Violinist

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) returns in December 2023 with Bach’s complete Brandenburg concertos, performed in their original instrumentation – each year in a different order with an evolving roster of the finest CMS musicians.

If Johann Sebastian Bach had only left the world his six Brandenburg Concertos, he would still reside in the pantheon of the great composers. One memorable tune is heard after another; uplifting energy abounds; feats of virtuosity for violins, violas, cellos, oboes, trumpet, horns, and harpsichord leap from the stage. With their novel instrumentation and irresistible energy, the six concertos are uplifting to all who hear them and have become an annual tradition at the Harris.

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Brandenburg Concertos

Harris Theater

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) returns to the Mondavi Center to perform Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, works that unfailingly provide spiritual fulfillment for music lovers of all faiths and beliefs, inspiring strength at year’s end and a vision of the brightest future. The artistic core of CMS is a multigenerational, dynamic repertory company comprised of an evolving and unparalleled roster of performers. Demonstrating the belief that the future of chamber music lies in engaging and expanding the audience, these expert chamber musicians draw more people to the genre than any other organization of its kind.

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

The 2023 FIU Music Festival’s opening night brings an unparalleled fusion of talent to the stage, featuring the world-renowned Amernet String Quartet and exceptional guest artists, Ani Kavafian, violin; Thomas Mesa, cello; and Mari LiisPäkk, violin. For two works, FIU students will join them for this compelling chamber music program. 

FIU Music Festival 2023: Strings United: Strings United: From Baroque to the 20th Century

Florida International University

SummerFest

Kaufman Music Center

A straight line leads from Bach, the musical monarch of the Baroque, to Beethoven, the composer who would reinvent the art in its entirety. Along the way, many composers made weighty contributions: Bach’s sons attained fame with more populist music; Haydn invented the symphony and string quartet; and virtually everything that Mozart created was of unearthly beauty. Riding on all this momentum, a youthful Beethoven broke from the starting gate, stunning the musical establishment with works of unimagined daring, invention, and excitement. 

Concert Program II: Bach To Beethoven

Menlo School Campus

Each weekday of the festival at 11:00 a.m., our “Mornings@Menlo” sessions feature either a master class with the Chamber Music Institute’s young artists, or a Café Conversation. The Institute’s master classes offer visitors the opportunity to witness the exchange between artist and apprentice, and culminate in the festival’s series of Prelude Performances and Koret Young Performers Concerts.

Master Class With Ani Kavafian

Music from the Baroque era stimulates the senses, lifts the spirits, and inspires faith in all things good. The evolution of everything in music—from the art of counterpoint to the invention of new forms—transformed Baroque composers into unstoppable creators as they experimented with new musical styles and combinations of instruments. In this opening concert, we’ll experience six trailblazing composers showing their skills in a colorful collection of instruments and ensembles.

Concert Program I: Baroque Splendor

Music’s evocative storytelling powers take center stage in a program of intimate works with big impact. Stunningly gifted violinist Melissa White evokes the cuckoo’s voice, a sleeping goatherd, and the roaring and thundering of hail in “Summer” from Vivaldi’s beloved Four Seasons. Czech composer Leoš Janáček’s sextet Mládí (Youth), written late in his life, offers a nostalgic reimagining of themes from his past. Gabriela Lena Frank pays a vicarious visit to her mother’s native Peru in her picturesque Four Folk Songs. Antonín Dvořák, influenced by his encounters with Native American and Black musical traditions, poured out his affection for America in his enchanting and richly melodious Viola Quintet (American).

Scenes and Seasons

Sarasota Opera House

The mind of the musical prodigy is a thing of wonder, and it is only through the music itself that we might sense something of the divine light that shone into them. Each composer here astounded equally as a child, carrying their extraordinary gifts onward through stellar careers. While the anecdotes of Mozart’s and Mendelssohn’s early talents are legendary, one is still shocked to hear that Saint-Saëns made his debut at age ten with concertos by Mozart and Beethoven, and Korngold’s ballet The Snowman was all the rage in Vienna when the composer was eleven.

Youthful Genius

Lincoln Center

Handel and Vivaldi shared an astounding 56 years of life on earth, yet never met. At the height of their careers, separated by some 950 miles in London and Venice respectively, Handel and Vivaldi’s music reflected everything that surrounded them. Handel, always dignified and highly skilled, was Beethoven’s favorite composer; Vivaldi, daring, flashy, and breathtaking, captivated Bach, who borrowed freely from him. This first CMS pairing of these Baroque masters is a study in contrasts, and a solid evening of terrific musical entertainment.

Ani Kavafian

Violinist

Events

Dec 13, 2023

Brandenburg Concertos · Harris Theater

Dec 10, 2023

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center · Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Oct 26, 2023

FIU Music Festival 2023: Strings United: Strings United: From Baroque to the 20th Century · FIU Herbert and Nicole Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts

Aug 22, 2023

SummerFest · Kaufman Music Center

Jul 20, 2023

Concert Program II: Bach To Beethoven · Music@Menlo

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