Sora Salon Series - Autumn Love Letters at The Hotel Chelsea

Sora Salon Series returns to The Hotel Chelsea this fall by popular demand for Autumn Love Letters - a program dedicated to romance.

On October 27th, join us for a special evening featuring singer Christina Maxwell and pianist Rieko Tsuchida, Sora’s founder and Artistic Director. Longtime musical collaborators, Christina and Rieko have toured and performed together across France, the United States, China, and Japan, and reunite in New York City for a program celebrating beloved jazz, Broadway and pop standards.

From timeless standards to music of the stage, Christina and Rieko will breathe new life into  a program inspired by romance, nostalgia, and the glamour and intimacy of the classic New York City jazz club.

Set within The Hotel Chelsea — the storied home and gathering place of generations of musicians, writers, and artists — Autumn Love Letters continues Sora Salon Series’ celebration of music as a catalyst for connection, bringing artists and audiences together through an intimate and immersive salon experience.

Join us for a memorable autumn evening at The Hotel Chelsea, where old New York glamour meets a new generation of musical storytelling.

Event Schedule:

6:30 - 7:30 pm: Doors open - Complimentary food served by Teruko and select beverages provided; additional beverages for purchase at the bar

7:30 - 8:30 pm: Concert

8:30 - 9:30 pm: Post-concert drinks and meet the artists

9:30 pm: Optional dinner at Teruko (Reservation required. Please e-mail dining@hotelchelsea.com or visit this link to make a reservation)

Space is extremely limited. Attire is cocktail chic.

Tickets are non-refundable.

Watch Christina and Rieko's performance at The Edge at Hudson Yards with Musicians of the MET Orchestra here!

About Sora:

Sora curates intimate, high-level classical music salons that reimagine the classical music experience by bringing Japanese cultural values into dialogue with New York’s global artistic community. 

Rooted in the concept of gokan — the engagement of all five senses — Sora transforms exceptional spaces into intimate artistic experiences that foster meaningful dialogue between Japan and the United States. With Sora, meaning ‘sky’ in Japanese, we look to the sky as a metaphor for openness, connection, and limitless possibility.

By bringing audiences into close contact with world-class musicians in thoughtfully curated environments, Sora cultivates cultural exchange, artistic excellence, and a refined community connected through beauty and shared experience.

Learn more at www.sorasalonseries.com

About The Hotel Chelsea:

Since opening as a hotel in 1905, The Hotel Chelsea has been one of New York City’s most storied gathering places for artists, writers, musicians, and cultural icons. Over the decades, its rooms and halls have been home to figures including Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, and Robert Mapplethorpe. Today, The Hotel Chelsea continues to honor its singular creative legacy while welcoming a new generation of artists and guests — making it a natural home for Sora Salon Series’ intimate celebration of music, culture, and connection.

About Teruko:

Located in The Hotel Chelsea's basement space that once housed the iconic nightclub, Serena, Teruko is a refined Japanese restaurant with a thoughtfully curated sushi bar led by Executive Chef Tadashi Ono, formerly of Matsuri at The Maritime Hotel.

Teruko’s decor is anchored by a striking centerpiece, the original backbar from Hotel Okura’s famed Orchid Bar in Tokyo, which was salvaged before renovations and brought to New York. 

Named after Teruko Yokoi, the Japanese-born renowned artist who lived at Hotel Chelsea with her husband, notable painter Sam Francis, the restaurant pays homage to her creative legacy, displaying a collection of her original paintings throughout the space.

Featured Artists

Christina Maxwell is a New York City-based award-winning singer, actress, speaker and leader.

Maxwell has performed globally as a soloist in engagements with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Lincoln Center, the United Nations, Festival Napa Valley, Santa Barbara Symphony, Festival of the Arts BOCA and more.  She has headlined sold-out concerts in Italy, France, China and Japan in venues including the US Embassy in Beijing, China and Nishi Hongwanji Temple in Kyoto, Japan, performing the first-ever concert allowed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. She frequently performs in Mandarin in China and in the United States, as a strong believer in the power of cultural diplomacy.  Her performances have featured collaborations with luxury brands including Dolce & Gabbana, Naeem Khan, Mikimoto, Bulgari and Pomellato.

As an actress, Maxwell originated the role of Deanna Durbin in Papermill Playhouses’s production of CHASING RAINBOWS and was awarded “Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role” by New York Musical Festival for originating the role of Laura Evans in SONATA 1962.  On screen and in print, Maxwell has been featured in advertising campaigns for clients including Olay, Nissan, Emrosi and Humira.

In addition to her artistic career, Maxwell is a prominent speaker, master of ceremonies and charity auctioneer. She advises companies on client cultivation and strategic partnerships, fostering collaboration between the arts and the corporate world.  Her work both on and off the stage has been featured in the New York Post, Business Wire, Entertainment Tonight, Haute Living magazine, Broadway World, and in a number of television and radio appearances.

 She was named the Distinguished Young Woman of America in 2012 for excellence in scholastics, leadership, and talent and has provided extensive music and art therapy for pediatric oncology patients. She is a graduate of University of Michigan’s Musical Theatre program.

Pianist Rieko Tsuchida enjoys a multi-faceted international career as a soloist, chamber musician, and entrepreneur.. She has performed as a soloist with the Royal Philharmonic, California Symphony, Ashdod Symphonic Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, and San Domenico Orchestra, and most recently with the Armenian State Symphony in February 2025 giving the Armenian premiere of Michel Legrand’s Piano Concerto. Her prizes include the SONY USA Grant from the Salon de Virtuosi. She has also been invited to perform at other prestigious festivals and venues such as the Verbier Festival Academy, Salle Gaveau, Weill Hall, and more.

While living in Paris, she co-founded Ensemble IMAGO, Ensemble-in-Residence at the Fondation des États-Unis, and regularly performs and commissions new works by living composers. Ms. Tsuchida also served as the Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Classical Music Collection Japan (CMCJ), a project funded by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to promote the classical music culture of Japan. With CMCJ, she helped produce the first classical music concert in Nishihonganji Temple’s 400-year history in Kyoto and made her concert debut in Tokyo’s Oji Hall. Other recent performance highlights include concerts at Salle Cortot, the Eiffel Tower, and appearances on BBC 3 Radio and WFMT Chicago. She recently founded Sora Salon Series, a nonprofit concert series bringing Japanese culture to New York’s global artistic community through immersive classical music salons.

A lover of fashion and fine jewelry, she has performed for and represented leading luxury houses including Cartier, Mikimoto, Dolce & Gabbana, Naeem Khan, Lafayette 148, Monique Lhuillier, and Kiton.

Ms. Tsuchida studied at the Peabody Conservatory and the Juilliard School. Her mentors include John McCarthy, Boris Slutsky, Matti Raekallio, and Joseph Kalichstein.