Rave Review of New Yulianna Avdeeva Album on Gramophone

Yulianna Avdeeva’s latest album, a full recording of Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87, came our recently on PENTATONE, marking the 50th anniversary of the great composer’s death. The monumental cycle of Op. 87 harks back to Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier and is considered one of the most demanding works for piano ever written. Avdeeva joins an elite group of pianists who have undertaken the challenge of performing the complete opus, which is rarely heard in its entirety. "Certainly she plays as though each piece means the world to her," writes David Fanning in his review for the July 2025 issue of Gramophone magazine. He continues:

Most impressive of all, to me, in Avdeeva's interpretations, are the more reserved pieces, of which there are many, where character may not be immediately obvious, because self-knowledge is all. Here she displays a quiet concentration that protects the music from any suspicion of routine. Her care for voicing and shading stands as symbolic for care for the most precious human values: a kind of exercise in self-preservation that is hardly less relevant in 2025 than it was in 1950.

Unlike the Well-Tempered Clavier, Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues are arranged in the order of the circle of fifths — a visualization of all the major and minor keys, showing how they relate to each other. "To me, the music encapsulates the very essence of Shostakovich’s soul and personality — no fewer than 48 distinct characters are brought to life within the cycle," writes Avdeeva in her notes. "As a whole, it is an intimate, deeply honest expression of the composer’s most profound emotions."

Avdeeva returns to PENTATONE for the album after her acclaimed label debut with Resilience (2023) — which includes Shostakovich's Piano Sonata No. 1 — and Chopin: Voyage (2024). Both albums received outstanding reviews for their exceptional artistry and interpretation.

• Read the full review HERE.

• Listen to the new album HERE.

Anne Akiko Meyers is on a Roll: With 3 New Albums and 3 High-profile Features, the Violinist Continues to Celebrate Contemporary Music

“Working with living composers deeply inspires me and I am so grateful to them for creating new sound worlds and repertoire for the violin literature. Audiences really connect to music written by living composers and appreciate authentic storytelling in the works I have commissioned and premiered.” — Anne Akiko Meyers

Meyers on the cover of the July 2025 issue of Gramophone.

Violinist extraordinaire Anne Akiko Meyers released three new albums this spring, including an album devoted to Philip Glass, with the iconic composer’s Violin Concerto No. 1 and the world premiere recoding of his New Chaconne, composed for Meyers. She gave the world premiere in 2024 at the Laguna Beach Music Festival in southern California, where she was serving as artistic director. She was joined by Emmanuel Ceysson, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s principal harp, who also performs with Meyers on the new recording. “When it was sent to me, I just couldn't believe it," Meyers told NPR this month. “This is for the canon of violin literature, and it will live on forever.”

In May, Beloved was released (both albums on the Platoon label); it is a collection of choral and orchestral works centered on In the Arms of the Beloved, a requiem by the jazz pianist and composer Billy Childs written in memory of his mother. Meyers recorded it with the Los Angeles Master Chorale under Grant Gershon. The album also features music by Eric Whitacre and Ola Gjeilo, expanding Meyers’s ongoing exploration of repertoire that bridges spiritual reflection and expressive clarity.

Finally, Blue Electra appeared in April on Naxos, with the world premiere recording of Michael Daugherty’s violin concerto of that name, inspired by the life of aviator Amelia Earhart. Another Meyers commission.

“Meyers remains unflaggingly committed to commissioning and learning new works for her instrument – a dedication reflected not only in her extensive discography, but also in the vitality she brings to her concerts, ensuring that the pieces she commissions continue to be heard well beyond their premieres,” writes Tom May for the cover story of the July 2025 issue of Gramophone.

Meyers stopped by NPR's studios in Culver City, Calif., for an interview with Morning Edition's A Martínez (credit: Melissa Kuypers)

And there’s more to come. The violinist plans to release a fourth new album later this year or early next: a recording of Orchard in Fog, a 2017 concerto for violin that she commissioned from the American composer Adam Schoenberg and premiered in 2018 with the San Diego Symphony and conductor Sameer Patel. The piece is a musical response to a photograph by Adam Laipson of an apple orchard in winter, explains May in his feature-length piece.

