>
NEXT IN THIS TOPIC

All material found in the Press Releases section is provided by parties entirely independent of Musical America, which is not responsible for content.

Press Releases

Kaufman Music Center announces 2023-24 Season at Merkin Hall

September 19, 2023 | By Tru Pierone
Publicity & Marketing Account Manager

Themed “Listen Different,” this season explores diverse and innovative artists through programming for audiences of all ages within the intimate space of Merkin Hall

Featured Artists include this year’s Artists-In-Residence, A Far Cry, Angélica Negrón, and Nicholas Phan, as well as performances and curated concerts by Nathalie Joachim, Isabel Hagen, Conrad Tao, Adam Tendler & Conor Hanick, Jeremy Denk, Awadagin Pratt, David Krakauer, and Time For Three

For immediate release — New York, NY – Kaufman Music Center announces the programming for its 2023-2024 season, returning with concerts, educational programs, and events as part of their signature series presented at Kaufman’s intimate performance venue, Merkin Hall. This season’s theme, “Listen Different,” spotlights the unique and transformative performance experiences offered by Kaufman Music Center: Audiences experience a direct connection with artists in a welcoming space and come away with a deeper understanding of the music and the creative process.

Featured artists of the season include Artists-In-Residence A Far Cry, Angélica Negrón, and Nicholas Phan as well as Conrad TaoIsabel Hagen, Adam Tendler & Conor Hanick, Pamela Z, Jeremy Denk, VOCES8, Chanticleer, Awadagin Pratt, Magdalena Kuzma, David Krakauer, Time For Three, Vision Duo & Chromic Duo, and much more. 

Said Kaufman Music Center Executive Director Kate Sheeran: “The new season features an extraordinary group of trailblazing, world-renowned artists who are shaping the future of music and inspiring the next generation. I invite you to come share an unparalleled performance experience with us – a different kind of concert where there’s no barrier between performers and audiences, and artists connect directly with our audiences and students across genres and generations.”

 

2023-2024 Season Overview

Kaufman Music Center recently announced the 2023-24 Artists-in-Residence, who will perform and participate in educational programs with Kaufman’s students: the self-conducted orchestra A Far Cry, composer and multi-instrumentalist Angélica Negrón, and Grammy-nominated tenor and educator Nicholas Phan. Throughout the season, they will participate in performances, masterclasses, and other dynamic learning experiences with students across Kaufman’s programs.

Kaufman’s new Artist As Curator series will feature programs curated by some of today’s most groundbreaking classical artists, including Quince Ensemble, Angélica Negrón, The Living Earth Show, Nathalie Joachim, Isabel Hagen, and Conrad Tao. Artists performing in the series include Charles Yang, Peter Dugan, Danny Clay, Pamela Z, Distractfold, D-Composed, and more.

Piano Dialogues returns with up-close-and-personal performances by acclaimed pianists Adam Tendler & Conor Hanick, Jeremy Denk, Awadagin Pratt, Sara Davis Buechner, and Einav Yarden.

Kaufman’s Great Vocalists series will spotlight two internationally acclaimed vocal ensembles, VOCES8 and Chanticleer, as well as artist-in-residence Nicholas Phan giving the world premiere of a new work by Vivian Fung.

Co-presented with Montclair State University’s John J. Cali School of Music, the Bridges series continues to present acclaimed performers alongside Kaufman’s students, with concerts by clarinetist David Krakauer, pianist Kathleen Tagg, and Time For Three that will feature young performers from Kaufman Music Center and the John J. Cali School of Music.

Kaufman Music Center and Concert Artists Guild will co-present Musicians on the Rise, a series featuring award-winning young classical musicians Galvin Cello Quartet, Vision Duo & Chromic Duo, and pianist Ariel Lanyi. The series explores the musicians’ own practices and inspirations while creating unexpected concert experiences for audiences. Other co-presented performances will include the New York Festival of Song and the 25th season of the New York Guitar Festival.

Broadway Close Up explores the lives and work of musical theater’s most notable figures with host Sean Hartley. This season, audiences will explore the prestigious BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop with Frozen creators Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, and much more. Hartley will also host Broadway Playhouse with family-friendly events that introduce children to the great writers of American musical theater.

