A conductorless chamber collective ignites Mozart, Britten, Bruch’s Kol Nidrei, and Mendelssohn’s miraculous Octet
Close Encounters With Music welcomes back The Vivace Chamber Orchestra, a New York–based collective renowned for precision, color, and expressive unanimity, on Sunday, December 7, 2025, at 4 PM at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington.
Curated to showcase the ensemble’s rare, one-mind musicianship, the program looks back and leaps forward. Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue in C minor—an homage to Bach’s contrapuntal craft—ventures into daring harmonies that feel a century ahead of their time, with the drama of an Italian overture. Britten’s Simple Symphony sparkles with wit and buoyant good spirits. Max Bruch’s Kol Nidrei (for cello and strings) unfolds as an extraordinarily expressive arc—from supplication and contrition to promise and redemption. And nothing less than a miracle, Mendelssohn’s String Octet in E-flat Major—written at sixteen and marked to be played “in symphonic orchestral style”—remains a beloved touchstone for its youthful verve, brilliance, and perfection.
“Vivace brings the electricity of a string quartet to an orchestral palette,” says CEWM Artistic Director Yehuda Hanani. “This program lets them pivot from the etched counterpoint of Mozart to Britten’s joie de vivre, the soulful depth of Kol Nidrei, and the sheer marvel of Mendelssohn’s Octet.”
The Vivace Chamber Orchestra, under Fleming’s direction, features an exceptional roster of New York–based string players: Siwoo Kim, Miho Saegusa, Keiko Tokunaga, Rubén Rengel, Suliman Tekalli, Christine Wu, and Edwin Kaplan on violins; Andrew Gonzalez, Laura Liu, and Sofia Gilchenok on violas; Ari Evan, Mihai Marica, and Aaron Wolff on cellos; and Andrew Trombley on bass.
“Performing without a conductor heightens our listening—we have to breathe and phrase as one,” says Luke Fleming, Artistic Director of The Vivace Chamber Orchestra. “From Mozart’s chiseled counterpoint to Britten’s sparkle, with the deep lyric core of Kol Nidrei, the program sets up the exhilarating release of Mendelssohn’s Octet.”
An elite, conductorless cohort of string artists, The Vivace Chamber Orchestra unites leading chamber musicians and orchestral principals for projects that demand both soloistic flair and chamber instinct. Their hallmark is unanimity—of intonation, articulation, and interpretive intent—resulting in performances of clarity, vitality, and breathtaking cohesion.
Beyond the Concert
Following the performance, audiences are invited to an “Afterglow” reception to meet the artists and mingle with fellow music lovers. Select concerts will also be available online, extending CEWM’s reach to listeners far beyond the Berkshires. (Subscribe to our YouTube Channel)
About Close Encounters With Music (CEWM)
Now in its 34th season, Close Encounters With Music presents world-class chamber music with imaginative programming, acclaimed guest artists, and community-centered events across the Berkshires. CEWM concerts pair beloved masterworks with discoveries, illuminating connections across eras and cultures. Learn more at cewm.organd follow CEWM on social media for updates and behind-the-scenes content.
https://cewm.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/CEWM_Dec2-e1755712685177.jpg553780Dawn Stanyonhttps://cewm.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CEWM-Logo-Purple-340w.pngDawn Stanyon2025-10-17 15:30:292025-10-17 15:32:22The Vivace Chamber Orchestra Returns to the Mahaiwe — December 7
A 14-person Pop-up Collective of New York’s Finest String Players Offers Power, Precision, Finesse and Soaring Artistry in a Festive Holiday Concert on Sunday, December 15, 4pm at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.
Great Barrington, MA: Close Encounters With Music’s 33rd Season in the Berkshires continues with chamber music royalty in a 14-person ensemble on Sunday, December 15, 4PM at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, MA. This festive holiday concert is filled with music by Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Boccherini and Barber.
Composed by Tchaikovsky to counter a bout of insomnia and melancholy, Serenade for Strings immediately cheered him up, and he reported “feeling well, invigorated and content”—as gratified listeners have over the years. Few composers have possessed the ability to reflect emotions within their music as well as Tchaikovsky, and the Serenade channels solemnity and joy (an homage to Mozart, a memorable waltz) into one perfect package. Barber’s iconic Adagio, “full of pathos and cathartic passion, rarely leaves a dry eye” (it was played at the funerals of Albert Einstein and Princess Grace of Monaco…). Holberg Suite (subtitled “suite in olden style” — 1884), one of Grieg’s most beloved works, offers chorale-like harmonies, joyous and lilting rhythms, and hints of a rural fiddle player. Boccherini’s Baroque-era Cello Concerto, rewritten in a Romantic vein, is a virtuosic delight. The conductorless Vivace String Orchestra takes center stage and CEWM’s artistic director Yehuda Hanani and cellist extraordinaire will be the soloist in this work.
