Music Program
Piano Trio in E-flat major, D.929 by F. Schubert
⦁ Allegro
⦁ Andante con moto
⦁ Scherzando. Allegro moderato
⦁ Allegro moderato
⦁ Allegro
⦁ Andante con moto
⦁ Scherzando. Allegro moderato
⦁ Allegro moderato
Music Program
Lieder by Franz Schubert for voice and piano
Soul by Tina Bouey for string quartet
Piano Quintet in A major, D.667 by F. Schubert
⦁ Allegro vivace
⦁ Andante
⦁ Scherzo. Presto — Trio
⦁ Tema con variazioni. Andantino + 6 variations
⦁ Finale. Allegro giusto
The musicians
Claire Bourg, violinist
Renowned violinist Claire Bourg has captivated audiences across the United States and Europe with her performances as both a soloist and chamber musician. She has appeared in many prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, the Kimmel Center, Bremen’s Kleiner Saal, Pritzker Pavilion, Jordan Hall, and the Fryderyk Chopin University Hall in Warsaw. In 2021, she performed Mozart’s First Violin Concerto as a soloist with the Camerata Bern in Hannover.
Claire is a distinguished laureate of several competitions, receiving the prestigious 2021 Luminarts Fellowship, second prize at the 2020 Barbash J.S. Bach Competition, and winning the New England Conservatory Competition. She has been recognized at numerous international competitions such as the Joachim International Competition, Kreisler International Competition, Singapore International Competition, and was selected among 24 violinists for the Concours musical International de Montréal. In 2024, she performed at Brussels’ Studio 4 in Flagey as part of the esteemed Queen Elisabeth Competition.
A sought-after chamber musician, Claire has collaborated with preeminent artists such as Mitsuko Uchida, Kim Kashkashian, Jörg Widmann, Ida Kavafian, and Frans Helmerson. She is a regular performer with Musicians from Marlboro, Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Music for Food, Chameleon Arts Ensemble, and Curtis on Tour, and previously served as concertmaster of Symphony in C in Philadelphia.
Claire was a resident artist at the Marlboro Music Festival for three years and participated in the Evnin Rising Stars program at Caramoor during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. She has also appeared at Festival Mozaic, Yellow Barn, Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, Taos Chamber Music Festival, IMS—Prussia Cove, and Gstaadt Menuhin Festival Academy. Claire is dedicated to exploring contemporary works, having collaborated closely with composers Augusta Read Thomas, Jörg Widmann, David Ludwig, Steven Mackey, and Bright Sheng.
Ms. Bourg holds degrees from New England Conservatory, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the Juilliard School, where she received a Kovner Fellowship. Her primary mentors have included Miriam Fried, Pamela Frank, Arnold Steinhardt, and Joseph Lin. Currently, Claire resides in New York City where she is pursuing her Doctorate at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center under the guidance of Mark Steinberg.
Claire performs on a violin by Zosimo Bergonzi of Cremona, circa 1770, generously on loan through Guarneri Hall NFP and Darnton & Hersh Fine Violins, Chicago.
Claire is a distinguished laureate of several competitions, receiving the prestigious 2021 Luminarts Fellowship, second prize at the 2020 Barbash J.S. Bach Competition, and winning the New England Conservatory Competition. She has been recognized at numerous international competitions such as the Joachim International Competition, Kreisler International Competition, Singapore International Competition, and was selected among 24 violinists for the Concours musical International de Montréal. In 2024, she performed at Brussels’ Studio 4 in Flagey as part of the esteemed Queen Elisabeth Competition.
A sought-after chamber musician, Claire has collaborated with preeminent artists such as Mitsuko Uchida, Kim Kashkashian, Jörg Widmann, Ida Kavafian, and Frans Helmerson. She is a regular performer with Musicians from Marlboro, Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Music for Food, Chameleon Arts Ensemble, and Curtis on Tour, and previously served as concertmaster of Symphony in C in Philadelphia.
Claire was a resident artist at the Marlboro Music Festival for three years and participated in the Evnin Rising Stars program at Caramoor during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. She has also appeared at Festival Mozaic, Yellow Barn, Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, Taos Chamber Music Festival, IMS—Prussia Cove, and Gstaadt Menuhin Festival Academy. Claire is dedicated to exploring contemporary works, having collaborated closely with composers Augusta Read Thomas, Jörg Widmann, David Ludwig, Steven Mackey, and Bright Sheng.
