July 21: Orchestra of St. Luke's in Central Park - free admission

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The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts presents the Orchestra of St. Luke's with conductor Brad Lubman on July 21

All-Mozart program features mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner, winner of 2021 Walter W. Naumburg International Competition

Concert season marks 100th anniversary of competition

 “A mainstay of New York’s classical scene” – The New Yorker

On Tuesday, July 21 at 7:30 pm, Naumburg Orchestral Concerts presents Orchestra of St. Luke's, led by conductor Brad Lubman, and guest mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park (mid-park at 72nd St.). The concert is free and will be broadcast live and streamed on WQXR.

The program is part of the series' season-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Walter W. Naumburg International Competition. 2021 winner Erin Wagner - praised for her "absolute mastery" by Opera News - joins OSL for this all-Mozart program. Selections include arias from Le nozze di Figaro and Idomeneo alongside "Vado, me dove?" and "Alma grande e nobil core," Symphony No. 21, "Eiene Kleine Nachtmusik," and more. 

The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts' season concludes on August 4 with Nosky's Baroque Band with trumpet soloist Steve Marquardt. Full program details are below. Digital press kit available here.

Cassatt String Quartet's Fall 2026 Season

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Cassatt String Quartet's 40th anniversary performances continue through fall 2026

Highlight is anniversary concert on October 15 at Merkin Hall featuring premieres by Victoria Bond and Laura Kaminsky and music by Joan Tower

Plus concerts at Music Mountain, Bohemian National Hall, and Seal Bay Festival

The Cassatt String Quartet's 40th anniversary season continues through the fall of 2026 with violinists Muneko Otani and Laura Jean Goldberg, violist Amy Galluzzo and cellist Yi Qun Xu.

The highlight of the season is a special anniversary concert at Merkin Hall with pianist Magdalena Stern-Baczewska featuring the premiere of a piano quintet by Victoria Bond and a new work by Laura Kaminsky, plus music written for the quartet by Joan Tower.

The quintet commissioned Bond to write the quintet "New York Nocturne" especially for the anniversary. It is inspired by four Georgia O'Keefe paintings portraying NYC at night. For Kaminsky's premiere of her new octet "The Blue Bottle," the Cassatts will be joined by the Fry Street Quartet.

"We are thrilled to present this significant program to cap our 40th anniversary," says first violinist Muneko Otani. "We've been so privileged to have such fruitful relationships with Victoria, Joan, and Laura over the years. Each of these composers have written such beautiful works for us, it's an honor to present them all on the October 15 program capping this momentous anniversary."

The quartet's fall season is rounded out with a show at Music Mountain in Falls Village, CT, on August 30 featuring the world premiere of a clarinet quintet by Javier Montiel, Seal Bay Festival performances across Maine September 13-15, and a concert at Bohemian National Hall in New York City on December 5.

July 28-August 5: Cassatt Quartet at Seal Bay Festival

The Cassatt String Quartet performs across coastal Maine, returning to Seal Bay Festival of American Music

23rd season runs July 28-August 5 with quartet and special guests performing concerts in Vinalhaven, Belfast, and Portland

Plus free community concerts September 13-15

The world-renowned Cassatt String Quartet performs in Maine as the longtime core ensemble of the Seal Bay Festival of American Chamber Music. From Portland to Belfast and Vinalhaven, the quartet is joined by world-renowned pianist Steven Beck for public performances, workshops, and a recording session with emerging composers.

The festival's 23rd season runs July 28 through August 5 and also features informal concerts in community centers across the state from September 13 to 15. Details are in the calendar listing below.

At four of the concerts, composers present personal introductions to their music. The 2026 season's resident composers are: Victoria Bond, Daniel Sonenberg, and Cody Forrest, plus returning composers Daniel Strong Godfrey, Shirish Korde, and Vineet Shende.

The four main concerts are: August 1 and 2 on Vinalhaven, August 4 in Belfast at the historic 1912 Colonial Theatre, and August 5 at the Portland Conservatory of Music. Each program includes works both by resident composers and by fellows of the Seal Bay Festival's Composer Institute. Highlights include performances of Victoria Bond's new piano quintet, "New York Nocturne," Joan Tower's "For Jeff, with Love" (both commissioned by the Cassatt String Quartet), the world premiere of Cody Forrest's "Sea Change” for solo piano, Caroline Shaw's "Entr'acte," Daniel Sonenberg's “11 Minute Fantasy” for solo piano, and more. Full program details below.

