Photo by Lisa Marie Mazzucco
Subtle Connections Across The World
January 10, 2026
CMSFW Ensemble
Orion Weiss, piano; Gary Levinson, violin; Jennifer Betz, violin; Molly Baer, violin; Michael Klotz, viola; Allan Steele, cello
Program includes:
Antonín Dvořák – Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 87
Ernest Chausson – Concerto in D for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet, Op. 21
*Artists or program may be subject to change.
2:00 p.m. at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Photo courtesy of Michael Klotz
Michael Klotz
The Artists
Piano
Orion Weiss
One of the most sought-after soloists and chamber music collaborators of his generation, Orion Weiss is widely regarded as a “brilliant pianist” (The New York Times) with “powerful technique and exceptional insight” (The Washington Post).
With a warmth to his playing that outwardly reflects his engaging personality, he has dazzled audiences around the world.
Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco
Violin
Gary Levinson
Gary Levinson is the senior principal associate concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the artistic director of the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth. Born in St. Petersburg, he began studying the violin at the age of 5 at the Leningrad Special Music School.
He and his family immigrated to the United States in 1977, and he began winning top prizes at international competitions. Known for his Bel Canto playing style and adroit technique, Mr. Levinson made his New York Philharmonic solo debut in 1991, coinciding with the completion of his master’s degree at The Julliard School.
Much sought-after as a chamber musician, he has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, Lynn Harrell, and Eugenia Zuckerman. He has recorded several CDs, including a bass and violin duo – performed with his father, renowned double bassist Eugene Levinson – written for and dedicated to the father-and-son team.
Gary Levinson travels and performs year round all over the globe, including to summer music festivals. He also mentors young musicians through the CMSFW2 emerging artist program.
Photo by AJK Images
Violin
Jennifer Betz
Jennifer Betz is a member of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Sedici Strings quartet.
She is from San Jose, California, and has played violin since the age of seven. She received her bachelor of music from Northwestern University in 2008.
Ms. Betz was a member of the Peninsula Music Festival from 2008 to 2018. She has also played with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida.
In addition to playing violin, she enjoys running, reading, and traveling.
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Betz
Violin
Molly Baer
Molly Baer joined the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in 2012.
Ms. Baer has participated in frequent chamber music performances with local ensembles and festivals. She has performed with Sedici Strings, a string quartet made up of colleagues in the Fort Worth Symphony, as well as Spectrum Chamber Music Society, Hall Ensemble, the Basically Beethoven Festival, and Opus Nova. She also teaches a private studio of violin students and has enjoyed coaching young chamber musicians for the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra.
Ms. Baer was a violin fellow at the New World Symphony in Miami Beach. She graduated from the New England Conservatory in Boston and received her master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Music.
Photo courtesy of Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Viola
Michael Klotz
Michael Klotz has established an international reputation as a performer and pedagogue of the viola. He has toured around the world and recorded commercially with the Amernet String Quartet.
Passionately dedicated to chamber music, he regularly performs with many of today’s most esteemed artists and many principal players from major U.S. and European orchestras. He made his solo debut with the Rochester Philharmonic at the age of 17 and has appeared worldwide as chamber musician, recitalist, orchestra principal and soloist with orchestra.
After a performance of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 with violist Roberto Diaz, the Portland Press-Herald proclaimed, “This concert squelched all viola jokes, now and forever, due to the talents of Diaz and Klotz.”
In 2015, Mr. Klotz was named a charter member of the Ensemble with the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth and regularly appears on this series.
Photo by So-Min Kang Photography
Cello
Allan Steele
Allan Steele, principal cellist with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, is a performer, composer, and teacher. He has premiered several works in chamber or orchestral settings by composers such as Mark Antony Turnage and Stephen Cohn, as well as performing the world premiere of Henri Lazarof’s Fifth Cello Concerto.
He frequently collaborates with the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth and the Olmos Ensemble of San Antonio, and he maintains an active string quartet with FWSO colleagues known as Sedici Strings.
Mr. Steele enjoys teaching and has held positions at Texas Christian University, University of North Texas, and Eastern Music Festival. He is always open to offering private lessons to students. He spends his free time designing video games and composing music.
Born in Chicago, Mr. Steele began studying cello at four years old. He attended the Music Institute of Chicago and performed for many years with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. He earned his bachelor of music at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles. Mr. Steele was a founding member of the classical music group MC2.
Photo courtesy of Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
