Music at the Institute

Join us for the first concert of 2026 in the 37th season of our Music at the Institute (MATI) chamber music series.

This evening introduces a slightly more relaxed concert format, while preserving the musical integrity and chamber music intimacy that define MATI. Guests are invited to enjoy a glass of wine upon arrival, settle into the music in the Concert Hall, and remain afterward for a reception with the artists. The goal is simple: to encourage attentive listening, conversation, and a deeper sense of connection—between performers, repertoire, and audience.

Advance registration is requested.

$40 General Admission
$30 UIA Annual Friends, Students, Seniors
$20 UIA Members

Program

Myroslav Skoryk
Fantasy on the Ukrainian Folk Song “Moon in the Sky” (“Misiats’ na Nebi”), for clarinet and piano

Serhiy Bortkevych
Prelude, Op. 33, No. 6, for solo piano
Romance and Valse, Op. 25, for piano and cello

Francis Poulenc
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, FP 184

Anatoliy Kos-Anatolskyi
Romance

Walter Rabl
Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 1, for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano

Performed by

Joachim Müller-Crépon, cello
Chad Burrow, clarinet
Solomiya Ivakhiv, violin
Amy I-Lin Cheng, piano
Alexander Burrow, piano

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

Swiss cellist Joachim Müller-Crépon studied in Zurich, South Africa, and Basel, earning his soloist diploma with distinction from the Basel Academy of Music. He has served as principal cellist of the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra in Lucerne since 2014 and joined the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra in 2022. In 2025, he was appointed principal cellist of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra in Amsterdam. An active international soloist and chamber musician, Müller-Crépon has performed throughout Europe, China, South America, and South Africa, and is co-founder and artistic director of the Zunftkonzerte Zürich concert series.

Clarinetist Chad Burrow enjoys a multifaceted career as a soloist, orchestral and chamber musician, and educator. A member of the University of Michigan faculty since 2009, he currently serves as Professor of Music in clarinet. He performs regularly as principal clarinetist with the Ann Arbor Symphony and The New American Sinfonietta at the Hamptons Festival of Music, and is clarinetist and co-artistic director of the Oklahoma Brightmusic Chamber Music Society. His international performance career includes appearances across Europe and Asia, as well as at major venues and festivals such as Alice Tully Hall, Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, Chamber Music Northwest, and Denmark’s Thy Chamber Music Festival. An active recording artist and clinician, Burrow also holds a Master of Divinity degree and is an ordained pastor.

Ukrainian-born violinist Solomiya Ivakhiv is an acclaimed soloist and chamber musician who has appeared at leading international venues including Carnegie Hall, the Curtis Institute, the Concertgebouw Mirror Hall, and CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio. She has performed concertos with orchestras in Ukraine, Europe, China, and the United States, and is widely recognized for her advocacy of Ukrainian and contemporary repertoire. Her recordings on NAXOS, Centaur, and Brilliant Classics have received international acclaim and topped classical charts. Dr. Ivakhiv is Head of Strings and Professor of Violin and Viola at the University of Connecticut, teaches at the Longy School of Music of Bard College, and serves as Artistic Director of MATI. She was recently named a Merited Artist of Ukraine.

Born in Taiwan, pianist Amy I-Lin Cheng is recognized for her expressive musicianship and her deep commitment to teaching and chamber music collaboration. She has presented masterclasses throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia, and her students have earned top prizes in national competitions and advanced to leading graduate programs and professional careers. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Yale School of Music, and the New England Conservatory, Cheng has held teaching positions at Oklahoma State University and Oklahoma City University. Since 2012, she has been a member of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, where she serves as Assistant Professor of Music, Piano Chamber Music Coordinator, and an influential mentor to young artists.

Seventeen-year-old pianist Alexander Burrow is a senior at Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Introduced to music at an early age, he began focused piano studies at fourteen and has since distinguished himself in numerous competitions, including top prizes at the Ravel 150th Festival Piano Competition, the Steinway Junior Piano Competition, and the Tuesday Musicale of Detroit Student League Competition. He has appeared in recital at venues ranging from regional concert halls to Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and will perform with the Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic Orchestra as part of a recent concerto competition award. In addition to classical performance, Alexander is active in music production and is the founder of pianoworlddaily, an online platform dedicated to sharing piano music with a broad audience.

ABOUT MUSIC AT THE INSTITUTE (MATI)

In its 37th season, MATI presents world-class musicians from Ukraine, Europe and the US, performing in the intimate setting of the concert hall in the Ukrainian Institute of America’s historic, landmark building. Currently under the leadership of Artistic Director, violinist Solomiya Ivakhiv, the MATI series offers audiences a thoughtfully curated selection introducing both established and lesser-known works by Ukrainian composers alongside beloved chamber music repertoire. Throughout its history, MATI has commissioned new compositions by emerging and recognized Ukrainian composers, celebrating and commemorating significant milestones in Ukrainian history and in the history of the Institute itself.