The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is presenting a fabulous winter festival featuring the complete Beethoven String Quartets by the Danish String Quartet. Ligeti’s Bagatelles for Wind Quintet will feature Michael Brown, one of the famed pianists from Pianofest in the Hamptons.

Wei-Luo is a 20-year-old pianist who has been making waves since she was just 13. We’re always excited by young artists who are charting new paths in classical music, and Luo is one of them. She was the recipient of the 2018 Gilmore Young Artist Award, and in her most recent achievement, Luo performed at the Gilmore Festival in January as part of their Rising Stars series.

Anderson & Roe are the duo you didn’t know you needed — but now can’t live without. The San Francisco Classical voice called them "the most dynamic duo of this generation,” and the Miami Herald deemed them “rock stars of the classical music world.” 

With her 2015 Last Night of the Proms opener ARISE ATHENA! Eleanor Alberga cemented a reputation as a composer of international stature. Performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Chorus and conducted by Marin Alsop, the work was heard and seen by millions.

On October 28th, I had the rare opportunity to hear a performance by the Carr-Petrova Duo at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. I will state, most emphatically and on the record, that I found the performance to be categorically astonishing in its beauty, ensemble, artistry, quality of sound, and almost uncanny ability to draw into the music, despite the program’s unfamiliar choices in repertoire.

Khatia Buniatishvili is a French-Georgian concert pianist who started playing the piano when she was just three years old. She’s a natural born talent who gave her first concert with Tbilisi Chamber Orchestra when she was six — the age when most kids are just learning to read! 

We’re just a few short days away from music’s biggest night — the Grammy Awards! If you missed the full list of nominees, check out this roundup so you can be sure to catch the highlights. 

Do you remember Tony Siqi Yun? Probably not, but you should! Last May, the Canadian pianist was awarded the Gold Medal of the China International Music Competition. He also received an unprecedented prize of $150,000 with representation of Opus 3 Artists in the United States and Europe, and Amstrong Music and Arts in China. 

Have you ever wondered “what if” you had chased your dream of becoming a world renowned musician? “What if” you hadn’t gotten distracted from your goals? Or “what if” you had applied yourself in piano lessons when you were six? Well, okay, maybe that last one wouldn’t be too different.

From NYC to Boston to Brooklyn, here are the shows you won’t want to miss in January and February.

A decade ago, Richard Spotts, an organist from Doylestown, started a very special journey: to perform the entire “L’Orgue mystique” by Charles Tournemire (1870–1939) — a fifteen-hour, two hundred fifty-three movement work that is rarely heard in its entirety. This journey took Richard across the United States and Canada, where he performed portions of “L’Orgue mystique” at numerous notable colleges, cathedrals, parishes, and other religious institutions. 

Many people are interested in learning more about Beethoven, but don’t have time to dive into music lessons or an intensive study into the artist. But now, potential students of Beethoven can learn more about his piano sonatas in an online, self-paced course. Since 2013, Jonathan Biss has taught an online course, Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas, via online learning platform, Coursera. 

Nic McGegan is a celebrated conductor with a resume spanning nearly five decades on the podium. The 2019/20 season marks the final year of his 34 year tenure as Music Director of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale. Best known as a baroque and classical specialist, McGegan’s approach — intelligent, infused with joy and never dogmatic — has led to appearances with many of the world’s major orchestras, two Grammy nominations, and an appointment of OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his contribution to music.

Pianist Daumants Liepins, Winner of the 2019 Vendome Prize at the Verbier Festival, is coming to Opera America for a special program of works by Schumann and Brahms on Monday, January 20th, 2020. The Vendome Prize guides future professional artists who are “technically perfect, magnetic, original, ambitious, in possession of a large repertoire and ready to undertake the challenges of a performing career.” You won’t want to miss this performance! 

Opera singer Larisa Martinez made both her Kennedy Center debut at the inaugural REACH festival and her Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium debut in 2019. For the last two years, Larisa has been touring with Andrea Bocelli throughout North America including Madison Square Garden, South America, and Europe. Here are three reasons that we love Larisa — in addition to her incredible talent. 

The winners of our second annual Classical Post Awards have been announced! This year, we’ve chosen a deliberate mix of classical music superstars and underdogs who have (and continue to) contribute to the art form in the “most innovative way.”

Alexey Shor didn’t set out to be a composer in the classical world—but now, this mathematicians and avid concertgoer has his music performed in major concert halls throughout the world, the United States included. Despite his composing career beginning later in his life, Alexey’s scores are performed by many international and acclaimed solo artist and ensembles, including Salvatore Accardo, Guy Braunstein, Narek Hakhnazaryan, Vadim Repin, Ingolf Wunder, and many more.  

This dynamic ensemble, the Attacca Quartet, has been lauded as one of the most talented, exquisite, and remarkable quartets of the generation by critics and audiences alike. They’ve won and been nominated for a number of awards (including their 2020 Grammy nomination with Caroline Shaw) and are consistently in-demand and sought after for performance around the world. Known for their mastery and maturity beyond their years, the Attacca Quartet is an ensemble that’s been succeeding since its inception. 

Under the leadership of Nicholas McGegan (who’s embarking on his fifth decade on the podium and has long been hailed one of the “finest baroque conductors of his generation” [London Independent]), the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra is this year’s Classical Post Award-winner for Most Innovative Presenter, Orchestra Category. 

Under the direction of its general director Robert K. Meya and its artistic director Alexander Neef, the Santa Fe Opera’s mission is to advance the operatic art form by, essentially, providing the highest quality performances in the most unique setting, bringing about a varied repertoire of new, rarely performed, and standard works.