2026-2027 SEASON
August 1, 2026
Welcome to the 19th Season of Parlance Chamber Concerts!
Join us for a richly varied musical journey across three centuries of chamber music's greatest masterpieces. More than forty of today's most distinguished artists will scale the musical peaks of Mozart, Schubert, Bach, Beethoven, and Dvořák while exploring the beguiling musical byways created by such twentieth-century masters as Bohuslav Martinů, Francis Poulenc, Astor Piazzolla, and Paul Schoenfield.
Whether rediscovering beloved masterpieces or venturing down less-traveled musical paths, we hope you'll join us for another season of inspiring performances, exceptional artistry, and the shared joy of live music.
I look forward to welcoming you throughout the season.
Michael Parloff
Artistic Director
CONCERTS 2026 – 2027
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2026 AT 4 PM
MOZART AND SCHUBERT AT 19
BENJAMIN BOWMAN, VIOLIN
with
MUSICIANS FROM THE MET ORCHESTRA
MICHAEL PARLOFF, CONDUCTOR
As Parlance Chamber Concerts launches its 19th season, we celebrate with two early masterpieces written by Mozart and Schubert when they were just 19 years old: Mozart's beloved "Turkish" Violin Concerto and Schubert's Mozart-inspired Symphony No. 5.
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Concertmaster Benjamin Bowman, praised by The New York Times for his "beautifully singing eloquence," joins colleagues from the Met Orchestra under the direction of Artistic Director Michael Parloff. Together, they reveal the youthful freshness, lyricism, and astonishing artistic maturity that announced the arrival of two of music's greatest creative voices.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2026 AT 4 PM
VIANO QUARTET — Four of a Kind
Praised for their "virtuosity, visceral expression, and rare unity of intention" (The Boston Globe), the Viano Quartet has rapidly emerged as one of the world's most exciting young chamber ensembles, earning the prestigious 2025 Avery Fisher Career Grant and appearing in many of the world's leading concert halls.
Their Parlance debut traces the remarkable evolution of the string quartet through four landmark masterpieces. From Haydn's eloquent classicism to the lyrical Romanticism of Mendelssohn and Dvořák and the searing modernism of Janáček's Kreutzer Sonata, the program celebrates the string quartet's remarkable expressive range from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries.
Hao Zhou, violin
Lucy Wang, violin
Aiden Kane, viola
Tate Zawadiuk, cello
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2026 AT 4 PM
CAFÉ MUSIC
KEVIN ZHU, VIOLIN
TOMMY MESA, CELLO
ALBERT CANO SMIT, PIANO
ANTON RIST, CLARINET
WILLIAM SHORT, BASSOON
BILLY R. HUNTER, JR., TRUMPET
RUPERT BOYD, GUITAR
From Martinů's delightfully zany ballet The Kitchen Revue and Rossini's whimsical piano miniature Anchovies to James Grant's Triple Mocha Indulgence for bassoon and piano and Paul Schoenfield's exuberant piano trio Café Music, this mouthwatering program serves up a delicious menu of musical delicacies.
Performed by an all-star ensemble of internationally acclaimed soloists, rising young virtuosos, and principal musicians of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Café Music promises a sparkling afternoon of musical wit, dazzling virtuosity, and culinary panache.
Bohuslav Martinů: Suite from La revue de cuisine
Gioachino Rossini: Anchovies for solo piano
Francis Poulenc: Cello Sonata
Astor Piazzolla: L'Histoire du Tango (violin and guitar)
James Grant: Triple Mocha Indulgence (bassoon and piano)
Paul Schoenfield: Café Music (piano trio)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2027 AT 4 PM
RICHARD GOODE & ITAMAR ZORMAN
FOUR MASTERPIECES • TWO MASTER MUSICIANS
RICHARD GOODE, PIANO
ITAMAR ZORMAN, VIOLIN
Widely acknowledged for more than half a century as one of the world's most distinguished pianists, Richard Goode has been praised for performances of "tremendous emotional power, depth, and expressiveness." Violinist Itamar Zorman has been hailed as one of the most soulful and compelling artists of the younger generation. Together, they bring their complementary musical insight to one of chamber music's most rewarding artistic partnerships.
Their thoughtfully curated program spans three centuries, from the graceful elegance of Mozart and the timeless architecture of Bach to the luminous poetry of Debussy, culminating in Beethoven's radiant final Violin Sonata, Op. 96—a fitting showcase for two consummate musicians at the height of their interpretive powers
Mozart: Violin Sonata in E-flat major, K. 481
Bach: Sonata No. 3 in C major for Solo Violin, BWV 1005
Debussy: Selected Preludes for Piano
Beethoven: Violin Sonata in G major, Op. 96
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2027 AT 4 PM
BENJAMIN APPL & JAMES BAILLIEU
SCHUBERT'S WINTERREISE
BENJAMIN APPL, BARITONE
JAMES BAILLIEU, PIANO
Regarded by many as the greatest song cycle ever composed, Schubert's Winterreise is a profound journey through a human landscape of love, loss, and the search for meaning. Written toward the end of the composer's short life, it stands among the supreme achievements of Western music.
