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WELCOME TO OUR 2021 SUMMER FESTIVAL! Dear Friends, It has been nearly one and a half years since we have been able to gather together in person for a CMNW concert. COVID-19 has tested our society, and it continues to exact a heavy toll for so many people around the world. We have all learned much about what matters most to us. Now we can begin to enjoy those things with a renewed sense of appreciation. Musicians can once again make music with one another, and music lovers can commune with the music in the crackling atmosphere of the live concert hall. The concert experience will be different from before, perhaps even odd at times. But our determination to still have a festival is a beautiful testament to how meaningful this music is to all of us. It is because of sheer desire on the part of the performers, the CMNW board, the staff, and you, our patrons. Thank you for supporting this art form that we all cherish! Reflect | Rejoice will be a festival that acknowledges, honors, and memorializes our experiences of the past year, while celebrating the best of human resilience and aspiration. As a special addition this summer, we will begin most programs with a meditative prelude. We kindly ask that you hold your applause following these works to better preserve the moment of quiet. We dedicate this festival, our first as the Artistic Directors of CMNW, to the frontline healthcare workers and the scientific community for their fight against COVID-19. It is our great honor to present these works and artists to you at this historic moment. We hope the memories will stay with you for a long time.
Gloria Chien & Soovin Kim Artistic Directors
CMNW’s summer home for more than three decades.
Our 2021 Festival Advisories Your enjoyment, health, and safety if you choose to attend concerts is our paramount priority – along with safe conditions for our musicians and staff. It’s important for us to share exceptional music with you, and also offer excellence in making your concert-going experiences safe and satisfying. Please take a moment to review our new COVID-related procedures and precautions for this year’s festival.
Kaul Auditorium Reed College SE 28th & Woodstock
Franz Patio/Academic Quad
• Bring your personal program that was mailed to you to support our “no-touch” protocol.
University of Portland 5000 N. Willamette Blvd.
• Facemasks are required indoors regardless of vaccination status. Musicians may not be wearing masks while performing, but will be distanced from the audience.
Gresham Arts Plaza
• Maintain 6’ of distancing when talking to others outside your party.
401 NE 2nd St. Gresham, OR
• Upon arrival at the auditorium doors, patrons will wait outdoors until invited inside by an usher.
For more detailed information about our health and safety procedures, and the 2021 Waiver and Release of Liability agreement, please visit cmnw.org
Parking & Check-In • Please park off SE 28th in the WEST LOT. Check-in is in the WEST parking lot. No shuttle service is available from the other lots. • After parking, follow the signs to the CHECK-IN TABLE located at the bottom of the cement path, just south of the Performing Arts Building. Here, we will do a quick health screen and check your tickets. • Upon arrival at the auditorium doors patrons will wait outdoors until invited inside by an usher.
ADA Services Accessible seating and parking is available. Contact the Box Office to purchase passes and arrange for your specific needs. ADA patrons may be dropped off and picked up at the entry to Kaul Auditorium. Take the Botsford Drive Entrance off of SE 28th and follow the ADA signs.
Donate Your Unused Tickets If you are unable to use your tickets, please call the box office to return them for resale. You will receive a tax deduction for the full value of the tickets in addition to giving another music lover the opportunity to attend!
Ticket & Box Office Information For tickets to Chamber Music Northwest concerts, visit us online at CMNW.org, or call us at 503-294-6400. You may also visit the Ticket Office at 2300 SW 1st Ave, Suite 103, from 10 am–4 pm, Monday through Friday.
Please silence all cell phones.
Food, beverages, cameras, and recording devices are not permitted in Kaul Auditorium. Personal water bottles are allowed.
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In consideration of our patrons with scent sensitivities, we ask that patrons refrain from wearing products with strong fragrances, including colognes, perfumes, and essential oils.
In consideration of our audience and artists, parents are requested not to bring children under the age of 7 to CMNW concerts, except at designated performances.
Patrons with hearing aids should be aware that such devices may transmit a shrill tone. The wearer is not often conscious of this. House staff makes an effort to identify the wearer, but it is extremely helpful for audience members, musicians, and recording staff if nearby patrons kindly let the wearer know that such a sound is being produced. The wearer will be appreciative and take care of problem.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 6
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS A week-by-week listing of our festival events
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SPECIAL EVENTS Movie nights, open rehearsals and more
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OUR FRIENDS & SUPPORTERS Appreciation for our donors, sponsors and friends
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PROGRAMS Concert programs and program notes for our performances
40
ARTIST BIOS Gain a little more insight into our artists with their biographies
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ABOUT CMNW Who we are and what we do
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS MONDAY
Week One
7 pm Streaming on cmnw.org
TUESDAY
6/28
Musical Conversation
All Day See cmnw.org
WEDNESDAY
6/29
ECCO Around Town 6 pm Nordia House
Week Two
Reservations Required
7 pm Streaming on cmnw.org
CMNW Benefit Event
Masterclass
7/5
1 pm Reed College
Open Rehearsal: A Song by Mahler
7/6
7:30 pm Reed College
Premiering A Song By Mahler
Reservations Required
7 pm Streaming on cmnw.org
Week Three
Musical Conversation
7 pm Streaming on cmnw.org
7 pm Streaming on cmnw.org
Masterclass
7/12
Musical Conversation 8:30 pm Gresham Arts Plaza
Virtuosic Masters: Marsalis, Hamelin, Vieaux & More
Week Four
Buster Keaton Movie Night with Matan Porat: featuring The Playhouse & Sherlock, Jr
8:30 pm University of Portland
7/13
Buster Keaton Movie Night with Matan Porat: featuring The General
11 am Reed College
Reservations Required
6:30 pm SW Portland
Garden Chamber Party CMNW Benefit Event
7 pm Streaming on cmnw.org
Masterclass 7 pm Streaming on cmnw.org
7/19
Musical Conversation
6:30 pm SE Portland
Garden Chamber Party CMNW Benefit Event
7/20
11 am Reed College
7/21
Open Rehearsal: Brahms Piano Trio in C Major 7 pm Streaming on cmnw.org
Masterclass
Reflect, Rejoice & Reimagine
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7/14
Open Rehearsal: Bartók Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion
Reservations Required
2021 AT-HOME Festival
7/7
11 am Reed College
Open Rehearsal: Valerie Coleman & Jeff Scott Wind Quintets
Reservations Required
Celebrating David Shifrin & Friends
6/30
Open Rehearsal: Mendelssohn Concerto for Piano, Violin & Strings
An Enchanting Evening at Nordia House
Featuring the East Coast Chamber Orchestra
11 am Reed College
July 15 - August 31 At your leisure, take in all nine concerts of our 2021 festival line-up that feature the highest caliber artists and captivating programming in your home. Professionally recorded during the live concert performances and expertly produced, you will enjoy a satisfying “as if you were there” viewing experience.
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
7/1
7:30 pm Reed College
Opening Night with East Coast Chamber Orchestra
7/8
7:30 pm Reed College
Sounds of Brilliance & Unity
7:30 pm Reed College
7/2
7:30 pm Reed College
An Evening with East Coast Chamber Orchestra
7/9
7:30 pm Reed College
Visionary Quintets Revealed
7:30 pm Reed College
Free Festival Event Special Opportunities
SATURDAY
Sounds of Brilliance & Unity
7/15
Mainstage Concert
SUNDAY
7/3
7:30 pm Reed College
The Exuberance of ECCO & Jupiter Quartet
7:30 pm Reed College
7/10
Premiering Vesper Flight & Les Adieux
7/16
Visionary Quintets Revealed
7:30 pm Reed College
7/17
Sonic Kaleidoscope: Sax, Guitar & Percussion
7/4
4 pm Reed College
The Exuberance of ECCO & Jupiter Quartet
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Four weeks of extraordinary music ...and a summer-full of streaming!
7/11
4 pm Reed College
Premiering Vesper Flight & Les Adieux
4 pm Reed College
7/18
Sonic Kaleidoscope: Sax, Guitar & Percussion
2021 AT-HOME Festival begins! 7:30 pm Reed College
7/22
Reflecting Upon Classics
7:30 pm Reed College
7/23
Reflecting Upon Classics
7:30 pm Reed College
7/24
Festival Finale: A Journey into the Light
4 pm Reed College
7/25
Festival Finale: A Journey into the Light
2021 AT-HOME Festival continues through August 31
The 2021 AT-HOME festival begins July 15. Online premieres of the 2021 festival concerts are presented exactly two weeks — Thursdays and Saturdays — after their LIVE festival premiere. The entire festival is available on-demand August 7 through August 31. See CMNW.org for AT-HOME Festival schedule. Enjoy the 2021 Summer Festival concerts at home at CMNW.org/WATCH. 7
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EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT EVENTS For Our Community You are invited to enjoy these FREE music-infused events from Chamber Music Northwest during our Summer Festival.
ECCO Around Town
June 29 | FREE EVENTS Dynamic and nimble, members of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO) will be performing at a variety of public sites around Portland the first week of the festival. Catch them in the city at the Polka Dot Downtown locations, Our House, Providence St. Vincent, Portland Mercado and more TBA! Visit our social media channels and cmnw.org for details.
Buster Keaton Movie Nights
July 12 @ 8:30 pm | Gresham Arts Plaza July 13 @ 8:30 pm | University of Portland FREE EVENTS
Pack a snack and bring your own seats to experience the multi-talented pianist and composer Matan Porat’s live, on-thefly soundtrack performances for classic movies starring the master of silent comedy, Buster Keaton. Matan has garnered international acclaim for his “...vivid, propulsive, and fun…” (The New York Times) piano improvisations to silent films. Monday, July 12 features Buster Keaton’s The Playhouse and Sherlock Jr. Tuesday, July 13 features Buster Keaton’s The General
Improvisation was my first approach to music, even before starting to play the piano. As a child I was improvising for hours long, examining the sonic possibilities of my rugged upright piano and the nerves of my neighbors. Growing up, improvisation was always the bridge between my two professions, pianist and composer. There is a tradition at the Marlboro festival to play an improvised ‘happy birthday’ during the lunch to the birthday boy/girl. At the 2008 festival there were dozens of birthdays, and I improvised on each in a different style — from Bach to Schoenberg. It was there that Richard Goode — to whom I’d mentioned my love for classic films — suggested that I should try performing an improvisational movie night with Fritz Lang’s classic two-hour movie, Metropolis. I was hesitant to agree at first, as I had never done such a thing before, but it was a successful (and tiring!) evening. It was the first of many movie nights that I would continue to hold throughout the world. Of the classic silent movies of the 20s, Buster Keaton movies are definitely my favorites on which to improvise. The amount of innovation and sheer brilliance never fails to make me smile, and the need to react to the action within seconds keeps me always on my toes. Sherlock Jr. is one of my favorite short movies of any era, and I envy those who are seeing it for the very first time! Each time, as a movie starts and I start improvising, I take a required leap of faith not knowing what will happen and the exact outcome. I bring audiences with me to this challenge, and hope they enjoy my on-the-fly adventures with these movies! - Matan Porat
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Musical Conversations
Open Rehearsals
Mondays @ 7pm
Wednesdays, June 30-July 21 @ 11 am Kaul Auditorium, Reed College | FREE WEEKLY EVENT
Go behind the scenes and observe CMNW’s world-class musicians working together to put the finishing touches on music for upcoming performances. An informal Q&A follows the rehearsal. Reservations are open one week prior to the rehearsal. Reservations are required. Reserve on cmnw.org. Attendance limited. Safety protocols and regulations, including social distancing and masks, enforced. 6/30 Mendelssohn Concerto for Piano, Violin & Strings with the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, Gloria Chien (piano) & Soovin Kim (violin) 7/5 (Monday, 1pm) A Song by Mahler with Jennifer Johnson Cano (mezzo-soprano), Kelly Markgraf (baritone), David Shifrin (clarinet), FLUX Quartet 7/7 Valerie Coleman & Jeff Scott Wind Quintets with Tara Helen O’Connor (flute), Monica Ellis (bassoon), William Purvis (French horn), and Oregon Symphony musicians James Shields (clarinet) and Martin Hébert (oboe) 7/14 Bartók Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion with Marc-André Hamelin (piano), Gloria Chien (piano), Ayano Kataoka (percussion), and Ian Rosenbaum (percussion)
Streaming on cmnw.org FREE WEEKLY EVENT
Join our musicians and Artistic Directors Soovin Kim and Gloria Chien for weekly highlights, insights and context that delve into myriad aspects of the musical programs in the week ahead.
Masterclasses
Wednesdays @ 7pm Streaming on cmnw.org FREE WEEKLY EVENT
Witness our 2021 Summer Festival artists coach the next generation of musicians in our community, and learn a lot yourself! 6/30 Soovin Kim (violin) 7/7 David Shifrin (clarinet) 7/14 Tara Helen O’Connor (flute) 7/21 Jason Vieaux (guitar)
Watch online at cmnw.org.
