Coming up at Baruch PAC

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Baruch Performing Arts Center continues spring season of recitals

• March 5: Vision Duo (violinist Ariel Horowitz and percussionist Britton-René Collins)

• March 6: Pianist/soprano Chelsea Guo

• May 19: Classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang

Baruch Performing Arts Center's "perfect hall for chamber music" (New York Times) continues its spring recital season with concerts featuring award-winning artists. On March 5, Vision Duo (violinist Ariel Horowitz and percussionist Britton-René Collin) performs classical works with a contemporary twist as part of Baruch PAC's Silberman Concert Series. Then on March 6, the multi-talented soprano and pianist Chelsea Guo accompanies herself performing arias by Rossini, Donizetti, and Fauré in addition to solo piano works by Chopin and Ravel. On May 19, Baruch PAC welcomes back classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang, who delighted audiences in her debut at the hall last year. Season details below.

Tickets to all shows available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu
Downloadable images & bios available in the digital press kit

Baruch PAC Spring Season Details

All concerts at 7 pm at Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Ave, New York, NY (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street)

Wednesday, March 5: Vision Duo

Vision Duo (violinist Ariel Horowitz and percussionist Britton-René Collins) perform classical works with a contemporary twist. In their Baruch PAC recital debut, the duo performs Bizet/Hubay's Carmen Fantasy, Misty by the jazz pianist Erroll Garner, Piazzolla's History of Tango, a piece by their own Ariel Horowitz, alongside works by other contemporary composers.

Horowitz and Collins formed the duo after winning the Concert Artists Guild International Competition’s Ambassador Prize as soloists. They quickly discovered their shared passion for post-genre and contemporary music, promoting systemic change, and centering equity and access in musical spaces. The duo has performed for top presenters throughout North America - including the Phillips Collection, Dumbarton Concerts in Washington, D.C., and Chamber Music Society of Detroit - and has attended the prestigious Avaloch Farm Music Institute as artist in residence. 

This concert is part of the Silberman Recital Series.

Thursday, March 6: Pianist/soprano Chelsea Guo

“A very fine pianist with a beguiling voice, Here is a rare talent." – BBC Music Magazine

Chelsea Guo is one of the rare talents equally formidable as both a soprano and a pianist. First-prize winner of the 2022 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions and a 2022 Classic FM Rising Star, Guo has attracted international attention as a pianist and soprano of remarkable gifts. As she forges her own unique, multi-faceted path, Chelsea is gaining increasing recognition from all corners of the classical musical world. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall in London, as well as other prominent venues in the North America, Europe and Asia. Her debut album "Chelsea Guo: Chopin in My Voice" (2021) was praised by Gramophone Magazine as an "Essential New Album." Later this season, Guo heads to Vienna to become a studio member of the Volksoper Wien.

Her Baruch PAC performance features classical favorites for voice and piano, with Guo accompanying herself on a program that features works by Chopin, Ravel, Faure, Donizetti, Rossini and more.

Monday, May 19: Classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang

“Staggering virtuosity that held the audience in a state of breathlessness, as thrilling to watch as to hear ” – Oberon's Grove

The classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang returns to Baruch PAC's stage after her wildly popular performance last season. A groundbreaking artist, Hanzhi was the first accordionist to win Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the first to be named Musical America’s “New Artist of the Month,” and the first solo accordionist on WQXR Radio’s Young Artists Showcase.

Hanzhi made her Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center debuts in 2017. Her awards include the Ruth Laredo Prize and Mortimer Levitt Career Development Award for Women Artists of YCA and First Prize in the 40th Castelfidardo International Accordion Competition in Italy. She has performed recitals at UC Santa Barbara’s Lively Arts, Stanford Live, Bravo! Vail, The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City. As soloist, she has performed with the Oregon Music Festival, Victoria Symphony, Erie Philharmonic, and Reno Chamber Orchestra. Composers Martin Lohse, James Black, and Sophia Gubaidulina have written and dedicated works to her.

Insider Interview with Vision Duo

Vision Duo (violinist Ariel Horowitz and percussionist Britton-René Collins) perform classical works with a contemporary twist. On March 5, 2025 the duo makes their Baruch PAC recital debut with a wide-ranging program that includes Bizet/Hubay’s Carmen Fantasy, Misty by the jazz pianist Erroll Garner, music by Piazzolla, Vision’s own Horowitz, and others. We spoke to Horowitz and Collins about the unique combination of violin and marimba, the upcoming program, and expanding their repertoire. 

I can’t think of a single piece of classical music written for your unique combination of instruments. What the heck were you thinking when you created this duo? 

Britton-René Collins: Our duo was formed during the pandemic, at a time where many musicians were experimenting and planning for the return of live music performance. We had only known each other through social media, and admired one another’s work. It just made sense for us, as like-minded creatives, to join together and collaborate in a meaningful way. 

How do you balance the difference in timbres and volume between the violin and percussion?  

Ariel Horowitz: We love the dichotomy between the instruments and their vastly different soundworlds, and we enjoy leaning into that – a violin will never sound like a marimba, and vice versa, so it’s very fun to enjoy all of the variety of soundworlds that we can craft together.  

BRC: Although the pairing of a western classical instrument with a modern percussion instrument originating from West Africa could be considered atypical, the violin and marimba blend seamlessly together. Many existing works in the violin/marimba duo repertoire were commissioned by the group “Marimolin” over the span of several decades. Having commissioned, composed, and premiered new works for our duo’s instrumentation together, we share a passion for contributing to the growing body of violin and percussion repertoire. 

Tell us about your program at Baruch PAC? There are many new works, some arrangements and a work by you, Ariel. How did you put together this program?  

AH: We’re so excited for our program at Baruch PAC! Our program, Moxie, is kind of like a musical charcuterie board: we hope there can be something for everyone. We enjoy a variety of styles of music, both as performers and listeners, so our programming reflects our eclectic tastes. You’ll hear music from Blues to Jazz to Opera to Baroque Classical to Indie, and you might even hear some music that we improvise together on the spot: another great passion of ours.  

BRC: The inspiration behind our program came naturally, as our friendship formed through our shared love of multi-genre music. Through our versatile programming, we hope that audiences of all demographics might be able to identify and connect with our performances. 

It appears that all the works that weren’t written for you are an arrangement. What’s your process for picking pieces and making these arrangements? 

AH: Britt and I have a ton of songs that we love for various reasons – musically, lyrically, aesthetically, or the song is significant to one or the other of us (often both)! Usually, from there, we start from improvisation – we rarely write down our arrangements, but enjoy coming up with our tunes through a collaborative jam session.  

Ariel, could you tell us a bit about your work? 

AH: Solitude is a song I originally created back in my own college days, so it feels quite fitting to be able to share it for students in that stage of early adulthood at Baruch PAC. I was quite lonely in those days, though I was surrounded constantly by lots of people. A lot was going wrong in my life at the time, too, so I came up with a mantra: “I am in Solitude but I’m not lonely”. I was improvising a lot on my own in private those days, and singing a lot by myself, too. Through a lot of improvisation processes, including a rather public one in front of a panel at an audition (a story for another time, haha!), the song evolved into what it is now. I’m so glad to get to share this song with my dearest friend Britt as a duo, now, and this song features on my recently released album, Hearth!  

Insider Interview with soprano/pianist Chelsea Guo

On March 6, Baruch Performing Arts Center presents the award-winning musician Chelsea Guo. Equally talented as both a pianist and soprano, Guo will accompany herself in a program that features arias by Rossini, Donizetti, Chopin, and more. We spoke to her about the upcoming recital program, self-accompaniment, and future engagements (including time in Vienna!).