Hailed as one of today's foremost interpreters of German art song, baritone Benjamin Appl returns to Parlance Chamber Concerts with his longtime artistic collaborator, pianist James Baillieu. Artistic Director Michael Parloff will offer an introductory talk exploring the history, poetry, and enduring power of this incomparable masterpiece.
“Benjamin Appl sounds as if singing is his most natural mode of expression… he has an extraordinarily beautiful voice,”
— BBC Music Magazine
“James Baillieu is in a class of his own. He is in the Gerald Moore/Graham Johnson bracket, a remarkable pianist.”
— The Daily Telegraph
SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 2027 AT 4 PM
PAUL JACOBS, ORGAN
CELEBRATING BACH ON HIS 342nd BIRTHDAY
PAUL JACOBS, ORGAN
A perennial Parlance favorite, organist Paul Jacobs returns with the breathtaking artistry, dazzling virtuosity, and narrative charisma that have made his appearances among the highlights of PCC’s recent seasons.
To celebrate J. S. Bach's 342nd birthday, Jacobs recreates Felix Mendelssohn's legendary 1840 all-Bach recital in Leipzig—a landmark event in the nineteenth-century Bach Revival. Featuring six of Bach's greatest organ masterpieces, this remarkable program honors the enduring legacy of two visionary composers whose music became forever intertwined.
“Paul Jacobs is one of the great living virtuosos.”
— The Washington Post
SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2027 AT 4 PM
ZUKERMAN TRIO
CELEBRATING BEETHOVEN IN HIS 250th ANNIVERSARY YEAR
PINCHAS ZUKERMAN, VIOLIN
AMANDA FORSYTH, CELLO
SHAI WOSNER, PIANO
A legendary presence on the world's concert stages for more than five decades, violinist Pinchas Zukerman joins celebrated cellist Amanda Forsyth and pianist Shai Wosner for an afternoon of chamber music that brings together three consummate artists at the height of their interpretive powers.
To celebrate Beethoven in his 250th anniversary year, the Zukerman Trio performs three masterpieces spanning the composer's creative life—from the youthful brilliance of the A-minor Violin Sonata, Op. 23, and the radiant lyricism of the A-major Cello Sonata, Op. 69, to the mystery and drama of the beloved "Ghost" Trio. Together, these works trace Beethoven's colossal artistic journey from youthful brilliance to the full flowering of his creative genius.
Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata in A minor, Op. 23
Ludwig van Beethoven: Cello Sonata in A major, Op. 69
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Trio in D major, Op. 70, No. 1 (“Ghost")
SUNDAY, MAY 9, 2027 AT 4 PM
THE CHEN-LIPMAN-CHO STRING TRIO
WITH PIANIST MICHAEL STEPHEN BROWN
STELLA CHEN, VIOLIN
MATTHEW LIPMAN, VIOLA
BRANNON CHO, CELLO
MICHAEL STEPHEN BROWN, PIANOR
Four of today's most acclaimed young chamber musicians—Queen Elisabeth Competition Gold Medalist Stella Chen, Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient Matthew Lipman, Naumburg International Cello Competition Gold Medalist Brannon Cho, and distinguished pianist-composer Michael Stephen Brown—join forces for an afternoon of inspired artistry and scintillating musical collaboration.
Their program pairs Mozart's symphonic-scale Divertimento in E-flat major, K. 563, widely regarded as the greatest string trio ever composed, with Dvořák's radiant Piano Quartet No. 2, a masterpiece overflowing with lyrical warmth, Bohemian spirit, and exuberant joy
Mozart: Divertimento in E-flat major for String Trio, K. 563
Dvořák: Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 87
SUNDAY, JUNE 6, 2027 AT 4 PM
EMI FERGUSON & RUCKUS
FLY THE COOP
EMI FERGUSON, BAROQUE FLUTE
with RUCKUS, PERIOD-INSTRUMENT ENSEMBLE
Virtuosic and charismatic baroque flutist Emi Ferguson joins the adventurous period-instrument ensemble Ruckus for Fly the Coop, a joyous, kaleidoscopic romp through some of Bach's most joyful and transcendent music. Their imaginative arrangements transform Bach's flute sonatas and keyboard preludes into vibrant new soundscapes for baroque flute and a colorful continuo ensemble of theorbos, baroque guitars, bassoon, cello, bass, harpsichord, organ—even the occasional banjo.
Praised by The New York Times as "a fizzing, daring display of personality and imagination," this inventive collaboration invites Bach's timeless music to spread its wings in performances overflowing with dazzling virtuosity, irresistible rhythmic energy, and infectious musical joy.
Emi Ferguson: “Elegant and sensitive phrasing, brilliant fingerwork, and incisive attack."
— Musical America
Ruckus: "...the world's only period-instrument rock band."
— San Francisco Classical Voice
ABOUT PARLANCE CHAMBER CONCERTS
VIDEO INTRO TO PARLANCE CHAMBER CONCERTS
Michael Parloff introduces the mission
and history of PCC. Audience members
share their experiences.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM PCC’S 17TH SEASON
Enjoy this 5-minute video recap of memorable moments from 2024-25, including performances by pianist Paul Lewis, cellist Steven Isserlis, flutist Denis Bouriakov, and others.