7/21 Brahms Piano Trio in C Major with the Chien-Kim-Watkins Trio Gloria Chien (piano), Soovin Kim (violin), and Paul Watkins (cello)
DREAM·DESIGN·BUILD
What are you dreaming of? CCB# 174360
(503) 251-9900
SPECIAL EVENTS
Weekly Events
THANK YOU, FRIENDS OF CHAMBER MUSIC NORTHWEST Acknowledgements It takes many people beyond our board, donors, year-round and festival staff to bring our Summer Festival to life! Chamber Music Northwest is grateful for our ongoing partnership with Reed College, without which this festival would not be possible. Our special thanks goes out to President Audrey Bilger, Hugh Porter, Robert Brigham, Denise van Leuven, as well as the entire music department at Reed College. We recognize the outstanding support of Hyatt House Portland/Downtown, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car for the excellent service and attention they provide for our many visiting artists; Don Boyer of Educational Music Service; Barry Steward for his A/V assistance; the Portland Piano Company for their fine instrument rental services; Communications Northwest, J&S Golf Car Rentals, LLC, Home Depot and
Hollywood Lights; and Eric Leatha for his pitch-perfect tuning services. The 2021 festival’s Fazioli concert grand pianos are provided by the Portland Piano Company. We extend our gratitude to our community education and engagement partners at American String Teachers Association. We are grateful for our partnerships with the City of Gresham and University of Portland for hosting the free community Buster Keaton Movie Nights with Matan Porat this year. Thank you to Jacob Meyer with MeyerPro for assisting us with our audio and visual needs for these community movie nights. Our thanks to Providence St. Vincent, Pioneer Courthouse Square, Polka Dot Downtown, Our House and Portland Mercado | Hacienda CDC for hosting our ECCO Around Town performances.
We extend appreciation to our classical music-loving friends at All Classical, BRAVO Youth Orchestra, Fear No Music, 45th Parallel, Friends of Chamber Music, Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Portland Opera, Portland Youth Philharmonic, Resonance Ensemble, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and wish them a wonderful year ahead. We offer a very special thanks to our volunteers. We’re blessed by your unwavering service, year after year. This festival could not happen without you. Thank you to all of these incredible contributors and community partners who make the 2021 Summer Festival possible; and to you our audience, for your steadfast support over these past months, and for your patronage! — Your friends at CMNW
We respectfully acknowledge that our festival sits on the ancestral lands and traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla and many other Tribes who made their homes along the Columbia (Wimahl) and Willamette (Whilamut) rivers.
2021 Summer Festival Concert Sponsors Chamber Music Northwest gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our concert sponsors. These wonderful sponsors have contributed to help underwrite concerts, events and the production of our AT-HOME concerts this summer. The sponsors are listed in order of the number of years they have supported CMNW. For more information on special opportunities to support Chamber Music Northwest, please contact Leslie Tuomi at 503-546-0184 or lesliet@cmnw.org.
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Powell’s Books | 37
Arnerich Massena | 5
Portland Sheraton Airport Hotel | 31
Bill & Diana Dameron | 5
William & Helen Jo Whitsell | 21
Robert & Susan Leeb | 5
Acorn Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation | 15
Karen & Norman Sade | 5
Carole Alexander | 9
CMNW’s Volunteers | 4
George Rowbottom | 5
Karen & Cliff Deveney | 9
An Anonymous Friend of CMNW | 4
Reed College | 8
Jerome Guillen & Jeremy Gallagher | 1
Peter & Ann van Bever | 7
Leslie Hsu & Rick Lenon | 1
Bruce Cronin | 6
Elk Cove Vineyards | 1
Higgins Restaurant | 6
Hyatt House | 1
David & Maryanne Holman | 6
Joan Levers & David Manhart | 1
George & Deborah Olsen | 6
Stewart Sokol & Larkin LLC | 1
The Oregonian | 6
Ravi Vedanayagam & Ursula Luckert | 1
We gratefully acknowledge contributions received from the following generous friends. This list reflects contributions received through May 6, 2021. If you notice information that needs to be corrected, please notify us at 503-546-0184.
Corporations, Foundations, and Government Artistic Director’s Circle ($25,000 and above)
Brillante ($2,500–$4,999) Arnerich Massena & Associates Cambia Health Solutions Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation † Higgins Restaurant+ Hyatt House+ Nike, Inc. † Portland Sheraton Airport Hotel UBS Financial Services †
Maestoso ($1,000–$2,499) The Amphion Foundation Cascadia Foundation Elk Cove Vineyards + John S. Ettelson Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Intel Corporation † Heritage Bank Mirabella Portland Morgan Stanley † Multnomah County Cultural Coalition Oregon ArtsWatch+
Fortissimo ($10,000–$24,999)
Cheng Family Foundation
Individuals
+
Artistic Director’s Circle ($25,000 and above)
+ Wheeler Foundation
Fortissimo
Crescendo
($10,000–$24,999)
($5,000–$9,999) Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation Juan Young Trust Dorothea M. Lensch Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Powell’s Books Starseed Foundation/ Ann & Ken Edwards+ Herbert A. Templeton Foundation Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust OCF Joseph E. Weston Public Foundation
+ In-kind contributions
Karen & Cliff Deveney Estate of Barbara Engel Paul L. King Ronni Lacroute Michael & Alice Powell
Marjorie G. Gwilliam Estate of Dr. Louis McCraw Peter & Ann van Bever William & Helen Jo Whitsell
Crescendo ($5,000–$9,999) Carl Abbott & Margery Post Abbott Carole Alexander Daniel H. Boyce & Lilla Cabot Evelyn J. Brzezinski Bill & Diana Dameron Jerome Guillen & Jeremy Gallagher
Yoko & Jonathan Greeney David C. & Maryanne Holman Robert & Susan Leeb Sara Jane Patterson & Andrew Jacobs III George Rowbottom Karen & Norman Sade Marianne Steflik Irish Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation RCV/UDL Slate & Davida Wilson An Anonymous Friend of CMNW
Brillante ($2,500–$4,999) Gloria Chien & Soovin Kim Bruce Cronin Paul & Pamela De Boni Marlene Burns & Jon Dickinson Tom Emerson+ David & Caroline Greger Ed Gronke Bill Haden & Doris Huff Betsy & Gregory Hatton Sonja L. Haugen Leslie Hsu & Richard Lenon Leslie Lehmann & Clark Worth Deborah & George Olsen Hugh Porter & Jill Soltero Bill Scott & Kate Thompson Holly C. Silver Anne Stevenson Marc Therrien & Jena Rose Nancy & Herb Zachow Anonymous Friends of CMNW (2)
Maestoso ($1,000–$2,499) Acorn Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Kirby & Amy Allen Nan & Greg Anderson Scott & Margaret Arighi William & Gail Bain Elizabeth & J. Bruce Bell Peter J. Bilotta & Shannon M. Bromenschenkel Bruce Blank Keith Cheng & Karen Ulloth Nathan F. Cogan Linda S. Craig Marvin & Abby Dawson Mary Dickson Jon Feldhausen Ben Frech Deborah & Larry Friedman
† Companies who have matched their employees’ personal contributions
Friends of Roberta Cohen Kit Gillem Dean & Susan Gisvold Dr. Howard P. Greisler Kirk Hall Howard & Molly Harris Tom & Holly Henderson Linda Hutchins & John Montague Ivan & Jeri Inger James Kahan & Kathia Emery Ida Kavafian & Steven Tenenbom Fred Kirchhoff & Ron Simonis Miyoung Kwak Robert Lane & Tom Cantrell Barbara & Bill Langley Dorothy Lemelson Joan Levers & David Manhart Wayne Litzenberger & Jane Patterson John & Stephanie Liu Joseph & Linda Mandiberg Linda & Ken Mantel Mrs. Louis H. McCraw Lora & Jim Meyer Family Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Wilfried & Deanna Mueller-Crispin Beverly & Richard North Ellen Pullen Janet & Larry Richards Woody & Rae Richen Amy Richter Charles & Selene Robinowitz Laurens & Judith Ruben Jeff & Kathleen Rubin James B. & Julianne Sawyer Janet Schibel Jinny Shipman & Dick Kaiser David Staehely Mike & Judy Stoner L. William & Lynda Strand Michael Truman Leslie & Scott Tuomi Robert Weil Mort & Audrey Zalutsky An Anonymous Friend of CMNW
FRIENDS OF CMNW
2021-2022 Season Supporters
Allegro ($500–$999) Ginny Adelsheim Greg & Susan Aldrich Robin Bacon-Shone Tom Balmer & Mary Louise McClintock Dawn & Gary Banker John & Claudette Beahrs
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Ben & Sandra Bole Celia Brandt Kay Bristow Charles & Carol Ouchi Brunner Linda Hathaway Bunza Diana & Lauretta Burman Monika Butcher John Canning Rick Caskey & Sue Horn-Caskey Elaine & Arnold Cogan Drs. Barry DeGregorio & Judy Holeva Allen Dobbins Norma Dody William Dolan & Suzanne Bromschwig Kay L. Doyle Michael & Allyson Ely Marc Fovinci & Ulrike Devoto Christine Greger Douglass Freeman Family Foundation Linda L. Friedman Mrs. Beverly Galen Lucille Gauger Harold Goldstein & Carol Streeter Goldy Family Designated Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Susan W. Grayson Donald & Karen Hall James & Linda Hamilton John & Judie Hammerstad Irv & Gail Handelman Thomas A. Hansen Ted Haskell & Mary Mears-Haskell Diane M. Herrmann Greg & Barb Higgins Kirk Hirschfeld Jean Holznagel Karen Tingey & Jeff Hopper Bill & Jean Horton Sherene Huntzinger Warren Jensen & Jean Kidder Dennis C. Johnson Lynne Johnson & Larry Madson James Jones Dr. & Mrs. Peter J. Kane Paula Kanarek & Ross Kaplan Nancy Kieburtz Robert Kim Katherine King Adela & Dick Knight Karen “Candy” Kruesi Robert L. Ladehoff Timothy J. Lafolette Sally C. Landauer Terry & Thad Langford Thomas C. & Marcia K. Lee Allan & Joyce Leedy Norma Leszt Carol Schnitzer Lewis Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation Peter & Elisabeth Lyon Jerome Magill Tess & George Marino M. & L. Marks Family Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation
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Susan & Barney Milstein Karen Moffat Madeline B. Moore Gregory & Sonya Morgansen Noreen Murdock & Grant Linsell Pamela Murphy Martin L. & Lucy Miller Murray Tom & Christine Neilsen Ralph Conrad Nelson Susan Olson & Bill Nelson Mary Oppenheimer & Harold Horvath Milo & Beverly Ormseth Rev. Dr. Rodney & Sandra Page Robert & Rachel Papkin Bob & Ann Phillips Carole Douglass & William Pressly J.D. Kleinke & Sara Radcliffe Michael Rankin Drs. Bonnie & Pete Reagan Norma Reich Susan & Lawrence Rein Betty & Jacob Reiss Robert & Anne Richardson Peter Riemer Richard & Mary Rosenberg Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation Suzanne Sarason Bill & Meredith Savery David & Judy Schiff John Shipley Sue Stegmiller Mardy & Hank Stevens Sharon E. Streeter Donald & Roslyn Sutherland Jeanette Swenson M. Jessica Taft Janette Trussel Sharon Weil Andrew Wilson & Dr. Ronnie-Gail Emden Wade & Lynnetta Wisler Jean Wu Donald Young & Martha Berndt+ Anonymous Friends of CMNW (3)
Cantabile ($250–$499) Rumiko & Laurent Adamowicz Lynn & Dave Anderson Lou & Nancy Angoli Bryan Aptekar Elizabeth Arch Tom & Dorothy Atwood Robin Bagai & Willa Schneberg Tom & Donna Bashwiner Marcia Bechtold & Brian Carroll Michael Dwyer & Jane Bell Astrida Berzs Deborah Zita & Maryka Biaggio Virginia Smith & John Bissonnette Robert Blum Fred & Betty Brace Barbara Brandt Jerry & Amy Brem Barbara Brooks
