DC music lovers, rejoice! The Kennedy Center’s Fortas Chamber Music Concert Series launches this February 19, 2020 in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. This season’s chamber music series marks the 37th season at the Kennedy Center, after being established in 1981 by Marta Istomin, the Kennedy Center Artistic Director at the time. 

Today, pianist Joseph Kalichstein serves as the Kennedy center’s Artistic Advisor for Chamber Music and has been Artistic Director of the Fortas Concerts since 1997. This year, the Fortas series is excited to bring back familiar and new faces in the world of music. Here’s everything you need to know. 

Trio con Brio Copenhagen

Trio con Brio Copenhagen returns to the Kennedy Center for a program featuring pieces by Bent Sørensen, Beethoven, and Dmitri Shostakovich. The trio consists of Korean sisters, violinist Soo-Jin Hong and cellist Soo-Kyung Hong, as well as Soo-Kyun Hong’s husband, Danish pianist Jens Elvekjaer. The trio have been a prominent musical group in Scandinavia’s contemporary music scene and are known for their fresh and transformative approach to classic repertoire. Last year marked the group’s 20th anniversary, a major milestone for any ensemble in the music industry.  

This year, the trio takes on the Kennedy Center with a program that Artistic Director Joseph Kalichstein says, “shimmers with mystery, eeriness, and the macabre.” Along with powerful works by Beethoven and Shostakovich, the group introduces a piece by a fellow Dane and Grawemeyer Award–winner: Phantasmagoria for Violin, Piano, and Cello. 

A Far Cry

Following Trio con Brio Copenhagen’s performance, A Far Cry makes its Kennedy Center debut in March. The Boston-based string orchestra is known for its democratic dynamic, which allows for collective decision-making and rotating leadership roles among the musicians. 

The self-conducted structure of the orchestra has led them to thoughtful and innovative programs and two Grammy nominations for its album, Visions and Variations. Kalichstein shares his excitement for this special group stating, “the special sound of a small string ensemble with its magic combination of warmth, intimacy, and power inspired many composers to great creative heights.”

A Far Cry’s Fortas series performance features works by Arvo Pärt, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Edward Elgar, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The orchestra’s program revolves around the idea of memory, including Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, which will be performed entirely from memory.

If you’re close to the District, don’t miss out on this special series!

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