Very few artists can competently accompany themselves on piano. What are the challenges for you to play piano while singing? What are the rewards?

Performing songs self-accompanied feels like a privilege every time I have the chance to do it onstage. It allows me complete spontaneity, flexibility of breath, and freedom for phrasing and expression. Of course, it comes with many technical challenges, the biggest one being independence of the vocal and pianistic mechanisms. While they move together, I need to take special care to preserve the technical aspects that keep the voice supported while also leaning into my finger/foot muscle memory to make sure I'm bringing the right touch and sound to the piano (especially because I can't hear the piano very well while I'm singing). There's a verticality to the physical action of playing the piano that both needs to counteract and support the spin of the voice. But, once all that gets worked through in practice, the result is always worth it to me.

When learning a new piece do you start by learning the vocal part, or the piano part?

I start learning a self-accompanied song by learning both parts completely independently - as if I'm preparing to sing or play them alone. 

You perform a wide variety of styles of music. How do you go about constructing a program?

Constructing programs is the most exciting and most challenging part. There is so much crossover between the vocal and piano literature - so many ideas and connections to explore. The challenge is that I can get a bit too excited about a concept and have to remind myself to keep the audience experience in mind. When I'm programming many styles of music in one concert, I try to keep a common thread going, so either a personal narrative or a musical or intellectual connection.

How did you first get interested in music? At what point did you realize it would be your career?

I was always enamored with music and loved my piano lessons as a kid. I especially loved the storytelling aspect of music, as my mother would come up with narratives to connect me to the piano pieces I was learning. I told her around the age of 11 that I wanted to be a concert pianist. Eventually, I started taking voice lessons to better improve my understanding of piano music, and that ended up becoming part of my path as well. It's been an incredible journey that has led me to a deeper love of this art form every day that I do it!

Later this season, you’ll be spending some time in Vienna as a studio member of the Volksoper Wien. How did this opportunity come about? What you expect you’ll experience while you are there?

This past summer, I was in the studio of Wolf Trap Opera, getting my first taste of opera, when I received an email from the head of the studio at Volksoper Wien. I genuinely thought it was a spam email (why would they know about me?) until I re-read it and it hit me that it was real - they had heard of my name through a wonderful cellist I had worked with previously, seen my videos online, and were inviting me to come audition in Vienna. One thing led to another, and I'm moving there shortly after I perform at Baruch PAC! I'm really excited for my first role there, which is as Mab/Adelaide in The Enchanted Pig by Jonathan Dove, and some others coming up include Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Frasquita in Carmen, among other fun assignments. I expect it will be very busy time and a totally new experience, but I'll still be coming back in between productions to perform recitals and concerts in the States. 

Insider interview with percussionist Michael Yeung

Percussionist Michael Yeung is winner of the prestigious Susan Wadsworth International Auditions by Young Concert Artists. He has toured the world as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. On January 27 at Baruch Performing Arts Center in Manhattan, Yeung performs a solo recital with an adventurous program featuring arrangements of classics including Debussy's Rêverie and a lute suite by J.S. Bach to Xenakis' 20th-century solo percussion staple Rebonds A and B. We spoke with Yeung about the upcoming recital, the history of the marimba, note perfect performances, and why Georges Aperghis’s Le Corps à Corp is a one-of-a-kind experience for both performer and listener.

How did you choose percussion as your primary instrument?  

“This kid has good rhythm,” – a chance comment my mother overheard from my kindergarten piano teacher. The Hong Kong Percussion Center had just opened in the same year, led by the then recently retired principal percussionist of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Dr. Lung Heung-wing. That was how things fell into place. Every Saturday evening from the time I was age 6 to 16, I would head to Wan Chai, walk 15 minutes from the subway station, and be in sort of Percussive Disneyland for an hour.  

Against a corner of the room, two rows of djembes lined the bottom of a long shelf, the top of which was crowded with various sound-making knick-knacks: Agogo bells, whirly tubes, caxixis, tuned desk bells, and on and on. In another corner was a phalanx of keyboards: a xylophone, a glockenspiel, a vibraphone, and above all the marimba, which was a Yamaha YM-6100, a glorious five octave instrument with a luxurious sound. I treasured my time there every week. There were no questions asked when, later on, I dropped piano for percussion.  

At what point did you realize that you were interested in music as a career?  

Well, I was always intrigued and interested by the idea (who wouldn’t be if you lived in a Percussive Disneyland every Saturday?), but it was two very difficult pieces that I came across in secondary school that gave me the confidence to keep pursuing music. The first was the xylophone part in James L. Hosay’s Persis Overture, notorious for having the xylophone double the woodwinds in passages with continuous strings of sixteenth notes. So many notes, coming at you so quickly, which you would have to execute without room for error – the xylophone could be heard very prominently over the top of the band. I felt peer-pressured into perfection. The recording of one of our performances is still up on YouTube – to this day more than a decade later, it is still one of the remarkably few “note perfect” performances in my life.   

A few years later, Joseph Schwantner’s Velocities was pretty much the same thing – a continuous string of sixteenth notes – but nine minutes long, four mallets instead of two, and everything dialed up to eleven. I reveled in the challenge and absorbed the piece like a fish in water. Looking back, both these experiences really were as simple as they were formative – proof that I was good at what I do.  

What are the challenges of programming and playing a solo percussion recital?  

A big challenge is that there simply has not been as much music written for us in comparison with say, the piano or the violin. Let’s take marimba music as an example. Some of our oldest pieces came from Japan, commissioned and premiered by the legendary Keiko Abe, over the course of three marimba recitals between 1968-71. That’s just a half century ago. In the States, the National Endowment for the Arts’ solo marimba commission in 1986, merely four decades ago, bore fruit three of the very first and very best pieces for the instrument – one of which was Velocities. And so, nearly all the repertoire for a concert marimbist (besides arrangements) comes from the 21st or the second half of the 20th century – there is no “classical” or “romantic” “tradition” to speak of for the marimba. We face similar challenges to a classical saxophonist. 

1986 was also the year when the modern concert marimba, in its five-octave incarnation, was first built. It was in Japan, by the Yamaha company with guidance from Abe herself. Yamaha, of course, also makes pianos, so imagine if the first grand piano Yamaha made was not in 1902, but three quarters of a century later. In fact, the concept of a “concert marimba” arguably only came up when Guatemalan marimbas attracted the attention of American instrument makers in the Panama International Exposition of 1915 in San Francisco. Another analogy is to imagine Cristofori’s invention of the fortepiano not in 1700, but in 1900; the piano world would be two centuries behind where it is currently. Hopefully this gives an idea of how much the percussion profession is still in its nascency. 

Tell us more about your program at Baruch PAC. How did you select this music, and what connects the pieces?  

I am bringing a healthy mixture of the classical and the contemporary. Again, much of percussion music comes from modern times, and these pieces by Xenakis, Hurel, and Aperghis act as the backbone of my program and an authentic overview to my profession. Interspersed are arrangements of Bach, Debussy, and John Cage, and I use these pieces from the canon of classical music to display the capabilities of keyboard percussion as a fresh, new canvas for these familiar works. 

One idiosyncrasy for percussion programming is that we need to consider not only the music itself, but also the flexibility and ease of the set up for all the equipment that would have to be on stage. Part of what I love about the second half in this program is the simplicity of accomplishing that goal, of connecting each piece with the next with a subtle and elegant walk towards each next instrument, in hopes of never distracting the audience from the music-making experience.   

Your program ends with Georges Aperghis’s Le Corps à Corps, which features vocals. Could you tell us about that piece? What’s it like to perform? What are the lyrics about?  

