Want to learn more about the pieces being performed on Four Seasons Plays Four Seasons? Join Henry Michaels for the first installment of our Prelude Podcast! This podcast delves into the historical and musical context of the works of Antonio Vivaldi, Astor Piazzolla, and Ernő Dohnányi that will be performed on our opening concert on Friday, September 27th, 2024. 

PIECES DISCUSSED:
Ernő Dohnányi – Piano Quintet in C Minor, Op. 1
Antonio Vivaldi – The Four Seasons: Summer & Winter
Astor Piazzolla – The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires: Autumn & Spring

Four Seasons Managing Director Henry Michaels is passionate about connecting audiences with the history and culture of music, inviting them to care about musical works in ways they may not have considered. He has presented public lectures for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, and the Music Academy of the West, taught music history courses at UC Santa Barbara and Westmont College, and written program notes for the Takács Quartet, Richard O’Neill, the Music Academy of the West, and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Recorded live at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Greenville, NC on Monday, September 23rd, 2024.

Four Seasons Prelude Lecture Podcast: Four Seasons Plays Four Seasons

Want to learn more about the pieces being performed on Echoes of Places Past? Join Henry Michaels for the second installment of our Prelude Podcast! This podcast delves into the historical and musical context of the works of Antonín Dvořák and Edward Elgar that will be performed on our opening concert on Friday, October 18th, 2024.

PIECES DISCUSSED:
Antonín Dvořák — String Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 97, “American”
Edward Elgar — Piano Quintet in A Minor, Op. 84
Dvořák (arr. Fritz Kreisler) — “Songs My Mother Taught Me,” Op. 55, No. 4
Elgar — Salut d’Amour, Op 12

Four Seasons Managing Director Henry Michaels is passionate about connecting audiences with the history and culture of music, inviting them to care about musical works in ways they may not have considered. He has presented public lectures for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, and the Music Academy of the West, taught music history courses at UC Santa Barbara and Westmont College, and written program notes for the Takács Quartet, Richard O’Neill, the Music Academy of the West, and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Recorded live at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Greenville, NC on Monday, October 14th, 2024.

Four Seasons Prelude Lecture Podcast: Echoes of Places Past

Want to learn more about the pieces being performed on Combinations? Join Henry Michaels for the third installment of our Prelude Podcast! This podcast delves into the historical and musical context of the works of Sergei Prokofiev, W.A. Mozart, and Dmitri Shostakovich that will be performed on our concert on Friday, November 8th, 2024.

PIECES DISCUSSED:
Sergei Prokofiev — Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op. 34
W.A. Mozart — Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K. 581
Dmitri Shostakovich — Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 57

Four Seasons Managing Director Henry Michaels is passionate about connecting audiences with the history and culture of music, inviting them to care about musical works in ways they may not have considered. He has presented public lectures for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, and the Music Academy of the West, taught music history courses at UC Santa Barbara and Westmont College, and written program notes for the Takács Quartet, Richard O’Neill, the Music Academy of the West, and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Recorded live at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Greenville, NC on Monday, November 4th, 2024.

Four Seasons Prelude Lecture Podcast: Combinations

Want to learn more about the pieces being performed on Behind the Scenes? Join Henry Michaels for the fourth installment of our Prelude Podcast! This podcast delves into the historical and musical context of the works of Anton Webern, W.A. Mozart, and Felix Mendelssohn that will be performed on our concert on Friday, February 14th, 2025 in Greenville, and on Sunday, February 16th, 2025 in Raleigh.

PIECES DISCUSSED:
Anton Webern – Langsamer Satz
W.A. Mozart – String Quartet in D Minor, K. 421
Felix Mendelssohn – String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 13

Four Seasons Managing Director Henry Michaels is passionate about connecting audiences with the history and culture of music, inviting them to care about musical works in ways they may not have considered. He has presented public lectures for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, and the Music Academy of the West, taught music history courses at UC Santa Barbara and Westmont College, and written program notes for the Takács Quartet, Richard O’Neill, the Music Academy of the West, and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Recorded live at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Greenville, NC on Monday, February 10th, 2025.

Four Seasons Prelude Lecture Podcast: Behind the Scenes with the Cooperstown Quartet

Want to learn more about the pieces being performed on Tours de Force? Join Henry Michaels for the fifth installment of our Prelude Podcast! This podcast delves into the historical and musical context of the works of César Franck and Ernest Chausson that will be performed on our concert on Friday, March 21st, 2025 in Greenville, and on Sunday, March 23rd, 2025 in Raleigh.

PIECES DISCUSSED:
César Franck — Sonata in A Major for Violin & Piano
Ernest Chausson — Concerto for Violin, Piano & String Quartet, Op. 21

Four Seasons Managing Director Henry Michaels is passionate about connecting audiences with the history and culture of music, inviting them to care about musical works in ways they may not have considered. He has presented public lectures for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, and the Music Academy of the West, taught music history courses at UC Santa Barbara and Westmont College, and written program notes for the Takács Quartet, Richard O’Neill, the Music Academy of the West, and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Recorded live at the Forest at Duke in Durham, NC on Tuesday, March 18th, 2025.

Four Seasons Prelude Lecture Podcast - Tours de Force



Want to learn more about the pieces being performed on Two Beginnings? Join Henry Michaels for the sixth installment of our Prelude Podcast! This podcast delves into the historical and musical context of the works of Johannes Brahms and Gabriel Fauré that will be performed on our concert on Friday, May 2nd, 2025 in Greenville, and on Sunday, May 4th, 2025 in Raleigh.

PIECES DISCUSSED:
Johannes Brahms – Piano Quartet in G Minor, Op. 25
Gabriel Fauré – Piano Quartet in C Minor, Op. 15

Four Seasons Managing Director Henry Michaels is passionate about connecting audiences with the history and culture of music, inviting them to care about musical works in ways they may not have considered. He has presented public lectures for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, and the Music Academy of the West, taught music history courses at UC Santa Barbara and Westmont College, and written program notes for the Takács Quartet, Richard O’Neill, the Music Academy of the West, and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Recorded live at The Forest at Duke in Durham, NC on Tuesday, April 29th, 2025.


Four Seasons Prelude Lecture Podcast: Two Beginnings

Celebrating its Twenty-Fifth Anniversary in 2024-2025, Four Seasons brings world-renowned musicians, unforgettable performances, innovative community engagement, and unrivaled educational initiatives to North Carolina and beyond. In residence at the East Carolina University® School of Music, Four Seasons has presented more than 2,000 concerts and initiatives, featured more than 1,000 musicians, and created vibrant homes in both Greenville and the Triangle.

Four Seasons highlights include multiple concerts at Carnegie Hall; a six-concert tour of Israel; 24 years of Signature Series concerts; the Dose of Hope initiative (110+ mega vaccine clinic concerts in Winter/Spring 2021); a series of four educational videos viewed by 45,000 schoolchildren and counting; 50 Next Generation residencies; 12 Children’s Residencies; 10 Winter/Spring Workshops; 7 Summer Chamber Music Institutes; and numerous Community Tours and initiatives. Throughout all 24 seasons, a commitment to artistic and educational excellence has formed the core of all that Four Seasons presents.

The Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Season features Signature Series concerts in Greenville and Raleigh; multiple Soirées; Next Gen residencies in Greenville and Charlotte; Spring Workshop and SpringFest 2025; exciting events for our donors; and a myriad of master classes, children’s concerts, and community engagement initiatives.

Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival

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