Inscape Chamber Orchestra

Journey with the acclaimed Inscape Chamber Orchestra as they explore Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, Richard Strauss’s Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, and Béla Bártok’s Violin Concerto No. 1, featuring soloist Airi Yoshioka.

Experience Bartók’s impassioned Violin Concerto No. 1 and Strauss’s opulent Suite from Der Rosenkavalier in rare chamber orchestra arrangements inspired by Arnold Schoenberg’s visionary Society for Private Musical Performance. In early 20th-century Vienna, Schoenberg’s Society brought monumental orchestral scores into salon-sized venues, revealing intricate details often lost in larger halls and making essential works accessible to new audiences.

At the heart of the program stands Copland’s Appalachian Spring, premiered in Washington, D.C., and composed specifically for thirteen instruments — a masterwork of American music that captures the spare beauty of the frontier spirit and the warmth of community gathering.

From Bartók’s intensely personal portrait of love and longing to the radiant waltzes of Strauss’s Vienna and the open prairie of Copland’s America, this program celebrates the power of chamber music to illuminate the essential character of beloved masterpieces.

“…brilliant” — The New York Times
“…guts and musical sensitivity” — The Washington Post
“…aurally stunning” — ArchivMusic

Founded in 2004 by Artistic Director Richard Scerbo, Inscape Chamber Orchestra is pushing the boundaries of classical music in riveting performances that reach across genres and generations, and transcend the confines of the traditional classical concert experience.

With its flexible roster and unique brand of programming, this critically acclaimed, GRAMMY-nominated group of musicians has quickly established itself as one of the premier performing ensembles in the Washington, D.C. region and beyond.

Inscape has worked joyously and often with emerging American composers and has a commitment to presenting concerts featuring the music of our time. Since its inception, Inscape has commissioned and premiered over thirty new works. Inscape members regularly perform with the National, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Virginia, Richmond, and Delaware symphonies, the Washington Opera Orchestra, and are members of the premiere Washington service bands. Former Inscape performers are members of orchestras across the United States and abroad.

Inscape regularly performs at premiere Washington, D.C. venues such as the National Gallery of Art, Strathmore Music Center, and the Kennedy Center. In recent seasons, Inscape has appeared on concert series in New York, California, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Delaware.