CELLO RECITAL: Joseph Kuipers, cello & Victor Asunción, piano.
About this Event
Join us at for an evening of sublime music as Joseph Kuipers, Creative Director of TexasCelloSchool FRSCO 2026 explores beloved nocturnes, waltzes, preludes and a sonata for cello and piano. Immerse yourself in the sounds of supremely popular and beloved music of CHOPIN & RACHMANINOV for cello and piano performed live in a beautiful chapel.
Hommage à Chopin et Rachmaninov
Chopin:
Nocturne Op. 72 arr. Taneyev
Prelude Op. 28 N. 4 arr. Franchomme
Waltz in a minor, B. 150 arr. Franchomme
Nocturne Op. 15 N. 1 arr Franchomme
Prelude Op. 28 N. 15 ‘Raindrop’ arr. Franchomme
Waltz Op. 34 N. 2 arr. Franchomme
Nocturne No. 20 in C# minor Op. Posth arr. Piatigorsky
Rachmaninoff:
Sonata in G minor Op. 19 for cello and piano
Joseph Kuipers, cello
Victor Asunción, piano
Presented by Texas Cellos, the TexasCelloSchool FRISCO brings together distinguished faculty, exceptional students, and guest artists from across the United States and Europe for two weeks of performances, master classes, chamber music, and artistic exchange in the heart of North Texas.
The TexasCelloSchool was created to cultivate artistry at the highest level while remaining deeply human in spirit — combining musical excellence with hospitality, mentorship, and genuine community.
Whether you are a devoted classical music listener, a young artist, a patron of the arts, or simply someone seeking a beautiful and meaningful evening in Texas, we invite you to join us for the beginning of an extraordinary summer.
Location
Hasley Chapel
Presented by
TexasCello School FRISCO
in partnership with Texas Cellos
Summer Festival Dates
July 13-August 7, 2026
Attire
Summer chic / summer evening attire encouraged.
“…a powerfully gifted performer, and a virtuoso cellist.
He interprets the old and the new with care, thought and analytical insight.”
-SONUS JOURNAL
Joseph Kuipers is an American cellist, educator, and arts leader whose work is defined by artistic excellence, innovation, and a deep commitment to community engagement. Raised in a musical family, he began performing chamber music and singing in choirs at an early age, experiences that continue to shape his collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to music-making.
Kuipers pursued advanced studies in the United States and Europe, training in St. Paul with Hong Wang and Tom Rosenberg, in Boston with Paul Katz, in Mannheim with Bernard Greenhouse and Michael Flaksman, and in Basel with Thomas Demenga and Rainer Schmidt. Additional formative influences include Richard Aaron, Hans Jørgen Jensen, and the late Anner Bylsma. This broad educational background fostered a performance practice equally grounded in historical awareness and contemporary expression.
Renowned for his versatility on both modern and gut strings, Kuipers is known for imaginative programming that often juxtaposes Baroque repertoire with new and recent works. He has appeared at leading festivals and institutions worldwide, including the Aspen and Ravinia Music Festivals, Festival International du Domaine Forget, Kronberg Academy, Ascoli Piceno Festival, Carl Orff Festival, and the World Cello Congress. His dedication to the music of our time has led to close collaborations with living composers such as Robert Cogan, Heinz Holliger, Helmut Lachenmann, and Arvo Pärt.
Chamber music is central to Kuipers’s artistic life. His collaborators include the Dover, Escher and Miró Quartets and members of the Cleveland, Hagen and St Lawrence Quartets.
Teaching and mentorship play a vital role in Kuipers’s career. He has held faculty positions at Washington and Lee University, Eastern University, and the Binningen School for Gifted Students in Switzerland, and has given masterclasses at festivals and institutions worldwide. He maintains a private teaching studio in North Dallas, where his students regularly earn top honors at regional and national competitions and perform with leading youth orchestras.
Kuipers is the Creative Director of Texas Cellos, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching communities through performance and education. Under his leadership, Texas Cellos has expanded its programming to include Texas Cello School, one of America’s premier cello institutes; TexasCellos SESSIONS, presenting world-class musicians in accessible and informal venues; the Fredericksburg Music Festival and School and Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra;. Through these initiatives, he continues to champion artistic excellence, accessibility, and the development of the next generation of musicians.
He performs on cellos by Enrico Ceruti (Cremona, ca. 1850) and Mason Weedman (2024). Based in Dallas, Kuipers balances his musical life with interests in composition, painting, chess, gardening, and time spent outdoors with his two Australian Shepherds Ronin and Ghost.
Hailed by The Washington Post for his “poised and imaginative playing,” Filipino-American pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion has appeared in concert halls in Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, Turkey and the USA, as a recitalist and concerto soloist. He played his orchestral debut at the age of 18 with the Manila Chamber Orchestra, and his New York recital debut in Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in 1999. In addition, he has worked with conductors including Sergio Esmilla, Enrique Batiz, Mei Ann Chen, Zeev Dorman, Arthur Weisberg, Corrick Brown, David Loebel, Leon Fleisher, Michael Stern, Jordan Tang, and Bobby McFerrin.
A chamber music enthusiast, he has performed with artists such as Lynn Harrell, Zuill Bailey, Andres Diaz, James Dunham, Antonio Meneses, Joshua Roman, Cho-Liang Lin, Giora Schmidt, the Dover, Emerson, Serafin, Sao Paulo, and Vega String Quartets. He was on the chamber music faculty of the Aspen Music Festival, and the Garth Newel Summer Music Festival. He was also the pianist for the Garth Newel Piano Quartet for three seasons. Festival appearances include the Amelia Island, Highland-Cashiers, Music in the Vineyards, and Santa Fe.
His recordings include the complete Sonatas of L. van Beethoven with cellist Tobias Werner, Sonatas by Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff with cellist Joseph Johnson, the Rachmaninoff Sonata with the cellist Evan Drachman, and the Chopin and Grieg Sonatas, also with cellist Evan Drachman. He is featured in the award winning recording “Songs My Father Taught Me” with Lynn Harrell, produced by Louise Frank and WFMT-Chicago. Mr. Asuncion is the Founder, and Artistic and Board Director of FilAm Music Foundation, a non-profit foundation that is dedicated to promoting Filipino classical musicians through scholarship, and performance.
He received his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in 2007 from the University of Maryland at College Park under the tutelage of Rita Sloan. Victor Santiago Asuncion is a Steinway artist.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 46.00
