Out Friday: world premiere recordings by Lee Kesselman

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Music by Lee Kesselman out November 15

Would that Loving Were Enough includes world premiere recordings of works written for HAVEN: Soprano Lindsay Kesselman, clarinetist Kimberly Cole Luevano and pianist Midori Koga

The first album devoted to music by Lee Kesselman, Would That Loving Were Enough is released November 15, 2024 on Blue Griffin Records (BGR675). The collection of world premiere recordings is performed by HAVEN (Soprano Lindsay Kesselman, clarinetist Kimberly Cole Luevano and pianist Midori Koga).

A prolific composer renowned for his choral works and operas, Kesselman turns his attention to the intimacy of chamber music. The stylistically diverse collection includes original works “Make me a Willow Cabin” set to words from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, “Would That Loving Were Enough” with music and poetry by Kesselman himself, a musical re-thinking of a Handel aria and “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise,” by George Gershwin. All of the works on the album were written for these performers. The trio HAVEN performs most of the selections; and cellist Allison Rich replaces the clarinet in the trio for "Piangerò" and "How I Hate This Room."

One of Kesselman's inspirations is Japanese music and poetry. The album opens with his arrangement of the popular Japanese folksong "Sakura," which is followed by his original composition "Ashes & Dreams." That work alternates texts of Japanese poetry forms haiku (traditionally written by men) and waka (traditionally written by women); Kesselman's musical styles emphasize the difference in the poetic content.

"It's been gratifying to compose so many of these works for my daughter Lindsay and her colleagues Kimberly and Midori in HAVEN," says Kesselman. "What a pleasure to hear my music come alive through the recording process. It's an album I am extremely proud of."

Lee Kesselman, composer
Would That Loving Were Enough

Release date: November 15, 2024 | Blue Griffin Records (BGR675)

Performed by HAVEN
Lindsay Kesselman, soprano
Kimberly Cole Luevano, clarinet
Midori Koga, piano

with cellist Allison Rich on tracks #10 and #12

TRACK LISTING

[01] Sakura (8:45)
Japanese folksong arr. Lee R. Kesselman (2018)

Ashes and Dreams
Music by Lee R. Kesselman (2016)
[02] 1. Prelude (2:48)
[03] 2. Wakaishu Ya (1:23)
[04] 3. Omoitsusu (2:16)
[05] 4. Te No Ue Ni (0:54)
[06] 5. Kagiri Naki (1:46)
[07] 6. No O Yaku To (1:56)
[08] 7. Yume Ni Dani (4:16)
[09] 8. Nishi No Sora E (2:50)

[10] Piangerò (8:45)*
Music by Lee R. Kesselman (2012)
A musical re-imagining of George Frederic Handel's aria of the same name and lyrics by Nicola Francesco Haym from the opera Giulio Cesare

[11] Make Me a Willow Cabin (9:39)
Music by Lee R. Kesselman (2014)
Lyrics by William Shakespeare from Twelfth Night

[12] How I Hate This Room (10:39)*
Music by Lee R. Kesselman (2007)
Lyrics by James Tucker after Charlotte Perkins Gilman from The Yellow Wallpaper

Would That Loving Were Enough
Music and Lyrics by Lee R. Kesselman (2021)
[13] I. I Prefer a Wine of Some Complexity (2:59)
[14] II. You Lie A-Bed (4:43)
[15] III. I Wish That Loving Were Enough (3:57)
[16] IV. That's A Wrap (2:22)

[17] I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise (2:40)
Music by George Gershwin arr. Lee R. Kesselman (2018) Lyrics by B.G. De Sylva and Ira Gershwin

*with cellist Allison Rich

Artist Biography

Composer Lee R. Kesselman is best known as a composer of vocal works, including opera, music for chorus, chamber music and solo songs. Kesselman was Director of Choral Activities at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, a suburb of Chicago, from 1981 until 2022. He was Founder and Music Director of the New Classic Singers, a professional choral ensemble. He performs regularly as a conductor and as a collaborative pianist. Kesselman is also Past-President of the Illinois Choral Directors Association. His works include over 100 choral works, 2 chamber operas, more than 30 art-songs and chamber works for solo voice, in addition to chamber music and works for large ensembles and for dance. His choral compositions and arrangements stretch across all kinds of choirs, with and without accompaniment. Many of his choral works are published by Boosey & Hawkes, G. Schirmer, Carl Fischer Music, Hal Leonard Music. Other works are available through Kesselman Press or through MusicSpoke.com. Kesselman is known for his diverse musical styles, unique approach to vocal texts, and compositional craft. Many of Kesselman’s works can be found on Soundcloud.com/lee-kesselman and a complete catalog on kesselmanpress.com. For more information, contact the composer at LRKmus@sbcglobal.net. 

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. 

Out Friday: New arrangements of Balkan folk songs for piano

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Croatian American pianist Vedrana Subotić releases "Chiaroscuro" on Blue Griffin Records

October 18 release features world premiere recordings of five arrangements of folk songs from former Yugoslavia for solo piano

Album also includes B minor Sonata by Franz Liszt

Croatian American pianist Vedrana Subotić (pronounced VEH-dran-ah SOO·buh·tihch) has commissioned and recorded five new arrangements of folk songs from former Yugoslavia. On October 18, 2024 Blue Griffin Records releases "Chiaroscuro" (BGR673), which features these arrangements of traditional Romani, Bosnian, Macedonian, and Montenegrin songs by Igor Iachimciuc and Christopher O'Riley paired with Liszt's Sonata in B Minor.

Subotić chose five of her favorite traditional folk songs which she learned to play on the piano as a child as her mother sung her the melodies. "They were sung in times of turmoil and peace, sadness and joy, life and death. They speak of love and longing, of hope, beauty, and loss," says the pianist. "By recording these five commissioned arrangements for solo piano, I hope to share their unique beauty with both the uninitiated and with those who already know and love them as much as I do."

The album is rounded out with Franz Liszt's B minor piano sonata. The scope of the work is reminiscent of the epic poetry from the composer's native Hungary, and melodies throughout are based on regional modal scales, paired with a Hungarian Czardas (fast, wild traditional dance).

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.

VEDRANA SUBOTIĆ, piano
Chiaroscuro

Release date: October 18, 2024
Blue Griffin Records (BGR673)

TRACK LISTING

[01]"Djelem, Djelem" (I went, I went) 06:07
Romani traditional
Arranged by Igor Iachimciuc

[02] "Kad Ja Podjoh Na Bembašu" (When I went to Bambaša) 06:55
Bosnian Traditional
Arranged by Christopher O'Riley

[03] "Makedonsko Dvoječe" (Macedonian Girl) 04:31
Macedonian traditional, Jonče Hristovski
Arranged by Christopher O'Riley

[04] "Još Ne Sviće Rujna Zora" (Crimson Dawn Has Not Yet Broken) 07:22
Montenegrin traditional
Arranged by Igor Iachimciuc

[05] "Mujo Kuje Konja Po Mjesecu" (Mujo Shoes His Horse Under the Moonlight) 05:58
Bosnian traditional
Arranged by Christopher O'Riley

[06] Sonata in B minor, s.178 30:14
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

Total Time = 61:10

Artist Biography
Croatian American pianist Vedrana Subotić (pronounced VEH-dran-ah SOO·buh·tihch) has earned critical praise for her “superb, intuitive, and astute” performances. She has performed concertos and recitals across North and South Americas, Europe, and Asia. In addition to standard repertoire, Subotić frequently commissions and performs new works, and has recorded for the Sony and Centaur and Blue Griffin labels.  

Subotić is a professor of piano and music entrepreneurship at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, where she directs the Liszt Festival and Competition. She is also a visiting professor at the University of Chile and Artistic Director of the Intermezzo Concert Series.  

Born in Kotor, Montenegro to a nuclear physicist and an art historian, Subotić attended the University of Belgrade at age 15 and won the former Yugoslavia’s national piano competition at age 19. She studied with Menahem Pressler at Indiana University where she earned an Artist Diploma and a Doctorate, and studied with Ralph Votapek at Michigan State University where she earned a Master’s degree. 