Le corps is wonderful! I cannot exaggerate how much I swear by this work, it is truly a one-of-a-kind experience both for the performer and the listener. Its text seemingly describes a scene of a horrific accident at a motorcycle race, in a stream-of-consciousness retelling that blurs and disorients the listener’s perception of the tale. To perform Le corps is to be both the story’s narrator and its protagonist, to pour blood, sweat, and tears into a maximally physical effort – it is a virtuosic agility course for my voice, for my body, and of course for my fingers on the zarb, a Persian goblet drum that I had to learn from scratch for this piece, a drum that frames the entire affair. So much drama is drawn from this instrument, and the musical score itself is already an exercise in coordination and concentration. You will see and hear me flitting between playing my zarb, conveying Aperghis’ text, enacting the drama, and diverting the attention of the audience, towards and between these many different moving parts. It is always incredibly rewarding, and incredibly exhausting. I hope people like it. 

Tickets for the January 27 concert are available bpac.baruch.cuny.edu.

Baruch PAC's 2025 spring season

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Baruch Performing Arts Center's Spring 2025 Performances

Percussionist Michael Yeung, pianist/soprano Chelsea Guo, and classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang fill BPAC's intimate Engelman Recital Hall with compelling music

Special three-concert ticket package available for $75

This spring, Baruch Performing Arts Center's "perfect hall for chamber music" (New York Times) is full of great performances. From award-winning percussionist Michael Yeung to classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang and the multi-talented Chelsea Guo, who is equally at home as a pianist and singer, audiences have the chance to see these three remarkable artists early in their careers in the intimate recital hall which David Letterman called "delightful."

Ticket offer: Purchase tickets to all three recitals for a special price of $75 at this link.

Tickets to all shows available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu
Downloadable images & bios available in the digital press kit

January 27, 7 pm: Percussionist Michael Yeung

Michael Yeung is winner of the prestigious Susan Wadsworth International Auditions by Young Concert Artists. He has toured the world as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. Yeung has appeared with the internationally acclaimed Percussion Collective and performed with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra under Gustavo Dudamel. In 2024 he curated a series of concerts sponsored by TEDx in Shenzhen, China, and made his Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center recital debuts.

From arrangements of classics including Debussy's Rêverie and a lute suite by J.S. Bach to Xenakis' 20th-century solo percussion staple Rebonds A and B, Yeung's versatile skills are on full display on this adventurous and unusual program. The recital also features works by Georges Aperghis, Phillippe Hurel, and John Cage's stunningly gorgeous In a Landscape. 

Tickets $35 ($15 for students and Baruch staff) | $75 three-concert package deal available here

March 6, 7 pm: Pianist/soprano Chelsea Guo

Chelsea Guo is one of the rare talents equally formidable as both a soprano and a pianist. First-prize winner of the 2022 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions and a 2022 Classic FM Rising Star, Guo has attracted international attention as a pianist and soprano of remarkable gifts.

Her Baruch PAC performance features classical favorites for voice and piano, with Guo accompanying herself on a program that features works by Chopin, Ravel, Faure, Donizetti, Rossini and more. The concert is part of the Silberman Recital Series. Tickets $35 ($15 for students and Baruch staff).

May 19, 7 pm: Classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang

Acclaimed for her “staggering virtuosity,” the classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang returns to Baruch PAC with a performance of works by Bach, Piazzolla, original compositions, and more.

A groundbreaking artist, Hanzhi was the first accordionist to win Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the first to be named Musical America’s “New Artist of the Month,” and the first solo accordionist on WQXR Radio’s Young Artists Showcase.

Hanzhi made her Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center debuts in 2017. Her awards include the Ruth Laredo Prize and Mortimer Levitt Career Development Award for Women Artists of YCA and First Prize in the 40th Castelfidardo International Accordion Competition in Italy. She inspires the next generation of accordionists with lectures, performances, and master classes at the Manhattan School of Music, Royal Danish Academy of Music, Tianjin Music Conservatory, and across Europe. 

Tickets $35 ($15 for students and Baruch staff).

Baruch PAC 2025 Spring Season at a glance

Now-February 9: Wakka Wakka's Dead as a Dodo
January 27: Percussionist Michael Yeung
March 6: Pianist/soprano Chelsea Guo
May 13-25: Heartbeat Opera's "Faust"
May 19: Classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang

Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street) in the heart of Manhattan. Praised for its superb acoustics, the Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall has been called "a perfect hall for chamber music" by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times. 

Jan. 27 at Baruch PAC: percussionist Michael Yeung

January 27: Baruch PAC spring concert season begins with percussionist Michael Yeung

Recital by award-winning artist includes works by J.S. Bach, Debussy, Cage, and Xenakis

Season continues with recitals by pianist/vocalist Chelsea Guo and classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang; see all three for one special price

Baruch Performing Arts Center launches its spring concert season with the award-winning percussionist Michael Yeung. The performance on Monday, January 27, 2025 at 7 pm at Baruch PAC's Engelman Recital Hall displays the vast range of Yeung's skills.

Michael Yeung is winner of the prestigious Susan Wadsworth International Auditions by Young Concert Artists. He has toured the world as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. Yeung has appeared with the internationally acclaimed Percussion Collective and performed with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra under Gustavo Dudamel. In 2024 he curated a series of concerts sponsored by TEDx in Shenzhen, China, and made his Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center recital debuts.

From arrangements of classics including Debussy's Rêverie and a lute suite by J.S. Bach to Xenakis' 20th-century solo percussion staple Rebonds A and B, Yeung's versatile skills are on full display on this adventurous and unusual program. The recital also features works by Georges Aperghis, Phillippe Hurel, and John Cage's stunningly gorgeous In a Landscape. 

Baruch PAC's spring concert series continues on March 6 with pianist and vocalist Chelsea Guo and May 19 with classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang. A ticket package for all three concerts is available for $75 (three concerts for the price of two). Digital press kits, including photos and bios, are at this link. 

Guo, Wang and Yeung are all on the roster of Young Concert Artists, an organization with a reputation for identifying musicians on their way to major performance careers. "We are committed to showcasing rising artists, as evidenced by our relationship with YCA," said Baruch PAC managing director Howard Sherman. "It gives our audience an opportunity to see these phenomenal performers in an intimate setting at accessible prices."

Tickets to Michael Yeung's recital at Baruch PAC January 27 are $35 general admission ($20 for students), available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu. A three-concert package deal, which includes tickets for percussionist Michael Yeung (January 27), pianist/vocalist Chelsea Guo (March 6), and classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang (May 19) is available for $75. Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street).

Monday, January 27, 2025 at 7 pm

Baruch Performing Arts Center presents

Percussionist Michael Yeung

Baruch PAC (55 Lexington Ave., New York, NY) (enter on 25th St. between 3rd and Lexington Aves)

Tickets are $35 general admission ($20 students), available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu

PROGRAM
Iannis Xenakis: Rebonds B
J.S. Bach: Lute Suite in e minor
Philippe Hurel: Loops II
Claude Debussy: Rêverie (arranged for vibraphone)
Iannis Xenakis: Rebonds A
John Cage: In a Landscape (arr. for marimba and vibraphone)
Georges Aperghis: Le corps a corps

Coming up at Baruch PAC:

• January 8 – February 9: Dead as a Dodo from Wakka Wakka (part of the Under The Radar Festival)

• January 27: Michael Yeung, percussionist

• March 6: Chelsea Guo, pianist and vocalist

• May 13-25: Heartbeat Opera performs Faust

• May 19: Hanzhi Wang, classical accordionist 

Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street) in the heart of Manhattan. Praised for its superb acoustics, the Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall has been called "a perfect hall for chamber music" by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times. 