Seal Bay Festival 2026 Season Details

August 1, 7 pm: Concert to Benefit Partners in Island Education
Smith-Hokanson Recital Hall, Vinalhaven School (22 Arcola Ln, Vinalhaven)
with guest pianist Steven Beck

Aaron Copland: "Hoedown" from Rodeo
Jay Unger: Ashokan Farewell
Florence Price: Selections from Five folksongs in counterpoint
Daniel Sonenberg: 11 minute fantasy
Victoria Bond: New York Nocturne (2026 premiere preview)

August 2, 7 pm: Seal Bay Festival Concert in Vinalhaven
Smith-Hokanson Recital Hall, Vinalhaven School (22 Arcola Ln, Vinalhaven)
with guest pianist Steven Beck

Hayden Byrne: Rheidity (world premiere)
Shirish Korde: Evening Raga-Nocturne
Cody Forrest: Sea Change (world premiere)
Daniel Sonenberg: 11 minute fantasy
Joan Tower: For Jeff, with Love

August 4, 7 pm: Seal Bay Festival Concert in Belfast
Colonial Theatre (163 High St, Belfast)

Shirish Korde: Evening Raga-Nocturne
Joshua Amir: Echo of a Vengeful Turn (world premiere)
Qiming Liu: Afterward (world premiere)
Zaki Andoh: The Flying Machine (world premiere)
Xinrui Zhang: Who is the Winner (world premiere)
Caroline Shaw: Entr'acte
Joan Tower: For Jeff, with Love

August 5, 7 pm: Seal Bay Festival Concert in Portland
Portland Conservatory of Music (28 Neal St, Portland)

Shirish Korde: Evening Raga-Nocturne
Cody Forrest: Sea Change
Daniel Sonenberg: 11 minute fantasy
Joan Tower: For Jeff, with Love
Victoria Bond: New York Nocturne

Additional community concerts:
August 1, 10 am & 1 pm: Vinalhaven Library (Vinalhaven)
August 3, 2:30 pm: Avita Retirement Community (Brunswick)
August 3, 4:30 pm: White Residence (Brunswick)
September 13, 2 pm: 75 State Street (Portland)
September, 13, 4 pm: Village Square (Gorham)
September 14, 2:30 pm: Thornton Oaks (Brunswick)
September 14, 4:15 pm: Highlands Retirement Community (Topsham)
September 14, 2 pm: Atrium at the Cedars, Portland

Delirium Musicum at Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park

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The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts presents the New York debut of Delirium Musicum on July 7

Free program at the historic Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park features music by Schubert, Vivaldi, Saint-Saëns, Gabriella Smith, Philip Glass, and more

On Tuesday, July 7 at 7:30 pm, Naumburg Orchestral Concerts presents the New York debut of Delirium Muiscum at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park (mid-park at 72nd St.). The concert is free and will be broadcast live and streamed on WQXR.

The chamber orchestra is praised by San Francisco Classical Voice as "ferocious and rhythmically mesmerizing." In its first-ever performance in New York, the group performs a wide-ranging program that features music from its recent albums, "Cabinet of Curiosities" and "Seasons," both on Warner Classics.

Highlights of this lively Los Angeles-based ensemble's program include familiar favorites such as Saint-Saëns' "Danse Macabre," Vivaldi's "Winter," and more contemporary offerings like Jessie Montgomery's "Banner" and Gabriella Smith's "Cactus-Yucca Scrub."

he Naumburg Orchestral Concerts' season continues on July 21 with an all-Mozart program performed by the Orchestra of St. Luke's led by Brad Lubman with mezzo-soprano Erin Wanger (Walter Naumburg International Competition winner 2021).

The 2026 summer concert series concludes on August 4 with Nosky's Baroque Band with trumpet soloist Steve Marquardt. Full program details are below. Digital press kit available here.

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Tuesday, July 7 at 7:30 pm

Delirium Musicum
Etienne Gara, music director and violin soloist

at the Naumburg Bandshell on the Concert Ground, Central Park (72nd St, mid-park)

PROGRAM

Zoltán Kodály: Intermezzo from Háry János Suite*
Camille Saint-Saëns: Danse Macabre*
Gabriella Smith: Cactus-Yucca Scrub from Desert Ecology
Erik Satie: Gnossienne N.1*
Max Richter: Summer from The Four Seasons Recomposed
Philip Glass: Echorus
Franz Schubert: Erlkönig*
Jessie Montgomery: Banner for Solo String Quartet & String Orchestra
Antonio Vivaldi: Winter from The Four Seasons, Op 8 No.4, RV 297

*arranged for Delirium Musicum by Gianluca Bersanetti

Admission is free and reservations are not needed.
Visit naumburgconcerts.org for more information and programs.

"Brass for Uncommon Times" out July 24

Some of the best brass and percussion players in the United States come together for “Brass for Uncommon Times”

Ensemble directed by Brian Kaufman performs 21st century works by a global roster of composers, including Valerie Coleman, Barbara York and Félix Mendoza

Released July 24, 2026 on Naxos

Brass for Uncommon Times – an all-star collective of 40 top-notch brass and percussion performers – announces its debut album, released July 24, 2026, on Naxos (8.579190). 

