Homage to Great Artists
November 21, 2026
CMSFW Ensemble
Experience the unique, explosive dynamic of the powerful grand piano versus the tight-knit expressive string quartet in these modern piano quintets, featuring Baya Kakouberi, piano; Gary Levinson, violin; Aleksandr Snytkin, violin; D.J. Cheek, viola; and Edward Arron, cello.
Program includes:
Pierre Jalbert — Piano Quintet
Dmitri Shostakovich — Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 57
Artists or program may be subject to change.
Pre-Concert Conversation 1:15 p.m.
Concert 2:00 p.m.
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
The Artists
Piano
Baya Kakouberi
Dr. Daredjan Baya Kakouberi, pianist, was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, and made her debut at the age of 11. After graduating from Tbilisi Special School of Music for the Talented and Gifted, she entered the Moscow Conservatory, where she continued her studies on the master’s and doctoral levels under the tutelage of Tchaikovsky Competition Gold Medalist, Vladimir Krainev.
Dr. Kakouberi collaborated with violinist Gary Levinson in 2009 to record the complete sonatas for piano and violin by Beethoven. The four CD set was released in 2012.
She has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in Moscow, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Italy, and the United States. Other engagements have included international festivals and competitions. She made her chamber music debut in 2002 at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York.
In an unprecedented project in 2009, Dr. Kakouberi recorded the three books of the Russian Piano Technique — based on the teachings of Moscow Conservatory conductor and professor Leonid Nikolaev — to be used in practice and performance techniques for students of all levels.
She received in 2010 the coveted International Ambassador for Cultural Exchange Award by the Russian Winter Festival at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The award recognizes outstanding achievement in performing and teaching disciplines domestically and abroad.
Business Leader magazine selected Dr. Kakouberi for the 2012 Woman Extraordinaire award for demonstrating significant business achievement and community involvement.
Noted as an outstanding chamber music artist, Dr. Kakouberi is the artistic director of the Blue Candlelight Music Series in Dallas, where she enjoys collaborations with internationally renowned artists.
Photo by Julia Potter
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
Aleksandr Snytkin
Lithuanian-American Aleksandr Snytkin is a violinist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He frequently performs in various chamber music groups and is a member of the PLUS string quartet.
Critics have praised him as “an emerging virtuoso with delicate touch and a sense of intimacy, technical and artistic maturity.”
He was born in 1977 in Potsdam, Germany, and began studying violin at age 7. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Lithuanian Music Academy and Malmo Music Academy in Sweden. Mr. Snytkin came to the United States in 2001 to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Kansas and later continued his education at the Southern Methodist University Artist Certificate program in Dallas.
He has been soloist with several chamber orchestras in his native country, as well as being an active chamber musician at festivals and in competitions in across the globe. As a result of his winning the Hellam Young Artists Competition, he made his American orchestral solo debut with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in Missouri.
He is a founding member of the ART Piano Trio in Lithuania and the Emerald Piano Trio in Dallas. Mr. Snytkin is a member of “I Palpiti” International Chamber Orchestra, former member of Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, and served as guest concertmaster in the Irving and Plano Symphony Orchestras, as well as assistant concertmaster in the Bergen Philharmonic in Norway.
Photo courtesy of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Viola
D.J. Cheek
D.J. Cheek joined the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra as principal viola in 2021 and made his solo debut with the orchestra in 2023. He also performs with the Music for Food chapter in Fort Worth.
He plays principal viola at the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, and he teaches at the Texas Chamber Music Institute and the Interlochen Adult Chamber Music Camp. He previously taught viola and chamber music at the University of North Florida and the National Music Festival.
Before settling in North Texas, Mr. Cheek played principal viola in the Jacksonville Symphony. In recent years he appeared as guest principal with the Indianapolis Symphony and IRIS Orchestra in Tennessee, and as a substitute with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra.
He has appeared at festivals such as Music@Menlo, the Perlman Music Program, Lucerne, Sarasota, Olympic, and Yellow Barn. He earned a master’s degree at the New England Conservatory and a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College-Conservatory.
Photo courtesy of Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Cello
Edward Arron
Cellist Edward Arron has garnered recognition worldwide for his elegant musicianship, impassioned performances, and creative programming. He is the co-artistic director with his wife, pianist Jeewon Park, of the Performing Artists in Residence series at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He is the former the artistic director of the acclaimed Musical Masterworks concert series in Old Lyme, Connecticut.
Mr. Arron has appeared in recitals, as a soloist with major orchestras, and as a chamber musician, throughout North America, Europe and Asia. He tours and records as a member of the Ehnes String Quartet and is a regular performer with numerous chamber ensembles and at chamber festivals.
He has participated in Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project, as well as Isaac Stern’s Jerusalem Chamber Music Encounters. Mr. Arron’s performances are frequently broadcast on American Public Media’s Performance Today.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Arron began playing the cello at age 7 in Cincinnati, continued his studies in New York, and is a graduate of The Juilliard School. He made his New York recital debut in 2000 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In 2016, he joined the faculty at University of Massachusetts Amherst after serving since 2009 on the faculty of New York University.
