{"id":2317155,"date":"2026-03-07T13:46:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T13:46:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2317155"},"modified":"2026-03-07T13:46:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T13:46:05","slug":"washu-announces-2026-great-artists-series-the-source","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/washu-announces-2026-great-artists-series-the-source\/","title":{"rendered":"WashU announces 2026 Great Artists Series – The Source"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"\"The Catalyst Quartet will perform as part of the Great Artists Series. (Photo: Ricardo Quinones)<\/p>\n

The Department of Music in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis will host six performances by internationally renowned performers as part of the 2026 Great Artists Series.<\/p>\n

Launched in 2017, the Great Artists Series presents intimate recitals featuring some of the brightest stars of the contemporary concert stage. All concerts take place in WashU\u2019s historic E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall, located in the 560 Music Center in University City.<\/p>\n

The 2026 season will open Jan. 25 with acclaimed countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo<\/strong>, director of Opera Philadelphia. On Feb. 1, Mali\u2019s Ballak\u00e9 Sissoko<\/strong>, one of the world\u2019s great virtuosos on the traditional, 21-stringed West African kora, will join South African classical guitarist Derek Gripper<\/strong>. Performing March 1 will be rising pianist and composer Conrad Tao<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

On March 29, the Great Artists Series will present star mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard,<\/strong> a three-time Grammy winner, followed by Detroit\u2019s Grammy-winning Catalyst Quartet<\/strong> April 12. The series will conclude April 30 with renowned British cellist Steven Isserlis<\/strong>, in recital with Canadian pianist Connie Shih.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Great Artists Series has quickly become a beloved St. Louis tradition,\u201d said Patrick Burke, a professor and chair of music. \u201cIt offers local audiences rare opportunities to see some of the world\u2019s finest musicians up close and in person. We could not be more proud to present these amazing performers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tickets<\/h2>\n

Subscriptions for all six performances are $150 (a 38% savings on single-ticket prices). Subscriptions include premier reserved seating, exclusive pre-concert talks and all ticketing fees. Current subscribers will receive renewal forms starting March 23. Subscriptions will be available to new subscribers\u00a0begining May 7. To receive an order form in the mail and a link via e-mail, join the Department of Music mailing list<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Single tickets are $40, or $37 for seniors and WashU faculty and staff, and $15 for students and children. Single tickets go on sale Sept. 8.<\/p>\n

The 560 Music Center is located at 560 Trinity Ave., at the intersection with Delmar Boulevard. Tickets are available through the WashU Box Office, 314-935-6543.<\/p>\n

The performance by Steven Isserlis and Connie Shih is sponsored by David and Melanie Alpers. The performance by Isabel Leonard will be the Department of Music\u2019s annual Pillsbury event.<\/p>\n

\"\"Anthony Roth Costanzo will open the season Jan. 25. (Photo: Matthew Placek)<\/p>\n

Anthony Roth Costanzo<\/h2>\n

\u201cVocally brilliant and dramatically fearless\u201d\u00a0(New York Times), Costanzo is \u201ca perfect musician\u201d (Le Monde) and \u201ca bona-fide star\u201d (The New Yorker).<\/p>\n

Performing professionally since age 11, Costanza has appeared in many of the world\u2019s leading opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Op\u00e9ra National de Paris, English National Opera and the Los Angeles Opera.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His first solo album, \u201cARC,\u201d was nominated for a 2019 Grammy Award. He also starred in the Metropolitan Opera\u2019s production of Philip Glass\u2019 \u201cAkhnaten,\u201d which won the 2022 Grammy for best opera recording.\u00a0He has served as general director and president of Opera Philadelphia since June 2024.<\/p>\n

\"\"Derek Gripper (left) and Ballak\u00e9 Sissoko with their instruments. (Photos: Benoit Peverelli and Simon Attwel)<\/p>\n

Ballak\u00e9 Sissoko and Derek Gripper<\/h2>\n

Ballak\u00e9 Sissoko is an international star known for \u201cintricate, dazzling\u201d (The Guardian) performances. He is also the son of kora pioneer Djelimady Sissoko, whose landmark \u201cAncient Strings\u201d (1970) was the first album devoted to the instrument.<\/p>\n

In 2022, Sissoko performed a pair of concerts with Derek Gripper, a classically trained Cape Town guitarist with \u201can uncanny and unique approach to playing African music\u201d (Afropop Worldwide). The pair soon reunited in a London recording studio, cutting an album in a mere three hours.<\/p>\n

That release, \u201cBallak\u00e9 Sissoko & Derek Gripper,\u201d is \u201ca compelling string conversation which reflects improvisation and dialogue at their best, taking the listener into unchartered territories,\u201d wrote Songlines magazine, which named it album of the year. Added Klof Magazine: \u201cThere is such depth and imagination in every track, that you hear quite different things on each listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Conrad Tao will perform March 1. (Photo: Brantley Gutierrez)<\/p>\n

Conrad Tao<\/h2>\n

An artist of \u201cprobing intellect and open-hearted vision\u201d (New York Times), pianist and composer Conrad Tao is \u201cthe kind of musician who is shaping the future of classical music\u201d (New York Magazine).<\/p>\n