Brian Kaufman directs this outstanding ensemble in works by composers from the United States, Canada, Japan, and Venezuela. Composers include Valerie Coleman, Katelyn Petersen, Barbara York, Félix Mendoza, Satoshi Yagisawa, Katahj Copley, and Harrison J. Collins. 

“These pieces confront societal division, racial injustice, gun violence, global health crises and war, while also searching for hope, resilience and connection,” writes Kaufman in the program notes. “From quiet reflection to bold, urgent passages, the music moves between struggle and celebration, tension and release.”  

The album opens with Coleman’s “Fanfare for Uncommon Times”, which was written in response to the overlapping crises of the pandemic and the racial unrest of 2020, and uses the same instrumentation as Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man." Other highlights include York’s Tuba Concerto “Wars and Rumors of War” and Félix Mendoza’s rousing “Guerra de Secciones,” for brass and percussion, which draws on the rhythms and sounds of Venezuela. 

Featured artists include Velvet Brown, an internationally renowned tuba player who has performed around the world and is featured on four solo albums and as soloist with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra; Hiram Diaz, vocalist for the Marine Latin Jazz Ensemble; and celebrated Venezuelan-American percussionists Fran Vielma and Daniel Prim, a Latin Grammy-award winner.

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD of "Brass for Uncommon Times" led by Brian Kaufman. Links to the digital album are below.

The Knights at Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park

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The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts presents The Knights and violinist Tessa Lark on June 23

Program celebrates America's 250th anniversary showcasing the power and beauty of American music

Highlights include NY premiere of Lisa Bielawa's violin concerto PULSE and Caroline Shaw's "The Mountain That Loved a Bird" narrated by Jamie Bernstein

On Tuesday, June 23 at 7:30 pm, Naumburg Orchestral Concerts continues its 2026 season with The Knights and violinist Tessa Lark at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park (mid-park at 72nd St.). The concert is free and will be broadcast live and streamed on WQXR.

The program features the NY premiere of Lisa Bielawa's violin concerto PULSE with Naumburg Competition winner and Grammy-nominated soloist Tessa Lark. The work weaves hymns and fiddle tunes into a bold, modern concerto. Other program highlights include Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings," Christina Courtin's "rhapsody on being giant proof" - part of The Knights' multi-year Rhapsody commissioning project, inspired by the centennial of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue - and Caroline Shaw's "The Mountain That Loved a Bird," narrated by Jamie Bernstein.

The concert is part of the The Knights' "This Music is Your Music: America at 250" celebration, showcasing the multifaceted potential and power of American music—rooted in history, alive in the present, shaped by many voices, and brimming with possibility.

The season continues on July 7 with the NYC debut of LA's Delirium Musicum directed by violinist Etienne Gara. The program features music by Saint-Saëns, Gabriella Smith, Richter, Schubert, and more.

Concerts at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park continue through August 4. Performers include Orchestra of St. Luke's with mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner, and Nosky's Baroque Band with trumpet soloist Steve Marquardt. Full program details are below. Digital press kit available here.

Pianist Inna Faliks: "Stranger Things" out July 24

Pianist Inna Faliks' new album "Stranger Things" is released on July 24, 2026 on Navona Records

Recording features Brahms' monumental Third Piano Sonata alongside Elegy by Wagner and Schoenberg's Three Pieces, Op. 11

Album also includes two compositions by Faliks

Pianist Inna Faliks has recorded one of her most personal projects yet. "Stranger Things" is released on Navona Records on July 24, 2026. The album features music by Brahms, Schoenberg, Wagner, and two short works written by Faliks herself.

Anchoring the album is Brahms' monumental Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, which the pianist says is a lifetime piece for her. “It is both a masterful, architecturally elegant paean to Beethoven and the Sonata form, and an entirely unabashed Romantic outpouring in five movements," says Faliks.

The album also features Schoenberg's Three Pieces, Op. 11, Wagner's brief Elegy ("a farewell to tonality"), and two works that the composer-pianist wrote as she was emigrating from the Ukraine as a Jewish refugee. "I was always a little sad that composition took a back seat to my piano playing. Instead, I focused on other creative interdisciplinary projects, new music by others, and writing. I recently took out these old piano pieces, edited them, and began playing them."

One of the works written by Faliks, Wandering Stranger, includes sections in which the pianist uses her voice, a parallel to Schoenberg’s choice to add a soprano part to his String Quartet No. 2. Faliks writes: "I don't remember why I decided to include a vocal part in this work. Perhaps I couldn’t find a better way to communicate the strangeness of leaving my home for good."

Together, the works on "Stranger Things" reflect the musical forces that have shaped Faliks' artistic voice. The album follows her critically acclaimed book "Weight in the Fingertips: A Musical Odyssey from Soviet Ukraine to the World Stage" (Bloomsbury, 2023) and her album "Manuscripts Don’t Burn" (2024).

