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Chopin’s Chérie: Blossoming of Polish Pianistic Sentiments

  • Arts Club of Washington 2017 I Street Northwest Washington, DC, 20006 United States (map)
Chopin’s Chérie: Blossoming of Polish Pianistic Sentiments
$55.00

Chopin’s Chérie: Blossoming of Polish Pianistic Sentiments

Arts Club of Washington

2017 I Street Northwest,
Washington, DC, 20006

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Reception begins at 6:30pm
Concert begins at 7:15pm

EVENT DETAILS

Born of a French father and Polish mother, the music of Frédéric Chopin represents a beautiful symbiosis of both cultures, synthesizing French texture, form and harmony with Polish dance and rhythmic flair. Chopin’s amorous, decade-long relationship with novelist Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, who wrote under the pen name George Sand, was a primary influence in his life and art. Chopin’s solo piano music formed a bond between the two lovers that, once severed, seemed to precipitate the composer’s demise: after all, Chopin’s cello sonata, the last work of his published during his lifetime, was composed near the end of the tumultuous relationship. Cellist Joseph Gotoff and pianist Christopher Schmitt will perform this work, alongside an anthology of Chopin’s solo piano pieces, befitting the salon style concerts the composer was so fond of. 

PLEASE NOTE

The price of your ticket includes hors d’oeuvres and drinks from the open wine and beer bar.

PROGRAM TO INCLUDE:

Chopin- Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor, Op. 65

Chopin - various piano solo works

FEATURED ARTISTS
Featured
Joseph Gotoff, Cello
Joseph Gotoff, Cello

Cellist Joseph Gotoff is recognized as a thoughtful and passionate performer, scholar, and teacher. Dr. Gotoff works closely with a number of composers working today, with premiers including Lowell Liebermann’s Piano Trio (2013) and Binna Kim’s Shibboleth for solo cello (2016). Dr. Gotoff appears frequently as a soloist and chamber musician in concert across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Recent performance highlights include a 19-city concert tour of China with the award-winning Petrucci String Quartet, of which he is a founding member, and a performance of Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the Thames Valley Youth Orchestra. He gives frequent solo and chamber recitals throughout New England, and recent concerto appearances include performances of the Beethoven Triple Concerto and Monn Cello Concerto with the New England Conservatory Chamber Players, as well as Lalo’s Cello Concerto with the Williamsport Symphony. Dr. Gotoff serves on the faculty of the Levine School of Music and Towson University. He holds a Doctorate from New England Conservatory.

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Christopher Schmitt, Piano
Christopher Schmitt, Piano

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.

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