Impromptu | WFMT

Cellist Mikhail Veselov, pianist Eri Nakamura, and violinist Anna Williams are the members of the Neave Trio.  These musicians strive to engage, exchange, and connect “every time we play, and in everything we do.” Lisa Flynn welcomed the Neave Trio to WFMT in 2018.

The members of the KAIA String Quartet devote their artistry to promoting the rich and colorful music of Latin America. In 2018 they joined forces with guitar virtuoso Fareed Haque to perform pieces by Latin American masters.

Shortly after releasing her 2017 album, Bel Canto, violinist Rachel Barton Pine demonstrated the showmanship required to perform Paganini’s virtuosic Caprices.

The Danish String Quartet once described themselves with self-effacing friendliness, quipping “…we are simply your friendly neighborhood string quartet with above average amounts of beard.” Violinists Frederik Øland and Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, violist Asbjørn Nørgaard, and cellist Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin made their Impromptu debut on October 9, 2014.

The story goes that Reginald R. Robinson first heard the sweet strains of ragtime music through the loudspeaker of a neighborhood ice cream truck. Years later, the self-taught pianist and composer received a 2004 “genius” fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation. Reginald Robinson performed some of his original compositions on Impromptu on September 21, 2017

Since 1999, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra has brought together Arab and Israeli musicians as a means to defy fierce political divides in the Middle East and globally. Concertmaster Michael Barenboim leads the newly-formed West-Eastern Divan Ensemble, and on February 20, 2020 that fantastic group of chamber players performed the Mendelssohn Octet, live on Impromptu.

On October 15, 2015, the wonderful American tenor, Lawrence Brownlee, and the great collaborative pianist, Craig Terry, shared repertoire by Rossini – a Brownlee specialty – as well as a spiritual, “Come By Here,” and Benjamin Britten’s lovely “Down By the Sally Gardens.” This broadcast is a favorite of Impromptu’s producer, Louise Frank.

Enjoy an Impromptu encore performance by the award-winning Aizuri Quartet, whose debut album Blueprinting was nominated for a 2019 Grammy Award. This program was originally heard on WFMT on January 17, 2020.

Founded in 1999, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra brings together Arab and Israeli musicians as a means to defy fierce political divides in the Middle East and globally. The West-Eastern Divan Ensemble, led by the orchestra’s concertmaster Michael Barenboim, expresses their highly praised artistry through an intimate chamber music format.

Impromptu proudly presents the award-winning Aizuri Quartet whose debut album Blueprinting was nominated for a 2019 Grammy Award.