Sarah McAlinn 8/21/26 Sarah McAlinn 8/21/26

Rising Stars Returns Tuesday August 25

The sounds of summer can take on many forms: the hum of cicadas in the afternoon sun, the cheerful warbling of a songbird, the echo of distant music drifting through an open window. It’s the blissful feeling of having nowhere else to be — savoring the present moment, with an air of nostalgia for the past.

For violinist Anant Malpani, that feeling is woven into the music he’s selected for his Aug. 25 Rising Stars concert at the Asheville Art Museum, presented by Asheville Chamber Music Series. The Rising Stars concert series showcases promising young North Carolina musicians.

“I really wanted to create a program that evokes summertime, at least to me, in some way,” he said. “It’s such a beautiful venue, with such large panoramic views of downtown Asheville. I just wanted to bring that sense of the season inside.”

At 22, Malpani is himself in a kind of summer — between one stage of his life and the next. In 2025, he graduated from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with degrees in economics and music, serving as concertmaster of the UNC Symphony. Now, he is pursuing a master’s degree at the Royal College of Music in London.

He started playing violin at 5, but it was around age 9 that he discovered his passion for chamber music. “There’s just such a sensitivity in chamber music — of having to really deeply listen and anticipate what other people are going to do,” he said. “You have to be prepared to adapt to obstacles in a split second and trust in other musicians to do the same.”

For the Rising Stars concert, Malpani will be joined by pianist Christopher Tavernier. The two are performing together for the first time, bringing four works spanning more than a century of music to the museum’s galleries.

The program opens with Augusta Read Thomas’ “Caprice” for solo violin, a contemporary work written in 2005 that incorporates elements of jazz into its classical framework. Malpani said the piece’s openness gives him room to explore how those two musical worlds can meet.

“Interestingly, it was written as a wedding present for violinist Rachel Barton Pine and her husband, but it’s not, to me, what you’d expect from a wedding present. It seems to carry a lot of angst,” he explained. “Personally, I almost interpret that as looking back at the past — jumping up and down the fingerboard, trying to find your way — and the joy of letting it go.”

The program continues with Francis Poulenc’s “Sonata for Violin and Piano,” written during World War II and dedicated to Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, who was killed at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. Malpani sees the piece as a work of conflict and loss, but also one of remembrance and beauty.

“ There’s this balance of peace in between moments of conflict — these moments of war and tragedy that feel very heavy, next to passages that evoke, through everything, still enjoying time with the people you love. It evokes a strong sense of nostalgia, because I feel like he's reminiscing on what he enjoyed about being around those that he’s lost.”

William Grant Still’s “Summerland” follows, bringing another American voice into the program. An African American composer, Still incorporated elements of jazz into his work, creating an interesting contrast with Thomas’ contemporary use of the genre. For Malpani, including both Thomas and Still was also a deliberate way to highlight composers whose voices have historically been underrepresented in the classical canon.

The concert concludes with César Franck’s “Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano,” a beloved work of the violin repertoire — and one Malpani simply loves to play.

“It’s probably one of the most remarkable sonatas written for violin,” he said. “It just feels like a party. Every movement is a banger.”

In fact, he added, “the last movement feels, to me, like you're sitting by the river on a nice, not-too-warm summer day, enjoying a drink — the sun on your skin, the wind in your hair.”

That is, perhaps, the best gift of the summer season: The permission to linger and soak in the present moment. To notice the warmth of the sun, the movement of the water, the music coming from somewhere nearby. And to remember those moments of the past.

“I guess that’s what I’m hoping that people will walk away with,” Malpani said. A few hours to slow down and let summer memories surface.

IF YOU GO

What: Rising Stars Performance with Anant Malpani & Christopher Tavernier, presented by Asheville Chamber Music Series

When: Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 6 p.m.

Where: Asheville Art Museum, 2 N. Pack Square, downtown Asheville

Tickets: $18, Buy Now

Sarah McAlinn 7/16/26 Sarah McAlinn 7/16/26

Summer RADiance returns to The Grey Eagle

Mozart, Bach and the innovative works of contemporary composers return to The Grey Eagle this month for another laid-back summer evening of chamber music.

