Clarion Concerts Celebrates Annual Benefit Event with Grammy Award-Winning Harlem Quartet

Clarion Concerts presents an afternoon of world-class live chamber music featuring the Harlem Quartet

HUDSON, NY, UNITED STATES, May 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Clarion Concerts, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing world-class chamber music to the Hudson Valley, New York region, will host its annual benefit event featuring a performance by the Grammy Award-winning Harlem Quartet. For nearly 70 years, Clarion Concerts has brought world-class chamber music to the region, as well as reached many communities across the Northeast. Today, under the artistic direction of violinist Melissa White, it continues to honor this legacy while expanding its commitment to commissioning new works and performances, with special recognition for Black composers and musicians. Clarion Concerts also works to educate younger audiences and help build awareness about classical music through its unique concert experiences.

"We're excited to host our annual Clarion Concerts benefit event with the Harlem Quartet, both of which are very close to my heart," notes Melissa White, Artistic Director of Clarion Concerts and founding member of the Harlem Quartet. "Celebrating our love and commitment to classical and contemporary music, we will perform pieces by Beethoven, William Bolcom, William Grant Still and Wynton Marsalis. We encourage all music lovers to come and enjoy this intimate and expressive genre and support a worthwhile cause."

Founded in 2006, the Harlem Quartet is a string quartet originally composed of first-place laureates of the Sphinx Competition for Black and Latino string players, embracing diversity and creativity among classical, contemporary, jazz and Latin-infused music, which has resonated with new and younger audiences. The members are first violinist Ilmar Gavilán, second violinist Melissa White, violist Jaime Amador and cellist Felix Umansky and they have created a unique artistic identity. The group's namesake honors the rich cultural period of the Harlem Renaissance in American history, and has performed throughout North and South America, as well as in France, the U.K., Belgium, Japan, Ethiopia and South Africa.

Event Details
Clarion Concerts Annual Benefit featuring the Harlem Quartet
Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026
Time: 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm - includes concert performance and reception with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres
Location: Pocketbook Hudson Hotel and Baths, 549 Washington Street, Hudson, NY 12534
Tickets: $150 ($100 deductible for charitable contribution)
Purchase tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/clarion-concerts-109112229271 or https://www.clarionconcerts.org/our-concert/p/harlem-quartet

Repertoire
- Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 18, No. 6
- William Bolcom: Three Rags for String Quartet
- William Grant Still: The Quiet One
- Wynton Marsalis: Rampart Street Row House Rag / Hellbound Highball

About Clarion Concerts
Clarion Concerts is committed to building awareness and educating audiences about chamber music and its expansive repertoire. We achieve this by commissioning and presenting new works, with special recognition for Black composers and musicians. Originally founded as The Clarion Society in 1957 by Newell Jenkins and Jack Hurley, the organization became known worldwide for early music concerts played on both modern and period instruments through the Leaf Peeper Concerts in Columbia County, New York. In June 1996, Clarion Concerts of Columbia County, Inc. became independent under Music Director Sanford Allen, the first African-American full-time member of the New York Philharmonic and an international soloist. He expanded Clarion’s repertoire to include 19th- and 20th-century music together with its Baroque roots. Today, Clarion Concerts upholds its commitment to performing compositions by Black and other persons of color and continues to initiate annual commissions of contemporary works. To learn more and get involved, visit clarionconcerts.org and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram (www.instagram.com/clarionconcerts/?hl=en) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/people/Clarion-Concerts/61576150734632/).

Roberta Tsang
RTPR
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