{"id":2427757,"date":"2026-05-22T09:32:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T09:32:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2427757"},"modified":"2026-05-22T09:32:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T09:32:06","slug":"the-strad-postcard-from-new-york-city-chamber-music-society-of-lincoln-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/the-strad-postcard-from-new-york-city-chamber-music-society-of-lincoln-center\/","title":{"rendered":"The Strad – Postcard from New York City: Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u2019We\u2019re sorry that your flight to New York has been cancelled. We\u2019ve gone ahead and booked you on to the next available flight.\u2019 And so began an unexpectedly arduous journey across the Atlantic to New York City at the end of January. My trip, to witness a week inside the workings of the Chamber Music Society (CMS) of Lincoln Center, coincided with the tail end of Storm Fern \u2013 the region\u2019s worst snowstorm since 2021<\/a> \u2013 which buried New York and large parts of\u00a0the US East Coast\u00a0in an unprecedented\u00a0heavy snowfall.<\/p>\n

After nearly two days of delays, I finally made it to Manhattan. The storm\u2019s effects were obvious on arrival: piles of snow taller than me were ploughed to the side of the road, with temperatures as low as -15C. Against clear blue skies and sun, it made a charming and beautiful backdrop for my week of immersion among New York\u2019s most talented chamber musicians.<\/p>\n

CMS is under the artistic direction of married power couple, the cello-and-piano duo David Finckel and Wu Han. As the name suggests, it is based at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, with regular performances at home venue Alice Tully Hall (on Broadway) and at the Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Studio (West 65th Street). It counts among its prestigious neighbours the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera,\u00a0the Juilliard School and New York City Ballet.<\/p>\n

On my first day I attended a rehearsal of Copland\u2019s Appalachian Spring Suite<\/em> and Bernard Herrmann\u2019s Psycho Suite<\/em> at the Rose Studio. Located on the tenth floor at CMS headquarters, the studio sits among bright office spaces decorated with hanging plants and cupboards built from quarter-sawn maple, a wood familiar to string players.<\/p>\n

The Copland brought together an exceptional group of chamber musicians, reflecting CMS\u2019s commitment to top-tier artists. The session was particularly notable because most of the string\u00a0players were performing on instruments crafted by Brooklyn luthier Samuel Zygmuntowicz<\/a>, who attended the rehearsal himself and was visibly moved to see all his creations in use.<\/p>\n

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Players performed on instruments crafted by Samuel Zygmuntowicz, who was visibly moved to see all his creations in use<\/p>\n

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The CMS\u2019s roster fosters a strong sense of community. \u2018It\u2019s a big family,\u2019 Wu Han told me: a merit-based group of musicians who support one another, value preparation and uphold the highest artistic standards. Making a living from chamber music is often seen as a luxury, with many musicians around the world juggling rehearsals alongside orchestral work, teaching, recording and other commitments.<\/p>\n

The CMS schedule is deliberately rigorous, and therefore secures the best artists. \u2018There\u2019s no sightreading here,\u2019 Wu Han said. \u2018We demand that our artists come prepared. You have to make time for chamber music.\u2019<\/p>\n

Rehearsals were self-directed, with musicians offering feedback, experimenting with ideas and openly engaging in discussion. I particularly enjoyed hearing flautist Tara Helen O\u2019Connor suggest bowings \u2013 something she incorporates into her own parts, influenced by her marriage to long-time CMS violinist and violist Daniel Phillips.\u00a0I couldn\u2019t help but laugh nervously when the entire ensemble played the iconic shower scene music from Psycho<\/em>; the ferocity of the down bows brought the images from the film vividly to mind.<\/p>\n

A sense of intergenerational camaraderie emerged as I joined the artists for a lunch of Greek gyros and souvlaki, ordered in so that they could avoid going out in the cold. Tables and chairs were set up in the Rose Studio so that everybody could \u2018break bread\u2019 together, giving me a chance to chat to the musicians.<\/p>\n

