St. Cecilia Music Center begins season with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center on November 15

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Series 2018/2019 season begins on November 15, 2018 with five internationally renowned musicians from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York performing diverse gems from the 19th century. Duos and trios will fill the first half of their performance, including Beethoven's variations on Mozart's melody, Schubert's creation for the arpeggione, and Bottesini's virtuoso showpiece for violin and double bass. The artists join forces after intermission to perform Schubert's ”Trout Quintet”, which has garnered a reputation as one of the most popular works in the chamber repertory.  A pre-concert artist talk with the visiting musicians begins at 7 p.m. and is open to all ticket holders.

“We are so pleased to renew another three-year agreement with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. They are some of the most exciting artists to experience at SCMC with their exquisite performances and amazing artistry. To listen to and see these artists in action is truly captivating,” says SCMC Executive Director Cathy Holbrook.

Musicians will include pianist Orion Weiss, violinist Paul Huang, violist Paul Neubauer, cellist Keith Robinson, and double bassist Xavier Foley. New artist Xavier Foley is the recipient of a prestigious 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant. He has also won the 2016 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and First Prizes at Astral’s 2014 National Auditions, Sphinx’s 2014 Competition, and the 2011 International Society of Bassists Competition.

Additional CMS of Lincoln Center concerts this season will include:

• A program entitled Russian Mastery, featuring works by Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Arensky, in Spring, March 14, 2019. Co-artistic Director and pianist Wu Han will return to Grand Rapids with violinists Arnaud Sussman and Alexander Sitkovetsky, and cellist Nicholas Canellakis. Russia’s vastly expressive music over time has told the story of its country and people, painting a picture through music of its turbulent historical landscape. The Prokofiev Two Violin Sonata, written in 1932, stands apart as an audaciously creative work from the period between the wars, while the remaining works will be glorious musical outpourings of the age of the tsars and the Russian Empire.

• A program on April 25, 2019 entitled From Mendelssohn, which will feature Mendelssohn works and magnificent artists who admired and emulated his work through some of their own including Schumann, Brahms and Tchaikovsky. Mendelssohn’s combined mastery of melody, form, counterpoint, and the chamber idiom was admired and imitated by composers for generations. In a program bookended by two works of Mendelssohn from 1845, one brief, the other epic, the audience will hear Mendelssohn’s close friend Robert Schumann’s response to Mendelssohn’s piano trios; how, near the end of his life, Brahms recalled Mendelssohn’s lyricism through the viola’s dark voice; and, finally, how Mendelssohn’s great admirer Tchaikovsky combined the German’s signature scherzo idiom with Russian melancholy and splendor in three selections from The Seasons for solo piano. CMS musicians performing for the final concert of the season will include pianist Inon Barnatan violinist Cho-Liang Lin, violist Paul Neubauer, cellist Jakob Koranyi, and clarinetist Romie de Guise-Langlois.

CMS of Lincoln Center Artist Bios:

Orion Weiss – Piano

One of the most sought-after soloists in his generation of young American musicians, the pianist Orion Weiss has performed with the major American orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and New York Philharmonic.

Paul Huang – Violin

Recipient of a prestigious 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant and a 2017 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists, violinist Paul Huang makes his recital debut this season at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland. His recent and forthcoming appearances include those with the Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev, Berliner Symphoniker, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Seoul Philharmonic, and Taipei Symphony.

Paul Neubauer – Viola

Violist Paul Neubauer's exceptional musicality and effortless playing led the New York Times to call him “a master musician.” In 2018 he made his Chicago Symphony subscription debut with conductor Riccardo Muti and his Mariinsky Orchestra debut with conductor Valery Gergiev. He also gave the US premiere of the newly discovered Impromptu for viola and piano by Shostakovich with pianist Wu Han.

Keith Robinson – Cello

Cellist Keith Robinson is a founding member of the Miami String Quartet and has been active as a chamber musician, recitalist, and soloist since his graduation from the Curtis Institute of Music. He has had numerous solo appearances with orchestras including the New World Symphony, The American Sinfonietta, and the Miami Chamber Symphony, and in 1989 won the P.A.C.E. "Classical Artist of the Year" Award.

Xavier Foley – Double Bass

Double bassist Xavier Foley is the recipient of a prestigious 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant. He has also won the 2016 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and First Prizes at Astral’s 2014 National Auditions, Sphinx’s 2014 Competition, and the 2011 International Society of Bassists Competition. As a concerto soloist, he has performed with the Atlanta Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, Orchard Park (NY) Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Concert Orchestra, Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, and Sphinx Virtuosi at Carnegie Hall.

St. Cecilia Music Center’s mission is to promote the study, appreciation and 

performance of music in order to enrich the lives of West Michigan residents. 

The Center fulfills this mission by 

presenting visiting world-class artists in concert, 

providing music education for all ages through our School of Music and 

preserving a historic building for musical activities and community events