Rafal Blechacz will make his first visit to
the College this year as part of the 41st
International Festival of Chamber Music.
The 41st International Festival of Chamber Music presents leading artists and ensembles in 14 concerts this year at its home in Memorial Chapel. The series offers another impressive lineup of artists welcoming some audience favorites with exciting newcomers making their debut. Those premiering include:
Rafal Blechacz: This Polish pianist won the 2005 Chopin Competition and records exclusively for Deutsche Grammophon.
Bernarda Fink: The legendary mezzo-soprano also appears on this tour at Lincoln Center in New York City and Philadelphia, and with the Chicago and Cleveland orchestras.
Vladimir Feltsman: The émigré pianist famously arrived in this country in 1987 after being suppressed by the Russian regime. He will perform Mussorgsky’s classic Pictures at an Exhibition.
Anthony McGill: The principal clarinetist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, McGill also collaborates regularly with Emanuel Ax, Yo-Yo Ma and Mitsuko Uchida. He played at the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
Stefan Jackiw: The emerging violinist makes his Carnegie Hall debut this season. He has performed with the orchestras of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York and Philadelphia and with other orchestras throughout the world.
Other highlights include return performances by the Belcea and Brentano quartets; pianist Jeremy Denk; violinist Philip Setzer, cellist David Finckel, and pianist Wu Han in a special trio collaboration; Musicians From Marlboro; cellist Sophie Shao and Friends; ECCO (East Coast Chamber Orchestra); and the Boston Camerata. The series will close the season with the Emerson String Quartet in cellist David Finckel’s final performance with the group at Union College.
With the retirement of longtime director Daniel Berkenblit in May, this season marks the first planned by new Artistic Director Derek Delaney. The executive director of the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, he is a former horn player who attended the Juilliard School and Yale School of Music.
Individual concert tickets are $25 per person. The campus community may attend for free.