Clara’s Blumentagebuch (Clara’s Flower Diary)

This program traces the steps of Clara Wieck Schumann, from 1857-1859, by way of flowers. It reflects sentiments from her Blumentagebuch–her diary of pressed flowers–in which Clara left dedications to meaningful people and moments in her life. Each flower or plant carries a set of meanings, both public, according to the practice of floriography in nineteenth-century Germany, and private, with associated memories and emotions. This precious book accompanied her as she toured throughout Europe and served as a record of friendship, mourning and memory. Moving amongst Clara’s floral meditations, we explore floriography in its romantic heyday and delight in the coded and the unspoken. With Clara, we visit Robert, as well as Beethoven and Schubert, and bring in a musical friend of our own, Loren Loiacono (b. 1989).

In a page dedicated to Robert, Clara dried ivy from his gravesite, a symbol of love and faithfulness.

Our program begins with a set of their early songs: the first, a love song by Clara, is drawn from a shared song cycle of lieder written together by Robert and Clara. We turn next to Schubert’s lied, which revels in the poignancy of this hidden language of flowers. In Loiacono’s Sonatensatz, a work written for Merz in 2022, she employs her own Blumensprache, drawing inspiration for the work from the passionate wildness of Robert Schumann’s trios. The program concludes with a celebration of friendship: Beethoven embodies these ideals in his at times noble, playful and transcendent work dedicated  to his great friend, Archduke Rudolph.

Voices of America

Concordia Chamber Players opens its subscription season with Voices of America on October 18, 2026, honoring the ingenuity, creative freedom, and bold voices that the spirit of America has fostered throughout history.

Each featured composer, Philip Glass, John Corigliano, Jessie Montgomery, Caroline Shaw, and Kenji Bunch, continues to enrich the diverse tapestry of American classical music. Together they represent distinctly individual perspectives and artistic imaginations that we hope will leave you with a full heart and a sense of inspiration for what the future may hold.

Program:

Blueprint — Caroline Shaw
Snapshot: Circa 1909 — John Corigliano
Found Objects from Lost and Found — Kenji Bunch
Strum — Jessie Montgomery
Jubb Jannin — Yousif Sheronick
String Quartet No. 4 “Buczak,” Mvt. III — Philip Glass
Megalopolis — Kenji Bunch

Artists:

Isabelle Durrenberger – violin
Siwoo Kim – violin
Kathryn Lockwood – viola
Michelle Djokic – cello
Yousif Sheronick – percussion 

New Albany Symphony Chorus
Isabelle Durrenberger, violin

Bold. Powerful. Unapologetically hers.
We open our 19th season celebrating International Day of the Girl, featuring violin superstar Isabelle Durrenberger and a program honoring three of the most trailblazing female composers in music history. Join us as we highlight the sparkling brilliance of Fanny Mendelssohn, the lyrical fire of Florence Price, and Jennifer Higdon’s choral masterpiece, The Singing Rooms. Audiences will be welcomed by the Columbus School for Girls Gold Key Ambassadors, and will experience a fearless, unforgettable start to our new season.

Fanny Mendelssohn – Overture in C Major
Florence Price – Violin Concerto No. 2
Jennifer Higdon – Singing Rooms

New Albany Symphony Chorus
Isabelle Durrenberger, violin

Step inside the world of sound with Isabelle Durrenberger and the New Albany Symphony Orchestra and Chorus! Featuring works by Fanny Mendelssohn, Florence Price, and Jennifer Higdon, this program shines a spotlight on women who dared to create and continue to inspire.

Our sensory-friendly concerts are designed for families with littles that have the wiggles and our friends in the autism/dementia/Alzheimer’s communities. Never longer than an hour, this special programming offers a welcoming environment where everyone can enjoy the magic of live symphonic sound.

