Episode 24: Sounds of the Celebrity Series

The renowned faculty of the Heifetz Institute dazzle in solo and chamber settings with great colleagues. “Sounds of the Celebrity Series,” features performances by the Emerson and Borromeo Quartets, violinist Shmuel Ashkenasi, and founder Daniel Heifetz.

This Episode’s Playlist

Dmitri Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 10 in A-flat, Op. 118
II. Allegro furioso
Emerson Quartet: Philip Setzer, violin | Eugene Drucker, violin | Larry Dutton, viola | Paul Watkins, cello
Francis Auditorium, Mary Baldwin University, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute Recording | 07.08.2016

Fritz Kreisler: Miniature Viennese March
Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin | Beilin Han, piano
Blackfriars Playhouse, American Shakespeare Center, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute Recording | 07.12.2012

Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Violins in A minor, RV 522
I. Allegro
Carmen Balthrop, soprano (violin 1) | Daniel Heifetz, violin 2 | Anna Drobec, Stephanie Beauparlant, violins | Amanda Wilson, viola | Marie-Michel Beauparlant, cello
Anderson Hall, Brewster Academy, Wolfeboro NH
Heifetz Institute Recording | 06.30.2004

Jesse Montgomery: Strum [excerpt]
Borromeo String Quartet: Nicholas Kitchen, violin | Kristopher Tong, violin | Mai Motobuchi, viola | Yeesun Kim, cello
First Presbyterian Church, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute Recording | 07.24.2021

Schubert: String Quintet in C Major, D. 956
I. Allegro ma non troppo
Borromeo String Quartet: Nicholas Kitchen, violin | Kristopher Tong, violin | Mai Motobuchi, viola | Yeesun Kim, cello | w/ Ralph Kirshbaum, cello
First Presbyterian Church,, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute Recording | 08.09.2019

Brahms: String Quintet No. 2 in G major, Op. 111
IV. Vivace, ma non troppo presto
Emerson Quartet: Philip Setzer, violin | Eugene Drucker, violin | Larry Dutton, viola | Paul Watkins, cello | w/ Kim Kashkashian, viola
Francis Auditorium, Mary Baldwin University, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute Recording | 07.08.2016

Dvořák: Bagatelles, Op. 47 [excerpt]
III. Allegretto scherzando
Yezu Woo, violin | Julia Angelov, violin | Coleman Itzkoff, cello | Florence Jowers, harmonium
Great Hall, Blackburn Inn & Conference Center, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute Recording | 03.26.2021

Niccolo Paganini, arr. Sergio Drabkin: Paganissimo!
Steve Doane, cello | Antonio Lysy, cello | Rosemary Elliott, cello | David Geber, cello
Francis Auditorium, Mary Baldwin University, Staunton, VA
Heifetz Institute Recording | 06.30.2017

Leonard Cohen/Bob Thiele: Hallelujah/What a Wonderful World
Amit Peled, cello | Ismael Guerrero, cello | Julia Rosenbaum, cello | Dilshod Narzillaev, cello
Francis Auditorium, Mary Baldwin University
Heifetz Institute Recording | 08.04.2017

Go Deeper

• There’s something new for our faculty Celebrity Series concerts for 2023: We have moved the start time back to 7:30 pm (consistent with all our other evening programs), and the concerts will now be full performances with intermission.  Join us every Friday for a reception beforehand “Under the big Heifetz Tent.”  Tickets & Info
• The late Soprano Carmen Balthrop was a vital force in the formation of the Heifetz Institute.  Founder Daniel Heifetz recalls: “Soon after founding the Heifetz Institute I asked Carmen to bring her creative and inspiring sensibilities to our teaching.  She loved the vision of the Institute and, early on, worked with me in helping to establish the Heifetz Performance and Communication Training method. Read Daniel and Janne Heifetz’ personal tribute to Carmen Balthrop here.
• The Celebrity Series concerts – where Heifetz faculty members have the opportunity to display their world-renowned artistry – have been part and parcel of the Institute from its earliest days under Founder Daniel Heifetz.  Read a timeline of Heifetz history here.