The harp is the instrument of angels. But it is also the instrument of the French Impressionists. Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy weren't the only ones to write shimmering, sparkling, and sun-drenched music for the 47-stringed instrument. Camille Saint-Saëns, labeled a classicist but incredibly versatile, also left us wonderful harp music, as did Jean Cras, a contemporary of Jules Massenet and Gabriel Fauré, who was an admiral by profession. The sweeping view over the sea and the whisper of the wind definitely left their mark on his enchanting chamber music! 

La Harpe

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

Matinee of the Friends of the Berliner Philharmoniker e. V. Das ist ja unerhört!

Berliner Philharmoniker

On this musical journey to the city of love, the program includes works by Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, as well as the rarely heard Quintet in A major by Jean Cras, who during his lifetime not only pursued a career as a composer but also as an admiral in the French Navy. Unfortunately, this concert had to be cancelled in October. We are all the more pleased to be able to present this program to you now.

Salon Paris

Casino Bern

Chamber Concert: Works by Cras, Penderecki and Koechlin

Palacio Nuevo de Stuttgart

Baden-Baden

Immerse yourself in three days of captivating chamber music, where Shepherd School students come together to create moments of pure musical magic and artistry. Concert times may change as the festival approaches.


EPSG:4326

Spring Chamber Music Festival

Alice Pratt Brown Hall

Departmental Recitals showcase performance departments through its students. Featuring various students and repertoire, and curated by the faculty, performances in this recital highlight SFCM programs and the wide range of study.

Woodwind Chamber Music Recital

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

This concert marks the Tippet debut of two multi-faceted artists – Grammy-nominated violinist Tessa Lark and classical and jazz harpist Charles Overton. Tessa Lark, consistently praised by critics and audiences for her astounding range of sounds, technical agility, and musical elegance, is also a highly acclaimed fiddler in the tradition of her native Kentucky. Charles Overton is a frequent performer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops, as well as jazz clubs throughout the northeast. He aims to create a musical environment that is accessible, exciting, and resonates deeply with audiences. Lark and Overton are performers, arrangers, and composers of a program including early romantic virtuoso music by Camille Saint-Saëns, Eugène Ysaÿe, and Jean Cras; a traditional fiddle work “Boy in the Gap”; and the Morgan Lewis jazz standard "How High the Moon". Their performance will conclude with a trip to Argentina for Astor Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango.

Tessa Lark, violin, Charles Overton, harp

Tippet Rise Art Center

Our joint recital will present beautiful music spanning from the baroque to the modern era. The first half of the recital will feature Anaeli Gutierrez on flute, accompanied in two pieces by Lauren Hsu on piano, and Enmanuel Rodriguez on guitar. Listeners will hear contrasts between lively and technical passages such as in Piazolla's Histoire du Tango - Bordel 1900 and Kuhlau’s Variations on The Last Rose of Summer, as well as elegant lyrical passages found in Telemann’s Fantasie No. 5 and Suite en Duo by Jean Cras. Our second half of the recital will bring pieces from the renowned composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Esteban Salas Villela will perform Bach's Cello Suite Number 1, arranged for the classical guitar. These pieces allude to dances from the baroque era that still resonate through time.

Joint Junior Recital of Music for Flute and Guitar

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Violinist Desirée Ruhstrat, cellist David Cunliffe, and pianist Marta Aznavoorian are known to the CMMB audience for their successful performance in October 2021 as the Lincoln Trio. Ruhstrat, Cunliffe, and violist Aurélien Fort Pederzoli make up the critically-acclaimed Black Oak Ensemble, one of the leading string trios on the international scene. When the two trios combine (yes, in this case, 3 + 3 = 4!), they become the superlative CHICAGO PIANO QUARTET.

Chicago Piano Quartet

Sunset Center Theater

As an avid performer, flutist Evan Curatolo strives to not only convey the beauty and prominence of classical music in the world today, but to also emphasize the importance of deepening one's creative and imaginative mindset through various musical lenses. An orchestral musician at heart, Evan finds himself at home in the orchestra’s flute section and is devoted entirely to conveying the message and importance of orchestral repertoire. Evan will join the New World Symphony as a regular substitute for the 2024-25 season.

Student Recital: Evan Curatolo

Carnegie Mellon University

Canta Libre is a wonderfully unique chamber ensemble of harp, flute and three strings – a combination popular with French composers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The ensemble specializes in ravishing repertoire that will draw you into the music and cultural atmosphere of turn-of-the-century Paris.

Canta Libre

First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge

Jamie Kim, Flute

The Juilliard School

Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of chamber music with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks at their upcoming Chamber Concerts. Set against the backdrop of the exquisite Munich Residence in the Max Joseph Saal, the first concert will take place on Saturday, 2nd July 2022, at 8:00 pm. The musical journey continues at the Evangelische Akademie in Tutzing on Sunday, 3rd July 2022, at 6:00 pm.

The program promises a mesmerizing evening featuring works that highlight the harp's unique charm in French music. The repertoire includes Camille Saint-Saëns's "Fantasy for Harp and Violin, op. 124," Guillaume Connesson's "String Quartet," Claude Debussy's "Danse sacrée et danse profane," Jacques Ibert's "Deux Interludes for Flute, Violin and Harp," and Jean Cras's "Quintet for Flute, Harp and Strings."

Esteemed performers Magdalena Hoffmann (harp), Ivanna Ternay (flute), Korbinian Altenberger (violin), Jehye Lee (violin), Christiane Hörr-Kalmer (viola), and Hanno Simons (violoncello) will bring these compositions to life, showcasing the delicate interplay between the harp, flute, and strings that characterizes French chamber music.

This concert series is a must-attend for lovers of classical music and those looking to experience the sublime beauty of chamber music performed by world-class musicians. Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a memorable musical experience.

Chamber Concert

Munich Residence

Evangelische Akademie

Impressions… on Ravel and Debussy

Teatro alla Scala

There are not enough superlatives in the language to describe Brahms' piano trios! As is well known, there is no such thing as bad music by Brahms – anything that did not live up to his extremely high standards was thrown into the wood-burning oven before anyone could discover it. And the three piano trios stand as an absolute, chamber music milestone in the Romantic era. The third and last in C minor from 1886 is a work of intense, emotional depth and shows the experienced, bearded master's explosively dramatic and lyrically singable genius.

Jean Cras

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 18, 2026

Impressions… on Ravel and Debussy · Teatro alla Scala

Nov 10, 2026

Brahms' Piano Trio No. 3 · Odense Symphony Orchestra

Past events

Jun 17, 2026

La Harpe · Beethoven Orchester Bonn

Jun 14, 2026

Matinee of the Friends of the Berliner Philharmoniker e. V. Das ist ja unerhört! · Berliner Philharmoniker

About

Jean Cras hasn't added a bio