Nov. 13 at Baruch PAC: Krakauer & Tagg's "Breath & Hammer"

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Baruch Performing Arts Center presents
KRAKAUER & TAGG: BREATH & HAMMER

Klezmer clarinetist David Krakauer and pianist Kathleen Tagg bring a program of world music, improvisation, and classical music to the Silberman Recital Series

On Wednesday, November 13 at 7 pm, Baruch Performing Arts Center presents Grammy-nominated classical and world music clarinetist David Krakauer with acclaimed South African-raised pianist/composer/producer Kathleen Tagg in their program Breath & Hammer.

Krakauer has been praised internationally as a key innovator in modern klezmer as well as a major voice in classical music. Tagg is an award-winning pianist, composer and producer who has crafted a distinctive style that mixes together acoustic and electronic sounds, loops, samples and extended techniques. 

Their program Breath & Hammer brings together world music, classical music and improvisation. It is a unique opportunity to see the pair’s unorthodox playing styles in a chamber music setting. Krakauer & Tagg's acrobatic and highly virtuosic arrangements of tunes by a host of performer-composers from around the globe are placed alongside original compositions and complete reimaginings of traditional tunes and standards close to their hearts. Selections include the jazz standard "Body and Soul," music by Claude Debussy, John Zorn, Kinan Azmeh and more.

Krakauer & Tagg began working together in 2012, and each year have pushed further against the boundaries of standard concert programming by creating programs that completely redefine the sounds and roles of their instruments: Krakauer’s use of extended techniques, improvisation, and circular breathing on the clarinet, along with Tagg’s prowess inside the piano to remake it as a harp, a zither, a drum, and a cello creates a collective sound that completely transforms these two acoustic instruments. Their work together includes large-scale dialogue works; creating works for soloists and orchestra or symphonic wind band; multimedia immersive works with spatialized audio and live video art; film scores; works for genre-crossing band, alongside their acoustic and electric duo performance programs. 

Tickets to Krakauer & Tagg: Breath & Hammer on November 13 at 7 pm are $35 general admission ($20 for students), available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu. Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street). This concert is part of the Silberman Concert Series.

Calendar Listing

Silberman Concert Series

Wednesday, November 13, 2024 at 7 pm

Baruch Performing Arts Center presents:
KRAKAUER & TAGG: Breath & Hammer

Baruch PAC (55 Lexington Ave., New York, NY) (enter on 25th St. between 3rd and Lexington Aves)

Tickets are $35 general admission ($20 students), available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu

PROGRAM

November 22 by Kinan Azmeh, arr. Kathleen Tagg
Première Rhapsodie by Claude Debussy
Parzial by John Zorn, arr. Krakauer, Tagg
Der Gasn Nign, Trad., arr. Krakauer, Tagg
Berimbau by Kathleen Tagg
Body and Soul by Green, Heyman, Sour, and Eyton, arr. Krakauer, Tagg
Chassidic Dance by Abraham Ellstein
Moldavian Voyage by Emil Kroitor, arr. Tagg, Krakauer
Synagogue Wail by David Krakauer
Der Heyser Bulgar, Trad. arr. Krakauer and Tagg

Baruch PAC 2024-25 Season:

• November 13: Krakauer & Tagg

• January 8 – February 9: Dead as a Dodo from Wakka Wakka (part of the Under The Radar Festival)

• January 27: Michael Yeung, percussionist

• March 6: Chelsea Guo, pianist and vocalist

• May 13-25: Faust from Heartbeat Opera

• May 19: Hanzhi Wang, classical accordionist 

Baruch Performing Arts Center

Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street) in the heart of Manhattan. Praised for its superb acoustics, the Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall has been called "a perfect hall for chamber music" by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times. 

Insider Interview with classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang

On April 19, Baruch Performing Arts Center presents classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang in recital. Acclaimed for her “staggering virtuosity,” Ms. Wang is the only accordionist to ever win the Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. Her wide-ranging recital features works by Piazzolla, Bach, Boulanger, Gubaidulina and others. We spoke with her about being a pioneer for her instrument, the differences between classical accordion and similar instruments, and the upcoming program at Baruch PAC. 

What first attracted you to the accordion? 

When I was around five years old, I had a chance encounter with an accordion while watching a classical Italian movie called "Cinema Paradiso" with my parents. The soundtrack immediately caught my attention and I noticed a unique sound that I had never heard before from any other classical musical instrument. I became intrigued and since then, I wanted to learn how to play the accordion.

How did you come to the unusual focus of classical music on your instrument?  Do you think of yourself as a classical musician who plays accordion, or as an accordionist who plays classical music? 

I consider myself a classical musician who plays the accordion. Unfortunately, the classical accordion is not yet commonly recognized in the US. I have noticed that the accordion is generally associated with folk music. However, the classical accordion has the potential to perform many types of music. The main difference between the classical accordion and the regular accordion is the left-hand part. While the regular accordion produces an "Oom-pa-pa" sound, the classical accordion has single tones in the left hand which allows us to perform polyphonic music such as Bach or any great classical composers.

What are the challenges of playing classical music on the accordion? How is your performance approach different from popular or folk music?

Playing the classical accordion can be quite challenging. The right-hand side has 107 buttons while the left-hand side has 120 buttons, none of which are visible while playing. Additionally, the player's left wrist and arm must control the compression and bellows turning. Therefore, there are technically three things going on simultaneously while performing.

Tell us about your instrument. Where's it from? What makes it unique? How long have you had it? 

For almost two decades, my accordion has been with me, its origins tracing back to the picturesque town of Castelfidardo in Italy - the "accordion city" situated along the stunning coast of Ancona. With every passing year, the sound of my instrument only gets better and better.

Classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang at Baruch PA

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Award-winning classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang in recital at Baruch PAC

April 19 program features music by Piazzolla, Bach, Boulanger, Gubaidulina and more!

“Staggering virtuosity that held the audience in a state of breathlessness, as thrilling to watch as to hear.”  – Oberon's Grove

On Friday, April 19 at 7:30 pm the award-winning classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang performs at the intimate Engelman Recital Hall at Baruch Performing Arts Center (55 Lexington Ave (entrance on 25th St), New York, NY). Tickets are $35, available here.

Highlights of Ms. Wang's program include selections from Bach's Goldberg Variations heard fresh in this arrangement for accordion, a work by Katherine Balch written for Ms. Wang, an original work by the accordionist, and music by Sofia Gubaidulina, Rebecca Clarke, Lili Boulanger, and Astor Piazzolla. Full program details below.

Acclaimed for her “staggering virtuosity,” Ms. Wang is praised for her captivating stage presence and performances that display passion and finesse. A groundbreaking artist, Hanzhi was the first accordionist to win Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the first to be named Musical America’s “New Artist of the Month,” and the first solo accordionist on WQXR Radio’s Young Artists Showcase. Ms. Wang earned her Bachelor’s degree at the China Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She completed her Master’s degree and Soloist Diploma at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen with the renowned accordion professor Geir Draugsvoll.

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Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street) in the heart of Manhattan. Praised for its superb acoustics, the Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall has been called "a perfect hall for chamber music" by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times. This spring Baruch PAC presentations include the PUBLIQuaret & Harlem Quartets; pianist Maxim Lando; toy-piano/electronic Chromic Duo; Heartbeat Opera's annual spring festival in a co-presentation; and classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang.