Cheryl & Stephen Campbell Elizabeth Carnes Cynthia Chilton Lynn Chmelir & John Webb Ilaine Cohen Matthew A. Cohen Jerry & Jean Corn Marian Creamer David & Marie Culpepper Judy Dauble Martha G. Dibblee David & Janet Dobak Cynthia K. Doran Don & Mary Ann Dunn Robert & Elizabeth Dyson Carolyn Eckel Stephen & Janet Elder Arthur & Margianne Erickson George W. Fabel Kurt Feichtmeir George Feldman Mike Bradney & Helen Ferguson Eric & Elysa Foxman John Betonte & Carol Fredlund Pamela Glenn Ann Goetcheus Phil Goldsmith Gary & Susan Goncher Laura Gordon Ellen L. Green Nancy & Robert Greiff Scott & Tamara Grigsby Nancy & Ron Gronowski Christina M Gullion Clive Kienle & Molly Hamill John & Carolyn Harbison Ulrich H. Hardt & Karen Johnson Robert L. Harper Robert & Janis Harrison Kristine Harter & Will White David Hattner & Kristie Leiser Janice Hayden & Robert Hay Irene W. D. Hecht Fred & Cookie Hegge Kermit McCarthy & Maria Hein Jean E. Herrera Nancy & David Hill Gary McDonald & Barbara Holisky Pamela Hooten & Karen Zumwalt Elizabeth Hooton Vivian Hou Mark Huey & Wayne Wiegand Doris Huff Cecily Johns Kathleen Julian Elaine & Edward Kemp Nancy G. Kennaway Andrew & Kathy Kerr Nick Klein Jim & Morley Knoll Charles & Gloria Kovach Paul Lambertsen Donald P. Lawton Harvey & Ellen Leff Tom Giese & Nora Lehnhoff Amelia Lukas Patricia MacRae & Timothy Rowan
Barbara Manildi Becki Marsh & Wink Gross Katie Matsuura & Jarod Sorum Kathleen Mattson Raymond Mayer Richard Meeker & Ellen Rosenblum Gary Miller & Dell Ann Dyar Roger & Karen Miller Jane Moore Ann Morgan Connie L. Morgan Patricia Morris-Rader Martin C. Muller Randall Nelson Lynn Nguyen-Bush Kate Nicholson & Bill Ray Dennis & Jean O’Malley Katherine O’Neil & John Paul Graff Dr. Michael Ossar Elsa Ostergaard Rod & Mary Anne Parrott Diane D. Perry Charley Peterson & Susan Sater Greg Phillips Steve & Naomi Price David & Kelly Qualls Steve Rapf Bonnie Reynolds Michael & Susan Richmond Alan & Alice Ringquist Carolyn Robb Jane Robinson & Michael Sands Shirley Roffe Richard & Melvina Romanelli H. James Rosenberg Rochelle A. Rosenberg Rosemarie Rosenfeld Daniel Rosenhouse & Pam Waldman Ruth Roth William H. & Susan M. Sack Jamie & Rebecca Schlesinger Janet Schwartz Priscilla Senior Ben Shapiro Peter & Gillian Smith James Spence Charles & Karen Springer Michele Laing Stemler Dennis Taylor & Mindy Campbell Herb Trubo & Steven Buchert Lyle M. Tucker Mary Beth Van Cleave & Mary Kinnick Dominique van de Stadt & Octavio Pajaro Fran Rothman & Robin Van Doren Cherie & Charles Walker WTW Bruce Weber Melissa Whitson Bruce & Susan Winthrop Carol S. Witherell Jennifer Wolcott & Dan Heinrichs Kathleen Worley Darrell & Geneva Wright Floyd M. Zula Anonymous Friends of CMNW (3)
($100-$249) Del & Joanne Aebischer Agoston & Maria Agoston Meena Ahamed Donald Aibel Angela Allen & Jan van Santen Marlene Anderson & David Filer Thomas R. Anderson & Joan J. Montague Richard & Kristin Angell Bob Aptekar & Judy Wilkins Carol Ann Armstrong Pat & Bob Atkins H.L. & Diane Augee Kathy Austen & Jeffrey Lassahn Jean Mielke Avery Barbara Backstrand Roberta Badger-Cain & Leonard Cain Barbara Bailey David Bailey & Deirdre Poe Deborah Bailey Thomas Bailey Gregg Baker Jim Bane & Elizabeth Goy John Barker Laura Barton Howard J. Beckerman Jeanne Bevis Ethel Birnbach Robert & Gail Black Adam Bless & Claudia Weiss Mary Carr & James Boehnlein Ralph Bolliger & Peggy Cook Lynne Anne Bond Richard Bosch Henry & Mary Breithaupt Paul Brenc Evona Brim Ben & Lois Bronfman David Brook & Susan Campbell Richard Louis Brown Marda Buchholz Marianne Buchwalter Katya Bulaevskaya Elaine Calder & William J. Bennett Elizabeth Cameron John & Barbara Camp Don & Darlene Carlson Valerie Castle Mary & Ed Celnicker Shing Chang Peng Chen Yong Sung & Ilze Choi Katrina Cleburn William Clemens & MaryEllen Ryan Miles Cohen Richard & Priscilla Cowell Don & Cindy Crawford Jamie & Jim Crowne Joan Davis Shannon Davis John & Margaret DeLacy Catherine & Michael Dembrow Tatyana Dembrow
Sharon Denman Diane Dieter Dan Volkmer & Frank Dixon Dobak Family Charitable Fund David & Wendy Doerner Susan Dornfeld Anne E. Draper Barbara Dudley Karen Kovak & Todd Easton Ralph Eccles Jerry & Lisa Eckstein Norman & Sherry Eder Jeanine Elliott Marco Escalante & Dongni Li Tom Etheridge & Luanne Rolly Edward & Jeanette Feldhousen Margot Fetz Ed Fisher & Carolyn Presley Gould Greg & Carol Flakus John & Mary Fleckenstein Heather & Ronald Florence Tom & Colleen Foster Sam Friedenberg & Sandra Tetzloff Theresa Fritchle & George Armantrout Curtis Frye & Virginia Belt Jerome & Mary Fulton Rodger & Carolyn Gabrielson Stuart Gardiner Carolyn Gassaway Emily Gennari Emily Simon & Mary Ann Gernegliaro Richard Gibson & Anna Roe Don & Linda Gilbert Scott Gilbert & Anne Raunio Marlene Gleason Anne & Franklin Glickman Martha Goetsch & Linda Besant Sylvia Gray & Viktors Berstis Gisela Green Susan Green Christine Greger-Douglass Polly Grose David Gruber & Erica Jensen Kristine Gundacker Sandy Haechrel Marcia Hamley Constance Hammond William Harleston & Coral Hanevold Jean Harmon Wesley & Virginia Harper Caroline & Adrian Harris Crowne Stephen & Sharon Hart Marilyn Hartzell Bonna & Allan Harwood Laura Hassell & Carla Jimenez Clayton Hawkes Dawn Hayami Mary Hayden Barbara Heilman Judy Henderson William & Beverly Hendricks Diane Hollister Ann S. Holznagel Jason & Wanda Horwege Drs. Ann & Brook Howard
Karen Howe & James Fitzgerald Patricia & Michael Ivie Pamela Jacklin & Leonard Girard Constance Jackson & Xavier Le Hericy Carol Jeanne Joanne Jene Dr. Nancy Johns Susan & Gary Jones Mary Anne Joyce & Catha Loomis David & Dolores Judkins Nathan Kerr Cay Kershner R. Duncan Kerst Susan Kobos Elaine Kohnen Barbara Kommer & Kurt Koenig Eleanor & Kurt Krause Sue Knight & Glenn Lamb Peter Landweber Grethe A. Larson & James D. Mullins Brigitte Launstein Mary Lavelle John Lawrence Barbara A. Lee Taek Lee Sandra Leybold Paul Irvin & Carol Linne Una Loughran Yvonne Lyles Terry S. MacDonald Jackie D. MacGregor Madeleine Mader Bill & Jan Madill John & Jeanne Malone Cordelia Manning Kay Mannion Terri Maragos Craig & Susan Markham Paul Maynard Harry & Carol McCulley Colin & Heidi McDonough Randall McGowen & Rachel Foster Lauren McNaughton & John French Bill McRae & Steve Bardi Margaret Meech Debra Meisinger & Barry Buchanan Cathy Mesenbrink Keith & Alison Miles Elaine & Ted Molskness Steven Moss Jim & Jeanette Munyon Patricia Navin Jennifer Nelson Bonnie New Sean Nolan & Gloria Jacobs Steve & Sandy Norcross Eugene & Barbara Norcross-Renner Dale Nusom David Oates Diane & Terry O’Connor Michael & Gloria Borg Olds Kris Oliveira Patricia O’Shea Phyllis & Warren Oster Linda & Bill Owen
Denny Patella Tom & Marie Penchoen Olliemay Phillips Walter & Susan Piepke Ellen Pitcher Caroline & Claude Poliakoff MD Diana Spies Pope Roger J. Porter Darin Portnoy Jonathan Potkin Renate & Jim Powell Nancy & Richard Prouser Larry Rabinowitz Jay & Michelle Rafter Suzanne Rague Patricia E. Raley James & Sally Reed Rita & Peter Rega Joan Renie & Greg Watson Miriam Resnick Michelle Reynolds Carlotta Richard Cheryl Richardson Suzanne & John Riles Judith Rimbey Stephen & Barbara Ritchie Ruth Robinson Charlene Rogers Judy Romano & Larry Wasserman Eve & Alan Rosenfeld Pat Rumer Betsy Russell Jean Rystrom David & Eleanor Sacks Julie & David Sauer Dr. Kathy Scanlan Jeff & Phyllis Scargle Jeanne & Stephen Schapp William & Callie Schlippert Cecilia W. Schmitt Karen C. Schneider Bob & Judy Scholz Dick & Sue Schubert Gary & Sheila Seitz James & Judith Seubert Maddy Sheehan Torin & Julie Shepard Mark & Gail Sherman Mary Slowik Siciliano Lynne Siegel Bob & Maxine Silverman Rebecca Simmons & Rick Braun Jim Sjulin & Gay Greger Jim & Charlotte Skuster Dr. Roger G. & Joan H. Smith Robert Lloyd Smith Valarie Smith Jan & Chris Sokol Lorraine Solomonson Lewis Sprunger Sara Stamper Janet Stearns Sheldon & Carole Stearns Karen R. Steingart, MD Charles Stephany Claudia L Sterling Robert Stokes & Jane Fudge
FRIENDS OF CMNW
Sostenuto
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Cynthia Stowell David & Naomi Strauss Michael & Patricia Sullivan LaRhette S. Swann Eric Sweetman & Penelope Schott Bonnie & Terrel Templeman Terence Thatcher Dina Thompson & John Sohl Karyn Thrapp Virginia Tilden & John Benson David Tillett Stephan Tobin, PhD Ms. Kay Tousley Hans Tschersich Edwin Van Dam Marilyn Van Natta Philip & Marjorie Walters Marjan Wazeka Lawrence Weisberg Wendy & Jerrold Franklin Joella Werlin Judith S. West Suzanne White Barbara Whitmore Richard & Jan Widmayer Noelle Wiggins & Marjorie McGee Karen & Bob Williams Martin & Carolyn Winch Jeffrey K. Winslow Lisa & Gavin Winterhalter Sandra Wiscarson Anne K. Woodbury Malcolm & Marjorie Wright Merri Souther Wyatt Cynthia Yee Gary Zacny Catherine & Jon Zaerr Claude & Florence Zeller Frances Zeman & Ted Rothstein Anonymous Friends of CMNW (32)
In Memoriam Nancy Alley Kay Bristow Edna Herrington Brooks Barbara Brooks Roberta Cohen Meena Ahamed Carmen Calzacorta & Casey Mills Shing Chang Jennifer Duran Robbie Grembowitz Thomas Gritzka Jennifer Katz Sally & Bob Landauer John Lawrence Shirley Leung John & Jeanne Malone Joseph & Linda Mandiberg Jessica & Michael Marlitt Ilan Moss The Mozeico Family Darin Portnoy Charles & Sandra Riegler Hannah Salem Ben Shapiro Anne Squire Gretchen Rosina Hoyt Corbett Mrs.Henry Ladd Corbett Anonymous Marilyn Crilley George Rowbottom Nathan Davis Jeffrey Morgan Mary Lou Dobbins Allen Dobbins Dr. Richard Kieburtz Norman & Sherry Eder
Shin Kim Elizabeth Bedford
Dr. Nancy J. Kennaway David Keyes
Klaus Knab Linda Knab
Dottie Lambertsen Paul Lambertsen
Howard Larson Meg & Chuck Allen Louis McCraw Bill & Diana Dameron Per Sweetman Bill & Diana Dameron Heather & Ronald Florence Lucille Gauger Miyoung Kwak Janet Schibel Rebecca Simmons & Rick Braun Dr. Lewis Sprunger Mary Winch Anonymous
In Honor of Robin Bacon-Shone Heather Bacon-Shone Gloria Chien and Soovin Kim Donald Aibel Allyson & Michael Ely Karen Kruesi Malcolm & Marjorie Wright CMNW Musicians, Staff and Volunteers Cynthia Chilton & Edmund Abrahamson Ellen L. Green Seth & Angela Truby An Anonymous Friend of CMNW
Thomas Longo Drs. Barry DeGregorio & Judy Holeva Linda Magee James & Judith Seubert The Meyer Family and all of the musicians who participated Mark Slosberg Miró Quartet Annie Moss Moore Chris Mullooly Betty & Jacob Reiss Abraham Nurkiewicz Marcus Toomey Michael Powell Bill Haden & Doris Huff David and Judy Schiff Richard Meeker & Ellen Rosenblum David Shifrin Inga Fisher Williams Ida Kavafian & Steven Tenenbom Judy McNally Hugh Porter & Jill Soltero Robert Weil
David and Caroline Greger John & Stephanie Liu
Support the Commissioning of New Music The Chamber Music Northwest Commissioning Club are music lovers like you who have pledged their support to collaboratively commission one new work each season. Commissioning Club members have opportunities to learn about the music, the composer’s creative process, attend a rehearsal & meet with the composer. Each year, they meet with our Artistic Directors to discuss and select the work to be commissioned. This year, because the 2020 commission had to be rescheduled, the Commissioning Club is sponsoring the commissions of both David Ludwig and Matan Porat.
