Beethoven & Correia

Shai Wosner, piano | Stella Chen, violin | Matthew Lipman, viola | Brannon Cho, cello

These renowned artists come together for a powerful collaborative program featuring chamber arrangements of Beethoven’s Leonore Overture and the “Eroica” Symphony alongside a work by Correia. This performance reimagines symphonic grandeur through collective artistry and contemporary perspective.

PROGRAM
BEETHOVEN: Leonore Overture (piano quartet arr.)
CORREIA: Cantares
Intermission
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” (piano quartet arr.)

SHAI WOSNER, piano
Pianist Shai Wosner is internationally recognized for his exceptional artistry, musical integrity, and creative insight. Praised by NPR for his “keen musical mind and deep musical soul,” he is admired for performances that span the core classical repertoire from Beethoven and Schubert to Ligeti and today’s leading composers.

Deeply committed to contemporary music, Wosner recently gave the world premiere of Vijay Iyer’s Piano Concerto: Handmade Universe, written for him and the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, with whom he maintains a longstanding artistic partnership. His engagement with new music also includes innovative projects pairing canonical works with newly commissioned compositions.

An active soloist and chamber musician, Wosner performs regularly at major venues and festivals worldwide, including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and has collaborated with artists such as Joshua Bell and Martin Fröst. His arrangements of Beethoven symphonies for piano trio are widely performed.

Wosner’s acclaimed recordings feature music by Beethoven, Schubert, Ligeti, and contemporary composers. His honors include an Avery Fisher Career Grant, Martin E. Segal Award, and Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. Born in Israel, he studied with Emanuel Ax at The Juilliard School, where he now serves on the piano faculty.

STELLA CHEN, violin
Praised for her “silken grace” and “brilliant command” (The Strad), American violinist Stella Chen gained international recognition as the winner of the 2019 Queen Elizabeth International Violin Competition. Her critically acclaimed debut album, Stella x Schubert, released in 2023 on Apple Music’s Platoon label, earned her the Gramophone Award for Young Artist of the Year.

Chen performs widely across North America, Europe, and Asia as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. Recent highlights include debuts with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. She has appeared at leading venues such as the Vienna Musikverein, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and Berlin Philharmonie, and performs regularly with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York and on tour.

Highlights of Chen’s 2025–26 season include concerto debuts with the Vancouver Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, and Antwerp Symphony orchestras, as well as an American tour with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, including a performance at Carnegie Hall. She also appears in recital and chamber music performances at La Jolla Music Society and Chamber Music San Francisco, and leads a residency at the San Francisco Conservatory.

A dedicated chamber musician and educator, Chen has been featured at major international festivals and is a member of the faculty at Juilliard’s College and Pre-College Divisions. She performs on the 1720 “General Kyd” Stradivarius, generously on loan from Dr. Ryuji Ueno and Rare Violins In Consortium.

MATTHEW LIPMAN, viola
American violist Matthew Lipman has been praised by The New York Times for his “rich tone and elegant phrasing” and by the Chicago Tribune for his “splendid technique and musical sensitivity.” Widely regarded as one of the leading instrumentalists of his generation, he appears frequently as both a soloist and chamber musician.

“splendid technique and musical sensitivity” – THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Lipman has performed with major orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Munich Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and American Symphony Orchestra, and has collaborated with conductors such as Sir Neville Marriner, Osmo Vänskä, Edward Gardner, and Leon Botstein. As a recitalist and soloist, he has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Zürich Tonhalle, and festivals including Aspen, Ravinia, and Rheingau.

A passionate advocate for contemporary music, Lipman has premiered works by Clarice Assad, Helen Grime, Malika Kishino, and David Ludwig, and collaborates closely with today’s leading composers. His debut album Ascent, featuring the world premiere recording of Shostakovich’s Impromptu for viola and piano, was released on Cedille Records and praised by The Strad. Additional recordings include releases on Sony Classical, Deutsche Grammophon, and Avie Records.

Lipman is a regular member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and collaborates with many of today’s foremost artists. A recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant, he is on faculty at Stony Brook University. He performs on a viola made for him by Samuel Zygmuntowicz.

BRANNON CHO, cello
Brannon Cho is the First Prize winner of the prestigious 6th International Paulo Cello Competition, and is also a top prize winner of the Queen Elisabeth, Naumburg, and Cassadó International Cello Competitions.

Most recently, Brannon Cho is the recipient of the 2020 Janos Starker Foundation Award, the Landgraf von Hessen Prize from Kronberg Academy, the 2019 Ivan Galamian Award previously held by James Ehnes, and is a scholarship holder in the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation.

Brannon Cho has appeared as a soloist with many of the top orchestras around the world, including the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Belgian National Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and Brussels Philharmonic.

Born in New Jersey, Brannon Cho received his Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music under Hans Jørgen Jensen. He was awarded the Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Laurence Lesser. Today, he is in the Professional Studies program at the Kronberg Academy, under the tutelage of Frans Helmerson. Brannon Cho performs on a rare cello made by Antonio Casini in 1668 in Modena, Italy.