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD of "Stranger Things" by pianist Inna Faliks. Links to the digital album are below.

Tuesday: Simone Dinnerstein and Barokyn at Naumburg Bandshell

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The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts begins season on Tuesday, June 9

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein, her string ensemble Baroklyn, and CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Artists) perform music by J.S Bach and Philip Glass

The world's oldest continuous free outdoor classical concert series continues on June 23 with The Knights performing a program to celebrate America 250

On Tuesday, June 9 at 7:30 pm, Naumburg Orchestral Concerts kicks off its 2026 season with the GRAMMY®-nominated pianist Simone Dinnerstein, Baroklyn (the string ensemble she founded and directs) and CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Artists) at Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park (mid-park at 72nd St.). The concert is free and will be broadcast live and streamed on WQXR.

The program features music by Philip Glass and J.S. Bach - two composers whose music Dinnerstein sees a natural affinity between. The pianist says, “Glass’s music is multi-linear in a way that evokes the music of Bach. It is music on the horizontal, as opposed to the vertical. If anything, it is circular music.”

For the concert, Dinnerstein leads the artists from the piano for performances of Glass's "The Hours" and a recomposition by Philip Lasser of Bach’s Air on the G String, and conducts Bach's Cantata No. 9 "Es ist das Heil uns Kommen her" alongside selections from three other cantatas by Bach with Connecticut Choral Artists (CONCORA).

The season continues on June 23 with The Knights chamber orchestra performing a program in honor of America's 250th anniversary that features the NY premiere of Lisa Bielawa's Violin Concerto PULSE with Tessa Lark.

Concerts at the bandshell continue throughout the summer, every other Tuesday, through August 4. Performers include Delirium Musicum, Orchestra of St. Luke's with mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner, and Nosky's Baroque Band with trumpet soloist Steve Marquardt. Full program details are below. Digital press kit available here.

June 9: Simone Dinnerstein and Baroklyn at Naumburg

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The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts begins season on June 9

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein, her string ensemble Baroklyn, and CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Artists) perform music by J.S Bach and Philip Glass

The world's oldest continuous free outdoor classical concert series features five concerts June 9 – August 4, 2026

On Tuesday, June 9 at 7:30 pm, Naumburg Orchestral Concerts kicks off its 2026 season with the GRAMMY®-nominated pianist Simone Dinnerstein, Baroklyn (the string ensemble she founded and directs) and CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Artists) at Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park (mid-park at 72nd St.). The concert is free and will be broadcast live and streamed on WQXR.

The program features music by Philip Glass and J.S. Bach - two composers whose music Dinnerstein sees a natural affinity between. The pianist says, “Glass’s music is multi-linear in a way that evokes the music of Bach. It is music on the horizontal, as opposed to the vertical. If anything, it is circular music.”

For the concert, Dinnerstein leads the artists from the piano for performances of Glass's "The Hours" and a recomposition by Philip Lasser of Bach’s Air on the G String, and conducts Bach's Cantata No. 9 "Es ist das Heil uns Kommen her" alongside selections from three other cantatas by Bach with Connecticut Choral Artists (CONCORA).

Launched in 1905, the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts is the world's oldest continuous free outdoor classical concert series. The season continues with The Knights on June 23, Delirium Musicum (making their NYC debut!) on July 7, followed by Orchestra of St. Luke's on July 21, and concludes on August 4 with Nosky's Baroque Band. Full program details are below. Digital press kit available here.

Fanny Mendelssohn's complete solo piano works

Pianist Ana-Marija Markovina: "Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: Complete Solo Piano Works Vol. 1"

The first of two volumes on Hänssler Classic is released May 15, 2026 digitally worldwide (physical CDs available in North America on June 19, 2026)

Collection includes dozens of works recorded for the first time

"one of the most outstanding artists of her generation." – Paul Badura-Skoda

Following her critically-acclaimed recording projects of the entire solo piano works of Felix Mendelssohn, CPE Bach, and others, Hänssler Classic releases the first volume of Markovina's "Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: Complete Solo Piano Works" (HC2307). The title is available digitally worldwide beginning on May 15, 2026 (physical CDs available in North America June 19, 2026). The four-disc set contains 78 tracks, half of which have never been recorded before.

"Fanny’s universe moves me time and again to a state of reverential awe. Her personal biography contains quite a considerable portion of tragedy precisely because it is not a story of legendary artistic potential but an example of the strictures of the era in which she lived," says Markovina.

Although she was not permitted to either perform in public or publish her works, Mendelssohn Hensel composed more than 250 works, 160 or so for piano. Markovina continues: "These works are a munificent gift that has opened up an entire new universe for me. To have time without any financial worries allowed Fanny a kind of artistic continuity that is rarely found in an artist’s biography. When a composer is not afraid of disappointing their audience and not tempted to water down their ideas in the hope of acclaim, what they compose becomes a true experiment which may lead to who knows where."

