Executive & Artistic Director

Thor Steingraber

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Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Yuja Wang, piano and director

Matthew Truscott, concertmaster and leader

Sat Apr 25 | 8PM

Run time: approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes including a 20-minute intermission ________ Generously underwritten by the Colburn Foundation ________ Program | Program Note

Musicians

Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Yuja Wang

Matthew Truscott 

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The Soraya

Our Supporters | The Soraya Team

Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Since its founding in 1997, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra has established itself as one of the world’s leading chamber orchestras. Working as a “global collective,” the Orchestra is led by its members in collaboration with its Berlin-based management office. The musicians, who come from around 20 different countries, unite for each tour or project. The chamber music dialogue and unanimous act of listening shape the Orchestra’s sound; it’s a philosophy inspired by the Orchestra’s founding mentor Claudio Abbado that the ensemble calls The Sound of Listening.   In past seasons, the Orchestra has performed with conductors Sir Simon Rattle, Maxim Emelyanychev, Tugan Sokhiev, Anja Bihlmaier, and with its Artistic Advisor Daniele Gatti, among many others. The Orchestra is also known for its performances without a conductor; artistic partners Yuja Wang and Mitsuko Uchida, with whom the orchestra goes on tour several times a year, often lead from the piano.    The Orchestra maintains residencies in Berlin, Salzburg, Austria, and Lucerne, Switzerland; this year, it succeeds the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra at the Baden-Baden Easter Festival. In 2024, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra assumed the role of Artistic Director of Musikwoche Hitzacker.   The Orchestra continually explores new musical and social initiatives. Its program Feel the Music introduces music to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, while the Mahler Chamber Orchestra Academy allows orchestra members to share their expertise with the next generation of musicians. Additionally, the Orchestra’s school concerts foster introspection through the power of music. It has also co-developed a series of extended-reality concert formats. Since 2024, some of the chamber music pieces produced in XR have been available in the Mahler Chamber Orchestra app for Apple Vision Pro.

Yuja Wang

“I firmly believe every program should have its own life, and be a representation of how I feel at the moment.” — The New York Times

Director and pianist Yuja Wang is celebrated for her charismatic artistry, emotional honesty, and captivating stage presence. She has performed with some of the world’s most venerated conductors, musicians and ensembles, and is renowned not only for her virtuosity, but also for her spontaneous and lively performances. Wang was born into a musical family and began studying the piano at the age of 6. She received advanced training in Canada and at the Curtis Institute of Music under Gary Graffman. Her international breakthrough came in 2007, when she replaced Martha Argerich as soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Two years later, Wang signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon and has since established her place among the world’s leading artists, with a succession of critically acclaimed performances and albums.  Wang’s recordings have garnered multiple awards, including six Grammy nominations and her first Grammy win for Best Classical Instrumental Solo with her 2023 release of “The American Project.” For this she also won an Opus Klassik award in the concerto category.  As The New York Times observed, Wang “has made a career out of dazzling displays of virtuosity,” perhaps most notably when she recently teamed up with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra to perform all four of Rachmaninoff’s piano concerti — followed by his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini — in a single concert. This was a feat never before attempted at Carnegie Hall, and one she pulled off with both clarity and poetry — and then came back for more with encores.  As a chamber musician, Wang has developed long-lasting partnerships with several leading artists. She recently embarked on a highly anticipated international duo recital tour with pianist Víkingur Ólafsson with performances in world-class venues across North America and Europe, where she once again was able to showcase her flair, technical ability and exceptional artistry in a wide-ranging program. At Carnegie Hall’s 2025–2026 Season opening night, she play-directed Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1.

Matthew Truscott

Matthew Truscott is a versatile violinist who shares his time between period instrument music and modern performance, appearing with some of the finest musicians in both fields. He is concertmaster of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and one of the leaders of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.   In demand as a guest leader, Truscott’s engagements in this capacity have included projects with the English National Opera, Dutch National Opera, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, The English Concert, Le Concert d’Astrée, The King’s Consort, and Arcangelo. He is also leader of Classical Opera, St. Jamess’ Baroque, and the Magdalena Consort. A keen chamber musician, Truscott’s recent recordings have included: a set of Purcell Trio Sonatas with Retrospect Trio; a disc of Bach chamber music with Trevor Pinnock, Emmanuel Pahud and Jonathan Manson; and one of Haydn Piano Trios with Richard Lester and Simon Crawford-Phillips. Truscott teaches baroque violin at the Royal Academy of Music in London.