Concertmaster Jae Cosmos Lee will be soloist; Avi Stein will conduct
WEST BARNSTABLE, MA—March 23, 2026
The Cape Symphony Orchestra is thrilled to present “Nature's Song: Vivaldi's The Four Seasons” on April 11 and 12 at the Barnstable Performing Arts Center. Guest conductor Avi Stein will lead a program of masterworks inspired by birdsong and the natural world, culminating in Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.
The program includes Jean Sibelius’s The Swan of Tuonela, with Cape Symphony’s Laura Pardee Schaefer on the English horn; Ottorino Respighi’s The Birds; and Einojuhani Rautavaara’s Cantus Arcticus. After an intermission, the Orchestra will perform Antonio Vivaldi’s most celebrated violin concerti, The Four Seasons. Concertmaster Jae Cosmos Lee will be the violin soloist, and Stein will play the harpsichord.
“I’ve always wanted to put together a program of sounds that mimic and describe nature,” said Lee, who designed the concert with a focus on birdsong. At once familiar and mysterious, birds have inspired human artistry for hundreds of years. The Swan of Tuonela (1896) is “an absolute bucket list piece” for an English horn player, said Pardee Schaefer. The instrument—neither English nor a horn, but related to the oboe—is the voice of the mythical swan, guiding departed souls to the underworld. The Birds (1928) “sounds very Baroque, even though the composer is modern,” said Lee. Cantus Arcticus (“Concerto for Birds and Orchestra,” 1972) incorporates recorded birdsong to unique and wonderful effect. “It’s actual birdsong, not mimicry, for even more of an experience… it’s really cool… if not for the technology, this piece would have been more like the others.”
Birdsong also features largely in The Four Seasons (1725), one of the most popular classical pieces of all time. Lee and Stein will lead the orchestra as violin soloist and harpsichordist. “Avi Stein is a very fine harpsichordist, much in demand,” said Lee. Stein is a faculty member at Juilliard, associate organist and chorusmaster at Trinity Church Wall Street, and Artistic Director of the Helicon Foundation.
“Nature's Song: Vivaldi's The Four Seasons” will be presented Saturday, April 11 at 4:00 PM and Sunday, April 12 at 3:00 PM at the Barnstable Performing Arts Center, 744 West Main Street, Hyannis. Ticketholders are invited to an entertaining discussion of the concert program by Assistant Conductor Joe Marchio, one hour before each performance.
For tickets, visit www.capesymphony.org, call 508.362.1111, email
The Cape Symphony Orchestra’s Masterpiece series concerts are sponsored by Cape Cod 5.
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Susan Sundermeyer, Marketing Content Manager
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Cape Arts & Entertainment is among the largest professional cultural organizations in Massachusetts. We inspire, educate, and connect our community through exceptional music and inclusive outreach programs. The Cape Symphony Orchestra presents a diverse classical and pops repertoire at the Barnstable Performing Arts Center, while Cape Symphony Presents brings world-class artists of many genres to venues across the Cape & Islands. Cape Symphony Conservatory & Preschool offers private and group instruction for all ages at our West Barnstable and Falmouth campuses and our Lower Cape Extension in Brewster, a robust Youth Orchestra Program, and an acclaimed arts-infused curriculum for preschoolers in West Barnstable. Rooted in creativity, excellence, community, and lifelong learning, all three branches of CA&E enrich lives through the power of music. Visit www.capesymphony.org for more information.
