The price of your ticket includes hors d’oeuvres and drinks from the open wine and beer bar at receptions before and after the concert and during intermission.
Arts Club of Washington
2017 I Street Northwest, Washington, DC, 20006
Friday, February 13, 2026
First Reception begins at 6:30pm Concert begins at 7:15pm
EVENT DETAILS
The terrors of World War II and the ensuing Cold War heavily influenced the life and work of Dmitry Shostakovich, whose timeless artistic contributions may have been what kept him tethered to this world during the height of the Communist regime. Robert Schumann’s undying romance with his wife Clara endowed his life with every possible aspect of meaning and significance, right up to its tragic ending.
Described as "carefully colored" and "sensitive" by The Washington Post, pianist Christopher Schmitt was also hailed as a “formidable talent” and “mature beyond his years” by The Santa Barbara News-Press, regarding his performance of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Having completed his doctorate at The Juilliard School in 2016, he has been sponsored for concerts by The Chopin Foundation of the United States, The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, and The Embassy Series. He performs at the festival Málaga Clasica in Spain, as well as in July of 2016 in his own concert series in Barcelona, Classics in Catalan. A collaborator with cellist Kian Soltani on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts in March 2019. Dr. Schmitt currently resides in Washington DC, and as pianist of “The President's Own" US Marine Chamber Orchestra, performs regularly in the White House and in concert halls across the Washington DC metropolitan area, leading a multifaceted career as chamber musician, pedagogue, and soloist. In 2024, he founded the Classical Arts Society of Washington, where he hopes to share the Beauty of classical music with the world through engaging public concerts, educational outreach initiatives, and the cultivation of a core community of classical music lovers.
