University Chamber Music Series
Share the joy of music in the beautiful Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center.
2026-27 season coming soon!
7:30 p.m. | Founders Recital Hall
Andrew Schaeffer began organ study with David Christiansen when he was 11 years old. He received a Bachelor of Arts in church music from St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, where he was a pupil of John Ferguson. He also holds a Master of Music from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, where he studied with organ performance with Thomas Murray and improvisation with Jeffrey Brillhart. He is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the University of Oklahoma, where he studies organ with John Schwandt and choral conducting with Richard Zielinski. His dissertation, “The Scottish Rite Pipe Organ in the United States from 1900-1930,” will examine the role of the pipe organ in American freemasonry in the context of the pipe organ boom of the early 20th century.
Schaeffer was director of music and organist at the 2,700-member First United Methodist Church of Edmond, Oklahoma (2014-2018). In January 2018, he was also appointed editor-at-large of The Diapason. In this position, he assists with editing, proofreading, writing and digital media for this important organ journal.
In December 2018, Schaeffer was appointed director of music and organist at Luther Memorial Church in Madison, Wisconsin. He also participates in the Just Bach Madison concert series.
2:30 p.m. | Founders Recital Hall
Michael Yeung is a versatile percussion artist celebrated worldwide for his dynamic performances spanning solo recitals, chamber music and orchestral engagements. From the stages of the United States to Europe to Asia, Yeung's career showcases an extensive repertoire from Baroque classics to contemporary masterpieces. As a member of the renowned Percussion Collective, he premiered Alejandro Viñao’s “Poems and Prayers,” sharing stages with today’s top percussionists. Trained under percussion luminary Robert van Sice at Yale School of Music, Yeung is the second percussionist ever selected for the prestigious Artist Diploma program. Passionate about education, he nurtures young talent in Hong Kong and curates innovative percussion productions, including collaborations with TEDx and Emmy Award-winning composer Garth Neustadter’s “Seaborne,” celebrating our oceans through multimedia concerts.
7:30 p.m. | Founders Recital Hall
Take your preconceived notions of "noise" and toss them out the window. Equal parts “fiendishly good and fiendishly goofy” (Chicago Tribune), ~Nois is a Chicago-based saxophone quartet dedicated to connecting with audiences through the creation of new work. Since its founding in 2016, “~Nois continues to legitimize the saxophone quartet as a premier ensemble formation for classical music” (Brutal New Music) through commissioning repertoire that is thought-provoking, engaging and honestly just really good, by some of today's most inspiring compositional voices. Hailed as “technically superb and musically brilliant” (Cleveland Classical) and renowned for their “supremely sensitive balance and control” (Chicago Classical Review), the ensemble has also been awarded top prizes at numerous prestigious chamber music competitions including the M-Prize International Arts Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
2:30 p.m. | Founders Recital Hall
Chelsea Guo stands out as a remarkable new musical artist, equally inspired as both a classical pianist and a soprano.
“Here is a rare talent,” exclaimed BBC Music Magazine upon the 2021 release of Guo’s debut recording, "Chopin in My Voice," featuring interpretations of a range of Chopin’s piano compositions augmented by performances of several of the composer’s songs, plus an aria by Rossini in which Guo accompanies herself. Leading the ensuing raves, Gramophone Magazine included the CD among its essential new albums.
Guo won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 2022 as both pianist and vocalist — the double award a first in YCA history. That same year, she was named one of British radio station Classic FM’s “Rising Stars: 30 Brilliant Musicians We’re Celebrating in 2022.”
Guo’s career is flowering internationally, including her participation in such prominent music festivals as Germany’s Moritzburg Festival, Italy’s Fazioli Piano Festival and Spain’s Sociedad Filarmónica de A Coruña, alongside performances at New York’s Carnegie Hall and London’s Wigmore Hall. Highlights of 2023 include recital debuts in Chicago and Boston, an engagement with San Diego’s Mainly Mozart Festival as both piano soloist and soprano, and concerts in Singapore and Malaysia.