For information on how you can join the Commissioning Club, contact Leslie Tuomi at 503-546-0184 or email lesliet@cmnw.org
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Commissioning Club Carl & Margery Abbott Gary & Dawn Banker Linda Hathaway Bunza Diana Burman Linda Craig Bill & Diana Dameron Mary Dickson Andrew Wilson & Ronnie-Gail Emden Kit Gillem Harold Goldstein & Carol Streeter Diane M. Hermann Linda Hutchins & John Montague
Ivan & Jeri Inger Miyoung Kwak Susan & Robert Leeb Lora & Jim Meyer Martin & Lucy Murray George & Deborah Olsen Ellen Pullen Robert & Anne Richardson George Rowbottom Jeff & Kathleen Rubin Karen & Norman Sade Bill Scott & Kate Thompson Mike & Judy Stoner Peter & Ann van Bever An Anonymous Friend of CMNW
We note with sadness the passing of the following members of our Chamber Music Northwest family this past year. We will miss them, and we offer our sincere condolences to their families and friends.
Nancy Alley Jackie Bloom Roberta Cohen Marilyn Crilley Nathan B. Davis Sarah Duvall Barbara Engel William Galen Diana Gerding
Linda Shaver-Gleason Dorothy Lemelson Marta “Tita” Malinow Dr. Louis McCraw Thelma Schnitzer Peter Vennewitz Robert Weil Lucy Wiegand
Named Endowment Funds With deep gratitude we recognize the donors of the following Named Endowment Funds, which provide perpetual support for Chamber Music Northwest artists and programs. In this current 2020-2021 year, income from the following funds helped underwrite the activities shown below. Bart Alexander Oboe Chair Fund Martin Hébert
Ned & Sis Hayes Young Artist Fund Davóne Tines’ residency
Theodore & Celia Brandt Cello and Violin Chair Funds Jupiter Quartet residency
Mary-Claire King Flute Chair Fund Tara Helen O’Connor residency
CMNW Commissioning Fund New works by Pierre Jalbert, David Ludwig, Marc Neikrug, and Matan Porat
Michael & Alice Powell Vocal Chair Fund Jennifer Johnson Cano and Kelly Markgraf David Shifrin Honorary Clarinet Chair Fund James Shields
Stephen Swerling New Ventures Fund Production of this summer’s At-Home programming Jean Vollum Piano Fund Rental and stewardship of pianos from Portland Piano Company Whitsell Cello Fund Paul Watkins’ residency
David Golub Piano Chair Fund Marc André Hamelin’s residency
Mt. Hood Investment Group Confidence from a trusted wealth management process
We proudly support Chamber Music Northwest and the joy music brings. Mt. Hood Investment Group UBS Financial Services Inc. 805 SW Broadway, Suite 2600 Portland, OR 97205 503-225-9204 855-380-3442 ubs.com/team/mhig As a firm providing wealth management services to clients, UBS Financial Services Inc. offers investment advisory services in its capacity as an SEC-registered investment adviser and brokerage services in its capacity as an SEC-registered broker-dealer. Investment advisory services and brokerage services are separate and distinct, differ in material ways and are governed by different laws and separate arrangements. It is important that clients understand the ways in which we conduct business, that they carefully read the agreements and disclosures that we provide to them about the products or services we offer. For more information, please review the PDF document at ubs.com/relationshipsummary. © UBS 2021. All rights reserved. UBS Financial Services Inc. is a subsidiary of UBS AG. Member FINRA/SIPC. CJ-UBS-415452468 Exp.: 05/31/2022
FRIENDS OF CMNW
In Memoriam
The following generous friends have made provisions for Chamber Music Northwest in their estate plans and/or have made a major gift to our Endowment Fund: Carl & Margery Abbott Carole Alexander Scott & Margaret Arighi Phoebe Atwood* Estate of Laura L. Barber* Peter J. Bilotta & Shannon M. Bromenschenkel Diane Boly Theodore* & Celia Brandt Evelyn J. Brzezinski The Clark Foundation Matthew A. & Roberta* Cohen The Collins Foundation Helen Corbett* Bill & Diana Dameron Nathan Davis Karen & Cliff Deveney Mary Dickson William Dolan & Suzanne Bromschwig Elaine Durst John & Jane Emrick
Barbara Engel* Don H. Frank* Don & Emilie Frisbee* Doris S. Fulton* Elizabeth & John Gray* Susan & Jeffrey* Grayson Marilyn & Harold Hanson* Robert & Janis Harrison Sonja Haugen Ned & Sis Hayes* Gary McDonald & Barbara Holisky Paul L. King Robert & Sally Landauer Leslie Lehmann & Clark Worth Muriel D. Lezak Amelia Lukas Leeanne G. MacColl* Linda Magee Steve & Cindy McCarthy Dr. Louis* & Judy McCraw Betty A. Merten
William D. & Lois L. Miller Wilfried & Deanna Mueller-Crispin Janice Orloff Dolores Young Owen* Rev. Dr. Rodney & Sandra Page James* & Norma Pizza Alberto Rafols & Richard Scott Judson Randall* Paula P. Randall* Konrad Reisner* George & Claire Rives* Laurens & Judith Ruben Gilbert & Thelma Schnitzer* Mayer* & Janet Schwartz David Shifrin Joan* & John Shipley Jinny Shipman & Dick Kaiser Al Solheim Anne Stevenson Stephen Swerling* Phyllis Swett*
Hall Templeton* Harry Turtledove* Peter & Ann van Bever Ravi C. Vedanayagam & Ursula Luckert Jean Vollum* Bruce Weber Margaret (Peggy) & Robert Weil* Judy Weinsoft* Samuel C. Wheeler* / Wheeler Foundation William & Helen Jo Whitsell Jane Williams* Slate & Davida Wilson Herb & Nancy Zachow Anonymous Friends of CMNW (2)
FRIENDS OF CMNW
Nautilus Circle Members
* Recognized posthumously
Join the Nautilus Circle The Nautilus Circle recognizes individuals who included CMNW in their will or estate plan, as well as those who have made significant gifts to the CMNW Endowment Fund. If you are planning or have already made provisions to remember CMNW with a legacy gift, we would be pleased to honor you as a member of our Nautilus Circle. You need not provide details of your plans. Please consult your tax and financial advisors to determine how a planned gift to CMNW will affect your estate.
Create a Legacy of Music You can create a musical tribute to our community with a planned gift to Chamber Music Northwest as part of your will or estate plan – a lasting testimonial to your love of chamber music. Your legacy gift becomes a part of our permanent endowment, helping to create exceptional concerts, educational programs, and community engagement initiatives to share chamber music throughout our region. You can even designate your gift to endow or support a musical program or project that is especially dear to your heart, promising a meaningful and memorable connection with your community.
There are many ways to leave a legacy – through your will, a trust, as a beneficiary of a retirement plan or life insurance policy, and many more. We can help with clear, simple guidance on how you can leave a meaningful gift for CMNW as well as other charities you love. Please contact Leslie Tuomi at 503-546-0184 or lesliet@cmnw.org for further information and consult your tax advisor or financial planner to discover how to shape your legacy.
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Thursday, July 1
Friday, July 2
Reed College, Kaul Auditorium | 7:30 pm
Reed College, Kaul Auditorium | 7:30 pm AT-HOME Sponsor:
LIVE Sponsor:
Bill and Diana Dameron
LIVE Sponsor:
Anonymous Friends of CMNW
Opening Night with East Coast Chamber Orchestra
PRELUDE BACH (1685-1750)
Cantata 180: Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele, BWV 180 • (4')
MENDELSSOHN (1809–1847)
Concerto for Piano, Violin, and Strings in D Minor, MWV O4 • (40’) Allegro Adagio Allegro molto
East Coast Chamber Orchestra
Time for reflection, please withhold applause.
Soovin Kim, violin Gloria Chien, piano East Coast Chamber Orchestra Meg Freivogel, violin Kobi Malkin, violin Kristin Lee, violin Nelson Lee, violin Susie Park, violin Annaliesa Place, violin Nick Kendall, violin Tai Murray, violin Liz Freivogel, viola Melissa Reardon, viola Jessica Thompson, viola Michael Katz, cello Dan McDonough, cello Kenneth Olsen, cello Nate Farrington, bass
INTERMISSION TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
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Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48 • (32') Pezzo in forma di sonatina Valse Élégie Finale: Tema russo
East Coast Chamber Orchestra
Mendelssohn ingeniously blends Baroque counterpoint with the early Romantic aesthetics of his own time. The soloists dialog with each other throughout the opening Allegro in a halfplayful, half-competitive manner. Each solo instrument stakes out its own turf: the violin soars above the piano with one lyrical phrase following the next, while the piano showcases its breadth with expansive chords and liquid harmonies. In keeping with the expressive quality of the concerto’s Adagio, Mendelssohn highlights both soloists almost to the exclusion of the string orchestra. Their ensuing duet explores a range of emotional moods: intimate, impassioned, plaintive, and occasionally wistful. The concluding Allegro molto sparkles with youthful energy. The piano sets a brisk tempo that rarely lets up, as the violin and orchestra follow suit. Mendelssohn exploits the Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress) of the D Minor tonality, and the music gains both speed and intensity as it races towards its emphatic conclusion.
—© Elizabeth Schwartz
Tchaikovsky composed his Serenade in 1880, at the same time as the 1812 Overture, but his feelings about the two works could not have differed more strongly. “You can imagine, beloved friend, that my muse has been benevolent of late when I tell you that I have written two long works very rapidly,” Tchaikovsky wrote to his patron Nadezhda von Meck, “the festival Overture [the 1812] and a Serenade in four movements for string orchestra. The Overture will be very noisy; I wrote it without much warmth or enthusiasm and therefore it has no great artistic value. The Serenade, on the contrary, I wrote from inner conviction. It is a heartfelt piece and so, I dare to think, is not without artistic ‘qualities.’” Tchaikovsky was so pleased with his Serenade that upon its completion he wrote to his publisher, “I am violently in love with this work and cannot wait for it to be played.” At its premiere on October 30, 1881, in St. Petersburg, the audience responded in a similar fashion, calling for an encore of the second movement.
Week One
In 1823, Mendelssohn wrote a concerto for himself and his violin teacher, Eduard Rietz. The Concerto for Piano, Violin and Strings in D Minor may be the work of a teenager, but there is nothing immature or half-finished about it, including the demands it makes on both soloists.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who once dubbed Mozart “the Christ of music,” wrote the Serenade for Strings in C Major as a tribute to his favorite composer. “It is intended to be an imitation of his style,” Tchaikovsky wrote, “and I should be delighted if I thought I had in any way approached my model.”
PROGRAMS
Child prodigies emerge from time to time in music. Usually these wunderkinder excel in performance, and while uncommon, prodigies are hardly rare. Felix Mendelssohn was a prodigy of a more unusual type. Like Mozart, Mendelssohn’s exceptional musical facility revealed itself in composition as well as performance. By the age of 12, Mendelssohn, thanks in part to the extensive musical education afforded him by his family, had written, among other things, piano sonatas, a piano trio, and two operettas. At 16, Mendelssohn produced what many regard as his first masterwork: the Octet for Strings in E-flat major, Op. 20.
The Pezzo in forma di Sonatina (Piece in the form of a Sonatina) begins with a slow introduction, in the manner of an 18th century string serenade. This rich, hymn-like melody gives way to an energetic tune that suggests the buoyant joy of Mozart’s music. The lilting Walzer (Waltz) has delighted audiences since its first performance; here Tchaikovsky captured its essential Viennese flavor, and the music sparkles throughout. In the Élégie we hear hints of the brooding murmurous quality most suggestive of Tchaikovsky’s style, but the overall mood of this movement is meditative rather than melancholy. In the final movement, Tchaikovsky uses contrasting Russian folksongs, one for the slow introduction and the other full of hustle and bustle. The first movement hymn concludes the Serenade.
—© Elizabeth Schwartz 21
Saturday, July 3
Sunday, July 4
Reed College, Kaul Auditorium | 7:30 pm
Reed College, Kaul Auditorium | 7:30 pm AT-HOME Sponsor:
Dedicated in memory of our dear friend and arts supporter Marilyn Crilley.
Saluting John Shipley for 47 years of generous support!