“Anne is really the only superstar soloist I know who believes in expanding the repertoire and consistently does that,” Schoenberg told May. “Besides touring the world and releasing so many albums, I think that’s going to be the greatest part of her legacy.”

“There’s always an element of risk in creative work, and I think that’s part of what keeps it exciting and meaningful,” Meyers told The Strad. “For me, the trust involved in these collaborations is deeply personal and essential.”

In Meyers’s own words: “Working with living composers deeply inspires me and I am so grateful to them for creating new sound worlds and repertoire for the violin literature,” she told The Strad. “Audiences really connect to music written by living composers and appreciate authentic storytelling in the works I have commissioned and premiered.”

• Read the Gramophone piece here.

• Read the NPR piece here.

• Read the Strad piece here.

Vancouver Arts and Music Festival, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA Featured on BBC Music Magazine

Charlotte Smith, editor of BBC Music Magazine, visited the 2024, Vancouver Arts and Music Festival, the brainchild of Anne McEnerny-Ogle, the mayor of Vancouver, Washington; and Igor Shakhman, the executive director and principal clarinetist of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA. The festival is a "combination of small-town charm, community enrichment and ambitions for the future," writes Smith for her "Musical Destinations" feature of the July 2025 issue of the magazine.

At the heart of the celebrations is the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, which during my visit performs three open-air concerts for the community... a delightful local band with a strong commitment to community engagement and education.

Read the full piece here.

The 2025 Vancouver Arts and Music Festival, featuring the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA and guest artist that include Renée Fleming, Mark and Maggie O’Connor, Sharon Isbin, and Gerard Schwarz, takes place July 31-August 3. Visit vancouverartsandmusicfestival.com.

Bravo! Vail Featured on the Denver Post

Bravo! Vail Music Festival, which this year runs June 19–July 31, was featured this week on the Denver Post. Ray Mark Rinaldi writes:

The Bravo! Vail Music Festival is pushing a season of “first” this year, and it looks promising. In the mix will be short residencies by five orchestras from three different continents, along with a long list of well-known guest conductors featured on the podium.

To read the full piece, click here.

Anne-Marie mcdermott on the cover of pianist magazine

June 2025

There comes a point in life for most of us when we say, enough. We say goodbye to responsibilities that had begun to feel more obligations, and we either seek new challenges, or find joy in what really motivates us, or both. For Anne-Marie McDermott, that point is now.

McDermott on the cover of the June 2025 issue of Gramophone.

The challenge (and the joy) immediately in front of McDermott is Beethoven. She has, after all, been playing the concertos for the best part of 40 years. Now is the time to commit them to record: ‘a daunting but thrilling process,’ she tells me.

Read more here.

“The ‘folk’ in my bond with folk music”: Violinist Nancy Zhou on ‘The Strad’

Known for her probing musical voice and searing virtuosity, Nancy Zhou seeks to invigorate appreciation for the art and science of the violin. She writes a guest essay for The Strad:

“Music treads on the delicate line between the communal and individual experience; the primal and artful ways of expression; and the simplicity and complexity of human understanding. Trained as a classical musician, I’ve devoted countless hours to these latter elements of written Western art music and deconstructing the formal techniques creating the magic of this art form.”

Born in Texas to Chinese immigrant parents, Nancy began the violin under the guidance of her father, who hails from a family of traditional musicians. She went on to study with Miriam Fried at the New England Conservatory while pursuing her interest in literature at Harvard University. Since 2019, she is an Associated Artist of the Queen Elisabeth Chapel and was appointed Professor of Violin at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in September 2023.

Read the full piece HERE.

Nancy Zhou’s upcoming album Stories (re)Traced is released on Orchid Classics on June 6, 2025.

National Children’s Chorus Launches World-Class Vocal Arts Program at Compton

The National Children’s Chorus, under the leadership of Artistic Director Luke McEndarfer, has established a preeminent vocal arts initiative at Compton High School.

