Acclaimed violinist to begin role in 2025-2026, launching a season showcasing renowned artists performing a diverse repertoire at The Barns
Vienna, Virginia (April 25, 2025) – Lee Anne Myslewski, Vice President, Opera and Classical Programming at Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, announced today that Daniel Hope, acclaimed British violinist, classical recording artist, and best-selling author, has been appointed Artistic Advisor for Chamber Music at The Barns beginning in the 2025-2026 season.
"We could not be more excited to have Daniel Hope join us as our next Artistic Advisor,” said Myslewski. “His extraordinary artistry and passion for connecting with audiences perfectly aligns with our vision for the future of chamber music at The Barns at Wolf Trap.”
An acclaimed soloist, ensemble leader, and humanitarian, Daniel Hope holds several roles, including the Music Director of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and San Francisco’s New Century Chamber Orchestra. He has a prolific recording career with over 30 albums and is a passionate advocate for new music, having collaborated with prominent composers and has commissioned over 30 new works. Hope is also the President of the Beethoven-Haus Bonn and will assume the role of Intendant and Artistic Director of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival in November 2025.
“I am delighted to join Wolf Trap as Artistic Advisor of its renowned chamber music series beginning in the 2025–2026 season. It is a particular honor to follow in the footsteps of my close friend and esteemed colleague Wu Han, whose vision and energy have shaped this series into one of the most beloved in the country,” Daniel Hope states. “The Barns at Wolf Trap—with its inviting character, superb acoustics, and intimate atmosphere—offers a rare space where music feels personal and profound. As Duke Ellington poignantly said, 'Music is the strongest form of magic.' I look forward to sharing that magic with audiences in this extraordinary setting, and to crafting seasons filled with inspiration, discovery, and joy.”
Hope brings to Wolf Trap more than 35 years of international performance experience, having appeared as a soloist in recitals, chamber concerts, and concertos with major orchestras and conductors worldwide. He succeeds pianist Wu Han, whose tenure as Artistic Advisor over the past seven seasons brought signature leadership and a dynamic curatorial voice to the series. On March 8, 2026, Hope and Wu Han will perform a special concert together at The Barns—joined by cellist David Finckel—featuring piano trios by Haydn, Beethoven, and Dvořák.
Wu Han shares, "Serving as the Artistic Advisor of Wolf Trap's chamber music series over the past seven years has been a true honor. I have been deeply inspired by the audience whose support fuels this series. As I pass the baton to Daniel Hope, I do so with immense pride and joy and look forward to returning to the Wolf Trap stage next season!"
A leading cross-genre presenter located just outside of Washington, DC, Wolf Trap presents year-round programming across three venues: the Filene Center, The Barns at Wolf Trap, and Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods. Performances range from large-scale summer opera and concert productions at the Filene Center to chamber music performances, operas, and recitals at The Barns, known for its intimate setting.
2025–2026 Chamber Music at the Barns Season Highlights
The 2025-2026 season of Chamber Music at The Barns highlights a broad repertoire and reflects Wolf Trap’s commitment to both established and emerging voices. The season opens Thursday, October 9, with internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and pianist Kristian Bezuidenhout in a recital showcasing vocal and piano works by Franz Schubert. On November 16, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center musicians—violinists Stella Chen and Alexander Sitkovetsky, violists Paul Neubauer and Matthew Lipman, and cellist Keith Robinson—present Viola Celebration, a program featuring works by Vaughan Williams and Mozart that includes two violas in every piece.
Ringing in the New Year, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center musicians—violinists Danbi Um and Julian Rhee, violist Paul Neubauer, and cellists Nicholas Canellakis and Jonathan Swensen—perform string works by Boccherini and Beethoven on January 30. On February 8, the Grammy Award-winning Imani Winds, composed of flutist Brandon Patrick George, oboist Toyin Spellman-Diaz, clarinetist Mark Dover, bassoonist Monica Ellis, and horn player Kevin Newton, present Grooves and Meditations, a program of works by living composers, including Valerie Coleman, Kalevi Aho, Paquito D’Rivera, and Fazil Say, weaving together global influences and contemporary sounds.
