FEARLESS PASSION to Open at Carnegie Hall in InterHarmony Concert Series

InterHarmony International Music Festival will present Fearless Passion on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 8:00 PM in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. It's part of the InterHarmony Concert Series at Carnegie Hall's 15th anniversary season, under the direction of Music Director Misha Quint.

For more information, visit https://www.interharmony.com/interharmony-concert-series to purchase tickets, visit https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2026/11/07/InterHarmony-Concert-Series-Fearless-Passion-0800PM

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

From Isolde's final rapture to a fatal duel in Goya's Madrid, this evening brings opera's most consuming passions to the violin, cello, and piano. Pianist Bennett Lambelet opens with the propulsive Fugue from Barber's Piano Sonata, followed by violinist Evan Pyne and pianist Ellen Annor-Adjei in Chausson's haunting Poème, inspired by a Turgenev tale of love and sorcery. Pianist Miles Fellenberg performs Chopin's Ballade No. 1, then joins violinist Blake Armstrong for Ravel's blazing Tzigane. Pianist John Thomas Morris closes the first half with Liszt's searing transcription of Wagner's Liebestod.

After intermission, Music Director and cellist Misha Quint joins Miles Fellenberg for Shostakovich's Cello Sonata in D minor, Op. 40, a piece born of personal upheaval. They follow with the sultry Intermezzo from Granados's Goyescas, an opera premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 1916, weeks before Granados drowned trying to save his wife from a torpedoed ship. They close with Paganini's spellbinding variations on a prayer from Rossini's Moses, played entirely on a single string.

Since its debut, the InterHarmony Concert Series at Carnegie Hall has brought together distinguished artists and emerging talent from around the world, offering New York audiences intimate performances of both beloved masterworks and lesser-heard gems.

Fearless Passion captures that spirit: an evening where every melody tells a story, and every story dares everything for love. Whether you know these works by heart or are hearing them for the first time, it promises an unforgettable night at one of the world's great concert halls.

Tickets are available at carnegiehall.org. For more information, visit interharmony.com.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

MISHA QUINT's artistry arises from a synthesis of the Russian instrumental tradition and the interpretive openness of contemporary musical culture. Celebrated by Harris Goldsmith as a "brilliantly accomplished virtuoso-an embodiment of interpretive and executive music-making at its rarefied best, " Quint brings to the cello repertoire a command in which technical mastery and musical insight are inseparable.

At the heart of his repertoire stands the Austro-German tradition-above all Brahms, Beethoven, and Schumann-music that calls for both architectural strength and inward lyricism. Quint's interpretations are shaped by long-breathed phrasing, finely graded dynamic contours, and a singing cantabile that allows formal processes to unfold with natural inevitability. His virtuosity functions not as display, but as a vehicle for clarity of line, elasticity of rhythm, and expressive intensity. This same sensibility informs his engagement with Russian modernism and with composers such as Alfred Schnittke, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Krzysztof Penderecki, whose works demand acute timbral imagination and fearless technical range.

Born in Leningrad, Quint received his formative training under Daniil Shafran, Boris Pergamenschikow, and Natalia Gutman, a lineage that shaped his approach to tone production, bow articulation, and expressive rhetoric. Following his relocation to the United States, he established an international career as both soloist and chamber musician, appearing at major venues like Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall in New York, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, and Leningrad Philharmonic Halls in Russia and festivals throughout Europe and the Americas.

The performances presented here reflect an artistry of tonal depth, dynamic freedom, and virtuosic assurance-qualities that place Quint among the leading cellists on the international stage today.

Pianist MILES FELLENBERG has performed in recital at numerous colleges and universities, where he frequently gives lectures or masterclasses, including The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, Harvard University, Yale University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dartmouth College, Syracuse University, University of Massachusetts, Jersey City University, New York University, City University of New York, Scranton University and at notable concert venues, including Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Jordan Hall, Museum of Modern Art, 92nd Street Y, Cleveland Museum of Art, the Old State House Festival, Music Academy of the West, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, Annapolis Chamber Music Festival, and internationally in Mexico, Ecuador, Italy, China, and South Korea. Fellenberg is the Music Director of the Bronx Community Chorus and performs regularly with Harold Rosenbaum and the New York Virtuoso Singers. He appears on the album A Place Toward Other Places with the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble.

