The Gypsy and the Trout
Thu, Dec 04
|New York
Phoenix Chamber Ensemble Performs Bach, Haydn, and Schubert — In-Person Program and Live on Youtube
Time & Location
Dec 04, 2025, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
New York, 15 W 16th St, New York, NY 10011, USA
About the event
Join Phoenix Chamber Ensemble pianists Vassa Shevel and Inessa Zaretsky with guest artists Risa Schuchter and Joyce Hammann (violin), Daniel Panner (viola), Jared Blajian (cello), and Jeffrey Carney (bass) for an evening of Bach, Haydn, and Schubert.
Program:
Johann Sebastian Bach, Concerto No1 in D minor for Piano and Strings, BWV 1052
Joseph Haydn, The Gypsy Trio: Piano Trio No.39 in G Major, Hob. XV/25
Franz Schubert, The Trout Quintet: Piano Quintet in A Major, D.667
Founded in 2005 by pianists Vassa Shevel and Inessa Zaretsky, and celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, the Phoenix Chamber Ensemble has become a vital part of the New York classical community, presenting more than 70 public concerts at the Center for Jewish History. The ensemble has garnered a devoted following with its innovative programming and sensitive interpretations, earned an international reputation presenting concerts in Russia, Poland, Italy, and other European venues, and collaborated with numerous acclaimed guest artists, including clarinetist David Krakauer, the Grammy-nominated Enso Quartet, the Tesla Quartet, members of the Jasper String Quartet, the New York Little Opera Company, the Metropolitan Opera, and New York City Ballet.
Ticket Info:
In person: $15 general; $10 senior/student; $8 CJH member; click here to register
YouTube: Pay what you wish; click here to register
Made possible by the Stravinsky Institute Foundation through the generous support of the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
Guest Artists
Risa Schuchter, Violin
Born in Salzburg into a family of musicians, violinist Risa Schuchter began lessons at age six and studied with Professors Helmut Zehetmair (Mozarteum Salzburg), Gerhard Schulz (Vienna), and Shmuel Ashkenasi (Northern Illinois University), earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees summa cum laude and a Performer’s Certificate. A first prize winner of several international competitions, she is also a scholar of the Austrian Ministry, NIU, and the American Austrian Foundation. Risa has performed with renowned ensembles including Camerata Salzburg, the Mozarteum Orchestra, and the Wiener Kammerorchester, serving as concertmaster for Musica Vitae, Beethoven Philharmonie, and Oper Klosterneuburg. She has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, performing at major festivals such as Salzburg, Lucerne, and Rheingau, and in world-class venues like Teatro Colón and the Elbphilharmonie. Risa plays a 1695 Giovanni Grancino violin, sponsored by the American Austrian Foundation. Ms. Schuchter’s performance is sponsored by the American Austrian Foundation.
Joyce Hammann, violin
Breaking all Broadway records, Joyce Hammann led The Phantom of the
Opera orchestra as concertmaster for 33 years. She performs and records
classical, jazz, and pop, collaborating with Paul McCartney, Sting, Bruce
Springsteen, Tony Bennett, Michael Jackson, Uri Caine, and Fred Hersch.
Her discography includes compositions by John Zorn, Samuel Zyman, Uri
Caine, Gil Goldstein, Mark Feldman, Michael Brecker, and Chris Potter. She
is a member of the Harlem Chamber Players, Craftsbury Chamber Players,
Meeting House Players, SQS, and the Crosby String Quartet. Joyce
graduated from Juilliard, where she studied with Ivan Galamian and
Dorothy Delay. She was the youngest concertmaster of the St. Louis Youth
Symphony under Leonard Slatkin and studied under Shinichi Suzuki.
Daniel Panner, viola
Daniel Panner enjoys a varied career as a performer and teacher. As violist of the Mendelssohn String Quartet, he concertized extensively throughout the United States and Israel. He has performed at numerous music festivals, including Marlboro, Ravinia, Tanglewood, and Aspen, and he has collaborated with members of the Cleveland, Emerson, Guarneri, and Juilliard string quartets. As a member of the Whitman String Quartet, Mr. Panner received the 1998 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and served as a teaching assistant to the Juilliard String Quartet.
Mr. Panner is co-chair of the string department of the Mannes College of Music, where he also teaches viola and chamber music. He has also taught at the Juilliard School, Rutgers University, SUNY Stonybrook, Queens College, and the Jerusalem Music Center, and he has given master classes at such schools as Peabody, Hartt, and the North Carolina School of the Arts. He has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s; he has also toured with Musicians from Marlboro and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
Jared Blajian, cello
Armenian-American cellist Jared Blajian has been praised for “speak[ing] through his cello” (Naples News). His accolades include First Prize in the Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition and the Career Development Award at the Mondavi Center, and he has appeared in notable halls, including Cleveland’s Severance Hall, Verizon Hall in Philadelphia, and Carnegie Hall.
A devoted chamber musician, he has performed in concert series including El Paso Pro Musica, Northwest Bach Festival, the Strings Music Festival, and the Chamber Music Society of the Carolinas. He has collaborated with the Tesla and Argus string quartets, Zuill Bailey, Jinjoo Cho, and legendary violinists Itzhak Perlman and Donald Weilerstein. Additionally, he participated in the Heifetz Institute’s inaugural Ensemble-in-Residence program.
Blajian has attended festivals including Music@Menlo, the Perlman Music Program, the Heifetz Institute, the Music Academy of the West, ENCORE Chamber Music, and has participated in the cello masterclasses at the Sitka Cello Seminar and IMS Prussia Cove. His chamber music mentors have included David Finkel, Wu Han, Gilbert Kalish, Sharon Robinson, Jaime Laredo, and members of the Cleveland, Guarneri, Juilliard, and Cavani quartets. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute and USC, Blajian’s major cello teachers include Dr. Melissa Kraut and Ralph Kirshbaum. He pursued further study with Marcy Rosen. Passionate about sharing the joy of music with a variety of traditional and non-traditional audiences, Blajian frequently plays in hospitals, nursing homes, and shelters. He has participated in the Community Engagement Seminar at the Perlman Music Program and has extensive experience with public speaking and outreach projects.
Jeffrey Carney, bass
Jeffrey Carney is touring bassist for Barbra Streisand and jazz great Bobby McFerrin. He has performed with such jazz artists as Stan Getz, Freddie Hubbard, and Joe Henderson, as well as pop icons Sting, James Taylor, Elton John, and Andrea Bocelli. Jeff is principal bassist for the New York Pops Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and the Queens Symphony. On Broadway, he has played first chair for many productions, including The Secret Garden, Cyrano, Beauty and the Beast, Anything Goes, and Les Misérables. Studio and film credits include Gemini Man, The Greatest Showman, Hail, Caesar!, Carol, Mr. Holmes, True Grit, Julie & Julia, The Good Shepherd, Secret Window, Shaft 2, and The Producers, to name a few. Jeff was a member of the band for Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion on NPR. For over 20 years, he has been a professor of double bass and electric bass at the New School University.
Phoenix Chamber Ensemble 2023 ©