The scholarship-funded program that began this semester operates three times a week as an accredited music class within the school; students study ensemble singing, vocal technique, music theory, sight-singing, and performance practice.

NCC aims to build a robust program in Compton Unified that will inspire the community’s young voices to reach their potential as they look ahead to the opening of the Andre ‘Dr. Dre’ Young Performing Arts Center. The new venue will serve as a state-of-the-art concert hall built through a $10M leadership gift by music mogul Dr. Dre.

NCC has established itself as one of the world’s leading children’s choirs and provides training to more than 1,400 students across the nation, comprising 40 choirs that feature seven levels of instruction for ages 5 to 18. Opening at Compton High School, the organization expands its commitment to providing access to the NCC’s educational resources with special focus on communities with the greatest impact potential.

Read the full story on OperaWire.

Seattle Chamber Music Society Names Balourdet Quartet its First String Quartet in Residence

Quartet to appear throughout King County from September 2025 to May 2026

©Kevin W. Condon

Seattle, May 20, 2025 — Seattle Chamber Music Society, a cornerstone of the American classical music scene since 1982, is proud to announce the acclaimed Balourdet Quartet as its first-ever string quartet in residence, from September 2025 to May 2026. Praised for its vibrant energy and masterly blend of technical precision and emotional depth, the Balourdet Quartet will be embedded in King County, Wash., during its nine-month residency, with a multitude of engagements across the county, including special community events, educational initiatives, and formal concerts. 

“This long-term partnership with the extraordinarily gifted Balourdet Quartet allows us to deepen our artistic mission in ways that extend far beyond the stage,” said James Ehnes, Artistic Director of Seattle Chamber Music Society. “By relocating to Seattle, the quartet will engage meaningfully with students and audiences across King County, not only performing but becoming part of the fabric of our community. This is the only residency of its kind at a non-academic institution — fully dedicated to artistic excellence and community engagement rather than traditional public concert presentation.”

The Balourdet Quartet — Angela Bae, violin; Justin DeFilippis, violin; Benjamin Zannoni, viola, and Russell Houston, cello — is currently the Graduate Quartet in Residence at the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. In 2024, it received an Avery Fisher Career Grant and Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award. “We’re honored to be the inaugural ensemble for Seattle Chamber Music Society’s new String Quartet in Residence program,” said Bae. “We look forward to an exciting 2025–26 season of performances and meaningful involvement in SCMS’s education and community outreach across King County.”

©Stephen Barton

During the residency, SCMS and the Balourdet Quartet will launch community partnerships and travel to schools in King County to present outreach events. The group will present Azure Concerts — free and engaging performances tailored to children and young adults who are on the autism spectrum; mentor and coach students from the SCMS Youth Academy; and perform in the Living Room Concert Series, at the Crescendo Concert series in private homes, and as part of the SCMS Signature Series, alongside Artistic Director James Ehnes and other SCMS musicians. During the residency, the Balourdet Quartet members will live in housing provided by Skyline Seattle, the cosmopolitan retirement community in downtown Seattle.

The members of the Quartet will participate in a media event on May 20 at the Center for Chamber Music, to announce the start of the residency later in the year. The event consists of a short performance by the Quartet, followed by lunch and a Q&A session. 

The residency is sponsored by Heidi Charleson, a long-time and steadfast supporter of Seattle Chamber Music Society. The program is inspired by the taxpayer-funded program, Doors Open, a cultural access initiative by King County that aims to make the arts, science and heritage accessible for all residents. It is also made possible by housing support from Skyline Seattle.

“For nearly two decades, arts and local government leaders championed a vision of expanding cultural access for exactly this purpose — to create opportunities for all King County residents to explore, find joy, and forge connections through the arts, sciences, and heritage,” said King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, a key architect of the Doors Open cultural access levy. “I am delighted that our efforts are already showing a positive impact, bringing world-class performers like the Balourdet Quartet to King County and making their artistry accessible to audiences throughout our County. This residency perfectly exemplifies what the Doors Open initiative was designed to achieve.”