Oct 13: Chou Wen-chung live online watch party

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October 13 at 2 pm EDT: Celebrate composer Chou Wen-chung's 101th birthday with a special virtual concert and watch party

Chou Wen-chung's (1923-2019) music performed by Continuum new music ensemble hosted by conductor Joel Sachs and Chou's son Luyen

Colleagues, students, and friends of the late composer, including Chen Yi, Zhou Long, and Roger Reynolds join for a live post-concert panel

Watch the concert and conversation beginning at 2 pm EDT/11 am PDT on October 13. Details and viewing link here

On October 13 at 2 pm EDT (11 am PDT), enjoy a live online watch party of a very special concert celebrating the music of Chou Wen-chung (1923–2019) and his 101st birthday.

A composer of music that draws on both Euro-American modernism and Chinese tradition, Chou Wen-chung has left behind a legacy of cultural exchange across international borders. The Chinese-born composer had an enormous influence on concert music in America and was responsible for bringing over the next generation of musicians from China. His former students, including Tan Dun, Zhou Long, and Bright Sheng, have won Grammy awards, Pulitzer Prizes, and Guggenheim fellowships.

The virtual watch party on October 13 centers around a video recording of a live concert performed at Columbia University earlier this year with new music ensemble Continuum under the direction of Joel Sachs. The concert represents the first public US performance of Chou’s recently rediscovered orchestral work In the Mode of Shang, as well as four other pieces composed throughout his career. The program displays Chou’s special ability to blend Eastern and Western styles, techniques and tropes in his compositions.

Exclusive to the October 13 event, each work will be introduced by Sachs in dialogue with the composer’s older son Luyen Chou. Following the program, registered listeners can gain exclusive access to participate in a live online panel discussion. and a panel that includes some of Chou Wen-chung’s most eminent friends, students and protégés—Lei Liang, Zhou Long, Roger Reynolds, Chinary Ung, Delong Wang and Chen Yi—moderated by Kathryn Knight. Both the concert and panel discussion are free of charge.

More about the concert and conversation and how to watch at this link.

The event is part of an ongoing endeavor to maintain and extend Chou Wen-chung’s legacy. Other components include commissioned works in Chou's name in China and the United States, a lecture series at the 21st Century China Center at UCSD, the Center for US-China Arts Exchange at Columbia University, and more.

October 13, 2024 at 2 pm EDT

Virtual Watch Party
Concert Celebrating Chou Wen-chung’s Centennial and his Legacy

Performed by CONTINUUM
Joel Sachs, conductor and piano

Details here

PROGRAM

All selections by Chou Wen-chung (1923 – 2019) 

The Willows are New (1957)
Yu Ko (Fisherman’s Song) (1965)
Twilight Colors (2007)
Ode to Eternal Pine (2009)
In the Mode of Shang (1956) (US Premiere) 

Watch party followed by a live post-concert discussion with Luyen Chou, Joel Sachs, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Roger Reynolds, and other special guests.

CONTINUUM chamber orchestra features long-time Continuum players Renée Jolles, violin; Stephanie Griffin, viola; Kristina Reiko Cooper, cello; Emily Duncan, flute (Continuum debut); and Moran Katz, clarinet with additional instrumentalists

Dublin Intl Piano Competition winner Yukine Kuroki

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Winner of Dublin International Piano Competition Yukine Kuroki makes Carnegie debut

October 29 recital features works by Debussy, Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, and more

"Kuroki made the grand piano sound like a symphony orchestra, so many colors and volumes. Breathtaking."  — Eindhovens Dagblad

For over 30 years, the Dublin International Piano Competition (DIPC) has brought the world’s top young pianists to Ireland to compete. In addition to a generous cash prize, winners are presented at Carnegie Hall for their debut recital. On October 29, 2024 at 7:30 pm, the 2022 winner of the DIPC Yukine Kuroki performs her U.S. debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Kuroki's recital features Romantic era favorites including Rachmaninov's Second Piano Sonata, Stravinsky/Agosti's Firebird Suite, and Debussy's l'Isle Joyeuse, plus works by Kapustin, Saint-Saens, Schumann, and Tokuyama.

In addition to her First Prize award from DIPC, Yukine Kuroki is the winner of the Liszt Utrecht Competition and a prize winner of the Rubenstein Competition. Since then she has performed all over the world, including sold-out debuts with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw, the Tokyo New City Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic, the Lithuanian National Symphony, among others. She recently finished her master’s program of Showa Graduate School of Music under Fumiko Eguchi.

Pianist Yukine Kuroki performs at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (154 West 57th Street) on October 29, 2024 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $35, and are available at CarnegieHall.org | CarnegieCharge 212-247-7800 | Box Office at 57th and Seventh. The concert is presented by Dublin International Piano Competition.

Calendar Listing

Tuesday, October 29, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Pianist Yukine Kuroki
presented by Dublin International Piano Competition

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
(154 West 57th Street, New York, NY)

Tickets are $35, and are available at CarnegieHall.org | CarnegieCharge 212-247-7800 | Box Office at 57th and Seventh.

PROGRAM
Schumann/Liszt: Widmung
Saint-Saens / Liszt: Danse Macabre, S. 555
Debussy:  L'Isle Joyeuse
Stravinsky/Agosti: Firebird Suite
Minako Tokuyama:  Musica Nara
Rachmaninov:  Lilacs Op. 21 No. 5
Rachmaninov: Sonata No. 2
Kapustin: Variations, Op.41

Cassatt in the Basin!: More than just concerts

For over 20 years, the world-renowned Cassatt String Quartet has made bi-annual trips from New York City to West Texas for their “Cassatt in the Basin!” residency program. In Midland, Odessa, and surrounding areas they visit schools and community centers to perform and teach life lessons via chamber music and orchestral playing such as teamwork, verbal and non-verbal communication, and respect for one another. It is the only program of its kind.

In October 2023 the quartet performed at the Aphasia Center in Midland, TX. Aphasia is a language disorder that impacts how people are able to communicate through conversations as well as the ability to read and write. The Executive Director of the center, Kitty Binek, was effusive about the positive effect of Cassatt Quartet’s visit, “The unique experience of being seated among professional and engaging musicians allowed our members access to an immensely enriching event they might not have otherwise experienced. It was a joyful and memorable event, and we look forward to future collaborations to enhance the wellbeing of our members.” 

On October 17, 2024 the Cassatts will perform a “Seeing Sound” at a fundraiser for the Bynum School which provides year-round educational and vocational activities for people with special needs. During the concert Bynum students will create artwork inspired by how the music makes them feel. Their art will then be auctioned off, with proceeds benefiting the school. 

“It is such a gift to have this relationship with the community I grew up in. To perform in these spaces and work with students who might not otherwise have access to live performances really means a lot,” says violinist and Executive Director of Cassatt in the Basin Jennifer Leshnower. 

Cassatt Quartet’s fall 2024 residency is October 11-17, and features another “Seeing Sound” concert at the  Museum of the Southwest Fredda Turner Children’s Museum in Midland, chamber music coachings at schools throughout the region, including the West Texas Music Conservatory and their youth orchestra, and a Yom Kippur service at Temple Beth El in Odessa. Details about these and other events are below. For more information and full program details, visit https://www.cassattinthebasin.net.

CASSATT IN THE BASIN OCTOBER 2024 SCHEDULE

Friday 10/11
6pm
Private Yom Kippur Service, Kol Nidre at Temple Beth El
(1501 N. Grandview, Odessa)

Saturday 10/12
Time TBD
Community Concert at TBD

Sunday 10/13
2pm & 3pm
Seeing Sound Concerts
Draw to the Music at Museum of the Southwest Fredda Turner Children's Museum
(1705 W Missouri Ave, Midland)

Monday 10/14
Time TBD
Coaching
Midland High School 
(906 W. Illinois Ave, Midland)

5-6pm
Chamber Music Coaching at Texas Tech University
(18th and Boston Avenue, Lubbock)

Tuesday 10/15
Time TBD
Coaching at Permian High School
(1800 E 42nd St, Odessa)

4:30 - 7pm
Coaching at West Texas Music Conservatory
(1602 Tarleton St, Midland)

Wednesday 10/16
Time TBD
Coaching at Legacy High School
(3500 Neely Ave, Midland)

Thursday 10/17
Time TBD
Coaching at Odessa High School
(1301 Dotsy Ave, Odessa)

6pm 
Bynam School Fundraising Concert at Midland Polo Club
(5401 Polo Club Rd, Midland)

Pianist Orli Shaham on Tonebase

Pianist Orli Shaham is featured on Tonebase, the popular online piano platform for pianists and students.

