“Poetics of Music” Two “melodramas” for reciter and piano Richard Strauss “The Castle By the Sea”, Franz Liszt “Lenore” Charles Ives from Sonata No. 2, “Concord, Mass., 1840-1860” * Before each movement David Rockefeller will read from Ives’s remarkable essays about the Concord writers* Movement 3: “The Alcotts” Mvt. 4 “Thoreau” with David Rockefeller, reciter; Kathryn Knight, voice; Joel Sachs, piano
RESILIENCE Lost and Reclaimed Voices from the Holocaust Desirée Ruhstrat, violin Melissa Reardon, viola Wendy Sutter, cello Program: Erwin Schulhoff Duo for Violin and Cello Gideon Klein String Trio Hans Gál Trio Hans Krása Tanz Resilience is an intimate and deeply moving concert project in which three acclaimed artists of international stature come together to restore music silenced by the Holocaust to the living repertoire. Violinist Desirée Ruhstrat, violist Melissa Reardon, and cellist Wendy Sutter—each a leader in the classical music world—unite in a program devoted to extraordinary chamber works by composers whose lives and careers were shaped, interrupted, or extinguished by Nazi persecution. Through solo, duo, and string trio repertoire, Resilience offers both remembrance and renewal, allowing voices nearly erased by history to speak again with urgency and clarity. The program features music by composers such as Erwin Schulhoff, Gideon Klein, Schul, Hermann, and Hans Gál , including Gál’s String Trio in F-sharp minor, Op. 104 and Serenade, Op. 41. Alongside these recognized works, Resilience incorporates chamber pieces that have only recently resurfaced—some drawn directly from archival sources and private holdings, and in certain cases not performed publicly for decades, if not since the period immediately following the Second World War. These works are presented not as historical artifacts, but as living music—expressive, daring, and profoundly human. The program’s flexible structure alternates between solo, duo, and trio performances, creating contrast, intimacy, and narrative flow while highlighting the individuality of each composer’s voice. Designed for chamber-scale halls and series, the concert can be adapted in length and format to suit a wide range of venues. Violinist Desirée Ruhstrat brings to this project a long-standing commitment to rediscovering suppressed repertoire. As founder of the Black Oak Ensemble, her work on the acclaimed album Silenced Voices—recognized by the Chicago Tribune, Fanfare, and WQXR—has been instrumental in returning forgotten composers to the concert stage. Her scholarship and musical insight form a central pillar of Resilience. She is joined by Grammy-nominated violist Melissa Reardon , a member of the Borromeo String Quartet and Artistic Director of the Portland Chamber Music Festival. Praised for her “elegant” and “virtuosic” performances, Reardon brings a wide-ranging artistic voice shaped by international
A Well-Being Concert Presented by Carnegie Hall Presents. Performers: Matt Doyle, Vocals; Evan Zavada, Piano and Musical Director; Matthew Steinfeld, Host
A Well-Being Concert Presented by Carnegie Hall Presents. Performers: Matt Doyle, Vocals; Evan Zavada, Piano and Musical Director; Matthew Steinfeld, Host
GREAT VOCALISTS In this thrilling collaboration with the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, Grammy-nominated baritone Joshua Conyers, acclaimed soprano Kiera Duffy and BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Nicole Cabell—all Eastman faculty—lead Eastman students in a live performance of In Plain Sight: The Black Anthology. This rarely performed repertoire from the Anthology of Art Songs by Black Composers was recorded and produced at URochester earlier this year. This groundbreaking collection of works celebrates how Black American composers adapted the European art song tradition while incorporating distinctive influences from African American spirituals, folk music, poetry and cultural experiences. In Plain Sight brings together a rich body of art songs for voice and piano by Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, William Grant Still, George Walker and many others, in a powerful celebration of Afro-American musical tradition and its impact. Leadership support for Great Vocalists is made possible by The Barbara Bell Cumming Charitable Trust.
