For West Michigan audiences who treasure chamber music — or simply the thrill of hearing world-class musicians perform live in an intimate setting — St. Cecilia Music Center’s season finale promises to be one of the spring’s defining classical events.
On Thursday, May 14, St. Cecilia Music Center will welcome back four acclaimed artists from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for the final concert of its 2025-26 season, an evening devoted entirely to the music of Franz Schubert.
Titled “Schubertiade,” the program brings together violinist Benjamin Beilman, pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, and CMS Co-Artistic Directors Wu Han and David Finckel for an evening inspired by the salon-style gatherings held during Schubert’s lifetime.
The original “Schubertiades” were informal evenings organized by the composer’s friends, who gathered to celebrate and perform his music late into the night. This modern interpretation explores several sides of Schubert’s artistry — from the intimacy of four-hand piano works to virtuosic violin writing and the emotional depth of one of chamber music’s towering masterpieces.
The evening’s program includes Schubert’s Fantasie in F minor for Piano, Four Hands, D. 940; Rondo in B minor for Violin and Piano, D. 895; and the expansive Trio No. 2 in E-flat major for Piano, Violin, and Cello, D. 929.
For audiences familiar with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s longstanding relationship with St. Cecilia Music Center, the performance also marks the return of several audience favorites.
Executive & Artistic Director Cathy Holbrook said, “‘Schubertiade’ on May 14th will bring back some of our most beloved Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center artists in our final concert of the season. We are honored to present these outstanding musicians: Co-Artistic Directors of the CMS, pianist Wu Han and cellist David Finckel, joined by one of the most versatile and sought-after pianists of her time, Anne-Marie McDermott, and world-renowned violinist, Benjamin Beilman.”
Few artists in chamber music carry the stature of Wu Han and David Finckel, who have led CMS since 2004 while shaping chamber music programming and education nationally through projects including Music@Menlo and ArtistLed, the first artist-directed internet-based classical recording label. Finckel, the former longtime cellist of the Emerson String Quartet, studied with legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and earned nine Grammy Awards during his 34 seasons with the ensemble.
McDermott, meanwhile, has built an international reputation for performances with major orchestras including the New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra, while balancing a celebrated chamber music career and artistic leadership roles at several leading festivals.
Beilman continues to emerge as one of the most exciting violinists of his generation, appearing this season with orchestras including the Chicago Symphony, Antwerp Symphony and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony. In 2022, he joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music, becoming one of the youngest artists appointed to the school’s faculty.
For longtime classical enthusiasts and newcomers alike, “Schubertiade” offers something increasingly rare: the chance to hear internationally celebrated musicians perform some of the chamber repertoire’s most emotionally rich music in the warmth and acoustics of St. Cecilia Music Center.
If there is one concert to circle before the season closes, this may be it.
Thursday, May 15.
6:30 PM | Doors Open
7:00 PM | Royce Auditorium Doors Open
7:30 PM | Concert Begins
9:00 PM | Post Concert Reception
Tickets for “Schubertiade” are $60, $45 and $30 and are available through St. Cecilia Music Center or by calling 616-459-2224. Questions may be directed to the box office at tickets@scmcgr.org or 616-459-2224 ext. 201.
