New@Night: Chamber Evolution
Protégé Artists Opus13 Quartet, joined by international violin superstar Carolin Widmann and celebrated pianist Yoko Greeney, present a vibrant and dynamic range of cutting-edge contemporary works by Helena Winkelman, Andrea Tarrodi, and a 2025 CMNW Piano Quintet co-commission by Ethan Soledad called Poems From Angel Island. Their performance showcases a lively blend of innovation and technical brilliance, offering audiences a fresh take on modern chamber music.
Conversation with composer Ethan Soledad at 6pm.
Join us after the performance for a post-concert artist mingle!
CMNW Co-Commission • World Premiere
Ethan Soledad’s Poems from Angel Island was commissioned by Emerging Voices, a collaboration by Chamber Music Northwest, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, and Seattle Chamber Music Society supporting young, emerging composers of color.
Silver Sponsor:
Beth Fry
The Old Church
Wednesday, 7/16 • 7:00 pm PT
Program
Click on any piece of music below to learn more about it.
- ETHAN SOLEDAD (b. 1999) “Poems from Angel Island” Piano Quintet (2025)
ETHAN SOLEDAD (b. 1999)
“Poems from Angel Island” Piano Quintet (2025)I. From Endless Sorrows, Tears and Blood Streak
II. Random Thoughts, Deep at Night
III. Cages of JadeSan Francisco Bay’s Angel Island acted as an immigration station for mostly Chinese immigrants in the beginning of the 20th century during the Chinese Exclusion Act. Many of those coming through would pose as “paper sons or daughters,” forging documents to make it seem like they were related to someone already a citizen of the U.S. The U.S. was aware of this and as such implemented an intense interrogation process to find out if they were telling the truth. Those held at the station would spend weeks, months, and even years on the island before being released or sent back to their origins. Hundreds of poems are inscribed on the walls telling of their feelings of anxiety, fear, boredom, and despair in the terrible living conditions and grueling questioning by the immigration officers.
Upon reading the poem inspiring the first movement, I had a very vivid image in my mind of a bird trying to escape from its cage and being yanked down violently each time. Just as the poem says, “After leaping into prison, I cannot come out,” the piece opens with the listener being thrust into the fray, evoking a sense of panic and anxiety in the quickly shifting textures. The movement comes to a climax with the cello playing against the other strings and the piano, creating a sense of conflict and violence before slowly fading out into nothing.
The second movement evokes the quiet emotions felt by those on the island, as so eloquently expressed by the poet. There’s a sense of loneliness, despair, grief and homesickness as the poet perhaps regrets coming to a foreign land. Through this movement, in addition to portraying the imagery of the poem, I wanted to portray the emotions left unsaid—a sense of hopelessness that may arise from the question “will I ever be released?”
The third movement immediately follows the second without pause, beginning with an extensive violin cadenza. I similarly wanted to portray a sense that the poet has lost all hope before finally being told that they’re going to be released into the U.S. What follows is a dramatic shift in the harmonic language. The violin solo continues, first echoed by the strings before being joined at the unison by the piano. This represents the poet “rejoicing” with their fellow villagers and the Asian American community as a whole coming together to thrive in spite of the violence, racism, trauma and other hardships they’ve faced. The piece ends with a short lullaby evoking the textures of the first movement, representing that this piece of history—one that is relatable to any immigrant population in the world—is one to live with and to learn from.
—© Ethan Soledad
- HELENA WINKELMAN (b. 1974) Selections from “5 Capriccios für Violine”
HELENA WINKELMAN (b. 1974)
Selections from 5 Capriccios für ViolineI. Of big stars and lesser lights
II. Moon blues
III. Machinations of the mind
IV. Lady in the shell with a bellAs a passionate hobby—astrologer in her youth, Winkelman sets out to portray in music the characteristics associated with five of the astrologically relevant bodies of our solar system. Each of them being attributed with a god/goddess of the old Greek/Roman Pantheon, they are also psychological archetypes.
Of big stars and lesser lights is dedicated to the luminous royal presence of the sun and god Apollon (the father of all string instruments).
Moon blues brings a gentle, pastoral resting place. A serenade with a playful pizzicato - self-accompaniment and whistling.
Machinations of the mind is dedicated to Mercury and the associated god Mercure/Hermes with his quicksilver mind. Hear an occasional Till Eulenspiegel–moment and evil giggles of the mind that thinks itself all too powerful.
