Denver Chamber Music Festival presents “Ireland, Appalachia, and Mendelssohn”

Folk traditions, chamber music favorites, and a brand new world premier come together in this wide-ranging final concert. Irish song settings by Beethoven and Rebecca Clarke highlight the expressive connection between melody and text, followed by a cello-quartet arrangement of Rachmaninoff that draws out the instrument’s darker, more resonant character. After intermission, a new cello quartet by Tessa Lark receives its world premiere Mendelssohn’s Octet will end the program, a cornerstone of the chamber music repertoire and a fitting grand finale to DCMF 2026. 

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Selected Irish Songs

Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979) Three Irish Country Songs

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) Études-Tableaux (selections)

(Arranged for cello quartet by David Requiro)

Tessa Lark-Cello Quartet (World Premiere)

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)- Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20

Artists:

Margaret Dyer Harris, viola

Ieva Jokubaviciute, piano

Yura Lee, violin & viola

Tessa Lark, violin

Nick Phan, tenor

David Requiro, cello

Meta Weiss, cello

Alice Yoo, cello

Matthew Zalkind, cello

Koa Quartet

Leah Pernick, violin

Kisa Uradomo, violin

Devin Cowan, viola

Heewon Lee, cello