The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY), one of the United States’ most prominent cultural institutions, will present an evening recital by Canadian pianist Marc-André Hamelin on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, marking a major highlight of its Marshall Weinberg Classical Music Season. The performance will take place at 7:30 pm on the David Geffen Stage at Kaufmann Concert Hall, continuing the venue’s long-standing role as a platform for leading international artists.
Hamelin, widely recognised for his technical command and intellectual depth, has built a reputation as both a virtuoso performer and an advocate for underrepresented repertoire. His work has earned consistent critical acclaim, including praise from The New Yorker, which described his playing as possessing “Brilliant technique and [a] questing, deep-thinking approach”.
Tickets for the concert are priced from $45 for in-person attendance and $25 for livestream access, reflecting a hybrid presentation model that has become an increasingly important part of performing arts organisations’ commercial strategies. The concert will be staged at Kaufmann Concert Hall, located at 1395 Lexington Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Programme blends classical canon with modern and rarely heard works
The recital programme has been designed to reflect the breadth of Hamelin’s musical interests, combining established classical repertoire with 20th-century and contemporary works. The evening will open with Franz Joseph Haydn’s Sonata in D Major, Hob. XVI:37, aligning with Hamelin’s recent recording project devoted to Haydn’s complete piano sonatas.
From there, the programme moves beyond the traditional recital framework. A song by Frank Zappa, Ruth Is Sleeping (arranged by A. Askin), introduces an element of cross-genre exploration, followed by Passacaglia from Four Studies on Basic Rows by Stefan Wolpe, a rarely performed 12-tone work by the German-Jewish-American early modernist composer.
Further variety is provided through Tip by John Oswald and two contrasting works by Nikolai Medtner: Improvisation in B-flat Minor from Trois morceaux, Op. 31, No. 1, and Danza festiva from Forgotten Melodies I, Op. 38, No. 3. The programme concludes with two pieces by Sergei Rachmaninoff, culminating in the Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 36 (1931 version), one of Hamelin’s signature works and a showcase for his formidable technique.
Global touring underscores continued demand
The New York appearance forms part of Hamelin’s extensive 2025/26 season, which spans North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The season opened with a tour of Australia and Asia, including concerto and recital engagements with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under Sir Donald Runnicles, as well as appearances with the Wuxi, Ningbo and Shenzhen symphony orchestras.
In North America, Hamelin’s schedule includes performances with The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra under Jaime Martin, and a tour with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Recital engagements at major presenting organisations such as Chicago’s Symphony Center Presents and the San Francisco Symphony underline his sustained commercial and artistic appeal.
European commitments include performances with the Bayerisches Staatsorchester, the Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich, and appearances at Wigmore Hall, the Schubertiade and other established festivals, reinforcing his standing within the international classical music market.
Recording and compositional output strengthens artistic profile
Beyond the concert platform, Hamelin maintains a significant presence in the recording industry as an exclusive artist with Hyperion Records. His catalogue now comprises 92 recordings, encompassing solo, orchestral and chamber repertoire. In October 2025, the label released Found Objects / Sound Objects, devoted to contemporary works, adding to a discography that includes acclaimed recordings of Beethoven, Dvořák and Florence Price.
Hamelin is also active as a composer, with more than 30 works to his name. His compositions have been commissioned by major institutions, including the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and the Library of Congress, further diversifying his professional portfolio.
For 92NY, the February recital represents both an artistic statement and a commercially significant event within its seasonal programming, aligning a globally recognised artist with a programme designed to appeal to both traditional audiences and listeners seeking less conventional repertoire.
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