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Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
David Finckel and Wu Han, Artistic Directors
WINTER FESTIVAL: Violin Celebration
February 19 to March 8
Concerts & Lecture Series
FEB 19 - Lecture
Classical Models and Romantic Perspectives
FEB 20 - CONCERT
FROM BACH TO BEETHOVEN
Bach, Tartini, Mozart and Beethoven
FEB 24 - CONCERT
THE AGE OF ROMANCE
Schubert, Brahms, Beach and Mendelssohn
FEB 28 - CONCERT
VIOLIN VISIONARIES
Janáček, Enescu, Ravel and Bloch
MARCH 4 - Lecture
The Violin Today
MARCH 8 - Lecture
The Kreisler Impact
MARCH 8 - CONCERT
DESTINATION: KREISLER
Ysaÿe, Wieniawski, R. Strauss and Kreisler
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's celebration of the violin this season comes into focus during this year’s annual Winter Festival, which explores the indispensable role the violin has played for centuries in the evolution of chamber music, with four concerts and three complementary lectures between February 19 and March 8.
The four concert programs unfold as a musical journey: beginning with Bach and moving through landmark violin-centered chamber works of the 19th century—Schubert, Brahms, and Mendelssohn among them—before concluding with a day devoted to Fritz Kreisler, the beloved virtuoso whose artistry transformed violin playing for generations and continues to influence and inspire violinists today.
The Winter Festival features 14 of CMS’s exceptional violinists, who were invited to propose works they would especially like to play this season. As a result of their input, the Festival includes a few rarely heard gems, with Stella Chen playing Romance by Amy Beach; Danbi Um, the Second Violin Sonata of Bloch; and James Thompson playing the only violin sonata by Respighi.
A series of lectures tracing the instrument's evolving story and enduring influence are interspersed among the concerts, featuring expert historians, virtuoso players, and renowned luthiers, all devoted to exploring the history, development and exquisite sounds of the violin.
“It’s nearly impossible to overstate the importance of the violin in chamber music over the past five centuries,” said CMS Artistic Directors David Finckel and Wu Han. “Our Winter Festival, part of a season-long celebration of the violin, provides a showcase for CMS’s deep roster of fantastic violinists, many of whom are playing on legendary instruments. Those less familiar with the violin will discover its signature singing tone, while violin veterans can enrich their knowledge through initiatives like our violin lecture series. Everyone will surely walk away with a newfound appreciation for the versatility of the violin.”
Thursday Feb 19, 2026, 6:30 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Rose Studio at CMS
LECTURE: Classical Models and Romantic Perspectives
Lecturer: Violinist Aaron Boyd
After the violin established instrumental dominance through the music of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven, a generation of virtuosi in the second half of the nineteenth century, led by Wieniawski and Vieuxtemps, opened the eyes and ears of the public to a new realm of expressive potential and artistic projection for the violin. Transcendental technique in the service of art then reached its height with the great Belgian violinist Eugene Ysaÿe, who inspired a new generation of virtuosi led by Kreisler, Elman, Heifetz, and many others.
Violinist Aaron Boyd brings a rare combination of performer’s insight and deep historical knowledge to this lecture on the violin’s “golden age.” As a contributing writer to The Strad and a sought-after speaker on legendary virtuosi and their instruments, Boyd is uniquely equipped to trace how the violin’s expressive possibilities expanded from the Classical era into the Romantic tradition. Bringing history, sound, and storytelling together, Boyd reveals why this era reshaped what the violin could do—and why its most influential players still matter today.
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Friday Feb 20, 2026, 7:30 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Alice Tully Hall
CONCERT: From Bach to Beethoven
The opening concert of the Winter Festival looks at significant works for violin from the instrument’s invention in the mid-16th century through the Baroque era, with works by Bach and violin virtuoso Tartini. Then it’s on to Mozart, a proficient violinist himself, who took sonatas to a new level; and Beethoven, who paved the way to the future with new heights of expression for the instrument.
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Bach Sonata in E major for Violin and Keyboard, BWV 1016
Tartini Sonata in G minor for Violin and Continuo, "Devil's Trill"
Mozart Sonata in B-flat major for Violin and Piano, K. 454
Beethoven Sonata in C minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 30, No. 2
Sahun Sam Hong† , PIANO • Evren Ozel†, PIANO • Chad Hoopes, VIOLIN • Ani Kavafian, VIOLIN • Sean Lee, VIOLIN • Cho-Liang Lin, VIOLIN
†Current Bowers Program member
Tuesday Feb 24, 2026, 7:30 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Alice Tully Hall
CONCERT: The Age of Romance
Composers of the 19th century seized upon the violin’s ability to imitate the human voice and go straight to the heart; this program also shows the influence that skillful performers had on these composers and works.
