44th Annual
Rockport Chamber Music Festival

Barry Shiffman, artistic director

June 13-July 13, 2025 | July 25 | August 3

I’m thrilled to invite you to this year’s Rockport Chamber Music Festival, a celebration of artistry that spans generations—from rising stars to legendary soloists. Music has the power to captivate, challenge, and transform. It’s meant to be felt in the moment—visceral, immediate, and deeply moving. It stirs the soul, offering comfort, reflection, and inspiration. Join us for an unforgettable journey through the beauty and emotion of chamber music.

Barry Shiffman, artistic director

Opening Night
Friday, June 13 :: 7:30 PM
ANGELA HEWITT PLAYS BACH

Legendary pianist Angela Hewitt, a Gramophone Magazine Hall of Famer, opens the Festival with J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, BWV 988. Renowned for her exceptional artistry, Hewitt is celebrated as one of the finest interpreters of Bach, praised by BBC Music Magazine for her “subtlety, beauty of tone and instrumental command.”  An Opening Night reception will immediately follow the concert. PROGRAM NOTES

Saturday, June 14 :: 5 PM
BENJAMIN BEILMAN, violin
SERENA WANG, piano | EDWARD ARRON, cello

Replacing Janoska Ensemble
Violinist Benjamin Beilman, praised for his passionate artistry and expressive tone, has been called “pure poetry” (The Strad). Beilman performs with the dynamic pianist Serena Wang for a program of works by Brahms and Korngold, and then combines forces with cellist Edward Arron for Mendelsson’s Piano Trio No. 1.

Sunday, June 15 :: 5 PM
DOVER STRING QUARTET
with MASUMI ROSTAD, viola

Pre-concert talk with Dover Quartet & Barry Shiffman, 4 PM
Named one of the greatest string quartets of the last 100 years by BBC Music Magazine, the two-time GRAMMY-nominated Dover Quartet has earned acclaim for its extraordinary artistry. Together with violist Masumi Rostad (replacing Roberto Díaz), the Dover brings a Romantic chamber music program featuring Schumann’s Quartet in A minor, Tchaikovsky’s Quartet No. 1 and Brahms’s String Quintet. PROGRAM NOTES

Thursday, June 19 :: 7:30 PM
ISIDORE QUARTET &
STEVEN BANKS, saxophone

Post-concert talk with the artists
The Isidore Quartet, recipient of a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant and winner of the 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition, joins forces with saxophonist Steven Banks, a 2022 Avery Fisher Career Grant winner. Their program features Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major, Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 12, Op. 127 and Banks’s own Quintet for Saxophone and String Quartet. PROGRAM NOTES

Friday, June 20 :: 11 AM
BEYOND THE MUSIC: SCHUBERT

Led by Dr. Andrew Shryock
Celebrating and reflecting on Schubert’s last years masterworks, including the String Quintet in C major (D. 956), Piano Sonata in A Major (D. 959), and Piano Sonata in B-flat Major (D. 960).

Friday, June 20 :: 7:30 PM
CHENG² DUO

Rooted in a sibling bond, the Cheng² Duo (pronounced Cheng Squared Duo) captivates audiences with impassioned expressivity and contagious joy. Hailed as “brilliant” (The Sunday Times) and “absolutely captivating…through a tremendous mastery of their instruments” (Pizzicato Magazine), the duo delivers performances of remarkable artistry.  The Duo performs a program of works by Debussy, de Falla, Wijeratne and Beethoven. PROGRAM NOTES

Saturday, June 21 :: 11 AM
FAMILY CONCERT: ONCE UPON A TIME

Enjoy a fun-filled performance that explores how music can tell a story, paint a picture, and express the entire spectrum of human emotions. Don’t miss this interactive concert that will unlock the imaginations of children and adults. Free, reservations encouraged.