Ms. Bourg holds degrees from New England Conservatory, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the Juilliard School, where she received a Kovner Fellowship. Her primary mentors have included Miriam Fried, Pamela Frank, Arnold Steinhardt, and Joseph Lin. Currently, Claire resides in New York City where she is pursuing her Doctorate at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center under the guidance of Mark Steinberg.
Claire performs on a violin by Zosimo Bergonzi of Cremona, circa 1770, generously on loan through Guarneri Hall NFP and Darnton & Hersh Fine Violins, Chicago.
Joshua Halpern, cellist
Joshua Halpern has appeared on stages around the world as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral principal cellist. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with artists including Jonathan Biss, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Roberto Díaz, Viviane Hagner, Gary Hoffman, Kim Kashkashian, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Anthony McGill, Olli Mustonen, and Itzhak Perlman, and appeared at music festivals including the Ravinia Steans Institute, Music@Menlo, the Perlman Chamber Music Workshop, the New York String Orchestra Seminar, the Taos School of Music, La Jolla Summerfest, Musikiwest, and Krzyzowa-Music, with whom he has also toured extensively. An eager advocate of contemporary music, he has worked personally with composers such as Richard Danielpour, Scott Ordway, Kevin Puts, Dai Wei, Nick DiBerardino, and Kaija Saariaho. During the 2019 season he served as guest principal cello of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, including on tours to Germany, Taiwan, and China, and in 2020 served as cellist with the Banff Competition-winning Rolston Quartet. In 2023, he appeared numerous times as guest principal cello with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, as well as guest with the Varian Fry Quartet; the 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic; and in Greece, Spain, and Germany with Curtis On Tour.
Josh completed his Artist Diploma at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he performed throughout the United States, Europe and Latin America with Curtis On Tour, and served as principal cello of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra during the 2016/17 season. At Curtis he studied with Carter Brey and Peter Wiley. As an undergraduate at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, he studied with Desmond Hoebig and won the school's concerto competition. From 2021 until 2023, he was a member of the Karajan Akademie of the Berliner Philharmoniker, in which he played as a member of the Berliner Philharmoniker and was mentored by Ludwig Quandt.
In 2018, Josh curated a solo tour across Colorado to bring classical music to unexpected places, including the state penitentiary, small-town saloons, bicycle shops, and more. Since then, he has continued bringing music to unique spaces, fostering connection and conversation with all types of people along the way. In 2021, he founded the Cultural Caravan, a Colorado-based organization operating at the intersection of small businesses, social-service nonprofits, municipal organizations, and local artists. The Cultural Caravan has since presented over 80 artists with backgrounds ranging from Zimbabwean Afropop to Venezuelan jazz to Classical Music in concerts in coordination with over 60 local businesses and community organizations, reinvesting over $500,000 into the community to date.
As a teacher, Josh has presented master classes throughout the United States and South America and has taught at Curtis Summerfest, the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and on faculty at the Brooklyn School of Music. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Josh's Cello
Josh performs on a cello made by Domenico Busan, likely in the 1750s. This cello was the primary instrument of Josh's teacher while at Rice University, Desmond Hoebig—former principal cellist of the Cincinnati, Houston, and Cleveland Orchestras. This cello is provided to Josh on a generous long-term loan from a member of the Stretton Society.
Josh plays on a modern bow by a Swiss maker named Pierre-Yves Fuchs.
Josh completed his Artist Diploma at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he performed throughout the United States, Europe and Latin America with Curtis On Tour, and served as principal cello of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra during the 2016/17 season. At Curtis he studied with Carter Brey and Peter Wiley. As an undergraduate at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, he studied with Desmond Hoebig and won the school's concerto competition. From 2021 until 2023, he was a member of the Karajan Akademie of the Berliner Philharmoniker, in which he played as a member of the Berliner Philharmoniker and was mentored by Ludwig Quandt.