What Makes It Great? Host Rob Kapilow will explore great musical masterpieces from a range of genres and eras alongside artists Nicholas Phan, Maxim Lando, the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Band & Orchestra, and more. This season will celebrate the Swing Era, Beethoven, Mussorgsky, Nadia and Lili Boulanger, and songs by Simon & Garfunkel.

Tuesday Matinees performances highlighting the new stars of classical music will feature the Terra String Quartet, soprano Magdelena Kuzma, violinist SooBeen Lee, and more.

Kaufman will continue to feature the next generation of classical performers at concerts spotlighting highly accomplished young musicians from Special Music School and Lucy Moses School in performances including the 2024 Kaufman Music Center Concerto Competition Winner’s ConcertContemporary Music Festival, and more, as well as public masterclasses with Carol Wincenc, Jeremy Denk, Awadagin Pratt, A Far Cry, and Nicholas Phan

 
 

Fall Events

September 28, 2023 | Thursday at 8:00 pm 
Kaufman Music Center & NYFOS co-present 
New York Festival of Song: Perennials – Songs for Every Season 
Co-created and co-hosted by pianists Steven Blier and Peter Dugan 

October 3, 2023 | Tuesday at 2 pm 
Tuesday Matinees 
Terra String Quartet
Works by Caroline Shaw, L.V. Beethoven and Felix Mendelssohn

October 10, 2023 | Tuesday at 7:30 pm
Great Vocalists
VOCES8
The Art of Expression: Music of the Renaissance

October 11, 2023 | Wednesday at 7:30 pm
Great Vocalists
VOCES8
20 Songs from 20 Years

October 12, 2023 | Thursday at 7:30 pm
Piano Dialogues
Einav Yarden: Lineage
Works by J.S. Bach  and C.P.E Bach

October 16, 2023 | Monday at 7:30 pm
What Makes It Great?
Swing! The Great Big Bands of the Swing Era
Host Rob Kapilow with the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Band & Orchestra

October 20, 2023 | Friday at 7:30 pm
Musicians on the Rise
Galvin Cello Quartet
Works by Antonio Vivaldi, Zhou Tian, Gabriela Lena Frank and more

October 23, 2023 | Monday at 7:30 pm
Broadway Close Up
Jukebox: The Musical
Hosted by Sean Hartley

October 26, 2023 | Thursday at 7:30 pm
Artist As Curator
Quince Ensemble with Paul Pinto and Annika K. Socolofsky
Curated by the contemporary treble quartet Quince Ensemble, which teams up with two acclaimed composer-vocalists to bring modern perspectives to traditional vocal genres.

November 1, 2023 | Wednesday at 7:30 pm
Kaufman Music Center & International Contemporary Ensemble present
Two World Premieres: Courtney Bryan and Adegoke Steve Colson

November 2, 2023 | Thursday at 1:00 pm
Masterclass
Carol Wincenc, flute

November 4, 2023 | Saturday at 7:30 pm
Bridges
David Krakauer, clarinet with Kathleen Tagg, piano
Klezmer favorites plus works by Krakauer & Tagg and Osvaldo Golijov

November 13, 2023 | Monday at 7:30 pm
Broadway Close Up
Party at the Princes’
Hosted by Sean Hartley; Songs by Hal Prince

November 14, 2023 | Tuesday at 2 pm
Tuesday Matinees
Charles Overton, harp & Anthony Triofono, flute
Works by Claude Debussy, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Astor Piazzolla and more

November 28, 2023 | Tuesday at 7:30 pm
Piano Dialogues
Adam Tendler & Conor Hanick
Works by Julius Eastman and Steve Martland

December 4, 2023 | Monday at 7:30 pm
Broadway Close Up
The Writers’ Room: How the BMI Workshop Changed Broadway
Host Sean Hartley with Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Bobby Lopez, Bryan Yorkey & Tom Kitt and Amanda Green

December 5, 2023 | Tuesday at 8:00 pm
Kaufman Music Center & NYFOS co-present
New York Festival of Song: Gracias a la Vida