Saturday, June 21 :: 5 PM
MARMEN QUARTET
& SANTIAGO CAÑÓN-VALENCIA, cello

The Marmen Quartet, First Prize winner of the 2019 Bordeaux and Banff International String Quartet Competitions, joins acclaimed Colombian cellist and 2022 BBC Next Generation Artist Santiago Cañón-Valencia for a performance of Schubert’s Quintet for Strings, Bach’s Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major and Haydn’s Quartet Op. 33, No. 6. PROGRAM NOTES

Sunday, June 22 :: 5 PM
GALVIN CELLO QUARTET

Winners of the Silver Medal at the 2021 Fischoff Competition and Winners of the 2022 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, the Galvin Cello Quartet explores the limitless range of a cello ensemble by bringing together new works representing diverse cultural backgrounds while seeking to establish the cello quartet as a core part of the classical music world. The Quartet brings a dynamic program of works by Mozart, Debussy, Beethoven, Paganini and much more. PROGRAM NOTES

Thursday, June 26 :: 11 AM
BEYOND THE MUSIC: STRINGS & PIANO CHAMBER MUSIC

Led by Dr. Andrew Shryock & Dr. Elizabeth Seitz
This lecture explores the evolution of the piano’s role in string chamber music, focusing on the iconic piano trios and quartets by Beethoven, Brahms, Fauré, and Mozart.

Thursday, June 26 :: 7:30 PM
MOZART & BRAHMS

Paul Huang, violin | Barry Shiffman, viola | Alessio Bax, piano | Nicholas Canellakis, cello
Four chamber music virtuosos—Paul Huang, hailed as “one of those rare artists who casts a spell” (Violinist.com), Alessio Bax, praised as “clearly among the most remarkable young pianists now before the public” (Gramophone) and Nicholas Canellakis, described as “the superb young soloist” (The New Yorker) and Artistic Director and violist Barry Shiffman come together for an evening of masterworks by Mozart, Grieg and Brahms. PROGRAM NOTES

Friday, June 27 :: 7:30 PM
IMANI WINDS & ANDY AKIHO, steel pan & composer

Post-concert talk with the artists
2024 GRAMMY winner Imani Winds joins forces with Pulitzer Prize finalist Andy Akiho for an innovative program featuring works by D’Rivera, Villa-Lobos and Akiho. Hailed as “strikingly virtuosic, immaculately tight, [and] stylistically agile” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), Imani Winds brings exceptional artistry to this compelling collaboration. PROGRAM NOTES

Saturday, June 28 :: 7:30 PM
JONATHAN BISS, piano
ALL-SCHUBERT

Jonathan Biss, praised as “a superb pianist and…an eloquent and insightful music writer” (The Boston Globe), performs Schubert’s final sonatas, the Sonata in A Major, D.959 and Sonata in B-flat Major, D.960. Composed in the last months of Schubert’s life, these works are celebrated for their lyrical beauty, emotional depth and profound introspection. PROGRAM NOTES

THE DREAMS AND REQUIEMS OF GERMAN MUSIC

Sunday, June 29 :: 5 PM
A FAR CRY with
JEREMY EICHLER, author & JULIAN RHEE, violin

An evening of music and memory
Hosted by former Boston Globe critic Jeremy Eichler and drawn from his award-winning book Time’s Echo (History Book of the Year, The Sunday Times), this unique program blends storytelling and live performance, inviting you to listen more deeply to the history of music — and the music of history. The concert features works by Bach, Mendelssohn, and Strauss.

Tuesday, July 1 :: 7:30 PM
FILM: BEETHOVEN’S NINE: ODE TO HUMANITY

Featuring an Exclusive Post-screening Conversation with:
Larry Weinstein, director | Jeremy Eichler, Tufts Professor of Music & History & author | Steven Pinker, Harvard Professor of Psychology & author | Rebecca Goldstein, Harvard Professor of Psychology & author
Celebrate Beethoven’s iconic last symphony with Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Larry Weinstein. This compelling documentary explores the enduring legacy of Beethoven’s Ninth through the perspectives of nine individuals, from Ukrainian musicians to a deaf composer, highlighting its profound themes of struggle, hope and humanity.

Saturday, July 5 :: 7:30 PM
Sunday, July 6 :: 5 PM
FAURÉ PROJECT

Joshua Bell, violin | Steven Isserlis, cello | Irène Duval, violin | Blythe Teh Engstroem, viola | Jeremy Denk, piano
Commemorate the 100th anniversary of Gabriel Fauré’s death with two concerts featuring his most celebrated chamber works, performed by the world’s most celebrated musicians, featuring violinist Joshua Bell, cellist Steven Isserlis, pianist Jeremy Denk and many more. From violin sonatas to piano quintets, these programs offer a rich exploration of Fauré’s artistry, performed by an exceptional ensemble of renowned musicians. PROGRAM NOTES-JULY 5   | PROGRAM NOTES-JULY 6

