April 6: American Recital Debut Award Presents Cellist Rainer Crosett in Carnegie Hall Recital

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Katy Salomon | Primo Artists | VP, Public Relations 
katy@primoartists.com | 646.801.9406  

---

  

The American Recital Debut Award Presents 
Cellist Rainer Crosett in Carnegie Hall Recital 
with Pianist Victor Santiago Asunción

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall 
Monday, April 6, 2026, at 7:30pm

Featuring Works by Beethoven, Reinaldo Moya, 
Shostakovich, and César Franck

“Astonishingly skillful and characterful playing” – Seen and Heard International

www.rainercrosett.com

filammusic.foundation/the-american-recital-debut-award

New York, NY (February 11, 2026) – Hailed as “sensational” and for playing with “total commitment and conviction” (Seen & Heard International), cellist Rainer Crosett makes his recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall on Monday, April 6, 2026, at 7:30pm in a program celebrating his receipt of the American Recital Debut Award. 

Speaking about the award, Crosett shared, “I am deeply honored to be a recipient of the American Recital Debut Award and to present a program of repertoire that has shaped my artistic identity, together with brilliant pianist Victor Asunción.” The program opens with Beethoven’s Seven Variations on “Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen” from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, a favorite of Rainer’s for “its inventive dialogue between cello and piano.”

The recital continues with Guayoyo Sketches by Reinaldo Moya. Reflecting on the piece, Crosett explained, “I am especially excited to perform Reinaldo Moya’s Guayoyo Sketches, an exhilarating solo cello work written in 2021 for Alisa Weilerstein. Collaborating with living composers is one of the most meaningful aspects of my career, and Reinaldo, a friend and composer I greatly admire, has crafted a colorful piece that captures the essence of Venezuelan coffee culture.”

The first half of the program concludes with Shostakovich’s Cello Sonata, composed during a period of personal and political turmoil just before the state condemnation of his opera, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. 

Following intermission, the second half of the recital is devoted to César Franck’s monumental Sonata in A Major, performed in Jules Delsart’s transcription for cello and piano. Of the work, Crosett noted that it is a piece “that epitomizes the versatility and vocal richness of the instrument, and one that first made me fall in love with the cello.”

Established in 2023 by pianist and artistic administrator Victor Santiago Asunción in honor of the late cellist Lynn Harrell, the American Recital Debut Award supports exceptional emerging classical musicians who demonstrate strong potential for a performance career, providing them with a concert at a venue of international renown, professional mentorship from an illustrious artistic advisory board – comprising GRAMMY® Award-winning cellist Zuill Bailey, cellist, founder and artistic director of The Piatigorsky Foundation, Evan Drachman; award-winning soprano Margarita Gomez Giannelli, and Victor Santiago Asunción – and concert engagements over three consecutive seasons. 

The awardees are selected by Asunción in conjunction with a group of distinguished musicians led by Zuill Bailey. Those recognized must demonstrate the ability to sustain a career that can adapt to the ever-changing landscape of the performing arts and exhibit the capacity to cultivate an audience across both live and online platforms, as well as a level of accessibility that transcends traditional boundaries to reach broader audiences. A longtime chamber music partner of Harrell’s, Asunción created the award as a way to give back and honor the opportunities and mentorship he received through their collaboration.

Rainer Crosett is one of two 2025 recipients of the award recognized for their outstanding accomplishments and strong potential as emerging classical musicians. Crosett made his Wigmore Hall debut as the first American to win the Pierre Fournier Award and gave his concerto debut in 2023 with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. A dedicated advocate for contemporary music, he has collaborated with leading composers such as Jörg Widmann, Chaya Czernowin, and Lei Liang. He has also recently commissioned new chamber works from composers including Eun Young Lee, William Cooper, and Reinaldo Moya.

Program Information
The American Recital Debut Award Presents Rainer Crosett and Victor Santiago Asunción
Monday, April 6, 2025, at 7:30pm
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York City
Link: www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2026/04/06/Rainer-Crosett-Cello-Victor-Santiago-Asuncion-Piano-0730PM 

Program

Beethoven – Seven Variations on “Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen” after Mozart’s The Magic Flute

Reinaldo Moya – Guayoyo Sketches

Shostakovich – Cello Sonata

Franck – Violin Sonata (transcr. for cello by Delsart)

Rainer Crosett, Cello

Victor Santiago Asuncion, Piano

More About Rainer Crosett

Cellist Rainer Crosett has established himself as an artist of uncommon sensitivity and creativity. Winner of the 2018 Pierre Fournier Award in London, he made his recital debut at Wigmore Hall and concerto debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. Recently named a recipient of the 2025 American Recital Debut Award, he will make his Carnegie Hall recital debut in Spring 2026.

Recent concert highlights include recitals at Bridgewater Hall (Manchester), Oxford May Music, the International Cello Institute (Minnesota), the Romsey Chamber Music Festival (UK), the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts (Chicago), and the Roman River Festival (UK). As a chamber musician, he has appeared at the Rheingau Musik Festival, Prussia Cove, Yellow Barn, Ravinia, Éole en Musiques, Presteigne Festival, Zürich Chamber Music Society, Music@Menlo, and La Jolla SummerFest, collaborating with artists such as Robert Levin, the Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, the Parker Quartet, Anthony Marwood, Donald and Vivian Weilerstein, and Kim Kashkashian.

Rainer is also co-founder of Tonhain Kollektiv, a Berlin-based chamber music society acclaimed for its innovative programming, which made its Elbphilharmonie Hamburg debut in 2025. 

A passionate educator, he has given masterclasses at the Royal Academy of Music (London), the International Cello Institute, the University of California–Irvine, the Romsey Chamber Music Festival, and Amsterdam’s HearAndNow Festival. He also appears regularly as guest principal cellist with Amsterdam Sinfonietta and the Oslo Philharmonic. Learn more at www.rainercrosett.com/

About Victor Santiago Asunción

Hailed by The Washington Post for his "poised and imaginative playing," Filipino-American pianist Victor Santiago Asunción has appeared in concert halls in Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, Turkey and the USA, as a recitalist and concerto soloist.

A chamber music enthusiast, he has performed with artists such as Lynn Harrell, Zuill Bailey, Antonio Meneses, Joshua Roman, Giora Schmidt, the Dover, Emerson, and Vega String Quartets. He was on the chamber music faculty of the Aspen Music Festival, and the Garth Newel Summer Music Festival. He was also the pianist for the Garth Newel Piano Quartet for three seasons. Festival appearances include the Amelia Island, Highland-Cashiers, Music in the Vineyards, and Santa Fe.

His recordings include the complete Sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven for Piano and Cello, Sonatas by Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff with cellist Joseph Johnson, the Rachmaninoff Sonata with the cellist Evan Drachman, and the Chopin and Grieg Sonatas, also with cellist Evan Drachman. He is featured in the award-winning recording Songs My Father Taught Me with Lynn Harrell, produced by Louise Frank and WFMT-Chicago. Mr. Asunción is the Founder, Artistic Director, and Board Director of FilAm Music Foundation, a non-profit foundation that is dedicated to promoting Filipino classical musicians through scholarship and performance. Victor Santiago Asunción is a Steinway Artist. Learn more at www.victorsantiagoasuncion.com.

*Photo Credit: Clara Evens

# # #