Comprised of fourteen top-tier soloists who gather for periodic tours, Vivace performers are the crème de la crème of chamber music players. They are members of the legendary Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Sybarite5, Frisson, Eighth Blackbird, Seraphic Fire, Sejong Soloists, The Knights, A Far Cry, Music from Copland House, Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, and the Jasper String Quartet. Individually, they have performed as soloists with prestigious orchestras around the globe— Los Angeles Philharmonic, BBC Concert Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony, Spanish National Orchestra, Buenos Aires Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, Staatsorchester Brandenburgisches Frankfurt, Columbus, Houston, Dallas, Detroit, and New Jersey, symphony orchestras, Johannesburg Philharmonic, Venezuela Symphony, Kwazulu-Natal Philharmonic, Orchestre Royal de Chambre and Montevideo Philharmonic in the most prestigious cultural venues and in chamber music settings with stars of the music world. Members have taken top prizes in competitions, including the Naumburg, Boston Symphony Concerto Competition, Avery Fisher, and a Rising Star Award by Tiffany & Co. They lead colorful and eclectic lives in music, performing jazz, tango, contemporary and Baroque; have mastered the Violoncello da Spalla (a five-stringed mini cello that is played on the shoulder!) and the Argentine bandoneon; compose, teach, and have found other exciting outlets for their creativity. Cellist Aaron Wolff had a lead role in the Coen brothers’ film A Serious Man and has provided string arrangements for Comedy Central’s sitcom Broad City.
United in their excellence, experience and the excitement they generate, Vivace presents a precision-instrument orchestral voice.
Vivace Chamber Orchestra: Katie Hyun, Kobi Malkin, Siwoo Kim, Keiko Tokunaga, Ruben Rengel, Sami Merdinian, Miho Saegusa, violins; Luke Fleming, Caeli Smith, Tanner Menees, Andrew Gonzalez, violas; Ari Evan, Arlen Hlusko, Aaron Wolff, cellos; Lizzie Burns, double bass
Yehuda Hanani, cello solo
All audience members are invited to an “Afterglow” reception following each concert to meet the performers and one another! In addition to offering live in-person concerts, curated online performances will be available to accommodate geographically remote listeners and virtual followers.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season subscriptions are available at cewm.org: $225 for the remaining season series of 6 concerts, plus a 4 concert, select-your-own option. Single Tickets, $55 (Orchestra and Mezzanine), $30 (Balcony) and $15 for students, are available through the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center or by calling 413-528-0100.
“CEWM patrons have learned that sooner or later they’ll be blindsided by a performance so sublime it will defy explanation.”
— The Berkshire Edge
HOW TO REACH US
Close Encounters With Music Post Office Box 34 Great Barrington, MA 01230 Web: cewm.org e-mail: [email protected]
If you don’t already, please follow us on social media! We work to keep our posts informative and inspiring. (insert logos/hyperlinks)
NEXT UP:
6 Unaccompanied Bach Suites for Cello with Colin Carr & Yehuda Hanani
Sunday, February 23, 2025 4 PM, Saint James Place, Great Barrington
Two leading Bach interpreters embark on a journey while traversing his Six Suites, the apogee of the cello repertoire. Filled with mystery and beauty, blasted through with rapture, every note is a bold statement. Music that first flowed from the composer’s quill in the early 1700’s, it belongs to no specific time or place. At the same time as it floats in the heavenly spheres, it provides plenty of earthly pleasures – courtly music, riffs, Celtic jigs, the merriment of a tavern musician, and glimpses of modern minimalism. The title “Unaccompanied” is a bit of a misnomer: a single cellist takes on numerous voices, making the music drama for three or four characters played by one actor! If angels danced, this is the music that would no doubt accompany them on their gramophone.
Colin Carr, cello; Yehuda Hanani, cello
“…Colin Carr – supreme technique and ebulllience” – Boston Musical Intelligencer
“In this era of the cello, Hanani is among the best. His Bach was absorbing imaginative, beautiful i all respects” – San Francisco Examiner
2024/2025 Current Season
Sunday, October 20, 4 PM, The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center: Drama and Melodrama – The Schumanns
Sunday, December 15, 4 PM, The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center: Vivace Chamber Orchestra: Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Boccherini, Barber
Sunday, February 23, 4 PM, Saint James Place: 6 Unaccompanied Bach Suites for Cello with Colin Carr & Yehuda Hanani
Sunday, March 23, 4 PM, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center: “Rite of Spring” – Rachmaninoff/Stravinsky
Sunday, April 27, 4 PM, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center: Classical Roots, Latin Soul – The Dalí String Quartet
Sunday, May 18, 4 PM, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center: “A Tale of Two Salons” – Winaretta Singer and Marcel Proust
Sunday, June 8, 4PM, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center: L’Amour Toujours and a World Premiere
https://cewm.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Vivace-Painting-e1731338006944.jpg623766Dawn Stanyonhttps://cewm.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CEWM-Logo-Purple-340w.pngDawn Stanyon2024-11-11 10:09:382024-11-11 10:13:42Close Encounters With Music Presents The Vivace Chamber Orchestra with Works by Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Boccherini and Barber
