Violist

CMS’s summer tradition returns for its 11th year. Get the summer’s hottest ticket, featuring favorite chamber music works in the cool atmosphere of Alice Tully Hall. Stay after the performance and get to know the artists in the lobby with a complimentary glass of wine. 

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Summer Evenings IV 2026

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

The concert begins with Mozart’s Trio in E major, a graceful and lyrical work highlighting his gift for chamber music. From there, the program moves to the Sonata for Violin and Piano by Maurice Ravel, the great French composer of the early 20th century, whose music shimmers with color and atmosphere.

Saratoga Springs, NY

Skidmore College

Four remarkable artists with a passion for chamber music have come together to form an exciting new piano-and-strings quartet, destined to become an audience favorite.  For decades, violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson, together with their piano trio partner the late Joseph Kalichstein, were hailed as “chamber music royalty” (Washington Post), a distinction that equally applies to their ESPRESSIVO! partners—the stellar violist Milena Pájaro-van de Stadt, a founding member of the Dover Quartet, and the award-winning pianist Anna Polonsky, one of chamber music’s most sought-after collaborators.  Their program includes favorites by Beethoven and Schumann and a reprise of Richard Danielpour’s Book of Hours, co-commissioned by the Hudson Valley Chamber Music Circle and premiered on our series at Olin Auditorium in 2007.

Espressivo!

Fisher Center at Bard

The Baroque era opened the door for the violin to emerge as a defining voice in music. This program features an all-star cast of CMS violinists performing thrilling solo roles in Baroque concertos, including Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, one of the earliest examples of program music. Linked to sonnets possibly written by Vivaldi himself, the works depict the seasons through musical suggestions of babbling brooks, thunder and lightning, blasts of winter wind, and birdsong.

Vivaldi's Four Seasons

The Hudson Valley Chamber Music Circle’s June series culminates with the return of HVCMC Artistic Directors Jaime Laredo and Sharon Robinson and their acclaimed piano quartet Espressivo! in a concert featuring beloved works by Mozart and Dvořák, and the Hudson Valley premiere of Nokuthula Ngwenyama’s Joy Steppin’, an HVCMC co-commission.  Join us for an unforgettable evening of music-making that celebrates the 25th anniversary of Jaime and Sharon’s artistic leadership.

Three late-career works by Beethoven, Brahms, and Elgar invite reflection and a sense of nostalgia. A spectacular cast of CMS musicians performs.

This program has been made possible through the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Initiative for Music and Community Engagement.

May Tour Concert

Hostos Community College

This final CMS performance brings together timeless works for a truly captivating conclusion. Schubert’s Adagio and Rondo concertante sparkles with youthful vitality, while Mozart’s String Quintet in C minor reveals a rare, intense depth, showcasing a darker side of his musical voice. After intermission, Brahms’ Sextet No. 1—one of his most beloved chamber works—fills the stage with a rich, expansive sound. The interplay of two violins, two violas, and two cellos creates a beautiful balance of lyrical depth and spirited energy, culminating in a lively and jubilant finale.

Chamber Music Festival of the Bluegrass Concert IV

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill

This program offers an intimate journey through the heart of chamber music, blending Romantic lyricism and classical elegance. Glière’s Ten Duos for Two Cellos highlights a rich interplay of resonant melodies between the two instruments. Amy Beach’s Romance for Violin and Piano envelops listeners in lush, lyrical beauty, while Schumann’s Märchenbilder paints a series of fantastical scenes for viola and piano. The program concludes with Beethoven’s Piano Quartet in E-flat major, a work that embodies both balance and charm. It marks a transitional moment in Beethoven’s career, bridging the Classical elegance of his early works with the bold, expressive style that would define his Romantic-era compositions.