Beginning July 22, 2024, Tonebase subscribers can participate in a "Community Challenge" to learn new music through tutorials and performances created by Tonebase artist Orli Shaham. The pianists will learn selections from Karen Tanaka's recently published The Adventures of Anya and share their performances with fellow Tonebase members. At the end of the challenge, participants can attend a special live VIP Zoom event with pianist Orli Shaham and composer Karen Tanaka on August 24th, at 11am PT. Visit Tonebase online for more details.

The Adventures of Anya was written for Shaham, and is a 22-movement work for solo piano that accompanies a children's story with beautiful illustrations by Tiphanie Beek. In a video series highlighting the work, Shaham narrates the story, performs the works, and gives a tutorial on how to play each movement.

Previously on Tonebase, Shaham presented a series of masterclasses on Mozart's piano sonatas (her recordings of all 18 sonatas by Mozart are available now), and a lecture-performance about Clara Schumann.

Watch "Macrons" from The Adventures of Anya by Karen Tanaka performed by Orli Shaham

Orli Shaham with composer Karen Tanaka. Read an interview with Tanaka about Adventures of Anya.

A consummate musician recognized for her grace, subtlety, and brilliance, the pianist Orli Shaham has performed with many of the major orchestras around the world, and has appeared in recital internationally, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House.

In 2024, Orli Shaham released the final volumes of the complete piano sonatas by Mozart to high critical acclaim. Her discography includes over a dozen titles on Deutsche Gramophone, Sony, Canary Classics and other labels.

Orli Shaham is on the piano and chamber music faculty at The Juilliard School. She is Artistic Director of Pacific Symphony’s chamber series Café Ludwig in California, and is a Co-Host and Creative for the national radio program From the Top.

Cleveland CMS Announces 75th Anniversary Season

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The Cleveland Chamber Music Society Celebrates 75th Anniversary

2024-25 season highlights include the complete Shostakovich string quartets played by Jerusalem Quartet - a rare performance of the entire cycle

Season also includes Grammy winners Imani Winds, Chanticleer, guitarist Jason Vieaux with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and flutist Emmanuel Pahud

In 1949, a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine wanted to be able to experience the kind of first rate chamber ensembles he was used to hearing back home in New York. He, along with some of his medical school colleagues, persuaded the venerable Budapest Quartet to perform three concerts in Cleveland. The wildly enthusiastic audience response set the stage for the founding of the Cleveland Chamber Music Society the following year. 

The 2024-25 season marks Cleveland Chamber Music Society's 75th anniversary. "As one of the most established concert presenters in Cleveland we're so proud to be able to bring these world renowned artists from across the globe to our city. For three quarters of a century our audiences have enjoyed performances by artists like Chanticleer, guitarist Jason Vieux, and the Jerusalem Quartet," says CCMS board chair Fern Jennings. "I'm so thrilled for this upcoming season."

A rare performance of all 15 Shostakovich string quartets by the Jerusalem Quartet is the highlight of the season. It is likely the first time the complete cycle has been performed in Cleveland. Praised by BBC Magazine as "an absolute triumph," the world-renowned Jerusalem Quartet performs Shostakovich's string quartets at the Cleveland Museum of Art in five concerts April 21-30, 2025.

Cleveland CMS season also includes performances by Chanticleer (September 24), Imani Winds with Michelle Cann (October 14) Cuarteto Casals (November 12), flutist Emmanuel Pahud (January 21), and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with guitarist Jason Vieaux (February 11). Complete programs and details are below.

Tickets are available online at ClevelandChamberMusic.org or by phone at (216) 291-2777. Subscriptions from $120, single tickets* are $40 for adults ($35 seniors, $5 students/anyone under 19 years old).

About Cleveland Chamber Music Society

The Cleveland Chamber Music Society brings the top performers from around the world to intimate venues in Cleveland since 1949. CCMS highlights its 75th anniversary in the 2024-2025 season with the internationally renowned Jerusalem Quartet’s complete cycle of Dmitri Shostakovich’s string quartets. Other highlights in this special season include the Grammy-award winning Imani Winds, vocal ensemble Chanticleer and guitarist Jason Vieaux with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Beyond the concert stage, the CCMS’s guest artists give master classes at conservatories in Northeast Ohio that are open to the public.

Violist Emily Brandenburg joins Cassatt String Quartet

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Cassatt String Quartet announces violist Emily Brandenburg to join in Fall 2024

Cassatt String Quartet celebrates 40th anniversary in 2024-25 season

"an extraordinary quartet" – The New York Times

The violist Emily Brandenburg joins the Cassatt String Quartet beginning in Fall 2024.

"Muneko, Jennifer, and I are overjoyed to welcome Emily Brandenburg to the Cassatt Quartet as our new violist, and to look forward to the years of shared adventures and music-making ahead! Emily brings to the CSQ her extraordinary experience as a lifelong chamber musician and an especially devoted quartet player; she balances a brilliant analytical mind with a rich, compelling, unusual voice that is deeply layered and beautiful," says CSQ cellist Gwen Krosnick.

Emily Brandenburg says “I am thrilled to be joining the Cassatt String Quartet as their new violist. I have admired the quartet for their artistry, and for their long standing commitment to new music, working hand-in-hand with a diverse array of composers. I look forward to beginning this chapter with them as they enter their 40th season and to all the years of memories and music making to come." 

Ms. Brandenburg holds degrees from Yale, New England Conservatory, and McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University. She was previously artist-in-residence at the University of Evansville in Indiana where she was principal viola of Evansville Philharmonic and a member of the Eykamp String Quartet. 

The announcement follows the departure of violist Rosemary Nelis, who joined the group in 2022, and is leaving to focus on other projects.

The Cassatt String Quartet celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2024-2025 with premieres by Joan Tower, Victoria Bond, Mari Kimura and Shirish Korde, all written for the group. The season includes a tour of Italy with guitarist Eliot Fisk, concerts across the United States, teaching residencies at major universities and conservatories, the CSQ's bi-annual Cassatt in the Basin residency in West Texas, and the Seal Bay Festival in Maine.

Cassatt String Quartet Biography

Hailed for its “mighty rapport and relentless commitment,” the New York City-based Cassatt String Quartet has performed throughout the world since 1985, with appearances at Alice Tully Hall and Weill Recital Hall; Tanglewood Music Center; the Kennedy Center; Théâtre des Champs-Élysées; Centro National de las Artes; Maeda Hall; and Beijing’s Central Conservatory. The Quartet’s prolific discography – featured three times in Alex Ross’s “10 Best Classical Recordings” column in The New Yorker – includes over forty recordings, for the Koch, Naxos, New World, Point, CRI, Tzadik, and Albany labels. The CSQ is named for the American Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt.

Pianist Şahan Arzruni records works by Armenian Women

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Pianist Şahan Arzruni’s new album celebrates Armenian women composers spanning 150 years

Album on AGBU/Positively Armenian released July 26, 2024

Includes world premiere recordings by eight composers, including Pulitzer Prize finalist Mary Kouyoumdjian

Two of the earliest women composers in the world were Armenian: Sahakdukht and Khosrovidukht in the 8th century. The Armenian pianist Şahan Arzruni has recorded an album celebrating women composers from the region. “By Women: piano works by Armenian women composers” is released on July 26, 2024 on AGBU/Positively Armenian. The album -– almost entirely world premiere recordings – continues Arzruni's exploration of music from his home country, including his 2021 recording of solo piano works by Alan Hovhaness. 

