Wolf Trap and The Chamber Music Society Of Lincoln Center Announce New Partnership

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts and The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) announced a three-year partnership beginning Fall 2020 and running through Spring 2023.

The partnership will present programs at The Barns at Wolf Trap as a part of the annual Chamber Music at The Barns series. Chamber Music at The Barns, originally billed as The Discovery Series, was established in 1986 and features world-class artists in an intimate, accessible and acoustically excellent setting. The performance series has welcomed audiences to interact with artists through intermission question-and-answer sessions and post-performance receptions. This tradition will continue with all chamber music performances, including the CMS originated concerts.

The relationship between Wolf Trap and CMS was brought about by pianist, educator, and cultural entrepreneur, Wu Han, who has acted as the artistic advisor for Chamber Music at The Barns from 2018 through 2020, and she will continue to serve in this vital capacity until the end of 2023. In this role she will curate programs for Chamber Music at The Barns, performing on the series herself and showcasing some of today's most important chamber musicians while exploring the breadth of chamber music's most important and exquisite expressions.

"The Chamber Music at The Barns series at Wolf Trap has a tradition of excellence, one which Washington DC area audiences appreciate and admire," said Wu Han, Wolf Trap Artistic Advisor. "I look forward to furthering its reputation, drawing upon my extensive network of unparalleled musicians to deliver chamber music performances of exceptional artistry to cement its position as one of the finest programs in the country."

Hear Wu Han share her thoughts on the Wolf Trap and CMS partnership.

"It has always been Wolf Trap's goal to bring the finest collaborative musicians and the most thrilling classical repertoire to our audiences at The Barns," said Lee Anne Myslewski, Vice President for Opera and Classical Programming. "I am beyond pleased to have The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center as our ongoing partner as we continue to grow and advance the programming of this respected and well-loved series."

In a season that allows for live performances, approximately four CMS concerts a year would take place as a part of Wolf Trap's Chamber Music eight-performance series. But this season, fall performances will be provided digitally instead of from The Barns stage. The partnership launches with four digital offerings through the end of the year beginning on Oct. 2. This launches a new chapter in chamber music for Wolf Trap, by partnering with CMS for both live performances and in presenting the finest digital chamber content. This Fall the Chamber Music at The Barns season will present a curated menu of concerts selected from CMS's acclaimed Front Row series. Wu Han, Chamber Music at The Barns Artistic Advisor and Co-Artistic Director for The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, has developed an exquisite menu of concerts including:

Fri., Oct. 2*, Michael Brown, piano

• Barber's Souvenirs for Piano, Four Hands, Op. 28 with Michael Brown and Gilles Vonsattel on piano
• Michael Brown's Prelude and Dance for Cello and Piano featuring Nicholas Canellakis, cello and Michael Brown, piano
• Mendelssohn's Sextet in D major for Piano, Violin, Two Violas, Cello, and Bass, Op. 110 with Michael Brown, piano and featuring Chad Hoopes, violin, Paul Neubauer and Matthew Lipman, viola; Nicholas Canellakis, cello; and Joseph Conyers, double bass.

Sun., Oct. 25*, Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung, piano

• Mozart's Concerto No. 14 in E-flat major for Piano and String Quintet, K. 449 featuring Alessio Bax, piano with Arnaud Sussmann and Bella Hristova, violin, Paul Neubauer, viola, Sophie Shao, cello and Joseph Conyers, double bass
• Bartók's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion with Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung, piano; plus Ian David Rosenbaum and Ayano Kataoka, percussion.

Sun., Nov. 15*, Cho-Liang Lin, violin

• Foss' "Composer's Holiday" from Three American Pieces for Violin and Piano featuring Cho-Liang Lin, violin, and Jon Kimura Parker, piano
• Dvořák's "Larghetto" from Sonatina in G major for Violin and Piano, Op. 100 with Cho-Liang Lin, violin, and Jon Kimura Parker, piano
• Tchaikovsky's Sextet for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Two Cellos, Op. 70, "Souvenir de Florence" featuring Cho-Liang Lin and Erin Keefe, violin; Paul Neubauer and Hsin-Yun Huang, viola; and Dmitri Atapine and Colin Carr, cello.

Fri., Dec. 4*, Gilbert Kalish, piano

• George Crumb's Three Early Songs for Voice and Piano featuring Tony Arnold, soprano with Gilbert Kalish, piano
• Schubert's "Der Hirt auf dem Felsen" for Soprano, Clarinet, and Piano, D. 965, Op. 129 performed by Lisette Oropesa, soprano, David Shifrin, clarinet and Gilbert Kalish, piano
• Brahms' Quartet No. 3 in C minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 60 with Gilbert Kalish, piano, Nicolas Dautricourt, violin, Paul Neubauer, viola, and Torleif Thedéen, cello.

"The concerts I have selected for Chamber Music at the Barns are drawn from CMS's digital Front Row series, each one centered on a single, remarkable musician, which profiles them personally through a short documentary and musically through a variety of remarkable performances," said Wu Han, Chamber Music at The Barns Artistic Advisor and Co-Artistic Director for The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. "These four concerts documented a very special time in our history, focusing on the personal journey of each artist on how they deal with the challenges that face us, they are personal and intimate. Each concert features freshly created introductions and interviews combined with high-definition video recordings of Great Performances from our stages in New York. I could not be more delighted to furnish these stunning digital productions as our Fall series."

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is known for the extraordinary quality of its performances, its inspired programming, and for setting the benchmark for chamber music worldwide; no other chamber music organization does more to promote, educate and foster a love of and appreciation for the art form. Together, Wolf Trap and CMS will continue to bring audiences the very best International Artists from an ever-expanding roster of musicians, providing DC metro audiences with exceptional and exhilarating concert experiences.

All Chamber Music at The Barns in person performances are recorded for national broadcast on "Center Stage from Wolf Trap," an hour-long program hosted by Classical WETA and approximately 250 National Public Radio affiliate stations nationally, hosted by on-air personality Rich Kleinfeldt and Lee Anne Myslewski, Wolf Trap's Vice President for Opera and Classical Programming.

*Streaming performance live date. Friday concerts go live at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday performances begin streaming at 3 p.m.

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