December 6, 2023 | Wednesday at 1:00 pm
Masterclass
Jeremy Denk, piano

December 7, 2023 | Thursday at 7:30 pm
Piano Dialogues
Jeremy Denk
Works by Missy Mazzoli, Phyllis Chen and Fanny Mendelssohn

December 11, 2023 | Monday at 7:30 pm
What Makes It Great?
Nadia and Lili Boulanger & the Boulangerie
Host Rob Kapilow with Nicholas Phan, tenor & Maxim Lando, piano

December 12, 2023 | Tuesday at 2 pm
Tuesday Matinees
Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective
Works by Florence Price, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Giacomo Puccini and more

 
 

Winter Events

January 16, 2024 | Tuesday at 2 pm
Tuesday Matinees
Elia Cecino, piano
Works by Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Patrice Sciortino and Sergei Prokofiev

January 18, 2024 | Thursday at 7:30 pm
Artist As Curator
Angélica Negrón & Sophie Parker
Curated by composer and multi-instrumentalist Angélica Negrón, who will premiere new music on playable sculptures designed with Parker

January 23, 2024 | Tuesday at 7:30 pm
Musicians on the Rise
Vision Duo & Chromic Duo
The violin-percussion and multimedia duos explore our experience with time through Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time plus new works

February 6, 2024 | Tuesday at 2 pm
Tuesday Matinees
Magdalena Kuzma, soprano
Works by Tom Cipullo, Samuel Barber, Henri Duparc and Sergei Rachmaninoff

February 8, 2024 | Thursday at 7:30 pm
Artist As Curator
The Living Earth Show: Music for Hard Times
Curated by the guitar-percussion duo The Living Earth Show, which will premiere the live version of their experimental album

February 11, 2024 | Sunday at 11:00 am
Broadway Playhouse
Comden & Green
Family concert introducing children to the great writers of American musical theater

February 11, 2024 | Sunday at 5:30 pm
Student Sounds
2024 Kaufman Music Center Concerto Competition Winners’ Concert
Featuring outstanding young musicians from Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School and Lucy Moses School

February 15, 2024 | Thursday at 1:00 pm
Masterclass
Awadagin Pratt, piano

February 16, 2024 | Friday at 7:30 pm
Piano Dialogues
Awadagin Pratt

February 21, 2024 | Wednesday at 8:00 pm
Kaufman Music Center & NYFOS co-present
New York Festival of Song: All Together Now
A collaboration with Young Concert Artists

February 26, 2024 | Monday at 7:30 pm
What Makes It Great?
Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition
Host Rob Kapilow with Adam Golka, piano

March 2, 2024 | Saturday at 7:30 pm
At Odds: The Concerto Grosso with A Far Cry
The self-conducted orchestra performs music by Ernst Bloch plus NYC premieres by Jungyoon Wie, and Errollyn Wallen

March 3, 2024 | Sunday at 11:00 am
Broadway Playhouse
Jerry Herman
Family concert introducing children to the great writers of American musical theater.

March 3, 2024 | Sunday (time TBD)
Artists-In-Residence
Listening Lab Sessions: An Interactive Concert Experience with A Far Cry

March 3, 2024 | Sunday at 1:00 pm
Artists-In-Residence Masterclass
A Far Cry

March 5, 2024 | Tuesday at 7:30 pm
Musicians on the Rise
Ariel Lanyi, piano
Works by Frédéric Chopin, Lera Auerbach and L.V. Beethoven

March 7, 2024 | Thursday at 7:30 pm
Bridges
Time For Three
The 2023 Grammy-winning trio stands at the busy intersection of Americana, modern pop and classical music

March 10, 2024 | Sunday at 4:30 pm
Student Sounds
Kaufman Music Center Contemporary Music Festival
Featuring outstanding young musicians from Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School and Lucy Moses School

March 11, 2024 | Monday at 1:00 pm
Artists-In-Residence Masterclass
Nicholas Phan, tenor

March 12, 2024 | Tuesday at 2 pm
Student Sounds
Henry Schneider Young Artists Concert
Featuring outstanding young musicians from Kaufman Music Center’s Lucy Moses School

March 14, 2024 | Thursday at 8:00 pm
Kaufman Music Center & World Music Institute co-present
Israel Fernández & Diego del Morao
Celebrated flamenco performers

March 19, 2024 | Tuesday at 8:00 pm
Kaufman Music Center & NYFOS co-present
New York Festival of Song: Eros and Co.

