World-Renowned Cellist

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Czech independence

with Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Semyon Bychkov, music director & chief conductor

The Czech Republic’s premier orchestra returns to D.C. for the first time under its new music director, Semyon Bychkov, for a signature program featuring Dvorák’s triumphant Seventh Symphony and a rarely heard work by the 20th-century composer Lubos Fiser. Cellist Alisa Weilerstein '04CC makes her first of two appearance for Washington Performing Arts this season with her “raptly passionate account” of the Dvorák Cello Concerto. Relish in an evening listening to this renowned orchestra as part of the Czech independence centenary celebration.

Seats: Rear Orchestra at Grant Tier (nominal price: $71 to $92)

A backstage Meet & Greet with Alisa is arranged during intermission for our Columbia University Patrons. Don't miss this opportunity to join the conversation.

“A young cellist whose emotionally resonant performances of both traditional and contemporary music have earned her international recognition, … Weilerstein is a consummate performer, combining technical precision with impassioned musicianship.” So stated the MacArthur Foundation when awarding Alisa Weilerstein a 2011 MacArthur “genius grant” Fellowship, prompting the New York Times to respond: “Any fellowship that recognizes the vibrancy of an idealistic musician like Ms. Weilerstein … deserves a salute from everyone in classical music.” In performances marked by intensity, sensitivity, and a wholehearted immersion in each of the works she interprets, the American cellist has long proven herself to be in possession of a distinctive musical voice.

Alisa Weilerstein's love for the cello began when she was just two-and-a-half after her grandmother assembled a makeshift set of instruments out of cereal boxes to entertain her when she was ill with the chicken pox. Alisa, who was born in 1982, was instantly drawn to the Rice Krispies box cello but soon grew frustrated that it didn't make a sound. After convincing her parents to buy her a real cello when she was four, she showed a natural affinity for the instrument and performed her first public concert six months later. Her Cleveland Orchestra debut was in October 1995, at age 13, playing the Tchaikovsky "Rococo" Variations. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with the New York Youth Symphony in March 1997. Ms. Weilerstein is a graduate of the Young Artist Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Richard Weiss. In May 2004, she graduated from Columbia University in New York with a degree in Russian History. In November 2008 Ms. Weilerstein, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was nine, became a Celebrity Advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Semyon Bychkov was born in St Petersburg in 1952. He immigrated to the United States in 1975 and has been based in Europe since the mid-1980s. In common with the Czech Philharmonic, Bychkov has one foot firmly in the cultures both of the East and the West. On 3 October 2018, Semyon Bychkov starts his tenure as Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic with a concert that celebrates 100 years of Czech Independence. During the course of the season, Bychkov and the Orchestra will celebrate the centenary with concerts in Prague, London, New York and Washington; embark on extensive tours of the US and Germany; and present concerts in Vienna, Bruges and Bratislava.