The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra brings two larger-scale gems of the 19th century chamber repertoire to Kaufmann Hall: a well-known favorite alongside an exciting discovery.

Louise Farrenc was the first woman to win a full professorship at the Paris Conservatoire; appointed in 1842, she was a virtuosic pianist and pedagogue. The undeniable success of her dazzling Nonet seven years later afforded her the leverage to collect a salary equal to that of her male colleagues at the Conservatoire. Here, it precedes Mendelssohn’s precocious and beloved Octet, written when the composer was just sixteen years old. Far from impeding its reception, the piece’s vernal and sprightly verve has propelled its lasting legacy.