Get ready to immerse yourself in the enchanting compositions of Robert Schumann, performed by world-renowned musicians across various cities. From the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s chamber music event in Lenox featuring Yo-Yo Ma, to the Boston Artists Ensemble’s ‘Enchanted Spheres’ in Salem, and the Celebrity Series of Boston’s concerts spanning Boston, Groton, and Cambridge, there’s something for every classical music enthusiast. Highlights include Emanuel Ax’s recital featuring Schumann’s exquisite Arabeske, the Dover Quartet’s rendition of Schumann’s String Quartet No. 1, and Julia Fischer and Jan Lisiecki’s performance of Schumann’s Violin Sonata No. 2.

Celebrating Schumann: Unmissable Musical Events in Lenox, Salem, Boston, Groton, and Cambridge

Ivanna Cuesta is a talented and versatile Dominican drummer and composer. A Berklee College of Music alumna, she completed a double specialization in Performance and Writing/Contemporary Translation. During her time at Berklee, she had the opportunity to work and be mentored by Wayne Shorter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Neal Smith, and Esperanza Spalding, among others.

EPSG:4326

Summer 2024: Ivanna Cuesta

Tobin Community Center

With her compelling music, she elegantly blends her culturally-rooted Turkish musical traditions, classical music, and contemporary influences from jazz and fusion. Music is Soydemir's playground: she is a master of exploring and representing a composer’s imagination while performing, and discovering new visions, options, and colors while arranging music. 

Summer 2024: Yağmur Soydemir

The two sonatas of Beethoven’s Opus 27, rarely heard together, throw the form’s rules aside: tempo, structure, and flow are at the composer’s whim. Ax pairs the two works with Schumann's exquisite Arabeske, and his virtuosic showpiece Fantasie in C Major, dedicated to Liszt and published to raise funds for a statue of Beethoven in Bonn. Corigliano's Fantasia on an Ostinato reflects on an unconventional passage from Beethoven's Seventh Symphony to create a modern-day showpiece.

Emanuel Ax, piano

New England Conservatory of Music

Groton Hill Music Center

Experience the timeless masterpiece of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" like never before with the Australian Chamber Orchestra at NEC's Jordan Hall on Friday, October 18th at 8:00 PM. Under the artistic direction of celebrated violinist Richard Tognetti, this unique performance promises to breathe new life into Vivaldi’s iconic work. The Australian Chamber Orchestra, known for their innovative and imaginative collaborations, will be joined by the exceptional talents of brothers Joseph Tawadros, a virtuoso of the oud (Middle Eastern lute), and James Tawadros, a master of the riq (tambourine-like instrument). This collaboration offers a stunning recasting of "The Four Seasons," blending the rich musical traditions of Venice and the Middle East for an unforgettable auditory journey. Don't miss this opportunity to experience one of the most rhapsodic, lyrical, and explosive interpretations of Vivaldi's work.

Australian Chamber Orchestra The Four Seasons

In the intervening years, Lewis returned as a solo recitalist, recital partner, and orchestral soloist, always drawing praise for the deftness, shading, and intelligence of his interpretations. Celebrated as the “world’s most compelling interpreter of Schubert piano music” (The Arts Desk), Lewis returns this season, once again immersed in a worldwide recital tour of the composer’s final three sonatas. These introspective and profound works offer endless opportunities for reflection, and we invite you to experience—again or for the first time—these masterworks with the brilliant Paul Lewis. 

Paul Lewis, piano 

Since coming together as a quartet in 1993 and making their debut in 1996, the Jerusalem Quartet has impressed critics and moved audiences with striking interpretations of time-tested quartet repertoire and beyond. The members of this foursome have grown together as artists, becoming “a virtuosic ensemble with a glorious, meaty sound and irresistible panache” (The Guardian).  

