The Zukerman ChamberPlayers' final 92nd Street Y concert of the season, on Sunday, March 22, welcomes world-renowned pianist Yefim Bronfman, a long-time friend of both Pinchas Zukerman and the Y. Joined by double bassist Joel Quarrington, the ensemble's performance features an up-close and personal look at the two electrifying chamber works featured on the May 2008 Sony Classical recording by the Zukerman ChamberPlayers and Bronfman: Mozart's Quartet for Piano and Strings in E-flat Major, K. 493, and Schubert's popular "Trout" Quintet.

Mozart is credited by many as the composer who established the piano quartet genre, adding viola to the popular violin-cello-keyboard combination and bringing a sense of communal equality to each instrument. His Quartet for Piano and Strings in E-flat Major was composed around the same time as The Marriage of Figaro, and much of the comic opera's spirit is felt in this masterpiece.

Another chamber music master, Schubert, was traveling in Upper Austria when he met the principal music patron of Steyer, Sylvester Paumgartner, an amateur cellist who asked the composer to write a quintet. While it's unclear if the use of Schubert's song "The Trout" was a request by Paumgartner or a thoughtful addition by the composer, this entertaining piece evoking the salon atmosphere of the time has become one of the genre's best-loved works.

A prodigious talent recognized worldwide for his artistry, Pinchas Zukerman has been an inspiration to young musicians throughout his adult life. In a continuing effort to motivate future generations of musicians through education and outreach, the renowned artist teamed up with four protégés to form the Zukerman ChamberPlayers during the 2002–03 season. The ensemble appears regularly at the most prestigious summer festivals throughout the United States, including the Ravinia, Aspen, Tanglewood and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festivals. Overseas appearances have included London's BBC Proms, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, Schleswig-Holstein, Verbier and Barcelona. Despite limited availability, with tour dates restricted to summers and isolated weeks during the main season, they have already performed more than 60 concerts and recorded four compact discs.

Yefim Bronfman was born in Tashkent in the Soviet Union in 1958. After immigrating to Israel with his family in 1973, he made his international debut two years later with Zubin Mehta and the Montreal Symphony. He made his New York Philharmonic debut in May 1978, his Washington recital debut in March 1981 at the Kennedy Center, and his New York recital debut in January 1982 at the 92nd Street Y. In addition to acclaimed solo, orchestral, and recording careers, Bronfman is a devoted chamber music performer who has collaborated with the Emerson, Cleveland, Guarneri, and Juilliard String Quartets, as well as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He has also played chamber music with Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Lynn Harrell, Shlomo Mintz, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Pinchas Zukerman, and many other artists.

In addition to the 3pm performance, the 92nd Street Y will host A Slice of Music at 2pm, which offers a pizza lunch and concert preview for children ages 10 and over and their families. These events give audiences the chance to meet the concert performers, take a closer look at the musical instruments, and learn about the afternoon's concert repertoire. This afternoon's pre-concert program, entitled "Fishing for Ideas": Schubert's "Trout" Quintet, explores the idea that, in the same way some toys can be transformed from one object to another, Schubert took one melody, used it for a song about a trout, and then created variations on that song in a quintet. Ticket price includes balcony seating admission to the 3pm concerts.

Tickets to concerts only: $48/$38 (Ages 35 and younger, $25). A Slice of Music Tickets (includes admission to 3pm concert) $20. Tickets may be purchased by calling 212.415.5500, visiting www.92Y.org/concerts, or at the box office. The 92nd Street Y is located at 1395 Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street.

Sunday, March 22, 2009, 3pm
Zukerman ChamberPlayers | Yefim Bronfman, piano
with Joel Quarrington, double bass

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–1791): Quartet for Piano and Strings in E-flat Major, K. 493 (1786)
FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797–1828): Quintet for Piano and Strings in A Major, D. 667, "Trout" (1819)

Zukerman ChamberPlayers digital press kit
Yefim Bronfman website