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Soft Opening Series, Spring 2026
To inaugurate the New York Salon, Altalena presents a soft opening series of three concerts —
an invitation to build a community around music, collaboration, and human growth.
Spanning chamber music, solo, and ensemble performances, the series includes a discussion with neuroscientist and Harvard PhD Dániel Barabási that explores the inner workings of performance and connects
science with artistry.
March 21, 2026 — 7 PM
Soft Opening Concert Featuring
the Horszowski Trio
program
Leonard Bernstein — Piano Trio Adagio non troppo – Più mosso – Allegro vivace Tempo di marcia Largo – Allegro vivo e molto ritmico
✦
Bedřich Smetana — Piano Trio in G minor,
Op. 15 Moderato assai – Più animato Allegro, ma non agitato Finale: Presto
ABOUT THE TRIO
Praised as “lithe” and “persuasive” (The New York Times) and “eloquent and enthralling” (The Boston Globe), the Horszowski Trio has become a vital presence on the international chamber music scene since its formation in 2011.
Highlights include a sold-out debut at Wigmore Hall and extensive touring across Europe. In 2023, the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition established the Horszowski Trio Prize to support emerging ensembles.
Deeply committed to education, the trio collaborates with the Midori & Friends Foundation in New York City. Named after the legendary pianist Mieczysław Horszowski, the ensemble carries forward a rich musical lineage rooted in the Curtis Institute of Music.
April 25, 2026 — 7 PM
An evening with pianist and artistic director Alexandra Balog, joined by cellist Anita Balázs and violinist Yuchen Zhao
program
TBC
Pre-concert guest talk with Dániel Barabási, PhD (Harvard / MIT) and Alexandra Balog
Neuroscience and Music Learning is a talk that uses three core concepts to help musicians understand how their brains work. First, that we are our neurons — billions of cells organizing into coordinated "flocks" that create our thoughts and memories. Second, that our brains are constantly updating and normalizing, which means practice makes permanent (not perfect) — we learn our bad habits and anxieties just as readily as our skills. Third, that we live inside our predictions, not raw reality — which explains both why we ruminate on mistakes and how expert practice works (comparing performance to an internal "blueprint").
ABOUT ALEXANDRA BALOG
Praised for her “elemental force, virtuosity, and energy” (Radio Bartók) and described by Forbes as “a real wonder,” pianist Alexandra Balog is among the most compelling artists of her generation.
Winner of the 2017 Béla Bartók International Piano Competition, she has performed at major venues including Carnegie Hall, and across Europe, the United States, and Asia.
A Fulbright Scholar and recipient of the Junior Príma Prize, she is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Altalena.
ABOUT DÁNIEL BARABÁSI
Dániel Barabási is an AI-for-Science Fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. His work spans leading research institutions including the NIH, MIT, Harvard, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
His research investigates how complex neural systems give rise to thought, creativity, and intelligence—seeking elegant theoretical principles behind biological complexity.
May 29, 2026 — 7 PM
Featuring Silentwoods Collective
PRIVATE INVITATIONS ONLY
ABOUT SILENTWOODS COLLECTIVE
Silentwoods Collective is dedicated to historically informed performance, creating programs that blend scholarship, storytelling, and expressive depth.
Their work reimagines early music for contemporary audiences through intimate and thoughtfully curated experiences.
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