AboutAshuelotConcerts
Ashuelot Concerts brings live chamber music from the world's leading concert halls to rural venues and schools in New Hampshire and Vermont. Our goal is to provide joy, inspiration and unity through our program. Each season we try to uplift and inspire as many people as possible through the experience of live classical music.
Founded in 2019, Ashuelot Concerts strives to build enthusiasm for live classical music amongst previously disenfranchised groups. We believe that access to live classical music at the highest level should not be limited by age, geography or income. Our programs are designed to be as accessible as possible, enrich the local culture, foster community connection, and inspire the next generation.
Each season, our International Concert Series brings world-famous classical artists to concert venues and schools throughout the region. Recent and upcoming artists include VOCES8, The Sitkovetsky Trio, The Doric, Schumann, and Heath String Quartets, and renowned chamber musicians such as Masumi Per Rostad, Guy Johnston, Tommy Mesa, Nina Lee, Edward Arron and members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Our concert series features a carefully curated program of masterworks and powerful lesser-known pieces, all chosen with the aim of moving and delighting our audience. For many, our concert series is their first opportunity to experience the profound power of live chamber music, performed up-close, in small venues on historic instruments. All the artists who appear on our stages have extensive, critically-acclaimed discographies and tour internationally, performing regularly at the world's leading concert halls.
Classical music has come under existential pressure over the last few years: In the US, classical music makes up only 1% of all the music that is streamed or purchased each year. In concert-halls, the average age of those attending has risen significantly over the last few decades. Taken together, the sad reality is that fewer and fewer members of the general public have any experience or understanding of how wonderful this music can be when experienced live. Our concert series is striving to develop a younger audience in order to secure the future of this amazing art-form and preserve its many benefits for future generations.
Live Classical Music has so much to offer, especially when it involves artists at the very top of their profession. In recent times local division and political polarization has increased, mental health has deteriorated significantly, and social-media and screen usage has increased - degrading our community's collective ability to focus, make real connections and enjoy real-life experiences. The geographic and economic barriers faced by many local residents make travelling to urban cultural centers impossible, especially for older adults, children, and working families. And yet live classical music has a unique and scientifically proven ability to help mitigate many of the most pressing social and cultural issues facing our community.
Ashuelot Concerts’ goal is to provide joy, inspiration and unity through our program. We bring together diverse audiences of young and old - people from different backgrounds with varied political, social and religious beliefs - to share the unique experience of beautiful music, performed live at the highest level possible. We have chosen rural venues with excellent acoustics and access to meet our community where they are most at home. Each concert is carefully introduced with just enough spoken background and biographical information to offer
our audience a new perspective on the performance they are about to hear. After such an experience, there is suddenly more reason to be optimistic; where there is division, the concert-setting offers the perfect opportunity to talk only about the musical experience, leaving any differences at the door.
To keep the cost of entry as low as possible and make our program as inclusive as possible, we keep ticket prices low - at a fraction of the cost of similar concert tickets in metropolitan areas. We also offer free tickets to all K-12 students and discounted tickets to young adults aged 18-30. Year by year, we are seeing more and more young people attend regularly, often bringing their parents with them!
Before each concert, we visit a number of local schools to bring live, in-school performances to around 5,000 K-12 students each year. For many, this is their first encounter with live classical music and a unique opportunity to engage with internationally-renowned artists. We work with local teachers to craft inspiring messages about learning, perseverance and overcoming difficulty.
Ashuelot Concerts is led by Artistic Directors Louisa Stonehill (violin) and Nicholas Burns (piano), whose vision and leadership have grown the organization from a small rural concert series into a program with an international reputation in record time.
Our program is made possible through the generous support of individuals, local businesses and grants. If you leave feeling inspired after the concert, please consider supporting our work with a generous donation. In return, we will invest every donation dollar towards making classical music a powerful force for good in this community!
2025-26 Objectives
1. To grow the audience for classical music and grow the average attendance for each concert.
2. To continue to lower the average age of attendance and encourage young people to try their first concert.
3. To increase the visibility and reputation of our program through effective marketing and increased engagement with our social media channels.
4. To increase our reach throughout New England and establish Ashuelot Concerts as an important draw for the region.
5. To increase the emotional impact of each of our concerts.
6. To increase access to those communities who are yet to engage with classical music.
SchoolsProgramin2025-26
Ashuelot Concerts offers every local school the chance to have the live experience you hear today performed in classrooms. Before each concert weekend, our international artists visit local schools to perform for children and share stories of their personal journeys to success. Often, the children are sitting only a few feet away from famous instruments made by Stradivari or Amati over 400 years ago.
Each school program lasts for approximately 45 minutes and includes three performances of selected repertoire from the concert program. Alongside the music, each presentation follows a theme. For example:
• How daily habits can change what we think we are capable of: Exploring how each of us is a product of our daily habits (both good and bad) and how small changes can lead to big gains over time.
• Is something difficult in class, or is it just new? Exploring how the brain reacts negatively to something unfamiliar and how after a few days it can feel so much easier with the right learning techniques.
• Talent does not exist! Exploring how there is no scientific evidence that explains extraordinary ability but there are many characteristics that high achievers of all disciplines have in common.
• What music tells us about how to communicate: Exploring how to utilize the four basic elements of music - pitch, rhythm, dynamics and articulation - to improve our speaking and listening skills and maybe even make the world a kinder place.
• Attention and Focus: Using the music as an example, we explore how our brains can only attend to one sense and one thing at any one time.
Ashuelot Concerts’ Artist Circle
Ashuelot Concerts is looking for ways to secure our medium term future. As so many leading artists require contracts to be signed 12-24 months ahead of each concert date, we are looking to form a core group of supporters who will help us to secure leading artists for future seasons. For a small monthly contribution, you can help Ashuelot Concerts secure the participation of some of the world’s leading musicians to our beautiful region for years to come.
