A Weekend of Chamber Music in the Western Catskills

EAST MEREDITH & STAMFORD — The West Kortright Centre in East Meredith and Friends of Music of Stamford NY present two consecutive world-class chamber music concerts for their fifth annual Weekend of Chamber Music in the Western Catskills on October 19th and 20th. The Horszowski Trio and violinist

Rachel Lee Priday are both internationally acclaimed for their artistry, skill, and passionate playing. These two concerts, coinciding on one weekend, provide the perfect opportunity and incentive for chamber music aficionados to explore and enjoy Delaware County in all of its autumnal glory.

On Saturday, October 19th at 7 p.m., the West Kortright Centre welcomes The Horszowski Trio—Jesse Mills (violin), Raman Ramakrishnan (cello), and Rieko Aizawa (piano). The musical bonds of these exceptional players have been strengthened at various schools and festivals around the world–including the Juilliard School and the Marlboro Festival–resulting in deep trust and exhilarating expressive freedom. Two-time Grammy-nominated violinist Jesse Mills first performed with Raman Ramakrishnan (founding cellist of the prize-winning Daedalus Quartet) when they were children. They later met pianist Rieko Aizawa, who had made her U.S. debuts at the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. Ms. Aizawa was the last pupil of the legendary pianist Mieczysław Horszowski (1892-1993) at the Curtis Institute. Inspired by Horszowski’s musicianship, integrity, and humanity, the Trio presents both traditional and contemporary repertoire.

For this program, the Horszowski Trio will play Joseph Haydn’s most popular piece, Trio in No. 39 in G major, Hob. XV:25 “Gypsy”,

followed by Trio in G minor, Op. 17 by Clara Schumann, and Bedřich Smetana’s

Trio in G minor.

The works of Clara Schumann (b.1819, d.1896) are not frequently played, though she is considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era. In addition to composing, she had an impressive 61-year international performing career (& also raised eight children!)

This event is sponsored by WSKG Public Media. Tickets are $18 in advance ($22 day of); $15 for WKC members ($18 day of); and $10 for ages 9-19; free for ages 8 and under. Advance tickets are available online at

westkc.org; day-of tickets are available at the door on the 19th, starting at 6pm on Saturday. Doors for this inside concert open at 6:30. Ty’s Taco-ria will be on-site selling dinner before show from 5–7PM, with outdoor seating.

The West Kortright Centre is a non-profit performing arts and community organization, located in a repurposed historical church, at 49 West Kortright Church Rd., midway between Oneonta, Delhi, and Stamford. Follow signs from State Route 23 in Davenport Center or State Route 10 east of Delhi. For exact travel directions and more information, visitwestkc.org.

On Sunday, October 20th at 3PM, Friends of Music of Stamford NY, Inc. presents a recital by celebrated violinist Rachel Lee Priday, accompanied by pianist Marija Stroke. Priday’s wide-ranging repertoire and eclectic programming reflect a deep fascination with literary and cultural narratives. For this program, she will play Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Sonata in E Minor, K. 304; Finnish composer Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Lachen Verlernt;

Canon for Aaron, composed by Leonard Bernstein for his mentor, Aaron Copland; Béla Bartók’s

Six Romanian Folk Dances; and César Franck’s Sonata in A Major.

Priday began her violin studies at the age of four in Chicago. Shortly thereafter, she moved to New York to study with Dorothy DeLay and continued her studies at the Juilliard School Pre-College Division with Itzhak Perlman. She performs on a Nicolo Gagliano violin (Naples, 1760), double-purfled with fleurs-de-lis, named Alejandro.

Since making her orchestral debut at the Aspen Music Festival in 1997, Rachel Lee Priday has appeared as a soloist with major international orchestras, including the Chicago, Saint Louis, Houston, Seattle, and National Symphony Orchestras, the Boston Pops, and the Berlin Staatskapelle. Recital appearances have brought her to eminent venues including the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, Musée du Louvre, Verbier Festival, Ravinia Festival and Dame Myra Hess Memorial Series in Chicago, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival in Germany, and tours of South Africa and the United Kingdom. In Europe and in Asia, she has appeared at the Moritzburg Festival in Germany and with orchestras in Graz, Austria, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Korea, where she performed with the KBS Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, and Russian State Symphony Orchestra on tour.

Rachel Lee Priday has been profiled in The New Yorker, The Los Angeles Times, Family Circle Magazine, and The Strad Magazine. Her concerts have been broadcast on major media outlets in the U.S., Germany, Korea, South Africa, and Brazil, including a televised concert in Rio de Janeiro, numerous radio appearances on 98.7 WFMT Chicago radio, and American Public Media’s Performance Today. She has been featured on the Disney Channel, “Fiddling for the Future” and “American Masters” on PBS, and at the Grammy Awards.

This performance isgenerously hosted by the Stamford United Methodist Church at 88 Main Street, Stamford. Suggested donation at the door is $12 per person, $6 for seniors and students. There is no charge for those under age 13. Complimentary refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the concert. For more information about Friends of Music visit