Orion Chamber Ensemble
Nobility and Passion
Artists
Randall Hodgkinson, piano
Gábor Szabó, violin
Peter Zazofsky, violin
Wenting Kang, viola
Ronald Lowry, cello
Guest artists Gábor Szabó and Wenting Kang join the Orion Ensemble to present Beethoven’s “Harp” quartet, distinguished by pastoral melodies and classical elegance, and Franck’s piano quintet, a love song of romantic passion and intimate tenderness.
Program
Ludwig van Beethoven, String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 74, “Harp”
César Franck, Piano Quintet in F minor
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 violinist Gábor Szabó and violist Wenting Kang in these performances.
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 Gábor Szabó serves as artistic director and concertmaster of the Madrid Soloists Chamber Orchestra and as concertmaster of the Orquesta Reino de Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain. He is professor of violin at Forum Musikae, Madrid, and previously served as concertmaster of the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Szabó holds positions at Global Music Partnership and Halidon Music, and he consults for Carriage House Violins, Boston. He has won numerous international competitions and studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, and at Southern Methodist University. Mr. Szabó has performed across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
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.
Violist Wenting Kang is principal violist of Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid at Teatro Real of Spain, as well as one of the founding members of the Madrid Soloists Chamber Orchestra. Her debut CD recording with pianist Sergei Kvitko, Mosaic, was released in 2022 to critical acclaim, winning the gold medal in the Melómano Magazine in Spain. Its tracks were selected for the “Best New Classical” playlist on Spotify and the “New Music Friday” playlist of the American Society of Composers and Publishers. Ms. Kang is on the faculty at New England Conservatory.
Needham Concert Society artistic director Ronald Lowry is principal cellist of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and the Boston Ballet Orchestra, and he performs frequently with the Boston Symphony. He has presented solo recitals in Jordan Hall, at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and throughout New England. He has been 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 New England Conservatory Preparatory School, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, and Rivers School Conservatory.