Jerusalem Quartet

“One of jazz piano’s most brazenly virtuosic players” (The New York Times), Grammy Award-winning pianist Hiromi returns to Celebrity Series following her explosive solo debut, with her latest project, Sonicwonder. Celebrating her 2023 album Sonicwonderland, this tour reunites the powerhouse ensemble of French bassist Hadrien Feraud, drummer Gene Coye, and trumpeter Adam O’Farrill. Together, they create an all-electric wonderland of thrilling improvisation, funky arrangements, and exuberant music-making. 

Hiromi’s Sonicwonder 

Berklee College of Music

In their Celebrity Series debut, the Castalian Quartet unveils a diverse repertoire that showcases their versatility and depth. From the nuanced moods, rich allusions, and intricate textures of Schubert to Kurtág’s collection of disparate miniature sound worlds; and from the sprightly and stately dances by Coleridge-Taylor to Beethoven’s Serioso Quartet, full of experimental techniques that set the stage for the composer’s later period, their program is a vivid journey through the landscape of classical music. 

Castalian String Quartet 

Longy School of Music of Bard College

Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) is the author of thirteen bestselling cookbooks, a beloved Food Network personality, Instagram sensation, and cultural icon, with millions of followers in the US and abroad. She is the host of Be My Guest and Barefoot Contessa on Food Network and Max, for which she has won five Emmy Awards and three James Beard Awards.

Be Ready When the Luck Happens: An Evening Conversation with Ina Garten

Boston Symphony Orchestra

South African piano titan Abdullah Ibrahim makes his Celebrity Series debut after decades of performance, composition, and activism. The Cape Town of his youth provided a rich assortment of influences—from homegrown rhythms to Western themes—giving his music dynamic texture, depth, and diversity. 

Abdullah Ibrahim Trio

The magnificent Berliner Philharmoniker returns to Symphony Hall under the baton of Music Director Kirill Petrenko, revealing the intricacies and majesty of Bruckner’s monumental Fifth Symphony. Renowned for their clarity and roster-wide virtuosity, the orchestra draws out every detail of Bruckner’s writing: evocative and questioning woodwinds, spacious brass, and propulsive strings. 

Berliner Philharmoniker 

One hundred years ago, Martha Graham started a conversation to redefine contemporary dance and the social, psychological, and sexual ideas it can portray. Her celebrated company perpetuates this legacy, keeping her choreography fresh and vital—solidifying Graham as an essential American artist.  

Martha Graham Dance Company 

Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre

Cellist Alisa Weilerstein and pianist Inon Barnatan reunite for their fourth appearance together on the Series since their joint debut in 2008. After nearly two decades of shared stages, collaborative recordings, and various other artistic projects, their profound artistic connection and heartfelt camaraderie radiate with every performance. 

Alisa Weilerstein, cello & Inon Barnatan, piano

In this What Makes It Great? performance, Kapilow shares how Gershwin’s compositional choices set the work apart. In teaching audiences to listen to works, not simply hear them, he demonstrates how rhythmic, harmonic, and stylistic moments can defy expectations and delight audiences. Kapilow illustrates what made Rhapsody in Blue both an immediate sensation in its time and an enduring, era-defining piece of American art. 

What Makes It Great? with Rob Kapilow: Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue

The gospel choir’s talent and dedication captured the world’s attention when they sang at the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. With just one performance, the choir wowed a global audience, and achieved a new level of fame and renown. As they perform all over Britain and the world, the group’s foundational values shine through, keeping them committed to each other and to sharing their talents with delighted audiences. 

The Kingdom Choir 

“Sparklingly present… and remarkably strong” (The New York Times), the dancers of Malpaso Dance Company have worked with such notable international choreographers as Ronald K. Brown, Aszure Barton, Ephrat Asherie, and more. The program will feature Brown’s Why You Follow, created on the company in Cuba in 2013, and other works to be announced. 