Volume One of this collection, presented in chronological order, reveals much of the composer's character: her development from a young girl with her very first pieces full of poetry and at the same time radiating her determination and strength which were later to be the hallmarks of her later compositions.

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of "Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: Complete Piano Works Vol. 1" by pianist Ana-Marija Markovina.

Naumburg Orchestral Concerts announces 2026 season

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The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts Announces 121st Season at The Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park 

The world's oldest continuous free outdoor classical concert series features five concerts June 9 – August 4, 2026

Simone Dinnerstein, Baroklyn, & CONCORA – June 9

The Knights – June 23

Delirium Musicum - July 7

Orchestra of St. Luke's - July 21

Nosky’s Baroque Band – August 4

2026 season also marks 100th anniversary of Walter W. Naumburg International Competition and features two former winners as featured soloists

Launched in 1905, the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts is the world's oldest continuous free outdoor classical concert series.

This year's edition, the 121st season, runs June 9 through August 4, 2026 with five spectacular programs featuring world-class ensembles and soloists at the historic Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park (mid-park at 72nd St.). Concerts begin at 7:30 p.m., no reservations are needed. All will be broadcast live and streamed on WQXR for those unable to attend in person. Visit naumburgconcerts.org for more information and programs.

This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the Walter W. Naumburg International Competition, which has launched countless extraordinary young artists onto the global stage since 1926. To celebrate the occasion, the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts' season features two past winners of the competition as guest soloists.

The season kicks off on June 9 with pianist Simone Dinnerstein and her string ensemble Baroklyn with CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Artists) in a program of music by J.S. Bach and Philip Glass. On June 23, The Knights perform with Naumburg International Violin Competition winner Tessa Lark in a program of 21st century works by Caroline Shaw, Lisa Bielawa, and Christina Courtin alongside Samuel Barber's iconic Adagio for Strings. Delirium Musicum, a chamber orchestra from Los Angeles representing the next wave of classical musicians, makes its Naumburg Orchestral Concert debut on July 7 in a program of music by Schubert, Saint-Saëns, and Satie alongside Max Richter, Philip Glass, and others.

On July 21, the Orchestra of St. Luke's performs an all-Mozart program with mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner (a 2021 Naumburg Vocal Award Winner) led by Brad Lubman. To complete the season, Nosky's Baroque Band, led by violinist Aisslinn Nosky (concertmaster for Handel and Haydn Society), returns to the Bandshell on August 4 for a program of works by Bach, Telemann, and more with baroque trumpet soloist Steve Marquardt.

"When my great-grandfather Elkan Naumburg founded the series over 120 years ago, he wanted to encourage and stimulate the public's interest in symphonic and classical music," says NOC's president Christopher W. London. "It's with great pride that we manage to continue in his tradition, featuring promising new music talent, while also promoting the professional development of young composers and conductors, while also often featuring newly commissioned music."

May 3: clarinetist Han Kim makes Carnegie debut

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Clarinetist Han Kim in recital May 3 at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall

From young prodigy to principal at Opéra national de Paris, recital marks clarinetist's Carnegie debut

Program features music by Brahms, Saint-Saëns, and Bernstein with pianist Sahun Sam Hong

Presented by Korea Mecenat Association and Korea Music Foundation

International award-winning clarinetist Han Kim brings his considerable talents to Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on May 3 at 5 pm. Along with the acclaimed pianist Sahun Sam Hong, Kim performs a program of clarinet sonatas by Saint-Saëns, Brahms, Poulenc, and Bernstein, alongside Geonyong Lee's "Song in the Dusk."

Appointed by Maestro Gustavo Dudamel in 2023, Kim is the principal clarinetist of the orchestra of the prestigious Opéra national de Paris, working as the first and only Asian Super-soliste in the orchestra's 350-year history. He is also the Second Prize winner at the 2019 ARD International Music Competition in Munich.

Pianist Sahun Sam Hong is a prize-winner of numerous international piano competitions, including the Vendome Prize at Verbier, International Beethoven Competition Vienna, Naumburg International Piano Competition, and 2021 American Pianists Award recipient.

The concert on Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 5 pm is presented by the Korea Mecenat Association and Korea Music Foundation, at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall (Seventh Ave between 56th and 57th Streets in NYC). Tickets start at $71 and are available at CarnegieHall.org, CarnegieCharge 212-247-7800 | Box Office at 57th and Seventh.