For more information, including updates on all upcoming SCMS performances by the Balourdet Quartet, please visit seattlechambermusic.org.

For more information about the Balourdet Quartet, please visit balourdetquartet.com.

©Nielsen Competition

About Seattle Chamber Music Society

The mission of the Seattle Chamber Music Society is to cultivate a deep appreciation for chamber music by presenting exceptional performances in welcoming and accessible formats. Through education, community engagement, and a commitment to excellence, SCMS seeks to position chamber music as a central cultural force, both locally and globally, while ensuring its enduring relevance and sustainability. 

Each year, SCMS presents a Winter Festival in January and a Summer Festival in July at the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall, bringing the world’s finest classical musicians to the stage. These intimate chamber music performances captivate both seasoned enthusiasts and newcomers alike. In addition to its renowned festivals, SCMS offers an expanded year-round lineup, including the new Signature Series, Crescendo Concerts in Seattle’s most stunning homes, and Concerts at the Center for Chamber Music, providing unparalleled access to extraordinary musical experiences. 

SCMS also enriches the community through dynamic engagement programs designed for audiences of all ages. From inspiring young learners in elementary schools to enriching lives in retirement communities, and from performances in hospitals and parks to concerts on wheels, SCMS remains steadfast in its mission to bring world-class chamber music to every corner of our community.

About the Balourdet Quartet

The Balourdet Quartet is acclaimed for their vibrant energy and masterful blend of technical precision and emotional depth that brings a fresh perspective to both beloved classics and modern compositions. Its unique closeness and willingness to take creative risks earned it the 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant, as well as Chamber Music America’s 2024 Cleveland Quartet Award. With more than 70 concerts per season, recent highlights include the Balourdet’s debuts at Carnegie and Wigmore Halls, and new string quartets by composers Karim Al-Zand, Paul Novak, and Nicky Sohn through grants from Chamber Music America (2021) and the Barlow Foundation (2023). They are graduates from the New England Conservatory’s Professional String Quartet Program.

"Curiosity is at the core of human nature" — Roberto Díaz’s life lessons on The Strad

Roberto Díaz is an American–Chilean violist of international reputation and the president and CEO of the Curtis Institute of Music. He discusses the importance of technique and curiosity in the latest issue of The Strad.

“Curiosity is at the core of human nature. I would find it impossible to name one great artist, scientist or engineer who didn’t have a healthy sense of curiosity,” he says. “We often speak to young musicians about the importance of keeping their minds open to opportunities and experiences that may not immediately seem to pay off, or might appear to have very little to do with what they want. I strongly recommend that young players stay open-minded, because you never know.”

Photo by Charles Grove

Read the full piece HERE.

Seattle Chamber Music Society Announces Tasting Notes 2

Live music and cooking demonstrations from Seattle’s best chefs and the world’s best classical musicians returns for second edition

James Ehnes and J. Kenji López-Alt (photo credit: Chona Kasinger)

Seattle, May 5, 2025 — Seattle Chamber Music Society, a cornerstone of the American classical music scene since 1982, is excited to announce that Tasting Notes 2, a one-night-only live music and cooking event, is returning by popular demand this year on July 25 for its second edition. Tasting Notes 2 is created and hosted by J. Kenji López-Alt, a chef, food writer for the New York Times and Serious Eats and a best-selling author, and co-hosted by James Ehnes, the Artistic Director of SCMS. The fundraising event will take place in the Taper Auditorium at Benaroya Hall; it is part of SCMS’s 2025 Summer Festival — the World’s Largest Chamber Music Party — a five-week celebration of chamber music from June 20 to August 1. Tickets to Tasting Notes 2 will be available at seattlechambermusic.org starting today.

“When I moved to Seattle and connected with friends at the Seattle Chamber Music Society and started attending their concerts and sight-reading parties, not only did I find my outlet, I also found a new passion project,” says López-Alt, who is also the creator and host of the popular YouTube channel Kenji’s Cooking Show, and a trained violinist. That passion project was to “create a live stage event that would explore the parallels between music and food, and demonstrate them in a tangible and even tasteable way.” It led to the creation of Tasting Notes, which first took place in 2024.

