory in Boston.

About Julian Schwarz: Julian Schwarz has been heralded from a young age as a cellist destined to rank among the greatest of the 21st century, Julian’s powerful tone, effortless virtuosity, and extraordinarily large color palette are hallmarks of his style. As a chamber musician, Mr. Schwarz performs extensively in recital with pianist Marika Bournaki. In 2016 Schwarz & Bournaki were awarded first prize at the inaugural Boulder International Chamber Music Competition’s “The Art of Duo”, and subsequently embarked on an extensive 10-recital tour of China in March 2017. Mr. Schwarz is a founding member of the New York based touring ensemble “Frisson” and was recently appointed the newest core member of the Olmos Ensemble in San Antonio, TX. He is a member of the Palladium Chamber Players (St Petersburg FL), the Alaria Ensemble (New York NY), and has given over 100 performances at Brooklyn’s Bargemusic. He has appeared at the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Josef Gingold Chamber Music Festival, Verbier Festival, and the Salzburg Mozarteum. In addition, he runs programming for the Tuesday evening chamber music series at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC. A devoted teacher, Mr. Schwarz serves as Associate Professor of Cello and String Area Coordinator at Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University (Winchester, VA), and on the artist faculty of NYU’s Steinhardt School of Music. In the summer, he teaches and performs at the Eastern Music Festival and the Josef Gingold Festival.

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California Symphony Goes Vintage Vegas in Annual Gala - Viva Las Symphony - Benefitting Musicians and Music Education Programs

Photos by Drew Altizer Photography, available in high resolution here.

California Symphony Goes Vintage Vegas in Viva Las Symphony!

Hosted by Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera

www.californiasymphony.org

WALNUT CREEK, CA – On Saturday, April 5, 2025 at Berkeley’s iconic Claremont Hotel, California Symphony presented its annual gala, this year titled Viva Las Symphony!, hosted by Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera. Over one hundred guests mixed and mingled at the vintage Vegas-themed night of glitz, glamour, and timeless music. The gala honoree was Michael Weiner, a long-time California Symphony Board Member and Walnut Creek philanthropist.

The event raised over $169,000, with proceeds supporting the musicians of the California Symphony and music education initiatives including the acclaimed Young American Composer-in-Residence program and the nationally recognized Sound Minds program for underserved local students. The gala co-chairs were Julie Basque and Mike Elmore. Among the guests enjoying the festivities were California Symphony Music and Artistic Director Donato Cabrera of San Francisco; Barbara Hodgkinson, president of the California Symphony Board of Directors; Bay Area philanthropist Sharon Simpson; Navid and Bill Armstrong of Walnut Creek; and Classical KDFC host Dianne Nicolini. Tables at the event were hosted by civic and social leaders including Sharon Simpson, Timothy Carlson, California Symphony Alliance, Julie Basque, and Michael and Denise Weiner.

Following a cocktail hour, guests enjoyed a 3-course gourmet dinner, paired with wine from Wine Family Group, and an open bar. Fundraising continued with a fund-a-need paddle raise and live auction, led by auctioneer Graham Crow. Entertainment was provided by California Symphony musicians Anne Ranzani, principal bassoon and Marc Shapiro, principal keyboard. Afterward, guests tried their luck at the casino tables and danced the night away to live music provided by Jason Marquez and the Sin City Trio, flown in directly from Las Vegas specifically for this occasion. It all added up to an unforgettable party for Bay Area culture-lovers, philanthropists, and movers and shakers, with proceeds benefitting the musicians of the California Symphony and music programs that uplift and inspire our community.

Donato Cabrera says, “Our annual themed fundraising event has become known throughout the Bay Area as being both an evening of raising awareness and money for our world-class orchestra and our celebrated education programs, as well as being just a fun party! I am always humbled by the generosity of our donors and we simply couldn’t do all of the things we’ve become so well-known for without their support.”

Founded in 1986, California Symphony has been led by Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera since 2013. It is distinguished by its innovative programming and for redefining the concert experience. Reaching far beyond its concert series at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California, the orchestra’s performances have been broadcast nationally on multiple radio series through Classical California (KUSC/KDFC) and the WFMT Radio Network, reaching over 1.5 million listeners across the country. In 2017, California Symphony became the first orchestra with a public statement of a commitment to diversity, and it’s one of just a few orchestras to offer a website that is available in both Spanish and English.

California Symphony’s mission is to present engaging and inclusive concert experiences, and to provide music education that inspires and connects people of all ages. Through world-class performances, supporting emerging composers, and a commitment to community, our vision is to be a leader among orchestras in California and a model for regional orchestras everywhere.

May 12: GRAMMY®-Nominated Pianist Simone Dinnerstein and her Ensemble Baroklyn Perform First Ever All-Philip Glass Concert

Presented by Kaufman Music Center

Monday, May 12, 2025 at 7:30pm

Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center
129 West 67th Street | New York, NY
Tickets & Information

PLUS Dinnerstein & Baroklyn’s New Bach Album Complicité Out May 30
Review downloads and CDs available upon request

New York, NY – On Monday, May 12, 2025 at 7:30pm, GRAMMY®-nominated pianist Simone Dinnerstein, an Artist-in-Residence with the Kaufman Music Center (KMC) this season, performs her first ever all-Philip Glass concert at KMC’s Merkin Hall (129 West 67th St), as part of KMC’s Piano Dialogues series. Described by The New York Times as “colorful and idiosyncratic,” Dinnerstein will perform three works by the American minimalist master – Glass’s Mad Rush for solo piano, plus two concertos – Glass’s “Tirol” Piano Concerto (Piano Concerto No. 1) and – for the first time ever – his Suite from The Hours. Dinnerstein will perform the latter two works with Baroklyn, the string ensemble she founded and directs. (The ensemble’s name is a portmanteau of Baroque and Brooklyn, Dinnerstein’s home borough). As part of her residency at the Kaufman Music Center, Dinnerstein will also lead a performance of J.S. Bach’s keyboard concertos with young pianists from Kaufman’s Special Music School High School on May 22, 2025, and lead a performance of Philip Glass ‘s Etudes with Lucy Moses School students and faculty on June 8, 2025.

Simone Dinnerstein is well known for her distinctive musical voice and increasingly so for her interpretations of music by Philip Glass. She has performed and recorded his Piano Concerto No. 3, which Glass wrote for her in 2017, co-commissioned by twelve orchestras. NPR Music reported of her recording of the piece, “Dinnerstein's creamy tone and elastic phrasing gives the music an air of Schubertian warmth and wistfulness.”

Of what is particularly special about her string ensemble Baroklyn, Dinnerstein says: “We’re a community that shares the artistic vision that is most important to me – that music should be creative and new. Rehearsal is important to us, and I’ve been influenced by theater practice in which we listen to each other and pass musical ideas and phrases within the group.”

Dinnerstein and Baroklyn’s performance at Kaufman Music Center comes just before the May 30 release of their new album, Complicité, on Supertrain Records. This is Dinnerstein’s first recording with Baroklyn. The album features the music of J.S. Bach and Philip Lasser. Complicité includes Dinnerstein and Baroklyn’s arrangement of Bach’s chorale Herr Gott, nun schleuß den Himmel auf, BWV 617, Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in E Major, BWV 1053 and his chorale Der Leib war in der Erden, BWV 161 (also arranged by Dinnerstein and Baroklyn); Bach’s Cantata 170, Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust with continuo realization by Philip Lasser; and In the Air, Lasser’s recomposition of Bach’s Air on the G String. Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano, and Peggy Pearson, oboe d’amore, join Dinnerstein and Baroklyn on this deeply felt recording, which embodies the artistic vision that Dinnerstein and Baroklyn hold dear. Read the album press release here.

Dinnerstein and Baroklyn’s all-Glass program at Kaufman Music Center will also be recorded for future commercial release, following the concert.

Glass’s “Tirol” Piano Concerto, composed in 2000, went unperformed in New York for more than 20 years until Dinnerstein’s performance of the work with the Brooklyn Orchestra and Olivier Glissant in November 2023. Glass based the concerto on melody fragments of traditional Austrian Volkslied, or folk music, in the Tyrolean tradition. Dinnerstein says of the piece, “The second movement of the ‘Tirol’ is what first drew me to it. Built almost as a set of variations, the sound is lush and pulsating, and its mood relates to his Symphony No 3 for strings. I love the play between intense lyricism and a feeling of austerity, so reminiscent of Schubert’s writing.”

Glass’s Suite from The Hours is a three-movement piano concerto taken from his film score for Stephen Daldry’s film The Hours, an adaptation of the novel by Michael Cunningham. The score received Golden Globe, GRAMMY, and Academy Award nominations, along with winning a British Academy Film Award in Film Music.

Glass’s Mad Rush was originally composed for the organ at New York City’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Dinnerstein recorded the piece for her 2022 album Undersong (Orange Mountain Music). The Washington Post wrote of her interpretation, “The vast architecture of Glass’s Mad Rush was shot through with ever-changing light, creating a hypnotic effect with a delicate symbiosis of the physical and spiritual,” while NPR called it, “gorgeous, transportive.”

More about Simone Dinnerstein: American pianist Simone Dinnerstein first came to wider public attention in 2007 through her recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, reflecting an aesthetic that was both deeply rooted in the score and profoundly idiosyncratic. She is, wrote The New York Times, “a unique voice in the forest of Bach interpretation.”

Dinnerstein has played with orchestras ranging from the New York Philharmonic and Montreal Symphony Orchestra to the London Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale Rai. She has performed in venues from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center to the Berlin Philharmonie, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Seoul Arts Center and Sydney Opera House. She has made fourteen albums, all of which topped the Billboard charts and were recorded by GRAMMY Award-winning producer Adam Abeshouse. During the pandemic she recorded three albums which form a trilogy: A Character of Quiet, An American Mosaic, and Undersong. An American Mosaic was nominated for a GRAMMY.

In recent years, Dinnerstein has created projects that express her broad musical interests. She gave the world premiere of The Eye Is the First Circle at Montclair State University, the first multi-media production she conceived, created, and directed, which uses as source materials her father Simon Dinnerstein’s painting The Fulbright Triptych and Charles Ives’s Concord Sonata. She released her live recording of the premiere in October 2024 on Supertrain Records to coincide with Ives’s 150th birthday. The Eye is the First Circle also marked Dinnerstein’s fourteenth and final recording produced with the late Adam Abeshouse. Dinnerstein premiered Richard Danielpour’s An American Mosaic, a tribute to those affected by the pandemic, in a performance on multiple pianos throughout Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery. Following her recording Mozart in Havana, she brought the Havana Lyceum Orchestra from Cuba to the U.S. for the first time, performing eleven concerts. Philip Glass composed his Piano Concerto No. 3 for her, co-commissioned by twelve orchestras. Working with Renée Fleming and the Emerson String Quartet, she premiered André Previn and Tom Stoppard’s Penelope at the Tanglewood, Ravinia and Aspen music festivals, and performed it at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and presented by LA Opera. Dinnerstein has also created her own ensemble, Baroklyn, which she directs. The Washington Post comments, “it is Dinnerstein’s unreserved identification with every note she plays that makes her performance so spellbinding.” In a world where music is everywhere, she hopes that it can still be transformative. For more information, please visit www.simonedinnerstein.com.

For Calendar Editors:

Description: GRAMMY®-nominated pianist Simone Dinnerstein, an Artist-in-Residence with the Kaufman Music Center (KMC) this season, performs an all-Philip Glass concert as part of KMC’s Piano Dialogues series. Described by The New York Times as “colorful and idiosyncratic,” Dinnerstein will perform three works by the American minimalist master – Glass’s Mad Rush for solo piano, plus two concertos with her string ensemble Baroklyn – Glass’s “Tirol” Piano Concerto (Piano Concerto No. 1) and, for the first time, his Suite from The Hours.

Concert details:

Who: Pianist Simone Dinnerstein Performs an All-Philip Glass Concert with her string ensemble Baroklyn
What: Philip Glass’s “Tirol” Piano Concerto, Mad Rush, and Suite from The Hours
When: Monday, May 12, 2025 at 7:30pm
Where: Merkin Hall at Kaufmann Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023
Tickets and information: https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/simone-dinnerstein-with-baroklyn

Sony Classical Signs World-Renowned Pianist Alexander Malofeev

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

Sony Classical is thrilled to announce the exclusive signing of world renowned pianist Alexander Malofeev. His debut album for Sony Classical is expected in the fall.

The twenty-three-year-old Berlin-based musician has quickly emerged as one of the most prominent pianists of his generation, captivating audiences and garnering high praises from critics. The Guardian noted of him: “Malofeev doesn’t just play the notes; he brings every phrase to life as if it tells something entirely new...” Der Standard in Austria described his 2022 debut at the world-famous Musikverein as a: “world piano revolution.”

On the signing of this exclusive agreement with Alexander Malofeev, Per Hauber, President, Sony Classical noted: “Alexander Malofeev is undoubtedly one of the most exciting pianists of his generation. Despite his young age, he can already look back on an impressive career on stage. We believe the time has now come for him to embark on his career in the recording studio. With his unique debut album and many more ideas for the future, we can look forward to a brilliant recording career for Alexander Malofeev. Sony Classical is very proud to be his exclusive partner for this.”

Alexander Malofeev added: “In Sony Classical, I have found the right place to bring my personal recording vision to life - with genuine trust, openness and a shared sense of artistic curiosity. Recording for me is about capturing a moment that feels magical and honest. It’s an exciting beginning."

Malofeev gained international attention when in 2014, he won the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians aged just thirteen with high praise including: “…an incredible maturity. Crystal clear sounds and perfect balance revealed his exceptional ability” (Amadeus). Since then, he has performed with many leading orchestras around the world, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala and many more.

Alexander Malofeev regularly works with some of the most distinguished conductors of the day, including Charles Dutoit, Michael Tilson Thomas, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, JoAnn Falletta and Riccardo Chailly, who has said of him: “he is very young but already possesses depth and technical abilities…”. As well as performing on leading stages internationally, Malofeev has been a guest at world-famous music festivals such as Verbier Festival, Tanglewood Music Festival and Aspen Music Festival (USA), among others.

Renowned for his virtuosic technique and profound musical expressiveness, Malofeev's exceptional talent has also been recognized with numerous awards and prizes. In addition to his first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, he won the Grand Prix at the 1st International Competition for Young Pianists Grand Piano. In 2017, he became the first Yamaha Young Artist.

Gramophone’s Mark Pullinger reviewing a 2022 Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra concert from the city’s Alte Oper – where Malofeev stepped in for the indisposed original soloist - wrote that: “Alexander Malofeev…played a truly exciting rendition of Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto, displaying glittering dexterity, expansive rubatos and a demonic first movement cadenza.”

Official Channels

Alexander Malofeev: Official Website
Alexander Malofeev: On YouTube
Alexander Malofeev: On Instagram
Alexander Malofeev: On Facebook

Announcing the 27th Annual MATA Festival — in Partnership with ISSUE Project Room — INTERGALACTIC INFINITY: Music Between Spaces

June 11-14, 2025

Featuring Music by 18 Early-Career Composers

Alongside Major Works by Jessie Cox, Oliver Lake, George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, and a World Premiere by Reza Vali

Performances by Sun Ra Arkestra, FLUX Quartet, Ensemble LPR, TROPOS, RE:duo, MATA Mavens, and More

“the most exciting showcase for outstanding young composers from around the world” – The New Yorker

June 11-14, 2025 at 7pm (Doors 6:30pm)
ISSUE Project Room | 22 Boerum Place | Brooklyn, NY

Festival Passes On Sale April 22, Single Tickets Available May 1:
www.matafestival.org/mata-festival-2025

New York, NY – From June 11-14, 2025, MATA presents its 27th annual MATA Festival, this year in partnership with ISSUE Project Room, featuring four concerts across four nights exploring the concept of INTERGALACTIC INFINITY: Music Between Spaces – music that connects with the diaspora of ancestry and heritage, around ideas of imagination, mysticism, liberation, science fiction, history, fantasy, and technoculture. The New York Times has hailed the MATA Festival as “nondogmatic, even antidogmatic,” while The Wall Street Journal reports that it “tells us a lot about how composers are thinking now.”

