Passion and Phantasy: Britten, Mendelssohn, and More
Subtitle: Featuring Eugene Izotov, Oboe; Martin Beaver, Violin; and Jonathan Brown, Viola,
Sunday, September 27 at 4 pm
Thayer Hall 
Tickets start at $30  

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Colburn faculty artists Martin Beaver, Jonathan Brown, and Eugene Izotov bring their internationally acclaimed artistry to the intimate setting of Thayer Hall, joined by students of the Conservatory for an afternoon of chamber music at its most immediate and expressive. 

Britten’s Phantasy Quartet opens with the striking inventiveness that announced a major new voice to the world. Katherine Balch’s musica spolia conjures the mischief of childhood. Mahler’s Piano Quartet in A minor burns with restless, searching passion beneath its Romantic yearning. Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2 closes with passionate, love-infused lyricism that lingers long after the final note.

Program Information: 

BRITTEN Phantasy Quartet 
KATHERINE BALCH musica spoila
MAHLER Piano Quartet in A Minor
MENDELSSOHN String Quartet No. 2 

Eugene Izotov, Oboe
Martin Beaver, Violin
Jonathan Brown, Viola
Ben Ullery, Viola

Shades of Sound: From Mozart to Shostakovich, with Nina Lee, Cello
Subtitle: Featuring Andrew Bain, Horn, and Matthew Howard, Percussion
Sunday, November 8 at 4 pm
Thayer Hall 
Tickets start at $30 

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Cellist Nina Lee of the acclaimed Brentano Quartet brings a “bold, wholly convincing” presence to a program of striking range and emotional depth. Andy Akiho’s Aluminous opens the program, electrifying the room with rhythm and color. Mozart’s Piano Quartet in E-flat follows, one of the first works ever written for the form, balancing concerto-like brilliance with chamber intimacy. After intermission, Nielsen’s Wind Quintet brings charm, offbeat wit, and vivid character. Then Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 arrives like a reckoning. Haunting and searing, it’s one of music’s most deeply personal statements.

This performance is generously supported by Tony and Kim Ruys de Perez.

Program Information:
ANDY AKIHO Aluminius for String Quartet and Vibraphone
MOZART Piano Quartet in E-flat Major
NIELSEN Wind Quintet
SHOSTAKOVICH String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor 

Nina Lee, Cello
Andrew Bain, Horn
Matthew Howard, Percussion

Echoes of Beethoven, with Jonathan Biss, Piano
Featuring Tatjana Masurenko, Viola  
Sunday, February 21 at 4 pm
Thayer Hall
Tickets start at $30  

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Described by San Francisco Classical Voice as “a pianist whose probing, incisive, and deeply considered performances are consistently challenging and rewarding,” Jonathan Biss brings a deep, career-defining relationship with Beethoven to the Colburn stage, joined by students of the Conservatory in two of Beethoven’s most rewarding chamber works. The spirited Quintet for Piano and Winds crackles with invention while the towering “Archduke” Trio unfolds with the depth and grandeur of a composer at the height of his powers. Between them, Viktor Suslin’s Crossing Beyond opens an unexpected door—a contemporary voice in quiet, searching conversation with the past. 

 Program Information: 

BEETHOVEN Quintet for Piano and Winds
SUSLIN Crossing Beyond for Viola, Cello, and Double Bass
BEETHOVEN Piano Trio in B-flat Major, “Archduke” 

Jonathan Biss, Piano
Tatjana Masurenko, Viola

Music at the Edge: The Worlds of Stravinsky, Smetana, Ortiz, and Ravel
Featuring Jim Wilt, Trumpet; Clive Greensmith, Cello; Demarre McGill, Flute; and Jonathan Brown, Viola
Sunday, April 4 at 4 pm
Thayer Hall
Tickets start at $30 

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Grief becomes melody. Exile becomes rhythm. Reinvention becomes art. Colburn faculty artists Jim Wilt, Clive Greensmith, Demarre McGill, and Jonathan Brown join Conservatory students to bring their world-class artistry to the intimacy of the chamber stage, tracing the alchemy at chamber music’s heart across four extraordinary works and more than a century of bold musical thinking. Stravinsky’s Octet dazzles with dream-inspired wit and restless invention; Smetana’s Piano Trio in G minor lays bare a father’s grief with devastating honesty. Gabriela Ortiz’s Exilios gives displacement a voice that blazes with cultural urgency and color. And Ravel’s String Quartet crowns the evening in shimmering textures and irresistible rhythmic light. 

Program Information: 

STRAVINSKY Octet 
SMETANA Piano Trio in G Minor
Gabriela ORTIZ Exilios for Flute and String Quartet   
RAVEL String Quartet in F Major  

Jonathan Brown, Viola
Clive Greensmith, Cello
Demarre McGill, Flute
Jim Wilt, Trumpet