In 2018, Josh curated a solo tour across Colorado to bring classical music to unexpected places, including the state penitentiary, small-town saloons, bicycle shops, and more. Since then, he has continued bringing music to unique spaces, fostering connection and conversation with all types of people along the way. In 2021, he founded the Cultural Caravan, a Colorado-based organization operating at the intersection of small businesses, social-service nonprofits, municipal organizations, and local artists. The Cultural Caravan has since presented over 80 artists with backgrounds ranging from Zimbabwean Afropop to Venezuelan jazz to Classical Music in concerts in coordination with over 60 local businesses and community organizations, reinvesting over $500,000 into the community to date.
As a teacher, Josh has presented master classes throughout the United States and South America and has taught at Curtis Summerfest, the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and on faculty at the Brooklyn School of Music. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Josh's Cello
Josh performs on a cello made by Domenico Busan, likely in the 1750s. This cello was the primary instrument of Josh's teacher while at Rice University, Desmond Hoebig—former principal cellist of the Cincinnati, Houston, and Cleveland Orchestras. This cello is provided to Josh on a generous long-term loan from a member of the Stretton Society.
Josh plays on a modern bow by a Swiss maker named Pierre-Yves Fuchs.
Paolo Bartolani
"pianist, Founder and Artistic Director of Rites of Spring Music Festival"
"pianist, Founder and Artistic Director of Rites of Spring Music Festival"
Paolo Bartolani is a pianist, musicologist and music manager, working in both classical and contemporary music. He graduated in 1989 from the Santa Cecilia Music Conservatory in Rome (Italy). He studied with Eduardo Hubert, and after graduation, with Charles Rosen, György Sándor and Andor Foldes. He also studied French piano repertoire with Germaine Mounier at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris. In 1994, he received his Master in Musicology of the 20th century degree under the direction of Hugues Dufourt at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales in collaboration with IRCAM / Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Paolo performs as a soloist and as a member of chamber ensembles in Europe and United States. In 2024, Paolo earned an MBA in Arts Innovation from the Global Leaders Institute based in Washington DC, after a year of great achievements and building a global network of professionals in the arts.
He writes articles for the musicology journals Sonus-Materials for Contemporary Music and Music/Reality. In 2006, he created a Master Degree Program in Cultural Enterprise Administration at the University of Perugia, where he also teaches.
At the Venice Biennale, from 2008 to 2012, Paolo was the General Coordinator of ENPARTS - European Network of Performing Arts, which promotes the creation of new works in dance, music and theater by young artists. From 2009 to 2014 he was the Director of the Résonnance Italy, a nonprofit organization based in Switzerland, where he was responsible for its artistic and humanitarian program, "bringing music to places where it is not heard." The members of the organization – singers, instrumentalists, conductors – have performed more than two hundred concerts in hospitals, nursing homes and prisons in order to promote musical sensibilities and share the joy of music.
He has been the General Coordinator of Music Up Close Network at Santa Cecilia National Academy in Rome. The Network includes seven European orchestras who promote new orchestral works and support a new generation of musicians to connect with young audiences.
In 2024, he received his DMA in Arts Innovation degree from Global Leaders Institute.
He founded the Rites of Spring Music Fest in 2016 to promote classical and contemporary music on the North Fork of Long Island, and to combine music, history and the natural environment. The festival currently is a non-profit organization 501c3 and he is the Artistic Director and Responsible for developing the festival’s program.
He writes articles for the musicology journals Sonus-Materials for Contemporary Music and Music/Reality. In 2006, he created a Master Degree Program in Cultural Enterprise Administration at the University of Perugia, where he also teaches.
At the Venice Biennale, from 2008 to 2012, Paolo was the General Coordinator of ENPARTS - European Network of Performing Arts, which promotes the creation of new works in dance, music and theater by young artists. From 2009 to 2014 he was the Director of the Résonnance Italy, a nonprofit organization based in Switzerland, where he was responsible for its artistic and humanitarian program, "bringing music to places where it is not heard." The members of the organization – singers, instrumentalists, conductors – have performed more than two hundred concerts in hospitals, nursing homes and prisons in order to promote musical sensibilities and share the joy of music.
