Executive & Artistic Director
Thor Steingraber
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New York Philharmonic String Quartet
Onstage Classical
Wed Apr 1 | 8PM
Run time: approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes including a 20-minute intermission ________ Generously underwritten by Colburn Foundation ________ Program | Program Note
New York Philharmonic String Quartet
Frank Huang | Qianqian Li | Cynthia Phelps | Carter Brey
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Program
SCHUBERT Quartettsatz, D. 703 MENDELSSOHN String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 44, No. 1 I. Molto allegro vivace II. Menuetto: Un poco allegretto III. Andante espressivo ma con moto IV. Presto con brio ________ Intermission ________ SCHUBERT String Quartet No. 15 in G major, D. 887 I. Allegro molto moderato II. Andante un poco moto III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace. Trio: Allegretto IV. Allegro assai
Musicians
Frank Huang | Violin Qianqian Li | Violin Cynthia Phelps | Viola Carter Brey | Cello
Securing The Soraya’s Future
Support the Thor Steingraber Fund for Artistic Innovation to help us continue to bring new works, world premieres, and bold collaborations to life
In the fall of 2015, my family and I attended a performance at the Valley Performing Arts Center at CSUN. My son, David, had received his undergraduate degree from CSUN many years prior, and we were pleased to see how the campus had grown. The recollections that stand out most in my memory from that evening were the extraordinary venue, its artistic excellence, and my first time meeting Thor Steingraber. For those reasons, my family decided in 2017 to invest in The Soraya’s future and long-term sustainability. In the 10 years since, we have come to know Thor and his vision. Through his leadership, we have witnessed values we so admire come to life on this stage — in the artists, their work, and the experiences they create for Los Angeles’ many communities and for CSUN students. Thor’s dedication and imagination serve so many, and it is my wish that his legacy be preserved. In honor and recognition of Thor’s accomplishments, I am pleased to announce a new fund supporting the art and artists who will continue this work: the Thor Steingraber Fund for Artistic Innovation. From the performance that first introduced my family to this majestic venue a decade ago, to the many moments of beauty and inspiration that have graced its stage since, we have Thor to thank. I hope you will join me and my family in supporting this effort — to ensure that these performances, and the spirit they embody, thrive long into the future.
— Soraya Sarah Nazarian
Program Note
Membership renewal time is here again. A central feature of Soraya Membership is the onstage performance format, an immersive experience in which 220 people join the artists onstage. We do this in two different manners. In February, it’s Jazz Club, which offers dinner and drinks with the concert. Branford Marsalis, Christian McBride, Anat Cohen, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Booker T. Jones, and many others have appeared in Jazz Club, providing an up-close experience similar to that at famed clubs common in New York City and other jazz hubs. At other points throughout the season, we transform the stage for chamber music. Again, a roster of extraordinary artists, often seen at major concert halls throughout the world, can be experienced in the most intimate setting. We’re still buzzing from violinist Ray Chen’s performance earlier this season. No matter the musical genre or the artist, one of the features of these onstage performances is observing top-notch artistry in all its facets — the subtle communication between artists, musical technique, even the the artists’ breathing and personal approach to playing. At one concert, a patron told me she enjoyed looking over the shoulder of the cellist to follow along in his score! Personally, these concerts are among my favorites. While they require additional effort and resources to create the stage-within-a-stage, they are well worth it, especially as they play an increasingly important role in building the Membership program and engaging audiences more deeply. With limited capacity, Members have the privilege of early access, which is sometimes the only way to secure a seat. Next season will be announced fully in early May.
Gratefully,
Thor Steingraber
Executive and Artistic Director, Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts
New York Philharmonic String Quartet
The quartet comprises four principal musicians from the New York Philharmonic Orchestra: concertmaster Frank Huang (The Charles E. Culpeper chair); principal second violin Qianqian Li; principal viola Cynthia Phelps (The Mr. and Mrs. Frederick P. Rose chair); and principal cello Carter Brey (The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels chair). The group was formed in January 2017, during the Philharmonic’s 175th anniversary season; the New York Philharmonic String Quartet made its debut as the solo ensemble in John Adams’ Absolute Jest in New York in March 2017 and reprised the work on the Orchestra’s Europe/Spring 2017 tour. All four members are multiple prize winners, have appeared as concerto soloists with the Philharmonic and orchestras around the world, and have appeared frequently in the Philharmonic’s chamber music series at David Geffen Hall and Merkin Concert Hall.
Frank Huang
Concertmaster Frank Huang has performed at the Marlboro Music Festival, Ravinia’s Steans Institute, Seattle Chamber Music Festival, and Caramoor. He frequently participates in Musicians from Marlboro tours, and was selected by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center to be a member of the prestigious Bowers Program (formerly CMS Two). Before joining the Houston Symphony as concertmaster in 2010, Huang held the position of first violinist of the Grammy Award-winning Ying Quartet.
Qianqian Li
Violinist Qianqian Li has performed at major music festivals including Aspen, Tanglewood, Yellow Barn, and Sarasota. As a soloist, she has performed with orchestras in major concert halls in Asia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. Before joining the New York Philharmonic, Li served as a member of the first violin section of The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for three years, after winning positions with the orchestras of Seattle, Atlanta, and St. Paul in the same period. She has also performed in the Boston, Pittsburgh, and Atlanta symphony orchestras.
Cynthia Phelps
Violist Cynthia Phelps performs with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, and the Santa Fe, La Jolla, Seattle, Chamber Music Northwest, and Bridgehampton music festivals. She has appeared with the Guarneri, Tokyo, Orion, American, Brentano, and Prague quartets, and the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio. Phelps is also a founding member of the chamber group Les Amies, a flute-harp-viola group with Philharmonic principal harp Nancy Allen and flutist Carol Wincenc.
Carter Brey
Cellist Carter Brey has made regular appearances with the Tokyo and Emerson string quartets as well as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He has also performed at festivals such as Spoleto (both in the United States and Italy), and the Santa Fe and La Jolla Chamber Music festivals. Brey and pianist Christopher O’Riley recorded Le Grand Tango: Music of Latin America, compositions from South America and Mexico released on Helicon Records.
The Soraya
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya/Producer) is an award-winning, state-of-the-art 1,700-seat theater that opened in 2011 as the Valley Performing Arts Center. Through a transformative gift by Younes and Soraya Nazarian, the venue was renamed The Soraya in 2017. The Soraya is located on the campus of California State University, Northridge, the intellectual and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley.
Executive and Artistic Director Thor Steingraber, in his 12th year leading the organization, sums up what makes The Soraya a central piece of Los Angeles arts and culture. “At The Soraya, we hold a high standard of excellence for every performance from a vast array of artistic disciplines, and we hold steadfast to our commitment to the value and impact of the performing arts in community-building, for the Valley’s 1.8 million residents and beyond.”
The Soraya’s 2025–26 Season is a journey through the expansive sounds of orchestras, the freestyle vibes of jazz, the innovations of dance luminaries, and a vast array of global voices. The Soraya continues its vigorous commitment to excelling, innovating, and amplifying access for Valley residents, students, and arts lovers across Southern California.