Born in Urbana, Ill., Tao has appeared worldwide in both solo recitals and concerto performances. He also maintains active collaborations with violinist Stefan Jackiw and cellist Jay Campbell, as the Junction Trio; with dancer and choreographer Caleb Teicher; and with improviser and vocalist Charmaine Lee.\u00a0His many honors include a New York Dance and Performance Award (\u201cBessie\u201d) for outstanding sound design\/music composition for\u00a0\u201cMore Forever,\u201d his evening-length collaboration with Teicher\u2019s company.<\/p>\n

Tao\u2019s first album,\u00a0\u201cVoyages\u201d (2013)\u00a0was praised as a \u201cspiky debut\u201d by\u00a0The New Yorker\u2019s\u00a0Alex Ross. Other releases include \u201cPictures\u201d (2015), featuring works by David Lang, Toru Takemitsu, Elliott Carter, Modest Mussorgsky and Tao himself; and \u201cAmerican Rage\u201d (2019). His most recent album is \u201cBricolage\u201d (2021),\u00a0which features improvisations and experiments recorded with brass quartet The Westerlies in rural New Hampshire.<\/p>\n

Isabel Leonard<\/h2>\n
\n\"\"Isabel Leonard will sing March 29. (Photo: Michael Thomas)\n<\/div>\n

\u201cOne of the brightest talents on the American opera scene\u201d (San Francisco Classical Voice), Leonard is a three-time Grammy winner with \u201cdisarming comedic chops to rival her formidable pipes\u201d (Washington Post).<\/p>\n

Leonard regularly appears on the world\u2019s leading opera stages. Recent highlights include her signature role of Rosina in \u201cIl barbiere di Siviglia,\u201d with Op\u00e9ra National de Paris, the Los Angeles Opera and the Metropolitan Opera, as well as her debut with Barcelona\u2019s Gran Teatre del Liceu as Anita in Leonard Bernstein\u2019s \u201cWest Side Story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other highlights include title roles in \u201cCarmen,\u201d \u201cLa P\u00e9richole,\u201d \u201cCendrillon,\u201d \u201cMarnie\u201d and \u201cDer Rosenkavalier,\u201d as well as Angelina in \u201cLa Cenerentola,\u201d Dorabella in \u201cCos\u00ec fan tutte\u201d and Musetta in \u201cLa boh\u00e8me.\u201d Film and television appearances include the feature film \u201cShe Came to Me\u201d (2023), the Leonard Bernstein biopic \u201cMaestro\u201d (2023) and the season 43 finale of \u201cSesame Street.\u201d<\/p>\n

Catalyst Quartet<\/h2>\n

Founded in 2010, this Grammy-winning quartet has been hailed as \u201cinvariably energetic\u201d and \u201cfinely burnished\u201d (New York Times), known for playing with \u201cperfect ensemble unity\u201d (Lincoln Journal Star).<\/p>\n

Featuring violinists Karla Donehew Perez and Abi Fayette, violist Paul Laraia and cellist Karlos Rodriguez, Catalyst has toured widely throughout the United States and abroad, including sold-out performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Harris Theater in Chicago, the New World Center in Miami and the Stern Auditorium\/Perelman Stage at New York\u2019s Carnegie Hall.<\/p>\n

Members of the quartet have been guest soloists with the Cincinnati Symphony, the New Haven Symphony, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Orquesta Filarm\u00f3nica de Bogot\u00e1. They have served as principal players with the Sphinx Organization\u2019s featured ensemble, the Sphinx Virtuosi, on six national tours.<\/p>\n

\"\"Steven Isserlis will wrap up the season April 30. (Photo: Satoshi Aoyagi)<\/p>\n

Steven Isserlis and Connie Shih<\/h2>\n

A cellist of \u201cdelicacy and precision\u201d (The Guardian), who performs with \u201cdramatic thrust,\u201d \u201crhapsodic intensity\u201d and \u201cgorgeous sweetness\u201d (Bachtrack), Isserlis enjoys a uniquely varied career as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, educator, author and broadcaster.<\/p>\n

\n\"\"Connie Shih (Photo: Bo Huang)\n<\/div>\n

Appearing regularly with the world\u2019s leading orchestras and conductors, Isserlis is a strong advocate for both historical performance and contemporary music, having premiered works by Sir John Tavener, Thomas Ad\u00e8s and Gy\u00f6rgy Kurt\u00e1g, among others. His extensive discography ranges from Bach\u2019s complete solo cello suites (Gramophone\u2019s instrumental album of the year) to late works by Tavener and, with Joshua Bell and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Brahms double concerto. He plays the \u201cMarquis de Corberon\u201d Stradivarius of 1726, on loan from the Royal Academy of Music.<\/p>\n

Shih, one of Canada\u2019s most celebrated pianists, made her orchestral debut with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra at age 9.\u00a0She has performed extensively throughout Canada, Europe and the United States and has regularly appeared with Isserlis, including in chamber music recitals at Carnegie Hall and London\u2019s Wigmore Hall.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source source.washu.edu \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Catalyst Quartet will perform as part of the Great Artists Series. (Photo: Ricardo Quinones) The Department of Music in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis will host six performances by internationally renowned performers as part of the 2026 Great Artists Series. Launched in 2017, the Great Artists Series presents intimate recitals […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2317156,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2317155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WashU-announces-2026-Great-Artists-Series-The-Source.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2317155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2317155"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2317155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2317157,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2317155\/revisions\/2317157"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2317156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2317155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2317155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2317155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}