The soulful sound of the violin resonates throughout this program. From Schubert’s masterful violin-piano duo and American composer Amy Beach’s soul-searching Romance—dedicated to violinist Maud Powell—to Brahms’s lyrical sonata inspired by his friendships with Joseph Joachim and Clara Schumann. The evening closes with Mendelssohn’s sonata, unpublished for over 100 years until its revival by Yehudi Menuhin.
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Schubert Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano, D. 574, "Grand Duo"
Brahms Sonata No. 1 in G major for Violin and Piano, Op. 78
Beach Romance for Violin and Piano, Op. 23
Mendelssohn Sonata in F major for Violin and Piano
Gloria Chien, PIANO • Gilles Vonsattel, PIANO • Stella Chen, VIOLIN • Julian Rhee†, VIOLIN • Arnaud Sussman, VIOLIN
†Current Bowers Program member
Saturday Feb 28, 2026, 7:30 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Alice Tully Hall
CONCERT: Violin Visionaries
The dawn of the 20th century witnessed revolutions in music, literature, philosophy, and science as never before. Composers, liberated by Romanticism and fired by nationalism, explored disparate cultures and wrote music in powerful new ways. Once again the violin was at their sides—the ideal tool for sonic and emotional expression. This concert presents works for violin and piano by four innovative composers from across the European continent, each influenced by world events and societies around them, bringing a unique character to a classic genre: the violin-piano duo.
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Janáček Sonata for Violin and Piano
Enescu Sonata No. 3 in A minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 25, "Dans le caractère populaire roumain"
Ravel Tzigane, rapsodie de concert for Violin and Piano
Bloch Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano, "Poème Mystique"
Alessio Bax, PIANO • Gilles Vonsattel, PIANO • Juho Pohjonen, PIANO • Francisco Fullana, VIOLIN • Bella Hristova, VIOLIN • Danbi Um, VIOLIN
Wednesday March 4, 2026, 6:30 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Rose Studio at CMS
LECTURE: The Violin Today
Fred Child, longtime host of the American Public Media radio program Performance Today (he recently stepped down), moderates what promises to be a lively discussion among CMS violinists Bella Hristova, Sean Lee, Richard Lin and Aaron Boyd; prolific composer for the violin David Serkin Ludwig; and the incomparable contemporary Brooklyn-based violin maker Samuel Zygmuntowicz. The combined perspectives of players, composer, luthier, and classical music media personality provide a vivid picture of the violin’s role in today’s musical scene and point toward the future of the majestic violin tradition.
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SUNDAY MARCH 8, 2026
CELEBRATING FRITZ KREISLER: LECTURE AND CONCERT
The Winter Festival’s Violin Celebration concludes on March 8 with a day devoted to beloved Viennese violin virtuoso Fritz Kreisler. Born in Vienna in 1875, he was adored by listeners and musicians alike; his playing and more than 200 compositions redefined the late-Romantic voice of the violin. In 1943 Kreisler became a US citizen and lived in New York City for the rest of his life.
Sunday March 8, 2026, 3:00 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Rose Studio at CMS
LECTURE: The Kreisler Impact
The life and art of the great Fritz Kreisler is explored by a panel of musicians whose lives have been profoundly influenced by him. Moderator Aaron Boyd, violinist and expert on the history of the instrument, is joined by violinists Danbi Um, Benjamin Beilman and Paul Huang and author Amy Biancolli, writer of Love's Joy, Love's Sorrow, the definitive contemporary biography of Kreisler. Making a special appearance, with a violin played by Kreisler himself in hand, is Carlos Tome, Director and Head of Sales at Tarisio Auctions, New York.
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Danbi Um, Benjamin Beilman
Sunday March 8, 2026, 5:00 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Alice Tully Hall
CONCERT: Destination: Kreisler
The final concert in this season’s Winter Festival pays tribute to Kreisler, beginning with works by his predecessors, Ysaÿe, Wieniawski, and R. Strauss, and culminating in an assortment of Kreisler’s own arrangements and original works.
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Ysaÿe Rêve d'enfant for Violin and Piano, Op. 14
Wieniawski Selections from Etudes-Caprices for Two Violins, Op. 18
R. Strauss Sonata in E-flat major for Violin and Piano, Op. 18
Kreisler Arrangements and Original Works
Sahun Sam Hong† , PIANO • Orion Weiss, PIANO • Benjamin Beilman, VIOLIN • Paul Huang, VIOLIN • Sean Lee, VIOLIN • Richard Lin, VIOLIN • Danbi Um, VIOLIN • Aaron Boyd VIOLIN/VIOLA • Mihai Marica, CELLO
†Current Bowers Program member