For the Chelsea Music Festival’s 15th season, we present “Connecting the Dots” which traces how music and art allows us to touch what seems intangible, repair what seems broken, and reimagine our interconnectedness with one another.

We focus on the restorative powers of the arts as we examine ways that music and art both calm and reinvigorate the brain and nervous system. We will also explore together various neurological challenges and changes we can encounter in ourselves and our loved ones.

Schedule of Events:

June 21, 2024:

7:00 PM - 8:30 PM: Connecting the Dots - 15th Season Opening Night

Join us for Opening Night of our 15th season! Enjoy music that spans the centuries by composers including John Williams, Tebogo Monnakgotla, Clara Schumann, and Francis Poulenc alongside World Premiere performances by composers Nicky Sohn and Augusta Read Thomas as well as  a solo piano performance by our 2024 Composer-in-Residence, Ania Vu.

Featuring Aizuri Quartet, WindSync, and conductor Ken-David Masur with Festival artists, this concert takes place at our Opening Weekend Sponsor, Genesis House.

You won’t want to miss this incredible LED-wrapped event space, which will showcase visuals created by Eric Bowers(Eye Fisher Studios) and Jonathan Rattner.

Reception to follow at Genesis House’s on-site restaurant, Onjium with its distinctly curated Korean cuisine.

Program:

Augusta Read Thomas (b. 1964) | Bebop Riddle #5 (2024, World Premiere)
Augusta Read Thomas (b. 1964) | Dancing Stars (2021)
Tebogo Monnakgotla (b. 1972) | Wooden Bodies (2018, US Premiere)
Augusta Read Thomas (b. 1964) | Clara’s Ascent (2019)
Clara Schumann (1819-1896) | Die stille Lotosblume from Sechs Lieder, Op. 13 No. 6, arr. for string quartet by Miho Saegusa
Nicky Sohn (b. 1992) | A Night at Birdland (2024, World Premiere)
John Williams (b. 1932) | The Fabelmans (2022)
Ania Vu (b. 1994) | Against Time (2018)
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) | Sextuor (1931-1932)

Featuring:

Aizuri Quartet:

Violin | Miho Saegusa, Emma Frucht
Viola | Brian Hong
Cello | Caleb van der Swaagh

WindSync:

Clarinet | Graeme Steele Johnson
Flute | Garrett Hudson
Oboe | Noah Kay
Bassoon | Kara LaMoure
Horn | Anni Hochhalter

Violin | Max Tan
Cello | Angela Lee
Clarinet | Yasmina Spiegelberg
Oboe | Amanda Hardy
Piano | Melinda Lee Masur, Ania Vu, Andrea Lam
Conductor | Ken-David Masur

Location: Genesis House, 40A?10th?Avenue, New York, NY 10014.

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June 22, 2024:

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM: My Super Awesome Brain - the Spark Center for Imagination

Grab your friends, kids, and neighbors and join us at this free, family-friendly gathering at Pier 57, a vibrant communal market space located on the Hudson River. “My Super Awesome Brain” will explore the connection between the brain and the body with performances led by WindSync, fun activities, and treats from the Market Food Hall.

Adults must be accompanied by a child.

RSVPs are required.

Featuring:

WindSync

Clarinet | Graeme Steele Johnson
Flute | Garrett Hudson
Oboe | Noah Kay
Bassoon | Kara LaMoure
Horn | Anni Hochhalter

Location: Pier 57, 25 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10011.

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7:00 PM - 8:30 PM: Jazz Doubleheader-Birnbaum and the Bach Preludes and Cardume Trio

Join us for two major performances in one night—featuring the Adam Birnbaum Trio and Cardume Trio. Ticket purchase grants access to both sets with cocktail-style seating.

Acclaimed Pianist Adam Birnbaum is joined by percussionist Keita Ogawa (Snarky Puppy) and bassist Matt Clohesy (Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society) to perform their 2023 critically-acclaimed release, “Preludes,” based on 12 preludes from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. Join us for this unforgettable performance, which will envelop the musicians within the album artwork created by Cécile McLorin Salvant.

