Events: Arizona - Phoenix - Scottsdale

On Sunday, February 11, 2024 at 3 p.m., Chamber Music Sedona will showcase “The Art of the Piano Quartet” in a concert performed by pianist Gloria Chien, violinist Arnaud Sussmann, violist Milena Pajaro-van De Stadt and cellist and Chamber Music Sedona Artistic Director Nicholas Canellakis. Held at the Sedona Performing Arts Center, 995 Upper Red Rock Loop Rd., Sedona, Ariz. 86336, the concert will feature three spectacular and varied takes on the piano quartet genre with works by Gabriel Fauré, Joaquin Turina and Robert Schumann. The concert will be preceded by “Whimsical Strings,” a salon held on February 10 at 5:30 p.m. in the intimate setting of a private home.

Chosen as one of the Superior Pianists of the year by the Boston Globe, Gloria Chien is a prize winner of the World Piano Competition, Harvard Musical Association Award and others, and has presented solo recitals at leading venues and festivals around the world. An avid chamber musician, she has been the resident pianist with the Chameleon Arts Ensemble of Boston since 2000. Her recent CD with violinist Joanna Kurkowicz was released on Chandos Records to widespread critical acclaim. Chien is a Steinway Artist and member of the prestigious Chamber Music Society Two of Lincoln Center.

A winner of a 2009 Avery Fisher Career Grant, violinist Arnaud Sussmann has distinguished himself with his unique sound, bravura and profound musicianship. He has captured the attention of classical critics and audiences worldwide while performing as both a soloist and alongside many of today’s leading artists. A dedicated chamber musician, Sussmann has been a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 2006 and has regularly appeared with them in New York and on tour. He is also a frequent recording artist whose solo debut disc, featuring three Brahms Violin Sonatas with pianist Orion Weiss, was released in 2014 on the Telos Music Label. 

Praised by Strad Magazine as having “lyricism that stood out…a silky tone and beautiful, supple lines,” Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt has established herself as one of the most sought-after violists of her generation. In addition to appearances as a soloist with the Tokyo Philharmonic, the Jacksonville Symphony and the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra, she has performed in recitals and chamber music concerts worldwide. Pajaro-van de Stadt was the founding violist of the Dover Quartet – which performed at Chamber Music Sedona last season – and played in the group from 2008-2022. Currently, she is a member of the newly formed piano quartet “Espressivo!” along with acclaimed artists Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson and Anna Polonsky.

Hailed as one of the most innovative cellists of his generation, Nicholas Canellakis frequently performs as a soloist with orchestras and at famed classical music festivals around the world. An artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, with which he performs regularly in Alice Tully Hall and on tour, Canellakis is a winner of the prestigious CMS Two international auditions, and has also been in residence at Carnegie Hall as a member of Ensemble Connect. He has proudly served as Artistic Director of Chamber Music Sedona since 2018, striving to advance the organization’s reputation as one of the leading presenters of chamber music in the U.S. Canellakis will join forces with Pajaro-van de Stadt and Sussmann for the winter salon on Feb. 10, presenting an evening of fanciful and fun solos, duos and trios.

To learn more about “The Art of the Piano Quartet” or to purchase tickets, visit https://chambermusicsedona.org/2024-the-art-of-the-piano-quartet/.