More Ways to Support Ashuelot Concerts this Season
Please consider supporting this year’s program, we welcome gifts of any size, but below are some examples of how larger or recurring gifts can help us bring more live music to our community.
Recurring donations
Larger gifts allow our young organization to invest in future programs with confidence:
Sponsor one of our world-class chamber music concerts in the Monadnock Region. Your name will appear in the concert program and on any livestream broadcast and our website.
Sponsor an Artist - $4,000
Help support bringing an International Artist to perform in two concerts & four schools in our series.
Enable a Schools Concert- $2,500
Sponsor one of our performances in a local school. Your name will appear prominently in our concert program and on our website. Your financial support will also be acknowledged in press releases in the week of the performance.
Sponsor the Concert Steinway - $2,000
Help safely maintain and move our concert Steinway between our three beautiful venues.
A small, monthly donation can make a big difference to Ashuelot Concerts over the next 12 months:
$75 per month
Help us continue to provide free tickets for school age children at our concerts. Each concert sees a growing number of high school children attending.
$50 per month
Helps us provide live music to one class of children. Join some of our local teachers in supporting Ashuelot Concerts at this level.
$25 per month
Help us maintain our beautiful concert Steinway. Each concert requires at least two tunings and several hours of technical work to keep our piano in perfect condition.
$10 per month
Help with Ashuelot Concerts marketing efforts. Central to our mission is reaching people who would never usually attend a classical music concert.
Sacred Vocal Music: VOCES8
Friday, October 10 – 7:30 pm, St. Bernard’s Church, Keene, NH
Buccinate in Neomenià Tuba
Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen
Ubi Caritas
O Vos Omnes
Bogoroditse Devo
Drop, Drop, Slow Tears
The Deer’s Cry
O Clap Your Hands
Magnificat Primi Toni
Songs of Farewell
• My soul there is a country
• Never weather-beaten sail
• There is an old belief
The Road Home
Steal Away
Giovanni Croce (1557 - 1609)
Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847)
Ola Gjeilo (b. 1978)
Pablo Casals (1876 - 1973)
Rachmaninoff (1873 – 1943)
Orlando Gibbons (1583 – 1625)
Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)
Orlando Gibbons (1583 – 1625)
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525 – 1594)
Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848 – 1918)
Stephen Paulus (1949 – 2014)
Trad., arr. David Blackwell (b.1961)
Miserere mei, Deus Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652)
VOCES8
VOCES8 appear courtesy of Opus 3 Artists
Piano Trios: Brahms & Schubert
Friday, November 7 – 7:30 pm, Stonewall Farm, Keene, NH
Sunday, November 9 – 3:00 pm, The Park Theatre, Jaffrey, NH
Trio in Cm., Op. 101 (1886)
I. Allegro energico
II. Presto non assai
III. Andante grazioso
IV. Allegro molto ***INTERMISSION***
Trio in E-flat, D. 929 (1827)
I. Allegro
II. Andante con moto
III. Scherzo. Allegro moderato
IV. Allegro moderato
Piano
Brahms (1833 - 1897)
Piano
Schubert (1797 - 1828)
Louisa Stonehill - Violin, Thomas Mesa - Cello, Nicholas Burns – Piano
Doric Quartet: Inspired by Beethoven
Friday, March 20 – 7:30 pm, Stonewall Farm, Keene, NH
Saturday, March 21 – 1:00 pm, The Bellows Falls Opera House, Bellows Falls, VT*
*String Quartet in E-flat, Op. 12 (1829-30)
I. Adagio non troppo – Allegro non tardante
II. Canzonetta. Allegretto
III. Andante espressivo
IV. Molto allegro e vivace
String Quartet No. 1, “Kreutzer Sonata” (1923) (Friday only)
I. Adagio - Con moto
II. Con moto
III. Con moto – Vivo – Andante
IV. Con moto – (Adagio) – Più mosso
***INTERMISSION (Friday only) ***
*String Quartet in E-flat, Op. 74, “Harp” (1809)
I. Poco adagio - Allegro
II. Adagio ma non troppo
III. Presto – Più presto quasi Prestissimo
IV. Allegretto con variazioni
Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847)
Janáček (1854 - 1928)
Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Doric Quartet: Maia Cabeza & Ying Xue – Violin, Emma Wernig – Viola, John Myerscough – Cello
*Saturday’s program will feature Mendelssohn and Beethoven with no intermission.
The Doric Quartet appear courtesy of Arts Management Group
Piano Quintets with The Heath Quartet
Friday, April 10 – 7:30 pm, Stonewall Farm, Keene, NH
Sunday, April 12 – 3:00 pm, The Park Theatre, Jaffrey, NH
Piano Quintet in A, Op. 81, (1887)
I. Allegro, ma non tanto
II. Dumka: Andante con moto
III. Scherzo (Furiant): Molto vivace
IV. Finale: Allegro
Piano Quintet in Am., Op. 84 (1918)
***INTERMISSION***
I. Moderato - Allegro
II. Adagio non troppo
III. Andante – Allegro
Louisa Stonehill & Sara Wolstenholme - Violin, Gary Pomeroy – Viola, Christopher Murray - Cello, Nicholas Burns – Piano
The Heath Quartet appear courtesy of Colbert Artist Management
Dvořák (1841 - 1904)
Elgar (1857 - 1934)
Piano Trios: Dvořák, Haydn, & Mendelssohn
Friday, May 8 – 7:30 pm, Stonewall Farm, Keene, NH
Sunday, May 10 – 3:00 pm, The Bellows Falls Opera House, Bellows Falls, VT
Piano Trio in Gm., Op. 26, (1876)
Dvořák (1841 - 1904)
I. Allegro Moderato
II. Largo
III. Scherzo: Presto – Trio: Poco meno mosso – Presto da capo
IV. Allegro non tanto
Piano Trio in G, Hob. XV/25, “Gypsy Rondo” (1795) Haydn (1732 - 1809)
I. Andante
II. Poco adagio, cantabile
III. Rondo all’Ongarese: Presto
Piano Trio in Cm., Op. 66 (1845)
I. Allegro energico e con fuoco
II. Andante espressivo
III. Scherzo: Molto allegro quasi presto
IV. Finale: Allegro appassionato
Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847)
Louisa Stonehill - Violin, Francisco Vila - Cello, & Nicholas Burns – Piano
Piano Trios: Grieg & Tchaikovsky
Friday, June 5 – 7:30 pm, The Bellows Falls Opera House, Bellows Falls, VT
Sunday, June 7 – 3:00 pm, The Park Theatre, Jaffrey, NH
Andante Con Moto in Cm., EG 116 (1878)
Piano Trio in Am., Op. 50 (1881/82)
Grieg (1843 - 1907)
Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)
I. Pezzo elegiaco (Moderato assai – Allegro giusto)
II. A. Tema con variazioni: Andante con moto B. Variazione finale e coda
Louisa Stonehill – Violin, Edward Arron – Cello, Nicholas Burns – Piano
Louisa Stonehill
Violin
Program & Artistic Director, Ashuelot Concerts
British-American violinist, Louisa Stonehill is a dedicated chamber musician and co-founder ofAshuelot Concerts. She has recorded four critically-acclaimed albums of violin sonatas and concerti for Nimbus and Lyrita. Louisa has performed all over the world, from London to New York and most recently, Beijing. She now regularly performs with many of the leading chamber musicians of today.
