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Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
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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

2025 - 2026 PROGRAMS

TOUR 1: "VIOLA CELEBRATION"

(5 musicians:  STELLA CHEN & ALEXANDER SITKOVETSKY, violin; PAUL NEUBAUER & MATT LIPMAN, viola; KEITH ROBINSON, cello)
 

Available:  November 8-16, 2025

 

Ludwig van Beethoven:   Fugue in D major for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Cello, Op. 137

Ralph Vaughan Williams:  Phantasy Quintet for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Cello

York Bowen (1884–1961):  2 Duets for 2 Violas in G Major

Brett Dean (b. 1961):   Epitaphs for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Cello

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:  Quintet in C major for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Cello, K. 515

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The unique timbre of the viola—rich, dark, and soulful—has made it the instrument of choice for composers seeking to add even more luscious beauty to chamber ensembles. CMS proudly offers a one-of-a-kind program that includes a pair of violas in every work, from Vaughan Williams’s haunting Phantasy Quintet, to violist-composer Brett Dean’s gripping lament, to Mozart’s joyful and uplifting C-major Quintet, one of six he composed that truly put the viola quintet on the chamber music map.

TOUR 3: "WINDFEST"

(6 musicians:  MICHAEL STEPHEN BROWN, piano; TARA HELEN O’CONNOR, flute; JURI VALLENTIN, oboe; DAVID SHIFRIN, clarinet; PETER KOLKAY, bassoon; DAVID BYRD-MARROW, horn)

 

Available:  Feb 27 – Mar 12, 2026

 

Maurice Emmanuel:  Sonata for Flute, Clarinet, and Piano, Op. 11

Richard Strauss:  Andante for Horn and Piano

Carl Czerny:  Andante e Polacca in E major for Horn and Piano

August Klughardt:  Quintet in C major for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, and Bassoon, Op. 79

André Jolivet:  Sonatine for Oboe and Bassoon

Louise Farrenc:  Sextet in C minor for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, and Piano, Op. 40
 

Wind quintets, a standard combination in the chamber music genre, have the challenge, as well as the benefits, of bringing together five distinct instruments to explore multiple blends of timbres; Klughardt’s work is a beautiful example of great writing for each of the five. The addition of piano, the first iteration of which is the Sextet by Louise Farrenc, provides expanded sonic dimensions and is a true tour de force for the pianist. The program is balanced with smaller combinations featuring double reeds, the regal sound of the horn, and upper winds.

TOUR 2: "BEETHOVEN JOURNEY"

(4 musicians:  JUHO POHJONEN, piano; KRISTIN LEE, violin; ARNAUD SUSSMANN, violin/viola; DAVID FINCKEL, cello)

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Available:  Jan 16-24, 2026

 

Ludwig van Beethoven:  Sonata in E-flat major for Violin and Piano, Op. 12, No. 3

Beethoven:  Trio in D major for Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 9, No. 2

Beethoven:  Trio in B-flat major for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 97, “Archduke”
 

The artistic evolution of Ludwig van Beethoven changed the course of music, and nowhere is that stunning transformation experienced better than in this all-Beethoven program. From this program, one can sense the tremendous vitality that would propel him to stardom within a decade. Beethoven’s hand also broadened the possibilities of both the sonata for violin and piano, and the piano trio, here illustrated by his last and greatest example, the “Archduke.”

TOUR 4: "QUINTET REVELATIONS"

(5 musicians:  WU HAN, piano; CHAD HOOPES, violin; RICHARD LIN, violin; MILENA PAJARO-VAN DE STADT, viola; DMITRI ATAPINE, cello)

 

Available:  April 17-27, 2026

 

Jean-Marie Leclair:  Sonata in E major for Two Violins, Op. 12, No. 2

Anton Arensky:  Quintet in D major for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 51

Giovanni Viotti:  Duo in G major for Two Violins, W 4.9

Camille Saint-Saëns:  Quintet in A minor for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 14

The piano quintet is a powerhouse chamber ensemble, combining sonic richness of a string quartet with the symphonic aura of grand piano. Inspired by Robert Schumann’s early example, composers from the early Romantic age all the way through the 21st century have contributed significantly to the genre. Russian master Anton Arensky, teacher of Rachmaninov, penned his sole quintet in his mature years, and the ever-popular champion of French music Camille Saint-Saens began his prolific chamber music career with this early quintet of surprising skill and maturity. Bracing violin duos by virtuosi of the Baroque and Classical eras serve as effervescent quintet preludes.

Jan 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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