Nathan Meltzer, Gabrielle Després, Laura Liu, Leland Ko, Min Young Kang: Brahms, Granados, Bartók, Shaw

7 PM Doors & Pre-Reception
8 PM Performance
10 PM Post-Reception

Nathan Meltzer, Gabrielle Després, Laura Liu, Leland Ko, Min Young Kang: Brahms, Granados, Bartók, Shaw

Gotham Arts in collaboration with Kallos Chamber Music Series and Groupmuse is delighted to present an intimate private chamber music performance by violinists Nathan Meltzer and Gabrielle Després, violist Laura Liu, cellist Leland Ko, and pianist Min Young Kang featuring Brahms' monumental piano quintet and works by Granados, Bartök, and Caroline Shaw.

Kallos CMS's season finale, Awake and Aflame, ignites with music of revelation, transformation, and transcendence in a program burning with radiant energy and inward awakening. From Bartók's bold folk-infused Rhapsody and Carline Shaw's shimmering celebration of the everyday to the sweeping lyricism of Granados and Brahms, this evening captures the spirit of discovery and renewal.

Wine will be served.

Program

BARTÓK Rhapsody No. 1 for Cello & Piano, Sz. 88

SHAW Valencia for String Quartet (2012)

GRANADOS Piano Quintet in g minor, Op. 49 (1894)

Intermission

BRAHMS Piano Quintet in f minor, Op. 34

About the Artists

Watch Kallos Chamber Music Series' performance of Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 3 in c minor at the New Haven Lawn Club

Nathan Meltzer, violin

Winner of the 2023 Concert Artist Guild Competition, major prize winner at the 2022 Sibelius and Singapore International Violin Competitions, recipient of the Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant, and youngest ever to win the Windsor Festival Competition, violinist Nathan Meltzer is establishing a holistic and multi-faceted career as both a soloist and chamber musician, with passions for both standard and contemporary repertoire.

Nathan has performed as a soloist with major orchestras around the world. He has performed with the Orchestre national d'Île-de-France, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the Finnish RSO, the Helsinki Philharmonic, and the Aalborg, Charlotte, Concepción, Indianapolis, Medellín, Montréal, North Carolina, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras, among others, performing across Europe and North and South America.

As a recitalist and chamber musician, Nathan has performed at celebrated series including the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach, Dresden Musikfestspiele, Heidelberger Frühling, Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, Kallos Chamber Music Series, Parlance Chamber Concerts, and Midori’s Partners in Performance, and at festivals including ChamberFest Cleveland, IMS Prussia Cove, Krzyzowa Music, La Jolla SummerFest, Montreal and Moritzburg Chamber Music Festivals, Music@Menlo’s International Program, Newport Classical, the Ravinia Festival Institute, the Perlman Music Program, Verbier Festival Academy, and Yellow Barn.

He is also the co-founder and Artistic Director of The Green Room Ensemble, a non-profit chamber music organization dedicated to new music and historically unexplored works by composers from a variety of backgrounds and heritages.

A Juilliard graduate and student of Li Lin and Itzhak Perlman, Nathan plays on a Storioni violin on generous loan from the Rin Collection.

Gabrielle Després, violin

Praised for her “gorgeous, rich tone” and fresh, insightful interpretations, violinist Gabrielle Després has emerged as one of Canada’s most compelling young artists, performing across North America and Europe to critical acclaim. As winner of the Irving M. Klein International String Competition and the Juilliard Concerto Competition, she is also a top prize recipient at the Michael Hill, Elmar Oliveira, and Washington International Violin Competitions. She was a 2025 Sibelius International Violin Competition finalist and has garnered major honors including the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award, the Verbier Academy’s Prix Reyl, and Juilliard’s distinguished William Schuman Prize. In 2020, CBC recognized her artistry by naming her to its list of 30 Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30.

As a soloist, Gabrielle has appeared with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Juilliard Orchestra, Spokane Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Edmonton, and Peninsula Symphony, among others. Her recital credits span leading series and festivals, including the Schiermonnikoog Festival, Gualala Chamber Music, St. Albert Chamber Music Society, and Kelowna Chamber Music Society. During her two-years as Concertmaster of the Juilliard Orchestra (2021–2022), she led concerts under eminent conductors, including a celebrated performance of Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben with Sir Antonio Pappano.

