Cecile Gray Bazelon: BETWEEN THE SPACES (1995)

To reach other pages of our website, please click on the three horizontal lines to the left of the header

Join Us

About Us

New York Chamber Music Festival

DAVID AMRAM

Composer-in-Residence

ELMIRA DARVAROVA

President & CEO

JANOS STARKER (1926-2013)

Vice-President Emeritus

GREG ZUBER

Chairman of the Board

PATRICIA ZUBER

Co-Chair of the Board

Advisory Board

Ruggiero Ricci (until 2012 death)

José Serebrier

Thomas Hampson

Samuel Ramey

Gary Karr

Scott Dunn

Derrick Inouye

Enrique Diemecke

Catherine Cahill

Vladimir Galousine

Linda Hall

New York Chamber Music Festival deeply mourns

the loss of its Vice-President,

the legendary cellist

JANOS STARKER (1924-2013),

as well as the loss of the great, world-renowned violinist RUGGIERO RICCI,

(an Advisory Board member until his death in 2012).

**********************

OUR MISSION

Bringing world-class artistry, and exciting top-level performances and educational events in the most affordable way - through “FREE ADMISSION” - has become an important mission to which the New York Chamber Music Festival continues to dedicate its efforts and resources.

**********************

CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL

FILLS A VOID

by Anthony Tommasini,

The New York Times

In recent years, the New York Chamber Music Festival has stepped up with innovative programs at Symphony Space featuring both established and emerging artists. This year’s festival offers some intriguing programs. The Russian-born, Juilliard-trained pianist Konstantin Soukhovetski, who has been adopting rock star trappings of late, offers a typically unusual program, including his own transcriptions of scenes from Strauss’s “Capriccio,” Massenet’s “Manon” and other operas. Soprano Carole Farley appears with the flutist Patricia Spencer, the Delphinium Trio and the New York Piano Quartet in “Prokofiev & Friends,” with works by Prokofiev’s colleagues Stravinsky, Gershwin and Vernon Duke. There is a free program of works by “Very Young Composers,” as the concert is billed. The violinist Elmira Darvarova joins the acclaimed French pianist Pascal Roge for some French sonatas.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/31/arts/music/chamber-music-festival-fills-a-void.html

Our History

New York Chamber Music Festival

The NEW YORK CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL, a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization, was founded in 2008 to celebrate chamber music, to recognize and support exciting new and established artists, to present premieres and special live performances, and to enhance awareness, accessibility and understanding of chamber music among broad and diverse audiences. Directed by violinist Elmira Darvarova (President and Artistic Director) and by the legendary cellist Janos Starker (who was the festival’s Vice-President from 2008 until his death in 2013), the New York Chamber Music Festival quickly established itself as one of New York’s premier and most prestigious music series, presenting at New York's popular venues Carnegie Hall and Symphony Space free concerts and masterclasses with a number of internationally-renowned artists, in addition to free annual education events featuring children-composers in collaboration with the New York Philharmonic’s popular series “Very Young Composers”. Some of the world's most prominent musicians, such as the legendary singers Samuel Ramey and Thomas Hampson, as well as the world's #1 solo double bassist Gary Karr, are members of the Advisory Board of the festival (as was the late virtuoso violinist Ruggiero Ricci), while among the participants are such esteemed performing artists as the Metropolitan Opera star soprano Carole Farley, MET Opera bass-baritone Morris Robinson, the world-renowned pianists Pascal Rogé and Vassily Lobanov, the cellist Christine Walevska, the violinist Rachel Barton Pine, the saxophonists Ken Radnofsky and Jacopo Taddei, the acclaimed pianists Simon Mulligan, Shai Wosner, Konstantin Soukhovetski, Anne-Marie McDermott, Bryan Wagorn, Scott Dunn, Linda Hall, Thomas Weaver, Zhen Chen, and many principal musicians from the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera, including Glenn Dicterow - legendary concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, Liang Wang (principal oboist of the New York Philharmonic), Anthony McGill (principal clarinetist of the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic), Denis Bouriakov (principal flutist of the Metropolitan Opera and the Los Angeles Philharmonic), Philip Myers (former Principal Horn of the New York Philharmonic, Philip Smith (former Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic), in addition to renowned chamber groups such as the New York Piano Quartet, the New York Philharmonic Principal Brass Quintet, the Da Capo Chamber Players, the Escher String Quartet, the Amram Ensemble, the Amerigo Trio, the Delphinium Trio, The Turtle Island Quartet, the Delta Piano Trio, among many others.