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CALENDAR LISTING

Friday, April 19, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Baruch Performing Arts Center presents:

Accordionist Hanzhi Wang

Engelman Recital Hall at Baruch Performing Arts Center

55 Lexington Ave., New York, NY
(enter on 25th St. between 3rd and Lexington Aves)

Tickets are $35 available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu

PROGRAM

J.S. Bach: selections from Goldberg Variations
Sofia Gubaidulina: De Profundis
Rebecca Clarke: Lullaby & Grotesque
Lili Boulanger: Cortège
Katherine Balch: Impromptu for Hanzhi
Hanzhi Wang: My Story
Astor Piazzolla: Chinquilin de Bachin, Milonga del Angel, and La Muerte del Angel

Program subject to change

(Photo credit: Matt Dine)

Chromic Duo Insider Interview

On March 5, Baruch Performing Arts Center presents Chromic Duo. Blending classical music, keyboards (including toy piano) and electronics into compelling genre-fluid performances and installation the duo - Lucy Yao and Dorothy Chan - will perform music by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Andy Akiho, Maurice Ravel and more. We spoke to them about their upcoming program, pushing genre, experimenting with multimedia, and more!

Classical Music Communications: How did you meet, and what prompted you to join together as a duo? 

Lucy Yao: We met in a hallway! I saw Dorothy carrying this huge case of what looked like a piano, except it was shrunken down. And from that day on, we started to ask ourselves, “why not?” and started to experiment with whatever instruments could make sound. From toy pianos, to electronics, to other art forms that weren’t as familiar to us, but could help us express ourselves, and collaborate to explore new ideas, like dance, film, and technology.

Dorothy Chan: Curiosity and our openness to experimentation really brought us together. In our journey we’ve found that the core of what makes us want to create and connect to the people and community is to look further inside. To find the little moments, the joys, the reckonings, and really capture and remember the importance of them. 

CMC: Why toy piano? What intrigues you about it? How do you manage the contrast in timbre and volume in a duet with toy piano and grand piano? 

DC: Did you know that toy pianos could be made out of a variety of materials, resulting in very different sounds and timbre? Metal rods, hollow rods, glass bars even (in the very early days), plastic hammers vs. wood hammers…It’s fascinating! The toy piano first captured my attention when I realized how this “toy” is considered an instrument and that there are numerous pieces written just for it. I was playing a lot of contemporary classical at the time, and discovering the toy piano was such a joyful moment — to see ‘serious’ music made on this ‘non-serious’ instrument, and how it breaks through traditional expectations and creates an accessibility through curiosity. 

LY: That is what’s really exciting for me! The fact that you can reimagine the things that you would find in your everyday life, into new possibilities. With that, what else can be reimagined into new possibilities? What other things might we have overlooked in our everyday lives? How can we see things in a new light? 

It’s these kinds of questions that guide us in our work -  it could be anything from a performance, to an installation, to community engagement, where we find real joy and meaning in collaborating and listening to the stories of the communities we work with, and reimagine empathy and curiosity together. 

CMC: Electronics are a mainstay of your programs. How do you create these sounds, and how are they incorporated with the sound of the pianos? How much improvisation is involved?  

Chromic Duo: We started experimenting much more with electronics when the pandemic hit. We realized the limitations posed by the pandemic could actually be a place of opportunity for us to expand. We found that with electronics, as well as technology, we could tap into a different way of telling stories. Just like our soundwalk “Listen to Chinatown”– we interviewed mural artists, small business owners and community members in Chinatown, and integrated their stories to the work using spoken words and poetry, bringing users to behind-the-scenes stories, inspirations, and even food recommendations. This work also exists as a concert piece “Homecoming”, where we program for concert hall goers, revealing hidden stories that deserve to be heard on platforms that traditionally do not include them.  Storytelling never fails to be the heart of our work, and through that, we can reshape and rethink conversations to make them as accessible as possible to reach a wider spectrum of audiences.

CMC: The program also includes one of your own compositions. Tell us about this work, and about your composition process as a duo.

Chromic Duo: “From Roots We Carry” explores the complex intergenerational legacies that live inside of us. We interviewed community members and asked them - What do you carry? What have we inherited through familial bonds from the past generation? What are the legacies that we want to keep, and what are some that we want to shed? 

We collaborated with artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya to create a monument and performance ritual, which invites audiences to reflect on their own bonds with their past – both the gifts given to us by our ancestors and the heights and weight of those expectations we feel obligated to reach - and to choose what we want to keep carrying, and what to leave behind. Trailer linked here.

CMC: This concert is part of a larger series that Baruch College has started since just last October. You are also Artists-in-Residence at the Silberman Residency where you will talk to students majoring in a huge variety of fields, who are curious about your process. Can you tell us about how you are approaching engaging with the students? And how does your creative process link to that? 

Chromic Duo: When we first started working together in 2019, we struggled for so long to “define ourselves”, as musicians and artists. Music school, especially, has taught us to internalize a rigid way of thinking– you’re either this or that, successful or not, musician or composer– when it’s really not only about those labels. 

We’ve since broken out of those labels, these boxes, and in our work, you can see that it expands from events like a concert, that is accessible and meets audiences where they are at, to interactive installations focused on student health and wellness (recently at Purdue University), to Augmented Reality soundwalks– the medium and genre are always changing and flexible. But one thing we do want to make clear, in both our creative process, and in our engagement with the students at Baruch, is that you can rely on collaboration – you don’t have to be everything. You also don’t have to be just one thing. We believe that it’s super important to acknowledge that your voice is something that can be heard and celebrated. 

Baruch PAC's 2024 spring season

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Baruch Performing Arts Center's Spring 2024 Performances

Pianist Maxim Lando, classical accordionist Hangzhi Wang and Chromic Duo's toy piano and electronics fill BPAC's intimate Engelman Recital Hall with compelling music

Plus Heartbeat Opera's new production of Eugene Onegin and a world-premiere by Daniel Schlosberg and Amanda Quaid

This spring, Baruch Performing Arts Center's "perfect hall for chamber music" (New York Times) is full of performances. From the sounds of award-winning pianist Maxim Lando to classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang to the ingenuity of the Chromic Duo on keyboards and electronics, audiences will experience the best chamber music anywhere.

Ticket offer (valid til Feb. 9): Purchase tickets to all three recitals for a special price of $68 with code ADVANCE at this link.

Also this spring: Heartbeat Opera returns with their annual spring festival, presenting a new arrangement of Eugene Onegin alongside the world premiere of Daniel Schlosberg & Amanda Quaid’s The Extinctionist.

Tickets to all shows available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu

Downloadable images & bios available in the digital press kit

"Brilliance and infectious exuberance" Pianist Maxim Lando

February 9, 7:30 pm: Pianist Maxim Lando
Colorful classics by an award-winning performer

Award-winning pianist Maxim Lando performs Robert Schumann's Carnaval, Modest Mussorgsky’s evocative Pictures at an Exhibition, and the pianist’s own arrangement of Stephen Sondheim’s The Worst Pies in London from "Sweeney Todd." Schumann's Carnaval is a timely choice, as it depicts pre-Lenten festivities within a few days of Mardi Gras 2024.

Lando has been praised for his “brilliance and infectious exuberance” (The New York Times) and called a “dazzling fire-eater” by ARTS San Francisco. He is recipient of the prestigious Gilmore Young Artist Award, earned First Prize at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and is winner of the New York Franz Liszt International Competition and The Vendome Prize.

Tickets $35 ($15 for students and Baruch staff).

"playful soundscapes” Chromic Duo

March 5, 7:30 pm: Chromic Duo
Multi-media duo plays toy pianos merged with electronics

Chromic Duo - Lucy Yao and Dorothy Chan - blends classical music, toy piano, and electronics into genre-fluid performances and installations. Inspired by the small wonders of the everyday, they compose sound worlds inspired by the multitudes as Third-Culture-Kids discovering their voices within the vast Asian-American diaspora.

