Music in the Park Series: Espressivo!

Overview

Espressivo! brings together four exceptional musicians, dedicated to performing the rich repertoire for the Piano Quartet. This All-Star foursome comes with impeccable credentials: violinist Jaime Laredo—renowned for his refined elegance and deeply insightful performances—wears many hats: as a chamber musician, concerto soloist, and conductor. Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt was a founding member of the Dover Quartet and is one of the most sought-after violists of her generation. Cellist Sharon Robinson is a consummate chamber musician, the winner of the Avery Fisher Recital Award and the Piatigorsky Memorial Award. Pianist Anna Polonsky appears frequently with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and has collaborated with the Guarneri, Shanghai, and Juilliard Quartets, Yo-Yo Ma, and Emanuel Ax. Her last Schubert Club appearance was on the International Artists Series in 2022 with clarinetist Anthony McGill.

The ensemble’s Music in the Park Series program will include a newly commissioned work by the multi-faceted Nokuthula Ngwenyama. Born in California of Zimbabwean Japanese parentage, “Thula” is an award-winning violist and composer whose music has been performed by the Detroit Symphony, London Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and the Toronto Symphony among others.