A passionate chamber musician, she has performed at the Marlboro Music Festival, ChamberFest Cleveland, Music in the Vineyards, and the Edmonton Summer Solstice Music Festival, and collaborated with ensembles such as the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players and CMS of Lincoln Center’s Meet the Music series. Committed to using music as a force for connection, Gabrielle has served as a Gluck Community Engagement Fellow at Juilliard, creating interactive programs for hospitals and nursing homes throughout New York City, and collaborates with Project: Music Heals Us, teaching and performing for incarcerated individuals in California.

Gabrielle earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at the Juilliard School as a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship and is now pursuing an Artist Diploma there, studying with Catherine Cho. Her formative mentors include Donald Weilerstein, Joseph Lin, Masao Kawasaki, Robert Uchida, and James Keene. Her artistic development has been supported by major awards from her home province of Alberta, including the Queen’s Jubilee Award, the Anne Burrows Music Foundation Award, and the Winspear Fund Scholarship, as well as immersive summers at leading programs such as Aspen Music Festival, Kneisel Hall, the Perlman Music Program, and the Verbier Festival Academy.

Gabrielle performs on a violin of Zosimo Bergonzi and a bow of Étienne Pajeot, graciously provided to her by CANIMEX INC., from Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, and gratefully acknowledges the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation for its invaluable support of her artistic journey.

Laura Liu, viola

Laura Liu, a native of Miami, Florida, currently lives in New York City and studies with Cynthia Phelps and Misha Amory at The Juilliard School. For her recent performance at the Olympic Music Festival, Liu was hailed by Classical Voice America as a “standout” with “sound deep, warm, and consistently musical.” Liu’s ardent love of musical collaboration and conversation has led her to pursue a rich life in chamber music. This coming June, Liu will appear at Marlboro Music Festival for their 2025 summer season. This past summer Liu debuted as a Rising Star at Sunkiss’d Mozart Summerfest, and collaborated with musicians Gidon Kremer, Antje Weithaas, and Gary Hoffman as a Junior Artist at Kronberg Academy’s “Chamber Music Connects the World.” Previously, Liu has participated in the Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach’s “Rising Artist” Program, the Olympic Music Festival Fellowship, Music@Menlo’s International Performer Program, the Perlman Music Program’s Chamber Music Workshop, the Taos School of Music, Kneisel Hall, Music Academy of the West, and the Heifetz International Music Institute. Highlights from past seasons include performing with her quartet, Quatuor Cael, in Alice Tully Hall and Peter Jay Sharp as a member of The Juilliard Honors Chamber Music program, collaborating alongside the Frisson Ensemble, appearing at Santa Fe ProMusica, and making her Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center debut in their “Meet the Music!” series. This season she will make her debut with Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, Bargemusic, and reappear at CMS for their “Inside Chamber Music” program and Music@Menlo for an alumni concert.

As a soloist known for her performance flair and personality, Liu has recently made her Casals Forum debut, performing in recital at the Kronberg Festival: Violin & Viola Masterclasses. This summer, she attended the Verbier Festival Academy as a soloist and was awarded the Edwin Caplin Foundation Award. This past year Liu also was a Semifinalist at the Primrose International Viola Competition, and a participant in masterclasses at the Spring edition of the Schiermonnikoog Festival. Previously, she received an Honorary Mention and the Pirastro Prize for outstanding young talent at the 3rd Oskar Nedbal International Viola Competition. She recently earned her Bachelor of Music, and is now pursuing her Master’s degree as a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship at The Juilliard School.

Leland Ko, cello

Described as someone with “Disarming charisma” (South Florida Classical Review) yet simultaneously as someone “Byronic” and “excelling in both poetic longing and dramatic outbursts” (Boston Classical Review), Leland has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in venues across America and abroad, from Carnegie Hall in New York and Symphony Hall in Boston to the Maison Symphonique in Montréal; and internationally in Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Israel, Spain, Korea, and Hong Kong. He is a first prize winner of the Concours Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Concert Artists Guild Louis and Susan Meisel Competition, and the Walter W. Naumburg International Cello Competition.

Highlights for Leland’s 2025-2026 season include appearances with the Orchestre Symphonique de Sherbrooke and the DuPage Symphony; recitals at the Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts, Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance, Pro Musica San Miguel de Allende, Pepperdine University, and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall; and chamber music for the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, the Kaufman Center’s Merkin Hall, Palm Beach State College, and Chico Performances. Past engagements over the last decade have included concerto appearances with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, the Princeton University Orchestra, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, and multiple appearances with the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the New England Conservatory Philharmonia, Symphony Pro Musica, the Apollo Ensemble of Boston, and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal.

