Mendelssohn was 16 when he wrote his Sextet for Piano and Strings. Mozart was 10 years older when he penned his 2nd Piano Quartet. Both composers wrote them to show off their own amazing piano virtuosity, creating breath-taking masterpieces. We begin the program with a Phantasy for piano trio by... [Read More]

Mendelssohn’s masterpiece is thrilling under David Perry’s leadership. Young Mendelssohn’s friendship with the elderly Goethe inspired this romantic triumph. It is paired with an equally impressive discovery, the Octet by Woldemar Bargiel, the brother-in-law of Clara Schumann and a composer much admired by Brahms. Be prepared … the electricity will... [Read More]

Engage your imagination in the magic of music by three greats: Schumann, Haydn, and Beethoven. Schumann’s “Fairy Tales” is written for the same combination as Mozart’s “Kegelstatt Trio” (clarinet, viola, and piano) and is one of Schumann’s final compositions. He thought listeners would find it “highly romantic.” Beethoven’s “Ghost” gets... [Read More]

Join us to toast French independence. Each of our three works represents a different vision of France, so we are going to sample different French wines that complement their paired musical work. D’Indy brings us a French postcard painted by harp, flute, and strings. Bordes uses flute (played by Heather... [Read More]

Composer-in-Residence Will Healy returns with a free-wheeling program inspired by Bach. Selections from The Musical Offering and Will’s arrangement of Wachet auf ruft uns die Stimme lead to Bach-inspired works by Will himself. He is then joined by his colleague, violinist George Meyer, for their freshly inspired collaborations that remind... [Read More]

After her triumphant performances last season of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, Jeannie returns this season to offer Grieg’s magnificent romantic treasure. We’ve discovered a stunningly beautiful arrangement with string quartet that will feature Jeannie in all her radiance. Puccini’s hauntingly beautiful Crisantemi opens the program followed by Emilie Meier’s G Minor... [Read More]

Immediately before he wrote his First Symphony, Beethoven wrote this Septet as a prototype or practice run. He was so ready for the nine symphonies that followed that this Septet became his most popular piece during his lifetime. You could almost call it his Tenth Symphony. Thrill to the full... [Read More]