Chromic Duo often blurs the lines between film, virtual reality, and augmented reality, but the heart of their work remains constant: to create an intimacy and sense of wonder in their music that unravels the story of self-discovery and passion, connecting the dots between grief and joy, belonging and displacement, and creating community in boundary-pushing performances and web-based experiences.

Tickets $35 ($15 for students and Baruch staff).

“staggering virtuosity” Classical Accordionist Hanzhi Wang

April 19, 7:30 pm: Classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang

Acclaimed for her “staggering virtuosity,” the classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang is praised for her captivating stage presence and performances that display passion and finesse. A groundbreaking artist, Hanzhi was the first accordionist to win Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the first to be named Musical America’s “New Artist of the Month,” and the first solo accordionist on WQXR Radio’s Young Artists Showcase.

Hanzhi made her Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center debuts in 2017. Her awards include the Ruth Laredo Prize and Mortimer Levitt Career Development Award for Women Artists of YCA and First Prize in the 40th Castelfidardo International Accordion Competition in Italy. She inspires the next generation of accordionists with lectures, performances, and master classes at the Manhattan School of Music, Royal Danish Academy of Music, Tianjin Music Conservatory, and across Europe. 

Tickets $35 ($15 for students and Baruch staff).

Heartbeat Opera at Baruch PAC

On April 2-14, Heartbeat Opera returns to BPAC for their annual spring festival. Alternating nights, the critically-acclaimed company presents a new 100-minute adaptation of Tchaikovsky's exquisite masterpiece Eugene Onegin alongside the highly anticipated premiere of Daniel Schlosberg and Amanda Quaid's thrilling The Extinctionist.

Baruch Performing Arts Center

Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street) in the heart of Manhattan. Praised for its superb acoustics, the Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall has been called "a perfect hall for chamber music" by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times. 

Feb 9: Award-winning pianist Maxim Lando at BPAC

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Award-winning pianist Maxim Lando performs at Baruch PAC on February 9

Colorful program includes Robert Schumann's Carnaval, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and music by Sondheim

On Friday, February 9, the award-winning American pianist Maxim Lando performs at the intimate Engelman Recital Hall at Baruch Performing Arts Center. His program includes Robert Schumann's Carnaval, Modest Mussorgsky’s evocative Pictures at an Exhibition, and the pianist’s own arrangement of Stephen Sondheim’s The Worst Pies in London from "Sweeney Todd." Schumann's Carnaval is a timely choice, as it depicts pre-Lenten festivities within a few days of Mardi Gras 2024. Tickets are $35, available here.

Lando has been praised for his “brilliance and infectious exuberance” (The New York Times) and called a “dazzling fire-eater” by ARTS San Francisco. He is recipient of the prestigious Gilmore Young Artist Award, earned First Prize at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and is winner of the New York Franz Liszt International Competition and The Vendome Prize.

Maxim made his Alice Tully Hall debut performing with the Juilliard Orchestra in 2021 and appeared with the Orchestra of St. Luke's at Carnegie Hall as First Prize Winner in the 2022 New York Franz Liszt International Piano Competition. Recent awards include "Best Chamber Music Album of the Year" at the 2023 International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) for his album “Into Madness” with German violinist Tassilo Probst.

Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street) in the heart of Manhattan. Praised for its superb acoustics, the Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall has been called "a perfect hall for chamber music" by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times. 

Tickets are now on sale for all Spring 2024 performances. Details below, and tickets are available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu.

Friday, February 9, 2023 at 7:30 pm

Baruch Performing Arts Center presents:

Pianist Maxim Lando

Engelman Recital Hall at Baruch Performing Arts Center

55 Lexington Ave., New York, NY (enter on 25th St. between 3rd and Lexington Aves)

Tickets are $35 available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu

PROGRAM
Schumann: Carnaval
Sondheim (arr. Lando): The Worst Pies in London from "Sweeney Todd"
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

Baruch PAC 2024 Spring Season

January 13: PUBLIQuartet and Harlem Quartet (double-bill)
February 9: Pianist Maxim Lando (Gilmore Young Artist)
March 5: Chromic Duo
April 2-14: Heartbeat Opera Spring Festival: Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin and The Extinctionist, a world premiere by Daniel Schlosberg
April 19: Classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang

January 13: PUBLIQuartet & Harlem Qt at Baruch PAC

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Baruch Performing Arts Center presents PUBLIQuartet and Harlem Quartet on Saturday, January 13, 2024

Baruch PAC's concert series continues through the Spring with Gilmore Young Artist Maxim Lando, Heartbeat Opera's Spring Festival, and classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang

On Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 7 pm, Baruch Performing Arts Center presents a double-bill of two internationally-renowned ensembles: PUBLIQuartet and Harlem Quartet at Engelman Recital Hall. Tickets are $45, available on Baruch PAC's website.

Multi-Grammy nominated PUBLIQuartet has built a reputation for improvising, blending genres, and highlighting American multiculturalism. They are winners of Chamber Music America’s prestigious Visionary Award for outstanding and innovative approaches to contemporary classical, jazz, and world chamber music and the Concert Artists Guild New Music/New Places award.

Harlem Quartet has collaborated with a wide range of artists, from Chick Corea to Itzhak Perlman and Jeremy Denk. Harlem Quartet's album with Corea and Gary Burton won multiple Grammy Awards, and the group's mission to advance diversity in classical music has brought them around the world; including a performance at The White House and a South African tour.

Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street) in the heart of Manhattan. Praised for its superb acoustics, the Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall has been called "a perfect hall for chamber music" by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times. 

CALENDAR LISTING

January 13, 2023 at 7 pm

Baruch Performing Arts Center presents:
PUBLIQuartet and Harlem Quartet

Engelman Recital Hall at Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Ave., New York, NY (enter on 25th St. between 3rd and Lexington Aves)

Tickets are $45 available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu

Coming up at Baruch PAC

January 13: PUBLIQuartet and Harlem Quartet (double-bill)
February 9: Pianist Maxim Lando (Gilmore Young Artist)
March: artist and date to be revealed soon
April 2-14: Heartbeat Opera Spring Festival: Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin and The Extinctionist, a world premiere by Daniel Schlosberg
April 19: Classical accordionist Hanzhi Wang

Watch this space for complete spring season details!

Artist Biographies

Applauded by The Washington Post as “a perfect encapsulation of today’s trends in chamber music,” and by The New Yorker as “independent-minded,” multi-GRAMMY®-nominated PUBLIQuartet is an improvising string quartet whose repertoire blends genres and highlights American multiculturalism. PUBLIQuartet rose on the music scene as winner of the 2013 Concert Artists Guild New Music/New Places award, and in 2019 garnered Chamber Music America’s prestigious Visionary Award for outstanding and innovative approaches to contemporary classical, jazz, and world chamber music. PQ’s genre-bending programs range from newly commissioned pieces to re-imaginations of classical works featuring open-form improvisations that expand the techniques and aesthetic of the traditional string quartet.

Harlem Quartet advances diversity in classical music while engaging new audiences with varied repertoire that includes works by minority composers. Their mission to share their passion with a wider audience has taken them around the world; from a 2009 performance at The White House for President Obama and First Lady, Michelle Obama, to a highly successful tour of South Africa in 2012, and numerous venues in between. The musically versatile ensemble has performed with such distinguished artists as Itzhak Perlman, Ida Kavafian, Carter Brey, Fred Sherry, Misha Dichter, Jeremy Denk, and Paquito D’Rivera. The quartet also collaborated with jazz masters Chick Corea and Gary Burton on the album Hot House, a 2013 multi-Grammy Award winning release.

