By Michael Johns
Special to The Island News
The 46th Season of USCB Chamber Music returns on Sunday, March 29 with an exciting program that begins quietly with classical decorum and ends boisterously with American bravado.
Artistic Director, host, and pianist Andrew Armstrong brings back two “fan favorites,” pianist Jeewon Park and cellist Ani Aznavoorian, and introduces much-sought-after violinist Andrew Wan.
The program begins with the refined energy of Mozart’s Overture to The Marriage of Figaro,travels north for two of Edvard Grieg’s bucolic 4 Norwegian Dances, east for Shostakovich’s lush and spicy Cello Sonata, back to Norway with Grieg’s big-boned, bold Violin Sonata No. 3, and returns home for a pure blast of Americana, John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”
Juilliard-trained violinist Wan has been Concertmaster of the Orchestra symphonique de Montréal since 2008, performed as soloist with leading orchestras across North America, Europe, and Asia, and been a frequent guest at major North-American chamber music festivals. He has regularly served as guest concertmaster with multiple U.S. and Canadian orchestras, has a large, award winning solo discography, and is an Associate Professor at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music. Wan performs on a 1744 Michel’Angel Bergonzi violin.
Cellist Aznavoorian, a graduate of the Juilliard School, has appeared as soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras including the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Pops, and Tokyo, Helsinki, and Finnish Philharmonics. She is an avid chamber music performer with festival and series appearances throughout the US.
Stradmagazine lauds her onstage capacity to deliver “scorchingly committed performances that wring every last drop of emotion out of the music. Her technique is well-nigh immaculate, she has a natural sense of theater, and her tone is astonishingly responsive.” Former performances at USCB Chamber Music have confirmed this review.
Aznavoorian proudly performs on a cello made by her father, Peter Aznavoorian.
Pianist Park, praised for her “deeply reflective playing” (Indianapolis Star) and “infectious exuberance” (New York Times), has garnered the attention of audiences for her dazzling technique and poetic lyricism. Since making her debut at the age of 12, performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Korean Symphony Orchestra, she has performed in prestigious venues worldwide as a competition winner, recitalist, and chamber musician.
Park also has an impressive academic career, earning degrees from The Juilliard School, Yale University, and a DMA from SUNY Stony Brook.
Praised by critics for his passionate expression and dazzling technique, pianist Andrew Armstrong has delighted audiences across Asia, Europe, Latin America, Canada, and the U.S. He has performed an extensive repertoire of more than 60 concertos with orchestra, currently directs and hosts six thriving chamber music series, and continues to perform and record chamber music across the globe.
Armstrong remains an outspoken advocate for the communicative power of music to excite, soothe, educate, and bring us together. He fervently believes that a lifelong love of music starts in childhood. This message has been enthusiastically transmitted to local schoolchildren through Monday-morning concerts presented at the Center for the Arts and an annual Saturday Youth Concert.
Armstrong engages artist-level musical ambassadors to come to the Lowcountry and join him in creating free, live, acoustic-music concerts for children of all ages that are stimulating, unique, and attention-holding. The timeless music and emotional depth of experience cannot be replicated on social media.
The hall is sold-out (a wait-list is available) but you can enjoy the concert virtually by livestream and OnDemand. All virtual concerts are professionally produced; multiple camera angles with great viewing opportunities abound.
On the Wednesday before each concert, live and virtual ticket holders receive an email with a link to Sunday’s concert. OnDemand is accessible four days after the concert and available to view at your leisure for three weeks.
Each Friday before a concert the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) presents Inside the Music, a two-hour, general audience, deep dive into Sunday’s repertoire. Michael Johns provides multiple recorded excerpts and commentary, acclimating listeners to what they will hear on Sunday. Classes are free and open to the public.
For concert, artist, OLLI, and wait-list information, go to www.uscbchambermusic.com or call 843-521-3107, Monday through Friday. The fourth concert of USCB Chamber Music’s 46th season is Sunday, March 29, 2026 at 5 p.m., at the USCB Center for the Arts, 801 Carteret Street, Beaufort, in the downtown historic district.
