A VINTAGE YEAR!
"Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence." -- Robert Fripp
Welcome to CMA! Like a remarkable vintage, chamber music rewards patience, craftsmanship, and the joy of sharing. Each performance uncorks new discoveries, revealing layers of beauty, passion, and artistry that linger long after the final note. It has been an extraordinary journey for 85 seasons, to hold and expand our mission "to present chamber musicians in live performance, sharing the power of music with community." We are thrilled to invite you to our 2026-27 season featuring seven extraordinay ensembles performing rich and engaging repertoire.
Overview
Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano
&
Jason Vieaux, guitar
SUNDAY - October 11, 2026
AT 3PM
Simms Center for the Performing Arts
Albuquerque Academy Campus
Artists:
Sasha Cooke, soprano
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Program:
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Granados: Selections from Tonadillas
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Albeniz: Mallorca, Asturias
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Rodrigo: Tres Canciones Españolas
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Copland: Selections from Old American Songs
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Michael Tilson Thomas: Not Everyone Thinks I'm Beautiful
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Stephen Sondheim: Children Will Listen
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Leonard Bernstein: Somewhere
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Vieaux: Tidal Pools
Sasha Cooke
Two-time Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke has been praised for her “agile, glamorous presence” by Opéra Magazine and as a “luminous standout” by the New York Times. Ms. Cooke has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, English National Opera, Seattle Opera, Opéra National de Bordeaux, and Gran Teatre del Liceu, among others, and with over a hundred chamber and symphony orchestras worldwide frequently in the works of Mahler. In 2022 Ms. Cooke was appointed at the Music Academy of the West as Co-Director of the Lehrer Vocal Institute. Her album how do I find you was nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award for Best Vocal Solo Album.
Jason Vieaux
Grammy-winner Jason Vieaux, “among the elite of today’s classical guitarists” (Gramophone), is described by NPR as “perhaps the most precise and soulful classical guitarist of his generation”.
In appearances from New York’s Lincoln Center to Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Seoul Arts Center, Jason Vieaux has cemented his reputation as an artist of brilliance and uncompromised mastery. Cited for his “eloquent and vibrant performances” on disc (Gramophone Magazine) he is hailed as “virtuosic, flamboyant, dashing and, sometimes ineffably lyrical” (New York Times) on stage.
Overview
Schumann Quartet
SUNDAY - November 8, 2026
AT 3PM
Simms Center for the Performing Arts
Albuquerque Academy Campus
Artists:
Erik Schumann - violin
Ken Schumann - violin
Matthew McDowell- viola
Mark Schumann - cello
Program:
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Wolf: Italian Serenade in G minor
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Mozart: Quartet in G major, K. 80/73f "Lodi"
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Ives: String Quartet No. 2
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Tchaikovsky: String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op 11
The Schumann Quartet has reached a stage where anything is possible, because it has let go of certainties. That includes the audience, which from one concert to the next have to be prepared for all eventualities: “A work really develops only in a live performance,” the quartet says. “That is 'the real thing', because we ourselves never know what will happen. On the stage, all imitation disappears, and you automatically become honest with yourself. Then you can create a bond with the audience – communicate with it in music.” In the near future, their live performances will be enriched by collaborations with artists such as Andreas Ottensamer, Kit Armstrong, Anna-Lucia Richter, Sabine Meyer, Katharina Konradi, Sharon Kam, and Alexey Stadler.
Overview
Dover Quartet
SUNDAY - January 10, 2027
AT 3PM
Simms Center for the Performing Arts
Albuquerque Academy Campus
Artists:
Joel Link - violin
Bryan Lee - violin
Julianne Lee - viola
Camden Shaw - cello
Program:
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Mozart: String Quartet No. 17, B flat major, K. 458, "The Hunt"
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Brahms: String Quartet No. 3 in B flat major, Op. 67
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Dvořák: String Quartet No. 11 in C major, Op. 16, B121
Named one of the greatest string quartets of the last 100 years by BBC Music Magazine and “the next Guarneri Quartet” by the Chicago Tribune, the two-time GRAMMY-nominated Dover Quartet is one of the world’s most in-demand chamber ensembles. The group’s awards include a stunning sweep of all prizes at the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition, grand and first prizes at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and prizes at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. Its honors include the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award, and Lincoln Center’s Hunt Family Award. The members are on faculty at the renowned Curtis Institute of Music.
