- Pianist Wu Han Returns as Artistic Advisor for Chamber Music at The Barns, the first artist to hold the position for two consecutive seasons
- Renaissance man and pianist Jeffrey Kahane makes his Barns debut and will perform J.S. Bach’s The Goldberg Variations
- Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center makes its debut appearance at The Barns in a program that includes Schoennberg’s Verklarte Nacht
- Making their Barns debut are violinists Danbi Um and Paul Huang with pianist Orion Weiss in a program that includes the music of Spohr, Weniawski, Sarasate
- 2019-2020 Season is comprised of a collection of concerts inspired by the book Music for Life: 100 Classical Works to Carry You Through by noted music critic Fiona Maddocks
- Highly interactive performances - patrons invited to ask questions in mid-performance Q&As and meet artists at post-performance receptions
Members purchasing early, public on-sale August 9
Vienna, Virginia (August 1, 2019) – Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts today announced the 2019-2020 Chamber Music at The Barns season, curated by pianist Wu Han, returning as Artistic Advisor for Chamber Music at the Barns’ for her second consecutive season. Chamber Music at The Barns takes place at Wolf Trap’s historic and intimate 382-seat indoor venue, and runs October through April. This release complements the announcement of the entire 2019-2020 Barns season, which includes pop, jazz, blues and more. Ticketing information and a calendar of Chamber Music at The Barns performances are below. Print-ready images may be found here.
“We are so glad to have Wu Han return as our Artistic Advisor for the 2019-2020 Chamber Music at The Barns season,” said Lee Anne Myslewski, Vice President for Opera and Classical Programming at Wolf Trap Foundation. “Wu Han brings an unparalleled knowledge of and passion for chamber music to this position. Her reputation and relationships with the best musicians in the country have resulted in amazing performances last season. Wu Han has developed another imaginative season which explores the impact and value of music during various phases of one’s existence.”
Wu Han chose to craft the 2019-2020 season on the unpretentious yet deeply moving book by London music critic Fiona Maddocks, titled Music for Life: 100 Works to Carry You Through. This book focuses on personal stories and pairs them with works of music that embody the shared experiences that make us human. The season opens with a Founder’s Day Celebration concert on October 27, featuring Artistic Advisor Wu Han with her husband and frequent collaborator cellist David Finckel, as they explore two themes of emotional extremes of Joys and Sorrows through the works of Bach, Mendelssohn, Glazunov, and Chopin.
Following the Founder’s Day concert, the Escher String Quartet with Jason Vieaux on guitar celebrate Exuberance performing works by Boccherini, Schumann and Wolf. Legendary pianist, Jeffrey Kahane explores Pilgrimage by investigating the architecture and inventiveness of theme and variation of J.S. Bach’s masterwork, The Goldberg Variations.
The season kicks off after the new year on January 12, 2020 with Wolf Trap Opera alumni Will Liverman, baritone, and Metropolitan Opera pianist Ken Noda, take us on a Journey of the self with Schubert’s Die Winterreise. Violinists Paul Huang and Danbi Um are joined by pianist Orion Weiss in Dialogue as they navigate the music of Spohr, Weniawski, Sarasate, as well as the world premiere of a new chamber work, commissioned by Wolf Trap, by Chris Rogerson. The Brentano String Quartet presents Songs of Thanksgiving in a program that pays homage to inspiration, both earthly and divine, with Beethoven’s brilliant Quartet in A minor Op. 132 followed by tributes to Davidovsky and Mendelssohn. The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMSLC) demonstrates the powerful testament of the flexibility of the human spirit and the strength of love in Drama Notturno, a program that includes Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht and works by Strauss and Mozart. The CMSLC musicians to perform include cellist Nicholas Canellakis, violist Hsin-Yun Huang, violinist Yura Lee, violist Richard O’Neill, cellist David Requiro, and violinist Arnaud Sussmann. The season closes on May 1 with Mutual Admiration, featuring violinist Arnaud Sussmann, violist Paul Neubauer, cellist David Finckel, and pianist Wu Han. The program demonstrates the connections between Suk and our knowledge of Brahms and Dvořák.
Select performances of Chamber Music at The Barns are recorded for national broadcast on “Center Stage from Wolf Trap,” an hour-long program hosted by Classical WETA announcer Rich Kleinfeldt and Lee Anne Myslewski, Wolf Trap's Vice President for Opera and Classical Programming.
With its informal setting and stunning architecture, The Barns is a one-of-a-kind musical experience and your home for chamber music. Comprised of two 18th-century barns made of hand-hewn wood beams and panels, the space is noted for its acoustic excellence and historic charm. At Chamber Music at The Barns performances, patrons are invited to ask artists questions during lively mid-performance Q&A sessions and are also invited to meet the artists at a post-performance reception in the English Barn.
Through Wolf Trap’s Young at Arts initiative, patrons may get an accompanying free youth (17 and under) ticket for each adult ticket purchased to select shows. See wolftrap.org/chamber for more information.
Wolf Trap members (donors of $80 and above) are invited to purchase their tickets in advance of public on-sale. Tickets go on sale to the public August 9 and may be purchased at wolftrap.org.
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Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, produces and presents a full range of performance and education programs in the Greater Washington area, as well as nationally and internationally. Wolf Trap features three performance venues: the outdoor Filene Center and Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, both located at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, and The Barns at Wolf Trap, located adjacent to the Center for Education at Wolf Trap. The 7,028-seat Filene Center is operated in partnership with the National Park Service and annually showcases an extensive array of diverse artists, ranging from pop, country, folk, and blues to classical music, dance, and theatre, as well as multimedia presentations, from May through September. The Barns at Wolf Trap is operated by the Wolf Trap Foundation year round, and during the summer months is home to the Grammy-nominated Wolf Trap Opera, one of America’s outstanding resident ensemble programs for young opera singers. Wolf Trap’s education programs include the nationally acclaimed Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, a diverse array of arts education classes, grants, and a nationally recognized internship program.
Tickets for The Barns at Wolf Trap
The most up-to-date information on artists, performances and ticket availability may be found on Wolf Trap’s website, WolfTrap.org.
Online: WolfTrap.org
By phone: 1.877.WOLFTRAP
Media Information
Please do not publish this contact information.
High-resolution images are available here.
Erick Hoffman, Director, Communications
703.255.1917 or erickh@wolftrap.org