Orion Chamber Ensemble

Elegance and Passion

Artists
Randall Hodgkinson, piano
Peter Zazofsky, violin
Steven Ansell, viola
Ronald Lowry, cello

The Orion Chamber Ensemble, joined by Boston Symphony principal violist Steven Ansell, presents two works that chart the piano quartet’s journey from Mozart’s stormy brilliance to Brahms’ Romantic vision.

Program
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, K. 478
Johannes Brahms, Piano Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 26

About the Artists

With a history of more than twenty years, the Orion Chamber Ensemble has developed a robust repertoire of widely known piano trios and lesser known gems. The ensemble welcomes BSO violist Steven Ansell in performances of these two quartets.

Pianist Randall Hodgkinson has performed as a soloist with major orchestras in the United States and abroad. In addition to his work with the Orion Ensemble, he is an artist member of the Boston Chamber Music Society. He also performs the four-hand and two-piano repertoire with his wife, Leslie Amper. Mr. Hodgkinson is a faculty member of the New England Conservatory, Wellesley College, and the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge. As a young artist, he won the International American Music Competition and the Tanglewood Music Center’s Cabot Award.

Violinist Peter Zazofsky has appeared as soloist with many great orchestras, including the Boston Symphony, the Berlin Philharmonic, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He often is a featured soloist with Israeli orchestras. As first violinist of the Muir String Quartet, Mr. Zazofsky is proud to have performed many complete cycles of the Beethoven quartets, and to have promoted new works by American composers. Early in his career, Mr. Zazofsky won top prizes in the Queen Elisabeth and Montreal International Competitions. He is a faculty member at Boston University and also teaches at New England Conservatory Preparatory School.

Steven Ansell is principal viola of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, positions he has held since 1996. Mr. Ansell has appeared on PBS’s In Performance at the White House. He has received two Grand Prix du Disque awards and a Gramophone magazine award for Best Chamber Music Recording of the year. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, he is also a member of the Muir String Quartet, which he co-founded in 1979. Mr. Ansell will perform as soloist in the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with the BSO and concertmaster Nathan Cole in February 2026.

Needham Concert Society artistic director Ronald Lowry—praised in the Boston Globe for “superb” musicianship—is principal cellist of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and the Boston Ballet Orchestra. He performs frequently with the Boston Symphony, both at home and on international tours. He has presented solo recitals at Jordan Hall and at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and he has been a guest artist with the Boston Chamber Music Society, the New England Conservatory First Mondays concert series, and the Muir String Quartet. Mr. Lowry teaches at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, and the Rivers School Conservatory.