This concert is sponsored by Elizabeth Offringa

Will Shaub, violin
Kevin Class, piano
Duncan Henry, bassoon
Adam Ayers, cello

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685-1759)
arr. Johan Halvorsen (1864-1935)
Passacaglia

KARL GOLDMARK (1830-1915)
“Air”, op. 28

KATERINA SOUPONETSKY
Tides of Solitude for Violin, Bassoon, Cello and Piano (c. 2011)

ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856) 
Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in D minor, op. 121

Program Notes

By Will Shaub

What makes the Concertmaster Series so special to me is not simply the balance between older works and music by living composers, but the opportunity to form real connections: with the music, with the composers of today, and with our audience.

I don’t draw a sharp distinction between “new” music and “old” music. In fact, the term "new music" has never quite sat right with me. The moment a piece is written, it becomes part of a long musical continuum, deserving of the same care, curiosity, and investigative spirit we bring to Brahms or Clara Schumann. Every score asks us to listen deeply, to ask questions, and to uncover its emotional truth.

That approach lies at the heart of this series. Pianist Kevin Class and I are able to spend time with new works, collaborate closely with composers, and bring this music to life in a way that feels personal and immediate. Sharing that process with our audience, especially in a setting as intimate as the KMA, is one of the great joys of this series.

This February program, Tides of Solitude, explores the inward, reflective side of romance. It's fitting, perhaps, for a Valentine’s season that looks beyond the obvious. At the center of the program is a new work by Kat Supinetsky, written for violin, bassoon, cello, and piano. The piece features our new Principal Bassoon Duncan Henry, cellist Adam Ayers, Kevin at the piano, and myself. It is a work of striking atmosphere and emotional depth, music that invites quiet listening and introspection.

We pair this contemporary voice with music that speaks just as powerfully across time. Karl Goldmark’s Air, the second movement from his Violin Concerto, is mesmerizing in its stillness and lyricism, evoking a haunting, cinematic beauty that feels timeless. And no exploration of romance would be complete without Robert Schumann, whose music reflects the passion, warmth, and complexity of his relationship with Clara Schumann. His writing draws us into a rich, shadowed sound world, one that feels deeply human and emotionally honest.

When the expressive possibilities of the violin meet the harmonic imagination of the piano, something extraordinary can happen. That conversation - between instruments, between composers, and between past and present - forms the heart of this concert.