Pianist Brian Ganz Continues His 'Extreme Chopin' Quest At Strathmore

BETHESDA, MD — The Music Center at Strathmore will be hosting “An Evening of Chopin’s Chamber Music with Brian Ganz and Friends” on Saturday, Feb. 25.

The event will celebrate Ganz’s 12th annual concert in his quest to perform the complete works of Frédéric Chopin. Ganz will be joined by Carter Brey, the principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic, and Laura Colgate, the concertmaster of the National Philharmonic.

The artists will perform all the major chamber music works written by Chopin, including the rarely heard Trio in G minor for Piano, Violin and Cello, Op. 8, as well as the famed Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor.

Ganz began his “Extreme Chopin” quest in January 2011 with a sold-out recital in partnership with the National Philharmonic at The Music Center at Strathmore.

Ticket prices for the event on Feb. 25, which starts at 8 p.m., are $29 to $99 and free for young people ages 7 to 17. Strathmore, at 5301 Tuckerman Lane in North Bethesda, is offering a 20-percent discount for military and veterans.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit nationalphilharmonic.org, or call 301-581-5100.

“Chopin is so intimately associated with solo piano music that we often forget that he wrote first-rate chamber music as well,” Ganz said in a statement.

Carter Brey was appointed principal cello of the New York Philharmonic in 1996. He has since appeared as soloist with the orchestra almost every season. Brey has also appeared as soloist with most major orchestras in the United States.

Laura Colgate has performed worldwide across Europe, Asia, and North America, and has performed on stages, including the Barbican Centre, Kennedy Center, and multiple appearances at Carnegie Hall. She is Concertmaster of The National Philharmonic and was formerly concertmaster of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra in South Carolina and the El Paso Symphony Orchestra.