And to ring out the night, Cardume Trio, will perform a set improvised live to visuals displayed on the immersive LED-wrapped stage of Genesis House!  The Cardume Trio is made up of world-class percussionists Rogério Boccato (Orquestra Jazz Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo), Keita Ogawa (Snarky Puppy), and Cleber Almeida from Brazil.

Visuals created by Eric Bowers (Eye Fisher Studios) and Aetherpoint.

8pm cocktail intermission provided by Genesis House.

Featuring:

Adam Birnbaum Trio
Piano | Adam Birnbaum
Percussion | Keita Ogawa
Bass | Matt Clohesy

Cardume Trio
Percussion | Rogério Boccato, Keita Ogawa, Cleber Almeida

Location: Genesis House, 40a 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10014.

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June 23, 2024:

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Festa Junina

Celebrate the summer with traditional Brazilian Forró music by world-class percussionists Rogério Boccato and Cleber Almeida from Brazil, accordionist Vitor Gonçalves, and vocalist Anne Boccato. This free performance will take place at Pier 57.

Featuring:

Percussion | Rogério Boccato, Cleber Almeida
Accordion | Vitor Gonçalves
Vocals | Anne Boccato

Free and Open To The Public

Location: Pier 57, 25 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10011.

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June 24, 2024:

7:00 PM - 8:30 PM: Patitucci and Friends - Jazz, Song and Chamber Music

Multi-Grammy winner jazz bassist John Patitucci graces the Festival stage again joined by pianist Renee Rosnes, baritone Daniel Gutmann (prize winner at El?na Garan?a’s ZukunftsStimmen) & pianist Maximilian Kromer (International Brahms Competition winner), and Festival musicians including pianists Robert Fleitz (1st Prize in 2022 John Cage Award), Ania Vu, Melinda Lee Masur, and Andrea Lam.

Curated Reception to follow by Chef Rachel Snyder, 2024 Culinary Artist-in Residence.

Solo exhibition, “Cultivars” with new work by 2024 Visual Artist-in-Residence Kelly S. Williams, on view throughout the evening in Gallery 8.

Program:

W. A. Mozart (1756-1791) | Andante & Variations in G major, K. 501 (1786)
Robert Schumann (1810-1856) - text by Heinrich Heine
Belsazar, Op. 57 (1840)
Die beiden Grenadiere (“The Two Grenadiers”), Op. 49 (1840)
Ich grolle nicht, Op. 48 (1840)
Ania Vu (b. 1994) | Here, Alive (2021)
Andreia Pinto Correia (b. 1971) | Silêncios, atmosferas e utopias (Silences, Atmospheres, and Utopias) (2008)
Jessica Mays (b. 1986) | Bee in the Hollow: IV. (2020)
Linda Leimane (b. 1989) | Via Imperiale (2021)

Original jazz songs & arrangements with bassist John Patitucci and pianist Renee Rosnes

Featuring:

Baritone | Daniel Gutmann
Piano | Robert Fleitz, Maximilian Kromer, Andrea Lam
Jazz Bass | John Patitucci
Jazz Piano | Renee Rosnes

Location: High Line Nine, 507 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001.

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June 25, 2024:

7:00 PM - 8:30 PM: Midsummer Night Magic - Visions and Stories

The Festival is thrilled to invite audiences for a night celebrating the upcoming release of a brand new album by The Lee Trio, Midsummer Night Magic. With fantasies, legends and visions threading the evening’s works, the Trio will perform works by Uljas Pulkkis and Robert Schumann from its new album alongside Dvorak’s Dumky Trio, and Schumann songs and music by Thomas Ades performed by violinist Max Tan, baritone Daniel Gutmann, and pianist Maximillian Kromer.

