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Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
PRESS ACCLAIM

"It's hard to overstate the players' sense of fun, which burst through in every bar.... The eight musicians mined every minute for maximum propulsion and drama."

-The Strad

"Though every musician on the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center roster is superb, the sum of the parts is even greater...a potent evening of first class music making."

-The Strad

"An unmissable event.  A rare opportunity to hear an unusual and absorbing program. It was performed with all the vitality, incisive attention to detail and spontaneity one has come to associate with the Chamber Music Society brand."

-Chicago Tribune

“The great joy of the society’s concerts is the interaction of up-and-coming musicians with established ones."

-The New York Times

“This program provided yet more evidence of how much the Society has been reinvigorated and strengthened under the nine-year artistic leadership of the indefatigable husband-and-wife team, cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han.”

-Chicago Sun Times

“The interpretations, like the scores, were tender and monumental, steamy and chiseled in stone."

-New York Magazine

REPERTOIRE

2026 - 2027 PROGRAMS

TOUR 1: “Copland’s Appalachian Spring”

(13 musicians - Piano:  Anne-Marie McDermott; Violin : Richard Lin, Kristin Lee, Francisco Fullana, Lun Li; Viola:  Daniel Phillips, Paul Neubauer; Cello:  Dmitri Atapine, Nick Canellakis; Bass:  Nina Bernat; Flute:  Tara Helen O’Connor; Clarinet: David Shifrin; Bassoon: Marc Goldberg)
Available:  October 2-11, 2026

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William Bolcom:    Rag for String Quartet

Amy Beach:  Quintet for Piano and Strings

Bernard Hermann:  Suite from the Movie “Psycho” (watch video performance)

Aaron Copland:  Suite from “Appalachian Spring”

TOUR 3: "Strings"

(6 musicians - Violin:  Danbi Um & Julian Rhee; Viola:  Paul Neubauer & Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt; Cello:  Nick Canellakis & Jonathan Swensen)
Available:  Feb 26 – Mar 10, 2027

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Luigi Boccherini:  Quintet for Strings in G-minor, Op. 29, No 6

Alfredo D’Ambrosio:  Suite for String Quintet, Op. 8

Antonin Dvorak:  Sextet for Strings, in A-Major, Op. 48

Enthusiasts for string chamber music are among the most passionate listeners, undoubtedly seduced by the rich vocal timbres of the violin, viola and cello. This program was designed for their delight, with perspectives on the all-string cast from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Boccherini, the greatest virtuoso cellist of his day, could not resist showing off his spectacular technique, composing cello parts for himself that venture daringly into the pitch range of the violin. Alfred D’Ambrosio, not yet well known, has become beloved by a steadily growing circle of musicians who simply love to play his ultra-romantic works, among them, the incomparable violist Paul Neubauer, and violinist Danbi Um, a leading exponent of the great Romantic violin tradition. Rounding off an evening bathed in sonic richness is Dvorak’s folk-infused Sextet, one of the most exciting, touching, and brilliantly entertaining works in the entire chamber music repertoire.

Celebrating the rich voices of American composers, this program explores a range of musical expressions that define the nation's cultural landscape. William Bolcom’s lively Rag infuses playful energy into the quartet, while Amy Beach’s Piano Quintet, a cornerstone of American chamber music, blends lyrical vibrancy with innovative harmonies. Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho Suite, performed in its original instrumentation for strings, brings the suspense of his iconic film score into the concert hall with gripping intensity and dark beauty. The program concludes with Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite, a quintessentially American work that captures the hope and optimism of life on the frontier. The late critic Terry Teachout described Appalachian Spring as "probably the greatest piece of classical music by an American."

TOUR 2: "Mahler, Brahms, and Schumann"

(4 musicians - Wu Han, piano; Arnaud Sussmann, violin; Matthew Lipman, viola; David Finckel, cello)

Available:  Jan 18-30, 2027

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Mahler:  Quartet in A-minor for Piano and Strings

Brahms:  Quartet in C-minor for Piano and Strings, Op. 60

Schumann:  Quartet in Eb-Major for Piano and Strings, Op. 47
 

TOUR 4: "Mozart and Brahms"

(5 musicians - Violin:  Stella Chen & Chad Hoopes; Viola:  Timothy Ridout; Cello:  Clive Greensmith; Clarinet:  Sebastian Manz)
Available:  April 22-May 1, 2027

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Mozart:  Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A-Major, K 581

Brahms:  Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in B-minor, Op. 115

It is not often that two of music’s greatest masterworks can be heard side by side, but it is indisputable that this program offers clarinet chamber music at its absolute pinnacle. Composed a century apart and similarly inspired by virtuoso clarinetists, the Clarinet Quintets of Mozart and Brahms are among the most popular works on the chamber music stage, yet, rarely do they appear on the same program. Among clarinetists qualified for the challenge, David Shifrin holds a firm lead, his legendary performances of the pieces (and his recording of them with the Emerson String Quartet) setting the standard for all to follow. It will be obvious to listeners that both Mozart and Brahms were seduced by the clarinet’s pristine purity, and both created works that breathe the same tranquil, autumnal air.

One of the most popular chamber music ensembles among performers, listeners and composers alike, the piano quartet configuration bears rich fruit as it contains the players for string trio (violin, viola and cello) and as well as piano trio (piano, violin and cello). This program of landmark piano quartets hails from the Romantic era, Schumann contributing the first great piano quartet of the 19th century, Brahms stoking the fire to create new heights of passion, and the young Gustav Mahler dipping his toe into the chamber music genre only once with this surprisingly powerful single-movement work. The concert is anchored by CMS’s longest-serving artistic directors, cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han, who make a rare appearance on the same tour.

November 2024

BIOGRAPHY

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) is one of twelve constituents of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the largest performing arts complex in the world. Along with other constituents such as the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center Theater, and The Metropolitan Opera, the Chamber Music Society has its home at Lincoln Center. The Chamber Music Society’s performance venue, Alice Tully Hall, has received international acclaim as the world's most exciting new venue for chamber music.

 

CMS presents chamber music of every instrumentation, style, and historical period in its extensive concert season in New York, its national tours, its many recordings and national radio broadcasts, its broad commissioning program, and its multi-faceted educational programs. Demonstrating the belief that the future of chamber music lies in engaging and expanding the audience, CMS has created programs to bring the art of chamber music to audiences from a wide range of backgrounds, ages, and levels of musical knowledge. The artistic core of CMS is a multi-generational, dynamic repertory company of expert chamber musicians who form an evolving musical community.  As part of that community, the CMS Two program discovers and weaves into the artistic fabric a select number of highly gifted young artists - individuals and ensembles - who embody the great performance traditions of the past while setting new standards for the future.

 

CMS produces its own recordings on the CMS Studio Recordings label, which has been highly praised for both the artistry and the recorded sound of the eclectic range of repertoire it has released. These recordings are sold on-site at concerts in New York, on tour, and through the CMS website as well as online retailers such as iTunes. CMS also has a broad range of historic recordings on the Arabesque, Delos, SONY Classical, Telarc, Musical Heritage Society, MusicMasters, and Omega Record Classics labels. Selected live CMS concerts are available for download as part of Deutsche Grammophon’s DG Concerts series.

 

In 2004, CMS appointed cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han artistic directors. They succeed founding director Charles Wadsworth (1969-89), Fred Sherry (1989-93), and David Shifrin (1993-2004).

 

Visit the Chamber Music Society online at www.ChamberMusicSociety.org.

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