Emanuel Ax and The Knights to Open Music Worcester Season with Mozart
The program also includes an overture by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
Celebrated pianist Emanuel Ax and acclaimed chamber orchestra The Knights will open Music Worcester's 168th season Friday, October 16 at Mechanics Hall.
The Knights and Ax will perform a concert featuring two Mozart piano concertos; No. 17 in G Major, and No. 25 in C Major. They will also play Overture to L'amant anonyme, by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a French composer of African descent from the early Classical Era.
Widely considered to be one of the top living American classical pianists, Emanuel Ax has been presented by Music Worcester multiple times over the course of his career, most recently in 2002.
Born to Polish parents in what is now Lviv, Ukraine, he moved to Winnipeg, Canada and then New York City with his family when he was a young boy. Mr. Ax made his New York debut in the Young Concert Artists Series, and in 1974 won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv. In 1975 he won the Michaels Award of Young Concert Artists, followed four years later by the Avery Fisher Prize.
Ax has won eight Grammy Awards, two of which are for his solo recordings of Haydn's Piano Sonatas. He received six additional Grammys for collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma and others, for albums of chamber music written by Beethoven, Brahms, and Mozart. Emanuel Ax was named the 2026 Musical America Artist of the Year.
A collective of adventurous musicians dedicated to transforming the orchestral experience and eliminating barriers between audiences and music, The Knights last performed for Music Worcester in 2023 with Chris Thile. Driven by an open-minded spirit of camaraderie and exploration, they inspire listeners with vibrant programs that encompass their roots in the classical tradition and passion for artistic discovery.
The Knights have toured and recorded with renowned soloists including Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Béla Fleck, Chris Thile, Gil Shaham, as well as Emanuel Ax, and has appeared across the world's most prestigious stages, including those at Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, Ravinia, The Kennedy Center, and the Vienna Musikverein.
Founded in 1858, Music Worcester continues its long tradition of presenting internationally acclaimed artists and ensembles to Central Massachusetts, with programming that spans classical, jazz, global traditions, and dance.
Music Worcester's education and community engagement initiatives include in-school workshops, masterclasses, and free and reduced-price ticket programs. This season, in addition to historic Mechanics Hall, Music Worcester will present concerts in The Hanover Theatre, JMAC's BrickBox, WAMS Works, Tuckerman Hall, Assumption University's Curtis Hall, Trinity Lutheran Church, First Unitarian Church, and Doherty Memorial High School.
In 2026–2027, Everett McCorvey continues his Artist-in-Residency, following past residents Simone Dinnerstein and Vijay Gupta, as part of the organization's biannual residency program focused on deep and lasting community connection.
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