The MATA Festival has been a much-anticipated fixture of the New York and worldwide new music scene since its founding in 1996 by Philip Glass, Eleonor Sandresky, and Lisa Bielawa, who established “Music at the Anthology,” now called MATA, as a means of providing early-career composers a platform for finding community and creating performance opportunities. Nearly 30 years later, MATA still serves as an incubator for adventurous emerging artists experimenting with composition, multi-media, performance art, and every imaginable sound in between. Its annual MATA Festival has become one of the most sought-after opportunities for young and emerging composers.

Curated by MATA Executive Director Pauline Kim Harris, the 2025 MATA Festival features works by 18 composers in the early stages of their professional careers, selected by Harris and a panel of eight esteemed composers and artists – Titilayo Ayangade, Tom Chiu, Felix Fan, John Glover, Conrad Harris, Max Mandel, Paula Matthusen, and Kal Sugatski – from a free, global call resulting in over 300 submissions.

Pauline Kim Harris has crafted four unique concert programs for the Festival that combine the works of these early-career composers with major works by six legendary artists – Jessie Cox (whose Enter the Impossible was written for and will be performed by Sun Ra Arkestra and FLUX Quartet), Oliver Lake, George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, and Reza Vali. The 2025 MATA Festival performers include Sun Ra Arkestra, FLUX Quartet, Ensemble LPR conducted by Tito Muñoz, TROPOS, RE:duo, and the MATA Mavens to include Majel Connery, soprano; Oshay LeGare, baritone; Titilayo Ayangade, cello; Laura Cocks, flutes; Louis Arques, clarinets; Sam Nester, trumpet; Han Chen, piano; Erika Dohi, piano; Paul Kerekes, piano; Sam Yulsman, piano; and Josh Perry, percussion.

“This year’s festival brings focus to a past and future of musical exploration by living legends, manifesting a legacy which continues to influence, inspire and impact generations of composers — grounded by the complexities and intersections of identity, race, history, and cultural ethos,” says MATA Executive Director Pauline Kim Harris. “Each night of the four-day festival is titled after a work by an iconic pioneer in the fabric of the American sound that makes up music today, performed by the illustrious FLUX Quartet and on opening night, Sun Ra Arkestra. Programs are further illuminated by the selected early-career composers, our very own MATA Mavens and invited guest artists and ensembles, igniting the intimacy of the experience, uniquely curated for a four-night journey. Attending the full festival is highly recommended.”

Composers that have been presented by MATA early in their careers include future Rome, Alpert, Takemitsu, Siemens, and Pulitzer Prize-winners, Guggenheim Fellows, and MacArthur “Geniuses.” For a full list of MATA Alumni, visit www.matafestival.org/mata-alumni. This year’s cohort of 18 composers includes:

• Diallo Banks is interested in sympathetic resonance, open scores, improvisation, and instrument modification. As a performer, his work pushes the Hammond organ’s capabilities to its limits while still firmly engaging with its history as a sonic signifier of Black identity. His works have been commissioned and performed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Yale Philharmonia, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, Aspen Conducting Orchestra, and Contemporary Insights Ensemble in Leipzig, Germany. In the fall of 2025, he will begin his Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition at Columbia University.

• Anuj Bhutani is a first-generation Indian-American whose work is focused on liminal spaces, and as such is often highly interdisciplinary, engaging with theater, dance, and film while drawing on his musical background in classical, emo/screamo, ambient, singer/songwriter, and electronic music, resulting in genre- and culturally-fluid pieces that firmly situate the listener between multiple musical worlds at once. His music has been called "alternately celestial and dark" by WNYC's John Schaefer.

• Inga Chinilina is a multimedia composer with concert pieces ranging from solo to orchestral compositions, alongside works for dance, film, and installations. She sees music as an act of translation, a concept she explores in both her academic and creative work. In her creative practice, Inga transforms personal stories into sonic expressions, reflecting a wide range of societal issues, including immigration, womanhood, and the environment. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Music and Multimedia Composition at Brown University.

• Rodrigo Espino is a Mexican composer and sound artist. His music is a visceral experience, produced and perceived through the entire body. The driving force behind his music emerges from the experience of epilepsy and physical pain, exploring the body’s inability to voice itself as a catalyst for transforming convulsion into creative energy. His works have been presented at Mexico's most important venues, such as the Palacio Nacional de Bellas Artes, as well as in Brazil and Switzerland.

• Ledah Finck is a violinist, violist, improviser, and composer based in New York City. A passionate performer, creator, and curator of contemporary classical and experimental music, she is a co-founder of the Bergamot Quartet, as well as Tropos and earspace ensemble. As a composer, she has been commissioned by Imani Winds, Alarm Will Sound, Ayane and Paul, and more. Her music embodies a desire to create and share a sound-world in which the classical tradition, the folk music with which she grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and an extensive improvisatory sensibility, are in productive dialogue.

• Nina Fukuoka is a Japanese and Polish composer and performer based in New York City. She makes instrumental and computer music and uses various media and technologies to express extramusical meaning. Her works are focused on the contemporary world through the lens of horror esthetics, video games, and feminist scholarships. She explores the possibilities of communicating through art by superimposing latent meanings with distinct images within the context of tradition and mass culture.

• Kylan Hillman is a composer, guitarist, and improviser whose primary interest is destroying and scrambling material to investigate the beauty in imperfection. His music often includes visceral computerized glitches, novel approaches to traditional instruments, and harsh walls of noise. Kylan’s recent output includes Methods of Crunching which uses objects like butterknives, screwdrivers, and guitar picks to create overwhelming scratching, popping, and rubbing sound. He is currently a Master’s student studying composition at Montclair State University in New Jersey.

• New York City-based composer, pianist, and video artist Brian Mark has been hailed by the American Composers Forum as an “intelligent, modern composer who employs many media elements and does so with marked idiosyncrasy and depth.” He has had works performed by the BBC Singers, Chelsea Symphony, Pacific Chamber Orchestra, Psappha Ensemble, members of the London Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Signal, the Ligeti Quartet, and more. He completed his Ph.D. at the Royal Academy of Music and is also a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Berklee College of Music, and Boston University.

• Anna Meadors is a composer, saxophonist, electronic music producer, and educator. Her music is inspired by nature walks and small details, birds, slightly uneven pulses, the buzzy stillness of bodies of water, and joyful improvisation. Her saxophone playing has been described as “potently feral” (American Pancake) and “sprawling across the walls and dripping onto the floor all John Zorn-like” (Outside Left). She graduated from Peabody Conservatory with a B.M. in saxophone performance, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with an M.M. in Composition, and recently finished her Ph.D. at Princeton University in Music Composition.

• Giordano Bruno do Nascimento, born in Brazil, is a German composer distinguished by his profound artistic exploration of the role of the human voice in our society. Do Nascimento’s artistic practice is dedicated to exploring the diverse meanings and functions of the human voice. These investigations frequently culminate in new works. His research also delves into the intersections of gender and voice, examining how vocal expressions can transcend traditional gender norms and contribute to a more fluid understanding of identity. Currently, do Nascimento is exploring “the boundaries of the human voice in its definitions” as part of his doctoral studies at the HfMT Hamburg.

• The "spellbinding" (Washington Post) music of Chicago-based composer Paul Novak immerses listeners in shimmering and subtly crafted musical worlds full of color, motion, light, and magic. His recent projects engage with dreams and memory, queer identity, climate change and the natural world, and psychosomatic illness. His music has been heard at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, New World Center, and Chicago's Symphony Center. Novak is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Chicago.

• Sofia Jen Ouyang is committed to creating artwork that both expressively and critically engages with other people and the world. Her works have been performed across the US, Europe, and Asia, including in venues such as Lincoln Center, Frankfurt Oper, Columbia University Miller Theatre, Luzern KKL, Arvo Pärt Center, National Sawdust, New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall, and more. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Composition at Columbia University.

• Born in Puerto Rico, Luis Quintana is an internationally recognized composer based in France who extends the frontiers of his musical universe from concert music to acousmatic pieces and sound installations. Captivated by cultural fusions and their sonic expressions, he engages in an ongoing dialogue between diverse traditions, merging ancient heritages, natural soundscapes, and contemporary practices. He holds a Master’s Degree from the Paris National Conservatory.

• Kevin Ramsay is a composer, producer, recording/mixing/mastering/sound engineer, and musician on several critically acclaimed international albums. Brooklyn born and based, Ramsay’s work focuses primarily on theoretical, practical aspects of sound recording/reproduction with unpredictable pairings of acoustic and electronic instruments. Kevin’s current works explore new ways to capture, mix, and process immersive audio for playback on multichannel sound systems.

• Jee Seo is a South Korean contemporary classical music composer. Over the last decade, his works have been presented by numerous performers and ensembles in more than 50 cities and about 20 countries across four continents. Jee has been collaborating on a wide range of projects with artists, dancers, and filmmakers, and his collaborative music videos have been screened at festivals worldwide. He is currently a doctoral student at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.

• Negar Soleymanifar is an Iranian composer and performer currently based in Middletown, CT. She centers her work on an interpersonal perspective and its relationship to other human beings, exploring psychological states, inner struggles, and social contexts through her music, with the aim of communicating what seems uncommunicable. She holds a bachelor's degree in music composition from the Tehran University of Art and is pursuing an M.A. in music with a concentration in experimental music and composition at Wesleyan University.

• Andrew Stock is a composer and artist working in concert and installative formats with focus areas in experimental music, conceptual art, and Black studies. His work has been commissioned or programmed by groups and festivals including LA Phil/wild Up, Fonema Consort, Quince Ensemble, the New York Virtuoso Singers, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, and Ostrava Days (CZ). He is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Chicago.

• Petra Strahovnik is an internationally acclaimed composer and interdisciplinary artist, celebrated for her fearless exploration of sound and music. Her groundbreaking works blend music, performance, and visual art, drawing inspiration from societal issues and human experiences. She won the 66th International Rostrum of Composers Prize and her achievements also include a Fellowship and Art Residency at Villa Concordia in Bamberg, and the Berlin Art Prize for Music 2021.

In addition to its annual MATA Festival, MATA’s activities include MATA Presents, which brings commissioned projects to venues and non-conventional spaces throughout New York; MATA Jr., an evening of music by pre-college composers, mentored by emerging composers, and performed by top performers in new music; special MATAthon fundraising events throughout the year which bring supporters in close communion with MATA artists; and MATAlab, a new concert platform that embraces the casual atmosphere of a chamber music reading party that allows composers, musicians, and audiences to mingle and discover new music together. ASCAP has awarded MATA its prestigious Aaron Copland Award in recognition of its ongoing work.

27th Annual MATA Festival Schedule

ENTER THE IMPOSSIBLE
Opening Night: Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at 7pm (doors 6:30)
ISSUE Project Room, 22 Boerum Place, Brooklyn, NY

Performances by Sun Ra Arkestra; FLUX Quartet; Jessie Cox, drums; and Sam Yulsman, piano and electronics

Program:
Jessie Cox: Enter the Impossible (2023) for Sun Ra Arkestra; commissioned by the Paul Fromm Foundation
Oliver Lake: One Move (2022, New York Premiere)
Jessie Cox: Sound Drape Painting (2025, World Premiere)
+*Diallo Banks: Sarmad for String Quartet (2025, World Premiere)

The 27th annual MATA Festival opens with Jessie Cox’s evening-length opus Enter the Impossible, written for and performed by the unparalleled Sun Ra Arkestra, with FLUX Quartet and Sam Yulsman. Enter the Impossible is imagined as a space flight, journeying through different musical spaces, including many pieces from Sun Ra Arkestra’s large collection of works, such as Say from their recent record Swirling, or the classic Space is the Place, among others. The concert also includes the world premiere of Cox’s Sound Drape Painting, inspired by Sam Gilliam’s drape paintings and exploring new ways of hearing musical form and movement through the sonic. Cox explains, “Music as aesthetic experience proposes, or is a site to imagine, ways of spacing – how we come to inhabit and make space and time." FLUX Quartet will also perform the New York premiere of jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer, poet, and visual artist Oliver Lake’s One Move as well as the world premiere of MATA Festival 2025 Early-Career Composer Diallo Banks’ Sarmad for string quartet. Sarmad is structured around the concept of yati, a principle in South Indian music that shapes musical phrases through systematic variation.

Full program information: www.matafestival.org/mata-festival-2025

THE CAPITOL
Night Two: Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 7pm (doors 6:30)
ISSUE Project Room, 22 Boerum Place, Brooklyn, NY

Performances by FLUX Quartet, MATA Mavens, TROPOS, and RE:duo

Program:
Wadada Leo Smith: String Quartet No. 17 (The Capitol, Washington D.C.: An Experiment With Democracy and Capitalism) for String Quartet (2024, New York Premiere)
Roscoe Mitchell: 9/9/99 With CARDS for String Quartet (2009/2011, rev. 2021, New York Premiere)
*Ledah Finck: The Best Donuts In Pennsylvania for Violin, Saxophone, Piano and Drums (2023)
*Inga Chinilina: Shock Workers for Viola, Saxophone and Motors (2024, New York Premiere)
*Kylan Hillman: Methods of Crunching for Electric Guitar (2024)
*Anna Meadors: Encircle, recirculate for Saxophone and No-Input Mixer (2025, World Premiere)
*Jee Seo: On Fever II for Solo Violin (2017, New York Premiere)
*Brian Mark: Per Aspera Ad Astra for Solo Violin and Digital Delay Processing Pedal with Video (2020)

Night Two of the 27th Annual MATA Festival features the New York premiere of Wadada Leo Smith's String Quartet No. 17 (The Capitol, Washington D.C.: An Experiment With Democracy and Capitalism) which examines the U.S. Capitol building as both a symbol of democracy and insurrection, performed by FLUX Quartet. FLUX Quartet also performs the New York premiere of Roscoe Mitchell's 9/9/99 With CARDS, which Mitchell describes as a “scored improvisation,” in which each player is given six cards with musical notation on them that they can arrange, reshuffle, and perform in different “hands.” Night Two also includes six works by MATA Festival 2025 Early-Career Composers for varying instrumentation – from solo violin to an ensemble of viola, saxophone, and motors – performed by MATA Mavens, TROPOS, and RE:duo.

Full program information: www.matafestival.org/mata-festival-2025

SALMAK (World Premiere)
Night Three: Friday, June 13, 2025 at 7pm (doors 6:30)
ISSUE Project Room, 22 Boerum Place, Brooklyn, NY

Performances by FLUX Quartet and MATA Mavens

Program:
Reza Vali: String Quartet No. 6, Salmak (2024, World Premiere)
*Petra Strahovnik: Attack for String Quartet (2023, New York Premiere)
*Anuj Bhutani: On Letting Go for Solo Cello and Electronics (2020)
*Rodrigo Espino: Responso el en Vacío for Contrabass Clarinet and Electronics (2023, World Premiere)
*Negar Soleymanifar: Prelude to the Ashes for Cello and Narrator (2023, New York Premiere)

Night Three of the 27th Annual MATA Festival is centered around the world premiere of Reza Vali’s String Quartet No. 6, Salmak, a tribute to the great 13th century Persian music theorist and musician Safialdin Ormavi. Vali says of the work, “I have used some of Ormavi’s 13th century medieval modes and have interpolated these modes with some of the modes of the modern Persian modal system, the Dastgâh system.” The evening also includes four pieces by 2025 MATA Festival Early-Career Composers, each exploring varying heightened emotional states – surviving survival instincts; pain and lamentation; catharsis after the pandemic; and the struggle to release unresolved emotions – performed by FLUX Quartet and the MATA Mavens.

