2020 - 2021 CONCERT SEASON

Peter Winograd, violin Laurie Carney, violin Daniel Avshalomov, viola Wolfram Koessel, cello
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
8:00 - 9:00pm
The Westchester Chamber Music Society (WCMS) is working with the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) on the presentation of this FREE live performance of the American String Quartet.
Internationally recognized as one of the world's finest quartets, the American String Quartet has spent decades honing the luxurious sound for which it is famous. The Quartet celebrated its 45th anniversary in 2019, and, in its years of touring, has performed in all fifty states and has appeared in the most important concert halls worldwide. The group’s presentations of the complete quartets of Beethoven, Schubert, Schoenberg, Bartók, and Mozart have won widespread critical acclaim, and their MusicMasters Complete Mozart String Quartets, performed on a matched quartet set of instruments by Stradivarius, are widely considered to have set the standard for this repertoire.
Program
Chevalier de Saint-Georges String Quartet in G major, Op. 1, no. 5
Dvořák String Quartet in F major, Op. 96 (“American”)
Ticket Information
This is a free concert. The link for the performance is on our Tickets & Donation page.
Simin Ganatra, violin Austin Hartman, violin Mark Holloway, viola Brandon Vamos, cello Anthony McGill, clarinet
Sunday, March 21, 2021
4:00 - 5:00pm
WCMS is thrilled to present the dynamic, Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet and the New York Philharmonic's renowned principal clarinetist Anthony McGill for the second concert of our 70th season of chamber music.
Recognized for its powerful energy and captivating, cohesive sound, the Pacifica has, over the past twenty-six years, achieved international recognition as one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today. Soon after it was formed in 1994, the Pacifica won chamber music’s top competitions, including the 1998 Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the 2002 Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award in 2002. Named the quartet-in-residence at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in March 2012, the Pacifica was previously the quartet-in-residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and received a Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance.
Clarinetist Anthony McGill is one of classical music’s most recognizable and brilliantly multifaceted figures. He serves as the principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic — that orchestra’s first African-American principal player — and maintains a dynamic international solo and chamber music career. McGill also serves as an ardent advocate for helping music education reach underserved communities and for addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in classical music. He was honored to take part in the inauguration of President Barack Obama, premiering a piece written for the occasion by John Williams and performing alongside violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and pianist Gabriela Montero.
Program
Beethoven String Quartet in F major, Op. 18, no. 1
James Lee III Principal Brothers No. 3 for Clarinet
Coleridge-Tayor Clarinet Quintet in F-sharp minor, Op. 10
$20 - General Admission per household (plus ticket processing charge of $3.50)
Student tickets are free. If you are a student, please call 914.948.6993.

Alexandra Kazovsky, violin Amit Even-Tov, cello Gershon Gerchikov, violin Jan Grüning, viola
Date in April, 2021 to be announced
Sunday, 4:00 - 5:00pm
Distinguished by its virtuosity, probing musical insight, and impassioned, fiery performances, the Ariel Quartet has garnered critical praise worldwide over the span of nearly two decades. Formed in Israel when the musicians were teenagers at the Jerusalem Academy Middle School of Music and Dance and celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2020-21, the Ariel was named recipient of the prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award, granted by Chamber Music America in recognition of artistic achievement and career support. The ensemble serves as the Faculty Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, where they direct the chamber-music program and present a concert series in addition to maintaining a busy touring schedule in the United States and abroad.
Program
$20 - General Admission per household (plus ticket processing charge of $3.50)
Student tickets are free. If you are a student, please call 914.948.6993.
This concert will be a live performance on a Sunday afternoon in April, 2021 at 4:00 pm EST. If you have a conflict with this date or time, please still consider purchasing a ticket. Using the link to view the concert, you will be able to log in, using your username and password to view the recording of the live concert within 48 hours of the original broadcast.