The roster includes young players such as cellists Sterling Elliott and Jonathan Swensen, violinist Julian Rhee and pianist Sam Hong, all of whom are currently on the Bowers Program, for which emerging musicians are hand-picked and invited to spend three years performing alongside the CMS artists \u2013 Bowers alumni and established players, including violist and former Emerson Quartet member Lawrence Dutton, who told me how much he learns from the younger generation.<\/p>\n

Artists are invited to projects designed to preserve and strengthen the repertoire. Works are rehearsed and performed extensively so that CMS audiences and players alike develop genuine familiarity with them. I attended a 6.30pm concert at the Rose Studio on 29 January, featuring the rarely heard Suite for strings op.8 by Alfred D\u2019Ambrosio (1871\u20131914), unearthed by CMS violist Paul Neubauer. The piece received another, more informal, performance that evening, and is scheduled for next season \u2013 suggesting that it may soon enter the core repertoire.<\/p>\n

The early evening concert also featured \u2018one of Luigi Boccherini\u2019s hundred quintets\u2019 introduced by cellist Nicholas Canellakis \u2013 well known for his satirical classical music sketch videos. Swensen certainly had his work cut out with a loftily virtuosic first cello part rivalling that of the first violin, played by Rhee. As he had already tackled string-crossings and bariolage galore, it was impressive that Swensen then had the capacity to play Jean Barri\u00e8re\u2019s Sonata in G major for two cellos with Canellakis \u2013 a much more democratic sharing of virtuosity.<\/p>\n

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I also observed several rehearsals of Viktor Derevianko\u2019s chamber arrangement of Shostakovich\u2019s Symphony no.15, performed by violinist Paul Huang, Swensen, pianist Inon Barnatan and percussionists Victor Caccese, Ayano Kataoka and Ian Rosenbaum.<\/p>\n

\u2018Can you make it sound more grotesque?\u2019 said Barnatan, as Huang and Swensen coordinated their slow glissandos, laced with wide vibratos that bordered on trills, in the symphony\u2019s second movement.<\/p>\n

A dress rehearsal included audio-visual checks, reflecting CMS\u2019s long-time investment in recording and archival processes. Although I regretted missing my first scheduled concert, Beethoven\u2019s \u2018Archduke\u2019 Trio, I appreciated receiving a recording link to watch later.<\/p>\n

My visit culminated on 2 February with an all-Shostakovich programme at Alice Tully Hall, featuring Symphony no.15 plus the Sitkovetsky Trio playing Piano Trio no.1 and Seven Romances on Verses by Alexander Blok<\/em> with soprano Andriana Chuchman. Haunting, mournful lines alternated with spiky, staccato stabs: violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky and cellist Isang Enders showcased their versatility and sensitivity superbly.<\/p>\n

The symphony prompted audible audience reactions \u2013 from gasps at the percussionists\u2019 sudden interjections, to laughs at the ironic quotation from Rossini\u2019s William Tell Overture<\/em>, repeatedly hammed up by Swensen. CMS\u2019s aim of repertoire longevity had clearly worked: themes from the symphony lingered with me on my overnight flight back to London.<\/p>\n

All week, I was surrounded by upbeat musicians, despite the disruptive weather outside. When not rehearsing, artists relaxed together on the couches at CMS headquarters or shared stories over coffee. Being scheduled for a CMS programme seemed to offer both artistic fulfilment and a welcome social focus.<\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019re always excited when we get called to do a CMS programme,\u2019 O\u2019Connor told me. \u2018In a world that feels chaotic, it\u2019s grounding to come into rehearsal, learn together and listen to one another. Imagine if the world worked this way.\u2019 As she put it so aptly: \u2018Good people make good chamber music. And good chamber musicians make good people.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/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 www.thestrad.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Discover more Featured Stories like this in The Strad Playing Hub. Read more premium content for subscribers here \u2019We\u2019re sorry that your flight to New York has been cancelled. We\u2019ve gone ahead and booked you on to the next available flight.\u2019 And so began an unexpectedly arduous journey across the Atlantic to New York City […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2427758,"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":[25179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2427757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Strad-Postcard-from-New-York-City-Chamber-Music.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2427757","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=2427757"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2427757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2427759,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2427757\/revisions\/2427759"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2427758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2427757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2427757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2427757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}