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Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
David Finckel and Wu Han, Artistic Directors
April 2026
CMS Concert Calendar
Apr 10
LISZT & BARTÓK / A NIGHT IN BUDAPEST
Liszt, Bartók, Ligeti, Dohnányi
Apr 12
FAURÉ'S C-MINOR PIANO QUARTET / PARISIAN DELIGHTS
Soprano Erika Baikoff Performs Ravel and Duparc
Apr 19
THE SHANGHAI QUARTET
Only NYC Appearance this Season
Apr 23
MOZART, FOOTE, & RAFF / ROSE STUDIO SERIES V
Apr 25
INVITATION TO THE DANCE
Works Composed for Dance, from Mozart to Shostakovich
Apr 28
ARENSKY AND SAINT-SAËNS / EXCEPTIONAL PIANO QUINTETS
Leclair, Arensky, Viotti, Saint-Saëns
Apr 30
SONIC SPECTRUM IV
New York Premieres by Gabriella Smith and Vivian Fung
Friday Apr 10, 2026, 7:30 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Alice Tully Hall
LISZT & BARTÓK / A NIGHT IN BUDAPEST
Four stars of Hungarian music, from the ultra-Romantic Franz Liszt to the ground-breaking György Ligeti, reveal the breadth, color, and infectious energy of their country’s music and folk culture. Closing the performance is Ernő Dohnányi’s first published work, which he composed around the age of 17, and of which Brahms said he “could not have done it better” himself.
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Liszt Tristia (transcription of Vallée d’Obermann) for Piano, Violin, and Cello, S. 378c
Bartók Sonata for Solo Violin, BB 124
Ligeti Sonata for Solo Cello
Dohnányi Quintet No. 1 in C minor for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 1
Anna Geniushene†, PIANO • Yura Lee, Arnaud Sussmann, VIOLIN • Daniel Phillips, VIOLA • Nicholas Canellakis, CELLO
†Current Bowers Program participant
Sunday Apr 12, 2026, 5:00 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Alice Tully Hall
FAURÉ'S C-MINOR PIANO QUARTET / PARISIAN DELIGHTS
Soprano Erika Baikoff performs Ravel and Duparc
Paris has long been a haven for innovative composers, whose music exists in an endless variety of delightful textures, from Saint-Saëns’s classically elegant trio to Fauré’s tempestuous piano quartet. At the heart of this program is the incomparable soprano Erika Baikoff, who lends her “absolutely beautiful voice” (Bachtrack) to Ravel’s shimmering take on The One Thousand and One Nights.
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Saint-Saëns Trio No. 1 in F major for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 18
Duparc “L’Invitation au voyage” for Voice and Piano
Ravel Shéhérazade for Voice, Flute, and Piano
Fauré Quartet No. 1 in C minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 15
Erika Baikoff, SOPRANO • Ken Noda, Orion Weiss, PIANO • Lun Li†, VIOLIN • Matthew Lipman, VIOLA • David Requiro, CELLO • Sooyun Kim, FLUTE
†Current Bowers Program participant
Sunday Apr 19, 2026, 5:00 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Alice Tully Hall
THE SHANGHAI QUARTET
Only New York City appearance this season
The Shanghai Quartet is an esteemed ensemble that has set the standard for string quartet performance in Asia for over forty years, and this is their only New York City appearance this season. Easily bridging borders, the Shanghai offers a program of cross-cultural pollination, from Haydn’s “Rider” (composed after an inspiring trip to London), to Dvořák’s “American” (written in a Czech community in Iowa), and into the 20th century with Chinese-American composer Tan Dun’s Feng Ya Song, a piece that launched his international career. Part of CMS's String Quartet series.
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Haydn Quartet in G minor for Strings, Hob. III:74, Op. 74, No. 3, “The Rider”
Tan Dun Feng Ya Song (String Quartet No. 1)
Gershwin Lullaby for String Quartet
Dvořák Quartet in F major for Strings, Op. 96, “American”
Shanghai Quartet (Weigang Li, Angelo Xiang Yu, VIOLIN • Honggang Li, VIOLA • Sihao He, CELLO)
Thursday Apr 23, 2026, 6:30 PM & 9:00 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Rose Studio at CMS
MOZART, FOOTE, & RAFF / ROSE STUDIO SERIES V
The German-Swiss composer Joachim Raff (1822-1882) was prolific and celebrated in his day, but then largely forgotten; his Sextet in G minor, not often performed, deserves to be heard. Opening the program are two works for flute and strings.
