Ever wished you could hear a masterpiece the way the musicians do? In his celebrated What Makes It Great?® series, heard for more than a decade on NPR’s Performance Today, composer and conductor Rob Kapilow takes audiences inside a single great work. This evening it’s Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 69.

In the first half, Rob unpacks the sonata phrase by phrase with live musical examples from cellist Zuill Bailey and pianist Robert Koenig—showing how Beethoven built it, why it works, and what to listen for. After intermission, Zuill and Bob perform the complete sonata, and you’ll hear it with new ears. No musical background needed—just come curious.

Tickets on sale soon.

Program
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827): Sonata No. 3 for Cello and Piano in A major, Op. 69
Presented in honor of the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death (1827–2027).

Rob Kapilow, host
Zuill Bailey, cello
Robert Koenig, piano

For over 30 years, Rob Kapilow has brought the joy and wonder of music—and unraveled some of its mysteries—to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Known for his unique ability to create an “aha” moment for audiences and collaborators, whatever their level of musical sophistication or naïveté, Kapilow brings music into people’s lives, opening new ears to musical experiences and helping people listen actively rather than simply hear.

Kapilow’s remarkably broad career encompasses his acclaimed What Makes It Great?® presentations, original compositions, conducting, books, media appearances, Family Musik® events, Citypieces, educational initiatives, corporate programs, and long-term residencies. His work has taken him from major concert halls and universities to Native American tribal communities in Montana and inner-city high schools in Louisiana, and to audiences in Kyoto, Istanbul, and Kuala Lumpur. He has worked with listeners ranging from young children encountering music for the first time to professional musicians and musicologists at leading universities.

In the 2026/27 season, Kapilow returns to the Celebrity Series of Boston, Stanford Live, the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, and Music Toronto. His What Makes It Great? programs span an equally broad musical landscape, including Anything but Standard: The Music of Ella Fitzgerald & Oscar Peterson; Summer of Love: The Music of Janis Joplin & Jimi Hendrix; Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto; Schubert’s Death and the Maiden; the music of Lerner and Loewe; and new programs exploring the music of Count Basie and James Taylor.

As a composer, Kapilow has created works ranging from large-scale choral and orchestral compositions to music written especially for families. His We Came to America, based on intergenerational immigrant stories, received its world premiere in January 2024 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in collaboration with the Thurnauer School of Music and the New Jersey Symphony. He was the first composer granted the rights to set the words of Dr. Seuss to music, and his Green Eggs and Ham has become one of his most popular works. His Family Musik® compositions also include settings of Chris Van Allsburg’s The Polar Express and Dr. Seuss’s Gertrude McFuzz. His work inspired by Louise Bourgeois’ monumental spider sculpture Maman was commissioned for the 25th anniversary of Ottawa Chamberfest and premiered in 2019.

Kapilow is also an award-winning author of three books. All You Have to Do Is Listen, published by Wiley/Lincoln Center, received the PROSE Award for Best Book in Music and the Performing Arts. What Makes It Great?, also published by Wiley/Lincoln Center, was among the first music books designed specifically for the iPad with embedded musical examples. His most recent book, Listening for America: Inside the Great American Songbook from Gershwin to Sondheim, published by Norton/Liveright, received wide critical acclaim and was a finalist for the Marfield Prize. He is currently researching and writing two new books for Norton/Liveright, the first devoted to the music of the Woodstock generation.

Kapilow’s work as a musical communicator has also reached national audiences through television and radio. He has appeared on NBC’s Today; presented a special What Makes It Great?® for PBS’s Live From Lincoln Center; and was the subject of the full-length PBS documentary Summer Sun, Winter Moon, which chronicled his work as a composer. His What Makes It Great? radio series was heard for more than a decade on NPR’s Performance Today.

As a conductor, Kapilow has led many of North America’s major orchestras and conducted new works of musical theater ranging from the Tony Award-winning Nine on Broadway to the premiere of Frida for the opening of the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival, as well as premieres for the American Repertory Theater. His early honors include first prize in the Fontainebleau Casadesus Piano Competition and second prize in the Antal Dorati Conducting Competition with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He has also received an Exxon Meet-the-Composer grant and numerous ASCAP awards.

At 19, Kapilow interrupted his studies at Yale University to study with the legendary Nadia Boulanger. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Yale, he continued his studies at the Eastman School of Music before returning to Yale, where he served for six years as an assistant professor and conductor of the Yale Symphony Orchestra.

Kapilow lives in Montvale, New Jersey, and is a Sensei and fourth-degree black belt in Shorin-Ryu karate.

Photo of Rob Kapilow by Peter Schaaf.

Rob Kapilow. Photo: Peter Schaaf

Zuill Bailey, widely considered one of the premiere cellists in the world, is a Grammy Award winning, internationally renowned soloist, recitalist, Artistic Director and teacher. His rare combination of celebrated artistry, technical wizardry and engaging personality has made him one of the most sought after and active cellists today.