From Lucy (Lusine) Hazarabedian – the first Armenian woman to write specifically for the piano – to 2024 Pulitzer Prize finalist Mary Kouyoumdjian, the music on "By Women" spans 150 years. Hazarabedian composed “The Nightingale of Armenia” when she was 16 years old, and died tragically young six years later. Kouyoumdjian wrote “I Haven’t the Words” in 2020 during the racial reckoning of George Floyd's murder and subsequent protests. The composer describes the composition as a ‘sonic journal entry’.

The album includes music by Koharik Gazarossian, a Constantinople-born student of Paul Dukas. Gazarossian lived across from the founder of the Armenian National School of Music, Komitas. After Komitas’ exile in the Armenian genocide, Gazarossian copied many of his manuscripts of folk songs and used them as the basis of her own works, including the two preludes on this album. 

Alicia Terzian's “Ode to Vahan” was written for Arzruni on a commission by Mr. & Mrs. Vahakn Hovnanian. The work is based on a liturgical chant created by Khosrovidukht in the 8th century, which continues to be sung in the Armenian Church today.

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.

Pianist Şahan Arzruni

BY WOMEN
piano works by Armenian women composers

Release date: July 26, 2024 | AGBU/Positively Armenian

TRACK LISTING
World premiere recordings (except as noted)

GEGHUNI CHITCHYAN (b. 1929)
Sonatina
[01] Allegro (2:10)
[02] Moderato cantabile (3:54)
[03] Presto (1:56)
[04] Prelude (4:04)

KOHARIK GAZAROSSIAN (1907-1967)
[05] Prelude: "My Child, Your Mother is Dead" * (3:19)
[06] Prelude: "Your Name is Shushan" (2:40)

MARY KOUYOUMDJIAN (b. 1983)
[07] "I Haven't the Words" (3:26)

SIRVART KARAMANUK (1912-2008)
[08] "Dance-Song" (3:43)

SIRVART KAZANDJIAN (1944-2020)
[09] “The Bells of Ani” (5:40)

GAYANE CHEBOTARYAN (1918-1998)
[10] Prelude in E-flat minor (3:56)
[11] Prelude in G minor (1:52)
[12] Prelude in B-flat minor * (2:35)
[13] Prelude in E-flat minor (1:48)
[14] Prelude in B-flat minor (4:18)
[15] Prelude in F-sharp minor (2:48)

ALICIA TERZIAN (b. 1934)
[16] “Ode to Vahan” (9:58)

LUCY HAZARABEDIAN (1863-1882)
[17] “The Nightingale of Armenia” (2:57)

* Previously recorded by Şahan Arzruni in the 1980s

Suggested tracks for classical radio
[1] - [3] Chitchyan: Sonatina
[6] Gazarossian: Prelude
[8] Karamanuk: Dance-Song
[12] [13] [15] Cheboaryan: Preludes
[17] Hazarabedian: The Nightingale of Armenia

Out today: Guitarist David Leisner's "Charms to Soothe"

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Guitarist David Leisner's "Charms to Soothe" is released on Azica Records on May 24, 2024

Album includes rare 19th century gems by Mertz, Sor, Guiliani, Schulz and Regondi

Over 45 years, the guitarist David Leisner has recorded 20 albums, from The Viennese Guitar in 1979 to Charms to Soothe, released on May 24, 2024 on Azica Records. This latest album includes early 19th century music by Mertz, Sor, Guiliani, Schulz and Regondi.

"Some of these gems are not played often, and I hope that this recording might call attention to them. In addition, it is my hope that these lovely compositions may offer some solace during a very challenging period in history – 'charms to soothe the savage breast'," writes Leisner in the liner notes.

One of the composers represented on the album is the Vienna-born Leonard Schulz, who spent most of his career in London. Only a few of his compositions were published in his lifetime. Leisner speculates the reason may have been due to "a lessening of interest in guitar music in England in his generation. Or perhaps because, as reported by his contemporary, Makaroff, he was reputed to be 'the worst drunkard in 'London'." Among the extant compositions are the 12 Studies, L’indispensable, op. 40, a beautifully inventive and harmonically rich collection, three of which are included on this album.

Mauro Giuliani’s Giulianate, op. 148, is a collection of some of his finest pieces. First in the set is La Risoluzione, a stand-alone sonata allegro movement. "I always felt it was a shame that Giuliani didn’t follow through with writing more movements to form a Sonata. So, to appease that personal desire of mine, I chose three other pieces from the same opus to go with it, to make an unofficial Sonata – a scherzo, a slow movement and a rondo."

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.

TRACK LISTING

Johann Kasper Mertz
Nocturne, op. 4, no. 2
[01] Andantino - Allegro con brio (4:24)

Leonard Schulz
Three Etudes (from op. 40)
[02] No. 6, in G major (3:22)
[03] No. 8, in D major (1:54)
[04] No. 9, in A major (1:38)

Fernando Sor
Two Etudes
[05] op. 31, no. 23, in E major (2:13)
[06] op. 6, no. 11, in e minor (3:58)

Mauro Giuliani
Four Pieces (from op. 148) [in the form of a Sonata]
[07] La Risoluzione, no. 1 (6:54)
[08] Scherzo, no. 4 (4:30)
[09] La Melanconia, no. 7 (4:12)
[10] Il Sentimentale, no. 6 (3:48)

Giulio Regondi
Two Etudes
[11] No. 6, in d minor (6:04)
[12] No. 8, in G major (5:40)

Johann Kaspar Mertz
Two Pieces (from Bardenklänge, op. 13)
[13] Lied ohne Worte, vol. 11, no. 1 (4:17)
[14] Mazurka, vol. 11, no. 2 (3:15)

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

David Leisner is an extraordinarily versatile musician with a multi-faceted career as performing artist, composer and teacher. “Among the finest guitarists of all time” according to American Record Guide, he has an extensive discography on the Azica, Naxos, Telarc, Bright Shiny Things, Koch and Mel Bay labels. David Leisner has performed as a soloist throughout North America, Australasia and Europe. He is also a frequent guest at important chamber music festivals around the country.

Celebrated for expanding the guitar repertoire, David Leisner has premiered works by David Del Tredici, Virgil Thomson, Ned Rorem, Philip Glass, Richard Rodney Bennett, Peter Sculthorpe, Osvaldo Golijov and others. He was a pioneer in the rediscovery of 19th-century guitar composers, Johann Kaspar Mertz and Wenzeslaus Matiegka.

Mr. Leisner is a highly respected composer, whose music Fanfare magazine described as “rich in invention and melody, emotionally direct and beautiful”. His works are performed, recorded and published worldwide. In 2023, the legendary guitarist Pepe Romero premiered Wayfaring, a concerto for guitar and orchestra, at the Hamptons Festival in New York. The work was commissioned by Brian Hays. 

A distinguished teacher, Leisner has served on the faculty of the New England Conservatory, is on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music, teaches master classes around the world, and is a frequent adjudicator of international guitar competitions. His popular book, Playing with Ease, is published by Oxford University Press.

Aug 3-6: Seal Bay Festival across Maine

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The Cassatt String Quartet gives performances across Maine at the Seal Bay Festival of American Chamber Music August 3-6

Programs in Vinalhaven, Portland, and Belfast

Works by Wang Jie, Shirish Korde, Vineet Shende, Daniel Strong Godfrey, and more

"an extraordinary quartet" – The New York Times

The world-renowned Cassatt String Quartet (Muneko Otani & Jennifer Leshnower, violins; Anna Griffis, guest viola; Gwen Krosnick, cello) performs in Maine as the longtime ensemble of the Seal Bay Festival of American Chamber Music. From the island of Vinalhaven to Portland, the quartet's itinerary includes public performances August 3-6, as well as numerous concerts in retirement homes and community centers across the state September 25-29. Details are in the calendar listing below.

The 2024 festival brings composers Wang Jie, Daniel Strong Godfrey, Shirish Korde, and Vineet Shende to Maine for concerts in Vinalhaven, Belfast, and Portland. Along with guest vocalist Dominique Eade and bassist Peter Weitzner, the Cassatts perform works by these composers throughout the festival.