Thursday, July 10 :: 7:30 PM
YULIANNA AVDEEVA, piano

Yulianna Avdeeva, First Prize winner of the 2010 International Chopin Piano Competition, is praised for her perfect execution and “sheer passion and musicianship, not to mention technical security…” (The Telegraph). In this program, she brings her insightful artistry to works of Shostakovich and Chopin. PROGRAM NOTES

Friday, July 11 :: 7:30 PM
AFRICAN QUEENS
With Karen Slack, soprano & Kevin Miller, piano

Praised for her “sizeable voice that captured all of the vacillating emotions” (The New York Times), GRAMMY Award-winning soprano Karen Slack is “not only one of the nation’s most celebrated sopranos, but a leading voice in changing and making spaces in classical music” (Trilloquy). Slack delivers a powerful performance celebrating the history and legacy of seven African queens, featuring newly commissioned art songs by Jasmine Barnes, Damien Geter, Jessie Montgomery, Carlos Simon, and others, interwoven with spoken text, thematic artwork and traditional repertoire. PROGRAM NOTES

Saturday, July 12 :: 7:30 PM
Celebrating 15^th Anniversary of Shalin Liu Performance Center Opening
APPALACHIAN SPRING

Parker Quartet | Todd Palmer, clarinet | Rockport Festival Chamber Orchestra, Earl Lee, conductor

Internationally acclaimed for their “fearless, yet probingly beautiful” (The Strad) performances, the Grammy-winning Parker Quartet joins clarinetist Todd Palmer in a program that opens with Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet and culminates with Copland’s picturesque Appalachian Spring. This Copland masterpiece, which was performed on the opening night of the Shalin Liu Performance Center, returns to the stage in commemoration of the 15^th anniversary of that momentous event. PROGRAM NOTES

Sunday, July 13
Midsummer Celebration
PINCHAS ZUKERMAN, violin & JAN LISIECKI, piano 
With the Rockport Festival Chamber Orchestra, Earl Lee, conductor

This Festival culminates with an extraordinary performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 and Violin Concerto No. 5 performed by two of the world’s most renowned artists—two-time Grammy Award-winning violinist Pinchas Zukerman and pianist Jan Lisiecki, praised as “a pianist who makes every note count” (The New York Times). They join with the Rockport Festival Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of Earl Lee, winner of the 2022 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award.  Dinner: 5 PM  | Concert: 8 PM | PROGRAM NOTES
For ticket information, please email Susan Rogers.

FESTIVAL ANNEX

Friday, July 25 :: 7:30 PM
BRAHMS & OSCAR

JENS LINDEMANN, trumpet | STEVEN PRUTSMAN, piano  | CHEE-YUN, violin & Guests
A Concert of Resilience & Recovery
Hailed for his “golden timbre and virtuosic flair” (New York Times), trumpeter Jens Lindemann joins the dynamic pianist Stephen Prutsman, who is currently Visiting Artist at Stanford University, and the dynamic violinist Chee-Yun, for a program spanning from Brahms’s Horn Trio to Oscar Peterson’s iconic Canadiana Suite. Recognizing the recent tragedy brought by the California fires, this program includes a new commission for trumpet, violin and piano by California-based composer Peter Golub. PROGRAM NOTES

Sunday, August 3 :: 5 PM
GRYPHON TRIO & BARRY SHIFFMAN, viola

Recognized as one of the world’s preeminent piano trios for over 25 years, Gryphon Trio has been praised for its “breathtaking ensemble and tonal control” (BBC Magazine). The Trio is joined by violist (and artistic director) Barry Shiffman for a program of works by Brahms and Beethoven. PROGRAM NOTES

Monday, August 4 :: 11 AM
FAMILY CONCERT: MOVE, GROOVE & IMAGINE

A Musical Adventure with the Rockport Festival
Join us as Festival musicians take young audiences and their families on a thrilling 45-minute musical adventure filled with singing melodies and dancing rhythms. From Haydn’s playful charm to Piazzolla’s fiery tango rhythms, children and parents alike will be swept away by the joy of music that ignites both the imagination and the spirit!   Free, reservations encouraged.

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Artistic Director Barry Shiffman shares highlights of the Rockport Chamber Music Festival 2025!

Thank you to our Festival Corporate Partner!