In 1984, the Korea Music Foundation (President Kyunghee Kim) was chartered in New York as a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing lives and strengthening communities through the transformative impact of music. Since its inception, KMF has presented numerous solo, orchestra, and chamber ensemble debut concerts in New York, including at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Merkin Hall. KMF has presented artists in concert including David Kim, Catherine Cho, Minsoo Sohn, Sunwoo Yekwon, Hayoung Choi, Daejin Kim, Hera Hyesang Park, and Sungwon Yang. KMF has been working with Korea Mecenat Association, a distinguished group of Korean companies, with the aim to elevate the prominence of K-Classical on a global stage by showcasing exceptional Korean performers in American classical venues.

Music for strings by Eric Chasalow

Composer Eric Chasalow's "...arching, reaching, breathless" out April 17 on New Focus Recordings

New album includes range of compositions for strings spanning 30 years

Performed by The Lydian String Quartet, cellists David Russell and Hannah Collins, violinist Mari Kimura, pianist Steven Beck, and more

Drawing from every corner of the soundworld, composer Eric Chasalow creates genre-defying music. On April 17, 2026, his latest album “...arching, reaching, breathless” is released on New Focus Recordings (FCR468). It's a survey of Chasalow’s works written for strings spanning over 30 years. 

The album features a broad range of ideas and styles which Chasalow has explored in his expansive career as a composer: from spacious and meditative works to ones that are dense and ferocious; works with live electronics, fixed media, and also traditional chamber ensembles.

"I started recording these pieces a few years back without the idea of putting them on a record together at all," says the composer. "But the more I listened to the recordings as a set, the more I felt that, heard together, they tell a story about the broad range of ideas I have explored in my string writing and are even more interesting together. When I listen to the album as a complete set, I hear an expansive journey unfolding, and I find that very satisfying."

The album features some of today's leading contemporary performers including the Lydian String Quartet, violinists Mari Kimura, Clara Lyon, and Julia Glenn, cellists Hannah Collins and David Russell, and pianist Steven Beck.

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of "...arching, reaching breathless" by composer Eric Chasalow.

“Muriel’s Songs”: Monodrama of a Brooklyn grandmother

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April 23: New York premiere of Eric Chasalow's "Muriel's Songs" at YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

Monodrama inspired by a grandmother's memoirs traverses the tumult of 20th-Century America through a very personal lens

Performed by mezzo-soprano Sharon Harms and Talea Ensemble

A Jewish American memoir is told through “Muriel’s Songs,” a monodrama by Eric Chasalow, which receives its New York premiere performance on Thursday, April 23, 2026. The mezzo-soprano Sharon Harms performs with the Talea Ensemble at YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (15 W. 16th St, New York, NY).

Chasalow was inspired by the memoirs of his grandmother Muriel Gellert Chasalow (1903-2000) to compose this set of songs, which traverses the tumult of 20th century America from a very personal perspective. Each song inhabits its own musical world with stylistic points of departure from Baroque to Tin Pan Alley, The Beatles, Latin Jazz and Disco to Milton Babbitt.

The stories - which cover Muriel’s experiences coming of age and through adulthood, including piano lessons, marriage, and family vacations - were pulled from a collection of works she had written at a senior center creative writing course when she was in her eighties. "I extracted a number of dramatic situations from the book, composing a poem on each, often incorporating Muriel’s sentences to give a sense of her voice," says the composer.

The April 23 concert also features Alex Weiser's "Coney Island Days" (a love letter to Weiser's own grandmother) and Joan Tower's "Petroushskates." Tickets are $18 ($9 seniors/students), available at Yivo.Org/Musical-Memoir.

Calendar Listing

Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 7:30 pm

New York premiere of
"Muriel's Song" by Eric Chasalow

Sharon Harms, mezzo-soprano
Talea Ensemble

YIVO Center for Jewish History (15 W. 16th St, New York, NY)

Tickets are $18 ($9 seniors/students) available at Yivo.org/Musical-Memoir

March 23: Cutting Edge Concerts "Miami Comes to New York"

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Cutting Edge Concerts kicks off 2026 spring season on March 23

Two-part recital at Symphony Space features pianist José López (Part I) and cellist Sarah Kim with guest cellist Alan Rafferty (Part II)

Season also features world premiere opera by Laura Schwendinger (April 28) and soprano-clarinet duo Whistling Hens (May 12)

Victoria Bond's Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival kicks off its 2026 season on Monday, March 23 at 7:30 pm with a two-part recital titled "Miami Comes to New York." The program - at Symphony Space's Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre (2537 Broadway at W. 95th St., Manhattan) - features pianist José López, who's on faculty at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, and Korean cellist Sarah Kim, on faculty at Miami University (in Ohio.) Tickets available at SymphonySpace.org.

Part I celebrates the centennial of Cuban American composer Aurelio de la Vega with three works from different stylistic periods: Prelude No. 1 showcases the early chromaticism influenced by European masters such as Karol Symanowski; Epigrama the continued development from the 1950’s prior to the Cuban Revolution; and the avant-garde spatial scores from the 1970’s as heard in Olep ed Arudamot, composed in the U.S. Also on the program are works by past recipients of the CINTAS Fellowship in Music Composition for composers of Cuban descent (de la Vega won a lifetime achievement award from CINTAS in 2008): Pulitzer Prize winner Tania León, Antonio Hernández Lizaso, Orlando J. García, and Ivette Herryman.