Lady in a shell with a bell is dedicated to the planet Venus and its goddess Aphrodite. The pizzicato accompaniments on the open E-string sound like a bright little bell. It appears playful, sometimes strict and sometimes a wild little tantrum.
—© Courtesy of Helena Winkelman
- ANDREA TARRODI (b. 1981) “Madárdal” - String Quartet No. 2 (2013)
ANDREA TARRODI (b. 1981)
Madárdal - String Quartet No. 2I. Alleghretto – Allegro – Meno mosso
II. Adagio – Meno mosso
III. Allegretto – Allegro – Allegretto – Coda meno mossoMadárdal was commissioned by Sveriges Radio P2 and written for the Dahlkvist Quartet. The piece is inspired by both Swedish and Hungarian folk songs. Since I am half Swedish and half Hungarian I thought that it would be an interesting way of composing a piece.
Madárdal consists of three movements. The first movement is built on fragments from Romany/Hungarian melodies and gestures. The Adagio is based on two specific Swedish folk songs; Emigrantvisa and Polska från Medelpad. In the third and last movement, the Hungarian/Romany and Swedish folk songs meet. Throughout the piece you also may hear both Hungarian and Swedish bird species. Madárdal is the Hungarian word for birdsong, hence the title.
—© Andrea Tarrodi
Artists
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Edvard Erdal
Violin
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The Norwegian violinist Edvard Erdal (b. 1996) is a sought-after chamber musician and orchestra leader. He currently holds the position of First Concertmaster of the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra in Norway. Edvard is a founding member of the string quartet Opus13, which was awarded 2nd prize in the prestigious Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2022. Edvard plays a Lorenzo Storioni violin dated 1780, generously on loan from Snefonn AS.
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Yoko Greeney
Piano
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Collaborative pianist and chamber music visionary Yoko Greeney has been hailed as “one of the most significant members in Portland’s classical music scene” (Oregon ArtsWatch). Her multifaceted career—spanning directing, performing, teaching, and community engagement—reflects a deep commitment to artistic excellence and accessibility.
Celebrated for her sensitivity and stylistic range, Greeney is a sought-after collaborator who has performed at such noted venues as the Aspen Music Festival, Bard Music Festival, and California State University Summer Arts, to name a few. Since settling in Portland, Oregon in 2010, she has shared the stage with a variety of groups, including the Oregon Symphony, Chamber Music Northwest, 45th Parallel Universe, Oregon Ballet Theater, BodyVox, and Third Angle New Music, in addition to several live performances and recording projects with All Classical Radio.
A dedicated music educator and arts innovator, Greeney is the Co-Founder and Director of SoundsTruck NW: a custom-built, solar-powered mobile venue that brings live music directly to communities across the region. Recognized as “the gold standard” among mobile stages (Portland Tribune), SoundsTruck NW was a finalist for the 2024 SXSW Innovation Awards in the Urban Design category and a two-time prize winner at the 2024 International Sound Awards in Hamburg, Germany.
Originally from Osaka, Japan, Greeney has followed a global path—living and working in cities across Japan, Mexico, and the United States—before making Portland her home. She holds a master’s degree from the Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University and currently teaches at Lewis & Clark College. Together with her husband, Jon, she is a dedicated advocate for the arts, culture, and education.
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Aiden Kane
Viola
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American violist Aiden Kane has performed in North America, Europe, and Asia as a current member of the Viano Quartet, First Prize Laureates of the 2019 Banff International String Quartet Competition and recipients of the 2025 Avery Fisher Career Grant.
After leaving violin for the dark side, Aiden first studied viola with Daniel Foster through the National Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Fellowship Program. She subsequently earned a Bachelor’s and two Master’s degrees (in viola performance and chamber music studies, respectively) at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Paul Coletti. During her undergraduate years at Colburn, Aiden discovered her love for quartet life as the violist of the Calla Quartet, which received the Silver medal at the 2015 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and presented Colburn’s inaugural Musical Encounters outreach program. Since she joined the Viano Quartet, Viano has won international competitions, weathered a pandemic, moved from one coast to another, studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in the Nina von Maltzahn String Quartet-in-Residence program, and joined the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Bowers Program—and Aiden loves quartet life even more for it all.
When she isn’t playing the viola, Aiden enjoys hiking, composing, and keeping an assortment of remarkably self-reliant houseplants.