Louisa previously enjoyed a successful career in orchestral music with the City of London Sinfonia, Britten Sinfonia and BBC Concert Orchestra. She has also worked with the Royal Philharmonia Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Opera Holland Park. She regularly performed at the BBC Proms in London (the largest classical music festival in the world) and often broadcast for BBC TV and radio.
Askilled and experienced educator, Louisa has always enjoyed teaching alongside her performing career. She has taught at the Royal College of Music and Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London and from 2009-2016 ran a thriving private music studio in London.
Louisa began playing the violin just before her fourth birthday, inspired by her musical grandmother. At ten, she won a place at the prestigious Purcell School of Music in London. After completing her formal education at Birmingham and Trinity Laban Conservatoires, Louisa continued her studies at IMS Prussia Cove and took part in many of the inaugural ChamberStudio masterclasses at Kings Place. She studied with such eminent musicians as Leland Chen, Richard Ireland, Anthony Marwood, Krysia Osostowicz, Henk Guittart, Christoph Richter, William Howard and David Waterman.
Louisa plays on a wonderful English violin made in 2023 by Glen Collins which has been named after her. It is based on the LordWilton Guarneri del Jesu once owned by the lateYehudi Menuhin.
Since moving to New Hampshire in 2016, Louisa has been enjoying her new environment with her husband and two young boys. She is a keen hiker and skier, loves photography and rolling out her yoga mat for some down time!
Nicholas Burns
Piano
Artistic & Executive Director, Ashuelot Concerts
British Pianist Nicholas Burns has dedicated most of his career to chamber music after initially pursuing conducting. He now serves as full-time Artistic & Executive Director of Ashuelot Concerts, presenting concerts and school performances to thousands each year
in the Monadnock Region in New Hampshire.
Nick has performed all over the world and recorded four critically acclaimed albums for Nimbus & Lyrita. He regularly collaborates with many of the leading chamber musicians of today.
Acommitted educator, Nick has always found time to coach and teach alongside his performances. He has taught masterclasses at Dartmouth College & Trinity Laban Conservatoire. Before leaving London he ran a successful private teaching studio from 2005-2016. He was also an examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music from 2010-17, adjudicating music exams all over the world.
Nick studied Music at Bristol University before completing a graduate degree in conducting at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London. He was Music Director of the New Orpheus Ensemble from 2003-2008 and conducted I Maestri, Gravesend Youth Orchestra, Kent Schools Orchestra and New Sussex Opera before his passion for chamber music led him to devote almost all of his time to the piano. He attended the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove in 2010 and spent each January in residence at the Banff Centre in Canada from 2012-2014. From 2010-2012 he was a regular participant in the ChamberStudio masterclasses at Kings Place in London, and was fortunate to study with some of the world's leading chamber musicians.
Since making the move to New Hampshire, Nick has been enjoying exploring the beautiful Monadnock region he now calls home, especially the hiking, kayaking and skiing nearby. When not immersed in music, Nick loves taking photos and following Formula 1!
Edward Arron Cello
Cellist Edward Arron has garnered recognition worldwide for his elegant musicianship, impassioned performances, and creative programming.Anative of Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr.Arron made his New York recital debut in 2000 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since that time, he has appeared in recital, as a soloist with major orchestras, and as a chamber musician, throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
The 2025-26 season marks Mr. Arron’s 13th season as the co-artistic director with his wife, Jeewon Park, of the Performing Artists in Residence series at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Mr. Arron tours and records as a member of the renowned Ehnes String Quartet and he is a regular performer at the Boston, Seattle, and Brooklyn Chamber Music Societies, Bargemusic, Caramoor, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival, Seoul Spring Festival in Korea, Music in the Vineyards Festival, Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, Manchester Music Festival, and the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland. He has appeared as a guest artist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and has performed numerous times in Carnegie’s Weill and Zankel Halls, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, The Seoul Arts Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s Town Hall and the 92nd Street Y. Other festival 29
appearances include Salzburg, Ravinia, Tanglewood, Mostly Mozart, PyeongChang, Bravo! Vail, Bridgehampton, Spoleto USA, Santa Fe, Evian, La Jolla Summerfest, Chamber Music Northwest, Chesapeake Chamber Music, and the Bard Music Festival. He has participated inYo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project as well as Isaac Stern’s Jerusalem Chamber Music Encounters. Mr. Arron’s performances are frequently broadcast onAmerican Public Media’s Performance Today. In 2021, Mr. Arron’s recording of Beethoven’s Complete Works for Cello and Piano with pianist Jeewon Park was released on the Aeolian Classics Record Label. The recording received the Samuel Sanders CollaborativeArtistsAward from the Classical Recording Foundation.
