Saratoga Performing Arts Center Announces Chamber Music Society Of Lincoln Center Summer Season

Led by Artistic Directors Wu Han and David Finckel, the season is highlighted by the SPAC debut of the Viano Quartet, one of the most sought-after young ensembles today and recipients of the prestigious 2025 Avery Fisher Career Grant.

The next generation of star soloists gracing the stage include pianist George Li, following his 2024 SPAC debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra and cellist Sterling Elliott, alongside the return of audience favorites Arnaud Sussman, Matthew Lipman and Stella Chen. Part of its year-round presence in Saratoga Springs, the six-concert summer season follows its spring series, which will culminate on April 26 with Tchaikovsky's “Souvenir de Florence” led by David Finckel.

“Since expanding our partnership with CMS, we have had the privilege of opening the doors of Spa Little Theater to new and returning audiences, all four seasons of the year. We look forward to welcoming this dynamic roster of artists to Saratoga this summer, under the brilliant direction of Wu Han and David Finckel,” says Elizabeth Sobol, Chief Executive Officer of Saratoga Performing Arts Center.  

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's summer season opens with “Beethoven and Dvořák,” led by Wu Han (June 15), followed by “Great Sonatas” featuring Beethoven, Brahms, and Mozart (June 22). The series continues in July with programs anchored by “Mendelssohn's String Quintet in A Major” (July 13), and “Beethoven's Quintet for Piano and Winds” (July 20). Included in the season is the SPAC debut of the Viano Quartet (August 10) in a program offering classic string quartets by Haydn, Mendelssohn and Shostakovich, and a closing program with major works by “Shostakovich and Dohnányi” (August 17) featuring CMS artistic co-director, cellist David Finckel.

Anchored by Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Artistic Directors Wu Han (piano) and David Finckel (cello), this season's guest artists include violinists Chad Hoopes, Stella Chen, Bella Hristova, Arnaud Sussman, Danbi Um, Julian Rhee and Sean Lee; violists Matthew Lipman and Paul Neubauer; cellists Paul Watkins, Nicholas Canellakis and Sterling Elliott; pianists George Li, Gilles Vonsattel, Evren Ozel, Sahun Sam Hong, and Anna Geniushene; clarinetist Sebastian Manz; flutist Tara Helen O'Connor; oboist James Austin Smith; bassoonist Marc Goldberg; Nathaniel Silberschlag on horn, and the Viano Quartet.

CMS artistic co-directors David Finckel and Wu Han commented: “SPAC has become CMS's North Star, a destination we gravitate to both personally and professionally. The high quality of SPAC's presenting, our distinguished artistic colleagues, the sublime setting, and of course SPAC's audiences of devoted music lovers all serve to pull us up from New York City with irresistible power. We are especially excited this summer to introduce so many first-time artists to this series, as well as having the opportunity to perform some of our own favorite works with colleagues we treasure.”

The summer season follows two previously announced spring concerts offered by CMS. The final spring performance is slated for April 26 with a sextet, featuring Tchaikovsky's “Souvenir de Florence.”