Grażyna Bacewicz String Quartet No. 3

Imogen Holst Phantasy for String Quartet

Bedřich Smetana String Quartet No. 1 in E minor “From My Life”

Eric Gratz, violin
Isabelle Ai Durrenberger, violin
Matthew Cohen, viola
Joshua Halpern, cello

PROGRAM
Robert Schumann: String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 41, No. 1

Giacomo Puccini: Crisantemi

Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80

Eric Gratz, violin
Isabelle Ai Durrenberger, violin
Matthew Cohen, viola
Joshua Halpern, cello

PROGRAM
Robert Schumann: String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 41, No. 1
Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80
Chester Biscardi: Piano Quintet (2006)
Arthur Foote: Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 38

Evening Postlude: Reed Tetzloff, piano
Charles Ives: Piano Sonata No. 2 (“Concord, Mass., 1840–60”) (“Concord Sonata”)

Twenty-Five Years of NCMF

“For 25 years I’ve wanted to perform the Mendelssohn Octet in Newburyport. Finally, I’m getting the chance. One of the most adored works in all the repertoire, which is affectionately referred to by my colleagues as the “Mocktet” - not to be confused with Shostakovich’s own version known as the “Shocktet” - which opens the final concert. The two octets are a natural pairing and fitting conclusion to a celebration of all that chamber music can be. The Mendelssohn is one great movement after another and an astonishing mature piece of music from a composer who was, annoyingly, only 16 when he wrote it. The festival artists are joined by the Miró String Quartet, one of the world’s great ensembles with multiple Grammys and first prizes from international competitions under their belt.

If that’s not enough for you, we have a world premiere for string quartet and soprano from Composer-in-Residence Jon Deak and Poet-in-Residence Rhina P. Espaillat based on an extraordinary poem, Just Stopping, with the inimitable Lucy Shelton.

The concert ends with the Mendelssohn, whose last movement is an “everything but the kitchen sink” fugue. As Opening Night included a Mendelssohn fugue, this is a rip-roaring way to close the circle of this summer and our 25th season. Happy birthday to us!”

Nachtmusik

Come to be immersed.

No lights. No programs. No analysis.

Just the music.

Let it carry you where it will.

It is always a good day when Jon Deak shows up on your doorstep. This concert marks his triumphant return (indeed, his third visit!) to Newburyport and the first appearance at NCMF of his friend and collaborator, legendary Metropolitan opera soprano Lucy Shelton. The concert begins with Lucy performing Cathy Berberian’s tour-de-force for solo soprano with a score written not in musical notation but as a cartoon (the score will be projected so the audience can follow along). Also featured on the program is Haydn’s B Minor quartet. Papa Haydn was famous for his sunny disposition but this is an unusually dark and enigmatic work. As long as we are flipping traditional roles, Shostakovich, known a bit as the king of despair, has, with his first quartet in C Major, a work that is warm and even sunny at times.

We’ve also got four classic folk songs (including Simple Gifts) from the father of American music, Aaron Copland. Lastly, there’s a reprise of Deak’s The Jury, an NCMF commission that brought the house down in 2023, based on a biting poem by Rhina P. Espaillat. This piece couldn’t be anything other than the main course of this concert, and the magic and respect between Jon and Rhina is something that can’t be faked.

Meet the musicians behind the Festival in an informal, up-close setting. The artists will perform selections from the summer’s program of works they have just begun, pausing between movements to chat with the audience and share something of themselves beyond the stage. Part performance, part conversation, this is a chance to experience both the music and the people making it.

Moderated by David Yang (viola). Artists featured include: Lucy Shelton (soprano), IsabelleDurrenberger (violin), Maria Ioudenitch (violin), Christopher Costanza (cello)

On August 5th, join us for an intimate salon celebrating music, conversation, and exceptional food, whisky, and sake within one of New York’s most legendary creative spaces — once home to artists including Patti Smith, Janis Joplin, Andy Warhol, and Leonard Cohen. Enjoy bites from Teruko, The Hotel Chelsea’s newest Japanese culinary destination, a Japanese Whiskey tasting from Suntory, and music that defines New York's spirit performed by internationally acclaimed musicians.

The evening will feature live performances by clarinetist Anthony McGill, violinist Isabelle Ai Durrenberger, cellist Arlen Hlusko, and pianist Rieko Tsuchida - Sora's founder and Artistic Director.