The Exuberance of ECCO & Jupiter Quartet
PRELUDE BARBER (1910-1981)
Adagio for Strings • (9')
ELGAR (1857-1934)
Serenade for Strings • (12’) Allegro piacevole Larghetto Allegretto
East Coast Chamber Orchestra
JESSIE MONTGOMERY (b. 1981)
Banner for String Quartet and String Orchestra (2014) • (9’)
Jupiter String Quartet Nelson Lee, violin Meg Freivogel, violin Liz Freivogel, viola Daniel McDonough, cello
East Coast Chamber Orchestra
Time for reflection, please withhold applause.
East Coast Chamber Orchestra
INTERMISSION
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HANNA BENN (b. 1987)
Where Springs Not Fail (2015) • (9')
East Coast Chamber Orchestra
BARTÓK (b. 1881-1945)
Divertimento for String Orchestra, Sz. 113 • (27’) Allegro non troppo Molto adagio Allegro assai
East Coast Chamber Orchestra
—© Elizabeth Schwartz Banner is a tribute to the 200th Anniversary of Francis Scott Key’s “StarSpangled Banner,” which was officially declared the American National Anthem in 1814. Scored for solo string quartet and string orchestra, Banner is a rhapsody on the theme of the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Drawing on musical and historical sources from various patriotic songs, I’ve made an attempt to answer the question: “What does an anthem for the 21st century sound like in today’s multicultural environment?” Banner expands on my 2009 composition Anthem: A tribute to the historical election of Barack Obama. I’ve included several references to African American musical traditions in Banner, such as marching band styles containing several strains or contrasting sections. I have also drawn on the drum line chorus as a
The “Star-Spangled Banner’’ is an ideal subject for exploring contradictions. For most Americans, the song represents a paradigm of liberty and solidarity against fierce odds, but for others it implies a contradiction between the ideals of freedom and the realities of injustice and oppression. As a culture, it is my opinion that we Americans are perpetually in search of ways to express and celebrate our ideals of freedom — ways to proclaim “We’ve made it!” as if saying it aloud makes it so. Through work songs and spirituals, enslaved Africans sought a way out, enduring the most abominable treatment for the eventual promise of a free life. Immigrants from Europe, Central America, and the Pacific came to America in the hope of safe haven, they put down roots in our nation and make significant contributions to our cultural landscape. In the 21st century, a tribute to the U.S. National Anthem means acknowledging the contradictions and milestones that allow us to celebrate and maintain the traditions of our ideals.
—© Jessie Montgomery
Where Springs Not Fail is a tone poem, portraying the Gerard Manley Hopkins work “Heaven-Haven.” Heaven-Haven A nun takes the veil I have desired to go Where springs not fail, To fields where flies no sharp and sided hail And a few lilies blow. And I have asked to be Where no storms come, Where the green swell is in the havens dumb, And out of the swing of the sea.
—© Hanna Benn
When Béla Bartók’s Divertimento for String Orchestra, Sz. 113 was performed at the International Society for Contemporary Music festival in Berkeley, California, in 1942, one critic observed, “Bartók’s Divertimento might admirably serve as a commentary upon life in Europe in the last five years, but with a paean of faith in humanity as its coda.” Swiss conductor and patron Paul Sacher could have been Bartók’s inspiration for that “faith in humanity.” Sacher commissioned several works from Bartók, including the Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta and the String Quartet No. 6. In the summer of 1939, Sacher wrote to Bartók with a request for a new work for the Basel Chamber Orchestra. Sacher also offered his chalet to Bartók while he composed, along with a personal chef and a piano shipped in from the city of Berne. This act of generosity moved Bartók, who wrote his son, “Somehow I feel like a musician of the olden time; the invited guest of a patron of the arts . . . the Sachers see to everything — from a distance . . . the work went well, and I finished it in just 15 days.”
Week One
In the Serenade’s manuscript, Elgar wrote, “Braut helped a great deal to make these little tunes.” Braut, German for “wife,” refers to Caroline Alice Elgar — Elgar’s critical and creative confidante. Towards the end of his life, Elgar remarked that the Serenade was his favorite of all his works, and he made a point of including it on one of the last recordings he made before his death.
source for the rhythmic underpinning of the finale. Other cultural anthems, American folk songs, and popular idioms interact to form textures in the finale. The string quartet functions as an individual voice working both with and against the orchestra.
PROGRAMS
The Serenade for Strings in E Minor, Op. 20 is Edward Elgar’s first composition to achieve wide recognition, and the earliest of his works to enter the standard repertoire. The Serenade for Strings is most likely a reworking of three separate string pieces Elgar wrote and performed with an amateur orchestra in 1888. Five years later, at age 36, he published Op. 20. The opening Allegro piacevole (“pleasingly” or “pleasant”), features a distinctive dotted rhythm first sounded by the violas. This rhythm and its gracefully pensive melody contrasts with a short lyrical episode before returning to the primary theme. The Larghetto showcases Elgar’s intimate knowledge of stringed instruments (as a young man he supported himself as a violinist). The concluding Allegretto reprises the dotted rhythm of the first movement with lilting tunes and suggestions of the expressive Larghetto.
In the Divertimento, Bartók fuses Hungarian folk idioms with stylistic elements of the Baroque period. Divertimentos, a genre popularized by Haydn and Mozart, borrow from the Baroque concerto grosso, in which a larger ensemble alternates musical passages with a soloist or small group of soloists. Bartók also employed the Baroque custom of using dance rhythms to generate motion; in this instance, we hear the asymmetrical patterns of Hungarian folk music rather than the straightforward meters of western European dances. A vibrant pulse drives the Allegro non troppo’s series of dance melodies — characters shift from stout and earthy to gracefully refined. The music of the Adagio broods and menaces as Bartók voiced his anguish over the looming threat of war. The Allegro assai launches insistent ostinato rhythms combined with a carefree melody heard first in the concertmaster’s solo violin.
—© Elizabeth Schwartz
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Tuesday, July 6 Reed College, Kaul Auditorium | 7:30 pm LIVE Sponsor:
AT-HOME Sponsor:
Special thanks to Paul L. King for his visionary leadership and support in creating A Song by Mahler.
Premiering A Song by Mahler
MARC NEIKRUG (b. 1946)
A Song by Mahler (2018) • (80’) WORLD PREMIERE
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano Kelly Markgraf, baritone David Shifrin, clarinet FLUX Quartet Tom Chiu, violin Conrad Harris, violin Max Mandel, viola Felix Fan, cello Marc Neikrug, composer Douglas Fitch, director Nicholas Houfet, lighting director Blythe Gaissert, cover Ryan Bradford, cover
A Song by Mahler was co-commissioned by Chamber Music Northwest with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, La Jolla Music Society, and Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, with additional support from the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Additional support for residency activities and the recording of this production was provided by the Oregon Cultural Trust. 24
PROGRAMS Week Two
A Song by Mahler is the third piece I have written in a genre that I see as a combination of theater and music. I have tried to combine these two forms in a way that addresses some of the problems I find in opera, particularly the fact that singing any set of words takes approximately three times as long as speaking them. This leads to a sense of time, which is not how we experience “real time.” Another aspect, which I have always found problematic, is the setting of purely mundane, everyday words into singing. In these works, I have written text to be performed as in a play, while composing music which, as in an opera, conveys underlying and essential emotional context. In the previous two pieces, there was no singing at all. In this one, I employ both speech and singing. The speech is rhythmically controlled in order to synchronize with the music, but it is essentially “acted,” as in a play. The singing takes over when an emotional threshold is reached where speaking doesn’t suffice. The play itself considers the situation of a concertizing singer who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. She confronts the reality of this, as does her husband, who is also her accompanist. The play is not an attempt at documenting the myriad aspects of the disease. It is, rather, an attempt to address the specific emotional evolution of this couple, touching on their love and their particular relationship to music. I have used one Mahler song, “Liebst du um Schönheit” (If You Love for Beauty), as a vehicle for the story. It is the song the play’s singer always performed as her last encore in concerts. I place a master class early in the play in order to explain the deep meaning of the song for her personally, and in order for our audience to understand it. Her gradual deterioration and her husband’s attempts to adjust, while also trying to keep his wife connected through music, lead to an eventual resolution and an evolved sense of their love.
—© Marc Neikrug
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Thursday, July 8
Friday, July 9
Reed College, Kaul Auditorium | 7:30 pm
Reed College, Kaul Auditorium | 7:30 pm AT-HOME Sponsor:
LIVE Sponsor:
Bruce Cronin
Robert & Susan Leeb
LIVE Sponsor:
Karen & Cliff Deveney
Sounds of Brilliance & Unity
PRELUDE JESSIE MONTGOMERY (b. 1981)
Peace (2020) • (4')
WEBER (1786-1826)
Clarinet Quintet in B-flat Major, Op. 34 • (27’) Allegro Fantasia Menuetto, capriccio presto Rondo, allegro giocoso
David Shifrin, clarinet Bella Hristova, violin Karla Donehew Perez, violin Paul Neubauer, viola Alan Richardson, cello
JEFF SCOTT (b. 1967)
Startin’ Sumthin’ (2016) • (4’)
Tara Helen O’Connor, flute James Shields, clarinet Martin Hébert, oboe Monica Ellis, bassoon William Purvis, French horn
VALERIE COLEMAN (b. 1970)
Umoja (2021) • (2’)
Tara Helen O’Connor, flute James Shields, clarinet Martin Hébert, oboe Monica Ellis, bassoon William Purvis, French horn
Rebecca Anderson, violin Monica Ohuchi, piano
Time for reflection, please withhold applause.
INTERMISSION COPLAND (1900-1990)
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Appalachian Spring • (20')
Earl Lee, conductor James Shields, clarinet Tara Helen O’Connor, flute Monica Ellis, bassoon Bella Hristova, violin Sarah Kwak, violin Rebecca Anderson, violin
Karla Donehew Perez, violin Paul Neubauer, viola Kenji Bunch, viola Fred Sherry, cello Alan Richardson, cello Braizahn Jones, bass Monica Ohuchi, piano
—© Ethan Allred
—© Jeff Scott Umoja is the Swahili word for “unity,” as well as the first day of the weeklong African-American celebration of Kwanzaa. The original composition calls for unity through the tradition of call and response and was first meant to be a simple family sing-along song for Kwanzaa. It was added to the wind quintet repertoire of Imani Winds, a woodwind quintet created and founded by Coleman, and it soon became one of the ensemble’s signature pieces. The melody is mainly a French horn solo with supporting rhythms from the upper winds and a constant motor played by the bassoon. Even though the meter is in 3/4 time, the melody and percussive upper wind accompaniment is mostly phrased in 6/8 when there is syncopation. Most importantly, the entire feel should be in 1. Suggested effects: flutter tonguing and trills within the flute line.
—© Valerie Coleman
Aaron Copland wrote many of the best-known works of his Americana period during World War II. Drawing on symbols deeply ingrained in American culture, works like Fanfare for the Common Man and Lincoln Portrait deftly combined Copland’s leftist politics and American nationalism. It was Copland’s 1943–1944 collaboration with choreographer Martha Graham, Appalachian Spring, however, that made the strongest impact on the public.
Week Two
The drama begins at the outset of the work: calm leads to joviality, after which Weber plunges briefly into an intense minor-mode episode before easing into levity once again. In no more than a minute’s worth of music the composer has explored a full spectrum of emotions, and this capricious meandering continues throughout the entire quintet. The dramatic heart of the work is perhaps the ink-black Fantasia, in which the vocal tone of the clarinet is exploited in aria style. The movement fades to extreme quiet, the composer again utilizing the unique qualities of an instrument capable of the very softest tones. A humorous minuet pits the wind instrument against the strings: so often, they are engaged in a musical argument. The trio section, however, feels more like an amicable dialogue. In the Finale, Weber truly showcases the virtuosity of all musicians, most especially the clarinetist. Fireworks and confetti seem to spew from the bell in an endless display of theatrical showmanship. Here, an opera composer demonstrates his uncanny ability to leave his audiences in awe as they leave the theatre.
Startin’ Sumthin’, commissioned in 2012 by Jenny Cline and the Monmouth Winds, is a modern take on 1930s swing jazz; it’s meant to be a fun retro-ride. To arrive, take the Louis Jordan highway, merge onto the Lionel Hampton causeway, turn right on the Jump Jazz expressway and exit when the harmonies start to get a little coarse and dense. More information at oberlin.edu/jeff-scott.
PROGRAMS
Carl Maria von Weber’s friendship with the clarinet virtuoso Heinrich Baermann fortuitously yielded music that helped accelerate the popularity of this versatile instrument in a variety of settings. Here, in his brilliant Clarinet Quintet in B-flat Major, the composer not only showcases the virtuosity and lyricism of the instrument, truly securing its place in the chamber music repertoire, but simultaneously infuses the music with his characteristically operatic style: dramatically shifting between mood, key, and affect, as though there were some secret libretto underlying this purely instrumental work. Of course, no such narrative exists save in the imaginative mind of a listener.
