Lyrica Chamber Music offers a special Mother's Day concert

What better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than with the sound of music.

Lyrica Chamber Music has you covered with a concert for mothers featuring Mozart, Florence Price, and Armenian composer Arno Babajanian, all of it capped off by scrumptious pastries from Chatham’s Fleur de Sel (fleurdeselchathamnj.com).

This concert was originally scheduled for Feb. 22, but had to be postponed because of the major snow storm that occurred that day.

Lyrica will explore the piano trio form, bringing together pianist Min Young Kang, violinist Isabelle Ai Durrenberger, and Lyrica co-artistic director Ani Kalayjian at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 10, at the Presbyterian Church of Chatham Township, 240 Southern Blvd.

Lyrica concerts are presented with the support of Morris Arts which seeks to build community through the arts.

The piano trio had its nascent beginnings with the works of C.P.E. Bach and Haydn.But it was Mozart who saw that the piano trio could be much more than a work for piano with string accompaniment.

That will be on full display in a Lyrica performance of Mozart’s Piano Trio in G major, K. 564.

“Mozart brings a heightened level of virtuosity and balance to the piano trio - the violin is offered a more conversational and melodic role than in Haydn's works,” said Durenberger.“While the cello is still often providing bass line texture, both strings are offering more than agreeable commentary on the piano part and serve to heighten the musical plot!”

Sunday’s concert will give a sort of bird’s eye-view of the piano trio.Besides Mozart’s trio from 1788, the program will include Lili Boulanger’s Piano Trio “Matin du Printemps” of 1917-18, a work that lives in the world of Impressionism, and Armenian composer Arno Babajanian’s piano trio from 1952.

Babajanian, who may be unfamiliar to many, was born in 1921. By the age of 5 he was already displaying his musical talent, catching the ear of composer Aram Khachaturian.The piano trio is one of his most acclaimed works and displays his love of Armenian folk music.

Kang and Durrenberger will join forces for “Elfentanz,” a work by African-American composer Florence Price, whose music is currently undergoing a renaissance.

Durrenberger and Kalayjian have collaborated previously.

“We met in spring of 2025 and had a fun time playing piano quartets together and getting to know each other outside of rehearsal,” Durrenberger said.

Durrenberger is praised for her imaginative, striking performances and her ability to communicate with sincere artistry.Currently based in New York City, Durrenberger was recently appointed first violinist of the renowned Aeolus Quartet and was a 2023-25 fellow of Carnegie Hall’s renowned Ensemble Connect program.

She also enjoys exploring music through teaching. She has a private violin studio in New York City and serves on the violin faculty at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School in Boston where she teaches violin and coaches chamber music.

Durrenberger was mentored from an early age by renowned violinist Jaime Laredo.

“I began studying with Jaime Laredo when I was 13 years old, and I can say without a doubt that he helped me become both the violinist and human I am today,” Durrenberger said.“He led by example: dedicated, hardworking, discerning, relentlessly curious, and incredibly generous.His sound and musical commitment will always inspire me!”

Kang, a Korean-born pianist and artistic curator, has earned acclaim for both her captivating stage presence and innovative concert experiences alike. Dubbed “an absolute gem” by the Montecito Journal, her performances span the United States, France, and South Korea, gracing renowned venues such as Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Château de Fontainebleau, the Sejong Center M Theater, and the Astral Concert Series. Her 2021 debut album, “Remembering Russia,” featured her electric collaboration with Spanish violist Jesús Rodolfo on the prestigious Pentatone label.

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “representing the young, up-and-coming generation,” and a “superb cellist with a large, expressive, singing tone, passionate musicianship, and magnificent playing” by the Journal Tribune, Armenian-American cellist Ani Kalayjian enjoys a prolific career as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and educator that has taken her to Japan, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, and throughout Europe and the United States.

Tickets for Lyrica concerts are $35 ($30 for seniors),and students and children are admitted free.For more information about Lyrica Chamber Music, visit www.lyricachambermusic.com or call 973-309-1668.