UPCOMING CONCERT SEASON
Tradition Unbound
Please join Massachusetts Chamber Music Artists for Tradition Unbound, a program that explores what happens when classical chamber music moves beyond its familiar context.
Featuring music by composers who challenged conventional boundaries, this concert highlights the creative dialogue between written tradition and improvisational spirit. Drawing from jazz, Impressionism, folk traditions, and more, the program embraces the unexpected connections between genres.
With violinist Haig Hovsepian, cellist Sterling Elliott, and pianist Janice Lu, Tradition Unbound celebrates composers who expand the language of chamber music while embracing the freedom, energy, and spontaneity found beyond its traditional conventions.
Reflections
Massachusetts Chamber Music Artists presents Reflections, featuring violinist Ilya Kaler, violinist Haig Hovsepian, and pianist Rasa Vitkauskaite in a program centered around the remarkable range of the violin, from intimate lyricism to intricate dialogue and dazzling virtuosity.
Clara Schumann’s Three Romances and Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 8 showcase the expressive partnership between violin and piano. Shostakovich’s Five Pieces for Two Violins and Piano introduces the interplay of two violins, followed by Leclair’s Sonata for Two Violins and Moszkowski’s Suite for Two Violins and Piano, each revealing a different character of the instrument and its relationship with another violin.
The title Reflections speaks to the way the violin’s sound and musical ideas are echoed and transformed throughout the program. Heard alone with piano and then alongside a second violin, the instrument reveals different facets of its expressive and musical range.
Crossroads
Massachusetts Chamber Music Artists opens its second season with Crossroads, a program that explores the places where cultures, traditions, and musical voices intersect.
The evening opens with Armenian composer Gayane Chebotaryan's expressive Piano Trio, a work that blends rich lyricism with the distinctive colors and rhythms of Armenia’s musical landscape. It is followed by Astor Piazzolla's electrifying The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, a work that reimagines the spirit of tango through the lens of the concert hall. The program concludes with Johannes Brahms's monumental Piano Trio No. 1, a masterpiece whose sweeping melodies and emotional depth have made it one of the cornerstones of the chamber music repertoire.
From Armenia to Argentina to Germany, Crossroads traces unexpected connections across continents and generations, revealing how music transcends borders while giving voice to the unique stories and traditions that shape our world.
Mosaics of Armenia: Voices from the Homeland
Please join Massachusetts Chamber Music Artists for the season finale, Mosaics of Armenia which brings our inaugural season to a close.
This special program brings together internationally acclaimed musicians: cellist Suren Bagratuni and pianist Karén Hakobyan who join MCMA Founder and Artistic Director Haig Hovsepian for a vibrant celebration of the richness of Armenian musical heritage. Together, they present a journey through Armenia’s musical landscape, from the beloved voice of Komitas to the dramatic lyricism of Aram Khachaturian and the passionate intensity of Arno Babajanian. The evening also features the U.S. premiere of Grikor Hakhinian’s Poem on Sayat-Nova’s Melodies, a striking work inspired by the poetry and music of the legendary Armenian troubadour, as well as a work by contemporary composer Gagik Hovunts that reflects the continuing evolution of Armenian musical expression..
Rarely heard on today’s concert stages, this powerful repertoire comes to life through vibrant musical storytelling, and the spirit of a rich cultural heritage.
New Horizons
Join us for the next performance of Massachusetts Chamber Music Artists, featuring four dynamic musicians in an evening that celebrates modern voices and rediscovered treasures of the chamber repertoire.
The program begins with Kian Ravaei’s Family Photos, a vivid and intimate musical storytelling that explores memory, identity, and the threads that bind families together. We continue with Grażyna Bacewicz’s String Quartet No. 4, a tour-de-force of rhythmic energy and bold sonorities, highlighting her unmistakable brilliance as one of the great modern Polish composers. The concert concludes with Artemi Ayvazyan’s String Quartet No. 2, a powerful and expressive rarely heard work by one of Armenia’s most distinctive 20th-century musical voices—music rooted in tradition, drama, and irresistible lyricism.
Artists:
Violin: Haig Hovsepian
Violin: Evan Johanson
Viola: Steven Baloue
Cello: Thomas Lim
Opus I: Inaugural Concert
Join us for the debut performance of Massachusetts Chamber Music Artists, bringing together five distinguished musicians for an evening that bridges cultures and time.
The program opens with Frank Bridge’s Phantasy Piano Quartet, a single-movement gem with lush harmonies and a sweeping Romantic palette, showcasing the composer’s gift for color and texture. We then turn to the evocative folk songs of Komitas, a cornerstone of Armenian musical heritage whose works capture the soul of a nation. The evening concludes with Felix Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 1, a masterpiece of passionate lyricism and sparkling interplay between violin, cello, and piano.
Artists:
Violin: Haig Hovsepian
Violin: Michael Fisher
Viola: Yeh-Chun Lin
Cello: Edward Arron
Piano: Dina Vainshtein