Mr. Bailey has been featured with symphony orchestras and music festivals worldwide. He won the Best Solo Performance Grammy Award in 2017, for his recording of Michael Daugherty’s “Tales of Hemingway,” with the Nashville Symphony led by Giancarlo Guerrero. His extensive discography includes his newest release – the world premier recording of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Cello Concerto with the Santa Rosa Symphony. In 2021 he released his second recording of the Bach Cello Suites for PS Audio’s Octave Records label, recorded and mixed in stereo and multichannel sound.

He appeared in a recurring role on the HBO series “Oz,” and has been heard on NPR’s “Morning Edition,” “Tiny Desk Concert,” “Performance Today,” “Saint Paul Sunday,” BBC’s “In Tune,” XM Radio’s “Live from Studio II,” Sirius Satellite Radio’s “Virtuoso Voices,” and his latest disc of Bach Suites was the disc of the week on Sirius’ Symphony Hall.

Mr. Bailey received his Bachelor’s Degree from the Peabody Conservatory where he was named the 2014 Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Alumni, and received a Master’s Degree from the Juilliard School. He performs on the “rosette” 1693 Matteo Gofriller Cello formerly owned by Mischa Schneider of the Budapest String Quartet.

He is the Artistic Director of El Paso Pro-Musica (Texas), the Sitka Summer Music Festival/Series and Cello Seminar, (Alaska), Juneau Jazz and Classics, (Alaska), the Northwest Bach Festival (Washington), Classical Inside Out Series- Mesa Arts Center (Arizona) and is Director of the Center for Arts Entrepreneurship and Professor of Cello at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Now in his fourth decade as a much sought-after performing artist, Canadian pianist Robert Koenig has performed throughout the world to great acclaim as a collaborative pianist and chamber musician. His partnerships with many of today’s leading classical artists have seen him grace many of the world’s most important stages including New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Washington’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Boston’s Jordan Hall, San Francisco’s Herbst Theater, Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, Vancouver’s Chan Center, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Taiwan’s National Theater, Hong Kong’s City Hall, London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Paris’ Louvre Museum, Brussels’ BOZAR, and Amsterdam’s Het Concertgebouw.

These frequent recital appearances have seen him collaborating with many of this generation’s most renowned musicians, including Augustin Hadelich, Sarah Chang, Hilary Hahn, Pamela Frank, Ida Kavafian, Kyoko Takezawa, Esther Yoo, Paul Huang, Roberto Diaz, Jonathan Moerschel, Zuill Bailey, Sara Sant’Ambrogio, Jennifer Kloetzel, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Miro String Quartet, St. Lawrence String Quartet, and members of the Tokyo and Juilliard String Quartets. Of significance is Koenig’s frequent partnership with legendary late violinist Aaron Rosand, as well as his 30-year collaboration with renowned violinist Elmar Oliveira.

These collaborations have led to hugely successful recital tours throughout the world and a substantial recorded discography on the Artek and Biddulph record labels. Additional recording activity includes a GRAMMY nominated CD for Naxos of William Primrose Transcriptions for Viola and Piano with violist Roberto Diaz as well as recordings for Decca, Cedille, Eroica, Ambassador, Avie, Centaur, and CRI.

A favorite at summer festivals, Koenig has performed at such prestigious festivals as Ravinia, Aspen, Saratoga, Chamber Music Northwest, Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Caramoor, Banff, Interlochen, Mostly Mozart, and Campos do Jordao Festival in Brazil. A strong advocate for new music, he commissioned American Composer Lowell Liebermann to write Piano Trio for flute, cello and piano, Op. 87 and gave the world premiere at the National Flute Association Convention in Nashville, TN.

A native of Saskatchewan, Canada, Koenig is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he studied with renowned collaborative pianist Dr. Vladimir Sokoloff. In addition to his decade long association with the Juilliard School where he served as staff pianist, he was formerly Professor of Piano and Chamber Music at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS. Koenig currently serves as Professor and Head of Collaborative Piano at the University of California Santa Barbara, where he was Chair of the Music Department from 2019-2022. Most recently, he was appointed Artistic Director of the prestigious Palm Springs International Piano Competition. His summers are spent at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp where he is Coordinator of Collaborative Piano.

About the Sitka Music Festival

The Sitka Music Festival (SMF) inspires audiences, sparks creativity, and strengthens community across Alaska through live chamber music performances, music education, and training by artists of the highest caliber.

For over 50 years, SMF has presented classical music at the highest artistic standards. Throughout its history, SMF musicians have shared their music with Alaskans who would otherwise not have access to live chamber music of the highest caliber and, in turn, Alaskans have shared their music, traditions, and ways of life with the visiting musicians. These shared experiences have taken SMF musicians to more than 40 Alaskan communities, many of which are small, remote villages off the road system. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, SMF remains dedicated to bringing exceptional music experiences to communities statewide.