Empire Wild at Baruch PAC-"a rich and vibrant experience"

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October 25 at 7 pm
Baruch Performing Arts Center presents

Empire Wild
Genre-bending trio performs its own arrangements of music from Bach, Schubert and Debussy to Swedish folk, Chick Corea and more

Empire Wild is a genre-bending crossover trio featuring Juilliard-trained classical musicians embodying a shared love of musical exploration. On Wednesday, October 25 at 7 pm Baruch Performing Arts Center presents the trio at Engelman Recital Hall. Tickets are $40 ($25 with Baruch ID). available here. The concert is part of the Freda and Aaron Silberman Recital Series.

The eclectic program at Baruch PAC features the group's unique sound and instrumentation (two cellos, piano and vocals) blending its signature mix of original music, inventive covers, and twists on the classical canon. Music by Schubert, Debussy and Bach are side by side with Swedish folk music, Chick Corea and original compositions, all arranged by the members of Empire Wild (cellists Ken Kubota and Mitch Lyon and pianist Jiyong Kim). Program details are below.

Empire Wild's performance at BPAC is part of a two day residency by Empire Wild in which they will lead classes and workshops with students in the Baruch department of Fine and Performing Arts. The group has just completed a 20-performance US tour. In 2020 Empire Wild was awarded an Ambassador Prize in the Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition. The group’s debut EP Paper Seasons highlights the trio’s unique sound and instrumentation in original compositions. Hi-res photos are at this link.

Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street) in the heart of Manhattan. Praised for its superb acoustics, the Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall has been called "a perfect hall for chamber music" by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times. 

CALENDAR LISTING

October 25, 2023 at 7 pm
Baruch Performing Arts Center presents:

Empire Wild
(Ken Kubota & Mitch Lyon, cellos; Jiyong Kim, piano)

Engelman Recital Hall at Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Ave., New York, NY (enter on 25th St. between 3rd and Lexington Aves)

Tickets are $40 ($25 with Baruch ID) available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu

This concert is part of the Freda and Aaron Silberman Recital Series.

Program

Taro Hakase: Jounetsu Tairiku
Franz Schubert: Impromptu No 3
Brandon Ilaw/Ethan Lewis: For Chiaki - North Beat
J.S. Bach: Courante in G Major
George Gershwin: ‘S Wonderful
Ji-Yong Kim: Piano Solo
Eugene Friesen: Shadowplay
Väsen: Bambodansarna
Chick Corea: Armando’s Rhumba
Empire Wild: Song for Claire
Jacob Collier: In Too Deep
Mark Summer: Julie-O (cello duo)
Claude Debussy: Children’s Corner I. Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum
Jeremy Kittel: The Boxing Reels

Program is subject to change

Bass-baritone Joseph Parrish at Baruch PAC

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December 2 at 7:30 pm
Baruch Performing Arts Center presents

Bass-baritone Joseph Parrish

Program features recital favorites by Mahler, Wolf, Ravel, and more paired with works by Margaret Bonds, Charles Brown, H. Leslie Adams, and Harry Burleigh

On Saturday, December 2 at 7:30 pm, Baruch Performing Arts Center presents bass-baritone Joseph Parrish at Engelman Recital Hall. Tickets are $40 ($25 with Baruch ID), available here. The concert is part of the Freda and Aaron Silberman Recital Series.

Parrish is a rising star, having won the 2022 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. His program at Baruch PAC features Mahler's "Aus! Aus!", Ravel's "Don Quixote à Dulcinée", and Donizetti's "Sull'onda cheta e bruna". Concluding the program are works by four prominent Black American composers from the 20th century, Harry Burleigh, H. Leslie Adams, Charles Brown, and Margaret Bonds.

Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street) in the heart of Manhattan. Praised for its superb acoustics, the Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall has been called "a perfect hall for chamber music" by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times. 

COMING UP AT BARUCH PAC: November 6, 7 pm

BPAC is the New York State host of a nationwide reading of “Enough! Plays to End Gun Violence”. Featured are six plays penned by high students from around the country addressing this vital topic, selected through a competition, to be read by students from New York City schools who participate in the CAT Youth Theatre program.

Presented by Baruch in partnership with Creative Arts Team. Proceeds benefit Center for Justice Innovation.

Pay what you wish tickets here.

CALENDAR LISTING

December 2, 2023 at 7:30 pm

Baruch Performing Arts Center presents:
Joseph Parish, bass-baritone

Engelman Recital Hall at Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Ave., New York, NY (enter on 25th St. between 3rd and Lexington Aves)

Tickets are $40 ($25 with Baruch ID) available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu

This concert is part of the Freda and Aaron Silberman Recital Series.

PROGRAM

Gaetano Donizetti: Sull’onda cheta e bruna
Stefano Donaudy: Come l’allodoletta
Gaetano Donizetti: Amore e morte
Enrique Granados: El majo olvidado
Hugo Wolf: Der Tambour
Hugo Wolf: Fußreise
Gustav Mahler: Aus! Aus!
Sergei Rachmaninov: Morning
Sergei Rachmaninov: Love’s Flame
Sergei Rachmaninov: The Lilacs
Maurice Ravel: Don Quichotte à Dulcinée
Harry Burleigh: Elysium
H. Leslie Adams: For You There Is No Song
Charles Brown: A Song Without Words
Margaret Bonds: Song to the Dark Virgin

Program is subject to change

About the Artist

Winner of the 2022 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, Joseph Parrish is a Baltimore native and holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and The Juilliard School. Recent operatic credits include Dulcamara in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, and Augure in Rossi’s L’Orfeo at Juilliard; Spinelloccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi with Festival Napa Valley, Le Baron de Pictordu in the City Lyric Opera’s production of Viardot’s Cendrillon. Next season Joseph makes his Cincinnati Opera debut in Don Giovanni. In addition to opera, Mr. Parrish enjoys a robust concert career performing with orchestra and in recitals at such prestigious venues as The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, Alice Tully Hall, St. Boniface Church in Brooklyn, and both Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Recent and upcoming performances co-presented by WPA, Newport Classical, Bridgehampton Chamber Festival, New York’s American Classical Orchestra, Caramoor’s Schwab Vocal Rising Stars, Death of Classical, Usedome Music Festival, Carnegie Hall Citywide Concerts, The Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Denison University in Granville, OH, Sleepy Hollow Friends of Chamber Music, NYFOS, and in concert with Bay Atlantic Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Aiken Symphony, Princeton Pro Music, and the Ann Arbor Symphony. 

As a current artist diploma candidate in opera studies at The Juilliard School, Mr. Parrish is passionate about giving back to the various communities that have nurtured him. He is a Music Advancement Program chorus teaching fellow, Gluck Community Service Fellow, and Morse Teaching Artist. Mr. Parrish is also a member of the inaugural cohort of Shared Voices, an initiative designed to address diversity, equity, and inclusion through collaboration between Historically Black Colleges and Universities, top conservatories, and schools of music in the United States with the Denyce Graves Foundation. 

At Baruch PAC: "The City Without Jews" silent film with live accompaniment

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October 3, 2023 at 7:30 pm

Baruch Performing Arts Center presents

The City Without Jews

1924 German-Jewish silent film newly restored

Featuring original music performed live by klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals and silent film pianist Donald Sosin

On October 3, 2023 at 7:30 pm Baruch Performing Arts Center presents the screening of a rare, rediscovered European film that imagined the impact of antisemitism a decade before its events became all too real. The silent film is accompanied by live music, composed and performed by the world-renowned klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals (founding member of the Klezmatics) and celebrated silent film pianist Donald Sosin.