Prominent actors who have performed at the New York Chamber Music Festival include the “Law and Order” stars B.D. Wong and Tamara Tunie, John Ventimiglia and Frank Messina from “The Sopranos”, Oscar®-winner Estelle Parsons (“Bonnie and Clyde”). Some politicians of global importance have also participated at the Festival: The United States Supreme Court Justice SONIA SOTOMAYOR, and the current Senate Majority Leader - the Senator from New York CHUCK SCHUMER, both presented speeches at the 2011 New York Chamber Music Festival, honoring with their powerful spoken tributes the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 during the Memorial Concert which took place at the New York Chamber Music Festival on September 11, 2011. Legendary tango and jazz musicians, such as Octavio Brunetti, Fernando Otero, Jon Faddis, Arturo O’Farrill, David Amram, the Turtle Island Quartet, David Hazeltine, and the David Grossman Jazz Trio have appeared at the New York Chamber Music Festival, in addition to world music icons such as the Indian sarod virtuosos Amjad Ali Khan and Amaan & Ayaan Ali Bangash. In its 13 years of existence the New York Chamber Music Festival has commissioned dozens of new music works and has presented over 100 world-premiere performances. The festival’s Composer-in-Residence is David Amram, who in the past was appointed by Leonard Bernstein as the New York Philharmonic’s very first composer-in-residence. In 2014 the American record label Urlicht AudioVisual released a commercially available CD, recorded “live” at the New York Chamber Music Festival. Several national and international tours have been successfully realized by the New York Chamber Music Festival as visiting presenter throughout the United States, Canada, England, France, Italy and other European cultural centers. A collaborative relationship between the New York Chamber Music Festival and the Salieri-Zinetti International Chamber Music Competition in Verona (Italy) existed from 2011 until 2019, whereby winners of the competition were awarded a New York debut concert at the New York Chamber Music Festival. Multiple reviews by The New York Times and other prominent national publications have been published on a regular basis, reflecting the significance of performances and special events at the New York Chamber Music Festival. “Chamber Music Festival Fills a Void” proclaimed Anthony Tommasini, a major critic at The New York Times, while Justin Davidson of the New York Magazine included the New York Chamber Music Festival among the Top Ten Classical Music Performances of 2012, a distinction placing the festival's accomplishments right next to those of The Metropolitan Opera (which was also included in the same "Top Ten Classical Music Performances of 2012" list). Some of the most exciting young performers who are emerging as the new stars of tomorrow have been masterclass participants at the New York Chamber Music Festival -- such as the “rock star” violinist Charles Yang (recipient of the 2018 Leonard Bernstein award) and soprano Kirsten Chambers, who made a Metropolitan Opera debut shortly after being coached at the New York Chamber Music Festival by acclaimed MET Opera star soprano Carole Farley. Bringing world-class artistry and exciting top-level performances and educational events in the most affordable way - through “FREE ADMISSION” - has become an important mission to which the New York Chamber Music Festival continues to dedicate its efforts and resources.

Latest Events

New York Chamber Music Festival

Latest Events

UPCOMING:

September 13, 2022, 6:30, Christ & St. Stephen's -- (120 W. 69th St., New York City) --

WAGNER MASTERCLASS

with

CAROLE FARLEY and SCOTT CARLTON

a collaboration with the

WAGNER SOCIETY OF NEW YORK

at the piano: Craig Ketter

_____

September 14, 2022, 7 pm, Christ & St. Stephen's -- (120 W. 69th St., New York City) --

BRAHMS, AMRAM and KEROUAC

(dedicated to Jack Kerouac's 100th Birthday)

with the participation of:

DAVID AMRAM

PHILIP MYERS

HOWARD WALL

ELMIRA DARVAROVA

RONALD CARBONE

THOMAS WEAVER

ADIRA AMRAM

_____

September 25, 2022, 3 pm, Christ & St. Stephen's -- (120 W. 69th St., New York City) --

MUSIC FROM SIX CENTURIES (16th C. - 21st C.)