Full program information: www.matafestival.org/mata-festival-2025

EXPERIMENTS IN LIVING
Night Four: Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 7pm (doors 6:30)
ISSUE Project Room, 22 Boerum Place, Brooklyn, NY

Performances by Members of FLUX Quartet; Ensemble LPR led by Tito Muñoz, conductor; Majel Connery, soprano; Erika Dohi, piano; Paul Kerekes, piano; Han Chen, piano; and Oshay LeGare, baritone

Program:
George Lewis: String Quartet 1.5, “Experiments in Living” (2016)
*Giordano Bruno do Nascimento: Vis-aVis(a) for 3 Performers and One Grand Piano, 3 Toms and Credit Cards (2020, New York Premiere)
*Paul Novak: seven dreams about my body  for microtonal sextet (2024, New York Premiere)
*Andrew Stock: “Les concerts ne sont jamais de veritable musique, on doit renoncer a y entendre, ce qu’il y a de beau dans l’art.” for Piano, Flute, Clarinet (or bass clarinet), Violin (or viola), Cello, and Percussion (2024, New York Premiere)
*Luis Quintana: Textos Invisibles for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Viola, Cello, Piano, Soprano/Mezzo (2015, New York Premiere)
*Sofia Jen Ouyang: Return to Root for Conductor, Flutes, Soprano, Percussion, Recorded-improvisation, and Video (2022)
*Nina Fukuoka: Polka is a Czech Dance for Flutes, Clarinets, Cello, Percussion, Piano, with Video (2023, US Premiere)
*Kevin Ramsay: Golden Euphonics for Alto Flute, CB Clarinet, Piccolo A Trumpet, Violin, Cello, Piano, and Baritone (2023)

The centerpiece for Night Four of the 27th Annual MATA Festival is George Lewis’s String Quartet 1.5 "Experiments in Living” from 2016; Lewis's first string quartet. He says of the work, “I take ‘Experiments in Living,’ a phrase from John Stuart Mill, to express my notion of recombinant assemblage, associative sonic discourses that appear and recur in ever new forms and guises, suffused with the power of noise. . . I’m looking for listeners to experience the volatility of memory, resistance, and hope." Night Four includes seven works by 2025 MATA Festival Early-Career composers, all exploring what lies beyond our perception – from a sextet encapsulating vivid dreams during the pandemic to a work exploring the reciprocity of presence and absence – performed by FLUX Quartet, Ensemble LPR led by conductor Tito Muñoz, soprano Majel Connery, pianists Erika Dohi, Paul Kerekes, and Han Chen, and baritone Oshay LeGare.

Full program information: www.matafestival.org/mata-festival-2025

*MATA Festival 2025 Early-Career Composer
+Next Fest Composer, selected from MATA Festival alumni and participants

Programs subject to change. Visit www.matafestival.org for all festival updates and information.

May 3 & 4: California Symphony's Epic Season Finale Features Striking Pair of Unfinished Masterpieces by Schubert and Bruckner

Photo by Kristen Loken; high resolution photos available here.

California Symphony's Epic Season Finale
UNFINISHED BRUCKNER

Featuring the Unfinished Symphonies of Schubert & Bruckner

Led by Donato Cabrera, Artistic & Music Director

In Concert May 3 at 7:30pm & May 4 at 4:00pm
At Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts 

California Symphony’s 2024-2025 Season Showcases the Crowning Achievements of
Composers at the Peak of Their Powers: Watch Donato Cabrera’s Introduction

Tickets & Information: www.californiasymphony.org

WALNUT CREEK, CA – California Symphony and Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera conclude the 2024-2025 season, which has showcased the crowning achievements of composers at the peak of their powers, with UNFINISHED BRUCKNER – two concerts featuring a striking pair of unfinished masterpieces by Franz Schubert and Anton Bruckner on Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 7:30pm and Sunday, May 4, 2025 at 4:00pm at Hofmann Theatre at the Lesher Center for the Arts (1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek).

Declining health, hesitation over how to continue the piece, work overload, or even that the pages were completed but ultimately lost – theories abound, but no one really knows why Schubert never finished his hauntingly beautiful Symphony No. 8. The three completed movements of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 showcase his signature big symphonic sound, iconic themes, and brass fanfares. Featuring one of the largest ensembles to take the stage, Bruckner’s unfinished Symphony No. 9 makes a fittingly epic grand finale to California Symphony’s concert season.

“It has been a longtime wish of mine to program Schubert’s unfinished Symphony No. 8 with Bruckner’s unfinished Symphony No. 9,” says Donato Cabrera. “While over 70 years separate them from one another, they share many of the same attributes and are, in this sense, musical contemporaries. In both symphonies, profound mystery and solemnity are frequently interrupted by emotional and dramatic outbursts. Simple, chorale-like melodies are used by both composers to create a complex web of communal experience, while also suggesting that there is a greater force behind it all. It’s as if both are trying to depict, in music, what is beyond the great veil. Music such as this gives us a great opportunity to contemplate such matters on our own terms, without words or dogma to muddy the waters. It is my hope that people will leave the concert hall in a deep and thoughtful satisfaction, truly changed by these two powerful symphonies.” 

Schubert began work on his Symphony No. 8 in 1822 but left only two movements completed, even though he lived for another six years. The symphony was never performed during his lifetime, and lay in storage until the 1860s — more than 30 years after Schubert’s death — until it was discovered in the study of one of his contemporaries and performed in Vienna in 1865. Scholars have had many theories about why the work remained incomplete, but none have been proven. What is clear is that it is a masterpiece, stamped with the composer's indelible voice. The critic Eduard Hanslick wrote after the premiere, “When, after the few introductory measures, clarinets and oboes in unison begin to sound their sweet song above the peaceful murmur of the violins, then each and every child recognizes the composer, and a half-suppressed outcry ’Schubert’ buzzes through the hall. He has hardly entered, but it is as if one knows him by his step, by his manner of lifting the latch."

Bruckner's Symphony No. 9 was left unfinished at the time of his death. A deeply religious man, he dedicated it to “the beloved God.” He began writing the work in 1887 but was frequently interrupted by other work and poor health. By the end of 1894, he had completed three movements. He is quoted as saying, “I have done my duty on earth. I have accomplished what I could, and my final wish is to be allowed to finish my Ninth Symphony. Three movements are almost complete, the Adagio nearly finished. There remains only the finale. I trust that death will not deprive me of my pen.” He worked on the third movement for the next two years, until the morning of the day he died in October 1896, never completing the final movement.

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

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

Single tickets start at $50 and at $25 for students 25 and under. A free 30-minute pre-concert talk by lecturer Scott Fogelsong will begin one hour before each performance. More information is available at CaliforniaSymphony.org.

FOR CALENDAR EDITORS:

WHAT: California Symphony presents UNFINISHED BRUCKNER

California Symphony concludes its 2024-2025 season with a striking pair of unfinished masterpieces, each marking the pinnacle of achievement for the composers. Conducted by Artistic and Music Director Donato Cabrera, the orchestra performs the two surviving movements of Franz Schubert’s hauntingly beautiful Symphony No. 8. Declining health, hesitation over how to continue the piece, work overload, or even that the pages were completed but ultimately lost . . . theories abound, but no one really knows why Schubert never finished it. The three completed movements of Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 conclude the program, showcasing his signature big symphonic sound, iconic themes, and brass fanfares. Featuring one of the largest ensembles to take the stage, Bruckner’s unfinished Symphony No. 9 makes a fittingly epic grand finale to California Symphony’s concert season.

California Symphony takes the stuffiness out of the concert experience: Take selfies at the photo booth, order a signature cocktail, and sip at your seat. Tickets include a free 30-minute pre-concert talk by award-winning instructor Scott Foglesong, starting one hour before the show.

WHEN: Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 7:30pm   
Sunday, May 4, 2025 at 4:00pm

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

CONCERT:

Unfinished Bruckner
7:30pm, Saturday, May 3
4:00pm, Sunday, May 4
Donato Cabrera, conductor
California Symphony

PROGRAM:
Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 8 (Unfinished)
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 (Unfinished)

TICKETS: Single tickets start at $50 and at $25 for students 25 and under.

INFO: For more information or to purchase tickets, the public may visit CaliforniaSymphony.org or call the Lesher Center Ticket Office at (925) 943-7469 (open Wed – Sun, noon to 6pm).

PHOTOS: Available here.

About the California Symphony: 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more information, visit CaliforniaSymphony.org.

California Symphony’s 2024-25 season is sponsored by the Lesher Foundation.

May 16-17: Emerald City Music Presents: Evolution of Flute – Featuring Five Exceptional Flutists in Seattle and Olympia

Emerald City Music Season 09
Evolution of Flute

Friday, May 16, 2025 at 8:00pm
415 Westlake | 415 Westlake Avenue N | Seattle, WA
Tickets: bit.ly/EmeraldEvolutionFluteSeattleMay2025

Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 7:30pm
Capital High School Performing Arts Center | 2707 Conger Ave NW | Olympia, WA
Tickets: bit.ly/EmeraldEvolutionFluteOlympiaMay2025

“Emerald City Music [is] known for its innovative approaches to presenting classical music” – Cascade PBS

www.emeraldcitymusic.org

Seattle & Olympia WA – On Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17, 2025, Emerald City Music (ECM), along with founding Artistic Director Kristin Lee and newly appointed Executive Director Sean Campbell, prepare for the finale of ECM’s Season 09 with the return of Emerald’s beloved Evolution series, this time delving into the fascinating world of the flute.

Did you know that the flute is among the earliest known identifiable musical instruments, with origins dating back more than 53,000 years? Over millennia, this remarkable instrument has evolved through numerous stages to become the flute of today and is one of the most celebrated woodwind instruments. This extraordinary concert will feature five exceptional flutists –– Emi Ferguson, Anthony Trionfo, Christina Hughes, Joshua Romatowski, and program co-curator Sungwoo Steven Kim –– each showcasing the instrument's remarkable evolution from its ancient origins to its contemporary brilliance. Join Emerald City Music for a one-of-a-kind exploration of the flute’s lineage and the chance to witness a variety of flutes and their diverse repertoires.

Flutist and program-co-curator Sungwoo Kim shares these thoughts ahead of May's season finale:

“Experiencing this program is like walking through a museum, but with a hands-on journey through the flute’s evolution. Each soloist will paint a vivid soundscape: C.P.E. Bach’s Solo Flute in A highlights the sweet timbre and effortless agility of the traverso, while Varèse’s Density 21.5 and Berio’s Sequenza push the flute to its limits, expanding its sonic palette through resistance and advanced performance techniques. Turning to Debussy, the flute merges with literature and transforms into the mythological character Syrinx. And let’s not overlook the piccolo—far from just a staple of Sousa marches, it is a truly charming instrument in its own right.

I am especially looking forward to performing the ensemble pieces. It is rare to hear five solo flute works in a single concert, but even more extraordinary to share the stage with four fellow professional flutists. This concert will bring together both longtime friends and new collaborators, creating an extraordinary musical exchange and the unique opportunity to hear a truly remarkable flute ensemble in action.”

The program will include performances of:

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s Sonata In A Minor For Solo Flute (1747)
performed by Joshua Romatowski on traverso flute

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach’s Duet No. 1 In E Minor (1740-1745)
performed by Christina Hughes and Sungwoo Kim on piccolo

Luciano Berio’s Sequenza (1958)
performed by Anthony Trionfo on flute

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Duo For Two Flutes In G Major (1792)
performed by Joshua Romatowski on Classical 8-Hole flute and Emi Ferguson on Classical 8-Hole flute

Georg Philipp Telemann’s Fantasie No. 5 in C Major (1732-33)
performed by Christina Hughes on piccolo

Friedrich Kuhlau’s Flute Trio in G minor (1814)
performed by Anthony Trionfo, Christina Hughes and Sungwoo Kim on flute

Claude Debussy’s Syrinx for solo flute (1913)
performed by Emi Ferguson on flute

Edgard Varèse’s Density 21.5 for solo flute (1936, rev. 1946)
performed by Sungwoo Kim on flute

Eugene Bozza’s Jour d'été à la Montagne for flute quartet (1955)
performed by Emi Ferguson, Anthony Trionfo, Christina Hughes, and Sungwoo Kim on flute.

Audiences can look forward to the final concerts of Season 09’s Global Resonance on Friday, May 16, 2025 at 8pm in Seattle at 415 Westlake (415 Westlake Avenue N), and Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 7:30pm in Olympia at Capital High School Performing Arts Center (2707 Conger Ave NW). During the concert at 415 Westlake, listeners can enjoy ECM’s flagship “casual experience,” which combines vibrant classical performance with an open bar, and a “wander-around” concert setting with no stage dividing the audience from the musicians.

Emerald City Music (ECM) is the Pacific Northwest home for eclectic, intimate, and vibrant classical chamber music experiences. Deemed “a welcoming and more inclusive environment for intimate music-making” (The Seattle Times), ECM hosts world-renowned musicians in unique concert experiences. Founded in 2015, Emerald City Music produces and tours seven productions annually, with each tour visiting venues including Seattle’s South Lake Union (415 Westlake, a chic contemporary venue with an open bar), Olympia’s Minnaert Center (a 495 seat modern concert hall), Capital High School Performing Arts Center (2707 Conger Ave NW), a once annual concert at the Bellingham Music Festival, and an annual concert in New York City.

About the Artists: www.emeraldcitymusic.org/season-artists

About Kristin Lee, ECM Artistic Director: www.emeraldcitymusic.org/team/kristin-lee

About ECM: www.emeraldcitymusic.org/about

Follow ECM on Social Media:

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

Announcing the 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival - 29 Concerts from July 4-22 at 11 Iconic Venues

Press photos available here.

Announcing the 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival
29 Concerts from July 4-22, 2025

Performances by Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Stefan Jackiw, Jessica Vosk, Leila Josefowicz, Karen Slack, Inon Barnaton, Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung, Sara Davis Buechner, Third Coast Percussion, The Westerlies, and Many More 

 World Premiere of Cris Derksen’s First Light for the Galvin Cello Quartet
Commissioned by Newport Classical 

Soprano Karen Slack’s African Queens Project
Co-Commissioned by Newport Classical 

US Premiere of David Lang’s daisy by Attacca Quartet
Co-Commissioned by Newport Classical

Opera Night at The Breakers: An American Tapestry featuring
Music by Gershwin, Previn, Copland, Barber, and More 

Historic Venues include The Breakers, The Elms, Blithewold Mansion,
Castle Hill Inn, Rosecliff Terrace, Colony House, and More 

Tickets on Sale April 9: www.newportclassical.org/music-festival

Newport, RI – From July 4-22, 2025, the Newport Classical Music Festival offers an unparalleled experience, combining 29 intimate concerts featuring over 100 artists with the grandeur and opulence of 11 iconic venues – including the stunning interiors of The Breakers, The Elms, Redwood Library and Athenaeum, Newport Art Museum, and Colony House, as well as picturesque outdoor settings at Rosecliff Terrace, Norman Bird Sanctuary, Blithewold Mansion, and Castle Hill Inn  – making the City by the Sea an ultimate summer destination for live music. For 56 years, Newport Classical has united artists and audiences to experience the joy of music and the connections it inspires, offering concertgoers the opportunity to discover new composers or experience timeless works offered from a fresh perspective. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on April 9.

Highlights of the 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival include Opening Night featuring Two Pianos with Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung; two evenings with Broadway star Jessica Vosk, best known for her lead role in Wicked; performances by extraordinary pianists Inon Barnatan, Sara Davis Buechner, and Wynona Wang; celebrated soprano Karen Slack's African Queens project co-commissioned by Newport Classical with a national consortium; the US premiere of a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang co-commissioned by Newport Classical with an international consortium; performances by world-class artists including violinist Leila Josefowicz, The Westerlies, Third Coast Percussion, harpist Emily Levin, guitarists Ziggy and Miles, Palaver Strings, Attacca Quartet, Twelfth Night, The Gesualdo Six, Tallā Rouge, Empire Wild, and more; Opera Night: An American Tapestry; and Closing Night with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and violinist Stefan Jackiw.

For the fifth year in a row, Newport Classical has commissioned a brand new work to be premiered at the Festival. This year's Composer-in-Residence is Cris Derksen, a Juno-nominated Indigenous cellist and composer, who is writing a new work for the Galvin Cello Quartet. Derksen researched the history of Aquidneck Island, and her new piece First Light focuses on The Wampanoag, a Native American People known as the “People of the First Light,” as well as the story of John Anthony, an enslaved boy, as reimagined by the composer. Cris Derksen is internationally renowned for her genre-defying music that bridges the traditional and contemporary. Her work intricately weaves together her classical training and Indigenous heritage with modern electronic elements. 

