Originally broadcast at 5 p.m. EDT Thursday, August 6, 2020.

Described by the Gramophone as a “magician, bewitching our ears” for his hauntingly beautiful sound, flawless command of the instrument and mesmerizing phrasing, Ilya Kaler is the only violinist to win the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (1986), the Sibelius Competition in Helsinki (1985), and the Paganini Competition in Genoa (1981). One of the most sought-after teachers in the world, Kaler was recently chosen to join the violin faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music beginning in the fall of 2018 . Each summer, Kaler serves on the faculty of Chautauqua’s School of Music and can be frequently heard performing at Chautauqua.

https://www.ilyakaler.com/about

Recitals with Rossen will always feature music and conversation, hosted by Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra music director Rossen Milanov. On most Thursdays throughout the summer season, be ready to ask a question or pose a thought as we unite music, music makers and music lovers in one online space.

Cocktails, Concerts & Conversations is the CHQ Assembly performing arts series intended to connect people through music, theater and dance. Mondays will feature Opera artists and be hosted by Chautauqua Opera Company General and Artistic Director Steven Osgood; Tuesdays will feature Chautauqua Dance and be hosted by Artistic Advisor Sasha Janes; Wednesdays will feature Theater artists and be hosted by Chautauqua Theater Company Artistic Director Andrew Borba; Thursdays will feature soloists in recital and be hosted by Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra Music Director Rossen Milanov, and Fridays will feature popular entertainment artists and be hosted by Vice President of Performing and Visual Arts Deborah Sunya Moore. We hope this panoply of performances will lift your spirits and invite you to bring those spirits (ones that fill both your heart and your glass) to join us at 5:00 p.m. on most weekdays through the summer. Be it with cocktail or mocktail, come for conversation. Every artist on this series is eager to welcome you into the conversation — see you there!

About Chautauqua Institution: Chautauqua Institution is a community on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York state that comes alive each summer with a unique mix of fine and performing arts, lectures, interfaith worship and programs, and recreational activities. As a community, we celebrate, encourage and study the arts and treat them as integral to all of learning, and we convene the critical conversations of the day to advance understanding through civil dialogue. CHQ Assembly is the online expression of Chautauqua Institution's mission.