The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) presents Alexi Kenney, violin and Janice Carissa, piano on David Geffen Stage at Kaufmann Concert Hall, 92NY, 1395 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10128, on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at 7:30 PM. Tickets start at $35 in-person and $25 to livestream and are available at https://www.92ny.org/event/alexi-kenney,-violin;-janice-carissa,-piano-dreams-visions.

Violinist Alexi Kenney combines expressive playing with diverse programming that makes every concert a unique and moving experience. His 2020 92NY recital paired Bach partitas with contemporary works by Kurtag, Saariaho, and others, and was a New York Times Critics’ Pick. Kenney returns with Janice Carissa, the artist setting the piano world abuzz, with music that offers an ideal view into Kenney’s artistry – a one-of-a-kind program of works by Piazzolla, Schnittke, Britten, Sibelius, and more. From the spiky to the sublime to the rhythms of nuevo tango, Kenney brings his signature tone, virtuosity, and insightful interpretations. A thrilling modern program from the remarkable violinist and rising star pianist.

Program

Inti Figgis-Vizueta earthmaker

Astor Piazzolla Le Grand Tango (arr. S. Gubaidulina)

Jean Sibelius Five Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 81

Michi Wiancko The Wild Yes (world premiere; 92NY co-commission)

Alfred Schnittke Violin Sonata No. 1

Benjamin Britten Suite for Violin and Piano, Op. 6

Violinist Alexi Kenney is equally at home creating experimental programs, commissioning new works, soloing with major orchestras, and collaborating with some of the most celebrated musicians of our time. He is the recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award.

Kenney began the 2025/26 season with a return to the Pittsburgh and Dallas Symphony Orchestras, and to the San Francisco Symphony in a program of his own curation, as soloist and leader. Also this season, he debuts with the Houston Symphony and Slovak Philharmonic, as well as with Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, the Santa Barbara Symphony, Wichita Symphony Orchestra, and Erie Philharmonic. Recital and chamber appearances include the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society in a program celebrating queer composers on National Coming Out Day, The Phillips Collection, and Spoleto Festival.

Other recent highlights include concertos with The Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, l’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Detroit and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras, San Diego and Oregon symphonies, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, among others. Kenney has been featured in a play/lead role with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and New Century Chamber Orchestra, and has played recitals at Wigmore Hall, on Carnegie Hall’s Distinctive Debuts series, and Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival.

He continues to perform and develop Shifting Ground, a multimedia program in collaboration with the video artist Xuan, which weaves together pieces for violin and electronics by J.S. Bach, Rafiq Bhatia, Matthew Burtner, Mario Davidovsky, Salina Fisher, Nicola Matteis, Angélica Negrón, and Paul Wiancko. Shifting Ground has been performed at the Celebrity Series of Boston, Ojai Music Festival, and Baryshnikov Arts Center, among others. He also explores his love for period instruments, recently performing the complete Schumann Violin Sonatas on gut strings with Amy Yang on fortepiano.

Regular chamber music performances include the festivals of Caramoor, ChamberFest Cleveland, Chamber Music Northwest, La Jolla, Marlboro, Music@Menlo, Ravinia, and Spoleto. He is a founding member of Owls — an inverted quartet hailed as a “dream group” by The New York Times — alongside violist Ayane Kozasa, cellist Gabriel Cabezas, and cellist-composer Paul Wiancko. Kenney is an alumnus of the Bowers Program (formerly CMS 2) at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Kenney is a graduate of the New England Conservatory, winner of the 2013 Concert Artists Guild Competition, and laureate of the 2012 Menuhin Competition.

A Gilmore Young Artist and winner of Salon de Virtuosi, Janice Carissa has “the multicolored highlights of a mature pianist” (Philadelphia Inquirer) and “strong, sure hands” (Voice of America) that “convey a vivid story rather than a mere showpiece” (Chicago Classical Review). Her artistry has been showcased at an array of renowned stages, including the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, the Kennedy Center, Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. 

Following her Philadelphia Orchestra debut at age sixteen, Carissa has since performed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Pittsburgh, San Diego, Nashville, Kansas City, Delaware, Amarillo, Des Moines, Knoxville and Jakarta symphonies, among others. Highlights of the 2025/26 season include concerto appearances with the Minnesota Orchestra, Houston Symphony, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, Jackson (MI) Symphony, and Florida Orchestra, as well as a solo recital at Pepperdine University and a duo with cellist Sterling Elliott for Capital Region Classical.

Carissa’s passion for chamber music has led her to performances with Bravo! Vail where she was a piano fellow, the Brooklyn Chamber Music Society and Jupiter Chamber Concert Series; collaborations with Vadim Gluzman, Miriam Fried, Paul Neuebauer, Lucy Shelton, Marcy Rosen, David Shifrin, Jennifer Cano, Peter Wiley, among other distinguished musicians; and appearances at Marlboro, North Shore, Ravinia, Caramoor, and Kneisel Hall festivals.

Born on July 26, 1998, in Indonesia, Carissa left Indonesia in 2013 to enter the Curtis Institute of Music with a full scholarship from Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest, where she was a pupil of Gary Graffman. She went on to earn a Master of Music at The Juilliard School where she studied with Robert McDonald. When away from the piano, Carissa is an avid foodie and loves going on strolls with her camera.

About The 92nd Street Y, New York: The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a world-class center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. 92NY offers extensive classes, courses and events online including live concerts, talks and master classes; fitness classes for all ages; 250+ art classes, and parenting workshops for new moms and dads. The 92nd Street Y, New York is transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92NY’s programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions, and ethnicities. For more information, visit www.92NY.org.