instrumental programs will highlight works shaped by the lyricism and phrasing of the singing voice.

We open on September 14 with a concert featuring three of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra’s “instrumental singers”: principal hornist Brad Gemeinhardt, bassoonist William Short, and clarinetist Anton Rist. Joined by their Met Orchestra colleagues and conducted by Artistic Director Michael Parloff, they will perform three of Mozart’s iconic wind concertos. The program also includes Haydn’s sparkling Symphony No. 6 (“The Morning”), a joyful celebration of the individual virtuosity of the orchestra members.

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On October 12, celebrated Metropolitan Opera tenor Lawrence Brownlee brings his thrilling artistry to a program of high-flying bel canto arias — the very repertoire that has made him a star on the world’s great opera stages.   He will be joined by pianist Kevin J. Miller.

On November 2, the eloquent baritone Benjamin Appl and pianist James Baillieu will offer To Dieter: The Past and The Future, a heartfelt tribute to Appl’s mentor, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, in the year of the great baritone’s centennial. Their wide-ranging program will survey art songs by Schubert, Brahms, Wolf, Tchaikovsky, Britten, Barber, and more. This event will include narration by acclaimed actor Peter Francis James.

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On December 7, the celebrated Renaissance Choir The Tallis Scholars will illuminate five centuries of English sacred music in Mother and Child, a profoundly moving program that includes works by Tallis, Byrd, Taverner, Britten, and others.

On January 18, violinist Benjamin Beilman, cellist Jonathan Swensen, and pianist Orion Weiss will dazzle in an afternoon of Operatic Fantasies — virtuosic reimaginings of themes from Carmen, The Magic Flute, and more, in works by Beethoven, Wagner, Liszt, and others. The program will culminate with Mendelssohn’s stirring C-minor Piano Trio.

On February 22, Moldovan accordion sensation Radu Ratoi will make his PCC debut in a bold, genre-defying recital of Bach, Liszt, Saint-Saëns, and contemporary works. A trailblazer and a poet of the accordion, Ratoi promises an unforgettable musical experience.

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On March 8, the distinguished pianist Jonathan Biss returns with a solo recital spanning three centuries from Mozart’s stormy C-minor Sonata, K. 457,  to Janáček’s nostalgic On an Overgrown Path, to Schumann’s passionate Fantasy in C — a love letter in sound to his beloved Clara Wieck.

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On April 26, the renowned Jerusalem String Quartet returns with a far-ranging program of Haydn’s radiant “Sunrise” Quartet, a newly composed gem by Pulitzer Prize–winner Shulamit Ran, and Beethoven’s Quartet in B-flat, Op. 130, displaying the full range of Beethoven’s late-life inventiveness and mastery. 

And on May 17, we close the season with an all-Brahms finale. Violinist Chee-Yun, cellist Sterling Elliott, and pianist Henry Kramer will unite in a richly expressive journey through Brahms’s D-minor Violin Sonata, F-major Cello Sonata, and the majestic B-minor Piano Trio.

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I look forward to welcoming you soon to another inspiring season at Parlance Chamber Concerts!

Michael Parloff

Artistic Director