Founded in 1994, the Seal Bay Festival fosters the relationship between American composers, performers, and audiences. At SBF’s annual Composer Institute, composers Wang Jie, Shirish Korde, and Daniel Strong Godfrey are mentors to composers who are at the beginning of their careers. Music by these Fellows is premiered by the Cassatts on August 5, after several days of workshop rehearsals.

Complete program and venue information is below.

Seal Bay Festival Calendar Listing and Program Details

August 3, 1 pm: Open Rehearsal with the Cassatt String Quartet
Vinalhaven Public Library (6 Carver St, Vinalhaven)
Free admission
Zexuan Ding: String Quartet++
Zhang Chuqiao: String Quartet++

August 3, 7 pm: Partners in Island Education Fundraising Concert
with the Cassatt String Quartet, Dominique Eade, voice, Peter Weitzner, Bass & Wang Jie, piano
Smith Hokanson Memorial Auditorium at Vinalhaven School, 22 Arcola Ln, Vinalhaven
Suggested donation of $25, children attend free

Daniel Strong Godfrey: Amazing Grace (2020)
Wang Jie: Songs for Mahler in the Absence of Words+
Duke Ellington/Shirish Korde: Moods of Ellington (rev. 2024)++

August 4, 7 pm: Concert
with the Cassatt String Quartet, Dominique Eade, voice, Peter Weitzner, Bass & Wang Jie, piano
Smith Hokanson Memorial Auditorium at Vinalhaven School, 22 Arcola Ln, Vinalhaven
Free admission, donations are welcome

Daniel Strong Godfrey: Amazing Grace+
Vineet Shende: Solo for viola++
Wang Jie: Songs for Mahler in the Absence of Words+
Shirish Korde: God Bless the Child for voice and cello
after Billie Holiday and Eric Dolphy (2024)+
Duke Ellington/Shirish Korde: Moods of Ellington (rev. 2024)++

August 5, 7 pm: Emerging Composers Concert, presented by Composers Institute at Seal Bay Festival
with the Cassatt String Quartet
The Colonial Theatre, Dreamland, 163 High St, Belfast
Tickets are $10, available at door

Zexuan Ding: String Quartet++
Zhang Chuqiao: String Quartet++
Daniel Strong Godfrey: Amazing Grace+
Vineet Shende: Solo for viola++
Florence Price: String Quartet No. 1

August 6, 7:30 pm: Concert
with the Cassatt String Quartet, Dominique Eade, voice, Peter Weitzner, Bass & Wang Jie, piano
Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St, Portland
Tickets are $12-29, available at door and online (link coming soon)

Daniel Strong Godfrey: Amazing Grace+
Vineet Shende: Solo for viola++
Wang Jie: Songs for Mahler in the Absence of Words+
Shirish Korde: God Bless the Child for voice and cello
after Billie Holiday and Eric Dolphy (2024)+
Duke Ellington/Shirish Korde: Moods of Ellington (rev. 2024)++

+denotes Maine premiere
++denotes world premiere

Community Outreach Events September 25-29, 2024
Programs TBA

September 25

• 1 pm: 75 State Street (Portland)

• 3 pm: Atrium at the Cedars (Portland)

September 26

• 11 am: House concert (Brunswick)

• 1:30 pm: Thornton Oaks (Brunswick)

• 3:15 pm: The Highlands (Topsham)

September 27

• 11 am: Avita (Brunswick)

September 28

• 11 am: Village Square (Kennebunkport)

• 6 pm: House concert (Kennebunkport)

September 29

• 3 pm: Wells Reserve at Laudhol (Wells)

Cassatt String Quartet Biography

Hailed for its “mighty rapport and relentless commitment,” the Cassatt String Quartet has performed to critical acclaim across the world since its founding in 1985, with appearances at Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Tanglewood Music Center, the Kennedy Center, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Centro National de las Artes, Maeda Hall, and Beijing’s Central Conservatory. The group’s discography includes over forty recordings, including three discs that were named “10 Best Classical Recordings” in The New Yorker. The CSQ is named for the American Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt. 

Seal Bay Festival is supported by The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, The Aaron Copland Music Fund, Alice M. Ditson Fund, Davis Family Foundation, Maine Arts Commission, and Amphion Foundation

'Manuscripts Don't Burn' in LA and NYC

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Pianist Inna Faliks highlights new album and book in performances in LA and NYC

May 19: BroadStage (Santa Monica, CA) &
May 23: National Sawdust (Brooklyn, NY)

Recitals feature works written for Faliks by Clarice Assad, Maya Miro Johnson, and more

Pianist Inna Faliks highlights her forthcoming album Manuscripts Don't Burn (rel. May 17, 2024, Sono Luminus) and her new book with recitals in Southern California and New York City.  On May 19 at 2 pm, she performs at the BroadStage in Santa Monica, CA and on May 23 at 7:30 pm she performs at National Sawdust in Brooklyn. Tickets and program details below.

The program features many works featured on the new album, including the premiere of Mike Garson's "Psalm for Odesa" (written in tribute to the Ukrainian city in which she was raised), and works written for the pianist by Ljova, Veronika Krausas, and Maya Miro Johnson. Other program highlights include Beethoven's "Eroica" Variations alongside works by Rodoin Shchedrin, Chopin, Paganini, and Bach. 

The forthcoming album Mansucripts Don't Burn features five world premiere recordings alongside works by Schubert, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Fazil Say. Several of the selections on the album relate to a seminal novel of art censorship - Mikhail Bulgakov's "Master and Margarita"; and others speak to the pianists' homeland of Ukraine and her Jewish heritage.  

"I consider this very personal recording to be something of a mirror image to my memoir, as it intertwines the literal images from "Master and Margarita" with more autobiographical themes and layers," says the pianist who first read the book as a child growing up in Soviet Ukraine. "I took it with me when my parents and I immigrated to the U.S. Throughout the years, the book played a role in my life. My childhood best friend from Odesa reread the book in adulthood and decided to find me - we are now together for 20 years, with two kids."

The recitals also feature Inna Faliks reading excerpts from her recently published memoir The Weight in the Fingertips: A Musical Odyssey from Soviet Ukraine to the World Stage (Backbeat Books, October 2023). The memoir has been widely praised, most recently in the LA Review of Books. Anne Midgette (formerly of The Washington Post) writes "There are a lot of musician's memoirs out there; this one, about a piano prodigy turned professional, is a standout. Highly recommended."

Pianist Inna Faliks
Manuscripts Don't Burn in recital

MAY 19, 2024 at 2 PM
BroadStage (1310 11th St., Santa Monica, CA)
Tickets start at $30 and are available at BroadStage.org

MAY 23, 2024 at 7:30 PM
National Sawdust (8 North 6th St, Brooklyn, NY)
Tickets are $25 and are available at NationalSawdust.org

PROGRAM
Ljova Zhurbin: Sirota for piano and historical recording*      
Mike Garson: Psalm for Odessa (world premiere)*
J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in G-sharp minor, Book 1
Rodion Shchedrin: Basso Ostinato                                 
Veronika Krausas: Have You Stopped Loving Me?*
Veronika Krausas: 14th on the Month of Nisan*
Maya Miro Johnson: Manuscripts Don't Burn*
Frederic Chopin: Polonaise-Fantasie
L.V. Beethoven: "Eroica" Variations and Fugue on an Original Theme
Paganini (arr. Liszt): La Campanella

*written for Inna Faliks

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

“Adventurous and passionate” (The New Yorker) Ukrainian-born American pianist Inna Faliks has made a name for herself through her commanding performances of standard piano repertoire, as well genre-bending interdisciplinary projects, and inquisitive work with contemporary composers. After her acclaimed teenage debuts at the Gilmore Festival and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, she has performed on many of the world’s great stages in recital and with many major orchestras, performing with conductors Leonard Slatkin, Keith Lockhart and many others.

