ENSEMBLE CHAMARRÉ CONCERT “REMEMBRANCE AND HOPE”

On January 14 (Wednesday) at 4:00 PM, we invite you to the concert “Remembrance and Hope” by Ensemble Chamarré, taking place at the National M. K. Čiurlionis Museum of Art (V. Putvinskio St. 55, Kaunas).

Members of Ensemble Chamarré – Catherine Hudgins (clarinet), Katie Wolfe (violin), William Rounds (cello), and Vytas J. Bakšys (piano) – will present the world premiere of Quartet for a New Tomorrow by James M. Stephenson, as well as Olivier Messiaen’s (1908–1992) Quartet for the End of Time.

James M. Stephenson (b. 1969) is an American composer renowned for his creative versatility, writing music for orchestra, opera, ballet, choir, and chamber ensembles. In 2025, Ensemble Chamarré commissioned Stephenson to compose a new work in dialogue with Olivier Messiaen’s 1940 composition Quartet for the End of Time. Messiaen’s work was created under extraordinarily difficult circumstances during World War II, when the composer was taken prisoner and held in a German POW camp. Quartet for the End of Time is inspired by passages from the Book of Revelation, vivid dreams, the colors of the northern lights, and Messiaen’s love of birdsong.

About the performers:

Clarinetist Catherine Hudgins began her career in Caracas, Venezuela, with the Caracas Philharmonic Orchestra. She currently serves as Principal Clarinet of the Plymouth Philharmonic and performs on E♭ clarinet with the Portland Symphony Orchestra in Maine; she also appears frequently with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Her recordings have been released by Chandos, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, and BSO Classics, including the Grammy Award–winning Boston Symphony Orchestra recording of Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé.

Violinist Katie Wolfe performs worldwide as a soloist, recording artist, chamber musician, and orchestral leader. She has been a member of the University of Iowa string faculty since 2004. Wolfe frequently collaborates with chamber ensembles and duos and is actively involved in the creation and performance of numerous new works for violin and piano.

Cellist William Rounds is a member of the Portland Symphony Orchestra and performed for more than three decades with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, concertizing, recording, and touring worldwide under many of the leading conductors of his generation. Over the course of his career, Rounds toured with pop music superstar John Denver, recorded with Aerosmith, and performed on the soundtrack of the Academy Award–winning film Schindler’s List.

Pianist Vytas J. Bakšys began his music studies at the age of five. He earned his bachelor’s degree cum laude from the New England Conservatory of Music, followed by a master’s degree cum laude in 1983. In 1991, studying with the legendary pianist Gilbert Kalish, he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University, New York. Since 1992, Bakšys has been a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He also performs as a guest musician with a wide range of ensembles and orchestras throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, presenting music across diverse styles and genres.

The event is open to the public and will be filmed and photographed. By atending the event you agree to be featured in photographs and videos of the event and are informed that these photographs and videos may be made public.