Join us for a luminous evening of music!

On Sunday, December 21, gather at Laurel Hill for a soul-stirring performance by alumni of The Curtis Institute and The Juilliard School – celebrating the return of light, rebirth, and renewal.

After the concert, raise a glass with complementary sips from Triple Bottom Brewing and enjoy seasonal bites as we welcome winter together.

ticket cost (includes Drinks & bites):
Member $65 / Public: $80

All proceeds benefit the Friends of Laurel Hill, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to preserving & promoting Laurel Hill’s historic cemeteries and arboretum.

Location:
Laurel Hill West, Conservatory

Meet our musicians!

Cellist Branson Yeast, a native of Houston, TX, is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music (B.M.), the Juilliard School (M.M.), and is also a protégé of cellist Wendy Warner. His performances as a chamber musician, soloist, and orchestral musician have brought him to Chicago, London, Lucerne, Hamburg, Heidelberg, St-Jean-de-Luz (broadcast on RadioFrance), and across the north-eastern United States. While at Curtis, Branson was the last student of the late David Soyer of the Guarneri Quartet, a Jacqueline du Pré Memorial Fellow, and his graduation recital aired on WHYY Television. His passions for contemporary music and cross-disciplinary projects (including a tour with Grammy-award winning ensemble “eighth blackbird”) have led him to make dozens of premieres of new works for solo cello, chamber music, and chamber opera in halls such as Alice Tully and with companies such as Philadelphia’s BalletX and Opera Philadelphia. As a chamber musician, he recently formed a piano trio— the Rosalind Trio, with a residency at Haverford College in Fall 2024. Branson resides in Philadelphia and is Principal Cello of both Opera Philadelphia and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the latter of whom he recently performed concerti of CPE Bach, Boccherini, and Vivaldi.

Yoshihiko Nakano is active as a violist in the Philadelphia area. He is currently a section member of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and Opera Philadelphia and has also performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Philadelphia Ballet, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Verbier Festival Orchestra. During the summer he serves as Assistant Principal Viola of the Grant Park Festival Orchestra in his hometown of Chicago. He studied at Northwestern University with Almita and Roland Vamos, the Juilliard School with Michael Tree, and Curtis Institute of Music with Roberto Diaz and Mr. Tree.