In 2013, he completed a ten-year residency as the artistic director of the Metropolitan Museum Artists in Concert, a chamber music series created in 2003 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Museum’s prestigious Concerts and Lectures series. Mr. Arron was also the artistic director of the USCB Chamber Music Series in Beaufort, South Carolina from 2009-2021, and the Chamber Music on Main concert series at the Columbia (SC) Museum ofArt from 2009-2018. In 2022, Mr. Arron stepped down after 15 years as the artistic director of the acclaimed Musical Masterworks concert series in Old Lyme, Connecticut.
EdwardArron began playing the cello at age seven in Cincinnati and continued his studies in New York with Peter Wiley. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he was a student of Harvey Shapiro. In 2016, Mr. Arron joined the faculty at University of Massachusetts Amherst, after having served on the faculty of New York University from 2009 to 2016.
The Doric String Quartet
Maia Cabeza & Ying Xue – Violin, Emma Wernig – Viola, John Myerscough – Cello
The Doric String Quartet brings an elegance and intimacy both to the Classical canon and new music, with the depth and integrity of their interpretations winning them fans across the world. The group has performed cycles of Haydn, Mendelssohn, Britten and Bartók at famous international venues, including Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Vienna Konzerthaus and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. They now turn their attention to Beethoven, continuing a recording project for Chandos, with the first installment released in 2023 and being praised by The Times as ‘a joy’. The series will culminate in 2026–27 with the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death.
Their intellectual rigour has led them to use specially made original-style bows for performing Classical repertoire from Haydn to Mendelssohn. Yet, while they are known for their refined performances of this repertoire, they are also committed to new music, performing works by composers such as ThomasAdès,Andrea Tarrodi, Peter Maxwell Davies and Donnacha Dennehy. In 2019 they gave the world premiere of Brett Dean’s String Quartet no.3, commissioned for them by Musica Viva Australia, Carnegie Hall, Edinburgh Festival, Berlin Konzerthaus, Amsterdam String Quartet Biennale and West Cork Chamber Music Festival.
The Doric String Quartet’s curiosity and flexibility are represented by a discography of more than 20 recordings for Chandos, with whom they have recorded exclusively since 2010, ranging from Purcell to John Adams. They are regular visitors at Snape Maltings and London’s Wigmore Hall, where they were the first group to perform to a live audience after lockdown.They make an annual tour of the US and visit Japan every other year, with venues including Suntory Hall. They often perform repertoire for string quartet and orchestra, including Elgar’s Introduction andAllegro, and were invited to give the Austrian premiere of John Adams’Absolute Jest for String Quartet and Orchestra at the Vienna Konzerthaus, withAdams conducting. They also gave the Dutch premiere with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw under Markus Stenz, and have performed the piece with the BBC Scottish Symphony and BBC Symphony Orchestras. Their recording with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Peter Oundjian, released on Chandos in 2018, was named Recording of the Month in BBC Music Magazine and praised for its ‘sumptuous sweetness and laser-like clarity’.
As a group, they enjoy working with other musicians, such as Elisabeth Leonskaja, Alina Ibragimova, Liza Ferschtman and Alexander Melnikov. They recently toured the US alongside Benjamin Grosvenor, worked with Tabea Zimmerman and recorded Mendelssohn String Quintets with Timothy Ridout. This season they tour projects with Jonathan Biss and Cuarteto Quiroga.
Having themselves benefitted from coaching by groups such as the Hagen, Alban Berg, Artemis and LaSalle quartets, the group is keen to support young musicians and has been Teaching Quartet in Association at the Royal Academy of Music since 2015 and Artistic Directors of the Mendelssohn on Mull Festival since 2018.
Members of The Heath Quartet
Sara Wolstenholme - Violin, Gary Pomeroy – Viola, Christopher Murray - Cello
Established at the Royal Northern College of Music, in 2013 it became the first ensemble in fifteen years to win the prestigious RPS YoungArtistsAward. In 2016 they won the GRAMOPHONE Chamber Award for their recording of the complete Tippett quartets.
The Tippett album was followed by two discs, recorded for Harmonia Mundi/PIAS and partfunded by a BBT Special Ensemble Scholarship, featuring Tchaikovsky’s First and Third quartets (BBC Radio 3's Disc of the Week) and the complete Bartók quartets (2017 Limelight Chamber Music Award; nominated for 2018 GRAMOPHONE Chamber Award). Their most recent album for Signum Records brings together works by Berg, Webern, and Schoenberg, with soprano Carolyn Sampson.
Other accolades include first prize at the 2008 TROMPcompetition, and the 2012 Ensemble Prize at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where they are now regular visitors.
"The Heath Quartet’s prayerful concentration really paid off in a performance of unforced beauty and tremulous tension, dappled with sudden shadows and anguished nostalgia for happier times. Each player listened closely to each other; each fell in with Schubert’s feelings as a hand fits the perfect glove." (The Times)
Recent highlights include a two-season residency at Berlin’s Pierre Boulez Saal, their Barcelona debut in Palau de la Musica Catalana, a Beethoven series at Bath Festival, debuts at Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Saffron Hall, and Cheltenham Festival, as well as concerts at Handelsbeurs Ghent,Aldeburgh, and Norfolk & Norwich festivals.
The 2023/24 season included a tour of the USA, a live broadcast with Steven Osborne for the BBC Proms, and an appearance on BBC Radio 4's How to Play; a special programme exploring Schubert's Death and the Maiden. The quartet continued its long association with Wigmore Hall with a four-concert series, and gave the inaugural concert at the newly renovated Brighton Dome Corn Exchange. The quartet enjoyed collaborations with, amongst others, Tom Poster and the Elias String Quartet.
"The delicate perfection of the sound was a marvel.." (Daily Telegraph)
This season the quartet will collaborate with hornists Ben Goldscheider andAlec Frank-Gemmill, pianist Tim Horton and clarinettist/composer Jörg Widmann.