Ying Quartet
SUNDAY - February 21, 2027
AT 3PM
Congregation Albert
3800 Louisiana Blvd NE
Overview
Artists:
Robin Scott - violin
Janet Ying - violin
Phillip Ying - viola
David Ying - cello
Program:
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Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13
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Britten: String Quartet No. 2 in C major, Op. 36
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Schumann: String Quartet No. 2 in F major, Op. 41, No. 2
The Ying Quartet occupies a position of unique prominence in the classical music world, combining brilliantly communicative performances with a fearlessly imaginative view of chamber music in today's world. Now in its third decade, the Quartet has established itself as an ensemble of the highest musical qualifications. Their performances regularly take place in many of the world's most important concert halls; at the same time, the Quartet's belief that concert music can also be a meaningful part of everyday life has also drawn the foursome to perform in settings as diverse as the workplace, schools, juvenile prisons, and the White House. In fact, the Ying Quartet's constant quest to explore the creative possibilities of the string quartet has led it to an unusually diverse array of musical projects and interests.
Jerusalem Quartet
SUNDAY - April 11, 2027
AT 3PM
Congregation Albert
3800 Louisiana Blvd NE
Overview
Artists:
Alexander Pavlovsky - 1st violin
Sergei Bresler - 2nd violin
Alexander Gordon - viola
Kyril Zlotnikov - cello
Program:
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Haydn: Quartet in D major, Op. 76, No. 5
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Prokofiev: Quartet No. 2, Op. 92
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Brahms: Quartet in C minor, Op. 51, No. 1
Since the ensemble's founding in 1993 and their debut in 1995, the ensemble has embarked on a remarkable journey of growth and maturation. Their expansive repertoire and extraordinary depth of expression have firmly established them as a distinctive voice in the string quartet tradition. At the heart of their sound lies a warm, full, and deeply human tone, paired with an egalitarian balance between high and low voices. This approach allows the quartet to combine individual expression with a transparent and faithful presentation of the composer’s work. It also drives their ongoing refinement of interpretations of the classical repertoire, while encouraging explorations of new musical territories.
Benjamin Beilman, violin
&
Steven Osborne, piano
SUNDAY - May 16, 2027
AT 3PM
Simms Center for the Performing Arts
Albuquerque Academy Campus
Overview
Artists:
Benjamin Beilman - violin
Steven Osborne - piano
Program:
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Schumann, Clara: Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22 a
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Brahms: Violin Sonata No.1in G major Op. 78
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Boulanger: 2 Pieces for Violin and Piano
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Franck: Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano
Benjamin Beilman
Benjamin Beilman has earned international acclaim for his passionate performances and distinctive tone—The New York Times called it “muscular with a glint of violence,” while The Strad praised its “pure poetry.” Praised for his instinctive sense of form and color, he brings a balance of elegance and surprise to his playing—uncovering new depths in familiar works and expanding the violin’s expressive range through his commitment to contemporary music.
Steven Osborne
Steven Osborne OBE is one of Britain’s most treasured musicians with an immense depth of musicality and exceptional refinement of expression across diverse repertoire be it in Beethoven or Messiaen, Schubert or Ravel, Prokofiev or jazz improvisations. His numerous awards include The Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumentalist of the Year, two BBC Music Magazine Awards and two Gramophone Awards.
Overview
American String Quartet
SUNDAY - June 13, 2026
AT 4PM
Simms Center for the Performing Arts
Albuquerque Academy Campus
Artists:
Peter Winograd, violin
Laurie Carney, violin
Matthias Buchholz, viola
Wolfram Koessel, cello
Dan Avshalomov, viola
Program:
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Beethoven: String Quartet in E-Flat, Op. 127
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Brahms: Viola Quintet in G Major, Op. 111 (with guest artist Dan Avshalomov, viola)
Internationally recognized as one of the world's finest quartets, the American String Quartet has spent decades honing the luxurious sound for which it is famous. The Quartet celebrated its 45th anniversary in 2019, and, in its years of touring, has performed in all fifty states and has appeared in the most important concert halls worldwide. The group’s presentations of the complete quartets of Beethoven, Schubert, Schoenberg, Bartók, and Mozart have won widespread critical acclaim, and their MusicMasters Complete Mozart String Quartets, performed on a matched quartet set of instruments by Stradivarius, are widely considered to have set the standard for this repertoire.