Fellenberg formerly taught piano and chamber music at Church Street School of Music & Art, Brooklyn Musical Arts, and the Rappahannock Summer Music Camp and was a guest teacher at Manhattan School of Music (Precollege Division), National Youth Orchestra of the USA, El Conservatorio Franz Liszt (Ecuador), Shenyang Conservatory (China), and ChageunByeol Music Academy (South Korea). He is on the piano and chamber music faculties at New England Conservatory's preparatory division and teaches keyboard skills at the college. Fellenberg has studied at Manhattan School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, The Juilliard School, and New England Conservatory of Music. His principal teachers include May Eng, Dr. Arkady Aronov, Robert Shannon, and Jonathan Feldman.

ELLEN ANNOR-ADJEI was born in Moscow into a family of mixed African and Russian ancestry. Brought up in Moscow, Annor-Adjei received her formal training at the prestigious Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, honing her skills under the guidance of renowned teachers Alexander Bakulov, Boris Shatskes, and Galina Yegiazarova. Ms. Annor-Adjei's virtuosity on the piano has impressed audiences across Russia, Europe, and North America. Music critic Izvestia, Moscow wrote: 'Ellen Annor-Adjei's performance is emotional, passionate and technically brilliant.' Annor-Adjei currently lives in Toronto where she has completed many solo and chamber recitals. Her repertoire includes works by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Mussorgsky, Balakirev, Rachmaninoff, and other Classical, Romantic and Contemporary composers. With a deep understanding of classical music combined with a passion for exploration, Annor-Adjei's performances showcase her virtuosity and emotional depth, and she continues to inspire and enchant audiences with her extraordinary talent and unwavering commitment to the art of piano performance. Ms. Annor-Adjei is Director and Founder of Musical Arts Academy. Her objective for the Academy is to provide students with a well-rounded musical education: 'Music is the form of art which makes our lives rich, enjoyable and complete. '

Violinist EVAN PYNE, based in Toronto, Ontario attended the Royal Conservatory's Taylor Academy under Barry Shiffman and Marie Bérard, the Cleveland Institute of Music under Ilya Kaler, and is currently studying at the Glenn Gould School with Jonathan Crow and Marie Bérard. Evan made his solo orchestral debut with the Canadian Sinfonietta at age 12 and has since performed with the Oakville Chamber Orchestra, North York Concert Orchestra, Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, Huronia Symphony Orchestra, Anima Musicæ Chamber Orchestra, and Sinfonia Toronto. Evan won first prize at the Canadian Music Competition National Finals, third prize at the III International Ilona Fehér Violin Competition, and was a finalist at the XIII International Grumiaux Competition. Evan's performances at Canada's National Commemorative Ceremony in honour of Queen Elizabeth II and the National Commemoration for His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh were aired nationally on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. As a solo recitalist, Evan has performed in concert series such as Les Amis in Cobourg, Ontario, Concerts @ 100 in Toronto, and The Arts & Letters Club in Toronto. Evan has served as concertmaster of the InterHarmony International Music Festival Orchestra and the Royal Conservatory Orchestra, and principal second violin of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. He has also performed as a member of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Banff International String Quartet Festival Orchestra.

BLAKE ARMSTRONG is a violinist from Norfolk, Virginia. He completed his undergraduate degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Dr. Olga Kaler, and has returned for his master's degree with both Olga and Ilya Kaler. At CIM, Blake has served as a member of the Advanced String Quartet Program and regularly performed in principal positions with conductors such as Tito Muñoz, Anthony Parnther, and Carl Topilow. He is also an active musician outside of school, performing with the Canton Symphony Orchestra, Akron Symphony Orchestra, and Cleveland Pops Orchestra. He attended InterHarmony in July of 2026 and has not had a decent espresso since.

BENNETT LAMBELET is a pianist and composer in his sophomore year at the University of Nebraska at Omaha pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. During the 2025- 2026 academic year, he earned Honorable Mention in the Music Teachers National Association Nebraska State Level Senior Performance Competition and was designated Runner Up in the Iowa Music Teachers Association Pre-College State Piano Audition. Bennett emphasizes composition and improvisation as meaningful aspects of his artistry, competing as a national finalist in the 2022 MTNA Composition Competition with the original piece, Prelude for Piano, after receiving first prize at the state and division levels. As a student of Dr. Kristín Jónína Taylor, he regularly performs recitals as well as public outreach performances throughout the Omaha community. Bennett aims to apply his education toward a career as a composer and conductor, with the intent of pursuing graduate and doctoral studies in his future. Outside of piano, he is also involved in the UNO University and Concert Choirs and enjoys brewing coffee.