Pittsfield — Wu Han and friends will open South Mountain’s 2025 chamber music series on Sunday, September 7. She will be joined by cellist David Finckel, violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, and violinists Stella Chen and Bella Hristova.
If you have heard Wu Han at South Mountain—or anywhere else—you know she and David Finckel attract top-tier string players. Their deep roots in the chamber music world make them frequent collaborators with the best.
Sunday’s program is as follows:
- Mozart — String Duo No. 2 in B-flat major for violin and viola, K. 424
- Mendelssohn — Piano Quartet No. 2 in F minor, Op. 2
- Dvořák — Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major Op. 81
Wu Han and David Finckel are the longest-serving artistic directors of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and have profoundly shaped the trajectory of 21st-century chamber music. Under their leadership, the genre’s global visibility and accessibility have grown significantly. Each season, they present approximately 200 concerts, lectures, master classes, and outreach programs.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, they produced over 270 digital programs, sustaining engagement with chamber music communities across the United States and beyond. As co-founders and artistic directors of Music@Menlo since 2002, they have developed the festival into a leading institution known for its thematic innovation and educational excellence. Its in-house recording label, Music@Menlo LIVE, has released more than 130 high-quality CDs, earning international acclaim.
Married in 1985, the duo maintains an ambitious touring schedule while dividing their time between New York City and Westchester County. Their ongoing work continues to redefine how chamber music is experienced, taught, and shared across generations and geographies.
In 2009, Bella Hristova won first prize at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and in 2013, she received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. She has since performed as a soloist with prominent orchestras including the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Lincoln Center, the New York String Orchestra at Carnegie Hall under Jaime Laredo, and many regional and international ensembles such as the Buffalo Philharmonic, Kansas City Symphony, Estonian National Symphony, and Cheongju Symphony Orchestra. Hristova plays a 1655 Nicolò Amati violin, previously owned by the celebrated violinist Louis Krasner.
Praised by Strad magazine for her “silky tone and beautiful, supple lines,” violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt is recognized as one of today’s leading violists. She has appeared as soloist with the Tokyo Philharmonic, Jacksonville Symphony, and Sphinx Chamber Orchestra and has performed worldwide, including a celebrated 2011 Wigmore Hall debut. A founding member of the award-winning Dover Quartet (2008–2022), she also held faculty positions at Curtis and Northwestern. She has won top prizes at the Lionel Tertis, Sphinx, and Tokyo Viola competitions. Pajaro-van de Stadt now performs with the piano quartet Espressivo! alongside Laredo, Robinson, and Polonsky.
Stella Chen is an American violinist who won first prize at the 2019 Queen Elisabeth Competition. She received the Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2020 and was named Gramophone’s Young Artist of the Year in 2023. Chen holds degrees from Harvard (bachelor’s in psychology), the New England Conservatory, and Juilliard (DMA, 2021), where she studied with Itzhak Perlman and others. She has performed with major orchestras and at top venues worldwide. From 2019 to 2023, she played the 1708 “Huggins” Stradivarius and now performs on the 1700 “ex-Petri” Stradivarius. In 2025, she joined Juilliard’s violin faculty.
Hear Wu Han and friends perform a program of works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Dvořák on Sunday, September 7, 3 p.m., at South Mountain Concerts, 730 South Street, Pittsfield. South Mountain is located two miles south of Pittsfield center on U.S. Route 7 (South Street in Pittsfield). More information and tickets are available here.