The Heath Quartet are staff members at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, and in 2025 became String Quartet in Residence at Middlesex University.
Tommy Mesa Cello
Cuban-AmericancellistDr.TommyMesahasestablishedhimselfasoneof the most charismatic, innovative, and engaging performers of his generation. The recipient of Lincoln Center’s 2025 Avery Fisher Career GrantandtheSphinxOrganization’s2023MedalofExcellence,itshighest honor, Mesa has appeared as soloist at the Supreme Court of the United States on four occasions and with major orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of Indianapolis, Madison,NewJersey,SanAntonio,andSantaBarbara,amongothers.Mesa gave the world premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s cello concerto Divided in 2022andhasbeentheexclusivesoloistsince,performingatmajorhallsacrosstheUnitedStatesandBrazil includingMiami’sNewWorldCenter,Nashville’sSchermerhornCenter,andCarnegieHall.Hisorchestral recording debut of the work was released in July 2023 on Deutsche Grammophon. Mesa also began servingonthecellofacultyoftheManhattanSchoolofMusicinFall2025.
Inaddition to serving asArtistin Residencewith theTucsonSymphonyOrchestrainthe2024-25season, orchestralhighlightslastseasonincludeddebutswiththeDelaware,Glacier,andRogueValleySymphony Orchestras as well as the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, a return to the Madison Symphony, and 32
aperformanceoftherarelyheardLucidDreamsbyCanadiancomposerJocelynMorlockwiththeWindsor Symphony. The previous season Mesa celebrated enthusiastic performances with the Calgary and Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestras and theAnnArbor, Columbus, Greenwich, Knoxville, Quad City, and ReadingSymphonyOrchestras,amongothers.
Mesa has an active season with recital performances on leading stages as well, including the launch of Mesa’stourwithpianistMichelleCann,CurtisInstitutefacultyandsoloist.MesaandCannwillperformat seriesincludingUniversityofVermont’sLaneSeries,ChamberMusicPittsburgh,LintonChamberMusic in Cincinnati, and The Schubert Club in St. Paul. Mesa also performs recitals with piano and organ this seasonatthePhillipsCollection,Bargemusic,andKeyWestImpromptuClassicalConcerts,amongothers. Past performance features include recitals at TheAcademy ofArts and Letters, Bay Chamber Concerts, California Center for theArts, Columbia University, Flagler Museum,The Heifetz Institute, International Beethoven Project, Kaufman Music Center, Meadowmount School of Music, University of Miami’s Signature Series, Newport Classical, Perlman Music Program Alumni Recital, Strad for Lunch Series, VirginiaArtsFestival,andmajoruniversitiesacrosstheUnitedStates.
Mesa recently celebrated several releases, including a recording of tango works for cello and bandoneon with performer-composer JP Jofre and an album of world-premiere recordings by Black and Latinx composers with pianist Michelle Cann which was featured in an exclusive showcase on NYC’s classical station WQXR. Upcoming albums include collaborations with the iconic pianist Olga Kern and the multipleGRAMMY-awardwinningvocalensemble,TheCrossingChoir.
Mesa’sfirstsoloalbum,DivisionofMemoryonthePARMARecordingslabel,receivedravereviewssuch asinPianoMania,“Do not hold your breath for Yo-Yo Ma to record this repertoire, for the just-as-excellent Mesa has the field entirely to himself.” Mesa was featured on the GRAMMY-nominated album, “Bonhoeffer,” with the multiple GRAMMY winning group, The Crossing Choir. He has appeared with themassoloistatTheMetropolitanMuseumofArtinNYC,LongwoodGardens,TheWinterGarden,and theTheological Seminary in NYC. Mesa andThe Crossing Choir also collaborated on the U.S. premiere of“Astralis”forchoirandsolocellobyrenownedcomposerWolfgangRihmandhavemorecollaborations andpremieresscheduledforfutureseasons.
As an ensemble musician, Mesa has been on tours with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and is the principal cellistofSphinxVirtuosiwhoplayeveryyearontouratalmosteverymajorvenueacrosstheUnitedStates. HealsocollaborateswithJupiterChamberPlayersandhastouredwithItzhakPerlmanbothnationallyand internationally.
Mesa has given masterclasses at institutions such as U.C Berkeley, Boston Conservatory, the Colburn School,DePaulUniversity,MeadowmountSchoolofMusic,UniversityofMiami,UniversityofNevadaLas Vegas, Northwestern University, and Walnut Hill School. Previously, he held faculty positions at SUNYPurchase, Sphinx PerformanceAcademy, The Heifetz Institute’s PEG Program, Music Mountain Festival and School, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Montecito International Music Festival, St. PetersburgInternationalMusicAcademy,andTheMozartAcademyatJohnJayCollegeinNewYorkCity.
Mesa’scareerlaunchedafterbecomingtheFirstPrizewinnerinthe2016SphinxCompetitionandawinner of the 2017AstralArtists NationalAuditions. He received his BM from The Juilliard School, MM from Northwestern University, and his DMAfrom the Manhattan School of Music. His principal teachers 33
were Timothy Eddy, Julia Lichten, Hans Jorgen Jensen, Mark Churchill, Ross Harbaugh, and Wells Cunningham. Mesa performs on a Nicolò Gagliano cello made in 1767 and a bow byAndre Richaume, bothgenerouslyloanedtohimbyCANIMEXINCinDrummondville,Canada.
Masumi Per Rostad Viola
Praised for his “burnished sound” (The New York Times) and described as an “electrifying, poetic, and sensitive musician,” the Grammy Award-winning, Japanese-Norwegian violist Masumi Rostad hails from the gritty East Village of New York City. He was raised in an artist loft converted from a garage with a 1957 Chevy Belair as the remnant centerpiece in his family’s living room. Masumi began his studies at the nearby Third Street Music School Settlement at age three and has gone on to become one of the most in demand soloists, chamber musicians, and teachers. In addition to maintaining an active performance schedule, he serves on the faculty of the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.