Ms. Faliks collaborates with and premieres music by some of today’s most significant composers, including Billy Childs, Richard Danielpour, Timo Andres and Clarice Assad. She is known for her poetry-music series Music/Words, and has worked with a number of prominent poets. She regularly tours her monologue-recital Polonaise-Fantasie, the Story of a Pianist, which tells the story of her immigration to the United States from Odessa (recorded on Delos). Her discography includes Manuscripts Don't Burn (Sono Luminus, May 2024), which consists of world premiere recordings alongside 19th and 20th century works. Also in her catalogue: Reimagine: Beethoven and Ravel (Navona), and all-Beethoven and Rachmaninoff/Ravel/Pasternak discs on MSR Classics.

In addition to her other impressive accomplishments, she is is head of Piano Studies at UCLA and is a critically acclaimed writer. Her memoir, Weight in the Fingertips (Backbeat Books) was published in October 2023, and her articles and essays have appeared in Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post. Inna Faliks is a Yamaha Artist.

May 31: Sylvan Winds @ 45 at Merkin

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Sylvan Winds celebrates 45th anniversary season on May 31 at Merkin Hall

"Mighty Winds" program features music by Richard Strauss, Mozart, and Elizabeth Brown

On May 31, 2024 at 7 pm the Sylvan Winds, hailed by the New York Times for their "adventuresome programming and stylishness of performance," celebrates their 45th anniversary season at Kaufman Music Center's Merkin Hall (129 W 67th St., Manhattan). A ticketed reception will follow the concert. Details here.

The program features larger works for winds, including Mozart's Serenade in C minor for 8 players, and Richard Strauss's Suite in Bb Major for 13 players, alongside a contemporary work by Elizabeth Brown. The current members of the ensemble (Svjetlana Kabalin, flute; Kathy Halvorson, oboe; Nuno Antunes, clarinet; Gina Cuffari, bassoon; and Zohar Schondorf, horn) will be joined by former members and guest artists for this special performance.

Brown's "Pentalogue" was written for the quintet in 2021 in the shadow of the Black Lives Matter protests and COVID-19 pandemic. "I was trying to write something with beauty and hope, but the five movements contain all my anxiety about breath. Maybe that’s why three dark musical quotes insinuated themselves into my subconscious so many times that I gave up trying to get rid of them," says Brown. The work quotes from a Bach cantata, a Mahler symphony, and "Three Blind Mice."

Over 45 years ago, flutist Svjetlana Kabalin joined forces with her colleagues to form what would become one of the most long-lived wind quintets in the country. Since then, the Sylvan Winds have performed under the auspices of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival, Caramoor International Music Festival, and venues across the globe. They have recorded for Koch Classics, CRI/New World, North/South, and Albany record labels, enjoyed collaborations with such distinguished artists as Gerard Schwarz, Ransom Wilson and the Guarneri String Quartet, and commissioned dozens of works.

Calendar Listing

Friday, May 31 at 7 pm

Mighty Winds

Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Music Center
129 W 67 St, New York, NY

Tickets are $30 general admission
(Premium seating: $45; Seniors/Students: $25; Children $15)

Sylvan Winds
Svjetlana Kabalin, flute; Kathy Halvorson, oboe; Nuno Antunes, clarinet;
Gina Cuffari, bassoon; Zohar Schondorf, horn

Program to include:
Elizabeth Brown: Pentalogue
W.A. Mozart: Serenade in C minor, K.388
Richard Strauss: Suite Bb Major, Op. 4

Program subject to change, additional works TBA

These concerts are made possible, in part, with funding from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council

New album from Inna Faliks: "Manuscripts Don't Burn"

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Pianist Inna Faliks releases new recording on May 17: Manuscripts Don't Burn

Features works written for Faliks by Clarice Assad, Ljova Zhurbin, Veronika Krausas, Maya Miro Johnson, and Mike Garson

Plus music by Fanny Mendelssohn, Fazil Say, and Schubert

Album is companion piece to Faliks' memoir Weight in the Fingertips (Backbeat Books, 2023)

"Inna Faliks is a superb concert pianist" – Berkshire Fine Arts

The pianist Inna Faliks’ new album, Manuscripts Don’t Burn, is released on May 17, 2024 on Sono Luminus. “It is my most personal album yet, with five premieres written for me in celebration of my favorite book, Mikhail Bulgakov's Master and Margarita, my Ukrainian-Jewish heritage, my hometown of Odesa, and so much more,” says Faliks. "This collection of music speaks to my love of dialogue between music and words. The connections between text and sound here are not just literal but emotional, based on memory, intuition, dreams and hopes."

Master and Margarita is a seminal Russian novel of art censorship and dictatorship. Several of the works on the album are directly related to this book: Maya Miro Johnson's theatrical and extended techniques-filled "Manuscripts Don't Burn" (the phrase is a crucial line in the book) and the elegant, understated "Master and Margarita Suite" by Veronika Krausas. Clarice Assad's "Godai" for speaking pianist features a poem by Steve Schroeder depicting the same imagery of the "manuscripts don't burn" line. The lieder of Schubert transcribed for solo piano by Liszt alludes to the mythical and Faustian lore that is also in Master and Margarita: "Gretchen [Margarita] at the Spinning Wheel," a mystical love story "By the Sea," a monstrous Elf King and the death of a child in "Erlkonig." The rarely heard "Notturno" by Fanny Mendelssohn* connects to the story through the dark, impassioned character of Margarita.

The other works tie into the pianist's experiences and memories growing up Jewish in Ukraine. Fasil Say's "Black Earth"* takes the listener on a journey from Odesa across the Black Sea, while Mike Garson's "Psalm to Odesa" pulls from a well-known Odesan song and features improvisatory elements. "Voices" by Ljova Zhurbin features historical recordings of Jewish cantorial and klezmer music alongside Faliks' piano.

The recording is a mirror image to Faliks's newly-published memoir, The Weight in the Fingertips: A Musical Odyssey from Soviet Ukraine to the World Stage (Backbeat Books, rel. October 2023), as it intertwines the literal images from Master and Margarita with more autobiographical themes and layers. The memoir has been widely praised, most recently in the LA Review of Books. Anne Midgette (formerly of The Washington Post) writes "There are a lot of musician's memoirs out there; this one, about a piano prodigy turned professional, is a standout. Highly recommended."

* the works by Fanny Mendelssohn and Fazil Say are only available on the digital album

Pianist Inna Faliks

Manuscripts Don't Burn

Release date: May 17, 2024 | Sono Luminus (DSL-92275)
Note: physical CD (DSL-92259) does not include Fanny Mendelssohn & Fazil Say tracks

TRACK LISTING

Veronika Krausas (words by Mikhail Bulgakov, trans. Inna Faliks)
Master and Margarita Suite for Speaking Pianist^
[01] I. Time to Go – a Sarabande 1:37
[02] II. 14th of the Month of Nisan 3:06
[03] III. Night Streets of Moscow – a Polonaise 2:00
[04] IV. Yellow Flower Waltz 2:40
[05] V. Fantasia, “Have you stopped loving me?” 2:30
[06] VI. Behemoth’s Somersaults into Cognac – a Bagatelle 2:08
[07] VII. Listen to the Silence – Epilogue 2:330

Franz Schubert (arr. Franz Liszt)
[08] Gretchen am Spinnrade (Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel) S. 558/8 4:30

Maya Miro Johnson (words by Mikhail Bulgakov, trans. Inna Faliks)
[09] Manuscripts Don’t Burn, for Speaking Pianist^ 6:59

Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn (digital album only)
[10] Notturno in G minor, H337 4:23

Franz Schubert (arr. Franz Liszt) 
[11] Erlkonig (Erlking)  S.558/4 4:43

[12] Am Meer (By the Sea) S. 560/4 4:37

Fazil Say (digital album only)
[13] Black Earth 7:06

Mike Garson
[14] A Psalm for Odesa^ 4:36

Ljova Zhurbin
Voices, Suite in Three Movements for piano and historical recordings^
[15] I. Sirota 6:51
[16] II. Alter(ed) Zhok 5:16
[17] III. Freydele 6:05

Clarice Assad (words by Steve Schroeder)
Godai, the Five Elements, for Speaking Pianist^
[18]I. Dry Bones – Wind 2:30
[19] II. Absence – Fire and Water 3:07
[20] III. Earth 2:01
[21] IV. Ascension-Sky 2:19

[22] Hero for piano solo 2:22

Total Time = 84:10

^ – signifies world premiere recording

ARTIST BIO

“Adventurous and passionate” (The New Yorker) Ukrainian-born American pianist Inna Faliks has made a name for herself through her commanding performances of standard piano repertoire, as well genre-bending interdisciplinary projects, and inquisitive work with contemporary composers. After her acclaimed teenage debuts at the Gilmore Festival and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, she has performed on many of the world’s great stages in recital and with many major orchestras, performing with conductors Leonard Slatkin, Keith Lockhart and many others.