Other highlights of the 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival include the beloved Sunrise Concerts at 5:15am; a concert inspired by nature at Norman Bird Sanctuary; a free Fourth of July concert at King Park; and this year’s young professional Newport Classical Festival Artists in seven performances and several free community events throughout the Festival.

Executive Director Gillian Fox says, “We can all agree that this festival is so much more than three weeks of concerts. It’s an unforgettable celebration of artistry, community, and the thrill of live performance, set against the one-of-a-kind backdrop of Newport’s iconic venues. This summer’s array of programs captures the expansive range of artistic expression within classical music. We can’t wait to welcome you to the 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival.”

Now in its fourth year, Newport Classical’s Festival Artists Residency Program brings together five professional musicians at the early stages of their careers for an intense period of rehearsal and music-making during the Festival. This diverse group of emerging talents live, work, and play together, becoming engaged members of the community during their extended time in Newport. Each of these exceptionally gifted musicians are selected for their experience working in fast-paced chamber music settings and comfort tackling a wide range of repertoire. This summer, Newport Classical welcomes Risa Hokamura (violin); Nathan Meltzer (violin); Mira Williams (viola), Alexander Hersh (cello), and Wynona Wang (piano).

Photo credits L-R: Corey Favino, Lisette Rooney, Lisette Rooney. Press photos available here.

2025 Newport Classical Music Festival Concerts: 

The 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival kicks off on Friday, July 4 at 8pm with a free, outdoor Fourth of July Patriotic Pops concert preceding the fireworks at King Park featuring Fenway Brass & Percussion, one of Boston’s most esteemed professional brass ensembles, in a joyous program celebrating America's birthday. This family-friendly concert, with views of the Pell Bridge, is part of the 2025 BankNewport Community Concerts Series.

Newport Classical Music Festival’s Opening Night concert on Saturday, July 5 at 8pm at The Breakers features Two Pianos with Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung. Partners on and off the stage, Bax and Chung are one of the most appealing and impressive piano duos of our time. Together they present a program of abundant artistic chemistry, passion, and stunning virtuosity in music by Busoni, Poulenc, Schubert, Debussy, and Piazzolla, showcasing the duo’s seamless synchronicity and musical artistry in the stunning setting of The Breakers.

On Sunday, July 6 at 8pm, one of the most beloved evenings of the Festival returns. This year, Opera Night: An American Tapestry will showcase a captivating selection of arias, duets, and ensemble numbers from American English operas including Porgy and Bess, Susannah, Moby Dick, A Streetcar Named Desire, and more. Narrated by acclaimed pianist Charlie Kim, this journey through operatic classics features performances by Sarah Tucker, soprano; Melissa Joseph, soprano; Renée Rapier, mezzo-soprano; Dane Suarez, tenor; and Michael Colman, bass. Complete with a red-carpet photo experience, Opera Night promises a dazzling evening of timeless music and storytelling in a setting as beautiful as the performances.

On Monday, July 7 at 4pm, the Festival Artists present an evocative concert exploring the love triangle between Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, and Clara Schumann – one of classical music's most complex relationships – in Musical Love Triangle: Brahms and the Schumanns. Though their love could not be revealed during Robert's life, Johannes and Clara’s bond remained steadfast even after his passing. The music of Brahms and the Schumanns offers a window into their emotional world, brought to life in an intimate concert at the Newport Art Museum. Audience members can arrive early to explore the Museum’s inspiring exhibits for a truly enriching experience.

New York-based brass quartet The Westerlies, hailed by The New York Times as “an arty quartet…mixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk” will present a memorable morning concert at Blithewold Mansion on Tuesday, July 8 at 11am. Drawing from American shape-note music – a tradition designed to make singing more accessible – the ensemble presents kaleidoscopic arrangements of traditional hymns alongside new compositions. With concert hall precision and folklike approachability, The Westerlies reimagines the American musical landscape, inviting audiences on a trailblazing journey through past and present in music by Caroline Shaw, Westerlies members Chloe Rowlands and Andy Clausen, arrangements by Sam Amidon and Nico Muhly, and more.

On Tuesday, July 8 at 7:30pm, audiences can enjoy an elevated concert experience at the picturesque Castle Hill Inn. Acclaimed for her musical command, cosmopolitan artistry, and visionary independence, Sara Davis Buechner is a beloved Festival favorite and one of the most distinctive concert pianists of our time. Lauded for her “intelligence, integrity, and all-encompassing technical prowess” (New York Times), Japan’s InTune magazine sums it up perfectly: “Buechner has no superior.” At Castle Hill Inn, she performs a jazz-inspired program with music by John Alden Carpenter, Vernon Duke, Dana Suesse, Ravel, and Poulenc. The concert includes complimentary desserts and coffee during intermission, set against the stunning backdrop of a Newport summer sunset on the water. 

The Festival Artists offer a captivating morning of Piano Quartets on Wednesday, July 9 at 11am, set within the elegant French design of The Elms Ballroom. This program celebrates three monumental composers of the Classical and Romantic eras, tracing the evolution of the piano quartet through their works. With intricate musical architecture and dialogue between piano and strings, the concert showcases the genius of Mozart, Friedrich Kiel, and Brahms.

On Wednesday, July 9 at 8pm, the dynamic ensemble Twelfth Night brings its signature blend of historical performance and dynamic energy to The Breakers. Led by virtuoso violinist Rachell Ellen Wong and harpsichordist David Belkovski, Twelfth Night believes that art thrives as a meeting place of the past, present, and future. Their program of Handel, Vivaldi, Teleman, and more will transport audiences through time, fusing the old with the new in a way only this ensemble can do. Inspired by Shakespeare’s play of the same name, the ensemble strives to invoke a spirit of boundless revelry, celebration, and community in their programming.

The extraordinary pianist Wynona Yinuo Wang presents a morning recital at The Elms on Thursday, July 10 at 11am. Winner of the First Prize at the 2018 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, Wynona Wang is one of Newport Classical’s 2025 Festival Artists and has performed at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House, as well as with renowned orchestras around the world. Her performance at The Elms combines music by Scarlatti, Schubert, and Rachmaninoff with new works by composer Zhang Zhao, offering the perfect blend of Wang’s artistry.

On Thursday, July 10 at 8pm at The Breakers, Third Coast Percussion marks 20 years of genre-defying, award-winning music. Third Coast’s program features selections from five albums with four GRAMMY® nominations and one GRAMMY® Award, along with exciting new works commissioned for the ensemble’s 20th anniversary, including music by Clarice Assad, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Jlin, Jessie Montgomery, and Tigran Hamasyan. Join Third Coast for a night that pushes the boundaries of percussion and showcases the innovative spirit of one of contemporary music’s most celebrated ensembles. Set against the stunning backdrop of The Breakers mansion, this performance offers a unique fusion of genres, history, and sound.

On Friday, July 11 at 5:15am audiences can start their day with a stunning, panoramic sunrise over Newport’s iconic Cliff Walk and the Atlantic Ocean as the Festival Artists present a meditative and uplifting journey in this Sunrise Meditations concert. Set on the terrace of Rosecliff, with its breathtaking views and serene atmosphere, this year’s Sunrise Meditations concert offers a unique opportunity to enjoy music in a peaceful, outdoor setting. The program features a beautiful selection of works, including Telemann’s Fantasia No. 7 for solo viola, Mozart’s Ganz Kleine Nachtmusik, Beethoven’s String Trio in G Major, and more.

The Gesualdo Six, an award-winning British vocal ensemble celebrated for its impeccable blend and imaginative programming, brings its sublime choral artistry to The Breakers on Friday, July 11 at 8pm. This ensemble of the UK’s finest consort singers has captivated audiences worldwide for the past decade, and will bring to Newport a program inspired by the ancient service of Compline, ushering in the darkness of the night and evoking a contemplative atmosphere. Works include Renaissance polyphony by Palestrina, Tallis, and Gesualdo that contain startling harmonic shifts and expressive word painting. Then the light returns, birds sing, and flowers bloom once more, with music by Veljo Tormis, Schubert, and Gerda Blok-Wilson.

On Saturday, July 12 at 9am, surrounded by the serene beauty of the Norman Bird Sanctuary, the Festival Artists will present a delightful outdoor morning program of chamber music in Strings in Nature. Set amidst the sanctuary’s stunning natural surroundings, this year’s concert features Haydn’s playful The Joke Quartet, Spohr’s Grand Duo for Violin and Viola, Schubert’s lyrical String Trio in B-flat Major, and Strauss’s whimsical Variations on a Bavarian Folk Song. 

On Saturday, July 12 at 8pm at The Breakers, GRAMMY® Award-winning singer Karen Slack – “one of the nation's most celebrated sopranos” (Trilloquy) – presents African Queens, an extraordinary evening of music and storytelling, featuring a powerful selection of new works by some of today’s most acclaimed composers including Jessie Montgomery, Fred Onovwerosuoke, previous Newport Classical Composer-in-Residence Shawn Okpebholo, Jasmine Arielle Barnes, Will Liverman, Joel Thompson, and Damien Geter. This collaborative song cycle shines a spotlight on seven fierce African Queens, whose legacies as rulers and warriors have often been overlooked in the West, with each piece reflecting their beauty, passion, humility, and power. Slack brings her operatic virtuosity to this project, joined by pianist Kevin J. Miller, to celebrate living composers and elevate voices long underrepresented in classical music. African Queens is commissioned for Karen Slack by a national consortium of prominent presenters – the Ravinia Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival and School, Boston Symphony Orchestra for the Tanglewood Learning Institute, Denver Friends of Chamber Music, Washington Performing Arts, The 92nd Street Y, New York, and Newport Classical Music Festival.

On Sunday, July 13 at 3pm, Ziggy and Miles – “Australian guitarist brothers making history” (The Age) – perform in the intimate and historic surroundings of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. Ziggy and Miles’ performances are known for their “deeply considered musicianship, immaculate care and superlative technique” (5MBS). Winners of the 2023 YCA (Young Concert Artists) Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, the brothers have become the first guitar duo and second guitarists to receive this prestigious award in the organization’s 63-year history. Featuring works by French composers Franck and Debussy, this concert promises an afternoon of vibrant and innovative guitar repertoire that will captivate and inspire. 

Following a sold-out performance at the Newport Classical Recital Hall in 2024, Newport Classical is thrilled to welcome the Galvin Cello Quartet back to Newport for an exceptional concert at The Breakers on Sunday, July 13 at 8pm. Fresh off their Silver Medal at the 2021 Fischoff Competition and their win at the 2022 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, the Quartet has quickly become a force in the classical music world. Known for their innovative approach to new music, in this concert the Galvin Cello Quartet features the world premiere of a piece commissioned by Newport Classical from Canadian Indigenous cellist and composer Cris Derksen, alongside works by Beethoven, Mozart, Mussorgsky, and Tchaikovsky, blending beloved classics with exciting new compositions. 

On Tuesday, July 15 at 4pm, set amongst stunning works at the Newport Art Museum, the one-of-a-kind Cajun-Persian viola duo Tallā Rouge celebrates the virtuosity of the viola. Lauded as the "little viola duo that could" by Chamber Music America, Tallā Rouge has performed at Carnegie Hall and Dumbarton Oaks, and has won multiple competitions. This concert features works by celebrated living composers and reimagined classical favorites, showcasing the duo’s ability to take audiences on a “musical journey that travels far and wide across ‘genre-defying compositions’.” (Gramophone Magazine). 

On Tuesday, July 15 and Wednesday, July 16 at 8pm at The Breakers, Newport Classical presents two Evenings with Broadway Star Jessica Vosk. Vosk is a celebrated singer and actress known for electrifying roles in musical theater and on concert stages, including a sold-out Carnegie Hall debut in 2021. Best known for her star turn as Elphaba in Wicked – first on tour and then for the show’s 15th anniversary on Broadway – Vosk played the iconic green witch for two years. Additional Broadway credits include The Narrator in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat and Jersey in Hell’s Kitchen. Vosk brings her powerhouse vocals and magnetic stage presence to The Breakers for two unforgettable evenings, with pianist Mary-Mitchell Campbell.

Celebrating what would be the 150th birthday of Maurice Ravel, one of France’s most influential composers, Newport Classical’s resident Festival Artists perform on Wednesday, July 16 at 11am at The Elms. This intimate performance will explore Ravel’s unparalleled mastery of orchestration, from his elegant Sonatine for Piano to his String Quartet in F Major, dedicated to his teacher Gabriel Fauré. The program will highlight his emotional depth and distinct style, inviting listeners to experience Ravel’s enduring legacy in a personal and immersive setting within the historic atmosphere of The Elms, honoring a composer whose works continue to resonate across generations.

On Thursday, July 17 at 11am at The Elms, harpist Emily Levin returns to Newport for a mesmerizing concert titled Harp and Harmony, joined by violinist Julia Choi (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra) and cellist Christine Lamprea (Sphinx Medal of Excellence winner). This newly formed trio, Ember, will share works from their debut album Birds of Paradise, blending the rich sounds of violin, cello, and harp. The program will feature pieces by Reena Esmail, Angélica Negrón, Henriette Renié, and more, showcasing the ensemble's dynamic interplay of textures and emotions all set against the historic setting of The Elms.

Palaver Strings, a dynamic musician-led ensemble, brings an evening of stirring performances to The Breakers on Thursday, July 17 at 8pm, showcasing their commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices. Praised for their ability to “command a stage on their own terms” (The Boston Globe), the ensemble explores folk music from around the world, addressing themes of heritage, belonging, and resilience. The program features Kareem Roustom’s new work ḥawwāsh inspired by a traditional Arab line dance, alongside Palaver’s arrangement of Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances, Kinan Azmeh’s Syrian Dances, and more, celebrating folk music as a powerful vehicle for both strength and joy.

On Friday, July 18 at 5:15am, audiences can experience a serene start to the day with The Harp at Sunrise, a tranquil concert set amongst the peaceful beauty of Rosecliff. Harpist Emily Levin brings Hans Otte’s The Book of Sounds to life, a meditative and evocative work that pairs the delicate tones of the harp with the quiet of the early morning. The intimate performance takes place on the terrace of Rosecliff, with its sweeping, panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, providing an enchanting backdrop to this reflective musical experience. 

The Newport Classical Festival Artists offer a Free Open Rehearsal on Friday, July 18 at 2pm at Newport Classical Recital Hall, as they finalize preparations for their performance French Quintets: Revivals taking place the following day. The program highlights the rich musical tradition of French composers, featuring works by Louis Gouvy, Reynaldo Hahn, and Jean Cras.

Acclaimed pianist Inon Barnatan presents an evening of exceptional music at The Breakers on Friday, July 18 at 8pm. Described as “one of the most admired pianists of his generation” (New York Times), Barnatan brings his profound depth and expressive power to one of Newport’s most iconic venues. Performing works by Bach, Franck, and Schubert, this evening promises to be an unforgettable musical journey, showcasing Barnatan's ability to forge intimate connections with his audience through his "refined, searching, unfailingly communicative" style (The Evening Standard).

The Festival Artists present French Quintets: Revivals at the historic Emmanuel Church on Saturday, July 19 at 3pm, featuring quintets from the 19th and 20th centuries. Paired with Emmanuel Church’s stunning English Gothic Revival architecture, the ensemble brings a fresh perspective to these classic pieces in a program highlighting the rich musical tradition of French composers, featuring works by Louis Gouvy, Reynaldo Hahn, and Jean Cras. 

On Saturday, July 19 at 8pm at The Breakers, Attacca Quartet brings its exceptional artistry to an evening that pairs celebrated classical works with engaging contemporary compositions. Praised by The Washington Post, which reported that “mastery like this is scarce enough in quartets that have played together for decades,” the Attacca Quartet is known for their innovative approach to chamber music, has collaborated with artists such as Caroline Shaw and Billie Eilish, and has contributed to soundtracks for films like Ken Burns’ new documentary, Leonardo da Vinci. The Attacca Quartet’s Newport debut includes the US premiere of daisy by Pulitzer Prize and GRAMMY® Award-winning composer David Lang,  alongside Bartók’s String Quartet No. 4 and Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 4. daisy was co-commissioned by an international group of presenters – Newport Classical, La Biennale di Venezia, Kings Place, String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam, Park Avenue Armory, and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. 