___

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

RECENT EVENTS:

March 27-30, 2022

CHAMBER MUSIC MASTERCLASSES

with distinguished musicians

from THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC

and THE METROPOLITAN OPERA ORCHESTRA

___________________

________________________________

___________________

November 11, 2021 -- YOUTUBE PREMIERE

of our Workshop/ Masterclass

"A LOOK AT ELEKTRA" , led by MET Opera star soprano CAROLE FARLEY, with the participation of Amanda Zory, Susan Wheeler, Sangeetha Ekambaram, Galina Ivannikova, Caroline Tye, Michael Nansel, Scott Carlton and Craig Ketter.

EVENT PRODUCER: Elmira Darvarova

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Yui Kitamura

Here is the Youtube link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfsY1n6RGrA

************************************************************

October 3, 2021

A LOOK AT ELEKTRA

a Workshop/Masterclass

with the world-renowned

Metropolitan Opera star soprano

CAROLE FARLEY

New York Chamber Music Festival presented

"A Look at Elektra " - a masterclass/ workshop with the world-renowned Metropolitan Opera star soprano Carole Farley, who directed a workshop on the opera "Elektra" by Richard Strauss., with the participation of Amanda Zory, Susan Wheeler, Sangeetha Ekambaram, Galina Ivannikova, Caroline Tye,

Michael Nansel, Scott Carlton

Craig Ketter, Collaborative Pianist

***************

EVENT PRODUCER: Elmira Darvarova

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Yui Kitamura

"A LOOK AT ELEKTRA" masterclass with CAROLE FARLEY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Agbqb9Afw

GREAT HISTORY!

GREAT RECOGNITION!

On Nov. 11, 2021 YouTube premiered "A LOOK AT ELEKTRA" - Carole Farley's spectacular October 2021 workshop/masterclass, presented by the New York Chamber Music Festival and featuring Amanda Zory, Susan Wheeler, Sangeetha Ekambaram, Galina Ivannikova, Caroline Tye, Michael Nansel (with narrator Scott Carlton, and collaborative pianist Cr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfsY1n6RGrA

Show Less

Our 2012 season opening concert JOHN CAGE at 100! was selected by New York Magazine as one of the To

GREAT RECOGNITION!

GREAT HISTORY!

GREAT RECOGNITION!

Our 2012 season opening concert JOHN CAGE at 100! was selected by New York Magazine as one of the Top 10 Classical Music Performances of 2012:

http://www.vulture.com/2012/11/justin-davidson-top-ten-classical-music-performances.html

PHOTO: John Cage (Zürich, 1990), Photographer: Niklaus Strauss

Courtesy of the John Cage Trust

GREAT HISTORY!

Supreme Court Justice SONIA SOTOMAYOR and U.S. Senator from New York (and current Senate Majority Leader) CHUCK SCHUMER both participated at the 2011 New York Chamber Music Festival, where they presented powerful spoken tributes at the 9/11 Tenth Anniversary commemorative concert at Symphony Space. The New York Chamber Festival treasures

Show Less

GREAT MOMENTS at the New York Chamber Music Festival

LEGENDARY TENNIS PLAYER JOHN McENROE - the world's No.1 ranked tennis player, a seven-time Grand Slam singles and a nine-time Grand Slam doubles champion, was included among the celebrities presenting spoken tributes at the New York Chamber Music Festival's memorial concert honoring the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SONIA SOTOMAYOR, U.S. SENATOR from NEW YORK CHUCK SCHUMER, and "LAW and ORDER" ACTOR B. D. WONG, were all among the prominent politicians, actors and athletes presenting spoken tributes. There was a line around the block to attend this FREE New York Chamber Music Festival concert on September 11, 2011 at Symphony Space, and the emotional amalgam of music, poetry and uplifting speeches provided solace and closure to the community on this auspicious day. Among the VIP guests was also the Engineer of the World Trade Center - Mr. Leslie Robertson (1928-2021). The concert was reviewed in The New York Times. (Photo of John McEnroe: courtesy of Wikipedia).

"Lecture on the Weather" by John Cage

was performed by 12 composers (during the marathon concert commemorating the 100th Birthday of John Cage): NED ROREM, JOAN TOWER, DAVID AMRAM, JOSE SEREBRIER, DAVID DEL TREDICI, TANIA LEON, LAURA KAMINSKY, ARTURO O'FARRILL, JON DEAK, DAVID LEISNER, NOEL ZAHLER, SEAN HICKEY. This concert was reviewed in The New York Times, and was selected by New York Magazine for their "Top Ten Best Classical Concerts of 2012" list.