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Mozart Quartet in A major for Flute, Violin, Viola, and Cello, K. 298
Foote Nocturne and Scherzo for Flute and String Quartet
Raff Sextet in G minor for Strings, Op. 178
Sean Lee, Lun Li,† VIOLIN • Matthew Lipman, James Thompson, VIOLA • Inbal Segev, Jonathan Swensen†, CELLO • Sooyun Kim, FLUTE
†Current Bowers Program participant
Saturday Apr 25, 2026, 7:30 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Alice Tully Hall
INVITATION TO THE DANCE
Beginning with Mozart, who was an avid and reportedly expert dancer, this program offers a unique opportunity to enjoy the special synergy between music and dance from composers who created dance music, some written for social gatherings, like the “Waltz King” by Johann Strauss, Jr., and others composed as artistic representations of folk dances, like the works by by Johannes Brahms and David Serkin Ludwig. Double bassist Nina Bernat performs Chopin’s dazzling Polonaise, and a quartet of CMS musicians presents Shostakovich’s comical, almost sarcastic take on the polka.
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Mozart 5 Contredanses for Flute, Strings, and Drum, K. 609
Schubert Polonaise in E major for Piano, Four Hands, D. 824, Op. 61, No. 6
David Serkin Ludwig Three Yiddish Dances for Piano, Violin, and Cello
Shostakovich Two Pieces for String Quartet
Stravinsky Duo Concertante for Violin and Piano
Brahms Selected Hungarian Dances for Violin and Piano (arr. Joachim)
Chopin Introduction et Polonaise brillante in C major for Double Bass and Piano, Op. 3
Tansman Fantaisie sur les valses de Johann Strauss for Two Pianos
J. Strauss, Jr. Schatz-Walzer for Two Violins, Viola, Cello, Piano, and Harmonium, Op. 418
Sahun Sam Hong†, PIANO/HARMONIUM • Hyeyeon Park, PIANO • Aaron Boyd, Bella Hristova, VIOLIN • Daniel Phillips, VIOLA • Estelle Choi, CELLO • Nina Bernat†, DOUBLE BASS • Sooyun Kim, FLUTE
†Current Bowers Program participant
Tuesday Apr 28, 2026, 7:30 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Alice Tully Hall
ARENSKY AND SAINT-SAËNS / EXCEPTIONAL PIANO QUINTETS
The piano quintet is a powerful chamber ensemble, combining the sonic richness of a string quartet with the symphonic aura of a grand piano. Russian master Anton Arensky, teacher of Rachmaninoff, penned a sole quintet in his mature years, and the ever-popular French composer Camille Saint-Saëns began his prolific chamber music career with this early quintet of surprising skill and maturity. Captivating violin duos by virtuosi of the Baroque and Classical eras serve as effervescent preludes.
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Leclair Sonata in E major for Two Violins, Op. 12, No. 2
Arensky Quintet in D major for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 51
Viotti Duo in G major for Two Violins, W 4.9
Saint-Saëns Quintet in A minor for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 14
Wu Han, PIANO • Chad Hoopes, Richard Lin, VIOLIN • Milena Pájaro-van de Stadt, VIOLA • Dmitri Atapine, CELLO
Thursday Apr 30, 2026, 7:30 PM
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center • Rose Studio at CMS
SONIC SPECTRUM IV
New York Premieres by Vivian Fung (CMS Co-commission) and Gabriella Smith
Violinist Kristin Lee and Grammy-nominated ensemble Sandbox Percussion perform two New York premieres in this season’s final installment of Sonic Spectrum. Goddess//Insect by Vivian Fung, a CMS co-commission, was written for Lee and Sandbox Percussion. Lee says, “This project has been in the works for several years, and I couldn't be more excited that it has finally come to life. My admiration for Sandbox Percussion's vast sound world and Vivian Fung's boundless creativity grew out of two very different musical chapters in my life, and bringing them together feels like a dream come true.”
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Gabriella Smith FIVE for Percussion Quartet (New York Premiere)
Vivian Fung Goddess//Insect (New York Premiere, CMS Co-Commission)
Joan Tower To Sing or Dance for Violin and Percussion Quartet
Kristin Lee, VIOLIN • Sandbox Percussion (Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum, Terry Sweeney)