Recent performance highlights include concerto performances with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, and The Knights. Festival appearances include La Jolla SummerFest, Marlboro, Caramoor, Bowdoin, Aspen Music Festival, Beare’s Premiere Performances in Hong Kong, Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, Spoleto USA, Music@Menlo, and Music In the Vineyards. His guest violist collaborations include programs with the Miró, Ying, Pavel Haas, Verona, St. Lawrence, and Emerson String Quartets, as well as with the Horszowski Trio. He toured and recorded extensively as a former member of the International Sejong Soloists. Masumi can be heard on the Cedille, Naxos, Hyperion, Musical Observations, Bridge, and Tzadik record labels.
Masumi recently commissioned his childhood friend Jessie Montgomery to compose a Viola Concerto based on the experience they shared of growing up in NYC. The world premiere of L.E.S. Characters took place in October 2021 with Masumi as soloist with the Orlando Philharmonic. He has previously appeared as soloist with the Virginia Symphony, Juilliard Orchestra, New York Youth Symphony, and Sinfonia da Camera among others.
As a member of the Pacifica Quartet for almost two decades (2001-2017), Masumi regularly performed in the world’s greatest halls including Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Sydney’s City Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein, Munich’s Herkuleshaal, Paris’ Louvre and Cité de la Musique, and Berlin Konzerthaus among many others. During Masumi’s tenure with the Quartet, the ensemble was awarded the coveted Cleveland Quartet Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and it was named Musical America’s 2009 Ensemble of the Year.
Masumi is an ardent advocate for the arts, and often sought after as a contributing writer to such publications as the Huffington Post, Strings and Gramophone magazines as well as The Guardian. He also actively maintains a YouTube channel where he regularly publishes videos covering a variety of musical topics. He produces a video series called Sound
Post, released in conjunction with The Violin Channel, which are interviews with his friends and colleagues about their instruments.
Passionate about breaking down barriers that prevent people from enjoying Classical music, Masumi was the founder of DoCha, a chamber music festival in Champaign, Illinois that produced innovative events with a focus on engaging new audiences through fun and inventive programming. DoCha-hosted events featured unique collaborations between members of the University and multi-genre presentations from Classical chamber music to contemporary dance, the spoken word, and much more. All programs were free of charge and took place at a beautiful former community Opera House. Other activities of DoCha included performances for elementary school students as well as master classes, competitions and performance opportunities for local music students.
Masumi has served on the faculties of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, the University of Chicago, the Longy School of Music, the University of Toronto, and of Northwestern University. Appointed to the Viola Faculty of Eastman School of Music in 2017, he currently serves as co-chair of the University of Rochester Faculty Senate. He has given master classes at the Colburn School, Cleveland Institute of Music, Music@Menlo, the Aspen Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Interlochen and San Francisco Conservatory among many others.
He received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School where he studied with legendary violist and pedagogue Karen Tuttle from the age of 17 and became her teaching assistant just three years later at the age of 20. At Juilliard, he was awarded the Lillian Fuchs Award for the most outstanding graduating violist. He also won the Juilliard School Concerto Competition and performed the world premiere of Michael White’s Viola Concerto in Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, with conductor James DePreist. That same year, he gave the New York premiere of Paul Schoenfield’s Viola Concerto with the Juilliard Symphony to critical acclaim. In 2008 he was awarded the Rising Star Award by the Third Street Music School Settlement for his musical achievements.
Masumi is a D’Addario Artist and has used their strings since 1999. His Brothers Amati viola was crafted in Cremona, Italy in 1619.
Francisco Vila Cello
Vila is a soloist and chamber musician renowned for his sensitivity, penetrating sound, and technical mastery of his instrument. His performance career spans Asia, Europe, and the Americas, where he has captivated audiences with his artistry, depth, and unique sound.
Francisco’s collaborations highlight his versatility and dedication to musical excellence. He has performed alongside celebrated artists such as Gary Hoffman, Cho-Liang Lin, Maria João Pires, Nobuko 35
Imai, and members of the Juilliard String Quartet, among others. Making his orchestral debut at the age of 14, Vila has appeared as a soloist with renowned orchestras worldwide, including the Houston Symphony, the Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, the Liège Royal Philharmonic, the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, the Santander Festival Orchestra, all principal orchestras in his native Ecuador, among others.
His remarkable career includes a fellowship at the prestigious Ravinia Steans Music Institute and guest artist appearances at festivals such as the Beaumaris International Music Festival, the Santander Music Festival, the Stavelot Music Festival, and the iPalpiti Festival of International Laureates. He has graced celebrated stages including Carnegie Hall, Philadelphia's Kimmel Center, Disney Hall, Japan's Phoenix Hall, and the Mozarteum in Salzburg.
Vila’s artistic journey has been shaped by the mentorship of iconic musicians, including Gary Hoffman at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium, the legendary cellist Janos Starker at Indiana University, Andrew Mark, Sharon Robinson, and Menahem Pressler. In 2012, he became the winner of the second prize of the Sphinx Competition in Detroit, Michigan. To pay it forward, and because Vila views teaching as an important aspect in music-making, he founded the first International Music Festival of Esmeraldas (Ecuador) in 2015.
Vila also performed the premiere of the cello concerto "Espejos en la Arena" of the Mexican composerArturo Márquez, in the United States.
Through his expansive career and commitment to musical excellence, Francisco has solidified his position as one of the preeminent performers of his generation, captivating audiences across the world’s most illustrious stages. He performs on a cello made by Vincenzo Panormo in 1790 and the "ex-Janos Starker" Edward Tubbs bow.