On Part II, Kim performs the world premiere of Victoria Bond's "Women of Note," a solo cello suite celebrating the lives of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, conservationist and author of Silent Spring Rachel Carson, composer Clara Schumann, Korean artist Shin Saimdang, and Anne Frank. The program also features a premiere by Kristin Kuster, recipient of the Charles Ives Prize and a professor of composition at University of Michigan, plus works by Kati Agócs and Ellen Harrison. Guest cellist Alan Rafferty joins Kim on the Agócs and Kuster.

Inspired by Pierre Boulez's series, "Perspective Encounters", the composer and conductor Victoria Bond founded Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival in 1998. Over its 28 year history, Cutting Edge Concerts has presented over 300 new works. Each program highlights the music of living composers, most of whom attend the concert. Along with performances by world-class ensembles and soloists, each program features on-stage discussions between host Victoria Bond and the composers. 

The Cutting Edge Concerts season continues on April 28 with the world premiere of Laura Schwendinger's opera "Margaret in Love and War," and the soprano-clarinet duo Whistling Hens on May 13. All concerts are at Symphony Space at 7:30 pm.

March 9: Akshara Music Ensemble at Baruch PAC

March 9: Akshara Music Ensemble performs at Baruch Performing Arts Center

The group’s innovative sound blends Indian classical music with global, folk and western classical influences

Part of Baruch PAC's Silberman Recital Series

Akshara Music Ensemble brings its distinctive brand of cross-cultural collaboration to Baruch Performing Arts Center on Monday, March 9, 2026 at 7:00 pm. The New York-based ensemble’s innovative sound blends Indian classical music with global, folk and western classical influences. 

Led by Carnatic musician, composer, and educator Bala Skandan, the program of original works highlights Akshara’s talent for combining Indian ragas with music of other cultures, resulting in a distinctive blend of rhythmic sophistication and melodic depth. 

Tickets for Akshara Music Ensemble’s performance on March 9, 2026 at 7 pm are $35 general admission ($20 with CUNY ID), available at bpac.baruch.cuny.edu. Baruch Performing Arts Center is at 55 Lexington Ave in Manhattan (enter on 25th Street, between 3rd and Lexington Avenues). The concert is presented in collaboration with Lyric Chamber Music Society.

Akshara photos, bios and more available HERE

Baruch PAC digital press kit available HERE

Pianist Orli Shaham "American Tapestry"

Pianist Orli Shaham and members of Pacific Symphony release “American Tapestry” on February 13, 2026

Album of chamber music by living Americans includes world premiere recordings of commissioned works by Avner Dorman and Margaret Brouwer; and music by Jessie Montgomery, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Viet Cuong, Reena Esmail, Peter Dayton, and Ari Barack Fisher

The pianist Orli Shaham has been the curator, host, and pianist of Pacific Symphony’s Cafe Ludwig chamber music series for nearly two decades. A new album, released February 13, 2026 is the product of her long relationship with the musicians of the symphony, which is based in Southern California.

“American Tapestry” demonstrates the diversity of concert music by living composers in the United States – a virtual portrait of America. The collection features world premiere recordings by leading American composers: Margaret Brouwer, Jessie Montgomery, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Avner Dorman, Viet Cuong, Reena Esmail, Peter Dayton, and Ari Barack Fisher. The works by Dorman and Brouwer were commissioned by Pacific Symphony and are world premiere recordings.

The album fulfills a long-standing dream of Orli Shaham’s. “I have been privileged to play with the brilliant musicians of Pacific Symphony for eighteen years now,” said Shaham. “In that time, we have grown together as we’ve vanquished difficult repertoire in the rehearsal room, luxuriated in our sound on the Samueli stage, and shared Din Tai Fung between rehearsals. We trust and rely on each other’s musicianship. For years, I have wanted to create a recording that documents these extraordinary musical connections, and I am thrilled that we now have this album to share with the world.”  

Along with Shaham, the recording features Richard Cassarino, bass; Meredith Crawford, viola; Tony Ellis, trumpet; Warren Hagerty, cello; Dennis Kim, violin; Joshua Ranz, clarinet; and Benjamin Smolen, flute.

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of “American Tapestry." 

Feb. 12: pianist Terry Eder performs music by Bartók and more

Key Pianists Concert Series continues 10th anniversary season at Carnegie Hall

Award-winning pianist Terry Eder, Key Pianists' founder, performs on February 12

Program features works by Bartók, Schubert, Debussy, and Beethoven

The award-winning pianist Terry Eder performs a solo recital presented by Key Pianists Concert Series on Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 7:30 pm at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (154 West 57th Street in New York City). Her program includes music by Schubert, Debussy, Beethoven, and Bartók.