After an energetic and memorable Newport debut last season, Empire Wild returns for a performance on Sunday, July 20 at 11am that pushes musical boundaries with its inventive fusion of genres. Set in the historic Newport Colony House, built in 1739 and rarely open to the public, the ensemble blends pop, folk, jazz, and more. The program includes original songs, dynamic covers, and fresh takes on classical pieces, making for a truly delightful afternoon in one of Newport’s oldest landmark venues. 

Hailed for her "technical prowess and expressive depth” (San Francisco Chronicle), violinist Leila Josefowicz brings her extraordinary artistry to The Breakers for an evening of exceptional music on Sunday, July 20 at 8pm. Known for her dynamic performances and commitment to expanding the boundaries of the violin, Josefowicz is joined by acclaimed pianist Alexei Tartakovsky. Together they offer a program featuring works by Beethoven, Debussy, and Stravinsky. This is a rare opportunity to experience Josefowicz’s artistry in one of Newport’s most standout venues.

The 2025 Newport Classical Music Festival ends on a high note on Tuesday, July 22 at 8pm as the incomparable self-conducted Orpheus Chamber Orchestra returns to The Breakers for the Festival’s Closing Night performance, joined by acclaimed violin soloist Stefan Jackiw. Known for its radical approach to musical democracy, Orpheus has proven for over 50 years what happens when exceptional artists collaborate with total trust in one another. Blending the discipline of an orchestra with the spirit of a chamber group, this evening promises to be a celebration of musical excellence and creative collaboration, providing a thrilling conclusion to the Festival. Orpheus performs Arensky’s Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with Jackiw, and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings. 

For the full schedule, visit: www.newportclassical.org/music-festival

Photo credit: Lisette Rooney. Press photos available here.

About Newport Classical

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

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

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

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

April 25: Pianists Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers Release World Premiere Recording of UP by D. Riley Nicholson

Pianists Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers Release
World Premiere Recording of UP by D. Riley Nicholson

Worldwide Digital Release Date: April 25, 2025

Listen: bit.ly/StreamSarahCahillReginaMyersUP
Press downloads available upon request.

Sarah Cahill: www.sarahcahill.com | Regina Myers: www.reginamusic.com
D. Riley Nicholson: www.rileynicholson.com

Bay Area-based pianists Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers have recorded composer D. Riley Nicholson’s UP for two pianos, a work that they commissioned in 2020. The new recording of the 30-minute piece will be released digitally worldwide on April 25, 2025. Cahill and Myers gave the world premiere performance of the piece at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in September 2022, before recording UP there in 2024.

Nicholson writes of the work, “UP’s one unifying theme is simply that, ‘up.’ The piece moves ‘up’ in so many directions: literally, opening with an upward motif that gets pinged between pianos in a groovy, dizzying counterpoint; gradually with increasing frequency moving up the circle of fifths; with upbeat syncopations and tempi; constantly one upping itself with a burgeoning energy that trips over itself with virtuosic fits; and many other upward motions and themes. Loosely akin to a theme and variations, each movement is a different interpretation of the theme ‘up,’ and given the frenetic energy of every moment, tranquil interludes provide a necessary buffer between the movements, and give the performers a chance to catch their breath. Even with the addition of these palette cleansing interludes, the entirety of the work is a manic trip that both explores joyous energy and that darker underbelly of positivity when energy and motion become simply too much to be contained.”

Of their shared experience commissioning, performing, and now recording UP, Cahill and Myers say,

“When we first spoke with Riley about commissioning a new work from him, we had no idea that it would turn into an epic four-movement piece, which we have grown to know and love as a great work of artistic expression. UP reflects Riley's own style at the piano, with brilliant rapid passagework and interlocking patterns, and it took us several years to find our way into his stylistic approach with all its complexity and intricacy. It's a beautifully powerful piece, and even a global pandemic couldn't stop its path of coming into the world. We are so fortunate to work with Riley, both as a marvelous composer and as an excellent producer of this new album!”

“At this dark moment in time, we need joy – which is what this piece is all about.” says Nicholson. “And what a joy it is to collaborate with Sarah [Cahill] and Regina [Myers], who poured multitudes of energy and love into this incredibly virtuosic, mammoth work.”

Composer and pianist D. Riley Nicholson has composed and performed for a wide range of ensembles and mediums. Notable projects include One, for large string orchestra, which headlined Hot Air Music Festival in 2016. Nicholson composed, produced, and performed Shimmer, for piano, visuals, and electronics which toured nationally in 2018. Later that year, he was honored as the CAPMT Distinguished Composer of the Year. In 2019, his performance of the music of Julius Eastman was described as a “powerful, ingeniously wrought rendition” by the San Francisco Chronicle. That same year, Nicholson wrote a new work for Amaranth String Quartet. In 2021, Nicholson created original music for the Walking Distance Dance Festival (ODC Dance). In 2022, he wrote a full-length electroacoustic piece for David Herrera Performance Company. Currently, Nicholson is writing a new work for HARJO. He is also serving as the Executive Director of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, the longest running and preeminent festival dedicated to new music for orchestra, based in Santa Cruz, CA.

Hailed as “a sterling pianist and an intrepid illuminator of the classical avant-garde” by The New York Times, Sarah Cahill has commissioned and premiered over seventy compositions for solo piano. Composers who have dedicated works to Cahill include John Adams, Terry Riley, Frederic Rzewski, Pauline Oliveros, Julia Wolfe, Roscoe Mitchell, Annea Lockwood, and Ingram Marshall. She was named a 2018 Champion of New Music, awarded by the American Composers Forum (ACF). Cahill’s latest project is The Future is Female, an investigation and reframing of the piano literature featuring more than seventy compositions by women around the globe, from the Baroque to the present day, including new commissioned works. Recent and upcoming performances of The Future is Female include concerts at The Barbican, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carolina Performing Arts, National Gallery of Art, Carlsbad Music Festival, Detroit Institute of Arts, University of Iowa, Bowling Green New Music Festival, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, North Dakota Museum of Art, Gretna Arts, WoCo Festival, Mayville State University, the EXTENSITY Concert Series’ Women Now Festival in New York, and the Newport Classical Music Festival. Cahill also performed music from The Future is Female for NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert series. Sarah Cahill’s discography includes more than twenty albums on the New Albion, CRI, New World, Tzadik, Albany, Innova, Cold Blue, Other Minds, Irritable Hedgehog, and Pinna labels. Her three-album series, The Future is Female, was released on First Hand Records between March 2022 and April 2023. These albums encompass thirty compositions by women from around the globe, from the 17th century to the present day, and include many world premiere recordings. Cahill’s radio show, Revolutions Per Minute, can be heard every Sunday evening from 6 to 8pm on KALW, 91.7 FM in San Francisco. She is on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory and is a regular pre-concert speaker with the San Francisco Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  

Regina Myers performs as a solo artist and with ensembles around the Bay Area. She received a Bachelor's degree in Piano Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a Master's in Piano Performance and Literature from Mills College, where she focused on new and experimental music under the guidance of pianist Marc Shapiro, ensemble leader and composer Steed Cowart and percussion master William Winant. In 2004 she founded the concert series, and now ensemble, New Keys: New Keys' mission is to surface and promote the newest and most innovative music for the piano. We challenge composers to explore the vast untapped potential of the piano and strive to craft the experience of a piano recital as both captivating and approachable for our audience. Before going on hiatus to rapidly and accidentally expand her family, Regina proudly taught piano to beloved students for 17 years. She has participated in the Hot Air, Switchboard, Garden of Memory Summer Solstice and SF Friends of Chamber Music SF Music Day music festivals and has had the honor of playing many concerts with the William Winant Percussion Group as well as the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. She can be heard on Luciano Chessa's album Petrolio, Danny Clay/Joseph Colombo LP (with New Keys) and on Eighty Trips Around the Sun: Music by and for Terry Riley on which she plays four-hand music by Terry Riley with her duo partner Sarah Cahill. Regina prides herself on expanding the reach of new music for piano by commissioning new works and organizing concerts for their premieres and recording. She relishes working with young and emerging composers as well as keeping seminal new music masterpieces alive.

Up Track List

1. Movement I [5:01]
2. Interlude I [1:55]
3. Movement II [5:10]
4. Interlude II [1:50]
5. Movement III [7:04]
6. Interlude III [3:20]
7. Movement IV [5:27]

Total Time: [29:47]

UP for two pianos, commissioned by Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers
Composer: D. Riley Nicholson
Pianists: Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers
Co-producers: D. Riley Nicholson, Sarah Cahill, and Regina Myers
Audio Engineers: Jason O'Connell and Emma Markowitz
Recorded at the Bowes Center, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, 2024

OUT TODAY: Marcin and Hayato Sumino Unite On New Song I Wish – Out Today via Sony Music Masterworks

Single Artwork (Download)

Marcin and Hayato Sumino Unite On New Song

I Wish

Out Today via Sony Music Masterworks
Listen Here | Watch Here

The superstar guitarist and piano virtuoso deliver a new take on the Stevie Wonder classic

Guitar wunderkind Marcin and pianist-composer extraordinaire Hayato Sumino today release their new collaboration, a cover of Stevie Wonder’s 1976 Billboard No. 1 hit song, I Wish via Sony Music Masterworks – LISTEN HERE. Each a social media sensation with millions of followers tuning in to their captivating live performances, the two artists recorded the song live in-studio in Tokyo, their unique instrumental arrangement blending elements of jazz, funk, R&B, and soul in a showcase of their distinctive playing styles. Today’s track arrives alongside an accompanying music video for I Wish – WATCH HERE.

“Working with Hayato on I Wish was one of the most challenging and fun experiences,” notes Marcin. “We arranged the song in about two hours at Hayato’s studio in Tokyo, and two days later we were already recording it live in the studio! It was the first time I was tracking a true, live, jazz-style performance with another artist and Hayato is such a beast! I knew how crazy he was on the piano before, but actually seeing how he worked in the studio was so inspiring for me. Take 12 is the one that we used. It’s a fun and pure piece of music – just two friends from completely different continents jamming in a studio.

"I’m beyond excited to collaborate with my friend, the incredibly unique and charismatic guitarist, Marcin,” exclaims Hayato Sumino. “The blend of guitar and piano isn’t something you hear every day, which makes this project even more thrilling. The chemistry between us was absolutely electric!"

ABOUT HAYATO SUMINO

Hayato Sumino, known as ‘Cateen’, is an exceptional artistic phenomenon with nearly 1.5 million followers globally and over 200 million views on YouTube. His participation in the 2021 International Chopin Competition, where he reached the semifinals, caused a sensation, garnering over 8.5 million views on YouTube. In April 2024, Sumino made a spectacular debut at the Royal Albert Hall with his performance of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” capturing the spotlight both online and in the concert hall. His debut Sony Classical album, Human Universe, released in November 2024 to critical acclaim, showcases his multi-faceted talents with a diverse selection of works ranging from Bach, Handel, and Chopin to film composers like Hans Zimmer and Ryuichi Sakamoto, as well as Sumino’s own compositions and arrangements. A prodigious composer, Sumino effortlessly combines his diverse musical interests, spanning classical, jazz, film music, post-classical, and electronica. He is also in high demand for film and TV scores in Japan and is rapidly becoming a leading figure among the next generation of musicians for whom genre borders are no obstacle. This year, Sumino is set to make his performance debut at the Hollywood Bowl on July 22 and Carnegie Hall on November 18, further solidifying his rise on the global music scene.

CONNECT WITH HAYATO SUMINO:
Website | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | X

HAYATO SUMINO 2025 TOUR DATES

JAPAN

Thurs, March 20 | Tokyo, JP | Sumida Triphony Hall
Sat, March 22 | Tokyo, JP | Suntory Hall
Sat, April 5 | Kanagawa, JP | K Arena Yokohama
Fri, April 11 | Aichi, JP | Aichi Prefectural Art Theater
Sat, April 12 | Aichi, JP | Aichi Prefectural Art Theater
Sun, May 4 | Tokyo, JP | Suntory Hall
Mon, May 5 | Tokyo, JP | Suntory Hall
Tues, May 6 | Tokyo, JP | Suntory Hall
Fri, May 9 | Miyagi, JP | Hitachi Systems Hall Sendai
Sat, May 10 | Miyagi, JP | Hitachi Systems Hall Sendai
Thurs, May 15 | Ishikawa, JP | Ishikawa Ongakudo
Tues, May 27 | Tochigi, JP | Utsunomiya Bunkakaikan
Wed, May 28 | Tokyo, JP | Suntory Hall
Mon, September 15 | Kanagawa, JP | Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall
Tues, September 16 | Tokyo, JP | Suntory Hall
Thurs, September 18 | Aichi, JP | Aichi Prefectural Art Theater
Sat, September 20 | Saitama, JP | Tokorozawa Cultural Center

TAIWAN

Sun, April 25 | Taipei, TW | National Theater & Concert Hall

NORTH AMERICA

Sat, March 29 | Washington, DC | Blues Alley
Sun, March 30 | Washington, DC | Blues Alley
Tues, July 22 | Los Angeles, CA | Hollywood Bowl
Sun, November 16 | Chicago, IL | Concert Hall at Symphony Hall
Tues, November 18 | New York, NY | Carnegie Hall

EUROPE

Tues, June 3 | Bergen, NO | Toldsalen
Sun, June 8 | Warsaw, PL | NFM, Sala Czerwona ORLEN
Mon, June 30 | Ruhr, DE | Anneliese Brost Musikforum Ruhr Great Hall
Fri, July 4 | Rheinfelden, CH | Hotel Schützen
Sat, July 5 | Rheinfelden, CH | City Church of St. Martin
Fri, July 18 | Lübeck, DE | Musik-und Kongresshalle, Konzertsaal
Fri, August 22 | Amsterdam, NL | The Concertgebouw
Sun, November 2 | Brussels, BE | Bozar

ABOUT MARCIN

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

CONNECT WITH MARCIN:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

MARCIN – SOLO DRAGON
2025 HEADLINE TOUR DATES

EUROPE

Mon, March 17 | Paris, France | La Maroquinerie
Tues, March 18 | London, UK | Islington Assembly Hall
Thurs, March 20 | Birmingham, UK | O2 Institute2 Birmingham
Fri, March 21 | Manchester, UK | Gorilla
Sun, March 23 | Dublin, IE | The Button Factory
Tues, March 25 | Bristol, UK | The Lantern
Wed, March 26 | Brighton, UK | Dukes at Komedia Picturehouse
Thurs, March 27 | Amsterdam, NL | Melkweg
Sat, March 29 | Brussels, BE | La Madeleine
Mon, March 31 | Stuttgart, DE | Im Wizemann
Wed, April 2 | Frankfurt, DE | Das Bett
Thurs, April 3 | Cologne, DE | Club Volta
Sat, April 5 | Hamburg, DE | KENT Club
Sun, April 6 | Berlin, DE | Gretchen
Mon, April 7 | Vienna, AT | WUK
Wed, April 9 | Prague, CZ |Palác Akropolis
Thurs, April 10 | Munich, DE | Backstage
Sat, April 12 | Rome, IT | MONK Rome
Sun, April 13 | Milan, IT | Legend Club
Mon, April 14 | Zurich, CH | Papiersaal
Wed, April 16 | Barcelona, ES | La Nau
Thurs, April 17 | Madrid, ES | Sala Villanos
Fri, April 18 | Lisbon, PT | LAV – Lisboa Ao Vivo

TURKEY

Wed, May 14 | Ankara, TR | Yenimahalle Nazim Hikmet Kültür Merkezi
Thurs, May 15 | Izmir, TR | Ahmed Adnan Saygun Sanat Merkezi
Fri, May 16 | Istanbul, TR | Zorlu PSM

NORTH AMERICA

Mon, June 30 | Montreal, QC | Montreal Jazz Festival
Sun, September 1 | Vancouver, BC | The Pearl
Mon, September 2 | Seattle, WA | Washington Hall
Tues, September 3 | Portland, OR | Aladdin Theatre
Thurs, September 5 |San Francisco, CA |Bimbo's 365 Club
Fri, September 6 | Los Angeles, CA | Fonda Theatre
Sun, September 8 | Denver, CO | Meow Wolf
Tues, September 10 | Minneapolis, MN | Fine Line Café
Wed, September 11 | Chicago, IL | Park West
Fri, September 13 | Quebec City, QC | Palais Montcalm
Sat, September 14 | Toronto, ON | The Concert Hall
Tues, September 16 | Boston, MA | Royale
Wed, September 17 | New York, NY | Irving Plaza
Fri, September 19 | Washington, DC | Howard Theatre

April 25: Composer Thomas Newman Records His First Ever Ballet Score Of Mice And Men – to be Released on Sony Classical

Composer Thomas Newman Records His First Ever Ballet Score Of Mice And Men 
to be Released on Sony Classical

Album Release Date: April 25, 2025
Pre-Order Available Now

From Academy Award-nominated and GRAMMY Award-winning composer Thomas Newman (The Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty, Skyfall) comes the premiere recording of his debut ballet score, Of Mice and Men. Composed for The Joffrey Ballet’s critically acclaimed 2022 production and choreographed by Cathy Marston, Newman’s evocative music explores themes of loneliness and the aspiration for a new life in the face of hardship. The Sony Classical album will be released on April 25, 2025 and is available for pre-order now. Accompanying today's announcement is the release of the single Bucking Grain - listen here.

