CHAMBER @ THE DRAKE
Founded in 2022, Chamber @ the Drake is a series dedicated to making classical music engaging and accessible. This season presents eight concerts on Sundays at 4pm. The series is devoted to the belief that chamber music is profound in its essence. Our intimate venue, with a bar setting, invites artists and audience to connect through sound and conversation. Chamber @ the Drake has presented artists such as the Ying String Quartet, Edward Arron and Jeewon Park, Matt Haimovitz, Now Ensemble, Solomiya Ivakhiv and Peter Blanchette. The upcoming season includes world class musicians such as Johnny Gandelsman, The Horszowski Trio, The Lydian String Quartet and Albert Cano Smit, among others.
A six part series of Classical Music - Sundays 4pm
‘26-‘27 Concerts
March 14
April 18
September 13
October 11
November 22
February 28
Sunday September 13 at 4pm
Edward Arron and Jeewon Park, cello/piano
Performing works by Brahms, Schumann,
Schnittke, and Prokofiev.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Arron made his New York recital debut in 2000 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since that time, he has appeared in recital, as a soloist with major orchestras, and as a chamber musician, throughout North America, Europe and Asia. The 2025-26 season marks Mr. Arron’s 13th season as the artistic director of the Performing Artists in Residence series at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Mr. Arron tours and records as a member of the renowned Ehnes String Quartet and he is a regular performer at the Boston and Seattle Chamber Music Societies, the Brooklyn Chamber Music Society, the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. In 2021, Mr. Arron’s recording of Beethoven’s Complete Works for Cello and Piano with pianist Jeewon Park was released on the Aeolian Classics Record Label. A graduate of the Juilliard School, Mr. Arron served on the faculty of New York University from 2009 to 2016 and the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 2016 to 2026.
Praised for her “infectious exuberance” (The New York Times) and “deeply reflective playing” (Indianapolis Star), pianist Jeewon Park has garnered worldwide acclaim for her poetic lyricism and radiant musicality. A distinctive voice of her generation, she has captivated audiences across the globe as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator, with an extensive repertoire ranging from J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy to Paul Moravec's Chamber Symphony and Aaron Jay Kernis’s Earth. Since making her debut at age 12 performing Chopin’s Concerto No. 1 with the Korean Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Park has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the KBS Symphony Orchestra, the Mexico City Philharmonic, The Florida Orchestra, the Charleston and Monterey symphonies, and the Hwa-Eum Chamber Orchestra. A devoted chamber musician, she is a founding member of the Palladium Chamber Players and has performed at prestigious music festivals, such as the Seattle Chamber Music Society, Spoleto Festival USA, Caramoor, Bowdoin, Bridgehampton, Lake Champlain, Chamber Music Northwest, Manchester, Music in the Vineyard, and the Seoul Spring Festival. Ms. Park is in her 13th season as the co-Artistic Director of the Performing Artists in Residence at the Clark Art Institute, alongside her husband, cellist Edward Arron. Their recording, Beethoven: Complete Works for Cello and Piano, received the Samuel Sanders Collaborative Artists Award from the Classical Recording Foundation in 2022. Ms. Park is the Artist-in-Residence in Piano, Director of Keyboard Studies, and Artistic Director of the Williams Chamber Players at Williams College. She previously taught at the New England Conservatory and the UMass Amherst, and performs on Steinway pianos provided through the courtesy of Steinway & Sons.
Sunday October 11 at 4pm
Apple Hill String Quartet
Elise Kuder, Jesse MacDonald, violins
Mike Kelley, viola; Jacob MacKay, cello
Performing works from Paquito D’Rivera, Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, Franz Joseph Haydn and Pavel Haas.
Called “dashing and extraordinary” by The Strad Magazine, the Apple Hill String Quartet are the Artistic Directors and resident musicians at the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, winner of the CMAcclaim award from Chamber Music America. The Quartet serves as the Music Directors for Apple Hill’s Summer Chamber Music Workshop in Nelson, New Hampshire, cultivating connection and understanding among people of diverse backgrounds, cultures, playing levels, and ages through music performance and education centered around the values of acceptance, inclusivity, creative expression, and encouragement. During the regular concert season, the Quartet performs concerts and conducts residencies locally in NH, nationally in major U.S. cities, and internationally around the globe—in venues as diverse as the Pharos Arts Foundation in Nicosia, Cyprus, Curtis Institute of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, the University of Iowa String Quartet Residency Program, the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College, ChatterABQ, Burncoat High School in Worcester, Project STEP in Boston, Cedarcrest Center for Children with Disabilities in Keene, NH, the Ketermaya refugee camp outside Beirut, Lebanon, the Moscow Conservatory, the Conservatorio National de Musica in Lima, Peru, the Gitameit Music School in Yangon, Myanmar, and the Harrisville General Store. The Quartet’s concert programs reflect the diversity of Apple Hill: pieces amplifying new voices, views, and backgrounds in classical music; compositions from places representing the Quartet’s global travels and the summer workshop community; and music from the historic canon and new commissions, especially from renowned alumni.
