About

AUSTIN CHAMBER MUSIC CENTER PRESENTS

ARCOSTRUM & EMPIRE WILD

NOVEMBER 14 & 15 | 7:30 P.M. | KMFA'S DRAYLEN MASON MUSIC STUDIO

Austin Chamber Music Center’s Friday Night Season Concerts are an up-close-and-personal setting for chamber music at the beautiful Draylen Mason Music Studio at KMFA. Friday night tickets include complimentary drinks and light bites served at a post-concert reception with the artists.

Saturday Night Season Concerts run in tandem with Fridays and take place at the First Unitarian Church; tickets include a post-concert reception that includes appetizers and drinks, as well as a Q&A session with the artists. Subject to availability, $12 Student Rush (with student ID), $33 General Admission, and $48 Premium tickets may be purchased at the box office starting at 6:30 PM on the evening of the Saturday night concert.

Program

For Chiaki – North Beat | Empire Wild/Ethan Lewis

String Quartet, Mvt. II | Claude Debussy (1862–1918)

Winter from The Four Seasons | Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)

Keyboard Sonata, K. 141 | Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757)

Duet for Two Cellos, Op. 22, No. 1, Mvt. II | Friedrich August Kummer (1797–1879)

Courante from Suite in G Major | Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)

Song for Claire | Empire Wild

Primavera Porteña (Buenos Aires Spring) | Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992)

INTERMISSION

Horse Racing 赛马 | Haihuai Huang (1935–1967)

Ink Orchid Pavilion 水墨兰亭 | Zhihui Li (b. 1972)

Danza Española from La Vida Breve | Manuel de Falla (1876–1946)

Julie-O | Mark Summer (b. 1958)

Ghibli Medley | Joe Hisaishi (b. 1950)

Tea for Two | Stéphane Grapelli (1908–1997)

Playing God | Polyphia

Boxing Reels | Jeremy Kittel (b. 1984)

ARCOSTRUM
Strauss Shi, violin, erhu, dizi | TY Zhang, classical guitar, electric guitar

EMPIRE WILD
Mitchell Lyon & Ken Kubota, cellos

Run time: This concert is approximately 70 minutes, plus one short intermission.

ArcoStrum

Praised as “a first-rate ensemble among the new generation of performing artists,” ArcoStrum is a trailblazing violin-guitar duo hailed for their creative concert design, on-stage charisma, and innovative programming. A Winner and Audience Prize recipient at the 2023 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition—the first violin-guitar duo in CAG’s 70+ year history to achieve this—ArcoStrum is comprised of violinist Strauss Shi, a three-time international competition winner, and guitarist TY Zhang, the first and only Chinese classical guitarist to win the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition (GFA-ICAC).

More Info

Empire Wild

Empire Wild is a genre-bending crossover ensemble founded by Mitchell Lyon and Ken Kubota, two Juilliard-trained cellists dedicated to exploring musical frontiers and pushing their instruments to the limit. The ensemble fuses pop, folk, jazz, and more into their innovative songwriting and compositions, while their program features a mix of original music, inventive covers, and fresh takes on classical pieces. Honored with the Ambassador Prize in the 2020 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, Empire Wild has captivated audiences nationwide with its unique artistry. Their debut EP, Paper Seasons, showcases original songs that highlight their distinctive sound and instrumentation. Recent performances include stops at prestigious venues like the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, the Harriman-Jewell concert series in Kansas City, and Lincoln Center’s Kaufman Music Center.

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Event Details

• Date: Friday, November 14, 2025 - Saturday, November 15, 2025
• Time: 7:30 P.M.
• Venue: KMFA's Draylen Mason Music Studio
• Website: https://austinchambermusic.org/event/arcostrum-empire-wild/

Ticket Information

• Cost: $12.00 - $80.00

Presenter Details

• Name: Austin Chamber Music Center

The Austin Chamber Music Center creates chamber music experiences that connect, educate, and inspire our community.

Vision

ACMC seeks to:

• Develop the next generation of musicians and audiences.
• Make chamber music accessible to everyone.
• Provide audiences with a wide range of chamber music experiences.
• Provide an avenue for professional musicians to interact with each other and to communicate their enthusiasm for chamber music to students and audiences through paid teaching and performance opportunities.
• Develop and expand the chamber music repertoire, including the commissioning of new works, study, and recording of less familiar repertoire.
• Instill lifelong skills of leadership and cooperation through music education.
• Connect people of all backgrounds through music and music-making.

Values

• Diversity We should reflect and respond to the diversity of our community.
• Equity We do not prevent anyone from participating in our programs due to financial or other burdens.
• Inclusion All are welcome in our programs regardless of gender, race/ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability, age, or citizenship status.

Venue Details