He has been the General Coordinator of Music Up Close Network at Santa Cecilia National Academy in Rome. The Network includes seven European orchestras who promote new orchestral works and support a new generation of musicians to connect with young audiences.
In 2024, he received his DMA in Arts Innovation degree from Global Leaders Institute.
He founded the Rites of Spring Music Fest in 2016 to promote classical and contemporary music on the North Fork of Long Island, and to combine music, history and the natural environment. The festival currently is a non-profit organization 501c3 and he is the Artistic Director and Responsible for developing the festival’s program.
Ulysses Quartet
The Ulysses Quartet has been praised for their “textural versatility,” “grave beauty” and “the kind of chemistry many quartets long for, but rarely achieve” (The Strad), as well as their “avid enthusiasm ... [with] chops to back up their passion” (San Diego Story), “delivered with a blend of exuberance and polished artistry” (The Buffalo News). The quartet “promise to bring as much sophistication, imagination and vitality to Beethoven’s other quartets as they will to music by a panoply of composers from long ago and today” (Gramophone).
Founded in the summer of 2015, the group won the grand prize and gold medal in the senior string division of the 2016 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and first prize in the 2018 Schoenfeld International String Competition. In 2017, the quartet finished first in the American Prize and won second prize at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. They were winners of the Vietnam International Music Competition in 2019. Ulysses garnered a career development grant in the 2016 Banff International String Quartet Competition.
The quartet’s members hail from Canada, the United States and Taiwan. They have performed in such prestigious halls as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Harbin Grand Theatre, Jordan Hall, and the Taiwan National Recital Hall. Performance highlights have included their debut at Alice Tully Hall along with appearances at the Chautauqua Institution (NY), Sociedad Filarmónica de Bilbao (Spain), Ciclo de Cámara y Solistas in Salamanca, the Picasso Museum in Málaga, Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo in Bogotá, Highlands Cashiers Festival (NC), Music Mountain (CT) with pianist Tanya Bannister, Chelsea Music Festival and PS21 (NY), National Gallery of Art (DC), Jasper Arts Center (IN), and San Juan Chamber Music Festival (CO). Their past season featured their Mexico City debut at UNAM, along with performances for Sociedad Filarmónica de Lima, Gretna Music, Yale School of Music with guitarist Ben Verdery, Kansas City Friends of Chamber Music, Fundación Juan March (Madrid), Sociedad Filarmonica de Vigo, Basel Kammermusik, and Chamber Music Society of Utica (NY). Other notable engagements have included the Buffalo Chamber Music Society, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Premiere Performances Hong Kong, National Arts Centre (Ottawa), and Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall (Istanbul).
From 2023 to 2025, the Ulysses Quartet was GBH Music’s first-ever quartet in residence, a season-long partnership made possible by a generous contribution from the Mattina R. Proctor Foundation. Visiting residencies in recent seasons have included Louisiana State University, Ithaca College, Syracuse University, and Bucknell University. At Juilliard from 2019 to 2022, they were the Lisa Arnhold Fellows, serving as the school’s Graduate Resident String Quartet for three years, and recipients of a Benzaquen Career Advancement Grant. From 2016 to 2019, Ulysses was in residence at the Louis Moreau Institute in New Orleans, working with composer Morris Rosenzweig.
Ulysses recently released their debut album, “Shades of Romani Folklore,” on the Navona label. The quartet also has two new collaborative albums out: “Sea Change Quartets” by Grammy-nominated composer Joseph Summer, and “A Giant Beside You” with guitarist Benjamin Verdery. They also appear on Clovis Nicolas’s album “The Contrapuntist.”
The Ulysses Quartet believes intensely in the power of music to inspire, enlighten and bring people together. This is the guiding principle of the Ulysses Quartet Foundation, dedicated to the performance and promotion of classical music of the past and present day to benefit the broadest possible audience of music lovers and potential music lovers by expanding their understanding and appreciation of the musical arts. Ulysses aims to use this platform to raise the voices of underrepresented BIPOC and female composers. The quartet also offers interactive programs and workshops for all ages that serve to demystify the traditional repertoire while introducing audiences to diverse programming. Their programs enable participants to learn about the inner workings of a string quartet and to explore the connections between classical music and our world today. The group’s name pays homage to Homer’s hero Odysseus and his arduous homeward voyage, signifying the constant pursuit of artistic and personal ideals.
