Westchester Chamber Music Society Presents Grammy Award Winning Ying Quartet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Peter & Jennifer Schlactus, [email protected]

WESTCHESTER CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY PRESENTS 

GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING YING QUARTET 

IN CONCERT – MARCH 15, 2026

Featuring a special performance by a student ensemble from the Hoff-Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale as part of the WCMS Youth Initiative*

RYE, NY (March 2026) — WCMS will welcome the Grammy Award-winning Ying Quartet on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at 4:00 PM at Congregation Emanu-El of Westchester in Rye, New York. The performance launches the second half of WCMS’s 75th anniversary season of bringing world-class chamber music to the community.

The program pairs classical masterworks with contemporary American voices in an afternoon of dynamic and expressive chamber music.

The afternoon’s repertoire includes:

• Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 74, No. 3, Hob. III:75 (“Rider”)
• Billy Childs: String Quartet No. 2 (“Awakening”)
• Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59, No. 2 (“Razumovsky”)

As part of the WCMS Youth Initiative, a student ensemble from Hoff-Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale will open the concert with an excerpt from Haydn’s Trio in G Major, Hob. IV:2 (“London Trio No. 2”). With the audience looking on, the young musicians will then participate in a Mini-Masterclass led by members of the Ying Quartet, underscoring their commitment to mentorship and arts education.

Following the performance, audience members are invited to attend a wine and cheese reception with the artists.

The Ying Quartet, a Grammy Award-winning ensemble, is recognized for its expressive performances and visionary approach to chamber music. For over three decades, they have performed in prestigious concert halls worldwide while also championing the role of music in community life, including performances in schools, workplaces, and prisons. They first rose to prominence as recipients of the NEA’s Rural Residency Grant in Jesup, Iowa, an experience that continues to influence their approach to outreach and education. Their LifeMusic project has commissioned works by Billy Childs, Lera Auerbach, and others to reflect American life. Their recordings include “American Anthem” and a Grammy-nominated set of Tchaikovsky quartets. In collaboration with Zuill Bailey, they have also released reimagined versions of Schumann’s Cello Concerto and Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata. The Ying Quartet serves as quartet-in-residence at the Eastman School of Music and is ensemble-in-residence at the Bowdoin International Music Festival.

Ticket Information

First-time attendees: $20
General admission: $40 online / $45 at the door
Remote viewing (livestream): $30
Students & children: Free

Tickets and information:
www.WestchesterChamberMusicSociety.com or scan our QR code

About the Westchester Chamber Music Society

For 75 years, the Westchester Chamber Music Society has brought Westchester first-rate artists, such as the renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma; the Amerigo Trio with the violinist Glenn Dicterow; the Emerson, Brentano, and Kalichstein ensembles; and award-winning young talent, including the Dover and the Ulysses String Quartets. Our mission is to provide live, world-class chamber-music concerts, support chamber-music performers, and help to sustain the arts community. Each year in Rye, New York, world-class ensembles perform five concerts in an intimate setting with exquisite acoustics. Concerts are in-person and live-streamed simultaneously to remote listeners with a recording available for 48 hours after the actual performance. We welcome you to join us at these special musical events. For further details, please visit our website at www.WestchesterChamberMusicSociety.com

*The WCMS Youth Initiative aims to inspire talented local youth musicians by offering them the opportunity of a lifetime to perform alongside renowned professional chamber music artists. We do this by hosting select youth ensembles to open at our convenient and affordable concerts in Rye, NY, where they can receive maximum support from family, friends, and their school community. The concert will open with the student ensemble performing a brief piece or movement of up to about five (5) minutes followed by a Mini-Masterclass given by members of the featured professional ensemble.