Our series finale will be a celebration of strings, bringing together eight masterful performers for a program that highlights the range, intimacy, and power of chamber music for strings.

The program opens with Shostakovich’s Two Pieces for String Octet, written when the composer was just 18. Sharp-edged and intense, these early works already reveal the emotional volatility and formal daring that would define his later music.

Dvořák's Terzetto offers a contrast in scale and tone. Scored for two violins and viola, it was originally intended for informal “musicking” at home – but its technical demands quickly outpaced its amateur-level origins. The piece blends intimacy with vivid melodic invention, showcasing Dvořák's flair for turning modest forms into richly expressive music.

After intermission, all eight musicians join forces for Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat Major, a work of astonishing brilliance and youthful exuberance. Written at age sixteen, the Octet merges symphonic scope with chamber precision, ending in a dazzling fugue that brings the evening to a dramatic close.

5:45 PM | Pregame with Bob

6:30 PM | Concert

Benjamin Beilman, violin

Erin Keefe, violin

Alexi Kenney, violin

Arnaud Sussman, violin

Misha Amory, viola

Nicholas Cords, viola

Nina Lee, cello

Edward Arron, cello

SHOSTAKOVICH Two Pieces for String Octet

DVORAK Terzetto

MENDELSSOHN Octet in E-flat Major

Support for this concert was generously provided by the William K. Montague, Jr. Performing Arts Fund.