Stamford Friends of Music

05/08/2026

Our May Concert seems early as the 1st was on a Sunday.

Hermitage Piano Trio

Sunday
May 3
Stamford Presbyterian Church

04/10/2026

Another great season of music in Stamford…starting in fewer than 10 days!!!
See you soon.

12/07/2025

What a way to end the season. Thank you to Pegasus Trio. Can’t wait till you return next year.

12/06/2025

Pegasus: The Orchestra
Folk Inspirations
Sunday, December 7, 3PM

Our last concert of the season is coming up on Sunday, December 7!
Pegasus: The Orchestra returns to Stamford in a trio configuration, featuring
Ariel Horowitz, violin
Yasmina Spiegelberg, clarinet
Karén Hakobyan, piano
Listeners will be swept from the intricate Spanish folk melodies of de Falla to the raw and energetic Romanian melodies of Bartók; from the joyful Armenian folk melodies of Khachaturian to Lutoslawski’s bold and modern approach to folk music. The program (below) also features works by Schoenfield, Poulenc, and Horowitz.

This concert is free to the community, thanks to the generosity of the Robinson-Broadhurst Foundation and individual donors.

Violinist, composer/songwriter, and community organizer Ariel Horowitz joined the 2020 Concert Artists Guild roster for North American management and enjoys an active touring schedule as a soloist and as one-half of the Vision Duo ensemble. As a composer, songwriter, and avid improviser, Ariel's original music centers on themes of healing, community, and liberation. She has performed her compositions and songs around the world, including at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.

Swiss-French clarinetist Yasmina Spiegelberg is the laureate of several international and national competitions. Based in NYC, Yasmina is an alumna of Ensemble Connect, the resident ensemble of Carnegie Hall, and has appeared in renowned concert halls around the world, performed as a guest soloist with numerous orchestras, and been broadcast live as a soloist on KUSC (California) and KING-FM (Washington).

Armenian-American conductor, pianist, and composer Karén Hakobyan is a versatile force on the international music scene. Since making his Carnegie Hall debut at age seventeen, he has performed in major concert halls around the world. Karén is the Founder, Principal Conductor, and Artistic Director of Pegasus: The Orchestra, and a top prizewinner in multiple international piano and composition competitions.

Our 2025 concerts are generously hosted by the First Presbyterian Church, 96 Main Street, Stamford, NY. No need to make advance reservations.

11/12/2025

CONCERT
Sunday, November 16, 2025 at 3pm First Presbyterian Church, 96 Main Street, Stamford, NY

Suggested donation: $15 adults, $10 students and seniors, free for ages 13 and under No reservations required.

American double bassist Nina Bernat, acclaimed for her interpretive maturity, expressive depth and technical clarity, has carved out a distinctive career as a soloist, redefining the role of her instrument on the world stage. She was hailed by the Star Tribune as a “standout” for her recent concerto debut with the Minnesota Orchestra, praising her performance as “exhilarating, lovely and lyrical… technically precise and impressively emotive.”

In 2023, Nina was honored as a recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant and winner of the CAG Elmaleh Competition. Recent 1st prizes include the Barbash J.S. Bach String Competition, the Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist Competition, the Juilliard Double Bass Competition, and the 2019 International Society of Bassists Solo Competition.

Engaged in all aspects of double bass performance, she has been invited to perform as guest principal bassist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Oslo Philharmonic, serving under the batons of conductors such as András Schiff and Osmo Vänskä.

Nina is in demand as a passionate chamber musician. She begins her involvement with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center as a member of the Bowers Program in 2024. She has spent summers at Marlboro Music Festival, Verbier Festival, Music@Menlo and Chamber Music Northwest.

She is quickly becoming a sought-after pedagogue, having given masterclasses at the Colburn School, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, University of Texas at Austin among others. She is on the faculty of Stony Brook University.

Nina performs on an instrument passed down from her father, Mark Bernat, attributed to Guadagnini.

Hailed for his “unwavering energy and precision” (La Scena Musicale), American pianist Anthony Ratinov captivates audiences worldwide, commanding the stage with “class, style, technical mastery, and solo prowess” (Beckmesser).

Ratinov is the recent winner of the 3rd Prize at the prestigious 2024 Concours Musical International de Montréal, where he was praised for his “striking confidence in taking risks” and for his ability to “go beyond the virtuoso challenge and have fun with the music” (Le Devoir). Ratinov also won the 2nd Prize at the 2025 National U.S. Chopin Competition, and in 2023 won the 2nd Prize at the Busoni International Piano Competition with his performance of Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto, lauded for “sporting a pianism at the highest level… with admirable dexterity and stainless precision” (L’Ape Musicale).

Anthony has appeared as a soloist with orchestras across Europe and North America, including a recent sold-out performance of Chopin’s F minor Piano Concerto at Barcelona’s iconic Palau de la Música Catalana. His solo concert tours have spanned the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, and the United States, with appearances at renowned venues such as Amsterdam’s The Royal Concertgebouw, Vienna’s ORF RadioKulturhaus, and Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center.

10/18/2025

This Sunday @ 3 pm

Sunday, October 19, 3pm
Stamford Presbyterian Church

Asiya Korepanova, piano & Balourdet Quartet

09/25/2025

Sunday Concert.

Here’s what WSKG has to say about it…

Sunday, September 21 at 3 PM, Friends of Music of Stamford, NY presents violinist Francesca Anderegg and pianist Joy Cline Phinney, playing works by Mozart, Debussy, Moya, de Falla, & Still. Francesca Anderegg has a national and international reputation as a skilled soloist, orchestral musician,...

09/23/2025

Listen to a previous performance by this Sunday’s artist: Francesca Anderegg.

Then see you on Sunday!

00:21 La Captive03:30 Berceuse06:17 MazurkaFrancesca Anderegg, violinNicola Melville, pianoRecorded December 2, 2020 • St. John's Lutheran Church - Northfiel...

09/21/2025

Sunday 9.21.25
3 PM
Friends of Music of Stamford
@ Stamford Presbyterian Church

08/23/2025

Upcoming concert from a neighboring Roxbury Arts Group!

08/19/2025

Does the world still need classical music? What about orchestras? In this gorgeous talk and performance, violinist Joshua Bell and the Chamber Orchestra of America play selections of classical music masterpieces — from Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 to Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony and more — sha...