Ms. Faliks collaborates with and premieres music by some of today’s most significant composers, including Billy Childs, Richard Danielpour, Timo Andres and Clarice Assad. She is known for her poetry-music series Music/Words, and has worked with a number of prominent poets. She regularly tours her monologue-recital Polonaise-Fantasie, the Story of a Pianist, which tells the story of her immigration to the United States from Odessa (recorded on Delos). Her discography includes Manuscripts Don't Burn (Sono Luminus, May 2024), which consists of world premiere recordings alongside 19th and 20th century works. Also in her catalogue: Reimagine: Beethoven and Ravel (Navona), and all-Beethoven and Rachmaninoff/Ravel/Pasternak discs on MSR Classics.

In addition to her other impressive accomplishments, she is is head of Piano Studies at UCLA and is a critically acclaimed writer. Her memoir, Weight in the Fingertips (Backbeat Books) was published in October 2023, and her articles and essays have appeared in Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post. Inna Faliks is a Yamaha Artist.

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)

周文中誕生百週年音樂會 (2024年3月21日）

周文中誕生百週年音樂會
回顧其寶貴傳承
(2024年3月21日）

周文中是上世紀首位贏得國際聲譽的華人作曲家，畢生貢獻包括成就 

譚盾、周龍、陳怡、盛宗亮等中國作曲家於上世紀80年代赴美國留學 

音樂會由紐約著名Continuum樂團擔任演出，喬爾·薩克斯（Joel Sachs）負責指揮  

在中國出生的作曲家周文中（1923‒2019）為美國古典音樂界帶來重要貢獻，影響深遠。他曾輔助新生代一批卓越的年青中國音樂家於上世紀80年代赴美國留學。他們包括奧斯卡得主譚盾、普利策大獎得主周龍、古根海姆獎得主陳怡及麥亞瑟“天才”獎得主盛宗亮。周文中是聲明顯赫的現代作曲家埃德加·瓦雷兹（Edgard Varèse）的入室弟子，多年與大師緊密合作。 

音樂會由以演繹當代音樂馳名的Continuum樂團負責演出，喬爾·薩克斯執棒，展示周文中融合中國與西方風格、技巧與理念的獨特才華。曲目中特別亮點是《商調》的美國首演（1956年作品，為室内樂團而作）。中場休息后，周文中的兒子與合作夥伴將進行簡單對話。詳細演出曲目列於下頁。 

這場音樂會是延續周文中寶貴傳承的項目之一。其他紀念周文中誕生百週年活動包括在中美兩國以他的名義委約新作品、在加州大學聖地牙哥分校二十一世紀中國研究中心舉辦系列講座及哥倫比亞大學美中藝術交流中心項目等。 

“簡單地說，沒有任何一個紐約音樂機構可比Continuum樂團的演出 

更引人思考、或比他們的曲目編排更令人滿意。” 

——《紐約時報》 

***  

Spiralis 音樂基金聯同哥倫比亞大學音樂系呈獻 

紀念周文中誕生百週年音樂會暨回顧其寶貴傳承 

2024年3月21日（週四）晚上7時30分 

哥倫比亞大學米勒劇院 

（地址：紐約曼哈頓百老匯2960號，位於西116街） 

門票：20元（學生/長者10元優惠），可於米勒劇院官網購買 

Continuum樂團；喬爾·薩克斯（Joel Sachs，指揮兼鋼琴）；主要成員包括Renée Jolles與Airi Yoshioka（小提琴）；Stephanie Griffin （中提琴）；Kristina Reiko Cooper （大提琴）; Emily Duncan（長笛）; Moran Katz（單簧管） 

演出曲目（全部周文中作品） 

《商調》（1956年）（美國首演） 
室内樂團  

《柳色新》（1957年） 
鋼琴獨奏  

《漁歌》（1965年） 
小提琴、管樂、鋼琴與打擊樂  

《霞光》（2007年） 
木管與弦樂六重奏  

《誦松》（2009年） 
室内樂團 

作曲家介紹 

在中國出生的作曲家周文中（1923‒2019）於1946年赴美國求學，在新英格蘭音樂學院師從尼古拉斯·斯洛尼姆斯基，往後移居紐約市，成為埃德加·瓦雷兹的入室弟子。上世紀50年代初在哥倫比亞研究院深造，導師是奧托·呂寧；曾跟隨作曲家博胡斯拉夫·馬爾蒂努及音樂學家保羅·亨利·朗學習。周文中自1964年至1991年在哥倫比亞大學任教。他致力發展哥大至今國際知名的作曲課程，期間有13年掌管哥大藝術學院的學術事務。 

周文中於1978年創辦中美藝術交流中心，與來自東亞及東南亞的專家與機構合作，共創項目包括在日本札幌創辦的太平洋音樂節（1990年）；在中國舉辦藝術教育項目（長達15年）；還有自1990年開始，致力在世界上最多元化的地區之一——雲南——策劃文化保護與發展項目。 

周文中是美國藝術暨文學學會會員、國際現代音樂協會及亞洲作曲家聯盟榮譽會員，2001年獲法國藝術及文學勛章（軍官勛位）。 

樂團介紹 

紐約Continuum樂團曾獲西門子國際大獎、四度榮獲美國作曲家作詞家協會“冒險性節目”大獎。自1966年創辦以來，在新音樂界舉足輕重。 

Continuum在美國各地亮相，包括肯尼迪中心及國會圖書館；曾遠赴歐洲巡演十數次，也多次到訪亞洲及拉丁美洲。 

樂團的演出及活動曾在美國CBS電台、國家公共電台、美國之音以及歐洲廣播網絡播出。Continuum已錄製過20多張唱片，即將發行Roberto Sierra作品專輯（NAXOS唱片公司）。演出曲目涵蓋20世紀經典（如埃夫斯、喬普林、魏本等作曲家）以及全球各地當代作曲家的作品。 

Pianist Orli Shaham: "insightful and perspicacious"

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Pianist Orli Shaham releases final volumes of
"Mozart: The Complete Piano Sonatas"

Volumes 5 & 6 include Sonatas K.309, K.311, K.330, K.457 and K.533/494

Digital release: February 9, 2024
Physical release: February 23, 2024
on Canary Classics

"insightful and perspicacious playing" 
— Classical Music Sentinel

The internationally-renowned concert pianist Orli Shaham is wrapping up her multi-year endeavor of recording all of Mozart’s piano sonatas. Volumes 5/6 of Orli Shaham's "Mozart: The Complete Piano Sonatas" (Canary Classics CC24) is released on CD February 23, 2024. The digital album is currently available for download and streaming. The complete box set with all six volumes will be released this spring.

Preparing to record the sonatas inspired Shaham to keep in mind where Mozart was when he wrote each of them. Whether it was Munich or Paris or Salzburg, she said in the album's liner notes written by Donald Rosenberg, “Was he trying out that piano? Was he writing for someone’s daughters? I want that something from every single one of them.”

"Mozart is both subtle and daring in his distinctive handling of materials," writes Rosenberg. "And to Shaham, there’s more. 'He’s also experimenting with audience manipulation—with the things he sets up beautifully and fulfills, how he thwarts your expectations. I do see through these sonatas that you the listener or amateur pianist—you were on his mind. In his letters, ‘you’ means whatever your level of musical training.'"