Malpaso Dance Company 

Emerson Paramount Center

Founded in 1987, Jazz at Lincoln Center shares their quintessentially American art form with the world through classes for all ages, concerts, and advocacy. Seeing jazz—with its focus on freedom, finding common ground, and solving problems together—as a metaphor for democracy, they remind us what’s possible when we work together and listen to each other.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis 

Cuban-born drummer Dafnis Prieto returns to Celebrity Series with his dynamic Sí o Sí Quartet. Prieto—a Grammy Award winner and MacArthur Fellow—is known for blending Cuban percussion instrumentation, rhythms, and textures with the classic jazz drum kit, providing a distinctive pulse for the foursome’s “ecstatic and intelligent” (AllAboutJazz) contemporary post-bop explorations.

Dafnis Prieto’s Sí o Sí Quartet

American mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, considered one of the brightest stars in opera, provides striking vocals as renowned violist Matthew Lipman and critically acclaimed pianist Tamar Sanikidze complete the trio of well-matched and generously collaborative musicians. Ineffable moments of drama and beauty will fill the concert hall with works by Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms before the program concludes with a yet-to-be titled Music Accord co-commission by composer, conductor, and pianist Joel Thompson.  

Jamie Barton, Matthew Lipman, Tamar Sanikidze

Journalist Jad Abumrad, creator and former co-host of NPR’s Radiolab, returns to Celebrity Series with his latest project, How to Talk to a Human, an innovative, lively, and timely presentation about the art and science of interviews and tough conversations. 

Jad Abumrad 

Harvard University

Meklit Hadero is an Ethiopian American vocalist, songwriter, composer, and former refugee known for her electric stage presence, innovative sound, and cultural advocacy. Meklit refracts American funk, soul, indie pop, and jazz through traditional Ethiopian styles, incorporating complex polyrhythms and propulsive grooves with her soulful, melismatic vocals. The result is an irresistible sound that is entirely her own. 

Meklit 

A frequent guest of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cho takes to our largest stage for music, Symphony Hall, with an epic recital that spans the entirety of Ravel’s extant works for solo piano, written before the composer turned his attention to work for ensembles, orchestras, and the stage.  

Seong-Jin Cho, piano 

Counterpoint is the latest collaboration between pianist and composer Conrad Tao and choreographer and tap dancer Caleb Teicher, last seen together on the Series in More Forever (2020). In this dynamic duet performance, the artists engage in a mesmerizing dialogue of harmonic, theatrical, and rhythmic interplay, bridging their disparate traditions and creating a collective experience that fires the imagination and opens the heart. 

Caleb Teicher & Conrad Tao

Boston Arts Academy

Courtey Swain, heard with Bent Knee at a Stave Sessions show in 2018, makes her debut as a headliner. A multi-instrumentalist, composer, vocalist, songwriter, and sound artist, Swain is artistically fearless, conjuring soundscapes that surround audiences with murmuring, echoing electronics, providing a canvas for her vocals, live instruments, and witty, insightful songwriting.  

Courtney Swain 

Somerville Theatre

Hailed by The Guardian as “a cellist of power and grace” who possesses “mature artistry and willingness to go to the brink,” two-time Grammy-nominated cellist Seth Parker Woods is a versatile artist and innovator across multiple genres. 

Seth Parker Woods, cello and voice 

Since that pivotal moment, the Quartet has consistently built upon their success, undertaking ambitious projects such as recording the complete cycle of Beethoven’s quartets and earning a Grammy Award nomination for their exemplary interpretation of Schumann’s quartets. For their Series program, the Quartet will perform Schumann’s Quartet No. 1 alongside Tchaikovsky’s moving first string quartet, and Dvořák’s 1893 “American” quartet, written in an Iowa Czech immigrant community.  

Dover Quartet

Pianists Víkingur Ólafsson and Yuja Wang have consistently wowed audiences as solo recitalists, chamber music partners, and orchestral soloists. This season, they come together on Symphony Hall’s stage for a two-piano and piano four hands recital featuring Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, John Adams’ Hallelujah Junction, and more.

Víkingur Ólafsson & Yuja Wang

Guided by Duke Ellington’s great canon, Moran takes a solo piano climb up “Mount Ellington” in this extraordinary celebration of the composer’s enduring legacy 125 years after his birth. Experience the timeless genius of Ellington’s music, brilliantly reimagined by Moran. 

