Heritage Trio Program
Fleur Barron, Anthony McGill and Gloria Chien are excited to offer a program on the theme of “Heritage”, featuring works composed or arranged expressly for their trio. One centerpiece is “Gulistan”, a joyful and poignant 20-minute cycle by Iranian-American composer Kian Ravaei (b.1999), based on Azerbaijani, Persian, American and English folk music. Another is a new arrangement of Brahms op.91 by Ravaei – heard for the first time with clarinet! Other major voices on the program include Florence Price, in a selection of 4 songs for trio, and arrangements of Nina Simone songs – a musical idol for all three performers -- showcasing the trio’s versatility across diverse styles. Rounding out the program are commissions by Valerie Coleman (b.1970) exploring connections between the Harlem Renaissance and France, Gabriel Kahane (b.1981), and a dramaturgical piece by Alex Ho (b.1997).
Note to a Friend | Attacca Quartet & Theo Bleckmann
In this 60-minute chamber opera, commissioned by the Japan Society, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang combines and reimagines three texts by iconic Japanese novelist Ryunosuke Akutagawa. The result is a stunning and haunting monodrama, note to a friend, addressing our eternal human fascinations with death, love, family and suicide.
Photo credit: Lynne Harty
Anthony McGill, Demarre McGill, Titus Underwood, & Andrew Brady | Jasmine Barnes Commission
A new kind of commission project - at its core will be the musical commission of a new Concertante - a 15-20 min concerto for four brilliant and trailblazing principals of major US orchestras + chamber orchestra: Titus Underwood, Anthony McGill, Demarre McGill, and Andrew Brady. The work will be written by Jasmine Barnes and is meant to be a dynamic new addition to the repertoire, celebrating these unique artists and tailored to their artistry.
Miró Quartet & Karen Slack | Tamar-kali Commission
New work by acclaimed concert and film composer Tamar-kali (Mudbound) will feature soprano Karen Slack and the Miró Quartet, setting texts centered in the inspirational poetry of women of the Harlem Renaissance. Tamar-kali hopes to pay homage to the music and poetry of that time, bringing to the fore her own unique voice as a contemporary composer whose work is grounded across contemporary pop, classical and film music genres.
Photo credit: Matt Murphy
Miró Quartet & Isidore String Quartet
The Miró and Isidore Quartets will be touring together for a limited period in the 2025/26 season. The program will close with Mendelssohn’s iconic Octet to celebrate the 200th anniversary of when the work was composed the autumn of 1825.
Photo credit: Jiyang Chen
Ariel Quartet with Alisa Weilerstein
As part of its 20th anniversary season, the Ariel Quartet teams up with Alisa Weilerstein — the superstar cellist and their longtime friend and collaborator. The program will include a new cello quintet they are commissioning from the rising young composer Joseph Hallman, who has previously written works for Weilerstein.
Letters to a Young Poet
Celebrating the poet Rainer Maria Rilke and composer Maurice Ravel, this new project features the Parker Quartet in a staged performance with actors.
Attacca Quartet & Caroline Shaw
The Attacca Quartet presents a special collaboration with the composer Caroline Shaw.
Miró Quartet | Here on Earth
The Miró Quartet is embarking on a new performance and recording project with Lara Downes.
Photo credit: Max Barrett
Gabriel Kahane | Attacca Quartet
I’ve known Nathan Schram of Attacca Quartet for almost a decade; he performed in the production of The Ambassador at BAM, and is a deeply soulful musician and person.
Photo credit: David Goddard
Miró Quartet & David Shifrin | Rendezvous with Benny
A "Rendezvous with Benny” is an extension of the Miró Quartet's Archive Project and celebrates the artistry of Benny Goodman centered particularly on the relationship between Benny and the Budapest Quartet.
America's Cultural Stage | Violin & Piano
Black musicians have shaped classical music for centuries; this recital honors and recognizes the artists and art forms who have shaped our cultural heritage. Dvorak’s Sonatina is one of his American-flavored works, particularly inspired by the music of African Americans.
Baroque to the Present | Violin & Harpsichord
Rachel Barton Pine and Jory Vinikour are both renowned for their interpretations of the music of J.S. Bach. They are also lifelong friends. The two musicians enjoy getting together to read sonatas whenever they are in the same city, and in 2018, realized a longtime dream of recording Bach’s six sonatas for violin and keyboard.
An Evening with Clara, Marie, Amanda, and Johannes | Violin & Piano
This program celebrates the close-knit friendships and musical partnerships among Clara Schumann (1819-1896), Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), Amanda Maier (1853-1894), and Marie Soldat (1863-1955). Brahms performed his own Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor with both Marie Soldat and Amanda Maier, and made numerous revisions to the score based on Maier’s advice. Clara Schumann was a close musical collaborator and lifelong friend of Brahms.
Turning Points: WindSync + Piano
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Rhapsody in Blue, WindSync offers a wind sextet program connecting George Gershwin and W. A. Mozart, two composers whose experiments pairing piano with winds indelibly changed their careers.
The Parker Quartet with Vijay Iyer
The Parker Quartet collaborates with leading pianist, composer, and scholar Vijay Iyer. They first worked together as colleagues at Harvard University before taking their collaboration on the road to the Big Ears Festival last season.
Parker Quartet | Anthony Cheung commission with Fleur Barron
The Parker Quartet and mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron will be working with composer Anthony Cheung on a commission for string quartet and mezzo-soprano which will be an 18- 20 min piece around the theme of Asian representation.
Gabriel Kahane | Sandbox Percussion
Sandbox Percussion is the newest addition to my musical community. We’ve admired each other from afar for a while, and they have a particular—and, to me, appealing—interest in moving the percussion quartet beyond the spectacle of highly “gridded” music.
Photo credit: Noah Stern Weber
Gabriel Kahane & Pekka Kuusisto | Council
After nearly a decade of musical friendship, it seems only fitting that the iconic Finnish musician Pekka Kuusisto and cult American singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane have formalized their collaboration under the moniker ‘Council.’ Now, they present an evening of intimate and sonically varied songs & chamber music, written during several writing retreats in Northern Karelia and Portland, Oregon.
Photo credit: Sam Gehrke
Gabriel Kahane | Roomful of Teeth
Roomful of Teeth and I have been orbiting each other for the better part of a decade, but it wasn’t until this winter that they asked if I would write a new work for them.