Shriver Hall Concert Series To Kick Off The New Year With Concert Featuring Pianist Emanuel Ax

Shriver Hall Concert Series continues its 60th anniversary and 2025-26 concert season with its first performance on the new year, featuring pianist Emanuel Ax on Sunday, January 11, 2026 at 5:30 pm. Described as having “plush tone and intense focus” by The Los Angeles Times, the renowned pianist returns to Shriver Hall for a fourth appearance, performing essential repertoire, including Schumann's powerful Fantasie in C major.

As a multi GRAMMY Award-winning recording artist, Emanuel Ax brings a lifetime of authority to every musical setting. He was first presented by Shriver Hall Concert Series in 1979.

SHCS continues its acclaimed free Discovery Series in January with the winner of the 2025 Yale Gordon Competition, guitarist David Manzanares-Salguero, on Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 3:00 pm at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Described as “a staggeringly talented young artist with powerful rhythm and elegant phrasing” by Austin Classical Guitar, Manzanares-Salguero has performed at the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Festival and earned top prizes at numerous competitions. A recent alumnus of The Peabody Institute, studying with Manuel Barrueco, he is currently pursuing a DMA degree at the University of Texas at Austin.

"I am looking forward to returning to Baltimore in 2026 to make my debut with the Shriver Hall Concert Series on their Discovery Series,” shares David Manzanares-Salguero. “I first learned about Shriver when I was a student at Peabody and always dreamed of playing a concert for the organization. As well, having the opportunity to do so on their 60th anniversary is an immense honor. The program I have prepared is filled with contrasting pieces that each tell their own story. I hope everyone listening will have the opportunity to experience something new from my program, and I am excited to see both old and new faces after the concert!”

Shriver Hall Concert Series' Subscription Series continues in February with pianist Angela Hewitt on Sunday, February 22, 2026. SHCS will also continue its Discovery Series in February with the Baltimore Debut of pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason on Saturday, February 14, 2026 at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

For six decades, SHCS has created unforgettable musical experiences in the intimacy of Shriver Hall. The upcoming season builds on this legacy with a vibrant lineup of programs featuring enduring masterworks and fresh perspectives, from Bach to Beethoven to Billy Childs. Woven through the season are themes of another milestone: the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026. Featuring American composers past and present, texts from the nation's greatest poets, classical works infused with bluegrass and jazz, and some of today's most thrilling young performers, these concerts will celebrate a nation brimming with musical treasures and talent.

Concert Information

Emanuel Ax, piano

Sunday, January 11, 2026 at 5:30 pm
Shriver Hall | 3400 N. Charles Street | Baltimore, MD 21218
Tickets: $48 Single Tickets, $10 Students
Link: www.shriverconcerts.org/ax

BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 13 in E-flat major, Op. 27, No. 1, "quasi una fantasia"
CORIGLIANO: Fantasia on an Ostinato
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, “Moonlight”
R. SCHUMANN: Arabeske in C major, Op. 18
SCHUMANN: Fantasie in C major, Op. 17

The Zarelda Fambrough Memorial Concert
_______________________________

Discovery Series: David Manzanares-Salguero, guitar

Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 3:00 pm
Baltimore Museum of Art | 10 Art Museum Drive | Baltimore, MD 21218
Tickets: Free, $10 suggested donation
Link: www.shriverconcerts.org/yalegordon 

SCARLATTI: Sonata in D major, K. 491 (arr. Manzanares-Salguero)
SCARLATTI: Sonata in D minor, K. 10 (arr. Manzanares-Salguero)
PONCE: Thème, Varié et Finale
TAKEMITSU: Equinox
DUBEZ: Fantaisie sur des motifs hongrois
COSTE: Rondeau de concert, Op. 12
HENZE: Drei Tentos
LLOBET: Scherzo-Vals
DYENS: Triaela

About Shriver Hall Concert Series
For 60 years, Shriver Hall Concert Series (SHCS) has been “Baltimore's finest importer of classical music talent” (The Baltimore Sun) and the area's premier presenter of chamber music ensembles and solo recitalists with a mission to enrich the Baltimore community through outstanding chamber music and recital experiences. A 5-time recipient of Baltimore Magazine's distinction “Best Classical Music” in its annual “Best of Baltimore” issue, the coveted subscription series features many of the world's most renowned soloists and ensembles, presented in The Johns Hopkins University's Shriver Hall.

Founded in 1966 by Dr. Ernest Bueding, a pharmacologist at Johns Hopkins University, and a group of similarly dedicated music enthusiasts, SHCS set out to make an important contribution to the vitality of an already vibrant city. When flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal walked onto the stage of Shriver Hall for the first concert, more than 1,100 people witnessed the launch of what is now recognized as a remarkable success story: Shriver Hall Concert Series. In the succeeding years, SHCS has presented hundreds of acclaimed and emerging International Artists in classical chamber music and recitals, and a legacy of important debuts and premieres. In addition, SHCS collaborates with local schools and subsidizes hundreds of student tickets each season.

The list of artists presented by SHCS is remarkable—Radu Lupu, Murray Perahia, Ewa Podlés, Maurizio Pollini, Jacqueline du Pré, Mstislav Rostropovich, Jordi Savall, András Schiff, Rudolf Serkin, Janos Starker, Daniil Trifonov, Lynn Harrell, Emanuel Ax, Alban Berg Quartet, Guarneri Quartet, Kronos Quartet, Cleveland Quartet, and Quartetto Italiano, among many others. SHCS also has a history of championing important musicians early in their careers, including Richard Goode, Hilary Hahn, Hélène Grimaud, Dawn Upshaw, Lang Lang, and the Emerson String Quartet. Commissioned composers include Timo Andres, Sebastian Currier, Jonathan Leshnoff, James Lee III, Han Lash, Nokuthula Ngwenyama, Caroline Shaw, Carlos Simon, Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, and Nina C. Young.

Designed specifically for the community, SHCS offers the Discovery Series, a series of free concerts presented in venues throughout the region, focused on artists emerging on the national and international scene. Artists featured include Narek Hakhnazaryan, Colin Currie, Xavier Foley, Eric Lu, and the Dover Quartet. SHCS also offers a variety of student programs.

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