 

Spring Events

March 24, 2024 | Sunday at 11:00 am
Broadway Playhouse
How to Write a Musical
Family concert introducing children to the great writers of American musical theater

April 4, 2024 | Thursday at 7:30 pm
Artist As Curator
Pamela Z & D-Composed
Curated by Nathalie Joachim: Composer and media artist Pamela Z and chamber collective D-Composed perform music by Pamela Z and Joachim

April 8, 2024 | Monday at 7:30 pm
What Makes It Great?
Beethoven’s Violin Concerto
Host Rob Kapilow with Ariel Horowitz, violin & Manhattan School of Music Sinfonia

April 9, 2024 | Tuesday at 2 pm
Tuesday Matinees
Clayton Stephenson, piano
Works by Claude Debussy, Franz Schubert, L.V. Beethoven and Igor Stravinsky

April 14, 2024 | Sunday at 4:30 pm
Student Sounds
Kaufman Music Center Composer Festival
Featuring outstanding young musicians from Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School and Lucy Moses School

April 18, 2024 | Thursday at 7:30 pm
Great Vocalists
Chanticleer
The Grammy-winning male chorus performs a wide range of repertoire

April 25, 2024 | Thursday at 7:30 pm
Piano Dialogues
Sara Davis Buechner: The Wolf-Tempered Klavier
U.S. premiere of selections from Peter Wolf's 24 character pieces

May 2, 2024 | Thursday at 7:30 pm
Artist As Curator
Chamber Music & Comedy with Isabel Hagen, Charles Young & Peter Dugan
Curated by Isabel Hagen

May 12, 2024 | Sunday at 6:30 pm
Student Sounds
Kaufman Music Center ChamberFest
Featuring outstanding young musicians from Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School and Lucy Moses School

May 14, 2024 | Tuesday at 2 pm
Tuesday Matinees
SooBeen Lee, violin
Works by Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms and Richard Strauss

May 20, 2024 | Monday at 7:30 pm
What Makes It Great?
Simon & Garfunkel
Featuring vocalists Michael Winther and Clarke Thorell

May 23, 2024 | Thursday at 12:30 pm
Student Sounds
Special Music School High School Showcase
Featuring outstanding young musicians from Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School

May 23, 2024 | Thursday at 7:30 pm
Artist As Curator
Distractfold with Conrad Tao
Curated by Conrad Tao
Tao and the new-music collective perform works by Jürg Frey, Hanna Hartman, Andrew Greenwald and Mauricio Pauly

May 29, 2024 | Wednesday at 7:30 pm
Face the Music Season Finale
Featuring outstanding young musicians from Kaufman Music Center’s teen new music program

May 30, 2024 | Thursday at 7:30 pm
Artists-In-Residence
Nicholas Phan with Jasper String Quartet & Myra Huang
Featuring the world premiere of a Kaufman Music Center co-commissioned work by Vivian Fung addressing climate change

June 9, 2024 | Sunday at 1:o0 pm
Student Sounds
Special Music School High School Concerto Competition Winners’ Concert
Featuring outstanding young musicians from Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School

June 14 & 15, 2024 | Friday & Saturday, Times TBA
Kaufman Music Center, World Music Institute & New York Guitar Festival co-presents
New York Guitar Festival

June 28, 2024 | Friday at 2:o0 pm
Student Sounds
2024 Kaufman Music Center International Youth Piano Competition Winners’ Concert

 

Relevant Links

Website
Website
Facebook
Facebook
Twitter
Twitter
Instagram
Instagram
 
 
 

RENT A PHOTO

Search Musical America's archive of photos from 1900-1992.

 

»BROWSE & SEARCH ARCHIVE