Forgoing the traditional, grandiose venues for a locale that matches the local lifestyle, Summer RADiance invites concertgoers to grab tacos, order a drink and settle in for an eclectic program that spans more than three centuries of music, featuring performances by the internationally acclaimed Jasper String Quartet and Asheville’s own Opal String Quartet.

Presented by Asheville Chamber Music Series and Chamber Music Society of the Carolinas, the annual event, held on Wednesday, July 22, brings together the two quartets for a relaxed performance designed to welcome longtime classical music lovers and first-time listeners alike.

"We're really trying to create shared experiences where the audience is close and attention is really rapt, and artists and listeners are sharing the same space," said J Freivogel, violinist of the internationally acclaimed Jasper String Quartet and co-artistic director of Chamber Music Society of the Carolinas. "The Grey Eagle is a really wonderful place to do that."

Unlike a traditional concert hall, he said, the River Arts District venue creates a more approachable atmosphere without sacrificing the artistry. The evening opens with separate performances by Opal and Jasper before the two ensembles unite for a collaborative finale.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this season, the Jasper String Quartet will perform a trio of contemporary works, including Caroline Shaw's “Entr'acte” and two anniversary commissions written especially for the ensemble by Michelle Barzel Ross and Reinaldo Moya.

"We're very passionate about championing works written by composers today, keeping the art form alive and well and vigorous," Freivogel said. "We're always looking to find windows into newer repertoire.”

Shaw's “Entr'acte,” he noted, is particularly well suited to The Grey Eagle's intimate setting, incorporating theatrical moments that are best appreciated from just a few feet away. Ross’s piece, “Little Bells,” is short and sweet, “but it takes you through this wonderful emotional journey. It's just very evocative writing,” he continued. “Then, Reinaldo Moya’s piece, ‘Yara,’ is based on the folklore behind the origin story of Venezuela — with this vivid imagery of its topography and its rivers. It’s just a beautiful and interesting piece from an amazing living composer and friend."

Meanwhile, Asheville's Opal String Quartet will offer a program that ranges from Beethoven and Bartók to “Cendra Wasih” by contemporary Balinese composer I Nyoman Windha, reflecting the ensemble's longstanding commitment to pairing beloved repertoire with music audiences may be hearing for the first time.

The evening concludes with the two quartets joining forces for Mozart's beloved “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,” a pair of cello duets featuring Rachel Henderson Freivogel and Franklin Keel, and Bach's jubilant “Brandenburg Concerto No. 3,” joined by guest musicians Edith Gettes and Jason Thomas.

The evening’s contrast between centuries-old masterworks and brand-new commissions isn't accidental.

"All music at one point was new music," Freivogel said. "’Brandenburg’ and ‘Eine Kleine’ have stood the test of time, and we're delighted to bring them to life. We're just as excited to present these newer pieces because we have deep belief that they have the same staying power."

And for anyone who's never attended a chamber music concert, Freivogel hopes Summer RADiance serves as an invitation rather than an introduction.

"It's a completely welcoming environment," he said. "You're going to be thrilled by amazing music, new and old, and it's going to be done in a comfortable environment where you can be sitting around with friends, learning the stories behind the music, chatting in between the sets and enjoying some food and drink.”

Whether listeners arrive as devoted chamber music fans or are simply curious about what’s playing at The Grey Eagle, he hopes they'll leave eager to continue the journey.

“I would love for people to come on this journey through chamber music with us,” Freivogel continued. “It’s going to be a wonderful evening with so much variety, from the pieces that even experienced listeners have never heard before — the pieces that were written for us — to the music they know and love.”

IF YOU GO

What: Summer RADiance, presented by Asheville Chamber Music Series and Chamber Music Society of the Carolinas

Who: Jasper String Quartet and Opal String Quartet

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 22

Where: The Grey Eagle Music Hall, 185 Clingman Ave., Asheville

Tickets/Info: ashevillechambermusic.org; $40 at thegreyeagle.com

Buy Tickets

Sarah McAlinn 5/6/26 Sarah McAlinn 5/6/26

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