Eder is a specialist in Hungarian music, having studied with Zoltán Kocsis at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest in the 1980s. That experience transformed the young pianist. "It was the days of the cold war, when Americans simply did not go to Eastern Europe. The pervasiveness and pride in musical heritage was overwhelming," says Eder. "I became captivated with the uniqueness of the Hungarian language and sensibility, the rustic scenery, the beautiful old architecture, the delicious food, the Parliament still full of bullet holes from WWII, the Turkish baths, the feeling of being so foreign, so out of place." Program highlights include two seldom-programmed works by Bartók - the Sonatine and the Two Romanian Dances - alongside Beethoven's Sonata No. 15 and works by Schubert and Debussy. (Full program details below.)

The recital is part of the Key Pianists Concert Series' 10th anniversary season. Since Terry Eder founded the series in 2015, it has provided a platform for renowned pianists to perform at Carnegie Hall who otherwise might not have the opportunity to perform in New York City.

Tickets for Eder's February 12 recital start at $30 ($25 + $5 fee) and are available at CarnegieHall.org | 212-247-7800 | Box Office at 57th and Seventh Avenue.

Pianist Eliza Garth: "By the River" out Feb. 6

Pianist Eliza Garth releases album of concert music inspired by hymn tunes

"By the River" includes world premiere recordings of works written for Garth by David Froom, Scott Wheeler and Sheree Clement

Album also features Brahms' Six Choral Preludes

Released February 6, 2026 on Centaur Records

Hymn tunes are the inspiration for a new recording by the pianist Eliza Garth. "By the River" features works written for Garth by David Froom, Scott Wheeler and Sheree Clement, plus Brahms' Six Choral Preludes and Spiritual Fantasy No. 4 by Frederick Tillis. The forthcoming album is released on Centaur Records (CRC 4170) on February 6, 2026.

The works in this collection are diverse in expression, scope, form and technical demands, but they share a common trait. Each carries a melody that was first sung in a church, found its way into the consciousness of a composer, and travelled on to the concert hall.

"By the River" opens with a composition by Garth's late husband David Froom, to whom the album is dedicated. Variations on an Early American Hymn Tune is a compact work based on the hymn tune Holy Manna. Scott Wheeler's Beach Spring, also a set of variations, connects the American hymn tradition to the gospel piano styles of Keith Jarrett, Charles Ives, and Frederick Rzewski.

The third work written for Garth on the album is Teeth for speaking pianist by Sheree Clement. This theatrical work depicts a pianist in isolation during the pandemic, struggling to manage her extreme emotions and haunted by a hymn from her childhood. Frederick Tillis' Spiritual Fantasy No. 4 is based primarily on Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen, with tunes from other spirituals woven into the 12 minute piece.

The inspiration for the album is Brahms' Six Chorale Preludes, Op. 122 transcribed for piano by Ferruccio Busoni. Brahms composed this set at the end of his life, when he was grieving the loss of his dear friend Clara Schumann, and facing his own mortality.

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of By the River" by pianist Eliza Garth.

Bassoonist Frank Morelli: "From the Soul"

Bassoonist Frank Morelli's new recording is released February 20, 2026 on Musica Solis

"From the Soul" features works by Wynton Marsalis, Dominick Argento, Lori Laitman, Jeff Scott, and Nirmali Fenn

Legendary bassoonist's 2024 release "An die Musik" is currently available on Musica Solis, featuring works by Brahms, Schubert, and Schumann

Bassoonist Frank Morelli's sixth solo album "From the Soul" is released on February 20, 2026 on Musica Solis (MS202602). The collection features works by Wynton Marsalis, Dominick Argento, Lori Laitman, Jeff Scott, and Nirmali Fenn.

The selections on this recording are very personal, says Morelli. "Each work chosen for this album speaks from the soul." From Scott's hopeful Elegy for Innocence to Laitman's song cycle based on poetry written by children in a Nazi concentration camp to Marsalis's jazz-inflected Meeelaan performed with the Callisto Quartet, the album explores a range of emotions and moods.

Nirmali Fenn composed Prayer especially for Morelli. The score requires the bassoonist to emulate the sound of the duduk, an Armenian folk instrument. "The bassoon needn’t have just one voice. The bassoon is my voice, and it has been my life’s work to speak through it with variety and sincerity, from both heart and soul," writes Morelli. 

In 2024, the bassoonist released "An die Musik," also on Musica Solis. The album includes transcriptions of Robert Schumann's Dichterliebe, Cello Sonata No. 1 by Johannes Brahms, and An die Musik by Franz Schubert.

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of "From the Soul" or "An die Musik" by Frank Morelli.