Some of Seattle’s finest chefs are participating: Kelly Van Arsdale of Spinnaker Chocolate and Kevin Smith of Beast and Cleaver will return to the stage from last year. New to the second edition are Renee Erickson, the James Beard Award-winning restaurateur; and Lee Kindell of MOTO Pizza. They will join world-class musicians James Ehnes, Tessa Lark, Adam Nieman, Jun Iwasaki, Joan DerHovsepian, Bion Tsang and Brant Taylor for a live experience that brings together these two delectable art forms.

(photo credit: Chona Kasinger)

The theme of Tasting Notes 2 is the process of designing an experience from the small-scale — a single dish or piece of music — to the grand, such as an entire front- and back-of-the-house restaurant experience and a full music festival. The demonstrations and conversations include both the artistic aspects and the mechanical and logistical details required to bring these projects to fruition. Guests are treated to live cooking demonstrations alongside the live music performances; each chef performs a silent demonstration of one of their signature dishes or techniques, with accompaniment from a thematically linked piece selected by Ehnes. This year the program includes selections by Brahms, Mozart, Dvořák, and Moritz Moszkowski, among others. In between each movement/course, the chef and one of the musicians leads a guided conversation, hosted by López-Alt and Ehnes, exploring one specific aspect of the relationship between food and music.

All attendees this year will join in a Spinnaker Chocolate experience and a MOTO Pizza after-party in the lobby. For VIP ticket holders there will be an exclusive reception with tasting menus, Gård Vintners wine pairings, and artist meet-and-greets.

Tasting Notes is sponsored by Skyline Seattle, James A. Penney, and Lauraleigh Young. 

For more information and updates, please visit seattlechambermusic.org.  

Tasting Notes 2 Guest Chefs:

• Renee Erickson: chef and proprietor of Sea Creatures, which operates many Seattle restaurants that focus on Pacific Northwest seafood, including The Walrus & The Carpenter, The Whale Wins, Bateau, and Boat Bar. She is also a painter and the author of several cookbooks.

• Lee Kindell: founder of MOTO Pizza, which makes delicious Detroit-style pizza with a variety of innovative toppings. Kindell has expanded his business to serve thousands of guests a day at his restaurants, at T-Mobile Park, and at a soon-to-be-launched catering operation.

• Kelly Van Arsdale: co-founder of Spinnaker Chocolate, the Award-winning chocolatier that makes some of the best chocolate in Seattle produced from the finest cacao in the world.

• Kevin Smith: chef, proprietor, and head butcher at Beast and Cleaver. He makes an excellent pâté en croûte and is also a former painter.

Seattle Chamber Music Society presents: Tasting Notes 2

• July 25, at 7 p.m.

• Taper Auditorium at Benaroya Hall, Seattle

(photo credit: Chona Kasinger)

About Seattle Chamber Music Society

The mission of the Seattle Chamber Music Society is to cultivate a deep appreciation for chamber music by presenting exceptional performances in welcoming and accessible formats. Through education, community engagement, and a commitment to excellence, SCMS seeks to position chamber music as a central cultural force, both locally and globally, while ensuring its enduring relevance and sustainability. 

Each year, SCMS presents a Winter Festival in January and a Summer Festival in July at the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall, bringing the world’s finest classical musicians to the stage. These intimate chamber music performances captivate both seasoned enthusiasts and newcomers alike. In addition to its renowned festivals, SCMS offers an expanded year-round lineup, including the new Signature Series, Crescendo Concerts in Seattle’s most stunning homes, and Concerts at the Center for Chamber Music, providing unparalleled access to extraordinary musical experiences. 

SCMS also enriches the community through dynamic engagement programs designed for audiences of all ages. From inspiring young learners in elementary schools to enriching lives in retirement communities, and from performances in hospitals and parks to concerts on wheels, SCMS remains steadfast in its mission to bring world-class chamber music to every corner of our community.

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Media contact:
Matt Herman, Managing Director
8VA Music Consultancy
matt@8vamusicconsultancy.com