Sophie Shao & Friends

Perennial favorite, cellist Sophie Shao, opens our 106th season with an accomplished, all-female ensemble. Shao is joined by violinist Carmit Zori and pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute to perform selections from François Couperin’s Five Concert Pieces for Cello & Piano, as a nod to the Museum of Art’s “Le Petit Salon” exhibition. Additional works include Amy Beach’s Piano Trio, the Vermont premiere of Elena Ruehr’s second Cello Sonata, and Dvorák’s F Minor Piano Trio.

About the Artists: 

Cellist Sophie Shao, winner of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and top prizes at the Rostropovich and Tchaikovsky competitions, is a versatile and passionate artist praised by publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. She is both a coveted chamber music collaborator and an acclaimed soloist with appearances at the Houston and American Symphony Orchestras, Taiwan and Ukraine’s National Symphony Orchestras, and the BBC Concert Orchestra in London. She holds a BA in religious studies and an MM from Yale University, and serves on the faculty of the University of Connecticut. Learn more about Sophie Shao: http://sophieshao.com
“eloquent, powerful”—The New York Times

Violinist Carmit Zori is the recipient of a Leventritt Foundation Award, a Pro Musicis International Award, and the top prize in the Walter W. Naumburg International Violin Competition. In addition to appearing as a soloist with numerous orchestras—including the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra—and giving in-demand solo recitals, Zori enjoys a prolific career as a chamber musician. After ten years as artistic director at Bargemusic, she founded the Brooklyn Chamber Music Society in 2002, and has appeared with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, plus many more chamber music series. Zori serves on the faculties of Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of Music, Bard Conservatory of Music, and SUNY Purchase.  Learn more about Carmit Zori: http://www.brooklynchambermusicsociety.org/artists.htm

Lithuanian pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute’s powerfully and intricately crafted performances have earned her critical acclaim throughout North America and Europe. A 2006 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship winner, this sought-after chamber musician and collaborator regularly tours and appears at international music festivals including Marlboro, Ravinia, Bard, Caramoor, and many more. Jokubaviciute is Associate Professor of the Practice of Piano at Duke University, a faculty member at the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music School and Festival, and a mentoring artist at the Marlboro Music Festival. Learn more about Ieva Jokubaviciute: https://www.ievajokubaviciute.com/

Program:
Carmit Zori, Violin
Sophie Shao, Cello
Ieva Jokubaviciute, Piano

AMY BEACH Piano Trio, Op. 150 
FRANÇOIS COUPERIN Selections from Five Concert Pieces for Cello & Piano
ELENA RUEHR Cello Sonata No. 2 (VT premiere)
ANTONÍN DVORÁK Piano Trio in F Minor, Op. 65

Reserved Seating. Tickets: $30 general public | $20 Middlebury ID holders | $10 youth (under 21) | $5 Middlebury students. Buy tickets: http://go.middlebury.edu/tickets

Approximate running time: 105 minutes including one intermission.

Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series, the Paul Nelson Performance Endowment, the Performing Arts Series Fund in Honor of Paul Nelson, and the Rothrock Family Residency Fund.

Learn more about the artists:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shaosophie
Instagram: http://instagram.com/shaosophie1
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@shaocello
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/25IlFx9vjinYtFw1lDl1kO
Watch a video:  https://youtu.be/64Dix0QoI0g?si=Vlr4XrXM734muHB9

Performance subject to change.