VOCES8
Savannah Porter, Eleonora Poignant - Soprano - Katie Jeffries-Harris, Barnaby Smith - Alto - Euan Williamson, Blake Morgan - Tenor - Dominic Carver, Christopher Moore - Bass
The 2023 Grammy-nominated British vocal ensemble VOCES8 is the world’s top-streaming classical vocal group and proud to inspire people through musicand share the joy of singing. Touring globally, the group performs an extensiverepertory both in itsa cappellaconcerts and in collaborations withleading musicians, orchestras and conductors. Versatility and a celebration ofdiverse musical expression are central to the ensemble’s performance andeducation ethos which is shared both online and in person. They are the world’s top-streaming classical vocal group. VOCES8 is passionate about music education and is the flagship ensemble of the VOCES8 Foundation which actively promotes ‘Music Education For All’, reaching up to40,000 people annually.
VOCES8 has performed at many notable venues since its inception in 2005 including Wigmore Hall, Barbican Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Berlin Philharmonie, Cité de la Musique Paris, Vienna Konzerthaus, Tokyo Opera City, NCPA Beijing,Sydney Opera House, Mariinsky Theatre ConcertHall, Victoria Concert Hall Singapore, and Palacio de BellasArtes Mexico City amongstmany others. This season they perform over 120 concerts in 20 countries.
The pandemic provided the impetus for 2 continuing initiatives: theVOCES8 DigitalAcademy, an online choral programme and the LIVE From London digital festival which has broadcast over 150 concerts with over 250,000 tickets sold.
VOCES8 is a DeccaClassics artist, also releasing on the VOCES8 Records label. The recording of Christopher Tin’s “The Lost Birds” was nominated for a Grammy-Award in 2023. Their new album is “TWENTY”, a celebration of the group’s first two decades of performing. Recent releases are “Nightfall”; “AChoral Christmas”; “Home” conducted by EricWhitacre, featuring his extraordinary work “The Sacred Veil”; and “Seven Psalms” by Paul Simon.
VOCES8 is proud to be working with Taylor Scott Davis as Composer-in-Residence and Jim Clements as Arranger-in-Residence. They publish arrangements of its music, original compositions and educational material with the new digital VOCES8 Publishing house, as well as E.C. Schirmer with whom they curate the VOCES8 Foundation Choral Series, and with Edition Peters with whom they have published two anthologies and a series of single octavos.
Voces8 is represented by Scott Mello, Opus 3 Artists, LLC for exclusive North American booking in collaboration with Robin Tyson, Podium Music Ltd. as General Manager.
Ashuelot Concerts’ Mission was made possible thanks to the generosity of these wonderful supporters: (gifts & support received between July 1 2024 - June 30 2025)
2024-25
Foundation, Trusts & Individual Donors
$25,000-$49,999
Anne Havill
Fidelity Charitable
Anonymous
Mark Tassinari
$10,000-$24,999
Kim & Maria Temple
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
The Eppes-Jefferson Foundation, Inc.
Putnam Foundation
McKenzie Family Charitable Trust
The Kingsbury Fund
$5,000-$9,999
Jan & Rick Cohen
Linda Guinane
Bob & Gael Strong
Nyia Yannatos
C&S Wholesale Grocers
Frederick Smyth Institute of Music
John A. & Carol A. Hubbard
Charitable Foundation
The Memton Fund
Vanguard Charitable
$1,000-$4,999
Theodore Aldrich
Whitney Aldrich
Mark & Madeline Bodin
Christine & Robert Bogino
Pierre Bonneau
Kathryn Bowry
Mimi Bull
Larry Dachowski
Mascoma Bank
Caroline Edge
Sandra Furman
Jutta Greweldinger
David Haber
Eric & Dorothy Herr
Matthew & Maria Jobbins
Judy & Richard Kalich
Jean Keefe
Mary King
Tad & Linda Lacey
Steven & Jane Larmon
Fred & Jean Leventhal
Jacqueline Lyon
Frederick Macmillan
Katrina Maloney
Bill & Joanne McGee
Walter & Deborah Mess
Cynthia & James Newcombe
Anonymous
Ann de Nicola Trust
Augusta Petrone
Jean Prior
Savings Bank of Walpole
JC & Josephine Russell
John & Constance Schlegelmilch
Carol Spindler
Jane Stabler
Linda Stavely
Lee Stierhoff
Roger & Ann Sweet
Anthony & Barbara Tremblay
Suzanne Welch
Laurence White
Andrew Wilking
J. P. Morgan Charitable Giving
Fund
Renaissance Charitable
$500-$999
Carolyn Antrim
Nancy & David Belletete
Ken & Lynn Bergman
Kiwanis Club of Keene
Alison Brulé
Trish Campbell
Jane Crawford
David Patek
Caroline & Tom Ewing
David Fitch
Margaret Foxweldon
Helen Giacoma
Cecile Goff
Daniel Goldstein
Martin Greenman
Gordon Harper
Elm City Rotary
Susie Hunter
Elizabeth Jacques
Susan Johnson
Andrea Johnston & Scott Wilber
Douglas & Risa Keene
Joslin Kimball-Frank
Bonnie McCarthy
Pamela Olson
Robert & Tracy Shalit
Jane Shapiro
Andrew Shurman
Art & Lynn Simington
David Allen & Rebecca Smith-Allen
Ulia Sokol
Thomas Stearns
Augusta Stewart
Kristen Tyson
Rebecca Wilber
$251-$499
Charles Butterfield
Theresa & Robert Clarkson
Robert Cochran
Dhanna Foundation
Jessamyn Fiore
Carol jue
Claus Knappe
Christina LaBarre
Marcia Legru
Ted Parent
Jean Hoffman Prior
John Schuster
Peter Shea
Bridgette Sullivan
Kathryn & Jon Thatcher
Judy Vawter
Up to $250
DAFgiving360
Schwab Charitable
Lisa Anderson
Susanne & Thomas Bates
Kathy & Steve Bill
Judith Bischoff
Greg Blair
Melinda & Michael Blanchard
John Bonell
Maria Bradshaw
Megan Burke Kidder
Wendy Byrn
Georgia Cassimatis
Sara Ciborski
Kathleen L & William W Clark
Margaret & Douglas Connor
John Paul Crisman
Joyce Curll
Annette Dey
Susan Dinolfo
Susan & Seth Dmitrovsky
Patricia Dooley
Briana Drugg
Shirley Dunn
Gerald Eichner
Bob & Dita Englund
Deborah Ford
Christopher Freeman
Paul Friedman
Alice & Gilbert Fuld
Alice Funk
Aimee & Charles Gangel
Vern Garrett
Willard Goodwin
Brian & Jeannette Graf
Christine Greenspan
Carol Greenwald
Erika & Mitchell Greenwald
Sally Hansel
Bridget & Peter Hansel
Ann Haslam
Jill & Tom Hinkley
Dana & Kathryn Hodgkins
Karen Hoover
"A Friend" of Ashuelot Concerts
Susan Howard
Susan & David Howell
Mary Hubbard
Joachim & Lauren Hubele
Capt Joan Huber, USN Ret.
