Thursday, Oct 30th 2025, 7:30pm PDT
Cellist Amit Peled & Pianist Noreen Polera
Thursday, Oct 30th 2025, 7:30pm
Resurrection Catholic Community Church, Aptos
Amit Peled and Noreen Polera perform
Robert Schumann’s “Reflections,”
Weinberg Sonata no. 2
Chopin’s Sonata for Cello and Piano
Amit Peled is recognized as one of today’s most exciting and virtuosic performers. Internationally acclaimed cellist, conductor, and pedagogue. In addition to his many live performances in notable venues, he has an extensive discography that includes more than twenty CD recordings, among them all the Bach suites using the legendary cello of Pablo Casals, on the Naxos, Centaur, Delos, and CTM Classics labels.
A distinguished professor of cello at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, he has also presented master classes and cello workshops all across the globe. Peled was named one of Musical America “30 Professionals of the Year” in 2015. As an advocate of music of our days, Mr. Peled has commissioned and premiered many works of living composers and will premiere a cello concerto by his former student and Grammy Nominee Andrea Casarrubios in the 2026/27 season.
Peled is the Founder and Artistic Director of the revolutionary Mount Vernon Virtuosi, an orchestra based in his hometown of Baltimore. Under his leadership, the ensemble has transformed Maryland’s classical music landscape through free concerts and educational initiatives serving underprivileged communities. As a centerpiece of his community engagement, Peled established the Music House in East Baltimore, where young musicians live free of charge and actively connect with the neighborhood through outreach and performance.
Pianist Noreen Polera ranks among the most highly regarded and diverse chamber artists performing today. Her career has taken her to every major American music center and abroad to Europe, Russia, and Asia. Recent performances include those at Alice Tully Hall, Zankel Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, 92nd Street Y, Jordan Hall, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Kennedy Center, and Salle Cortot. She appeared at the Caramoor, Bard, Grand Teton, and Cape Cod music festivals, and performed with the chamber music societies of Philadelphia and La Jolla. She has recorded for Sony, EMI, Audiophon, and Centaur Records. Ms. Polera has collaborated with leading soloists, including David Shifrin, Matt Haimovitz, Carter Brey, Antonio Meneses, Aurora-Natalie Ginastera, Yo-Yo Ma, and Leonard Rose. Winner of the accompanying prize at the VIII International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, she regularly collaborates with laureates of the Queen Elisabeth, Tchaikovsky, and Naumburg international competitions.