Blair Master Series: Felix Wang, cello
About
Join us for an unforgettable evening with acclaimed cellist Felix Wang as part of the Blair Master Series on Friday, September 4, 2026. Celebrating his 26th year at Vanderbilt University, Wang is an internationally recognized soloist and chamber musician whose performances have earned critical acclaim around the world. He will be joined by pianist Alexa Stier for two pieces on the program.
⭐ Friday, September 4, 2026, Turner Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $18.50
Tickets: http://blair.live/090426-tix
Program:
Suite Italienne – Igor Stravinsky
Suite No. 3 for Solo Cello, Op. 87 – Benjamin Britten
Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op. 19 – Sergei Rachmaninoff
This program explores a distinctly Russian thread, or perhaps Russian-adjacent thread, through three remarkable works. Britten’s Suite No. 3 draws on Russian folk melodies and was written for the legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne reimagines Italian melodies with his unmistakable modernist wit and flair. The evening concludes with Rachmaninoff’s Sonata for Cello and Piano, a towering masterpiece and one of the most beloved works in the cello repertoire.
About Felix Wang:
Felix Wang’s diverse career has taken him throughout the world as a chamber musician, soloist, and in recital, receiving critical acclaim for, “beautifully wrought,” “dazzling,” and “soulful” performances. The cellist of the Blair String Quartet, Wang is a founding member of the Blakemore Trio and co-principal cellist of the IRIS Orchestra under the direction of Michael Stern.
He holds a doctor of musical arts from the University of Michigan, a master of music from the New England Conservatory, and a bachelor of music from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. He was also a recipient of the prestigious Frank Huntington Beebe Grant for study abroad, using it to study in London with William Pleeth.
About Alexa Stier:
Alexa Stier is a top prizewinner at several international piano competitions and is the founder of the ContemporArt Chamber Music Festival based in her hometown, Satu Mare, Romania. As a soloist and recitalist, Stier has performed extensively in the United States, and across Europe and South America.
She is a student of the doctorate of musical arts program at the Yale School of Music and currently resides in Nashville, where she serves as adjunct collaborative pianist at Lipscomb University and teaches at the Lipscomb Academy.
⭐ Friday, September 4, 2026, Turner Recital Hall, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $18.50
Tickets: http://blair.live/090426-tix
Program:
Suite Italienne – Igor Stravinsky
Suite No. 3 for Solo Cello, Op. 87 – Benjamin Britten
Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op. 19 – Sergei Rachmaninoff
This program explores a distinctly Russian thread, or perhaps Russian-adjacent thread, through three remarkable works. Britten’s Suite No. 3 draws on Russian folk melodies and was written for the legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne reimagines Italian melodies with his unmistakable modernist wit and flair. The evening concludes with Rachmaninoff’s Sonata for Cello and Piano, a towering masterpiece and one of the most beloved works in the cello repertoire.
About Felix Wang:
Felix Wang’s diverse career has taken him throughout the world as a chamber musician, soloist, and in recital, receiving critical acclaim for, “beautifully wrought,” “dazzling,” and “soulful” performances. The cellist of the Blair String Quartet, Wang is a founding member of the Blakemore Trio and co-principal cellist of the IRIS Orchestra under the direction of Michael Stern.
He holds a doctor of musical arts from the University of Michigan, a master of music from the New England Conservatory, and a bachelor of music from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. He was also a recipient of the prestigious Frank Huntington Beebe Grant for study abroad, using it to study in London with William Pleeth.
About Alexa Stier:
Alexa Stier is a top prizewinner at several international piano competitions and is the founder of the ContemporArt Chamber Music Festival based in her hometown, Satu Mare, Romania. As a soloist and recitalist, Stier has performed extensively in the United States, and across Europe and South America.
She is a student of the doctorate of musical arts program at the Yale School of Music and currently resides in Nashville, where she serves as adjunct collaborative pianist at Lipscomb University and teaches at the Lipscomb Academy.