On March 1, Windfest spotlights Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center musicians—flutist Tara Helen O' Connor, oboist Juri Vallentin, clarinetist David Shifrin, bassoonist Peter Kolkay, horn player David Byrd-Marrow, and pianist Michael Stephen Brown—performing works by Strauss, Czerny, and Farrenc. On March 8, Daniel Hope, in his first performance at Wolf Trap, unites with pianist Wu Han and cellist David Finckel for piano trios by Haydn, Beethoven, and Dvořák; on March 27, the Aznavoorian Sisters host a performance showcasing their mastery of classical duos, including works that highlight their Armenian heritage.
On April 24, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center musicians—violinists Chad Hoopes and Richard Lin, violist Milena Pájaro-van de Stadt, cellist Dmitri Atapine, and pianist Wu Han— present Quintet Revelations, performing works of brilliant Romanticism from Arensky and Saint- Saëns’ quintets alongside Baroque and Classical violin duets.
For updates and information on purchasing series subscriptions visit: www.wolftrap.org/chamber. Additional performances and single performance tickets go on sale in August.
Special thanks to Dan and Gayle D’Aniello, Wolf Trap Season Underwriters,
and Deborah F. and David A. Winston, 2025-2026 Chamber Music at The Barns Series Sponsors.
About Daniel Hope
British violinist Daniel Hope is celebrated for his musical versatility and dedication to humanitarian causes. He has been recognized with a string of honors including the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and the 2015 European Culture Prize for Music. Besides undertaking solo recitals, chamber concerts, and concerto collaborations with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, Hope also directs many ensembles from the violin, succeeding Sir Roger Norrington as Music Director of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra in 2016 and becoming Music Director of San Francisco’s New Century Chamber Orchestra two years later. An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist since 2007, he has an award-winning discography and is also a popular radio and television host who during the pandemic anchored the award-winning streaming and TV series Hope@Home. In 2019 he completed his 16th and final season as Associate Artistic Director of Georgia’s Savannah Music Festival and became Artistic Director of Dresden’s Frauenkirche Cathedral. In 2020, following in the distinguished footsteps of Kurt Masur and Joseph Joachim, Hope began his tenure as President of the Beethoven-Haus Bonn, and as of November 1, 2025, Hope becomes Intendant and Artistic Director of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, founded by Yehudi Menuhin and Benjamin Britten.
A passionate advocate of contemporary music, he has commissioned more than 30 works, collaborating closely with such prominent composers as Harrison Birtwistle, Peter Maxwell Davies, Tan Dun, Sofia Gubaidulina, György Kurtág, Krzysztof Penderecki, Max Richter, Tōru Takemitsu, Mark-Anthony Turnage, and Alfred Schnittke, whose music for violin and piano was the focus of Hope’s 2021 Deutsche Grammophon album release.
One of today’s most prolific classical recording artists, Hope already has more than 30 albums to his name. Recognized with awards including the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis, the Diapason d’Or of the Year, the Edison Classical Award, and the Prix Caecilia, his discography features the recent Deutsche Grammophon albums DANCE! and Irish Roots. In 2021, he released Hope, recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic and featuring new arrangements of Ariel Ramírez’s Misa Criolla and timeless classics by Schubert, Elgar, and Pärt; and America, showcasing 35 years of American music with special guests the Marcus Roberts Trio. In response to the war in Ukraine, Hope and Ukrainian pianist Alexey Botvinov released the EP Music for Ukraine, a benefit album featuring music by Ukrainian composers Myroslav Skoryk and Valentin Silvestrov.
Hope has penned four bestselling books, all published by Germany’s Rowohlt Verlag. He contributes regularly to the Wall Street Journal, and he has initiated interdisciplinary collaborations with artists including Klaus Maria Brandauer, Mia Farrow, Sebastian Koch, Iris Berben, and Sting, among others.
Hope was educated at London’s Highgate School and Royal Academy of Music, studying violin with Zakhar Bron and Itzhak Rashkovsky, besides working closely with his mentor Yehudi Menuhin, with whom he gave numerous concerts around the world. Now living with his family in Switzerland, Hope plays the 1742 “ex-Lipínski” Guarneri del Gesù, placed generously at his disposal.
Daniel Hope’s full biography: danielhope.com
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About Wolf Trap
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. 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, and dance from May through September. The Barns at Wolf Trap is operated by Wolf Trap Foundation year-round, and during the summer months is home to the Grammy-nominated Wolf Trap Opera, one of America’s outstanding professional training programs for early career 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 nationally recognized internship program, arts education classes, and grantmaking programs.