'There Arises Light (in the Darkness)' – Premiere of a New Piano Trio by Barron Ryan

• Christopher Whitley, violin
• Sterling Elliott, cello
• Barron Ryan, piano

The work in this concert commemorates the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre (which took place in Ryan’s hometown), and Smithsonian Magazine named Barron Ryan one of ‘Ten Innovators to Watch in 2021’ for its first movement.

About Bargemusic

Moored in Brooklyn just under the Brooklyn Bridge, Bargemusic presents great music year-round. Walk across the gangplank of a renovated coffee barge into a “wonderfully intimate wood-paneled room with thrilling views of lower Manhattan and excellent acoustics.” Experience why critics call Bargemusic “the perfect chamber-music hall” and why artists say it is “unlike any other place in the world to perform.”

About Christopher Whitley, violin

As a founding member of the Thalea String Quartet, Christopher has performed recitals across North America, Europe, and China, and has appeared at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Massey Hall. The quartet has shared the stage with members of the Emerson, Brentano, Kronos, and St Lawrence String Quartets, and they have performed alongside celebrated artists including Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, violist Lawrence Power, acclaimed Canadian band BADBADNOTGOOD, and visionary R+B artist Charlotte Day Wilson. The Thalea String Quartet was named the first string quartet-in-residence at the San Francisco Conservatory and served as the Doctoral Fellowship String Quartet at the University of Maryland from 2020-2023. From 2018-20, they were the Young Professional String Quartet at the University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music, where they were mentored by the acclaimed Miró Quartet. They were named Associated Artists at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel for the 2018/19 season, where they are mentored by the Artemis Quartet.

About Sterling Elliott, cello

Cellist Sterling Elliott​ is a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient and the winner of the Senior Division of the 2019 National Sphinx Competition.

Sterling has enjoyed a simple and humble musical journey. As the youngest of 3 siblings, he did not want to play the cello but the violin like his older brother and sister. After a bit of encouragement, he completed The Elliott Family String Quartet by learning to play the cello at the age of three under the direction of Suzuki Cello teacher Susan Hines. He went on to make his concerto debut at the age of 7 by winning the Junior Division of the PYO Concerto Competition, and later the 2014 Richmond Symphony Concerto Competition, the Bay Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition. Sterling has a long history with the Sphinx Organization, where he first received 2nd place in the 2013 National Sphinx Competition Junior Division, then won the 2014 Junior Division. In 2016 he received the Isaac Stern Award by the Sphinx Organization and toured with the Sphinx Virtuosi in 2018 before winning in 2019.

He is a two-time alum of NPR's From the Top where he was a recipient of a scholarship from The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and performed several concerts in Switzerland at the 2019 World Economic Forum. He is a Young Strings of America ambassador for SHAR Strings. In 2019, he was the first recipient of The National Arts Club's Herman and Mary Neuman Music Scholarship Award.

Sterling Elliott is currently a Kovner Fellow at The Juilliard School where he is pursuing his Masters of Music degree studying with Joel Krosnick and Clara Kim. He completed his undergraduate degree in cello performance at Juilliard in May 2021. He currently performs on a 1741 Gennaro Gagliano cello on loan through the Robert F. Smith Fine String Patron Program, in partnership with the Sphinx Organization.

About Barron Ryan, piano

Barron Ryan's love for music has always been divided. The son of two musicians, he grew up in a house filled with the sounds of artists ranging from Mozart to Motown. So when it comes to his own work, he's not content drawing on just one influence. He combines them all into a musical adventure that’s vintage yet fresh, historical yet hip, classic yet cool.