Chamber Music Festival of the Bluegrass Concert I

This program offers a delightful blend of passion, vitality, and elegance. It begins with Beethoven’s Spring Sonata, a bright and uplifting violin-piano duet that practically radiates optimism, evoking the fresh spirit and renewal of the spring season. Next, Lili Boulanger’s Three Pieces for Cello and Piano bring a touch of introspective beauty, while Tchaikovsky’s Pezzo capriccioso captivates with its mix of profound feeling and dazzling virtuosity. After intermission, the program builds to Fauré’s Piano Quartet No. 2, a deeply personal and dramatic work that lets the piano shimmer with delicate textures while the strings engage in a passionate interplay.

Chamber Music Festival of the Bluegrass Concert II

French composer Cécile Chaminade composed over four hundred works in the shadows of her contemporaries Brahms and Saint-Saëns, yet her music was so popular that “Chaminade Clubs” sprang up in the United States during her lifetime. Debussy’s early trio, also overtly Romantic, is offered as a companion work, with both trios now increasingly heard in concert halls around the world. 

Grand Rapids, MI 

St. Cecilia Music Center

Enthusiasts for string chamber music are drawn to the rich vocal timbres of the violin, viola, and cello, and this program explores the all-string ensemble from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Boccherini’s Quintet in C major reflects the virtuosity of the greatest cellist of his day, with cello parts that venture into the violin’s range. D’Ambrosio’s Suite for Strings, Op. 8, has become beloved by a growing circle of musicians who cherish his ultra-romantic style. The evening concludes with Dvořák’s Sextet in A major, Op. 48, a folk-infused work and one of the most exciting and brilliantly entertaining in the chamber music repertoire.

Chicago, IL String Radiance: Boccherini, D’Ambrosio, and Dvořák

Harris Theater

In a program combining the novel and traditional, a truly avant-garde quintet by Boccherini from 1780 is followed by another quintet from the Romantic Neapolitan composer d’Ambrosio, both works calling for two cellos. Dvořák’s ever popular Sextet for Strings is a virtual Bohemian symphony, which infuses a grand classical structure with irresistible folk spirit.

Dvořák's String Sextet

Catapulted to international fame in 1918 by Toscanini’s performances of Pines of Rome, Bologna-born Ottorino Respighi had already led a fascinating, multifaceted musical life. Fluent in eleven languages, he composed in multiple genres, revealing a fertile imagination and consummate skill. His passionate Piano Quintet is presented in the company of two well-known masterpieces by Mozart and Brahms.

Violist

Milena Pájaro-van de Stadt

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 29, 2026 - Apr 22, 2027

Grand Rapids, MI · Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Mar 17, 2027

Chicago, IL String Radiance: Boccherini, D’Ambrosio, and Dvořák · Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Mar 19, 2027

Dvořák's String Sextet · Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

9 - 11 Apr, 2027

Respighi and Brahms · Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Past events

Jul 18, 2026

Summer Evenings IV 2026 · Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

12 - 26 Jul, 2026

Saratoga Springs, NY · Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Future and recently performed repertoire

Viola in Musica notturna delle strade di Madrid by Boccherini

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in Piano Quartet No. 2 by Dvořák

Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College

Viola in Piano Quintet by Elgar

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in Adagio and Rondo Concertante by Schubert

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in Märchenbilder by Schumann

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in String Quintet No. 2 by Mozart

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in Piano Quartet No. 2 by Fauré

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in Piano Quartet by Schumann

Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College

Viola in Quartet in E-flat major by Beethoven

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in Piano Quartet in G minor by Mozart

Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College

Viola in Piano Quartet in E-Flat Major by Beethoven

Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College

Viola in String Sextet No. 1 in B-flat Major by Brahms

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in String Sextet in A major by Dvořák

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in Suite for Strings by d'Ambrosio

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in Piano Quartet No. 2 in A major by Brahms

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in Piano Quintet No. 1 in A major by Dvořák

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor by Mendelssohn

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in Piano Trio in C major, Hob.XV:27 by Haydn

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in Quintet in C major by Beethoven

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in La musica notturna delle strade di Madrid by Boccherini

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in Quintet in C major, G. 324 by Boccherini

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in Piano Quintet in F minor, P. 35 by Respighi

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Viola in String Quintet No. 5 in D major, K. 593 by Mozart

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

About

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