The Cultural Exchange Foundation and Center for Musical Excellence presents Romantic Rachmaninoff on Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 6 p.m. as part of the Live at the Barn series. In beautiful, rural New Jersey, music and nature come together in symbiosis to offer our CME supporters an unparalleled experience. Celebrate the 150th anniversary of Rachmaninoff’s birth with an exclusive Carnegie Hall concert preview in an intimate setting. Tickets are $60 and are available here.
Our Live at the Barn concert series present internationally acclaimed artists in a unique intimate setting. You have never felt the music so close!
The Cultural Exchange Foundation – in cooperation with Young Concert Artists, Houston Grand Opera, Classical Movements, Prague Summer Nights Young Artists Music Festival, and Morgan State University – celebrates 150 years of Rachmaninoff with a diverse program of instrumental and vocal music. The evening commemorates one of the finest composers of the Romantic era and one of the most celebrated pianists of all time. An exciting group of world-class artists from around the globe will perform some of Rachmaninoff’s most famous music: Preludes, Études Tableaux, and original transcriptions, as well as more rarely heard selections. The night will also feature various romances, solo piano works, and chamber works: Trio élégiaque No. 1 in G Minor with Asi Matathias on violin, Kristina Reiko Cooper on cello, and Dmitry Yudin on piano, as well as the brilliant Sonata in G Minor for Cello and Piano, performed by Cooper. Soprano Sarah Coburn will also perform three of Rachmaninoff’s most treasured romances including his perennial favorite Vocalise.
Featuring:
- Sarah Coburn, soprano
- Kristina Reiko Cooper, cello
- Asi Matathias, violin
- Dmitry Yudin, piano
About the Artists:
- Sarah Coburn, soprano
American soprano Sarah Coburn is captivating international audiences with her “precision placement, mercury speed, and a gorgeous liquid gold tone, gilded by a thrilling top and bottom register” (The Globe and Mail). Following her performances in the title role of Lucie de Lammermoor at Glimmerglass Opera, the New York Observer noted, “she turns out to have qualities that have made legends out of so many of her predecessors, from Adelina Patti to Maria Callas: stage charisma, a thrilling upper register and, crucially, a fearlessness about abandoning herself to opera’s most abandoned heroine… this is a palpably exciting voice… Ms. Coburn is a budding prima donna of exceptional promise.”
- Kristina Reiko Cooper, cello
Cello virtuoso Kristina Reiko Cooper has won worldwide acclaim for her musical diversity, artistry, and charismatic stage presence. Hailed by The New York Times as “sensational in concert” and as a “striking virtuoso” by the Los Angeles Times, Kristina has performed as a soloist on the world’s most distinguished stages including Carnegie Hall, the Rudolfinum in Prague, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Disney Hall in Los Angeles, and Radio France in Paris.
- Asi Matathias, violin
Violinist Asi Matathias, protege of Pinchas Zukerman, is already recognized as one of the most celebrated talents of his generation. He made his debut at the age of 14 with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta, displaying a musical maturity and inspiration far beyond his years. This success was immediately followed by another invitation from Maestro Mehta for the following season.
- Dmitry Yudin, piano
Moscow-born pianist Dmitry Yudin was first a student of Professor Lydia Grigoryeva at the Moscow Gnessins School of Music. He has won prizes in many national and international competitions and festivals, including: the 15th International Scriabin Piano Competition (Paris, 2015, 1st prize), 3rd International Classical Music Festival and Competition for Young Pianists, Astana Piano Passion (Astana, 2015, 3rd prize), 2nd Vladimir Krainev Moscow International Piano Competition (Moscow, 2017, prize), and the 17th Youth Delphi Games in Russia (Vladivostok, 2018, silver medal).