Graham, a native of Allegheny, Pennsylvania, was one of the great choreographers of the 20th century. Copland recalled, “Nobody else seems quite like Martha . . . there’s something prim and restrained, simple yet strong, about her which one tends to think of as American.” The story of Appalachian Spring takes place in rural Pennsylvania, where a newlywed couple prepares to make a life for themselves on the American frontier. The central focus of Copland’s score is a theme and variations on “Simple Gifts,” a song from the pacifist Shaker community of 19th century New England. Though unsung, the song’s lyrics emphasize one of the ballet’s primary themes: “’Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free.” Indeed, it is the folk-like simplicity of Copland’s music that has made it so enduringly popular. His lush, evocative sounds captured the United States’ landscape and historical values at a time when modern warfare threatened to eclipse any hold on those traditions. Graham’s story, meanwhile, presented an egalitarian vision of American culture in stark opposition to fascism; men and women come together and share the burden of building their idealistic frontier community. Copland would later arrange Appalachian Spring for full orchestra, but he preferred the original chamber instrumentation’s “clarity,” describing it as “closer to my original conception than the more opulent orchestrated version.”
—© Ethan Allred
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Saturday, July 10
Sunday, July 11
Reed College, Kaul Auditorium | 7:30 pm LIVE Sponsor:
CMNW’s Volunteers
Reed College, Kaul Auditorium | 4:00 pm AT-HOME Sponsor:
LIVE Sponsor:
CMNW’s Volunteers
Premiering Vesper Flight & Les Adieux PRELUDE MESSIAEN (1908-1992)
Quartet for the End of Time (1940) • (8') VIII. Louange à l’Immortalité de Jésus (Praise for the Immortality of Jesus)
Bella Hristova, violin Gloria Chien, piano
Time for reflection, please withhold applause.
KENJI BUNCH (b. 1973)
Vesper Flight for Flute and Piano • (10’) WORLD PREMIERE
Tara Helen O’Connor, flute Monica Ohuchi, piano
DAVID LUDWIG (b. 1974)
Les Adieux: for Clarinet and Chamber Ensemble • (18’) I. The Farewell II. The Absence III. The Return WORLD PREMIERE
David Shifrin, clarinet Earl Lee, conductor Sarah Kwak, violin Rebecca Anderson, violin Paul Laraia, viola Fred Sherry, cello Braizahn Jones, bass Tara Helen O’Connor, flute Michael Anderson, clarinet Monica Ellis, bassoon Martin Hébert, oboe William Purvis, horn Doug Reneau, trumpet Charles Reneau, trombone Jonathan Greeney, percussion Monica Ohuchi, piano
INTERMISSION MOZART (1756-1797)
Viola Quintet in C Major, K. 515 • (36') Allegro Andante Menuetto. Allegretto Allegro
Soovin Kim, violin Rebecca Anderson, violin Paul Neubauer, viola Paul Laraia, viola Fred Sherry, cello
David Ludwig’s Les Adieux has been commissioned in honor of Artistic Director Emeritus David Shifrin by the members of the Chamber Music Northwest Commissioning Club and CMNW Commissioning Fund. 28
—© Kenji Bunch
Borrowing Beethoven’s title and movement names from his 26th piano sonata, my concerto Les Adieux tells a story of withdrawal, absence, and return. The first movement is titled The Farewell and is an unfolding aria set in long undulating lines shared between the solo clarinet and members of the orchestra. Occasional pointillistic interruptions and falling motives are meant to evoke descent and departure. The Absence, the second movement, focuses on the solo clarinetist performing a highly ornamented cadenza in the style of a cantor’s prayer, while the orchestra plays the role of accompanying chorus. The final movement of the piece, The Return, brings back the orchestra and soloist in concert, rising up triumphantly, interspersed with moments of repose and reflection. The piece ends with the sounding of forty chords in the orchestra to commemorate David’s years at Chamber Music Northwest, followed by a final farewell as the clarinet holds past all others in strength and perseverance. I realized on taking up the piece again this year — picking up all of the threads I laid aside during the pandemic — that the concerto has taken on yet additional meaning in the wake of COVID. That many of us said goodbye to significant parts of our lives in this time has made me realize the importance of not only honoring our departures, but also cherishing our triumphant returns.
—© David Ludwig
Why do composers love the viola? J. S. Bach, Franz Schubert, Benjamin Britten, Antonín Dvořák, Paul Hindemith, Rebecca Clarke, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were not only skilled violists but preferred playing viola parts, especially in chamber music settings. Violists are accustomed to living in the shadow of the violin and hearing endless jokes about their instrument. Many have underestimated the viola’s significance, as it has traditionally served in a supportive harmonic capacity rather than as a solo instrument. Composers, however, understand the viola’s secret superpower: it is the glue that binds together chamber and orchestral music alike. Moreover, the viola’s tone communicates a unique depth and poignancy and fleshes out the harmonies of a string quartet or symphony.
Week Two
This phenomenon, its lovely poetic name, and the rich potential for metaphor in this time of loss and upheaval were the inspiration behind my new work Vesper Flight. It was commissioned by and is dedicated to flutist Tara Helen O’Connor with deep gratitude.
There is an old expression in Yiddish: “Der mentsh trakht un Got lakht,” which amounts to “People plan and God laughs . . . ” As I look at the genesis of Les Adieux, my concerto for the iconic clarinetist David Shifrin, I remember my own bestlaid plans from two years ago. It was to be David’s final year of service to Chamber Music Northwest, after four decades of leading that amazing music festival. It was also Beethoven’s 250th birthday that year, and the convergence of both inspired me to start this piece.
PROGRAMS
In the summer of 2020, I read an essay in The New York Times Magazine by Helen Macdonald called “The Mysterious Life of Birds Who Never Come Down.” It was about the extraordinary ability of common swifts to ascend high into the sky until they are out of view to the human eye. This extreme ascent often occurs at nighttime (hence the term ‘vesper flights’), and the swifts appear to even partially sleep while they are high up in the sky.
Mozart wrote both the String Quintet in C Major, K. 515, and its companion, the Quintet in G Minor, K. 516, in the spring of 1787. Adding an instrument to a standard string quartet was not a new idea, and an additional viola rather than a second cello expanded Mozart’s compositional options in new ways. “The instruments can be grouped and regrouped into a number of contrasted twos and threes, a cello solo can be supported comfortably on a cushion of violas; and, most attractive to Mozart, first violin and first viola can sing an operatic duet accompanied by full harmony,” explains musicologist Peter Holman. The opening Allegro features an abundance of themes. The cello and first violin take turns with the different melodies, and Mozart supports them with several contrasting accompaniments, including internal contrapuntal dialogues and standard chordal homophony. The Andante showcases Mozart’s affinity for opera; the first violin and first viola trade phrases as they sing a wordless duet. In the Menuetto, Mozart plays with dynamics, as the music repeatedly crescendos into an unexpected piano. The concluding Allegro also has an operatic flavor. The music takes a humorous turn as multiple voices vie for prominence.
—© Elizabeth Schwartz 29
Thursday, July 15
Friday, July 16
Reed College, Kaul Auditorium | 7:30 pm
Reed College, Kaul Auditorium | 7:30 pm AT-HOME Co-Sponsors:
LIVE Sponsor:
Carole Alexander
Joan Levers & David Manhart Jerome Guillen & Jeremy Galagher
LIVE Sponsor:
Peter & Ann van Bever
Visionary Quintets Revealed
PRELUDE BACH (1685-1750)
Violin Sonata No.2 in A Minor, BWV 1003 • (5') Andante
Bryan Lee, violin
Time for reflection, please withhold applause.
MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847)
String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 12 • (23’) Adagio non troppo - Allegro non tardante Canzonetta. Allegretto Andante espressivo Molto allegro e vivace
Dover Quartet Joel Link, violin Bryan Lee, violin Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, viola Camden Shaw, cello
MATAN PORAT (b. 1982)
Piano Quintet • (20’) Passacaglia Scherzo Aria WORLD PREMIERE
Matan Porat, piano Dover Quartet
INTERMISSION ORNSTEIN (1893-2002)
Piano Quintet, Op. 92 • (38') Allegro barbaro Andante lamentoso Allegro agitato
Marc-André Hamelin, piano Dover Quartet
Matan Porat’s Piano Quintet has been commissioned with the generous support of the Chamber Music Northwest Commissioning Club and the CMNW Commissioning Fund. 30
—© Elizabeth Schwartz
My Piano Quintet examines this dynamic: the string quartet plays as a group while the piano is the spectator, mostly playing against the quartet. For much of the Quintet, the piano and strings play in different meters, although the piece is otherwise fairly traditional in form and harmony. The first movement, Passacaglia, is the longest of the three. Set in a traditional sonata form with two contrary subjects, development, and recapitulation, the movement has a repeated bass line first introduced by the piano. The Scherzo begins with a charming waltz introduced by the strings. The middle section is more dramatic and violent, driven by the piano. The closing Aria is the only movement written in a more rhapsodic, free form. Two piano cadenzas introduce the Aria’s melody, which is then played by all five instruments. A long meditative final section, the “pearl garden,” reprises the Passacaglia’s bass line.
—© Matan Porat
From 1915 to 1925, Leo Ornstein was fêted as a futurist – a term he rejected – and his early works inspired many contemporaries, including Henry Cowell and George Antheil. Ornstein was also a virtuoso pianist despite his unusually small hands, and he maintained a busy concert career, as well. Between 1910 and 1925, he introduced American audiences to the music of Debussy, Ravel, Scriabin, Albeniz, and other European contemporaries. In the late 1920s, Ornstein abruptly retired from performance; man and music fell into obscurity for more than 50 years. In the early 1970s, Ornstein’s work was rediscovered by a new generation of musicians and composers. Ornstein, who never stopped writing music, continued composing well into his 90s. He died in 2002.
Week Three
In 1829, Mendelssohn traveled to the British Isles for an extended stay; while there, he wrote most of Op. 12. He begins the Adagio non troppo - Allegro non tardante with a slow introduction whose theme returns in the closing movement. The Allegro section features two elegant, graceful themes carried primarily by the first violin. The Canzonetta, the best-known movement of the four, has achieved its own fame as a stand-alone work. All four instruments present a refined theme that gives way to a running cascade of notes played in duets and solos. The Canzonetta returns to the opening melody, and ends with a series of understated pizzicato notes. The Andante espressivo needs only a text to double as an aria full of yearning appoggiaturas (sighs), while the concluding Molto allegro e vivace evokes both the storminess of North Sea weather and wholehearted youthful fervor.
As a pianist and chamber musician, playing with string quartets is always my favorite type of music-making. The masterful repertoire, ranging from Schumann to Adès, is a big part of it. But it is also that the pianist plays with a previously formed ensemble (as opposed to most piano chamber music formations), having the chance to address the players as a group, and for one concert to be a part of their relationship, albeit as an outsider.
PROGRAMS
Felix Mendelssohn excelled at every musical endeavor he attempted. As a young boy, he began piano and violin lessons, and showed exceptional skill on both instruments. When Mendelssohn was 11, his violin teacher Eduard Rietz urged the boy to expand his violin musicianship by playing with a string quartet. The ensemble experience allowed Mendelssohn to immerse himself in the genre. Mendelssohn first attempted composing a string quartet at 14; this first effort, also in E-flat Major like Op. 12, reflects the young teen’s learning curve as he absorbed the styles of Haydn and Mozart. By the time Mendelssohn turned 18, he had composed an impressive number of chamber works, including the Octet for Winds and three string quartets — two in E-flat Major, and one in A Minor.
Despite the unquestionably modern, dissonant techniques Ornstein used in the youthful piano pieces Danse Sauvage and Suicide in an Airplane (he was the first composer to write a tone cluster), Ornstein subscribed to no particular artistic aesthetic. He wrote what he heard in his head, and was indifferent to musical trends. Music Ornstein wrote in the 1920s, like the 1925 Piano Quintet, Op. 92 SO 610, sound entirely different from his earlier works. The impassioned, intense music is tonal, making use of a rich harmonic palette, while the melodies often borrow the figurations and ornaments of a cantorial soloist in a synagogue. Many years after he wrote Op. 92, Ornstein remarked, “The Quintette [as he called it] is not a polite piece . . . it may be overcharged but it is what I heard. Possibly it might have been less blunt and emotionally more reserved, but if one does not sense its almost brutal emotional directness, then I have indeed failed.”
—© Elizabeth Schwartz
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Saturday, July 17
Sunday, July 18
Reed College, Kaul Auditorium | 7:30 pm
Honoring Steve McCarthy & Lucinda Parker for 44 years of generous support!
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George Rowbottom Karen & Norman Sade
Sonic Kaleidoscope: Sax, Guitar & Percussion
PRELUDE BACH (1685-1750)
Suite for Solo Cello in G Major • (3') Prelude (Arr. Jason Vieaux)
Jason Vieaux, guitar
Time for reflection, please withhold applause.