Jason Moran 

Two superstars join forces for a chamber recital spanning highlights of the piano and violin repertoire. Violinist Leonidas Kavakos makes a return to the Series for the first time since 2019, appearing with Daniil Trifonov for an evening of virtuosity highlighting 19th- and 20th-century classics from Beethoven, Bartók, and more. 

Leonidas Kavakos, violin & Daniil Trifonov, piano

Drawing on her ability to summon finesse and purity as readily as warmth and power, Midori builds her program around Poulenc’s Sonata for Piano and Violin, dedicated to the memory of Spanish poet Federico García Lorca. Inspired by the poet’s comparisons of countrywide weeping in Civil War-era Spain to the sound of “an immense violin,” Midori expresses a musical tale of loss and bereavement. 

Midori, violin & Özgür Aydin, piano

In Japanese, the word Kodō holds a double meaning. Written one way, it can be translated as “heartbeat,” the primal source of all rhythm. Written another way, the characters of the name read “drum” and “child,” reflecting the company’s mission: to play the drums with the simple heart of a child.  

KODO 

Pianist and composer Sean Mason artfully navigates the confluence of contrasts, masterfully blending the past and the future, the fresh and the timeless, uptown glamor and downtown grit, the blues joint and the church pew. This visionary young bandleader illuminates the rich tapestry of jazz history to show a new path forward. 

Sean Mason Quartet 

Malaysian Australian bassist and composer Linda May Han Oh shares her remarkable musicianship and distinctive voice with Celebrity Series audiences. Celebrated for her pivotal role as both the inspiration for a character and a featured bassist in the Pixar movie Soul, Linda also earned a Grammy Award for her contributions to Terri Lyne Carrington’s New Standards, Vol. 1 in 2023. The Financial Times lauded “her vibrant tone, close control, and confident attack,” underscoring her status as a highly sought-after talent in the music world. 

Linda May Han Oh

Mali Obomsawin, from Odanak First Nation, is a multifaceted artist known for her prowess as a bassist, singer-songwriter, and composer. Recognized as one of GRAMMY.com’s top ten emerging jazz artists to watch in 2023, Obomsawin stands out among the vibrant community of up-and-coming Indigenous jazz artists. Reflecting on her journey, they say, “my people have had to innovate endlessly to get our stories heard… but sometimes words fail us, and we must use sound.” 

Mali Obomsawin Quartet

Post-post-modern diva Meow Meow has hypnotized, inspired, and terrified audiences globally with unique creations and sold-out performances from New York’s Lincoln Center to Berlin’s Bar Jeder Vernunft to London’s West End to the Sydney Opera House. 

An Evening with Meow Meow 

Harpist Brandee Younger, current Resident Artistic Director at the illustrious SF Jazz, is carving a unique path in the music world while honoring the legacy of those who paved her way. Her most recent album, Brand New Life, pays tribute to jazz harp trailblazer Dorothy Ashby, a Black female musician who defied expectations by becoming a bandleader and composer on an unconventional instrument.  

Brandee Younger Trio

Mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron and pianist Kunal Lahiry present a personal, deeply resonant program that delves into intricate themes of identity and colonialism and confronts the legacies of Empire. Both of dual Asian and Western heritage, Barron and Lahiry shed light on the complex narratives of dominant powers, the silenced voices of the oppressed, and the emergence of hybrid art forms and identities from these entangled cultures. 

Fleur Barron, mezzo-soprano & Kunal Lahiry, piano

The ensemble’s dynamic is further enriched in this performance by celebrated bassist and composer Xavier Foley. Recognized as an Avery Fisher Career Grantee in 2018, as was the Quartet, Foley joins the group for quintet works by Jessie Montgomery, Antonín Dvořák, and his own Good Times (2022). Called “a dazzling player who hears borders between styles as limitations best ignored” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Foley stands at the forefront of a new generation of boundary-blurring creators. 