Despite growing up a part of Boston’s strong youth orchestra culture, Leland has sought out chamber music throughout his life, having partaken at ChamberFest West, Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival, Meetinghouse Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Music Society, Montreal Chamber Music Festival, Yellowbarn, Ravinia's Steans Music Institute, Four Seasons Chamber Music Workshop, and the Perlman Music Program’s Summer Music School and its Chamber Music Workshop. Leland’s love for chamber music has also led him to be a former Artist in Residence of New York Piano Society (NYPS), and former Music Director of Opus 21, a student-run chamber music collective at Princeton. He is the cellist of Trio Rai, the OAK Trio, the Phaidros Quartet, and also a frequent member of Sejong Soloists.

Leland was a long-time student of Kirsten Peltz, Ronald Lowry, and Paul Katz before attending Princeton University, where he graduated with an A.B. in German Literature. He went on to complete an M.M. at The Juilliard School under the teaching of Minhye Clara Kim, Timothy Eddy, and Natasha Brofsky, and then earned an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory under guidance of Laurence Lesser, Yeesun Kim, and Donald Weilerstein. Leland performs on a cello by Giovanni Battista Rugeri, Cremona, c. 1710, ex-Denis Vigay, which is on generous loan to him from Canimex Inc.; and professional development activities for Leland are generously supported by Marilyn G. and Joseph B. Schwartz. He resides in Boston, with his 13-year-old cat, Ham.

Min Young Kang, piano

Korean-born pianist and artistic curator Dr. Min Young Kang has earned acclaim for both her captivating stage presence and innovative concert experiences alike. Dubbed “an absolute gem” by the Montecito Journal, her performances span the United States, France, and South Korea, gracing renowned venues such as Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Château de Fontainebleau, the Sejong Center M Theater, and the Astral Concert Series. Her 2021 debut album, Remembering Russia, featured her electric collaboration with Spanish violist Jesús Rodolfo on the prestigious PENTATONE label. The album debuted with great acclaim for its sensitive and nuanced interpretations, with Tarraco Culture Club noting Min Young’s lyrical touch and expressive depth.

Raised in Seoul, Min Young’s performance career has seen her at concert series and festivals across the United States, including the Lyric Chamber Music Society, Shandelee Music Festival, Arazzo Music Festival, Young Musicians Forum Recital, and NV Virtuoso Concert Series. In addition, she has enjoyed numerous international accolades since making her home in the United States in 2008, including prizes from the J.C. Arriaga Chamber Music Competition, Artur Balsam Duo Competition, and Lillian Fuchs Chamber Music Competition, as well as the Talisman Energy Emerging Artist Award (Canada), Kraeuter Musical Foundation Award (USA), and the Special Director’s Award and Chamber Music Excellence award from Ecoles D’Art Americaines de Fontainbleau (France).

Among the region’s most sought after collaborators, Min Young’s experience spans performances with the world’s best musicians, including Ani Kavafian, Robert Langevin, members of the New York Philharmonic, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; as a vocal pianist, she has worked with the Aspen School of Music and Songfest. Adding to her individual brilliance is her work as the Founder and Artistic Director of the Kallos Chamber Music Series in New Haven, CT. Now in its seventh season, Kallos has enjoyed significant local acclaim—the New Haven Independent praised Kallos as “resonant with the time,” while an audience member describes the experience as “impeccably performed, with witty commentary and swoon-worthy music.”
In addition to her global performance schedule, Min Young Kang serves as the staff pianist at Mannes School of Music and Montclair State University. She received a Master of Music (M.M.) from the Eastman School of Music, a Collaborative Piano Fellowship from the Yale School of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) from the Manhattan School of Music, from whom she received the Kraeuter Musical Foundation Award. Her latest endeavor, the summer concert series Listeners Club, continues her passion for making chamber music accessible through offering a unique, up-close-and-personal concert experience in Bergen County, NJ. She makes her home near New York City.

What's the music?

Min Young Kang

Nathan Meltzer Violin

Leland P. Ko Cello

Laura Liu Viola

Min Young Kang Piano

Gabrielle Despres Violin

Attendees

Lynn N.

Mihaela C. (she/her)

Loa C.

+1

Michael John S.

Seth G.

+1

Robin S.

Jihyon K.

Paul M.

+1

Shin C.

Jeremiah H.