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Description
Chamber Music at CRS presents:
The Search for Humanity in Music: Bloch, Kodaly, Bartok and Beethoven
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Join us for an afternoon of chamber music that reaches into the soul of human experience. Featuring works by Bloch, Kodály, Bartók, and Beethoven, the program explores how composers have drawn from folk traditions, personal adversity, and cultural identity to reveal our shared humanity.
Bloch and Bartók, both immigrants to the U.S., believed the essence of humanity lived in the music of their ancestors. Beethoven’s Op. 59 No. 2—written during his encroaching deafness—expresses the full spectrum of emotion: longing, struggle, and triumph. Its third movement, a tribute to Count Razumovsky, weaves in Russian folk melodies, underscoring music’s power to connect us across time and place.
Discover the common threads that unite us through sound.
Program:
Musical Roots – The Search for Humanity in Music
Suite Modale for flute and string quintet - Ernest Bloch (1880-1959)
I. Moderato
II. L'istesso tempo
III. Allegro giocoso
IV. Adagio – Allegro deciso
Intermezzo for String Trio, Allegretto for string trio - Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967)
Romanian Dances - Béla Bartók (1881-1945)
I. Jocul cu Bâta
II. Brâul
III. Le Poc
IV. Buciumeana
V. Poargo Româneasca
VI. Maruntel
VII. Maruntel
Intermission
String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59, No. 2 - L. van Beethoven (1770-1827)
I. Allegro in E minor,
II. Molto adagio in E major,
III. Allegretto Maggiore – Theme
IV. Finale
Artists:
Susan Rotholz, flute
Eliot Bailen, cello
Michael Roth, violin
Doori Na, violin
Sarah Adams, viola
Daniel Bailen, double bass
Meet the Artists:
Daniel Bailen – double bass
Daniel Bailen is a bassist, guitarist, singer and award-winning songwriter born and raised in New York City. Daniel’s band, BAILEN, with his twin brother and sister, have toured internationally. Their debut record, Thrilled to Be Here, was released on Fantasy Records and produced by Grammy winning producer, John Congleton. Rolling Stone Magazine titled their review “BAILEN conjure CS&N, Fleetwood Mac and TLC on an impressive debut.” Their song “I Was Wrong” reached the top 10 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Chart and their album garnered praise from artists of all generations including James Taylor and David Crosby to Hozier, who took them as his opening act on his 2019 U.S tour. NPR voted their song “Something Tells Me” #5 on the Best Songs of 2019, and Spotify included it on their list of best alternative songs of the past decade.
BAILEN has also toured and worked with Amos Lee, Grace Potter, Joseph, Local Natives, The Lone Bellow, and X Ambassadors. They have performed their music on CBS this Morning, The Today Show, and Dermot O’Leary’s BBC Radio2 and BBC’s The One Show. They have also produced music for Hulu’s “Looking For Alaska” and FX’s “Son’s of Anarchy.”
Daniel has also performed extensively as an actor-musician. He has starred in the hit Off-Broadway show, What’s it All About; Bacharach Reimagined directed by Steven Hoggett at New York Theatre Workshop and The Menier Chocolate Factory in London. The show was renamed Close To You: Bacharach Reimagined when it transferred to London’s West End, which Daniel also starred in. He was featured on Upright Bass, Electric Bass, Cello, Guitars and Vocals.
As a bassist Daniel has also toured extensively with Grammy nominated jazz virtuoso Raul Midon, and appears on records, or has performed with Ariana Dubose, Burt Bacharach, Bill Withers, Jonathan Batiste, Dianne Reeves, Liz Wright, and the New York Pops.
Eliot Bailen – cello
Eliot Bailen has an active career as an artistic director, cellist, composer and teacher. Strings Magazine writes, “At Merkin Hall cellist Eliot Bailen displayed a warm focused tone, concentrated expressiveness and admirable technical command always at the service of the music.”
Founder and Artistic Director of the Sherman Chamber Ensemble, now celebrating its 43rd year, whose performances the New York Times has described as “the Platonic ideal of a chamber music concert,” Mr. Bailen is also Founder and Artistic Director of Chamber Music at Rodeph Sholom in New York and Artistic Director of the New York Chamber Ensemble. Principal cello of the New Jersey Festival Orchestra, New York Chamber Ensemble, Orchestra New England, Teatro Grattacielo and the New Choral Society, Mr. Bailen has performed regularly with the Saratoga Chamber Players, Cape May Music Festival, Sebago-Long Lake Chamber Music Festival, Bronx Arts Ensemble as well as with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, New York City Opera and Ballet, Oratorio Society, American Symphony, Orchestra Lumos, New Jersey Symphony and numerous Broadway shows.
Among Mr. Bailen’s commissions are an Octet, a Double Concerto for Flute and Cello, Perhaps a Butterfly, Saratoga Sextet, The Tiny Mustache (a musical) and a Dectet (“Inclusion”). Mr. Bailen is recipient of over fifty commissions for his “Song to Symphony” for schools (subject of a NY Times feature article Sept. 2006 and winner of a Yale Alumni Grant). In 2002 he received the Norman Vincent Peale Award for Positive Thinking. Mr. Bailen holds a DMA from Yale University and an M.B.A. from NYU. He is on the cello and chamber music faculty at Columbia University, Barnard College and Teachers College and Western CT State University.
Doori Na – violin
Praised for his captivating performances and expressive artistry, Doori Na has graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, and beyond. In 2018, he made a notable debut with the San Francisco Symphony, performing Bach’s Double Violin Concerto alongside the legendary Itzhak Perlman under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas.