Calidore String Quartet with Xavier Foley, bass 

Renowned German violinist Julia Fischer, also a concert pianist of note, takes the stage with acclaimed Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki for a recital program featuring a selection of violin sonatas from Mozart, Beethoven, and Schumann. The artists are well-matched, sharing a commitment to precision, balance, and detail; their pairing promises an evening of sublime artistry and technical prowess as they make Celebrity Series debuts.  

Julia Fischer, violin & Jan Lisiecki, piano

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and vocalist Caroline Shaw, twice heard on the Series as a founding member of Roomful of Teeth, and esteemed dancer and choreographer Vanessa Goodman draw profound inspiration from the life of soil in their innovative dance and music installation, Graveyards and Gardens. 

Action at a Distance: Graveyards and Gardens

Bluegrass banjo standout Noam Pikelny brings together accomplished friends for this concert that promises virtuosity, playful and unbounded musicianship, and, if Pikelny’s self-deprecatingly hilarious YouTube outings are any indication, plenty of smiles and humor. 

Noam Pikelny & Friends

The program offers a journey through her recording and performance interests, notably highlighting works by Rachmaninoff. Chochieva’s recording of Chopin’s complete Études attracted the world’s attention, with Gramophone listing it among the ten greatest Chopin recordings of all time. Moreover, her recordings of Rachmaninoff’s complete Études-Tableaux and her role as curator for a festival at the composer’s summer villa speak volumes of her deep connection with that composer’s works. Acclaimed for her “performances of huge emotional scope and intense drama” (The Guardian), Zlata Chochieva promises a can’t-miss Celebrity Series debut! 

Zlata Chochieva, piano

Rob Kapilow shines the What Makes It Great? spotlight on Simon & Garfunkel for an illuminating exploration of the duo’s songwriting process and compositional choices.  

What Makes It Great? with Rob Kapilow The Music of Simon & Garfunkel

The more things change—in our aging bodies, in our families and our relationships, in politics and society in general—the more we need David Sedaris. He slices through the chaos with spot-on observations, incisive wit, and, somehow, a humane and relatable point of view. 

David Sedaris 

Founded in 1985 with two goals, to have fun and “not to lose money,” the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has been delighting audiences and subverting expectations all around the world for over four decades. Their self-described “world tour with only hand luggage” has taken them to prestigious venues and festivals worldwide, including the Houses of Parliament and the Last Night of the Proms.

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain 

The youngest cellist to win a Gold Medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, 24-year-old Zlatomir Fung enjoys a busy and varied international career. His appearances with renowned orchestras have showcased canon works and new commissions, demonstrating the breadth of his technique and musical insight. 

Zlatomir Fung, cello

The iconic Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to the Series for an annual showcase of the company’s extraordinary technique and emotive power, reaffirming their enduring importance in the American cultural landscape.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 

Boch Center - Wang Theatre

Room-shaking power and soul-soothing poetry come together during Evgeny Kissin’s return to Symphony Hall.  Bach's Partita No. 2 for Keyboard gives way to Chopin’s contemplative Nocturnes. Shostakovich’s intense Piano Sonata No. 2 pairs with selections from his homage to Bach, his 24 Preludes and Fugues.

Evgeny Kissin, piano 

Vocalist Samara Joy has reached tremendous heights as a prolific rising star in the jazz world. Linger Awhile, her 2022 debut album with Verve Records, drew critical acclaim and earned her two Grammys—Best Jazz Vocal Recording and Best New Artist in any genre.

Samara Joy

Tessa Lark, at once a widely praised violinist and acclaimed Appalachian fiddler, is more than a performer: she’s a convener of adventurous, up-for-anything collaborators. For this concert, she’s assembled an accomplished trio that spans the generations, bringing together artists who span, blend, and play with genres.

Celebrity Series of Boston

Aug 10, 2024

Summer 2024: Ivanna Cuesta

Aug 24, 2024

Summer 2024: Yağmur Soydemir

10 - 13 Oct, 2024

Emanuel Ax, piano

Oct 18, 2024

Australian Chamber Orchestra The Four Seasons

Oct 25, 2024

Paul Lewis, piano

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Celebrity Series of Boston