PIERRE JALBERT (b. 1967)
Sweet and Doleful Timbres • (15’) I. Flexible; Flowing II. Freely III. Freely; Presto agitato WORLD PREMIERE
BUSCH (1891-1952) Quintet for Alto Saxophone and String Quartet • (30’) Vivace, ma non troppo Scherzo Andante sostenuto - Adagio - Vivacissimo
Jason Vieaux, guitar Timothy McAllister, saxophone
Timothy McAllister, saxophone Dover Quartet Joel Link, violin Bryan Lee, violin Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, viola Camden Shaw, cello
INTERMISSION BARTÓK (1881-1945)
Violin Duos from 44 Duos for Two Violins, Sz.98 • (12') Ruthenian Kolomejka Dancing Song Bagpipe Fairy Tale
Soovin Kim, violin Bryan Lee, violin
BARTÓK (1881-1945)
Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion • (28’) Assai lento - Allegro molto Lento, ma non troppo Allegro non troppo
Ayano Kataoka, percussion Ian Rosenbaum, percussion Marc-André Hamelin, piano Gloria Chien, piano
Sweet and Doleful Timbres was co-commissioned by Chamber Music Northwest with Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival and String Theory at the Hunter for saxophonist Branford Marsalis and guitarist Jason Vieaux. 32
—© Pierre Jalbert During his lifetime (1891-1952), Adolf Busch was best known as a violinist. He came from a family of musicians and showed exceptional ability on the violin from early childhood (Busch entered Cologne Conservatory at age 11). During his teens, Busch teamed up with a young Rudolf Serkin. The two remained duet partners until Busch’s death, and grew even closer after Serkin married Busch’s daughter Irene in 1935. Busch and Serkin left Germany for Switzerland in 1927 as Hitler and the National Socialists gained popularity and power; they later emigrated to southern Vermont. In 1950, with Serkin and several others, Busch co-founded the renowned Marlboro Music School and Festival.
—© Elizabeth Schwartz Béla Bartók published For Children, a collection of 88 short pedagogical pieces for young pianists, in 1908–1909. 20 years later, violinist and teacher Erich Doflein asked Bartók’s permission to arrange selections from For Children for beginning violinists. Taken with this idea, Bartók decided to make his own arrangements of violin duets, which, like For Children, would increase in difficulty as students worked through the collection. In addition to Hungarian folk material, 44 Duos for Two Violins, Sz. 98 features music from Slovak, Romanian, Ruthenian, Serbian, Ukrainian, and Arab-speaking regions. No. 35 is an original melody by Bartók based on the Ruthenian kolomejka, an up-tempo folk dance from the central Carpathian Mountains. The music of No. 32, Dancing Song from Maramaros, likewise comes from the same region. Although Bartók chose a straightforward 4/4 meter, the continuous accented offbeat syncopations add rhythmic complexity. The melody of No. 36, Bagpipes, is Bartók’s own creation, written in the style of a typical Romanian cimpoi (goat- or lamb-skin bagpipe) dance. One violin maintains a steady drone while the other plays the lively melody. In A Fairy Tale (No. 19), the two violins create a “once upon a time” feeling through intertwining lines.
In 1913, Béla Bartók visited north Africa, spending time in the Biskra region of what is now Algeria. In the spring of 1932, Bartók returned to Africa to attend the three-week Cairo Conference of Arab Music in Egypt. Both trips allowed the Hungarian to immerse himself in the distinctive styles of Arab music, the influence of which – particularly the role of percussion instruments – became a central focus in Bartók’s 1937 Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, Sz. 110. In this groundbreaking chamber work, which sounds as fresh and innovative today as it did 80 years ago, Bartók redefined how percussion instruments could function in classical music. Typically, percussion was used primarily for dramatic effect or musical punctuation. In the Sonata, Bartók includes timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, tom-toms, snare drum, tamtam, and xylophone. Each instrument, whether pitched or unpitched, is an essential rather than ancillary contributor to the total sound.
Week Three
The piece has three contrasting movements. The first movement presents long, lyrical lines in the saxophone, building and receding throughout. The guitar provides rhythmic and harmonic background, but occasionally moves into the foreground as soloist. The second movement is more experimental in nature and features high harmonics in the guitar (bell-like pure tones). The third movement is fast-paced, in constant motion. It features constantly changing meters, with rhythmic and imitative motives passed between the instruments.
fascination with jazz, Busch did not incorporate jazz elements — blue notes, syncopated rhythms, or improvisations — into the Quintet. The saxophone part is written straight, without utilizing any of the instrument’s unique qualities other than its plaintive timbre. Rather than jazz, Op. 34 sounds like music Brahms might have written had he lived during the Weimar Republic. When the Quintet premiered at the Marlboro Festival in 1973, a review in the Village Voice described the music as “Brahms right down to its roots, but the sound of the sax often gives it a 1930s air of wistful disillusion.”
PROGRAMS
Last year when Soovin Kim approached me about writing a work for saxophone and guitar, I immediately thought of the possibilities for this combination of instruments: the saxophone, with its potential for long, lyrical lines, and the guitar, with its ability to create beautiful harmonic backgrounds as well as act as soloist. I have known both Branford’s and Jason’s playing for many years and relished the chance to bring these two amazing musicians together for a brand-new work. There is a melancholy characteristic to each instrument’s sound; thus the title Sweet and Doleful Timbres.
The music for the two pianos is often percussive rather than lyrical. As writer John Henken points out, “It is worth remembering that the piano is technically a percussion instrument itself, and the Sonata is in essence a percussion quartet, as expressive and interactively integrated as any of [Bartók’s] string quartets.” In the massive Assai lento – Allegro molto, as long as the other movements combined, Bartók’s powerful, incisive music begins slowly, almost forebodingly, before shifting to a faster tempo full of shifting meters, lightningfast changes of mood, and sharp exclamations. The central Lento, ma non troppo wanders dreamily through a shadowy soundscape. The pianos convey most of the thematic material, while the percussion “comments;” together, they create a hypnotic effect. An exuberant xylophone dance opens the Allegro non troppo. The music almost spirals into chaos, but remains tautly alert, precise, and vigorous throughout
—© Elizabeth Schwartz
—© Elizabeth Schwartz
Busch composed his Quintet for Alto Saxophone and String Quartet, Op. 34 in 1925. Both he and Serkin were drawn to the new sounds of jazz; Serkin even purchased a saxophone and taught himself to play. Despite his own
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Thursday, July 22
Friday, July 23
Reed College, Kaul Auditorium | 7:30 pm
Reed College, Kaul Auditorium | 7:30 pm AT-HOME Sponsor:
LIVE Sponsor:
Acorn Fund of OCF
Honoring Laura S. Meier for her generous support of our Artists-in-Residence program.
Reflecting upon Classics
PRELUDE BACH (1685-1750)
Prelude and Fugue in F Minor • (5') Prelude (Arr. Mark Steinberg)
Brentano String Quartet Mark Steinberg, violin Serena Canin, violin Misha Amory, viola Nina Lee, cello
Time for reflection, please withhold applause.
HAYDN (1732-1809)
String Quartet in F Minor, Hob. III: 35; Op. 20, No. 5 • (20’) Moderato Menuetto - Trio Adagio Finale. Fuga a due soggetti
Brentano String Quartet
BARBER (1901-1981)
Dover Beach • (8’)
Davóne Tines, bass-baritone Brentano String Quartet
INTERMISSION BRAHMS (1833-1897)
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Piano Trio No.2 in C Major, Op. 87 • (30') Allegro moderato Andante con molto Scherzo: Presto Finale: Allegro giocoso
Chien-Kim-Watkins Trio Gloria Chien, piano Soovin Kim, violin Paul Watkins, cello
The F Minor Quartet has several unique features, beginning with its unusual choice of key. In the 1770s, minor tonalities were far less common than major; they represented the Sturm und Drang aesthetic popular in literary and musical circles of the time. Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress) refers to a heightened emotional state, often characterized as turmoil, agitation, or unease. The outer movements stay in F Minor, while the Minuet and Adagio shift to F Major. Despite the change in tonality, the Adagio, with its poignant violin solo, sustains the melancholy atmosphere of the Allegro moderato. For the Finale, Haydn borrows the opening notes from the chorus “And With His Stripes,” from Handel’s Messiah (Mozart used the same four notes, transposed, in the Kyrie of his Requiem) for an intricate fugue with two subjects.
—© Elizabeth Schwartz Shortly before his twentieth birthday, Samuel Barber began a setting for medium voice and string quartet of Matthew Arnold’s Dover Beach, a poem that would remain important to the composer across his entire life. In 1978, just three years before his death, Barber called it “one of the few Victorian poems which continue to hold its stature; it is a great poem, in fact.”
Barber’s setting opens in D Minor murmuring (the sound of the distant waves?), though his music will be chromatic throughout, a nice reflection of the ambiguities of Arnold’s poem. The poem is also remarkable for its rhythms, and Barber, grappling with the shifting number of feet in the different lines of the poem, switches constantly between 3/4 and 4/4. At the stanza on Sophocles, with its look into the distant past, Barber edges briefly into D Major, but then returns to D Minor for the twin climaxes of the close. The first comes on the line “Ah, love, let us be true to one another,” which Barber asks to have sung con agitazione as the quartet’s syncopations throb against that vocal line. Moments later comes the second, darker climax, in which the world is found to be without love or light or peace. Barber marks this con intensità, then returns to the music of the very beginning. The waves continue to lap up on the shore beneath the Dover cliffs, and the music fades into the night.
—© Eric Bromberger “A glorious work … playing it is a musical treat.” – Clara Schumann on Brahms’s Trio No. 2 in C major, Op. 87 In the summer of 1880, Johannes Brahms began work on the Piano Trio in C Major, Op. 87. He completed the first movement, but then immersed himself in other projects. Brahms returned to Op. 87 two years later, while on holiday in the Austrian Alps. Brahms tended toward severe self-criticism, but when he finished the C major Trio, he wrote proudly to his publisher, “You have not yet had such a beautiful trio from me and very likely have not published its equal in the last ten years.”
After completing the opening Allegro of Op. 87, Brahms spent most of 1881 on his Piano Concerto No. 2. This bold, innovative work could be termed a “piano symphony.” Instead of the concerto’s typical focus on the piano, the soloist and orchestra share the spotlight equally. Both piano and ensemble present and develop musical themes, and the separation between the role of soloist and that of the orchestra is removed. Brahms also utilized this collaborative concept in Op. 87, which sounds like a piano symphony in miniature. The dense, orchestral writing for the piano encompasses all seven octaves, as the piano must, in essence, “replace” all the instruments of the orchestra from highest to lowest. Throughout Op. 87, Brahms pairs the violin and cello together in octaves or close harmony, so that the two strings function as one solo instrument. To emphasize this choice, Brahms begins all four movements with violin and cello in octaves.
Week Four
Joseph Haydn has been dubbed the father of the string quartet for good reason. He composed more than 60 string quartets throughout his life, and they had a profound, lasting influence on the music of Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms, among others. The six quartets of Op. 20, Hob. III:35 are early works that display both musical and architectural sophistication. In 1929, English music scholar Donald Francis Tovey wrote, “With Op. 20, the historical development of Haydn’s quartets reaches its goal; and further progress is not progress in any historical sense, but simply the difference between one masterpiece and the next.”
Arnold published Dover Beach in 1867, almost exactly the middle of the Victorian era, but the poem speaks to a distinctly modern imagination. Dover Beach is many things – love song, nocturne, nature poem, philosophical musing – and if it wavers on the edge of despair and meaninglessness (the “eternal note of sadness”), it speaks directly to the existential consciousness when it finds meaning in human commitment (“Ah, love, let us be true to one another”).
PROGRAMS
“A conversation between four intelligent people.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe on the string quartet
The expressive quality of the music — its dense, lush texture and graceful ebb-and-flow — are hallmarks of Brahms’s style. Vivid, evocative melodies abound in all four movements, from the extroverted outer sections to the contemplative Andante consisting of a Magyar folk melody and its five variations. Both the Allegro and the Finale feature a wealth of exuberant themes from Brahms’s seemingly inexhaustible supply. The brief Scherzo, by contrast, sounds almost neurotic. It opens with a series of muttering comments by the strings underneath rippling agitated passages in the piano. The mood of apprehension dissolves into an expansive, soothing melody, but its calming influence does not last as the initial disquiet returns.
—© Elizabeth Schwartz
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Saturday, July 24
Sunday, July 25
Reed College, Kaul Auditorium | 7:30 pm
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Festival Finale: A Journey into the Light
PRELUDE MESSIAEN (1908-1992)
Quartet for the End of Time (1940) • (11') V. Louange à l’Éternité de Jésus (11’) (Praise for the Eternity of Jesus)
Paul Watkins, cello Gloria Chien, piano
Time for reflection, please withhold applause.
DAVÓNE TINES (b. 1986)
Excerpts from Recital #1: MASS • (35’) An exploration of the Mass woven through the Western European, African American and 21st Century traditions.