A dynamic and versatile musician, Doori is known for his deep commitment to chamber music, his leadership as concertmaster for orchestras, and his innovative work in contemporary music. He has collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, members of the Juilliard String Quartet, the New York Philharmonic, and many more. Doori’s experience as concertmaster began at the Juilliard School, where he earned the position as a second-year student. This role paved the way for his leadership in various orchestras, including the Central Chamber Orchestra and the Fort Greene Orchestra.
As a longtime member of both the Argento New Music Project and New Chamber Ballet, Doori has performed internationally, premiering numerous new works and showcasing his dedication to bringing contemporary music to life. His passion extends to reviving neglected works and composers, particularly those overlooked due to class and race. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he recorded and promoted the music of great American composers who had been marginalized, helping to bring their work into the spotlight.
Beyond classical music, Doori is featured on Chick Corea’s The Continents album and has toured Europe with Brad Mehldau and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, further demonstrating his versatility across genres.
Susan Rotholz – flute
Susan Rotholz, flutist, made her New York debut to critical acclaim in 1981 as winner of the Concert Artist Guild Award and winner of the 1987 Young Concert Artist award as a founding member of Hexagon piano and winds. She has performed widely in the U.S., Europe and Japan appearing as soloist with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, New York Chamber Ensemble, New England Bach Festival, Greenwich Symphony, Cape May Festival Orchestra, Gotham City Orchestra, Brandenberg Ensemble, Jupiter Symphony, Solisti New York, Westmoreland Symphony, Bay Atlantic Symphony and the New York String Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. Ms. Rotholz is principal flutist of the New England Bach Festival, New York Chamber Ensemble, Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, Gotham City Orchestra and has served as principal flute of the American Symphony, American Ballet Theater, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, New York City Ballet, Stamford Symphony and Speculum Musicae.
She has toured nationally and internationally with Orpheus, the Orchestra of Saint Luke’s, the Israel Philharmonic and the New York Pops and also performs in New York with the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestras. In March 2002, Bridge Records released her recording of the complete Bach Sonatas for Flute and Fortepiano and the Partita for Solo Flute with Kenneth Cooper to rave reviews. Ms. Rotholz has also recorded for Deutche Grammophon, Nonesuch, Angel, New World, Marlboro Sound and Music Masters record labels.
Ms. Rotholz serves on the flute and chamber music faculties of Columbia University, Queens College, Hunter College and the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College. Known to chamber music audiences nationwide, Ms. Rotholz has performed at the Marlboro, Caramoor, Mostly Mozart, Grand Teton, OK Mozart, Cape May, Sebago-Long Lake festivals and is founder/co-director of the Sherman Chamber Ensemble. In 2002, Ms. Rotholz with her husband, the cellist/song writer Eliot Bailen, were awarded the Norman Vincent Peale Arts Award for Positive Thinking. They live in New York City with their three children.
Michael Roth – violin
Michael Roth, violin, a native of Scarsdale, NY, received his early musical training with Frances Magnes at the Hoff-Barthelson Music School. He attended Oberlin College and Conservatory and continued his studies with Marilyn McDonald. While at Oberlin, he won the Kaufman Prize for violin and First Prize in the Ohio String Teacher’s Association Competition.
Mr. Roth completed his Master of Music degree at the University of Massachusetts where he worked with the distinguished American violinist and pedagogue Charles Treger and was a recipient of the Julian Olevsky Award.
He is currently associate concertmaster of the New York City Ballet Orchestra. In addition, he is a member of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Principal 2nd violin of the Westchester Philharmonic, the American Composers Orchestra and the New York Pops. He has served as concertmaster of the Princeton Symphony, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and was concertmaster of the Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra for many years.
He regularly participates in the Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival, the Windham Chamber Music Festival, and plays frequently with the Sherman Chamber Ensemble, the Cape May Music Festival, Chamber Music at CRS, the Saratoga Chamber Players, and the Berkshire Bach Society. He is on the faculty of the Cali School of Music at Montclair State University.
Kal Sugatski – viola
Kal Sugatski, Violist, performs regularly with the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, New York City Ballet, International Contemporary Ensemble, New Jersey Symphony, and on Broadway. They have also appeared with Stevie Wonder, Ben Folds, Norah Jones, Andrea Bocelli, and The National. Their playing can be heard on over 50 recordings and soundtracks, including Judas and the Black Messiah, and other grammy-winning tracks.
Kal was named 2022 Mainer of the Year for their newest project Vigorous Tenderness, an experimental outdoor concerts series centered around composers of color, queer composers, and other marginalized voices in classical music (ig: @vigorous.tenderness). A catalyst for radical change in the arts, Vigorous Tenderness presents relevant, powerful concert experiences that respond to immediate social, political, and environmental circumstances. These experimental performances resemble an art museum experience, with chamber music ensembles spread across the landscape while the audience forges a self-curated path through the installation. To date, more than 6,000 community members have attended Vigorous Tenderness concerts.
Kal was a 2021-2022 season musician with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. They were a member of New World Symphony, where they were co-principal violist under the baton of Michael Tilson-Thomas and gave their solo debut. They have been featured on NPR twice, both as a soloist and chamber musician. Their 2022-2023 season highlights include performances with the New York Philharmonic, concerts with ChamberQUEER, international touring with American Contemporary Music Ensemble and Max Richter, and community concerts all over NYC with Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Kal is a native of Portland, Maine and holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music. In their spare time they are a long-distance backpacker, winter hiker, ocean swimmer, and nature enthusiast.
About Chamber Music at CRS
Under the direction of Eliot Bailen, Chamber Music at Rodeph Sholom brings together world-class musicians and passionate audiences to celebrate both classical and contemporary repertoire. The series also highlights the profound contributions of Jewish composers and traditions, fostering a vibrant and inclusive musical experience for all ages.
Date & Time
Sat, Apr 25, 2026 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Venue Details
Congregation Rodeph Sholom
7 West 83rd StreetNew York, New York 10024