Critics call Shaham "an intelligent and sensitive guide" for this music. For a digital or physical copy of Volumes 5/6 or any of the previously released discs, contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com.

“A top-tier and consistently satisfying Mozart cycle.”
– International Piano

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Pianist Orli Shaham
Mozart Piano Sonatas
Volumes 5 & 6

K.309 ● K.311 ● K.330
K.457 ● K.533/494

Canary Classics CC24
Digital release: February 9, 2024
Physical release: February 23, 2024
UPC: 5 060133 300144

• Download the cover art

• Read the liner notes

• Pre-order on Amazon

• View Orli Shaham's DPK

• Request a copy of this CD

TRACK LIST

Volume 5 (Total time 65:11)
1–3 Piano Sonata in C Major, No. 7, K.309
4–6 Piano Sonata in D Major, No. 8, K.311
7–9 Piano Sonata in C Major, No. 10, K.330

Volume 6 (Total time 53:05)
1–3 Piano Sonata in C minor, No. 14, K.457
4–6 Piano Sonata in F Major, No. 15, K.533/494

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Hailed as “a first-rate Mozartean” by Chicago Tribune, Orli Shaham has established an international reputation as one of today's most gifted pianists.

Orli Shaham has performed with many of the major orchestras around the world, and has appeared in recital from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House. She is Artistic Director of Pacific Symphony’s chamber series Café Ludwig in Costa Mesa, California and Artistic Director of the interactive children's concert series, Orli Shaham’s Bach Yard, which she founded in 2010. She has served on the juries of both the Cliburn and Honens International Piano Competitions.

In 2024, Ms. Shaham releases Volumes 5 and 6, the final volumes of "Mozart: The Complete Piano Sonatas". Her Mozart recording project also includes Piano Concertos with St. Louis Symphony, all of which are part of her discography of over a dozen titles on Canary Classics, Deutsche Gramophone, Albany Records, SFS Media and more.

Orli Shaham is a Co-Host and Creative for the national radio program From the Top. She is on the piano and chamber music faculty at The Juilliard School and is chair of the board of trustees at Kaufman Music Center in New York. 

March 16: Sylvan Winds perform Debussy, Bach and more

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Sylvan Winds continues 45th anniversary season with two concerts

March 16: "World Winds: Traditions Reimagined" features works by Debussy, Bach, and more

May 31: Season finale at Merkin Hall

"a superb group of musicians" – Fanfare

The Sylvan Winds is in the midst of their 45th anniversary season. On March 16, 2024 the quintet performs a program of some of their favorite compositions, including music by Bach, Debussy, Irving Fine, and José-Luis Hurtado.

"It's a delight to return to this repertoire that we know so well," says founding member and flutist Svjetlana Kabalin. "Each time we present the works in a new context, we find different aspects of the music to bring out. This particular program 'World Winds: Traditions Reimagined' highlights the longstanding tradition of composers pulling inspiration from older styles. Mordechai Rechtman created a brilliant arrangement of a Bach concerto (which itself was an arrangement of a Vivaldi concerto) and Gordon Davies’ transcription of Debussy’s Petite Suite is a longtime concert favorite.”

Tickets to the March 16 concert at 2 pm at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church (152 W 66th St, Manhattan) are $25, with discounts available for students, seniors, and children, available at SylvanWinds.com.

On May 31, the 45th anniversary season concludes with a special performance at Kaufman Music Center's Merkin Hall (129 W 67th St., Manhattan). The grand finale features larger works for winds, including Mozart's Serenade in C minor, and Richard Strauss's Suite in Bb Major, alongside contemporary works by Elizabeth Brown and Valerie Coleman. A ticketed reception will follow the concert. Details here.

Hailed by The New York Times for "…its adventuresome programming and stylishness of performance," Sylvan Winds was founded in 1982. Founding member and flutist Svjetlana Kabalin is joined by oboist Kathy Halvorson, clarinetist Nuno Antunes, Gina Cuffari on bassoon, and horn player Zohar Schondorf, completing the traditional woodwind quintet instrumentation. The quintet has appeared under the auspices of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival and the Caramoor International Music Festival.

Calendar Listing

Saturday, March 16 at 2 pm
World Winds: Traditions Reimagined

Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
(152 West 66th Street, New York, NY)

Tickets are $25 general admission
(Seniors/Students: $20; Children $10)

Sylvan Winds

Svjetlana Kabalin, flute; Kathy Halvorson, oboe;
Nuno Antunes, clarinet; Gina Cuffari, bassoon;
Zohar Schondorf, horn

PROGRAM

Claude Debussy: Petite Suite
 José-Luis Hurtado: Son de la Bruja
J.S. Bach (arr. Rechtman): Concerto No. 2 after Vivaldi, S.593
Irving Fine: Partita

Program subject to change

These concerts are made possible, in part, with funding from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council

March 12: Cassatt String Quartet at Symphony Space

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March 12: Cassatt String Quartet and Ursula Oppens perform piano quintets by Joan Tower and Tania León at Symphony Space

Part of Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival's 27th season

Also: Victoria Bond's Blue and Green Music and Wang Jie's Song for Mahler in the Absence of Words

On March 12, 2024 at 7:30 pm, the internationally acclaimed Cassatt String Quartet and pianist Ursula Oppens perform at Symphony Space. The program is part of Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival and features 21st century works for strings and piano by Tania León, Joan Tower, Victoria Bond and Wang Jie. For more on Oppens, read a profile of the pianist in the New York Times.

The highlight of the program is Victoria Bond’s Blue and Green Music, which the quartet recorded for Albany Records and is based on a Georgia O’Keefe painting of the same title. Tania León's Ethos, Joan Tower’s Dumbarton piano quintet and Wang Jie’s Songs for Mahler in the Absence of Words for piano quartet are also on the program. The concert will explore facets of contemporary music by living composers, all of whom will be present to discuss their works on stage with host and creator, Victoria Bond.

"I'm so delighted to invite the Cassatt String Quartet and Ursula Oppens back to the Cutting Edge Concerts' stage. The Cassatts are one of the finest ensembles of today, and it's been such a pleasure to hear them take my work Blue and Green Music on tour around the country this past season. I cannot wait to hear this program along with the audience," says Bond.

Program details for the March 12 concert are below. The performance is at Symphony Space's Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater (2537 Broadway, Manhattan). Tickets are $25 in advance ($20 senior/student) and available at SymphonySpace.org.

Calendar Listing

CUTTING EDGE CONCERTS NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL

Cassatt String Quartet and Pianist Ursula Oppens

Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Symphony Space (2537 Broadway, Manhattan)
Tickets: $25 in advance (at SymphonySpace.org)

PROGRAM

Victoria Bond: Blue and Green Music
Tania León: Ethos for Piano and String Quartet
Wang Jie: Song for Mahler in the Absence of Words
Joan Tower: Dumbarton Quintet for piano quintet

About Cassatt String Quartet

Hailed for its “mighty rapport and relentless commitment,” the New York City-based Cassatt String Quartet has performed throughout the world for nearly four decades, with appearances at Alice Tully Hall and Weill Recital Hall; Tanglewood Music Center; the Kennedy Center; Théâtre des Champs-Élysées; Centro National de las Artes; Maeda Hall; and Beijing’s Central Conservatory. The Quartet’s prolific discography – featured three times in Alex Ross’s “10 Best Classical Recordings” column in The New Yorker – includes over forty recordings, for the Koch, Naxos, New World, Point, CRI, Tzadik, and Albany labels.

The Cassatt Quartet’s 2023-2024 season includes performances and recordings of works by Tania León, Adolphus Hailstork, Chen Yi, Joan Tower, Zhou Long, Victoria Bond and Daniel S. Godfrey; their annual residencies at the Seal Bay Festival in Maine and Cassatt in the Basin! in West Texas; hometown concerts in the New York area, including at Symphony Space and Bargemusic; and appearances at Treetops Chamber Music Society, Maverick Concerts, and Music Mountain.

The CSQ is named for the American Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt.