Friendship Place Music of Friends Concert 2026

Enjoy the perfect Sunday afternoon by experiencing the best in classical chamber music at the “Music of Friends” concert, in support of Friendship Place, Washington’s premier organization serving people experiencing homelessness.

Music of Friends will be held at the French Embassy and will feature nationally acclaimed musicians playing an array of short chamber music selections.

Enjoy hearing NSO musicians: Heather Ledoux Green, Carole Tafoya Evans, Ruth Wicker, and Mark Evans joined by pianist Cecilia Cho from the Levine School of Music perform works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Kodály and Ravel.

About the Musicians

Cecilia Cho, pianist, received both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Peabody Conservatory under the guidance of Ann Schein. She later studied with Menahem Pressler of the Beaux Arts Trio and was his teaching assistant at Indiana University while a candidate for the Doctor of Music degree. She has been the first prize winner of many competitions including the Aspen Music Festival Competition, Baltimore Symphony Young Soloists Audition, Jewish Community Center Competition, and the National MTNA Baldwin Junior Keyboard Competition. Cho has held faculty positions with the University of Evansville, Bethany College and is currently on the faculty of the Levine School of Music. An active chamber musician, her performances have been heard in the U.S. as well as Ukraine, Israel, Germany, and Chile.

Heather LeDoux Green, violinist, joined the National Symphony Orchestra in 2005 joining the first violin section in 2007. Prior to joining the NSO, LeDoux Green was the Assistant Concertmaster of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra and was previously a member of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory, as a student of Camilla Wicks and received her Master of Music degree from Rice University studying with Sergiu Luca. As a chamber musician, she is a member of the Manchester String Quartet and has performed with the Kennedy Center Chamber Players, Smithsonian Chamber Players, Eclipse, Spoleto, Sun Valley, Music in the Mountains, and Round Top. LeDoux Green has appeared as soloist with the NSO at Wolf Trap, performing Tan Dun’s “Hero” Concerto with the composer conducting. Most recently she and NSO bassist Paul DeNola have created a comedic children’s program featured in the Kennedy Center Family Theater and also performed in area schools sharing music and humor with young audiences.

Carole Tafoya Evans, violinist, has been a member of the National Symphony Orchestra since 2001. She has performed as a member of the Fessenden Ensemble and the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra and on the Church of the Epiphany's Tuesday Concert Series, the NSO's Prelude Series on the Millennium Stage and in the Terrace Theater of the Kennedy Center. Ms. Evans is a coach and teacher for the NSO's Fellowship Program and Summer Music lnstitute. She holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Indiana University School of Music where she also held a Graduate Teaching Assistantship. Her teachers have included Josef Gingold and Yuval Yaron.

Ruth Wicker, violist, has been a member of the National Symphony Orchestra since 1999. Ms Wicker was born in Germany and studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. A graduate of the Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik Koln, she was awarded a Graduate Teaching Fellow Scholarship and later received her Master's degree from the University of Oregon. Her primary teachers include Joseph de Pasquale and Rainer Moog, and she studied chamber music with Felix Galimir, Karen Tuttle, Primosz Novsak, and the Alban Berg Quartet. An active chamber musician, Ms. Wicker has given recitals in Switzerland, Germany, Greece and throughout the United States. She has appeared as soloist with the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Halle and the Klassische Philharmonie Bonn. Ms Wicker has taught viola at Western Michigan University and Andrews University. Prior to joining the NSO she served as Principal Violist of the Kalamazoo Symphony and was a member of the Oregon Symphony.

Mark Evans, cellist, has been a member of the National Symphony Orchestra since 1998. Mr. Evans has appeared as a soloist with Eclipse Chamber Orchestra and the NSO at Wolf Trap. An active chamber musician, Mr. Evans has performed with the Manchester String Quartet, Kennedy Center Chamber Players, National Chamber Players, the Fessenden Ensemble, Sundays at Three Chamber Music Series, as well as the NSO's Prelude Series on the Millennium Stage and in the Terrace Theater of the Kennedy Center. He holds degrees from Yale University and the Indiana University School of Music where he was awarded the prestigious Performer's Certificate. His teachers include Fritz Magg, Janos Starker and Aldo Parisot.

About Friendship Place

is the premier housing service provider for people experiencing homelessness in the DC region. Our mission is to empower people experiencing or at risk of homelessness to attain stable housing and rebuild their lives.

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