Prior to the concert, join us for a 6:00pm talk by Dr. Carlos Diaz Salazar of Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute. Dr. Diaz Salazar studies the role of microglia in synaptic development and the brain’s capacity for healing, and will be exploring the ideas of brain connectivity, plasticity, and repair with audience members.

Program:

Thomas Ades (b. 1971) | Märchentänze (“Dances from Fairytale”) - III. A Skylark (2020)
Robert Schumann (1810-1856) | Liederkreis Op. 24 (1840)
Robert Schumann (1810-1856) | Piano Trio No. 2 in F Major, Op. 80 (1847)
Uljas Pulkkis (b.1975) | Fern Flowers (2015)    
Antonin Dvo?ák (1841-1904) | Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, Op. 90, B. 166 (Dumky Trio) (1891)

Featuring:

Baritone | Daniel Gutmann
Violin | Max Tan
Piano | Maximillian Kromer

The Lee Trio
Violin | Lisa Lee
Cello | Angela Lee
Piano | Melinda Lee Masur

Location: Czech Center, 321 East 73rd Street, New York, NY 10021.

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June 26, 2024:

7:00 PM - 8:30 PM: Completed Resonances - Vu, Beranek, Faure and Smetana

This evening’s concert caps our Festival residency at the Czech Center NYC with a World Premiere performance of a new song cycle by composer Jacob Beranek, co-commissioned by the Chelsea Music Festival and the National Czech-Slovak Museum & Library for the Year of Czech Music. The piece features soprano Marisa Karchin singing libretto by 17th century Czech poet Bedrich Bridel. Our 2024 Composer-in-Residence, Ania Vu, will also perform one of her own solo piano pieces. And to honor Bed?ich Smetana’s 200th anniversary as well as the 100th anniversary of Gabriel Fauré’s death, Festival musicians will present two masterworks of the chamber music literature.

Program:

Jacob Beranek (b. 1998) | Co B?h? ?lov?k? (What is God? Man?) (2024 World Premiere)
Bed?ich Smetana (1824-1884) | Piano Trio No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 15 (1855-1880)
Ania Vu (b. 1994) | Dark Whims (2013)
Gabriel Fauré  (1845-1924) | Piano Quartet No. 2 in G Minor (1886-1887)

Featuring:

Soprano | Marisa Karchin
Clarinet | Mark Dover
Violin | Lisa Lee, Max Tan
Cello | Christine Lamprea, Angela Lee
Piano | Melinda Lee Masur, Robert Fleitz, Andrea Lam, Ania Vu

Location: Czech Center, 321 East 73rd Street, New York, NY 10021.

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June 27, 2024:

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Closing Reception - Cultivars | Kelly S. Williams

Please join us for the Closing Reception of “Cultivars,” a solo exhibition of paintings by our 2024 Visual Artist-in-Residence, Kelly S. Williams. Let’s toast to this artist’s first solo show in NYC and enjoy a short performance by Harlem Quartet playing works by Jessie Montgomery and Dizzy Gillespie. Williams’ exhibition runs June 6 - 29th at High Line Nine.  

Program:

Jessie Montgomery (b. 1981) | Strum (2006)
Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993) (arr. by Dave Glenn and the Harlem Quartet) | A Night in Tunisia (1940-1942)

Featuring:

Harlem Quartet
Violin | Ilmar Gavilan, Melissa White
Viola | Jaime Amador
Cello | Felix Umansky

Location: Gallery #8- High Line Nine, 507 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001.

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June 28, 2024:

7:00 PM - 8:30 PM: Reimagined Gems - Vignettes Across Time

Featuring musical gems written by Ania Vu, Caroline Shaw, Remy Le Boeuf, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, and Arcangelo Corelli, tonight’s works bring our attention to moments in life that surprise us, slip by us, and shape us.  Enjoy performances by the Harlem Quartet, Caleb Hudson, Marisa Karchin, Max Tan, Oliver Xu, Christine Lamprea, Mark Dover, Catherine Boyack, and Emi Ferguson. The concert will be followed by a reception curated by our 2024 Culinary Artist-in-Residence, Rachel Snyder.