Based on the controversial and best-selling novel by Hugo Bettauer, H.K. Breslauer’s 1924 film adaptation of The City Without Jews (Die Stadt ohne Juden) is darkly comedic in tone, and stylistically influenced by German Expressionism. The film contains ominous and eerily realistic sequences, such as the shots of freight trains transporting Jews out of the city.

“In the 1920s, when The City Without Jews was released, it was a satire of something unimaginable,” said Howard Sherman, managing director of the Baruch Performing Arts Center. “Now, the film stands as a reminder of how, without vigilance, social imagination can become harrowing reality. We’re very pleased to welcome Alicia and Donald to perform their evocative and emotional score with this film, connecting the past with the present.”

This screening of The City Without Jews is presented with live original music by Alicia Svigals, violinist and Donald Sosin, pianist at 7:30 PM on October 3, 2023 at Baruch PAC. This program is made possible thanks the support of The Sunrise Foundation for Education and the Arts. Tickets are $22.50 general admission ($12.50 for students with Baruch ID), and are available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu.

Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, on the south side of the street) in the heart of Manhattan. Praised for its superb acoustics, the Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman Recital Hall has been called "a perfect hall for chamber music" by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times. 

CALENDAR LISTING

October 3, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Baruch Performing Arts Center presents:

The City Without Jews (1924)

With original music performed live by klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals and silent film pianist Donald Sosin

Composers & performers: Donald Sosin, piano; Alicia Svigals, violin
Director: H. K. Breslauer
Screenplay: H.K. Breslauer and Ida Jenbach, from the novel by Hugo Bettauer

Baruch Performing Arts Center (55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues) in Manhattan

Tickets are $22.50 for general admission ($12.50 for students with Baruch ID) and are available here

Artist Bios

Alicia Svigals and Donald Sosin have been bringing audiences to their feet throughout the US and Europe with their unique and stirring violin and piano scores for Jewish-themed silent films.

Violinist/composer Alicia Svigals is the world's leading klezmer fiddler and a founder of the Grammy award-winning Klezmatics. She has performed with and written for violinist Itzhak Perlman, and has worked with the the Kronos Quartet, playwrights Tony Kushner and Eve Ensler, poet Allen Ginsburg, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Debbie Friedman and Chava Albershteyn. In May 2023, Svigals was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by the Jewish Theological Seminary for “extraordinary contributions to the arts and Jewish life.” Svigals was awarded a Foundation for Jewish Culture commission for her original score to the 1918 film The Yellow Ticket, and is a MacDowell fellow. Her CD Fidl (1996) reawakened klezmer fiddle tradition. Her newest CD is Beregovski Suite: Klezmer Reimagined, with jazz pianist Uli Geissendoerfer—an original take on long-lost Jewish music from Ukraine.

Pianist/composer Donald Sosin received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Denver Silent Film Festival, and the Best Original Film Score award by the 2022 Mystic Film Festival. He has performed his scores for silent films, often with his wife, singer/percussionist Joanna Seaton, at Lincoln Center, MoMA, BAM, the National Gallery, and at dozens of film festivals and colleges around the world. He records for Criterion, Kino, Milestone, Flicker Alley and European labels, and has had commissions from MoMA, Deutsche Kinemathek, the Chicago Symphony Chorus and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, among others.

Coming Up at Baruch PAC

Here are a few unmissable events coming up at Baruch Performing Arts Center this fall. Announcements about additional performances coming soon.

• October 3, 2023: The City Without Jews

• October 11-22: Reflex

• October 25: Empire Wild
  

The Violin Channel interviews the Alexander String Quartet

VC INTERVIEW | Alexander String Quartet - Beethoven's 250th Anniversary

The ensemble will present two concerts online on November 16, and will be available through November 29 on Baruch's College's website. Admission is pay-what-you-can

The Violin Channel recently caught up with the Alexander String quartet, quartet in residence at the Baruch College, in New York, since 1986.

The program features Beethoven's quartet Op. 18 No. 1, Op 59 No. 2, Op. 135, and Op. 132, and American composer George Walker’s Lyric for String Quartet.

Tell us about your long-standing residency at the Baruch University? How do you approach your interactions with the students?

"The quartet has been spending one week each semester at Baruch College Since 1986. The plan and long term funding for this innovative residency was put together between the Quartet members and Aaron and Freda Silberman. Aaron had graduated from Baruch on the GI Bill back in 1946 after serving in WW2. He and Freda became huge patrons of music in Pittsburgh where they settled but were large donors to Baruch and wanted to endow the gift of music to the liberal arts and business students there, many of whom were usually too busy to go out to concerts while they were studying and working.

The idea has been that we go to classes in any and all of the disciplines in the liberal arts - from psychology to Mathematics, World literature to music history. Everything. We play and speak with the students - usually making connections between the subject matter they are dealing with and the music and impetus behind the creation of the music we play.

It’s been a two way street in terms of satisfaction and meaning. The appreciation we and our art form have received from the students and Baruch College faculty and community over these 34 years has been enormously rewarding.

We also take a few hours every semester to read and record compositions from the students in the harmony and composition classes with Professor Philip Lambert. It’s a blast and seeing the expression on their faces when they hear their own works being played live in front of them is priceless!" said violinist Frederick Lifsitz.

Read the entire interview at this link.

Amsterdam News: Alexander String Quartet to honor composer George Walker: First African American to win Pulitzer for music

In the documentary Quincy, about the life of legendary music producer Quincy Jones, we learn that Jones studied with Nadia Boulanger, considered one of the best classical music instructors in the world. Jones wanted to be a classical composer but went on to become a leading jazz composer and R&B producer instead.

Classical music critic Alex Ross in a recent The New Yorker article wrote, “Will Marion Cook, Fletcher Henderson, Billy Strayhorn, and Nina Simone, among many others, had initially devoted themselves to classical-music studies. That jazz came to be called ‘America’s classical music’ was an indirect commentary on the whiteness of the concert world.”

It’s clear that racism undoubtedly had a hand in steering some classical music aspirants away from the discipline.

The fact, then, that George Walker, who also studied with Boulanger, was a classical musician his entire career, is all the more impressive. Born in Washington, D.C. in 1922, Walker began studying piano at five, and went on to become the first Black instrumentalist to perform at Manhattan’s Town Hall. It’s one of a list of other “firsts” too long to enumerate here other than to add that Walker was the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize for music. Still, he remains relatively unknown despite his vast accomplishments. To say George Walker is woefully underappreciated, is an understatement.

The Alexander String Quartet (AST) will begin remedying that unfortunate fact this month, where they’ll perform some of Walker’s work in a series of virtual concerts presented by Baruch Performing Arts Center through Nov. 29.

Read the entire article here.

Yael Weiss interviewed on WWFM's "A Tempo"

A Tempo: Pianist's Beethoven Tribute Features Commissions Bridging Conflict, Hope and Peace

By RACHEL KATZ • OCT 1, 2020

As pianist Yael Weiss looked ahead to Beethoven's 250th Anniversary, she asked composers from conflict-torn countries around the world to create works inspired by his piano sonatas and tied together by a motif from the Dona nobis Pacem from his Missa Solemnis. The composers hailed from countries inlcuding Ghana, Iran, and Jordan, to the Philippines, Syria, and Venezuela, and Weiss began touring with her project, called "32 Bright Clouds," in 2018.

When Covid-19 forced the postponement and cancellation of many Beethoven anniversary events, Weiss moved her performances online, and this Saturday (10/3 at 7 pm) on A Tempo, host Rachel Katz will speak with Weiss about the inspiration for the project, the composers and their stories, and audience responses to the performances.

Her latest concert, presented by the Baruch Performing Arts Center, is now streaming on-demand through Oct. 18. A live discussion with Weiss will follow a live stream on Oct. 6.

Listen to the interview at this link.