Winner of Gramophone’s “Recording of the Year 2016” award and most recently named the 2018 recipient of the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award, a $300,000 international piano prize conferred every four years, Igor Levit has now progressed from rising star to “one of the essential artists of his generation” (The New York Times). Born in Nizhny Novgorod in 1987, Levit moved with his family to Germany at the age of eight where he currently resides. As the youngest participant in the 2005 Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv, Igor Levit won the Silver Prize, as well as the Prize for Best Performer of Chamber Music, the Audience Favorite Prize, and the Prize for Best Performer of Contemporary Music. After making his U.S. debut in 2015 and his International Artist Series debut in 2016, the Schubert Club enthusiastically welcomes this phenomenal young artist back, this time to the larger Ordway Music Theater, for a predominantly Germanic recital program featuring the music of Bach, Busoni, Schumann, Wagner and Liszt.

Young German baritone Samuel Hasselhorn won first prize in the 2017 Das Lied International Song Competition in Heidelberg, Germany and in doing so established himself as an outstanding interpreter of art song in the tradition of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Thomas Quasthoff. Recognized for his charismatic stage presence and stunning vocal ability, his performances have been praised for offering “moments of emotion and pure musicality that will not soon be forgotten” (Crescendo Magazine). Having recently made his U.S. debut and still a relative newcomer to American concert halls, the Schubert Club is pleased to be among the first U.S. presenters to welcome this fast rising vocal talent. For his Twin Cities debut performance in the Ordway Concert Hall, Hasselhorn will be joined by the pianist he collaborates with regularly, Renate Rohlfing.

The Schubert Club is honored to announce Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti as its first "Featured Artist", giving us an opportunity to develop a deeper relationship with an artist or ensemble over the course of a season. Nicola’s residency includes a recital on the International Artist Series. She is one of the most sought-after violinists of her generation and performs on the Gariel Stradivarius (1717). Her ability to captivate audiences with her innate musicianship and dynamic presence, coupled with her wide appeal as a high-profile advocate for classical music, has made her one of the most influential classical artists of today. Born in Scotland of Italian heritage, Nicola began violin lessons at the age of five. She has since gone on to collect many awards and titles including “Best Female Artist” at both the 2012 and 2013 Classical BRIT Awards and the Queen’s Medal for Music in 2017, the youngest ever recipient. In addition to her busy orchestra and recital schedule, Benedetti is fiercely committed to music education and has her own education initiative called “The Benedetti Sessions” that give young string players the opportunity to rehearse, undertake and observe masterclasses culminating in a performance alongside Nicola. For her International Artist Series debut in the Ordway Concert Hall, she will give the U.S. premiere of a new work for solo violin written for her by Wynton Marsalis and will be joined for the rest of the program by her regular duo partner, pianist Alexei Grynyuk.

“Perhaps the most potent female singer of her generation” (the New Yorker), multi GRAMMY Award winner Joyce DiDonato returns to the Schubert Club’s International Artist Series to perform a special program in the Ordway Music Theater. With a voice that is “nothing less than 24-carat gold” as proclaimed by The Times, she is among the world’s most entrancing performers. Born in Kansas, Joyce has soared to the top of the industry both as a performer and a fierce advocate for the arts, gaining international prominence in operas by Handel and Mozart, as well as through her wide-ranging, acclaimed discography. Joyce’s program for this concert will feature music from her upcoming recording, SONGPLAY. In her own words, “this is a project of experimentation and play, aimed at giving a joyful (playful!) experience to the listener.” We expect this concert to sell out quickly and encourage you to get your tickets early!

The musical duo partnership of Gautier Capuçon and Yuja Wang is one to anticipate with real excitement. Gautier Capuçon is a true 21st century ambassador for the cello. Born in Chambéry, France in 1981, he performs each season with many of the world’s foremost conductors and instrumentalists, and is also founder and leader of the Classe d’Excellence de Violoncelle at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris – based in the stunning new Auditorium designed by Frank Gehry. Gautier is acclaimed internationally for his deeply expressive musicianship and exuberant virtuosity, as well as for the glorious sonority of his 1701 Matteo Goffriller cello. Joining him for this pair of recitals is the charismatic pianist Yuja Wang, the 2017 Musical America Artist of the Year. After she made her Schubert Club International Artist Series debut in 2011, the Star Tribune stated "Wang... is no mere 'virtuoso' -- a word cheapened by overuse. Hers is demonic, more-than-human pianism, of the sort that gets you thinking about Faustian bargains." Yuja’s way of making music connects with a strikingly broad demographic. It appeals to everyone, from classical music newcomers to devoted pianophiles, and has attracted an exceptionally youthful following. Her love for fashion, recognized by her induction into Giorgio Armani’s Sì Women’s Circle, has also contributed to the popular appeal of an artist who is armed with the ability to challenge the status quo and to welcome fresh converts to the concert hall. For their Ordway Concert Hall performances, this exceptional duo will present two different programs on April 3 and April 4, and we encourage you to attend both!