And come before the concert for a pre-concert talk, Connecting the Dots of the Musical Brain, given by neuroscientist and founder of Growing Brains, Dr. Jessica Phillips-Silver.

Program:

Caroline Shaw (b. 1982) | Entr’acte (2011)
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847) | String Quartet in E Flat Major (1834)
Ania Vu (b. 1994) | Tik-Tak Part 1 (2019) and Part 2 (2024 World Premiere) co-commissioned by the Chelsea Music Festival and the Zohn Collective
Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) arr. by Caleb Hudson (b. 1988) | Sonata in E Minor, Op. 5 No. 8 (1700)
Remy Le Boeuf (b. 1986) | Vignettes (2023)

Reception to follow featuring Culinary Artist-in-Residence Rachel Snyder

Featuring:   

Harlem Quartet
Violin | Ilmar Gavilan, Melissa White
Viola | Jaime Amador
Cello | Felix Umansky

Soprano | Marisa Karchin
Flute | Catherine Boyack, Emi Ferguson
Clarinet | Mark Dover
Violin | Max Tan
Cello | Christine Lamprea
Percussion | Oliver Xu
Trumpet | Caleb Hudson

Location: St. Paul’s German Lutheran Church, 315 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011.

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June 29, 2024:

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM: Superhero Brain | Family Event

Children (and families!) of all ages are welcome to join the “Superhero Brain” Family Event on Saturday June 29th, where neuroscience scholar Dr. Jessica Phillips-Silver will lead families in exploring the superpowers of the human brain! Join us in song and dance as we move to the beat and hear original songs from Dr. Jessica’s  musical, Finding Rhythm.

Attendees are invited to build a delicious, brain-healthy-bowl with Chef Eric Takahashi, engage in hands-on craft activities, and will each take home a colorful guide on how to use music and rhythm to support brain growth and healing at home. This FREE event is all about brain growth, health, and healing– Super!

Adults must be accompanied by a child.

FREE event and RSVPs are required.

Featuring:

Neuroscientist | Dr. Jessica Phillips-Silver, Founder of Growing Brains
Chef | Eric Takahashi

Location: St. Paul’s German Lutheran Church, 315 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011.

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7:00 PM - 8:30 PM: Festival Finale | JazzPlasticity with Helen Sung

For our Jazz Finale, we are thrilled to bring celebrated jazz pianist Helen Sung back to the Festival stage for JazzPlasticity, a program inspired by the wonders of the brain and Sung’s time as the jazz artist-in-residence at the Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute. She brings her stellar ensemble with her this evening– percussionist Donald Edwards, saxophonist John Ellis, bassist Vicente Archer, and DJ Logic. Come and be a part of this concert recorded live in Cary Hall at the DiMenna Center for a future Chelsea Music Festival Records release!

At intermission, Helen Sung will be joined by Professor of Psychology and Principal Investigator at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute, Dr. Sarah M. N. Woolley for a special conversation discussing jazz music inspired "by the birds." Dr. Woolley's research of song birds is helping decode how the brain interprets sound -- and what happens during development when those sounds are disrupted. Listen as the two discuss how Dr. Woolley’s research impacted Sung’s writing of Jazz Plasticity.

Following the concert, celebrate the closing of our 15th season with a reception curated by 2024 Culinary Artist-in-Residence Rachel Snyder.

Featuring:

Helen Sung Quartet
Piano | Helen Sung
Saxophone | John Ellis
Bass | Vicente Archer
Percussion | Donald Edwards
DJ Logic

Intermission Speaker | Dr. Sarah Woolley (Zuckerman Institute)

Location: DiMenna Center - Cary Hall, 450 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018.

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Dates: June 21 - 29, 2024

Location:

Various Venues,
New York, NY 10025.

Click here for more information.