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Ethan Soledad
Composer
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Bold, dramatic, with an exquisite attention to detail, Ethan Soledad (b. 1999) is a Filipino-American composer whose work aims to express emotions in their rawest form. An experienced singer, he incorporates drama in his work, emphasizing the importance of silence and one’s perception of time. Ethan’s music draws from a wide palette of compositional styles and colors ranging from impressionism and neoclassicism to post-minimalism and the avant-garde. His musical style is marked by unapologetic expression, dynamic extremes, and the ability to do more with less but never shying away from doing more with more.
His music has been performed and recognized by ensembles such as Musiqa, DACAMERA Houston, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, New York Youth Symphony (First Music Commission Honorable Mention), the Greater Miami Youth Symphony, Choral Arts Initiative, Fifth House Ensemble, Bent Frequency, the East Coast Contemporary Ensemble (ECCE), Fear No Music, Crossing Borders Music, True Concord Voices and Orchestra, the Washington Gay Men’s Chorus, The Choral Project, the Beo String Quartet, and the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York.
He is a former teacher at the Shepherd School of Music pre-college program and a former young artist at DACAMERA Houston, engaging in outreach programs with elementary and middle schools.
He graduated with his Bachelor of Arts in Music degree at Florida State University 2021 studying under Liliya Ugay and his Master of Music in Composition degree at Rice University 2024 studying under Pierre Jalbert, Shih-Hui Chen, and Karim Al-Zand.
Currently he is pursuing his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Composition at the University of Michigan, studying under Kristy Kuster.
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Daniel Thorell
Cello
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Daniel Thorell is a cellist from Stockholm, Sweden. Though only 26-years-old, he has already had great success as a soloist and chamber musician, both nationally and internationally. Praised for his mature and expressive music making, he is currently regarded as one of Scandinavia’s most promising young cellists.
He is a first-prize winner in no less than nine international competitions, most notably Rovere D’oro (2017), where he was also awarded a gold medal. In May of 2019, he was a major prize winner in the 54th Markneukirchen International Cello Competition. He was also a laureate at the sixth season of La Classe d’Excellence de Violoncell with Professor Gautier Capucon.
Born into a family of musicians, Daniel began playing the cello at the age of five. He made his debut as a soloist at the age of eleven, performing Saint-Saëns’s Cello Concerto in A Minor with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Since then, he has performed regularly as a soloist with orchestras around Sweden, including the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.
Daniel is also an experienced chamber musician and since 2019 is a member of the Norwegian-based string quartet, Opus13. In 2022, they were awarded second prize in the Banff international string quartet competition and have performed at festivals such as Kamermuziek festival Utrecht, Risør kammermusikkfest, Valdres sommersymfoni, Midtåsen kulturfestival, and many more. In 2021, they made their debut at the Oslo Quartet Series.
Daniel recently finished his soloist diploma studies at the Norwegian Academy of Music with Professor Torleif Thedéen has studied with a number of renowned professors, including Jens-Peter Maintz, Danjulo Ishizaka, Maria Kliegel, Claudio Bohorquez, and Antonio Meneses. He is a recipient of numerous scholarships from foundations such as SWEA International Scholarship for the Arts and the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.
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Sonoko Miriam Welde
Violin
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Norwegian violinist Sonoko Miriam Welde (b. 1996) is winner of the “Virtuos” competition, the Norwegian Soloist Prize 2014, and the Equinor Classical Music Scholarship 2016.
As a soloist she has performed with orchestras such the Oslo Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Bournemouth Symphony, and Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, and conductors including Andrew Litton, James Gaffigan, Han-Na Chang, Marta Gardolinska, Joshua Weilerstein, and Edward Gardner.
An enthusiastic chamber musician, Sonoko has been championed by Leif Ove Andsnes, with whom she performs regularly, and has also worked with Tabea Zimmermann, Clemens Hagen, Sergio Tiempo, Gidon Kremer, Alisa Weilerstein, Jonathan Biss, and Janine Jansen.
She is a founding member of the string quartet, Opus13, who took second prize in the 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition.
In 2021, she released her debut album of Bruch and Barber violin concertos and The Lark Ascending with the Oslo Philharmonic on LAWO Classics. It was nominated for the Norwegian “Spellemannprisen” in the classical music category and received rave reviews from publications such as Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, and The Strad.
