Parlando Unveils 2024-25 Season Concerts

Parlando revealed programming details of its 2024-25 season. Led by conductor Ian Niederhoffer, who founded the ensemble in 2019 with the vision of every concert telling a story, Parlando aims to make all classical music feel familiar through its signature blend of performance, commentary, and historical and musical context. The upcoming concerts will take place at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center on September 26, December 8, February 23, and May 1. Each program has a theme and blends new or underrepresented works with standard repertoire.

Tickets are available now for single concerts ($25-$35), or as a four-concert subscription ($80-$100). Order yours today at kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/series/parlando.

"The upcoming season is without a doubt Parlando's boldest to date," said Niederhoffer, who introduces the musical and historical context of each piece from the stage. The goal is to bridge the gap between audience and performer. "Not only will we be performing even more adventurous repertoire, we'll be using that repertoire to tell even more compelling stories. I'm particularly looking forward to launching the Cabaret Project this spring, highlighting the fascinating origins of an art form so near and dear to New Yorkers."

Niederhoffer has displayed a knack for curating unique and fascinating programs, and Parlando audiences have come to expect and look forward to his delightful elucidations about the pieces. Here is what he and his Parlando players have in store for the upcoming season:

Parlando: 2024-25 season, Merkin Hall, Kaufman Music Center

Night Music

Thursday | September 26, 2024 | 7:30 p.m.

• Yoobin Son, flute
• Parker Ramsay, harp
• Ian Niederhoffer, conductor

GABRIEL FAURÉ - Nocturne from Shylock, Op. 57
TORU TAKEMITSU - Toward the Sea II
W.A. MOZART - Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra in C Major, K. 299
II. Andantino
BÉLA BARTÓK - Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Sz. 106

From nocturnes to lullabies to Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, music and the night have long been linked. But what exactly makes music sound like nighttime? Join Parlando as conductor Ian Niederhoffer explores the music of the night. The program includes Gabriel Fauré's serene Nocturne from Shylock, Toru Takemitsu's eerie Toward the Sea II, featuring flutist Yoobin Son and harpist Parker Ramsay, music from Mozart's dreamy Flute and Harp Concerto, and Bartok's legendary Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta.

Sidewalk Tango

Sunday | December 8, 2024 | 3 p.m.

• JP Jofre, bandoneon
• Ian Niederhoffer, conductor

ERWIN SCHULHOFF - Suite for Chamber Orchestra, WV 58
UNSUK CHIN - Gougalon
ASTOR PIAZZOLLA - Suite Punta del Este

How are composers able to capture the hustle and bustle of the city? Join Parlando as it explores the sounds of the city, from Seoul to Berlin to Buenos Aires. The program includes Unsuk Chin's kaleidoscopic Gougalon, Erwin Schulhoff's jazzy Suite for Chamber Orchestra, and Astor Piazzolla's Nuevo Tango Suite Punta del Este, featuring bandoneon soloist JP Jofre.

Mystic Chords

Sunday | February 23, 2025 | 3 p.m.

• Suzanne Farrin, ondes martenot
• Sophiko Simsive, piano
• Ian Niederhoffer, conductor

BRYCE DESSNER - Aheym
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
OLIVIER MESSIAEN - Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine

How do composers convey their spirituality and identity through their music? Join Parlando on a mystical journey through heritage and time. The program includes Bryce Dessner's fleet-footed Aheym, Ralph Vaughan Williams's spellbinding Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, and Olivier Messiaen's transcendent Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine.

The Cabaret Project, Part 1

Thursday | May 1, 2025 | 7:30 p.m.

• Measha Brueggergosman-Lee, soprano
• Ian Niederhoffer, conductor

ERIK SATIE - Trois petites pièces montées
FRANZ SCHREKER - Chamber Symphony
WILLIAM BOLCOM - Cabaret Songs

From sultry Parisian nightclubs to the biting sophistication of Berlin's Weimar era, cabaret had a vibrant history years before it first appeared in New York. Join Parlando for the first installment of The Cabaret Project, a two-season collaboration with soprano Measha Brueggergosman-Lee, exploring the art of cabaret's journey across the Atlantic and its encounters with different histories and traditions over the past century. The program includes Erik Satie's whimsical Trois petites pieces montées, Franz Schreker's evocative Chamber Symphony, and William Bolcom's irreverent Cabaret Songs for soprano and chamber orchestra.

More about Ian Niederhoffer and Parlando

Conductor Ian Niederhoffer founded Parlando in 2019 with the vision of every concert telling a story. Through inventive programming, Parlando brings intimate and accessible orchestral experiences to wider audiences. The "razor-sharp chamber orchestra that exudes the joy of music-making" (New York Classical Review) has quickly become an essential player in the New York classical music scene.

Praised for his elegance and dynamism on the podium, Niederhoffer - the winner of three prizes at the 2021 Khachaturian International Conducting Competition - stands out as a "charismatic, enthusiastic and articulate" leader, which, "together with his undeniable skills as a musician, makes for a winning combination" (New York Classical Review). He's a confident and expressive communicator of music, context, and ideas; writing about his performance with Parlando of Beethoven's Grosse Fuge arranged for string orchestra, The Strad praised "the lyrical moments, [which were] played with shape and character."

"Ian Niederhoffer makes good on [Parlando's] motto: 'Every concert tells a story'," wrote The New York Times about Parlando's program that featured Kaija Saariaho's stunning violin concerto Graal Théâtre. "But smart, unusual programming on this level fosters a gripping narrative of its own, too."

Parlando's 2023-24 season included a series of performances at Merkin Hall (Kaufman Center, N.Y.), featuring music by the late Kaija Saariaho, Jimmy López Bellido, Joey Roukens, and 20th-century masters Shostakovich, Schnittke, and Milhaud.

Every Parlando program is joined by a common theme that forms a larger story arc, blending standard works with new or underrepresented music. When Parlando performs rarely-heard composers or works, the goal is to feature them not as a novelty but rather as part of a thematic program; by connecting each piece through the shared theme, the concert becomes a story. Parlando strives to leave every audience member knowing more about classical music than they did before the concert.

Niederhoffer has long been an entrepreneur dedicated to commissioning new music. Under his leadership, Parlando has commissioned new works by inti figgis-vizueta, Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, Mason Bynes, and Anna Roberts-Gevalt. As a student at Yale University, Niederhoffer founded the Yale Undergraduate Chamber Orchestra, commissioning six new pieces and presenting a world premiere at every concert over his three-year tenure as music director. Yale honored Niederhoffer with the Wrexham Prize and the Joseph Lentilhon Selden Memorial Award for his "verve, idealism, and constructive interest in music."

In 2021 Niederhoffer was named Artist of Promise at the Conducting Academy of the Verbier Festival, where he was assistant conductor for Lahav Shani, Daniel Harding, Antonio Pappano, and Gábor Takacs-Nágy. In 2019 and 2022 Niederhoffer participated in the Järvi Conducting Academy at the Pärnu Music Festival, an international conducting masterclass led by the world-famous family of conductors Paavo Järvi, Neeme Järvi, and Kristjan Järvi. In 2024, he participated in the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich's Conducting Academy with Paavo Järvi. His principal teachers include Leonid Grin, Toshiyuki Shimada, and William Boughton.

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