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Carnegie Hall Presents

Kristin Lee, Violin
John Novacek, Piano

Thursday, March 12, 2026 7:30 PM Weill Recital Hall
Kristin Lee by Lauren Desberg, John Novacek by Peter Schaaf
Violinist Kristin Lee celebrates the distinctive sounds and rich historic currents of American music in her debut recital. Drawing from her acclaimed album American Sketches, the program is an expression of Lee’s pride for the country she calls home—and her love for the instrument that first gave her a voice in it. From works by American classical trailblazers like Burleigh and Beach, to ragtime and jazz pioneers like Joplin and Gershwin, to contemporary genre-blenders like Kevin Puts and Lee’s recital partner, Jon Novacek, this is a uniquely soulful survey of American music. Lee performs it with “effortless flair and a propensity to speak from the heart … feel[ing] so natural and off-the-cuff as to almost sound improvised” (Classical Music Sentinel).

Part of: Distinctive Debuts and United in Sound: America at 250

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View Seating Chart (PDF)

Performers

Kristin Lee, Violin
John Novacek, Piano

Program

BURLEIGH Southland Sketches

JONATHAN RAGONESE non-poem 4

MARTINŮ Violin Sonata No. 1

BEACH Romance, Op. 23

JOHN NOVACEK Four Rags

GERSHWIN "But Not for Me" (arr. Jeremy Ajani Jordan)

J. J. JOHNSON "Lament" (arr. Jeremy Ajani Jordan)

JOPLIN "The Entertainer" (arr. Jeremy Ajani Jordan)

KEVIN PUTS Air

Listen to Selected Works

Support for United in Sound: America at 250 is provided by the Hearst Foundations.
Distinctive Debuts is supported by endowment gifts from The Lizabeth and Frank Newman Charitable Foundation and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

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