April 5, 2021

After an extended hiatus due to the pandemic, Chamber Music Sedona is excited to announce that it will present a series of concerts from May 1-8, 2021 as part of its Spring Festival. The concerts will take place at locations throughout Sedona and will celebrate the return of Chamber Music Sedona’s programming with exhilarating performances by world-renowned artists. In order to allow ample space for social distancing, there will be two performances each of the Saturday concerts: at 2 p.m. and again at 5 p.m. on May 1 and 8. Attendees will also be asked to wear masks at all events.

Spring Festival Concert I, “The Return”

On May 1 at the Hilton Hotel, 90 Ridge Trail Dr., Sedona, Ariz. 86351, the first concert of the Spring Festival will highlight the theme of returning with a powerful and moving program of music that spans six countries. A quartet featuring pianists Adam Golka and Michael Brown, violinist Bella Hristova, and cellist (and Chamber Music Sedona Artistic Director) Nick Canellakis will perform works by Beethoven, Dvorak and more.

Adam Golka has been regularly appearing on the concert stage since age 16, when he won first prize at the 2nd China Shanghai International Piano Competition. Since then, his many honors have included the Gilmore Young Artist Award and the Max I. Allen Classical Fellowship Award from the American Pianists Association. Golka has appeared as a soloist alongside numerous symphonies worldwide, in recital at Lincoln Center and other leading venues, and at various music festivals.

A favorite among Sedona audiences, pianist-composer Michael Brown is a winner of the 2018 Emerging Artist Award from Lincoln Center and a 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant. An artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, he regularly performs at Alice Tully Hall and on tour, and as a soloist alongside symphonies nationwide. Brown has been appointed as the Composer and Artist-in-Residence at the New Haven Symphony, and has received numerous commissions from a variety of musicians and orchestras.

Acclaimed for her passionate performances, beautiful sound and compelling command of her instrument, violinist Bella Hristova is a young musician with a growing international career. She has received several prizes and awards, including a 2013 Avery Fisher Career Grant. In addition to performances worldwide, Hristova’s recording “Bella Unaccompanied” (A.W. Tonegold Records) and her Naxos release of de Bériot solo works have received impressive critical acclaim.

Concert II, Fundraiser: The Paul Neubauer Gypsy Band

The next concert of the Spring Festival, a fundraiser for Chamber Music Sedona, will take place at 5 p.m. on May 5 in a private home. Legendary violist Paul Neubauer, joined by a group of acclaimed chamber musicians, will charm and delight audiences with a sizzling program of works by Schulenberg, Valdez and more. Neubauer’s exceptional musicality and effortless playing have led The New York Times to call him “a master musician.” Appointed principal violist of the New York Philharmonic at age 21, he has appeared as soloist with over 100 orchestras worldwide. Neubauer is a two-time Grammy nominee and serves as the Artistic Director of New Jersey’s Mostly Music series, as well as on the faculty of The Juilliard School and Mannes College.

Concert III, “Heart String Masterpieces”

The “Heart String Masterpieces” concert will close out the Spring Festival with grandeur, featuring two of the great romantic works for strings: Mendelssohn’s heartbreaking Quartet in A minor, and Brahms’s symphonic String Quintet no. 2, one of the richest and most satisfying works in the repertoire. Performed by violinist Arnaud Sussmann, violist/violinist Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu, and other names well-known to Chamber Music Sedona audiences, this concert will be held outdoors at The Collective Sedona, 7000 AZ-179, Sedona, Ariz. 86351, at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on May 8.

Winner of a 2009 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Arnaud Sussmann has distinguished himself with his unique sound, bravura, and profound musicianship. A thrilling musician who has captured the attention of classical critics and audiences around the world, Sussmann has performed with many of today’s leading artists.

Heralded by the Seattle Times as “simply marvelous,” Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu is a renowned soloist and chamber musician who has performed at many of the world’s preeminent venues and festivals. Cindy has received several awards, including the Milka Violin Artist Prize from the Curtis Institute of Music and third prize at the International Violin Competition of David Oistrakh. As an educator, she has taught violin, chamber music and string pedagogy at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, and currently serves as Artistic Partner of the Da Camera Society in Los Angeles.

To learn more about the exciting lineup for Chamber Music Sedona’s 2021 Spring Festival and to purchase tickets for the concerts, visit ChamberMusicSedona.org.

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