The members of Ulysses hold degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, the Juilliard School, and University of North Texas. The musicians perform on instruments and bow graciously on loan from the Maestro Foundation and private donors. Ulysses is grateful for the support of Shar Music and Connolly Music as YSOA ambassadors.
Keep up with Ulysses Quartet on their website www.ulyssesquartet.com, as well as their social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Founded in the summer of 2015, the group won the grand prize and gold medal in the senior string division of the 2016 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and first prize in the 2018 Schoenfeld International String Competition. In 2017, the quartet finished first in the American Prize and won second prize at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. They were winners of the Vietnam International Music Competition in 2019. Ulysses garnered a career development grant in the 2016 Banff International String Quartet Competition.
The quartet’s members hail from Canada, the United States and Taiwan. They have performed in such prestigious halls as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Harbin Grand Theatre, Jordan Hall, and the Taiwan National Recital Hall. Performance highlights have included their debut at Alice Tully Hall along with appearances at the Chautauqua Institution (NY), Sociedad Filarmónica de Bilbao (Spain), Ciclo de Cámara y Solistas in Salamanca, the Picasso Museum in Málaga, Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo in Bogotá, Highlands Cashiers Festival (NC), Music Mountain (CT) with pianist Tanya Bannister, Chelsea Music Festival and PS21 (NY), National Gallery of Art (DC), Jasper Arts Center (IN), and San Juan Chamber Music Festival (CO). Their past season featured their Mexico City debut at UNAM, along with performances for Sociedad Filarmónica de Lima, Gretna Music, Yale School of Music with guitarist Ben Verdery, Kansas City Friends of Chamber Music, Fundación Juan March (Madrid), Sociedad Filarmonica de Vigo, Basel Kammermusik, and Chamber Music Society of Utica (NY). Other notable engagements have included the Buffalo Chamber Music Society, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Premiere Performances Hong Kong, National Arts Centre (Ottawa), and Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall (Istanbul).
From 2023 to 2025, the Ulysses Quartet was GBH Music’s first-ever quartet in residence, a season-long partnership made possible by a generous contribution from the Mattina R. Proctor Foundation. Visiting residencies in recent seasons have included Louisiana State University, Ithaca College, Syracuse University, and Bucknell University. At Juilliard from 2019 to 2022, they were the Lisa Arnhold Fellows, serving as the school’s Graduate Resident String Quartet for three years, and recipients of a Benzaquen Career Advancement Grant. From 2016 to 2019, Ulysses was in residence at the Louis Moreau Institute in New Orleans, working with composer Morris Rosenzweig.
Ulysses recently released their debut album, “Shades of Romani Folklore,” on the Navona label. The quartet also has two new collaborative albums out: “Sea Change Quartets” by Grammy-nominated composer Joseph Summer, and “A Giant Beside You” with guitarist Benjamin Verdery. They also appear on Clovis Nicolas’s album “The Contrapuntist.”
The Ulysses Quartet believes intensely in the power of music to inspire, enlighten and bring people together. This is the guiding principle of the Ulysses Quartet Foundation, dedicated to the performance and promotion of classical music of the past and present day to benefit the broadest possible audience of music lovers and potential music lovers by expanding their understanding and appreciation of the musical arts. Ulysses aims to use this platform to raise the voices of underrepresented BIPOC and female composers. The quartet also offers interactive programs and workshops for all ages that serve to demystify the traditional repertoire while introducing audiences to diverse programming. Their programs enable participants to learn about the inner workings of a string quartet and to explore the connections between classical music and our world today. The group’s name pays homage to Homer’s hero Odysseus and his arduous homeward voyage, signifying the constant pursuit of artistic and personal ideals.
The members of Ulysses hold degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, the Juilliard School, and University of North Texas. The musicians perform on instruments and bow graciously on loan from the Maestro Foundation and private donors. Ulysses is grateful for the support of Shar Music and Connolly Music as YSOA ambassadors.
Keep up with Ulysses Quartet on their website www.ulyssesquartet.com, as well as their social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Our Dedicated Musicians