Paul Inderbitzen
Veronica & Zachary Ingbretsen
Allison Jablonko
Ruth & Carl Jacobs
Jon & Susan Joyce
John Kamphuis
Jason Kelley
Bob & Susan Kessler
Keene Young Professionals Network
Nancy Kovaleff
Stephanie Labanowski
Louise LaChance
Carol LaChance
Mary LaCroix
Gail Landy
Robert Lariviere
Tina Lingham
Christa Macbeth
Charlton & Diana MacVeagh
Theresa Majoy
Justin Manning
Krystyna & Dennis Marcom
Eileen Mariani
Susan Matthews
Sylvia McBeth
Lindsay McCarthy
Elizabeth McGuire
Mary McMahon
Julie Messervy & Steve Jonas
Susan Monnelly
Susan Murata
Timothy Murray
Margaret Murtha
Richard Nicoletti
Chris Owen
Julia Pakradooni
Judith Palmer
Daniel & Barbara Peacock
Cristine Piane
Jill Post
Peggy Pschirrer
Wendy Redlinger
Karen Reixach
Jerald Reneau
Rich Roth
Eileen Sarson
Ann Shedd & Mark Mees
John & Rebecca Snyder
Chip & Marcy Southgate
John & Lois Staugaitis
Homer Stavely
Cynthia & Joseph David Stinson
Craig Stockwell
Charles Street
Sue Sweeney
Mary Sweet
Elizabeth Sweet
Sandra Swinburne
Betsy Taylor & Lindsay Freese
Jane Taylor
Doug Trump
Lucy Gill Truslow
Peggy Ueda
Mary Westervelt
Jamie Wheeler
2024-25 Artist Circle
Frederick Macmillan
Jean Keefe
Josephine & JC Russell
Judy & Richard Kalich
Mary Ann Noyer
Steven & Jane Larmon
Susan & John H. McGinnis
Suzanne Welch
Ulia Sokol
2025-26 Corporate Advertisers
and Supporters
A Casa Piano
Acoustic Strings of New England
Allen Brothers Farms
Aloha
AMT Production Company
Autex Mazda of Keene
Belletetes
Brady Associates Financial Services
Cafe Loco
Covenant Living of Keene
Crisman
Douglas Toys
Dublin Christian Academy
Edward Jones - David Therrien
Fenton Family Dealerships
Fire Dog Breads
Florentine Films
Gerry Leo/ Masiello Peterborough area
Greater Monadnock Collaborative
Greenwald Real Estate
Hamshaws
Hannah Grimes Marketplace
Harrisville Designs
Indian King Framery
Jeanne Thieme
Johnson & Johnson
Kapiloff
Keene Sentinel (The)
Liberty Mutual
Mary Iselin Fine Arts
Monadnock Food Co-op
Monadnock Private Wealth
Monarca Health
Rivermead
Scott-Farrar
Shutter & Shade
St. Joseph's Schools
Stammel Stringed Instruments
State Farm Insurance
The Fairfield Inn & Suites
The Timken Company
Toadstool
Traditions Real Estate
Trinity Christian School
Viva Bach
Walpole Veterinary Hospital
The keys on our beautiful Concert Steinway were sponsored by these generous donors in 2021: Multiple Octave Sponsors (above $25,000)
Anonymous
Octave Sponsors ($10,000$24,499)
Hoffman Family Foundation
The Putnam Foundation
Half-Octave Sponsors ($5,000$9,999)
Jan & Rick Cohen
In honor of their Grandchildren: Emma, Neko, Isadora, Isaac, Juno and Benjamin Multiple Key Sponsors
($1,251-$4,999)
Mascoma Bank
Savings Bank of Walpole
Mark Tassinari
Key Sponsors ($1,250)
Suzanne Coble
In memory of: Stella P. Coble
Patricia & Richard Dugger
Tom & Caroline Ewing
Karen Friedman
Sandra Furman
Linda Guinane
Bridget & Peter Hansel
Eric & Dorothy Herr
Steven & Jane Larmon
Fred & Jean Leventhal
Jean Hoffman Prior
Savastano Family Foundation
Linda Singer
Jane & David Stabler
Linda Stavely
Wondrous Roots, Inc
Half-Key Sponsors ($625$1,249)
Larry Dachowski
Doug & Risa Keene
Carol & Henry Spindler
Contributing Sponsors (Up to $624)
Patricia I. Campbell
Robert Cochran
Glenn Galloway
Dan and Nancy Gillard
Kapiloff Insurance
Leslie & Robin Kenney
Joslin Kimball Frank
Richard MacNeil
Margaret and John McMahon
Karine Munk Finser
Susan Murata
Julia Pakradooni
Daniel & Barbara Peacock
Jean Rosenthal
John & Constance Schlegelmilch
Peter Shea
Patricia & Lawrence Smith
Debra Stevens
Betsy Taylor & Lindsay E. Freese
Hilary Thripp
Robert & Margaret Trebilcock
Anthony and Barbara Tremblay
Katherine Van Wely
Jamie Wheeler
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