“One of the things that has always interested me about writing music for film is a sense of empathy towards characters and an ability to relate to story,” says Newman. “So, in some ways it's not much different working on a ballet based upon a classic novel, because I still have to put myself in the mindset of a place and time, and have the music express character, as much as that character is going to be expressed through bodily movement.”

Of the working relationship with Thomas Newman, choreographer Cathy Marston says, “we had a fabulous collaboration that extended over two years due to the pandemic, with almost weekly Zooms. I was struck by how he uses textures I’ve not discovered with other composers—it wasn’t just about rhythm, tempo, and melody, but about the music’s role in storytelling. There were no shortcuts with him. I was amazed by the intimate working relationship we could build, even over a screen.”

Newman’s score incorporates elements of folk music, designed to fit both the characters and the world they inhabit. “California still evokes a feeling of dust and weeds, but it’s not quite Texas or the South,” Newman explains. “At the same time, you accept these sounds—high string guitars, mandolins, and country fiddle—as part of the story. It’s about finding groove and rhythm that best express the movement and emotion of the piece." Newman himself conducts the recording which features full symphony orchestra and instrumental solos from collaborators Steve Tavaglione, George Doering, Luanne Homzy and Rick Cox.

Thomas Newman is an acclaimed composer best known for his scores for more than eighty film and television projects including The Shawshank Redemption, Angels in America, Little Women, American Beauty, Finding Nemo, Skyfall, 1917, Scent of a Woman, WALL-E, Bridge of Spies and Elemental. His work has earned him numerous nominations and awards, including fifteen Academy Award nominations and six Grammy Awards.

Of Mice and Men had its world premiere at The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago in 2022, choreographed by Cathy Marston. The ballet, inspired by John Steinbeck’s novel, explores the themes of friendship, loneliness, and the American Dream. The production received widespread acclaim. The score, nearly an hour of music in total, comprises 16 short movements.

May 30: Simone Dinnerstein Releases Complicité - Music of J.S. Bach - First Single Out Today

Simone Dinnerstein Releases Complicité
Music of J.S. Bach

Dinnerstein’s First Recording with her Ensemble, Baroklyn
Featuring Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo soprano
and Peggy Pearson, oboe d’amore

Plus a Bach Recomposition by Philip Lasser

Worldwide Digital Album Release Date: May 30, 2025

First Single – J.S. Bach’s Chorale Herr Gott – Released Today
Listen Here: https://lnkfi.re/DinnersteinBaroklynHerrGott

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

Review downloads & CDs available upon request.

Simone Dinnerstein: www.simonedinnerstein.com

March 14, 2025 – ​​On May 30 2025, pianist Simone Dinnerstein releases her new album, Complicité, on the Supertrain Records label. This is her first recording with the string ensemble she founded and directs, Baroklyn (the ensemble’s name is a portmanteau of Baroque and Brooklyn, Dinnerstein’s home borough), and features the music of J.S. Bach and Philip Lasser. The first single, Dinnerstein and Baroklyn’s arrangement of Bach’s chorale Herr Gott, nun schleuß den Himmel auf, BWV 617, is out today. Listen here.

Complicité also includes Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in E Major, BWV 1053 and his chorale Der Leib war in der Erden, BWV 161 (arranged by Dinnerstein and Baroklyn); Bach’s Cantata 170, Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust with continuo realization by Philip Lasser; and In the Air, Lasser’s recomposition of Bach’s Air on the G String. Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano and Peggy Pearson, oboe d’amore, join Dinnerstein and Baroklyn on this deeply felt recording, which embodies Dinnerstein’s artistic vision that music should always be creative and new.

Of the album title, Dinnerstein says, “Complicité is a term that I first heard from my son, who studied the teachings of the French theatre practitioner, Jacques Lecoq. Three important ideas that Lecoq communicated to his students were le jeu (playfulness), complicité (togetherness), and disponsibilité (openness). I was so intrigued by these ideas, and the different exercises that my son learned in order to cultivate these skills within ensemble acting, that I decided to try a Lecoq approach with my own musical ensemble, Baroklyn.”

Dinnerstein’s recounting of the recording process for the second aria of Bach’s Cantata 170 reflects this. She writes in the album’s liner notes, “In order to communicate most fully, we arranged the ensemble so that as much as possible, everyone could see each other. The strings and oboe d’amore formed a semi-circle around the piano, facing me. Jennifer was nestled into the piano, just to my right. That was particularly important in the opening and closing parts of this aria, which consist of a long phrase performed only by the unison strings and myself. The strings stop for breath every couple of notes, almost like someone crying and catching themselves. I asked the strings if they could move around the semi-circle one at a time, each playing a few notes and passing it to the next person during the breath. It is remarkable to hear this musical line divided between eight players, each with their own particular sound and inflection. If you listen closely, you can hear the music move from the left speaker to the right.”

Philip Lasser’s recomposition of Air on the G String also illustrates Dinnerstein’s signature approach to the music of Bach. She writes, “I asked Philip Lasser if he might write a continuo realization for me of the Air on the G String, but as an independent piece of music, like a jazz improvisation, that would happen simultaneously with the performance of the original air by the strings. What Philip wrote is truly a striking composition on its own, and it acts as a lens through which we see Bach’s music in a new light. This composition feels like a new medium – one piece of music inside another.”

Read Simone Dinnerstein’s extensive liner notes for Complicité here.

American pianist Simone Dinnerstein first came to wider public attention in 2007 through her recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, reflecting an aesthetic that was both deeply rooted in the score and profoundly idiosyncratic. She is, wrote The New York Times, “a unique voice in the forest of Bach interpretation.” 

Dinnerstein has played with orchestras ranging from the New York Philharmonic and Montreal Symphony Orchestra to the London Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI. She has performed in venues from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center to the Berlin Philharmonie, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Seoul Arts Center and Sydney Opera House. She has made thirteen albums, all of which topped the Billboard charts. During the pandemic she recorded three albums which form a trilogy: A Character of Quiet, An American Mosaic, and Undersong. An American Mosaic was nominated for a GRAMMY Award.

In recent years, Dinnerstein has created projects that express her broad musical interests. She gave the world premiere of The Eye Is the First Circle at Montclair State University, the first multi-media production she conceived, created, and directed, which uses as source materials her father Simon Dinnerstein’s painting The Fulbright Triptych and Charles Ives’s Piano Sonata No. 2. She premiered Richard Danielpour’s An American Mosaic, a tribute to those affected by the pandemic, in a performance on multiple pianos throughout Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery. Following her recording Mozart in Havana, she brought the Havana Lyceum Orchestra from Cuba to the U.S. for the first time, performing eleven concerts. Philip Glass composed his Piano Concerto No. 3 for her, co-commissioned by twelve orchestras. Working with Renée Fleming and the Emerson String Quartet, she premiered André Previn and Tom Stoppard’s Penelope at the Tanglewood, Ravinia and Aspen music festivals, and performed it at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and presented by LA Opera.

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

Philip Lasser is a composer with both French and American cultural roots. His music creates a unique sound world that blends the colorful harmonies of French Impressionist sonorities with the dynamic rhythms and characteristics of American music. Recent commissions include works written for Anton Mejias, Simone Dinnerstein, Emmanuel Music, The American Brass Quintet, Natalie Dessay and Ensemble Connect, Juilliard415 and Cantori New York. His works have been performed worldwide by artists such as Susanna Phillips, Midori, Simone Dinnerstein, Jan Vogler, Chad Hoopes, Zuill Bailey, Natalie Dessay, Elizabeth Futral, Sasha Cooke, Lucy Shelton, Brian Zeger, Frank Almond, Margo Garrett, and Cho-Liang Lin and many others as well as by the Atlanta, Seattle, Boulder, Shreveport and Colorado Symphonies, and the MDR Leipzig and Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestras.

Track List: 

Complicité
Release Date: May 30, 2025 | Supertrain Records
Music by J.S. Bach & Philip Lasser 

Simone Dinnerstein, director and piano
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Peggy Pearson, oboe d’amore

Baroklyn
Violin: Rebecca Fischer, concertmaster; Gabby Diaz, Miki-Sophia Cloud, Monica Davis, Heidi Braun-Hill, Colleen Jennings, Gabriel Boyers
Viola: Jessica Thompson, Celia Hatton
Cello: Alexis Gerlach, Julian Müller
Bass: Lizzie Burns

1. J.S. Bach: Herr Gott, nun schleuß den Himmel auf, BWV 617 (arr. Dinnerstein and Baroklyn)
2-4. J.S. Bach: Keyboard Concerto in E Major, BWV 1053
5. J.S. Bach: Der Leib war in der Erden, BWV 161 (arr. Dinnerstein and Baroklyn)
6-10. J.S. Bach: Cantata 170, Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust (with continuo realization by Philip Lasser)
11. J.S. Bach/P. Lasser:  In the Air 

Album Credits:

Produced by Silas Brown
Engineered by Silas Brown and Doron Schachter Mastered by Silas Brown
Recorded at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA on September 16-18, 2024
Steinway Piano
Barbara Renner, piano technician
Cover painting by Simon Dinnerstein Montecasino Daisies, 2002
oil on wood panel, plexiglass palette, 23 1⁄4 x 44 1⁄4
Photographs by Doron Schachter
Graphic design by Ana Garlock
Executive Producer for Supertrain Records: Richard Guérin
© + ℗ 2025 Supertrain Records

March 28: Deutsche Grammophon Releases The Art of Memory - First Solo Album from Pianist Anton Mejias - Music by J.S. Bach & Philip Lasser

Deutsche Grammophon Releases The Art of Memory

First Solo Album from Finnish-Cuban Pianist Anton Mejias

Featuring J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II

Interwoven with the World Premiere Recording of
Philip Lasser’s Twelve Preludes: The Art of Memory

Worldwide Digital Album Release Date: March 28, 2025
Stage+ Film Premiere: March 22, 2025 (Watch) 

“Technique is not an issue for Mejias; he can do everything effortlessly … (and) plays astonishingly virtuosic and fast . . .  It is no surprise Mejias is highly sought after as a pianist worldwide.” – Süddeutsche Zeitung 

“The hypnotically iridescent colors in a new piece by composer Philip Lasser, that cast the strongest spell.” – The Washington Post

Review downloads available upon request

​​On March 28, 2025, Deutsche Grammophon releases Finnish-Cuban pianist Anton Mejias' first solo album, The Art of Memory, featuring the world premiere recording of Philip Lasser's Twelve Preludes: The Art of Memory, a companion piece to Book II of J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier.

On this bold, live recording from the Dresdner Musikfestspiele, Mejias deftly interweaves Lasser and Bach, taking listeners on a journey that reveals both composers' music in a new light. In addition to the digital album release, Mejias’ filmed performance at the Dresdner Musikfestspiele will premiere on Stage+ on March 22, 2025, a production by Bernhard Fleisher Moving Images & Dorn Music for Deutsche Grammophon. Lasser’s Twelve Preludes: The Art of Memory was co-commissioned for Mejias by the Dresdner Musikfestspiele and Newport Classical.

J.S. Bach has fascinated Anton Mejias, who is considered one of the most exciting talents on the international classical scene, since his childhood. He says, “In performing Bach I strive to emphasize the incredibly rich emotional side and the heart of the music, without overlooking the intellectual side and the style of the music. The most beautiful thing is that these two sides belong together and it is not about one or the other, but about the fact that both can enrich the other enormously.”

Of his companion piece for Book II of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, an exploration of memory in music, composer Philip Lasser writes, “I began my Twelve Preludes many years ago with the idea of creating a set of works wherein as we went from one to the next, each prelude would collect remembrances of the past preludes until, at last, we reach the twelfth, which would be entirely made up of memories. . . I began to realize that this was a metaphor for human memory. With each new day, we become richer with new events, emotions, apperceptions; and yet, we receive the new only through the filter of our own personal experience which is then nothing more than a sum of our past remembrances. . . I am deeply honored that Anton Mejias has taken the bold move to perform and record my Preludes inside Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier and I hope that my work nests quietly in Bach’s great work and offers yet another rhythm to the mastery of his unfolding of time.”

Born in 2001, Anton Mejias made his recital debut at the age of eight, and by ten, he had already learned the entire Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I. Since then he has added the complete French and English Suites, all six partitas, and the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II, to his repertoire. In August 2023, Anton Mejias made his US debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl under conductor Tarmo Peltokoski. He has played with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hallé Orchestra Manchester. Mejias made his debut with The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen at Musikfest Bremen in 2024 performing Beethoven with conductor Tarmo Peltokoski, where he was awarded the Musikpreis Bremen sponsored by Deutschlandfunk.  He has performed Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and has toured extensively with baritone Matthias Goerne. For more information: www.dornmusic.com/portfolio/anton-mejias

Philip Lasser is a composer with both French and American cultural roots. His music creates a unique sound world that blends the colorful harmonies of French Impressionist sonorities with the dynamic rhythms and characteristics of American music. Recent commissions include works written for Anton Mejias, Simone Dinnerstein, Emmanuel Music, The American Brass Quintet, Natalie Dessay and Ensemble Connect, Juilliard415 and Cantori New York. His works have been performed worldwide by artists such as Susanna Phillips, Midori, Simone Dinnerstein, Jan Vogler, Chad Hoopes, Zuill Bailey, Natalie Dessay, Elizabeth Futral, Sasha Cooke, Lucy Shelton, Brian Zeger, Frank Almond, Margo Garrett, and Cho-Liang Lin and many others as well as by the Atlanta, Seattle, Boulder, Shreveport and Colorado Symphonies, and the MDR Leipzig and Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestras. For more information: www.philiplasser.com

Track List:
The Art of Memory: Anton Mejias, Piano
Release Date: March 28, 2025 | Deutsche Grammophon
J.S. Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II
Philip Lasser’s Twelve Preludes: The Art of Memory

