The 2025 Fresno State Violin and Viola Festival will take place March 21 to 22, at the Fresno State School of Music, featuring the world renowned guest artists, violinist Cho-Liang Lin and violist Hartmut Rohde, as well as Nicholaus Yee and Erin Adams. The festival will include master classes by the guest artists, a violin and viola ensemble, and two wonderful concerts on Friday and Saturday evenings.

On Friday, the guest artists will join faculty members, Dr. Limor Toren-Immerman, Dr. Thomas Loewenheim and Dr. Peter Klimo, for an evening of some of the most beautiful chamber music for strings and piano: Dvořák’s Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major Op. 81 and Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Concert Hall.

On Saturday, the guest artists will join the Fresno State Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Loewenheim, for a performance of Hummel’s Fantasie for Viola and Orchestra, Bruch’s Romanze for viola and orchestra and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. The concert will also feature the Violin and Viola Festival Ensemble, as well as the world premiere of Eric Zeisl’s ballet Uranium 235, which was written in 1945 but has never been performed before. Zeisl’s music was written just a few months after the release of the atom bomb and is one of the first pieces ever written which was affected by the events of the time. For this special concert Dr. Lori Clune, from the Department of History, and Dr. Hanayo Oya, from the Department of Media, Communications and Journalism, will present a talk related to the period when Uranium 235 was written. The concerts will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Concert Hall. The pre-concert lecture will start at 6:45 p.m. in the band room, adjacent to the Concert Hall.

The Fresno State Violin and Viola Festival is offered to all interested violinists and violists. Classes are open to the public.

Date: Friday and Saturday, March 21-and 22
Time: 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Location: Fresno State Concert Hall

Tickets are available online or at the door.