Sunday November 22 at 4pm
Jiayan Sun, piano
Performing quartets from Josef Rheinberger
and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Praised by the New York Times for his “revelatory” performances, pianist Jiayan Sun has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, the Chinese and RTÉ (Ireland) National Symphony Orchestras, the Fort Worth and Toledo Symphony Orchestras, and the Toronto and Aspen Concert Orchestras. He has collaborated with prominent conductors such as Sir Mark Elder, Stefan Sanderling, Daejin Kim, and the late Leon Fleisher. As a Steinway Artist and a prize winner in the Leeds, Cleveland, Dublin, and Toronto International Piano Competitions, his performances have been broadcast by the BBC, the RTÉ, China Central Television, and classical music radio stations in North America. His solo album Busoni and His Muses, released on Bridge Records in commemoration of Busoni’s centennial of death, garnered critical acclaim on Gramophone and International Piano. Born in Yantai, China, Mr. Sun received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Yoheved Kaplinsky and Sir Stephen Hough. Currently Associate Professor of Music and the Associate Chair for Performance Activities at Smith College, he has performed Beethoven’s complete piano sonatas and complete sonatas for piano and violin with Elizabeth Chang, in addition to presenting recital series devoted to the works by Schubert and Chopin.
Duo Karolina Mikołajczyk & Iwo Jedynecki, violin/accordion
Sunday February 28 at 4pm
The Bach Dialogues
Duo Karolina Mikołajczyk & Iwo Jedynecki is one of the most vibrant and innovative chamber ensembles of the current generation of classical musicians. Recognized by artists such as Krzysztof Penderecki and Maxim Vengerov, in 2024 they have been awarded Poland's most prestigious prize for classical music - the 'Polityka Passport' - with duo being praised for its 'versatility and ability to navigate through diverse musical realms; virtuosity, unbridled imagination, and ingenuity in selecting and creating new repertoire for the distinctive combination of violin and accordion'. This accolade follows a long line of Grand Prix and First Prizes at international music competitions in addition to performances at prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, Esplanade Concert Hall (Singapore), The Edge Melbourne (Australia), Teatro del Lago (Chile), Guangzhou Opera House (China) and a sell-out debut performance at the Warsaw Philharmonic. The duo has meanwhile thrilled audiences with recitals across the world, from Switzerland to Cuba to the United Arab Emirates to Brunei, totaling 32 countries on five continents as of today. Their repertoire ranges from Bach's Goldberg Variations, through violin sonatas of Mozart, Beethoven, Franck and Penderecki, thrilling arrangements of other Baroque, Classical, Romantic and 20th Century works to contemporary music, including commissioned pieces and three double concertos. Thanks to Iwo Jedynecki's accordion transcriptions, both well-loved and little-known repertoire gain bold, new interpretations and original sounds, all the while boasting delightfully diverse coloring. Karolina Mikołajczyk plays a Duke London violin from 1776. Iwo Jedynecki plays a Pigini Sirius Millennium accordion. The purchase of both instruments was financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Sunday March 14 at 4pm
Seraph Brass
Mary Elizabeth Bowden, Morgen Low, trumpets, Layan Atieh, horn, Lauren Casey-Clyde, trombone, Robyn Black, tuba
Performing trios from Smetana and Ravel.
Seraph Brass, now in its 12th season, was founded by trumpet soloist Mary Elizabeth Bowden with a mission to showcase the excellence of women brass players and highlight musicians from marginalized groups, both in personnel and in programming. Winners of the American Prize in Chamber Music, the group has been praised for its “beautiful sounds" (American Record Guide), "fine playing” (Gramophone), and “staggeringly high caliber of performance” (Textura). The ensemble tours nationally and globally, and the 2025-2026 highlights included the premiere of Steven Juliani’s new concerto for Brass Quintet and Wind Ensemble alongside Jerry Junkin and the Dallas Winds, performances in Japan and across the U.S., as well as residencies at universities such as the University of Texas in Austin. Members of Seraph Brass are passionate about music education, and hold faculty positions at Shenandoah Conservatory and Texas State University. In each of their tours, the group works to provide educational outreach to local schools. Seraph Brass performs a diverse body of repertoire, ranging from original transcriptions to newly commissioned works and core classics. Seraph Brass is passionate about commissioning and premiering new works, and has released two albums showcasing these works, Asteria (Summit Records) and Showcase (Tower Grove Records). Seraph Brass is a Yamaha Performing Group.
Sunday April 18 at 4pm
Ying Quartet
Robin Scott, Janet Ying, violins, Phillip Ying, viola, David Ying, cello
Performing works by Akshaya Tucker, Ebun Oguntola, Layale Chaker, Tomeka Reid, Christina Courtin, Olivia Davis and Rhiannon Giddens
The Grammy Award-winning Ying Quartet is celebrated for its dynamic performance style and visionary approach to chamber music. With more than 30 years of experience, the Quartet blends musical excellence with a mission to make classical music meaningful in a variety of settings—from the world’s major concert halls to schools, workplaces, and prisons. The Quartet gained early recognition as the first recipient of the NEA’s Rural Residency Grant, serving as resident quartet in Jesup, Iowa. This formative experience continues to shape their approach to community engagement and musical outreach. The 2025–26 season includes performances for Chamber Music Hamilton, Chamber Music Society of Williamsburg, Westchester Chamber Music Society, and others. Their LifeMusic commissioning project, developed in partnership with the Institute for American Music, features works by Billy Childs, Lera Auerbach, Lowell Liebermann, and more—reflecting modern American life through music. Their acclaimed recordings include “American Anthem” and a Grammy-nominated set of Tchaikovsky quartets and Souvenir de Florence. A recent collaboration with Zuill Bailey featured transcriptions of Schumann’s Cello Concerto and Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata. The Ying Quartet is quartet-in-residence at the Eastman School of Music, where they lead a comprehensive chamber music program and the “Music for All” community initiative. They are also ensemble-in-residence at the Bowdoin International Music Festival.