1: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 1 in C Major, BWV 870/1 [2:39]
2: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 1 in C Major, BWV 870/2 [1:30]
3: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 871/1 [1:16]
4: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 871/2 [2:17]
5: Lasser: Prelude 1[1:12]
6: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 3 in C-Sharp Major, BWV 872/1 [1:43]
7: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 3 in C-Sharp Major, BWV 872/2  [1:55]
8: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 4 in C-Sharp Minor, BWV 873/1 [3:57]
9: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 4 in C-Sharp Minor, BWV 873/2 [2:07]
10: Lasser: Prelude 2 [0:45]
11: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 5 in D Major, BWV 874/1 [2:28]
12: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 5 in D Major, BWV 874/2 [2:56]
13: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 6 in D Minor, BWV 875/1 [1:47]
14: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 6 in D Minor, BWV 875/2 [1:56]
15: Lasser: Prelude 3 [1:13]
16: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 7 in E-Flat Major, BWV 876/1 [2:33]
17: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 7 in E-Flat Major, BWV 876/2 [1:26]
18: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 8 in D-Sharp Minor, BWV 877/1 [1:55]
19: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 8 in D-Sharp Minor, BWV 877/2 [3:21]
20: Lasser: Prelude 4 [1:13]
21: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 9 in E Major, BWV 878/1 [2:07]
22: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 9 in E Major, BWV 878/2 [2:57]
23: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 10 in E Minor, BWV 879/1 [1:53]
24: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 10 in E Minor, BWV 879/2 [2:42]
25: Lasser: Prelude 5 [1:59]
26: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 11 in F Major, BWV 880/1 [2:55]
27: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 11 in F Major, BWV 880/2 [1:48]
28: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 12 in F Minor, BWV 881/1 [2:12]
29: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 12 in F Minor, BWV 881/2 [1:37]
30: Lasser: Prelude 6 [1:38]
31: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 13 in F-Sharp Major, BWV 882/1 [2:44]
32: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 13 in F-Sharp Major, BWV 882/2 [2:18]
33: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 14 in F-Sharp Minor, BWV 883/1 [3:05]
34: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 14 in F-Sharp Minor, BWV 883/2 [4:24]
35: Lasser: Prelude 7 [1:38]
36: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 15 in G Major, BWV 884/1 [1:10]
37: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 15 in G Major, BWV 884/2 [1:25]
38: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 16 in G Minor, BWV 885/1 [2:45]
39: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 16 in G Minor, BWV 885/2 [2:23]
40: Lasser: Prelude 8 [1:24]
41: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 17 in A-Flat Major, BWV 886/1 [3:26]
42: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 17 in A-Flat Major, BWV 886/2 [2:06]
43: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 18 in G-Sharp Minor, BWV 887/1 [1:40]
44: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 18 in G-Sharp Minor, BWV 887/2 [4:22]
45: Lasser: Prelude 9 [1:43]
46: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 19 in A Major, BWV 888/1[1:44]
47: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 19 in A Major, BWV 888/2 [1:05]
48: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 20 in A Minor, BWV 889/1 [1:49]
49: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 20 in A Minor, BWV 889/2 [1:28]
50: Lasser: Prelude 10 [1:37]
51: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 21 in B-Flat Major, BWV 890/1 [3:43]
52: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 21 in B-Flat Major, BWV 890/2 [1:41]
53: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 22 in B-Flat Minor, BWV 891/1 [2:07]
54: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 22 in B-Flat Minor, BWV 891/2 [3:01]
55: Lasser: Prelude 11 [2:08]
56: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 23 in B Major, BWV 892/1[1:45]
57: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 23 in B Major, BWV 892/2 [3:09]
58: J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 24 in B Minor, BWV 893/1 [1:48]
59: J.S. Bach: Fugue No. 24 in B Minor, BWV 893/2 [1:34]
60: Lasser: Prelude 12 [2:34] 

Total Running Time: 2:25:21 

Album Credits:
Piano: Anton Mejias
Executive Producer: Tanja Dorn
Executive Producer: Bernhard Fleischer
Produced by Romualdas Urba
Recorded by Stefan Folprecht
Digital Editing Engineer: Romualdas Urba
Mixing Engineer: Romualdas Urba
Mastering Engineer: Romualdas Urba
A&R: Valerie Groß
PCM: Joe Davies
Creative: Lars Hoffmann
(C) 2025 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Berlin

Recorded live on May 18, 2024 at Palais im Großen Garten, Dresden, presented by the Dresdner Musikfestspiele. Philip Lasser’s Twelve Preludes: The Art of Memory was co-commissioned for Anton Mejias by the Dresdner Musikfestspiele and Newport Classical.

March-June: GatherNYC Presents Seven Mindful Musical Mornings at the Museum of Arts and Design in Columbus Circle - Sundays at 11AM

Press photos available here.

GatherNYC Continues 2024-2025 Season in NYC
at Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in Columbus Circle 

Every Other Sunday Morning at 11AM
Mindful Musical Mornings Include Spoken Word and Brief Celebration of Silence 

Coming Up This Spring

3/16 Daedalus Quartet
3/30 MATA
4/13 Deborah Buck + Orli Shaham
4/27 ETHEL + Layale Chaker
5/11 Solomiya Ivakhiv + Friends: Music from Ukraine
5/25 Rupert Boyd, guitar
6/8 Orpheus + Boyd Meets Girl

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

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

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

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

Tickets & Information: www.gathernyc.org

New York, NY – GatherNYC, a revolutionary concert experience founded in 2018 by cellist Laura Metcalf and guitarist Rupert Boyd, continues its 2024-2025 season at the series’ home venue, Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) (2 Columbus Circle) with seven upcoming concerts -- Daedalus Quartet on March 16, MATA on March 30, Deborah Buck + Orli Shaham on April 13, ETHEL + Layale Chaker on April 27, Solomiya Ivakhiv + Friends: Music from Ukraine on May 11, guitarist Rupert Boyd on May 25, and Orpheus + Boyd Meets Girl on June 8. Concerts are held every other Sunday at 11am in The Theater at MAD. Coffee and pastries are served before each performance at 10:30am. Admission for children under 12 is free.  

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

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

Metcalf and Boyd say, “We are thrilled to be returning to the beautiful Museum of Arts and Design, offering 17 concerts throughout our 2024-25 season, our largest lineup yet. We look forward to inviting audiences to join us for these mindful, musical mornings with world-class artists in an intimate, unique setting – complete with spoken word, silence, coffee and a communal, welcoming environment.”  

Up Next, Sundays at 11AM:

Mar. 16: Daedalus Quartet
Winners of the highest honor in string quartet playing, the Banff International String Quartet Competition, the Daedalus Quartet will perform the visceral, folk-inspired sixth string quartet by Béla Bartók, alongside the atmospheric, pop-influenced Space Between by acclaimed composer and Guggenheim fellow Anna Weesner. 

Mar. 30: MATA
Music at the Anthology (MATA), an incubator for adventurous emerging artists in the early stages of their careers, presents, supports, and commissions composers, regardless of their stylistic views or aesthetic inclinations. Founded by Philip Glass, Eleonor Sandresky, and Lisa Bielawa in 1996 as a way to address the lack of presentation opportunities for unaffiliated composers, MATA composers have since emanated to include future Rome, Alpert, Takemitsu, Siemens, and Pulitzer Prize-winners, Guggenheim Fellows, and MacArthur “Geniuses.” In 2010 MATA was awarded ASCAP’s prestigious Aaron Copland award in recognition of its work. For its first collaboration with GatherNYC,  MATA will showcase highlights from previous festivals as well as selected works from its global Call for Submissions. The New Yorker has hailed MATA as, “the most exciting showcase for outstanding young composers from around the world.” The New York Times has called it “nondogmatic, even antidogmatic;” and The Wall Street Journal said that it “tells us a lot about how composers are thinking now.”

Apr. 13: Deborah Buck + Orli Shaham
Violinist Deborah Buck, praised by The Strad as having a “surpassing degree of imagination and vibrant sound,” and Orli Shaham, described as a “brilliant pianist” by The New York Times, present a program to celebrate Clara Schumann's legacy. In addition to works by Robert and Clara Schumann, the program features the couple's circle of friends, including the music of Amanda Maier. 

Apr. 27: ETHEL + Layale Chaker
From their beginnings in 1998, the members of ETHEL have prized collaboration. In recent years, the quartet has struck up a particularly fruitful collaboration with the Lebanese-born, Brooklyn-based violinist and composer Layale Chaker. Their album Vigil offers a chance to document some of that collective work, with each member of ETHEL contributing a piece and Chaker contributing two works, one of which is the remarkable work that gives the project its name. 

May 11: Solomiya Ivakhiv + Friends: Music from Ukraine
Acclaimed violinist Solomiya Ivakhiv is known for channeling her award-winning virtuosity as a means of championing worthy music by lesser or unknown composers from her native Ukraine. For her first appearance at GatherNYC, Solomiya is joined by violist William Frampton and cellist Laura Metcalf to present a forgotten masterwork by Fedir Yakymenko, a colorful and rhapsodic piece written around the turn of the 20th century. Ukrainian by birth and spending his life in Russia and France, Yakymenko deftly blends French and Ukrainian sounds and styles into this delightful piece, which deserves to be heard and remembered. 

May 25: Rupert Boyd, guitar
GatherNYC artistic director and classical guitar virtuoso Rupert Boyd takes listeners on a journey across centuries and continents on the six strings of his guitar. From Malian kora music to atmospheric sounds from Japan to contemporary music from his home country of Australia to classic works for the Spanish guitar, Boyd’s riveting program has something for everyone. 

June 8: Orpheus + Boyd Meets Girl
Building on a highly successful collaboration during the 2023-24 season, GatherNYC artistic directors Laura Metcalf and Rupert Boyd in their duo formation of Boyd Meets Girl once again team up with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra for an expanded collaborative program featuring classical favorites and creative, virtuosic takes on popular tunes.

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

Press photos available here.

April 25: GRAMMY®-nominated Pianist Simone Dinnerstein Performs with Lincoln Symphony Orchestra Led by Music Director Edward Polochick

Photo by Tanya Braganti available in high resolution here

GRAMMY®-nominated Pianist Simone Dinnerstein
Performs as Guest Soloist with Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra

Featuring Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major
Conducted by Music Director Edward Polochick

Friday, April 25, 2025 at 7:30pm
Lied Center for Performing Arts | 301 N 12th St | Lincoln, NE
Tickets & Information

“lean, knowing, and unpretentious elegance” – The New Yorker

Simone Dinnerstein: www.simonedinnerstein.com

Lincoln, NE – On Friday, April 25, 2025 at 7:30pm, GRAMMY®-nominated pianist Simone Dinnerstein, described by The New York Times as “colorful and idiosyncratic,” will be the featured guest soloist with Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra (LSO) in a performance of Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major. The concert will take place at the Lied Center for Performing Arts (301 N 12th St) and will be conducted by LSO Music Director Edward Polochick. Dinnerstein’s performance is part of a thrilling program that also includes Beethoven’s Egmont Overture performed side-by-side with the Lincoln Youth Symphony and the world premiere of Tightrope, a new work by LSO’s Composer-in-Residence Elena Ruehr.

The Washington Post has called Simone Dinnerstein “an artist of strikingly original ideas and irrefutable integrity.” She first came to wider public attention in 2007 through her recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, reflecting an aesthetic that was both deeply rooted in the score and profoundly idiosyncratic. She is, wrote The New York Times, “a unique voice in the forest of Bach interpretation.”

While Dinnerstein has come to be recognized and celebrated for her appreciation of music by J.S. Bach, she has also brought bold and expressive artistry to the work of Brahms in performances for over 10 years –– including the other of Brahms’ two piano concertos, No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15. Brahms’ second piano concerto is a newer addition to her repertoire –– one which Dinnerstein has been excited to perform throughout this season.

“I have been eagerly anticipating collaborating with Ed Polochick and Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra on this masterpiece,” says Dinnerstein. “This concerto is a mammoth work of chamber music, and Ed’s sensitive and masterful leadership will create the ideal partnership.”

About Simone Dinnerstein: American pianist Simone Dinnerstein first came to wider public attention in 2007 through her recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, reflecting an aesthetic that was both deeply rooted in the score and profoundly idiosyncratic. She is, wrote The New York Times, “a unique voice in the forest of Bach interpretation.”

Dinnerstein has played with orchestras ranging from the New York Philharmonic and Montreal Symphony Orchestra to the London Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale Rai. She has performed in venues from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center to the Berlin Philharmonie, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Seoul Arts Center and Sydney Opera House. She has made thirteen albums, all of which topped the Billboard charts. During the pandemic she recorded three albums which form a trilogy: A Character of Quiet, An American Mosaic, and Undersong. An American Mosaic was nominated for a Grammy.

In recent years, Dinnerstein has created projects that express her broad musical interests. She gave the world premiere of The Eye Is the First Circle at Montclair State University, the first multi-media production she conceived, created, and directed, which uses as source materials her father Simon Dinnerstein’s painting The Fulbright Triptych and Charles Ives’s Piano Sonata No. 2. She premiered Richard Danielpour’s An American Mosaic, a tribute to those affected by the pandemic, in a performance on multiple pianos throughout Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery. Following her recording Mozart in Havana, she brought the Havana Lyceum Orchestra from Cuba to the U.S. for the first time, performing eleven concerts. Philip Glass composed his Piano Concerto No. 3 for her, co-commissioned by twelve orchestras. Working with Renée Fleming and the Emerson String Quartet, she premiered André Previn and Tom Stoppard’s Penelope at the Tanglewood, Ravinia and Aspen music festivals, and performed it at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and presented by LA Opera. Dinnerstein has also created her own ensemble, Baroklyn, which she directs. The Washington Post comments, “it is Dinnerstein’s unreserved identification with every note she plays that makes her performance so spellbinding.” In a world where music is everywhere, she hopes that it can still be transformative. For more information, please visit www.simonedinnerstein.com.

For Calendar Editors:

Description: GRAMMY®-nominated pianist Simone Dinnerstein, described by The Washington Post as “an artist of strikingly original ideas and irrefutable integrity,” is the featured soloist with Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director Edward Polochick. Dinnerstein will perform Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2. in B-flat Major. The concert will also include a performance of Beethoven’s Egmont Overture by the Lincoln Youth Symphony and the world premiere of Tightrope, a new work by LSO’s Composer-in-Residence Elena Ruehr.

Concert details:

Who: Pianist GRAMMY®-nominated Simone Dinnerstein
Conducted by Music Director Edward Polochick
Presented by Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra
What: Music by Johannes Brahms, Ludwig van Beethoven, and LSO Composer-in-Residence Elena Ruehr
When: Friday, April 25, 2025 at 7:30pm
Where: Lied Center for Performing Arts 301 N 12th St. Lincoln, NE 68508
Tickets and information: www.lincolnsymphony.com/tightrope

May 30: Anna Lapwood Unveils Firedove New Album to be Released on Sony Classical – First Single Limina Luminis Out Today

Anna Lapwood Unveils Firedove
New Album to be Released on Sony Classical

First Single Limina Luminis
Out Today - Listen

Album Release Date: May 30, 2025
Pre-Order Now

One of the most gifted and visionary artists of her generation, Anna Lapwood, releases her brand-new album, Firedove, May 30, 2025 on Sony Classical. Pre-order is available now. It is the follow-up to Lapwood's acclaimed album Luna.

The lead track is the captivating Limina Luminis, commissioned for and first performed at the 2023 BBC Proms, composed for Anna by Italian composer Olivia Belli. The single is out today – listen here.

“This piece was part of my first solo recital at the BBC Proms, and I’ve played it in nearly every concert since, because I love it so much.” Anna says.

Already renowned for introducing the organ to new generations of music fans through her extraordinary interpretations of both classical and contemporary works, Anna Lapwood has become known to millions through viral TikTok videos, high-profile collaborations an sold-out live concerts.

Anna recorded her new album Firedove through the night at Nidaros Cathedral, a spectacular Gothic masterpiece founded in the 11th century in Trondheim, Norway.

“I wanted to create an album where the listener doesn’t quite know where it’s going to go next,” Lapwood says. “There are lots of little easter eggs in there that you wouldn’t expect – even the first appearance of the choir – and a through-line of flight and spreading wings, because this does feel as though I’ve found what I want to say as an artist. I’m very proud of it.”

Firedove effortlessly demonstrates Anna’s open-minded approach to music, one where a Vierne scherzo can sit alongside a rendition of Robbie Williams’ Angels, and Maurice Duruflé’s Prelude and Fugue with Bob Dylan’s Make You Feel My Love.

The repertoire choices on her album clearly indicate that it is Anna’s most personal record to date. She is no stranger to blending classical music with pop having performed with RAYE, Florence & The Machine & Aurora, even finding time to give Tom Cruise an impromptu organ lesson during a late-night rehearsal at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Anna was appointed Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridgeshire when she was 21, the youngest person ever to hold that position at either an Oxford or Cambridge University College. Now, nine years later, she is stepping down to pursue her live and recording career full time.

On Firedove Anna Lapwood brings a breath of fresh air into classical musical making. “Since I started focusing on the music I loved and stopped worrying about what others felt I ‘should’ be doing, I have fallen in love with the organ again in a completely new way” she says.

The results are staggering, and Anna’s intense musical passion is evident throughout Firedove. An intoxicating listen.

