By Coral Gables Gazette staff
South Florida Symphony Orchestra brings its Summer with the Symphony chamber music series to a close this week with Sweet Serenade, a program pairing Ernő Dohnányi’s Serenade for String Trio with Antonín Dvořák’s Piano Quartet No. 2, Op. 87.
The Coral Gables performance takes place Thursday, July 23, at 7:30 p.m. at Sanctuary of the Arts. A post-concert reception with the musicians is included with tickets.
A trio and a quartet to close the season
The evening opens with Dohnányi’s Serenade for String Trio, a compact work for violin, viola and cello that balances elegance, warmth and rhythmic lift. Written early in the Hungarian composer’s career, the piece has remained a fixture of the string-trio repertoire because it gives each instrument room to speak without losing the intimacy of chamber music.
Dvořák’s Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 87 brings the program to a broader, more expansive close. Written later in the Czech composer’s career, the quartet is known for its melodic richness, folk-inflected energy and sweeping piano-and-strings conversation.
Together, the two works give the finale a natural arc: from the concentrated intimacy of three strings to the fuller sound of piano quartet.
The musicians behind the program
Thursday’s performance features Huifang Chen on violin, Brando Wu on viola, Claudio Jaffe on cello and Catherine Lan on piano. Lan also curates the chamber series.
The combination gives the evening the character of a true chamber program rather than a reduced symphonic concert. With only three or four musicians on stage at a time, the focus shifts to balance, phrasing and musical exchange — the qualities that make chamber music especially suited to smaller rooms.
A chamber series built for close listening
Summer with the Symphony is South Florida Symphony Orchestra’s chamber-music series, an offshoot of the larger symphonic season led by Music Director Sebrina María Alfonso.
This summer’s series has moved through intimate programs in Coral Gables and Fort Lauderdale, offering audiences a smaller-scale counterpart to the orchestra’s mainstage performances. The July program, subtitled Sweet Serenade, is designed as the season’s closing concert.
“We’re delighted to keep the music flowing year-round through our Summer with the Symphony chamber series, which allows listeners to experience the beauty of classical music in an up-close and personal way,” said Jacqueline Lorber, president and CEO of South Florida Symphony Orchestra.
A finale at Sanctuary of the Arts
Thursday’s concert also continues Sanctuary of the Arts’ growing role as a Coral Gables venue for classical music, dance and literary programming.
The arts campus, housed within the former First Church of Christ Scientist property, includes a 314-seat concert hall, studios, classrooms and offices. Since its official grand opening in April 2022, Sanctuary of the Arts has presented more than 60 performances across music, dance and literature.
For a chamber program built around close, unamplified sound, the room’s scale gives the season finale the intimacy the format depends on.
What to know
Sweet Serenade begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 23, at Sanctuary of the Arts, 410 Andalusia Ave., Coral Gables.
General admission tickets are $40. Student tickets are $20 with valid student ID. A post-concert reception with the musicians is included.
Tickets are available through South Florida Symphony Orchestra at southfloridasymphony.org or by calling 954-522-8445.