A program stretching from romanticism’s peak to the present: Ernest Chausson’s magnificent Concerto for Violin, Piano, and Strings meets new works for soprano and ensemble, Paul Brantley’s “…in all this shadow land…” written at the MacDowell Colony, and Margaret Bonds’ setting of Psalm 23.

The stage bursts with the talent of Emely Phelps, piano & David McCarroll, violin; Grant Houston, Isabelle Durrenberger, violin; Angela Park, cello; Rebecca Farley, soprano; Tomina Parvanova Lyden, harp; Laura Gilbert, flute and Jonathan Bagg, viola.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, (1756-1791), Eine Klein Nachtmusik

Claude Debussy (1862-1918), Reverie

Joaquín Turina (1882-1949), Serenata Op. 87

William Bolcom (b. 1938), Graceful Ghost Rag

Wynton Marsalis (b. 1961), Blue Lights on the Bayou

Wynton Marsalis (b. 1961), Rampart St. Row House Rag

Alexander Borodin (1833-1887), Quartet in D major

Presenting premiere performances of student compositions from Juilliard Summer Music’s Composition Program

Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847)
Octet in Eb major, Op. 20 (1825)

Ernest Chausson (1855 – 1899)
Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet in D major, Op. 21 (1891)

Mika Sasaki, Piano
Isabelle Durrenberger, Violin
Katie Hyun, Violin
Siwoo Kim, Violin
Rubén Rengel, Violin
Luke Fleming, Viola
Minju Kim, Violin
Andrew Janss, Cello
Abigail Monroe, Cello

W.A. Mozart Quartet in D minor, Op. 10, No. 2, K. 421
Joan Tower Wild Summer
Grażyna Bacewicz String Quartet No. 3
Felix Mendelssohn String Quintet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80

W.A. Mozart Quartet in D minor, Op. 10, No. 2, K. 421
Joan Tower Wild Summer
Grażyna Bacewicz String Quartet No. 3
Felix Mendelssohn String Quintet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80

The Belvedere Series presents the world premiere of a horn trio by renowned composer Kati Agócs. Agócs, a Guggenheim Fellow and winner of the Arts and Letters Award, has been praised by the New York Times for her "elemental strength and generous lyricism." The premiere will feature James Sommerville, former principal horn of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, alongside pianist Ingrid Keller and violinist Domenic Salerni.

Paired with Dohnányi’s second piano quintet, a work that envelops the listener in its brooding depths. This extraordinary piece masterfully balances lyrical melodies with rich, emotional complexity, showcasing the intimate dialogue between piano and strings. 

Lastly, prepare for a thrilling conclusion to our fourth season with Olli Mustonen’s Nonet No. 2, a vibrant showcase for a nine-person chamber ensemble. Bursting with passion and fiery intensity, this dynamic piece weaves intricate harmonies and bold rhythms into a captivating tapestry of sound. As the music builds to a raucous finale, you’ll find yourself swept away by the infectious energy and inventive interplay among the musicians. Join us for a breathtaking performance that promises to leave you exhilarated and inspired!

Museum of Arts & Design

Concert 11am-12pm: Doors at 10:30am, with complimentary coffee/pastries

Tickets: $30 (kids under 12 free)

The acclaimed Aeolus Quartet presents a touching and thoughtful program for their first performance at GatherNYC. From a Bach chorale composed to unite the voices of church congregations to the expansive Overture and Chorale by Andrea Casarrubios inspired by it; from the textural celebration of Montgomery's Strum to the bubbling virtuosity of Bacewicz’s Quartet No 3 composed in the new world that arose from the ashes of WWII. In this program, storytelling and silence give way to the tender slow movement of Price’s G Major Quartet rooted in the tradition of Black spirituals.

Program of Mozart String Quartet No. 15 in D minor, Prokofiev Overture on Hebrew Themes and Mozart Clarinet Quintet with clarinetist Graeme Steele Johnson and pianist Mika Sasaki.