Sonoko studied with Janine Jansen in Sion, where she also had lessons with Denis Kozhukhin. She has also studied with Stephan Barratt-Due in Oslo and Kolja Blacher in Berlin. In 2018-2020 she was part of the Crescendo Mentoring Program.
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Carolin Widmann
Violin
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A wonderfully versatile musician, Carolin Widmann’s activities span the great classical concerti, new commissions specially written for her, solo recitals, a wide variety of chamber music and period instrument performances, including play/direction from the violin.
Widmann was awarded the Bayerischer Staatspreis for music in 2017, honouring her individuality and exceptional musicianship. Widmann was also the recipient of an International Classical Music Award (Concerto category) for her critically acclaimed recording of both Mendelssohn’s and Schumann’s Violin Concertos with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, released in August 2016 by ECM and which Widmann herself conducted from the violin.
Named ‘Musician of the Year’ at the International Classical Music Awards 2013, Ms Widmann has played with Berliner Philharmoniker, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, Czech Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Vienna Radio Symphony, London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, and Bayerische Rundfunk with distinguished conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Riccardo Chailly, Edward Gardner, Vladimir Jurowski, Sakari Oramo, Daniel Harding, François-Xavier Roth, Santtu-Matias Rouvali and Jukka-Pekka Saraste. She also appears at such widely known festivals as Musikfest Berlin, Salzburger Festspiele, Lucerne Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Prague Spring International Festival, Pau Casals Festival, and Festival d’Automne in Paris.
Carolin debuted with an extensive number of orchestras over the 2024/25 season, including with the Danish National Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Further highlights included the Robert Gerhard concerto with Orquestra Sinfònica de Barcelona, a Kurt Weill inspired play-direct programme with the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris featuring Ute Lemper, a tribute to Kaaja Saariaho with SWR Symphonieorchester, and the UK premiere of Jörg Widmann’s Violin Concerto No. 2, a piece written for and dedicated to her, with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. She is also the Fondazione Arturo Toscanini’s artist-in-residence for the 24/25 season.
Chamber music projects for the season include two recitals at the Pierre Boulez Saal; a quartet programme with Nils Mönkemeyer, Julian Steckel, and William Youn, as well as a solo project for violin and electronics; and a return to the Alte Oper Frankfurt.
Carolin Widmann is playing a G.B. Guadagnini violin from 1782 which is on loan from a Charitable Trust.
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Opus13
String Quartet, Protégé
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Sonoko Miriam Welde, violin
Edvard Erdal, violin
Albin Uusijärvi, viola
Daniel Thorell, celloThe Swedish-Norwegian string quartet, Opus13, is one of Europe’s most promising, up-and-coming young string quartets. Formed in 2014, the ensemble now comprises Sonoko Miriam Welde, Edvard Erdal, Albin Uusijärvi, and Daniel Thorell. They were 2nd prize winners of the prestigious Banff International String Quartet Competition 2022. In 2023, they received the Norwegian Equinor Classical Music Award, a coveted prize of one million Norwegian Crowns (approx. $96,000). Previous recipients of the award include Leif Ove Andsnes, Lise Davidsen, and Vilde Frang.
They have guested concert series and festivals such as the International Chamber Music Festival Utrecht in the Netherlands, Yeulmaru and Yonsei Chamber Music Festivals in South Korea, Rusk Festival in Finland, Swiss Chamber Concerts, and most of the major chamber music festivals in Norway, including Bergen International Festival, Stavanger, Rosendal, Trondheim, and Risør Chamber Music Festivals. Highlights in 2024 included debuts in Scotland and the United States.
Opus13 has collaborated with international top musicians such as Janine Jansen, Olli Mustonen, Julian Bliss, Alisa Weilerstein, Tabea Zimmermann, Jonathan Biss, and Konstantin Heidrich. They are mentored by Berit Cardas and Bjørg Lewis of the Vertavo Quartet, and have benefitted from masterclasses with many of the world’s leading chamber musicians, including members of the Belcea Quartet, Quatuor Ébène, Artemis Quartett, Oslo String Quartet, and Quatuor Mosaïques.
In their early years, Opus13 received invaluable support and performing experience from the Oslo Quartet Series’ Talent Program and the Crescendo Mentoring Program.
The Opus13s are Founders and Artistic Directors of Vinterspill på Lillehammer, a chamber music festival in the winter town of Lillehammer.