Friends of Music Concerts’ ‘Masters and Trailblazers’ season showcases chamber music collaborations

NEWS RELEASE    

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                              Contact: Susan R. Harris, president

July 30, 2025                                                          (914) 329-7318

Email: [email protected]

SLEEPY HOLLOW, NY – Friends of Music Concerts’ 2025-26 season, presenting the finest in classical chamber music, will feature masters of the repertoire such as Brahms and Dvořák and 20th-century trailblazers such as Joaquin Turina and Astor Piazzola. The performers range from groups with decades-long careers to young musicians looking at brilliant futures.  

“All seven concerts in our 72^nd season illustrate the essence of our beloved art form – supremely skilled players creating a musical conversation,” said FOMC President Susan Harris.

Performances are scheduled to take place at Sleepy Hollow High School’s Kusel Auditorium, 210 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. and audience members are invited to a reception after each concert to mingle and meet the artists.

Here is the season lineup:

Jeremy Denk, piano, and the Isidore Quartet, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, 7:30 p.m. Denk opened FOMC’s 22-23 season and the Isidore closed the 23-24 season, both to great acclaim from audiences. FOMC is bringing them back together. Denk is one of America’s foremost pianists, a bestselling author and recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. The Isidore Quartet received a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant and won the Banff International String Quartet competition in 2022. This concert is sponsored, in part, by White and Williams LLP.

The rest of the 2025-26 season will take place on Sunday afternoons.

The Pacifica Quartet with Sharon Isbin, guitar, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, 3 p.m. With a career spanning three decades, the multiple Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet has achieved international recognition as one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today. Acclaimed for her extraordinary lyricism, technique and versatility, Sharon Isbin – also a multiple Grammy Award winner – in 2023 was inducted into the Guitar Foundation of America Hall of Fame.

The Tesla Quartet, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, 3:00 p.m. Inspired by the creative example of scientist and visionary Nikola Tesla, the Tesla Quartet’s emotive and thoughtful interpretations reveal their deep commitment to the craft and to their ever-expanding repertoire, from contemporary works to established masterpieces. They possess “superb capacity to find the inner heart of everything they play, regardless of era, style, or technical demand,” according to The International Review of Music.

The Chien-Kim-Watkins Trio, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, 3:00 p.m. The trio comprises three of classical music’s most highly esteemed artists: pianist Gloria Chien, violinist Soovin Kim, and cellist Paul Watkins, formerly of the acclaimed Emerson Quartet. They have been performing together since 2019 and presented Beethoven’s groundbreaking Piano Trio cycle at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival in 2022.

Calidore String Quartet, Sunday, March 22, 2026, 3:00 p.m. They are recognized as foremost interpreters of a vast repertoire, building on more than a decade of performances and residencies in the world’s most esteemed venues and festivals. They have released numerous critically acclaimed recordings and received significant awards, including the Avery Fisher Career Grant. This concert is sponsored, in part, by the Raymond Han and Paul Kellogg Foundation.

Benett Tsai, cello, and Noreen Polera, piano, Sunday, April 12, 2026, 3:00 p.m. Tsai appears as a recipient of the Friends of Music Concerts YCA Performance Award and in 2023 won the Susan Wadsworth International Auditions in New York. Born in Australia, Tsai made his debut at the age of 13 and has performed as a soloist with orchestras in Germany and Australia. Polera has appeared at Caramoor and her mastery of the cello-piano repertory is widely known.

Stefan Jackiw, violin and Kevin Ahfat, piano, Sunday, April 26, 2026, 3:00 p.m. One of America’s foremost violinists, Jackiw captivates audiences with playing that combines poetry and purity with an impeccable technique. He recently performed Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto with the New York Philharmonic. His piano collaborator, Kevin Ahfat, is also director of OPUS Chamber Music in Toronto.

Subscriptions and tickets

Subscribers enjoy a significant discount from the single ticket price. A full-season subscription is available for $210 ($30/ticket). A FlexSub subscription of four or more admissions is $35 per admission, each usable once as a ticket to any concert. Single tickets are $40 each. Those 18 years of age and under are admitted free of charge. Go to www.friendsofmusicconcerts.org to purchase. Email [email protected] with any questions.

Friends of Music history

Founded in 1954, Friends of Music Concerts’ first concert featured the young Juilliard String Quartet. Since then, FOMC has brought to Westchester chamber music groups of world renown, accomplished soloists and developing artists. FOMC’s mission has always maintained a special focus on keeping musical experiences affordable and building audiences of the future.

Its Partnerships In Education Program sponsors one-day residencies of young professional musicians providing master classes at several Westchester County public schools.

Its Susan R. Harris Scholarship Fund supports students with financial challenges at two of Westchester County’s top music schools – Hoff-Barthelson and Music Conservatory of Westchester.

FOMC is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible.

Friends of Music Concerts, Inc. | P.O. Box 675 | Millwood, NY 10546 Tel (914) 861-5080 | www.friendsofmusicconcerts.org