Honors Chamber Recital: Featuring the Pondrom Honors Piano Quartet & Lalita Honors Woodwind Quintet

Honors Chamber Recital

Featuring the Pondrom Honors Piano Quartet & Lalita Honors Woodwind Quintet

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 · 7:00 PM
WYSO Center for Music
1118 East Washington Ave, Madison, WI

Event Overview

Experience chamber music at its most refined and intimate as the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras’ top student ensembles take the stage for the Honors Chamber Recital.

This special evening showcases two of WYSO’s premier honors groups—the Pondrom Honors Piano Quartet and the Lalita Honors Woodwind Quintet—performing a dynamic program spanning Classical, Romantic, and 20th-century repertoire. Guided by distinguished coaches with deep ties to Madison’s professional music community, these young artists bring nuance, precision, and expressive depth to every performance.

About the Ensembles

Pondrom Honors Piano Quartet
Coached by Karl Lavine, Principal Cello of both the Madison Symphony Orchestra and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, this quartet explores the rich textures and dramatic interplay of piano quartet repertoire.

Lalita Honors Woodwind Quintet
Under the direction of Marc Fink, Emeritus Professor of Music at UW–Madison and former principal oboist of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, this ensemble delivers vibrant, colorful performances of cornerstone woodwind works.

Program Highlights

Audiences will hear a wide-ranging program including works by:

• Ludwig van Beethoven
• Robert Schumann
• Paul Hindemith
• Anton Reicha
• Ferenc Farkas

From the lyrical intensity of Schumann to the playful character of Hindemith and the folk-inspired rhythms of Farkas, the program offers a compelling journey through the chamber music canon.

Why This Concert Matters

The Honors Chamber Recital represents the pinnacle of WYSO’s chamber music program, where collaboration, independence, and artistic ownership come together.

These musicians rehearse in small ensembles without a conductor, developing the listening skills, leadership, and musical sensitivity that define great chamber playing. The result is music-making that is immediate, personal, and deeply engaging.

Support the Program

WYSO is grateful to the generous donors and sponsors who make the Chamber Music Program — and performances like this — possible. Your support helps sustain meaningful artistic opportunities for young musicians across our community.

Join Us

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear the next generation of exceptional musicians in an intimate concert setting.

Support & Sponsors

WYSO is deeply grateful to the generous donors who make the Chamber Music Program—and performances like this—possible.

Chamber Music Program Donors:
Cyrena and Lee Pondrom
Deepika Rajesh and Rajesh Rajaraman
Coe and Paul Williams
Mary Gerbig and William Houlihan
Michelle Gleeson and Ron Guiao & Mateo Guiao
Martha and Chuck Casey
Barbara Merz

Ensemble Sponsors:
Brass Choirs: Coe and Paul Williams
Flute Choir: Mary Gerbig and William Houlihan

Honors Ensemble Sponsors:
Pondrom Honors Piano Quartet: Cyrena and Lee Pondrom
Lalita Honors Woodwind Quintet: Deepika Rajesh and Rajesh Rajaraman

Your support sustains meaningful artistic opportunities for young musicians across our community—and brings performances like this to life.