Firedove Track list

1. Bells of Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim
2. The Bells of Notre Dame (from Hunchback of Notre Dame Soundtrack) | Alan Menken
3. Time (From Inception Soundtrack) | Hans Zimmer
4. Flight - Intro | Rachel Portman
5. Flight | Rachel Portman
6. Limina Luminis | Olivia Belli
7. Firedove | Julie Cooper
8. Come to me | Ivo Antognini
9. Make You Feel My Love | Bob Dylan
10. Angels | Robbie Williams, Guy Chambers
11. Northern Lights | Ola Gjeilo
12. Murmurations | Poppy Ackroyd
13. Naiades | Louis Vierne
14. Prelude et fugue sur le nom d'Alain Op.7 : I Prelude | Hania Rani
15. Glass | Maurice Duruflé
16. Prelude et fugue sur le nom d'Alain Op.7 : II Fugue | Maurice Duruflé

April 8: Telegraph Quartet Return to California for Performance at San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Available in high resolution at: www.jensenartists.com/artists-profiles/telegraph-quartet

Telegraph Quartet at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Performing the Music of
Ludwig van Beethoven, Kenji Bunch, and Joseph Suk

Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at 7:30pm
Barbro Osher Recital Hall
200 Van Ness Avenue | San Francisco, CA
Tickets and More Information

“soulfulness, tonal beauty and intelligent attention to detail ... an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape.”
– San Francisco Chronicle

www.TelegraphQuartet.com

San Francisco, CA – On Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at 7:30pm, the Telegraph Quartet (Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; Pei-Ling Lin, viola; Jeremiah Shaw, cello), a group described by The San Francisco Chronicle as having "tonal warmth and communicative urgency,” will be presented in concert by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in Barbro Osher Recital Hall (200 Van Ness Avenue). The award-winning ensemble will give its first performance at SFCM since departing their post as Quartet-in-Residence at the end of the 2023-2024 season. For this special return concert, the Telegraph Quartet will collaborate in performance with some of SFCM’s current students. The program will feature Kenji Bunch’s String Quartet No. 2 “Concussion Theory,” with cellist Alex Kim; Ludwig van Beethoven’s Op. 74 “Harp” and Josef Suk’s Piano Quintet with SFCM students violinist Mathea Goh and pianist Jon Lee.

The Telegraph Quartet formed in 2013 with an equal passion for standard and contemporary chamber music repertoire. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape” and “powerfully adept… with a combination of brilliance and subtlety,” the Telegraph Quartet was awarded the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.

Known for their technical aptitude and appreciation for the history behind music, the Telegraph Quartet bring their innate musical chemistry and acuity to a program of works that express a wide range of emotions in response to people and events that were deeply meaningful, impactful, or inspiring to each of the composers.

Beethoven composed his “Harp” quartet during a time of great external trauma for the world, during a French attack on Vienna, and internal trauma for himself: over an 11-year-long struggle with hearing loss, which inevitably kept him from fully experiencing the finished piece. In spite of these harrowing circumstances, the “Harp” Quartet is one of Beethoven’s most melodious compositions.

Much of Joseph Suk’s Piano Quintet exudes an energized and frenetic quality –– often calling for a balance of expressive performances and concentrated precision. Though fresh and invigorating, the music tends to reflect compositional qualities of Johannes Brahms, to whom the piece is dedicated, as well as echoing influence from his teacher, fellow Czech composer, (and eventual father-in-law!) Antonin Dvořák.

Kenji Bunch explains that his String Quartet No. 2, Concussion Theory, “explores many aspects of the historically unprecedented plight of the 1930s Dustbowl and the highly unorthodox experiments the nation tried in order to address it. The first movement, No Man's Land, presents a dire scene of the parched, barren earth of the Great Plains, with a scorching sun and only a rustling of tumbleweed to interrupt the desolate stillness. Black Sunday recalls a battered, downtrodden community church gathering in 1935 on the day of one of the worst dust storm of that era blacked out an area spanning five states. The third movement, Concussion Theory, depicts the blazing fireworks of explosives fired into the heavens above, followed by A Gentle Rain, a fantasy of cathartic rainfall; a bittersweet, would-be outcome of this experiment that, alas, in reality never actually occurred.”

The Telegraph Quartet’s latest album, 20th Century Vantage Points: Divergent Paths, was released in 2023 on Azica Records. The first in the Telegraph’s three-album series focused on string quartets of the first half of the 20th century, Divergent Paths explores the bewildering and unbridled creativity of the period through the music of Arnold Schoenberg and Maurice Ravel, whose music on this album weaves threads of great contrast and surprising similarity. The album has been met with critical acclaim, with The New York Times reporting, “In the Schoenberg, they achieve something truly special, meticulously guiding its often wayward progress. At times Schoenberg makes the four strings sound almost orchestral, but the Telegraph players can also make his contrapuntal tangles radiantly clear. Every minute of their account sounds gripping and purposeful, which is one of the highest compliments you can pay the piece.”

More about Telegraph Quartet: The Quartet has performed in concert halls, music festivals, and academic institutions across the United States and abroad, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Chamber Masters Series, and at festivals including the Chautauqua Institute, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and the Emilia Romagna Festival. The Quartet is currently the Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Michigan.

Notable collaborations include projects with pianists Leon Fleisher and Simone Dinnerstein; cellists Norman Fischer and Bonnie Hampton; violinist Ian Swensen; and the St. Lawrence Quartet and Henschel Quartett. A fervent champion of 20th- and 21st-century repertoire, the Telegraph Quartet has premiered works by Osvaldo Golijov, John Harbison, Robert Sirota, and Richard Festinger.

In August 2023, the Telegraph Quartet released its latest album Divergent Paths, the first in a series of recordings titled 20th Century Vantage Points, on Azica Records. This first volume features two works that (to the best of the Quartet’s knowledge) have never been recorded on the same album before: Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major and Arnold Schoenberg’s String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 7. Through this series, the Telegraph Quartet intends to explore string quartets of the 20th century – an era of music that the group has felt especially called to perform since its formation. The New York Times praised the Telegraph’s performance as “…full of elegance and pinpoint control…” Divergent Paths follows Into The Light (Centaur, 2018), an album highlighting a gripping set of works by Leon Kirchner, Anton Webern, and Benjamin Britten.

Beyond the concert stage, the Telegraph Quartet seeks to spread its music through education and audience engagement. The Quartet has given master classes at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Collegiate and Pre-College Divisions, through the Morrison Artist Series at San Francisco State University, and abroad at the Taipei National University of the Arts, National Taiwan Normal University, and in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Telegraph has also served as artists-in-residence at the Interlochen Adult Chamber Music Camp, SoCal Chamber Music Workshop, and Crowden Music Center Chamber Music Workshop. In November 2020, the Telegraph Quartet launched ChamberFEAST!, a chamber music workshop in Taiwan. In fall 2020, Telegraph launched an online video project called TeleLab, in which the ensemble collectively breaks down the components of a movement from various works for quartet. In the summers of 2022 and 2024, the Telegraph Quartet traveled to Vienna to work with Schoenberg expert Henk Guittart in conjunction with the Arnold Schoenberg Center, researching all of Schoenberg's string quartets.

For more information, visit www.telegraphquartet.com.

For Calendar Editors:

Concert details:

Who: Telegraph Quartet with SFCM students cellist Alex Kim, violinist Mathea Goh, and pianist Jon Lee.
Presented by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music
What: Music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Kenji Bunch, and Joseph Suk
When: Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at 7:30pm
Where: Barbro Osher Recital Hall, 200 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102
Tickets and information: https://sfcm.edu/experience/performances/chamber-music-tuesday-6-telegraph-quartet/20250408

Description: The award-winning Telegraph Quartet, which the San Francisco Chronicle describes as having “soulfulness, tonal beauty and intelligent attention to detail” and being “an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape,” is presented by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The concert will feature Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 74 “Harp,” Kenji Bunch’s String Quartet No. 2 “Concussion Theory,” with SFCM cellist Alex Kim; and and Josef Suk’s Piano Quintet with SFCM violinist Mathea Goh and SFCM pianist Jon Lee. Through this performance, the Telegraph Quartet presents music that showcases a wide range of emotions in response to people and events that were deeply meaningful, impactful, or inspiring to each of the composers.

April 17: Telegraph Quartet Perform at Carnegie Hall as Part of Naumburg Looks Back – Presented by The Walter W. Naumburg Foundation

Available in high resolution at: www.jensenartists.com/artists-profiles/telegraph-quartet

The Walter W. Naumburg Foundation 
Presents Naumburg Looks Back
Featuring the Telegraph Quartet at Carnegie Hall

Performing the Music of
Ludwig van Beethoven, Kenji Bunch, and Mieczysław Weinberg

Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 7:30pm
Carnegie Hall | Weill Recital Hall | 57th St. and 7th Ave. | NYC
Tickets: www.carnegiehall.org, CarnegieCharge 212.247.7800, or the Carnegie Hall Box Office

“full of elegance and pinpoint control” – The New York Times

www.TelegraphQuartet.com

New York, NY – On Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 7:30pm, the Telegraph Quartet (Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; Pei-Ling Lin, viola; Jeremiah Shaw, cello), a group described by The San Francisco Chronicle as having "tonal warmth and communicative urgency,” will be presented by The Walter Naumburg Foundation in the Foundation’s celebrated series Naumburg Looks Back, which brings back past winners in concert. The program takes place at Carnegie Hall in Weill Recital Hall (57th St. and 7th Ave.)

For this concert, the Telegraph Quartet will perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 74 “Harp,” Kenji Bunch’s String Quartet No. 2 “Concussion Theory,” and Mieczysław Weinberg's String Quartet No. 6 in E minor, Op. 35. The Telegraph Quartet formed in 2013 with an equal passion for standard and contemporary chamber music repertoire. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape” and “powerfully adept… with a combination of brilliance and subtlety,” the Telegraph Quartet was awarded the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.

Known for their technical skill and appreciation for the history behind music, the Telegraph Quartet brings innate musical chemistry and acuity to music that evokes a wide range of emotions in response to events – from highly individual, to national, and even global in scope – that were deeply meaningful, impactful, or inspiring to each of the composers, directly shaping the character of each piece.

Beethoven composed his “Harp” quartet during a time of great external trauma for the world, during a French attack on Vienna, and internal trauma for himself over an 11-year-long struggle with hearing loss, which inevitably kept him from fully experiencing the finished piece. In spite of these harrowing circumstances, the “Harp” Quartet is one of Beethoven’s most melodious compositions.

Kenji Bunch explains that his String Quartet No. 2, Concussion Theory, “explores many aspects of the historically unprecedented plight of the 1930s Dustbowl and the highly unorthodox experiments the nation tried in order to address it. The first movement, No Man's Land, presents a dire scene of the parched, barren earth of the Great Plains, with a scorching sun and only a rustling of tumbleweed to interrupt the desolate stillness. Black Sunday recalls a battered, downtrodden community church gathering in 1935 on the day of one of the worst dust storm of that era blacked out an area spanning five states. The third movement, Concussion Theory, depicts the blazing fireworks of explosives fired into the heavens above, followed by A Gentle Rain, a fantasy of cathartic rainfall; a bittersweet, would-be outcome of this experiment that, alas, in reality never actually occurred.”

During World War II Mieczysław Weinberg fled his homeland of Poland and having failed to convince his family to come with him, almost all of them were murdered in the concentration camps. His String Quartet No. 6 contains an innocent mundanity that erupts throughout the work into desperation, sorrow, and tragic indignation as he dealt with the ramifications of his exile and learned to live warily in his newfound home of the Soviet Union. The work, which was banned in Stalin’s USSR and was never performed in Weinberg’s lifetime, is now being championed by the Telegraph Quartet.

The Telegraph Quartet’s latest album, 20th Century Vantage Points: Divergent Paths, was released in 2023 on Azica Records. The first in the Telegraph’s three-album series focused on string quartets of the first half of the 20th century, Divergent Paths explores the bewildering and unbridled creativity of the period through the music of Arnold Schoenberg and Maurice Ravel, whose music on this album weaves threads of great contrast and surprising similarity. The album has been met with critical acclaim, with The New York Times reporting, “[I]n the Schoenberg, they achieve something truly special, meticulously guiding its often wayward progress. At times Schoenberg makes the four strings sound almost orchestral, but the Telegraph players can also make his contrapuntal tangles radiantly clear. Every minute of their account sounds gripping and purposeful, which is one of the highest compliments you can pay the piece.”

More about Telegraph Quartet: The Quartet has performed in concert halls, music festivals, and academic institutions across the United States and abroad, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Chamber Masters Series, and at festivals including the Chautauqua Institute, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and the Emilia Romagna Festival. The Quartet is currently the Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Michigan.

Notable collaborations include projects with pianists Leon Fleisher and Simone Dinnerstein; cellists Norman Fischer and Bonnie Hampton; violinist Ian Swensen; and the St. Lawrence Quartet and Henschel Quartett. A fervent champion of 20th- and 21st-century repertoire, the Telegraph Quartet has premiered works by Osvaldo Golijov, John Harbison, Robert Sirota, and Richard Festinger.

In August 2023, the Telegraph Quartet released its latest album Divergent Paths, the first in a series of recordings titled 20th Century Vantage Points, on Azica Records. This first volume features two works that (to the best of the Quartet’s knowledge) have never been recorded on the same album before: Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major and Arnold Schoenberg’s String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 7. Through this series, the Telegraph Quartet intends to explore string quartets of the 20th century – an era of music that the group has felt especially called to perform since its formation. The New York Times praised the Telegraph’s performance as “…full of elegance and pinpoint control…” Divergent Paths follows Into The Light (Centaur, 2018), an album highlighting a gripping set of works by Leon Kirchner, Anton Webern, and Benjamin Britten.

Beyond the concert stage, the Telegraph Quartet seeks to spread its music through education and audience engagement. The Quartet has given master classes at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Collegiate and Pre-College Divisions, through the Morrison Artist Series at San Francisco State University, and abroad at the Taipei National University of the Arts, National Taiwan Normal University, and in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Telegraph has also served as artists-in-residence at the Interlochen Adult Chamber Music Camp, SoCal Chamber Music Workshop, and Crowden Music Center Chamber Music Workshop. In November 2020, the Telegraph Quartet launched ChamberFEAST!, a chamber music workshop in Taiwan. In fall 2020, Telegraph launched an online video project called TeleLab, in which the ensemble collectively breaks down the components of a movement from various works for quartet. In the summers of 2022 and 2024, the Telegraph Quartet traveled to Vienna to work with Schoenberg expert Henk Guittart in conjunction with the Arnold Schoenberg Center, researching all of Schoenberg's string quartets.

About The Walter W, Naumburg Foundation

The Walter W. Naumburg Foundation, founded in 1926 by Walter W. Naumburg, next year embarks on its centenary year holding the distinction of being the world’s longest running classical music competition. Today it continues in the pursuit of ideals set out by Mr. Naumburg. His desire to assist gifted young musicians in America has made possible a long-standing program of competitions and awards in solo, chamber music performance and commissions. It was Mr. Naumburg’s firm belief that such competitions were not only for the benefit of new stars but would also be for those talented young musicians who would become the prime movers in the development of the highest standards of musical excellence in America, and throughout the world today. Visit www.naumburg.org

For more information, visit www.telegraphquartet.com.

For Calendar Editors:

Concert details:

Who: Telegraph Quartet
Presented by The Walter Naumburg Foundation
What: Music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Kenji Bunch, and Mieczysław Weinberg
When: Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 7:30pm
Where: Weill Recital Hall, 57th St. and 7th Ave., New York, NY 10019
Tickets and information: https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2025/04/17/The-Telegraph-Quartet-0730PM

Description: The award-winning Telegraph Quartet, which the San Francisco Chronicle describes as having “soulfulness, tonal beauty and intelligent attention to detail” and being “an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape,” is presented by The Walter Naumburg Foundation in a special performance at Carnegie Hall as part of Naumburg Looks Back. The ensemble will perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 74 “Harp,” Kenji Bunch’s String Quartet No. 2 “Concussion Theory,” and Mieczysław Weinberg's String Quartet No. 6 in E minor, Op. 35. Through this performance, the Telegraph Quartet presents music that showcases a wide range of emotions in response to events –– from highly individual, to national, and global in scope –– that were deeply meaningful, impactful, or inspiring to each of the composers.