Sonic Spectrum II
Thu, Jan 22, 2026, 7:30 pm
Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Studio at CMS
90 minutes, no intermission
Experience music of the late 20th and 21st centuries, including premieres, in the intimate setting of the Rose Studio at CMS.
Program
Sean Shepherd
(b. 1979)Latticework for Violin and Cello
(CMS Co-Commission, New York Premiere) (2024)Mark-Anthony Turnage
(b. 1960)Sleep On: Three Lullabies for Cello and Piano
(1992)Charlotte Bray
(b. 1982)Mriya for Violin and Piano
(CMS Co-Commission, New York Premiere) (2023)Jörg Widmann
(b. 1973)Selections from 24 Duos for Violin and Cello
(2008)
John Novacek
Leila Josefowicz
Paul Watkins
Grammy-nominated pianist John Novacek regularly tours the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia as a solo recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist who has performed more than 30 concertos with dozens of orchestras. He has performed in major venues around the world including New York’s Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall and Barbican Centre, and Tokyo’s Suntory, Opera City and Bunkamura Halls, and is a frequent guest at festivals un the US and abroad. A highly sought-after collaborative artist, he has performed with Joshua Bell, Renaud Capuçon, Jeremy Denk, Matt Haimovitz, Leila Josefowicz, Cho-Liang Lin, Yo-Yo Ma, Truls Mørk, Elmar Oliveira, and Emmanuel Pahud, as well as the Afiara, Colorado, Harrington, Jupiter, New Hollywood, St. Lawrence, SuperNova, and Ying string quartets. Novacek tours widely as a member of the Intersection, a piano trio that includes violinist Kaura Frautschi and cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper. He has given numerous world premieres and worked closely with composers including John Adams, Kenji Bunch, Gabriela Lena Frank, John Harbison, Jennifer Higdon, George Rochberg, Robert Sierra, John Williams, and John Zorn. Novacek is a Steinway Artist.
Leila Josefowicz’s passionate advocacy of contemporary music for the violin is reflected in her diverse programs and enthusiasm for performing new works. She has premiered many concertos, including those by Colin Matthews, Matthias Pintscher, Luca Francesconi, John Adams, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, all written for her. This season, Josefowicz presents the world premiere of Jüri Reinvere’s Concerto for Violin, Harp, and Orchestra with the Cleveland Orchestra. Further engagements include the Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Highlights of recent seasons include appearances with Berliner Philharmoniker, Royal Concertgebouworkest, London and Los Angeles philharmonics, NDR Elbphilharmonie, and the Chicago, San Francisco, and London symphony orchestras. Together with John Novacek, with whom she has collaborated since 1985, Josefowicz has performed recitals at world-renowned venues such as New York’s Zankel Hall and Park Avenue Armory, Washington DC’s Kennedy Center and Library of Congress, as well as in Reykjavik, Trento, Bilbao, and Chicago.
Paul Watkins enjoys a varied and distinguished career as soloist, chamber musician, and conductor. The cellist of the Emerson String Quartet from 2013 until its disbanding in 2023, he is also the Artistic Director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, and in 2019 he was appointed Professor of Cello at the Yale School of Music. He has performed as concerto soloist with prestigious orchestras throughout the world. A dedicated chamber musician, he was a member of the Nash Ensemble from 1997 until 2013 and is a regular guest artist at CMS. Watkins has held the positions of Music Director of the English Chamber Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra. His extensive discography as a cellist includes more than 70 recordings, and his first recording as a conductor, of the Britten and Berg violin concertos with Daniel Hope, received a Grammy nomination.