Pallavi Mahidhara, piano

Isabelle Ai Durrenberger, violin

Nathan Vickery, cello

First Course

Reena Esmail | Saans

Veronique Vaka | Boreas

Amy Beach | Romance

Lili Boulanger | Nocturne and Cortège

Second Course

Felix Mendelssohn | Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49

Dessert

Invitation only event

This year, Steve Mackey, William Shubael Conant Professor of Music, marks 41 years of distinguished service on the faculty of the Music Department at Princeton University. As he steps into retirement from Princeton, we reflect on his extraordinary artistic and scholarly contributions while highlighting his upcoming performances on campus.

Physical Property

The Ancestors, A ballet in eight tableaux

One Red Rose 

Pianist Minyoung Kang, violinist Isabelle Durrenberger and cellist Ani Kalayjian join together for a searing trio by Rachmaninoff.

Kang joins rising star violinist Isabelle Ai Durrenberger and cellist/co-artistic director Ani Kalayjian for a program of Mozart, Florence Price, Lili Boulanger, and Arno Babajanian.

Lili Boulanger D’un Matin de Printemps

Dora Pejačević Violin Sonata Op. 26 “Spring”

Claude Debussy Il pleure dans mon coeur

Lili Boulanger Nocturne

Katie Balch Iaspis

Cesar Franck Violin Sonata in A Major

Florence Price Elfentanz

Step into an evening of haunting expressionism and immersive sound with The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari—the iconic silent film brought vividly to life through live music.

Join us for a spellbinding screening of this cinematic masterpiece, featuring a dynamic live score written by Stephen Prutsman. Performed by Marisa, Ignacio and violinists Isabelle Ai Durrenberger and Aimee Lopez, the music heightens every shadow, twist, and psychological turn of the film’s surreal world.

FREE tickets available one week prior.

Step into an evening of haunting expressionism and immersive sound with The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari—the iconic silent film brought vividly to life through live music.

Join us for a spellbinding screening of this cinematic masterpiece, featuring a dynamic live score written by Stephen Prutsman. Performed by Marisa, Ignacio and violinists Isabelle Ai Durrenberger and Aimee Lopez, the music heightens every shadow, twist, and psychological turn of the film’s surreal world.

FREE tickets available one week prior.

W.A. Mozart Quartet in D minor, Op. 10, No. 2, K. 421

Grażyna Bacewicz String Quartet No. 3

Antonin Dvořák String Quintet No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 97

The Aeolus Quartet returns to Reading with a special guest violinist. The first half of their program will feature quartets of Mozart and Grażyna Bacewicz, a Polish composer whose 3rd Quartet was awarded the Polish Ministry of Culture Award. The Quartet will be joined for Dvorak’s Viola Quintet by the venerable violinist and pedagogue Donald Weilerstein, performing for us on viola — an evening not-to-be-missed!

Memoir is a theatrical musical work by GRAMMY Award-winning composer Steven Mackey and director Mark DeChiazza, exploring the tumultuous 20th century through the eyes of a first-generation American woman in pursuit of the American Dream.

Inspired by the unpublished memoir of Mackey’s mother, Elaine Mackey, Memoir is a visually and sonically captivating reflection on resilience, identity, and the power of storytelling. Scored for the unique combination of string quartet, percussion duo, and narrator, the piece traverses a diverse musical landscape—by turns witty, playful, rich, and profound.

arx duo 
Aeolus Quartet
Natalie Christa Rakes, narrator 

Memoir is a theatrical musical work by GRAMMY Award-winning composer Steven Mackey and director Mark DeChiazza, exploring the tumultuous 20th century through the eyes of a first-generation American woman in pursuit of the American Dream.

Inspired by the unpublished memoir of Mackey’s mother, Elaine Mackey, Memoir is a visually and sonically captivating reflection on resilience, identity, and the power of storytelling. Scored for the unique combination of string quartet, percussion duo, and narrator, the piece traverses a diverse musical landscape—by turns witty, playful, rich, and profound.

arx duo 
Aeolus Quartet
Natalie Christa Rakes, narrator