UPCOMING INTERLUDE CONCERT
Stella Chen (violin) & Janice Carissa (piano)
Sunday, February 16, 2025, 2:00 PM
Two gifted young artists will come together to present a dazzling afternoon of music at the Ebenezer Theater in Easton, MD. Gramophone 2023 Young Artist of the Year, violinist Stella Chen garnered worldwide attention with her first-prize win at the 2019 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition, followed by a 2020 Avery Fisher Career Grant and 2020 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award. A Gilmore Young Artist and winner of Salon de Virtuosi, pianist Janice Carissa is lauded for her impeccable finger work, expressive artistry, and radiant performances. Carissa debuted with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age 16 and is celebrated for her ability to craft vivid musical narratives that transcend mere virtuosity.
FULL ARTIST BIOS & SAMPLE PERFORMANCES
Stella Chen
Stella Chen grew up in Silicon Valley and began playing the violin at age seven. Her teacher, Li Lin, a passionate violinist, encouraged her, “to produce an interesting sound at all times.” Gramophone 2023 Young Artist of the Year, Chen garnered worldwide attention with her First Prize win at the 2019 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition followed by the 2020 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 2020 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award. She is the Inaugural recipient of the Robert Levin Award from Harvard University. Her mentors include Levin, Donald Weilerstein, Itzhak Perlman, Miriam Fried and Catherine Cho.
Chen has performed as soloist with the New York Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony and appeared in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Vienna’s Musikverein, and Berliner Philharmonie. She plays chamber music with Perlman, Weilerstein, and Levin.
In March of 2023, Chen produced a stunning debut album called Stella X Schubert. Her instruments include the 1700 “ex-Petri” Stradivari and the 1708 “Huggins” Stradivari.
Watch a sample of Stella performing Paganini and Vieauxtemps
Janice Carissa
Janice Carissa began studying piano in Indonesia at the age of five with her self-taught pianist mother. She entered the Curtis Institute of Music at age 15, debuted with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age 16 and with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at age 19. Carissa studied under professors Gary Graffman and Robert McDonald and went on to receive her master’s degree from the Juilliard School.
She was recently named a Gilmore Young Artist and has won the Salon de Virtuosi Award and the American Protégé Star Performer Award. She has captivated audiences from the Sydney Opera House to the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. Critics praise her playing, saying she has a “fleet-fingered touch” and tells “a vivid story.” In past concerts, Carissa has tackled the challenging works of Liszt, Bach, Beethoven, Granados, Busoni, and Scriabin. Carissa has said that her goal as a performer is to spread the joy of music.
CONCERT PROGRAM
subject to change
1858–1931
Sonata for Solo Violin, op. 27 no. 5, a Mathieu Crickboom
I. L’Aurore
II. Danse Rustique
Robert Paterson
b. 1970
1873–1943
1810–1856
Selections from Bunte Blätter, op. 99
I. Stücklein. Nicht schnell, mit Innigkeit
II. Stücklein. Sehr rasch
III. Stücklein. Frisch
IV. Albumblätter. Ziemlich langsam
V. Albumblätter. Schnell
VI. Albumblätter. Ziemlich langsam, sehr gesangvoll
VII. Albumblätter. Sehr langsam
VIII. Albumblätter. Langsam
IX. Novellette
X. Präludium
1685–1750
Intermission
1822–1890
Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano
I. Allegretto ben moderato
II. Allegro
III. Ben moderato: Recitativo-Fantasia
IV. Allegretto poco mosso
Maurice Ravel
1875–1937
Tzigane
SAVE THE DATES || MORE UPCOMING INTERLUDE CONCERTS...
Saturday, March 22, 2025, 4:00 PM
Saxophonist Salvador Flores returns after competing as a finalist in the 10th Chamber Music Competition with the Aero Quartet in 2022. The Aero Quartet won the audience’s hearts at the competition and has since returned to the Ebenezer Theater to perform an Interlude Concert in 2023. They also participated in Chesapeake Music’s YouthReach programming focused on educational outreach. Flores will be joined by composer, conductor, and pianist Andrew Kosinski. The duo will perform works across a wide variety of genres — including classical, contemporary, tango, and jazz — while also presenting a world premiere. Tickets will be available in January.
Sunday, April 27, 2025, 2:00 PM
The Hesper Quartet will be making their own return to the Ebenezer Theater after winning a Silver Prize in the 11th Chesapeake Chamber Music Competition in 2024. The quartet formed in 2022 at the Emerson String Quartet Institute at Stony Brook University. “Hesper” means evening star, and like how each star in the night has its own story, the Hesper Quartet strives to tell the fascinating story of each work they perform. The quartet will be joined by pianist Ying Li, First Prize winner of the 2021 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, as well as recipient of The Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival Prize and the Tri-I Noon Recitals Prize. Tickets will be available in February.
Enjoy recorded selections from these recent Interlude concerts.
Andante
Allegro
Carnaval, arr. Hong for piano quartet
Natalie Loughran, viola
Zhu Wang, piano
INTERMISSION
Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson
(1932-2004)
String Quartet No. 1 “Calvary”
Allegro
Adagio
Rondo. Allegro vivace
Igor Stravinsky
(1882-1971)
Petrouchka, arr. Hong for piano quintet
Tableau I: The -tide Fair
Tableau II: Petrouchka”s Room
Tableau III: The Moor’s Room
Tableau IV: The Shrove-tide Fair
Towards Evening
Click the button below to see photos from our past Interlude concerts.
