The SPA Trio is back on the road with its first set of touring dates this fall. They will be back in the South for more dates in early December and February.
October 6, 2022: Birmingham Chamber Music Society (updated review from the presenter: “this was the most glorious music we ever heard in this hall!”)
October 7-8, 2022: Seattle Chamber Music Society
October 11, 2022: University of Idaho
Read MoreCellist Thomas Mesa will give the world premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s new cello concerto, Divided, on tour with the Sphinx Virtuosi in October. Following the official premiere in Ashland, OR (Oct 7), the work will have performances in Eugene (Oct 10), Portland, OR (Oct 11); NYC at Carnegie Hall (Oct 13); Buffalo (Oct 15); Cleveland at CIM (Oct 19); Philadelphia at PCMS (Oct 21); and Sao Paolo, Brazil (Oct 26).
Tommy will remain the exclusive soloist for the work through April 2025.
Read MoreArnaud Sussmann opens the Bender JCC of Greater Washington’s Polinger Artists of Excellence Series together with pianist Anna Polonsky on Sunday, October 2. This marks the start of the esteemed series’s 50th anniversary season. You can find more details regarding the performance and program here.
Read MoreThe Verona Quartet makes its Kansas City debut as part of the longstanding Friends of Chamber Music Series on Friday, September 30. This performance is a part of the quartet’s 2020 Cleveland Quartet Award, and their visit encompasses school visits as well.
Read MoreThe Lysander Piano Trio kicked off their 2022-23 season with performances in September at the WYO Theater in Sheridan, WY, followed by their debut with the Edmonton Chamber Music Society. Their rich program combined works by Granados, Bongani Ndodana-Breen, Liszt, and Dvorak. The Trio continues their fall schedule with an appearance at NYC’s Central Chamber Series in November.
Read MoreThe Verona Quartet made their Singapore debut this week with a residency at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, culminating with a performance on the 8th of September. As the birthplace of violinist Jonathan Ong of the quartet, they look forward to returning in future seasons! Their program of works by Beethoven, Ligeti, and Dvorak can be viewed here.
Read MorePianist Einav Yarden, who served as a collaborative pianist at Ravinia for five summers, will give a solo recital in Bennett Gordon Hall on Saturday, September 17 at 1pm. Other appearances that week include Eagan, MN (September 14); Milwaukee, WI (September 18); and Birmingham, AL (September 21).
Read MoreThe genre-crossing duo of violinist Danbi Um and guitarist Jiji will give performances at the Friends of Music series in Stamford, NY on August 21, followed by a performance at the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival on August 22. The duo continues its collaborations into the new season, with performances around Washington, DC in September.
Read MoreAugust begins with a bang for the Verona Quartet, who just concluded a 10-day residency at the Bravo! Vail Festival. The quartet is featured at the following upcoming performances
August 1-2: Ottawa Chamberfest August 1-2
August 3 & 5: Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival
August 6: Chappaquiddick Community Center Chamber Music Series
August 7,: Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society
August 8: Cooperstown Summer Music Festival
Catch them if you’re nearby!
Read MoreEinav Yarden returns to the US for her solo recital debut at Gretna Music in Mt. Gretna, PA the evening of July 24. Featured as a top event for the summer in Best Things Pennsylvania, her recital includes works by J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, Eötvös, Beethoven, and Brahms. More info can be found here.
Read MoreThe Sphinx Organization has announced the 2023 Medal of Excellence honorees: cellist Thomas Mesa, soprano Aundi Marie Moore, and composer Joel Thompson. The Sphinx Medal of Excellence is the organization's highest honor recognizing extraordinary classical Black and Latinx artists who early in their career demonstrate artistic excellence, outstanding work ethic, a spirit of determination, and an ongoing commitment to leadership and their communities. The medal comes with a $50,000 career grant. The winners will receive their medals on March 1, 2023 at a luncheon hosted by The Kennedy Center and a private Black-tie dinner in Washington, D.C.
This year Sphinx-the social justice organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts-celebrates its 25th anniversary. All three of the 2023 medal honorees are part of the anniversary concert events: Thomas Mesa is principal cellist of the Sphinx Virtuosi, the professional self-conducted chamber ensemble and Sphinx's flagship performing entity, and will be the soloist during the ensemble's fall tour in the newly commissioned work, Divided, by Jessie Montgomery (Sphinx Medal of Excellence 2020) including at Carnegie Hall on Thursday, October 13. Sphinx President and Artistic Director, Afa S. Dworkin says:
"We are overjoyed to celebrate these brilliant artists this year. As thousands of artists were forced off the stage by the pandemic, each of our recipients served as beautiful examples of leadership and service…. Tommy personally commissioned and performed a whole series of composers to support fellow artists during a challenging time…Their artistic pedigree is second to none and their dedication to excellence is authentically synonymous with the ethos of this award."
"It's an incredible honor to receive a Medal of Excellence from the Sphinx Organization and to join a roster of phenomenal artists who have received this acknowledgement. I want my voice as a cellist to be a vehicle for anyone who needs me. There are so many composers who have so much to say and they require a voice. I want to be the person they can rely on to follow them into the deep end of their world. The human experience is so complex and what we can share with each other is limitless."
Read MoreThe Verona Quartet returns to the Bravo! Vail festival for performances July 25-30. This engagement kicks off with a collaborative performance together with festival Artistic Director (and SPA Trio member) Anne-Marie McDermott featuring the Coleridge-Taylor Piano Quintet. See details here.
Read MoreHenry Kramer gave a much-awaited solo recital at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Durham, NC, and the Cultural Voice of North Carolina gave a phenomenal review, noting the recital was “worth the wait.” CVNC also noted his “musicianship and superb technique” for his “exemplary” Beethoven Op. 109 and declared Henry’s performance of William Grant Still's Three Visions as “a definitive reading of this too-often neglected American work.”
Read the full review here.
Henry Kramer will be featured at the Geneva Music Festival on May 28, Innsbruck Music Festival from June 2-5, Rockport Music Festival June 12 (with Stella Chen) and 14, and Pierce Hill Performing Arts June 18-19. Click the links for further details on each performance.
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The Verona Quartet will open the season at the Texas Music Festival on June 7, followed by performances at the Rockport Chamber Music Festival on June 11 and OK Mozart on June 13. For the second half of June, the Verona will conduct residencies at LAMP in Nova Scotia and Encore Chamber Music in Ohio. Click the links for more details about each performance.
Paul Neubauer will perform with the New Century Chamber Orchestra and Music Director Daniel Hope for a series of three performances May 12-14. Paul will perform Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante together with Mr. Hope, and the program will include two additional symphonies by Mozart. More details here.
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