Davóne Tines, bass-baritone Gloria Chien, piano
I. KYRIE Caroline Shaw: 1. Kyrie J. S. Bach: Wie Jammern Mich, BWV 170 II. AGNUS DEI Caroline Shaw: 2. Agnus Dei Tyshawn Sorey: after Swing Low III. CREDO Caroline Shaw: 3. Credo J. S. Bach: Mache Dich Mein Herze Rein, BWV 244 IV. GLORIA Caroline Shaw: 4. Gloria Davóne Tines/Igee Dieudonné: VIGIL V. SANCTUS Caroline Shaw: 5. Sanctus Traditional/Davóne Tines: Let it Shine VI. BENEDICTUS Traditional: Jesus, Lover of My Soul
INTERMISSION SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
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String Quintet in C Major, D. 956; Op. 163 • (48') Allegro ma non troppo Adagio Scherzo Allegretto
Brentano String Quartet Mark Steinberg, violin Serena Canin, violin Misha Amory, viola Nina Lee, cello Paul Watkins, cello
“As a child, singing was all religious or liturgical and all in a choral setting with close family and friends. Everyone in my family participated in choir. Singing works like Beethoven’s “Ode To Joy” followed by Lauryn Hill’s arrangement of “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” is a reflection of my actual lived experience with liturgical music. It is comprised of all of these things: early music, Bach, contemporary gospel, and also new music. When you put these seemingly different things together, and acknowledge the connections between them, you have to acknowledge that there’s something shared among these composers, and among all people. This recital is an opportunity for me to marry all those flavors together and have that conversation in front of people. “In setting three familiar spirituals, Tyshawn Sorey’s task was to break the songs out of the aesthetic that we understand them within, so that the text and the ideas behind the text could become more apparent. I had this realization that many spirituals are essentially code for suicide notes. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” for example, is someone begging God to kill them, to “carry me home.” The poet Langston Hughes, in his time, directly connected to the possibility of these spirituals being suicidal, and I really want to show audiences another side of these songs. I think a lot of times spirituals are misunderstood, heard as happy songs or praising the Lord. But these are songs created by people in extraordinary circumstances, and they’re amazing metaphorical expressions of real faith.
in a whispered dialog before returning to their original roles. The boisterous Scherzo’s rustic spirit contrasts with a reserved trio duet between the viola and second cello, followed by a slow, noble march. The Allegretto finale draws from the popular Hungarian (or Gypsy) style for its raucous rondo theme. The intervening episodes reveal Schubert’s contemplative depths, but the theme returns for a headlong rush to the end.
—© Linda Shaver-Gleason
Week Four
“I approached the recital situation with a sort of a phobia, or an allergic reaction to participating in a programming model in which I wasn’t fully engaged. Filling in a template with music that checks boxes and doesn’t articulate my own feelings and experience in an explicit way. I think this idea of explicit context is critical: in order to perform well, these things need to be in the front of your mind, for every single note.
The order of the mass I’m using here, and which Caroline Shaw has followed in her miniature mass, accords with my own understanding of a spiritual journey. I’m basically queering the mass. Queering in the broad sense of bending it to my own understanding. Beginning with the Kyrie, which begs for mercy, and then the Agnus Dei, which represents the possibility for change, but only through death. There’s the affirmation of the Credo and the exaltation of the Gloria, with Bach’s “Quia Fecit,” which is so full of ecstatic wonder and excitement. The Sanctus is a moment of meditation and then the Benedictus has this very simple text, “Where there is darkness, he will bring light.” That’s the entire recital right there: Present the darkness and show the change into light.
PROGRAMS
Inspiration: “Why a liturgical setting to the recital?”
—© Devóne Tines Toward the end of his life, Franz Schubert became concerned about his legacy as a “serious” composer. Having built his career on songs and piano pieces, Schubert shifted his focus to more respected types of music, including symphonies and chamber music. He completed his String Quintet in C major, D. 956, less than two months prior to his death. Early in the Allegro ma non troppo, Schubert demonstrates the symmetry of his unusual instrumentation, using the pair of cellos to counterbalance the two violins, with the viola free to join either side. This deployment is most apparent when the cellos unfurl the long, soaring melody with intertwining harmony. Like its principal theme, the movement itself is far-reaching; it extends nearly twenty minutes and features stunning harmonic shifts designed to keep the music perpetually fresh. The Adagio begins hesitantly, as the first violin quivers over earnest, sustained chords and solemn pizzicato. Suddenly, the quintet thrusts into a turbulent storm, with a tragic melody shared by first violin and first cello, propelled by agitated syncopations and rumblings from the other three instruments. The tempest dies down, and the central instruments resume their chords, but this time the outer instruments engage
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ARTIST & COMPOSER BIOS Misha Amory (Brentano String Quartet) Since winning the 1991 Naumburg Viola Award, Misha Amory has been active as a soloist and chamber musician. He has performed with orchestras in the United States and Europe, and has been presented in recital at New York’s Tully Hall, Los Angeles’ Ambassador series, Philadelphia’s Mozart on the Square festival, Boston’s Gardner Museum, Houston’s Da Camera series and Washington’s Phillips Collection. He has been invited to perform at the Marlboro Festival, the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, the Vancouver Festival, the Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center and the Boston Chamber Music Society, and he has released a recording of Hindemith sonatas on the Musical Heritage Society label. Mr. Amory holds degrees from Yale University and the Juilliard School; his principal teachers were Heidi Castleman, Caroline Levine and Samuel Rhodes. Himself a dedicated teacher, Mr. Amory serves on the faculties of the Juilliard School in New York City and the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia.
Rebecca Anderson
Violinist Rebecca Anderson has appeared worldwide as a recitalist, chamber musician, and educator. Known for her “incisive musicality” (The Oregonian), her recent appearances include performances at Carnegie Hall, as well as tours across Europe, Asia, and South America.
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Ms. Anderson’s passion for chamber music has led to festival appearances with Music@Menlo, Chamber Music Northwest, Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, the Savannah Music Festival, and Music From Angel Fire. She has performed on concerts presented by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, as well as appearances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Library of Congress. As an educator and arts advocate, Ms. Anderson is currently Interim Director of the Violin Program at Cornell University. She was previously Visiting Artist at the Crane School of Music SUNY Potsdam. In 2019, she co-founded the Anderson-Sasaki duo, a violin/piano duo that creates residencies focused on strengthening community through varied interactive performances and presented recitals. Ms. Anderson is founding codirector of VOTESart, a non-partisan organization that uses music to promote voter registration and civic engagement across the country. Originally from Portland, Oregon, she is an alumna of the Curtis Institute of Music, the Juilliard School, the Royal Conservatory of Music, and Ensemble Connect (formerly Ensemble ACJW).
Hanna Benn
A composer, vocalist, and genrespanning collaborator, Hanna Benn has been creating music for over a decade. Her multi-disciplinary approach has incorporated dance, opera, and theater — blurring genre and discovering new sonic landscapes in the process. Her work as a composer has taken her across the globe, from most recently a premiere at The Perth International
Arts Festival to Antwerp performing with the B.O.X Baroque Orchestra. Past works have been performed by the Northwest Symphony, Saint Helen’s String Quartet, Seattle Chamber Players, Opus 7, North Corner Chamber Orchestra and the Indianapolis Symphony. As a vocalist, Benn produces, writes and performs solo. Her most recent release, DIVIDE, has received critical acclaim from music publications such as Pitchfork, MTV, Stereogum, and XLR8R. Benn has been recognized for her unique and ethereal vocal work which has been praised for its “unmistakable sense of sanctuary” (Pitchfork) and described as “devastatingly moving” (The Stranger).
Ryan Bradford
Hailed as an “outstanding baritone” (Oregon Music News) Ryan Bradford is quickly creating a name for himself with his “warm, and sumptuous baritone.” This past season he was a Marc and Eva Stern Fellow with LA Opera and Songfest and completed a yearlong residency as a vocal fellow with Chamber Music Silicon Valley, appearing as the ensemble in residence at the San Jose Museum of Art and traveling to Mexico on a chamber music tour with the songs of De Falla and Granados. He made his recent debut with Opera Colorado singing “Happy” in La Fanciulla del West and covering “Hannah Before” in As One. Further roles on tour with company include Belcore (L’elisir d’amore) and Figaro (Il Barbiere di Siviglia). He appeared as Jake Wallace and Sid (La fanciulla del West) at the Castleton Festival, Virginia, under the baton of Maestro Lorin Maazel. During the 20152016 season he was a Mosher Studio Artist with Opera Santa Barbara singing Masetto in Don Giovanni as
Brentano String Quartet 2021-22 Artists-in-Residence
Since its inception in 1992, the Brentano SERENA CANIN Violin String Quartet has appeared MISHA AMORY throughout Viola the world to NINA LEE popular and Cello critical acclaim. “Passionate, uninhibited and spellbinding,” raves the London Independent; the New York Times extols its “luxuriously warm sound [and] yearning lyricism.” MARK STEINBERG Violin
Within a few years of its formation, the Quartet garnered the first Cleveland Quartet Award and the Naumburg Chamber Music Award and was also honored in the U.K. with the Royal Philharmonic Award for Most Outstanding Debut. Since then, the Quartet has concertized widely, performing in the world’s most prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York; the Library of Congress in Washington; the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; the Konzerthaus in Vienna; Suntory Hall in Tokyo; and the Sydney Opera House. In addition to performing the entire two-century range of the standard quartet repertoire, the Brentano Quartet maintains a strong interest in contemporary music, and has
commissioned many new works. Their latest project, a monodrama for quartet and voice called “Dido Reimagined,” was composed by Pulitzer-winning composer Melinda Wagner and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann, and will premiere in spring 2021 with soprano Dawn Upshaw. Other recent and upcoming commissions include the composers Matthew Aucoin, Lei Liang, Vijay Iyer, James Macmillan, and a cello quintet by Steven Mackey (with Wilhelmina Smith, cello.) The Brentano Quartet has worked closely with other important composers of our time, among them Elliot Carter, Charles Wuorinen, Chou Wen-chung, Bruce Adolphe, and György Kurtág. They have also been privileged to collaborate with such artists as soprano Jessye Norman, mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, and pianists Richard Goode, Jonathan Biss, and Mitsuko Uchida. The Quartet has recorded works by Mozart and Schubert for Azica Records, and all of Beethoven’s late Quartets for the Aeon label. In 2012, they provided the central music (Beethoven Opus 131) for the critically-acclaimed independent film A Late Quartet. Since 2014, the Brentano Quartet has served as Artists-in-Residence at the Yale School of Music. They were formerly the Ensemble-in-Residence at Princeton University, and were twice invited to be the collaborative ensemble for the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. The Quartet is named for Antonie Brentano, whom many scholars consider to be Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved”, the intended recipient of his famous love confession.
Kenji Bunch
Kenji Bunch is one of America’s most engaging, influential, and prolific composers. Through an expansive blend of classical and vernacular styles, Bunch makes music that’s “clearly modern but deeply respectful of tradition and instantly enjoyable.” (The Washington Post) Deemed “emotional Americana,” (Oregon ArtsWatch) and infused with folk and roots influences, Bunch’s work has inspired a new genre classification: “Call it neo-American: casual on the outside, complex
underneath, immediate and accessible to first-time listeners… shiningly original.” (The Oregonian) Hailed by The New York Times as “A Composer To Watch” and cited by Alex Ross in his seminal book The Rest Is Noise, Bunch’s wit, lyricism, and exquisite craftsmanship earn acclaim from audiences, performers, and critics alike. His interests in history, philosophy, and intergenerational and cross-cultural sharing of the arts reflect in his work. Over sixty American orchestras have performed Bunch’s music, and his recent works include commissions and premieres from the Seattle Symphony, the Oregon Symphony, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the Lark Quartet, the Britt Festival, Music From Angel Fire, the Eugene Ballet, and the Grant Park Music Festival. His extensive discography includes recordings on Sony/BMG, EMI Classics, Koch, RCA, and Naxos labels among others. Also an outstanding violist, Bunch was the first student ever to receive dual Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in viola and composition from The Juilliard School. Bunch is the Artistic Director of Fear No Music, and teaches at Portland State University, Reed College, and for the Portland Youth Philharmonic. More at kenjibunch.net.
ARTISTS
well as covering the title role. He completed a residency at Shreveport Opera singing the Baron in La Traviata, Samuel in Pirates of Penzance and Dandini in La Cenerentola. He has performed concert work with the Oakland Symphony, American Bach Soloists, Rogue Valley Symphony, Alexandria Symphony, and Opera Parallèle. His is an alumnus of DePaul University and The San Francisco Conservatory of Music and has received distinction from the Fort Worth Opera McCammon Competition, Gerda Lissner Lieder Competition, the Loren L. Zachary Competition, as well as the Florida Grand Opera Young Patronesses.
Serena Canin (Brentano String Quartet)
Violinist Serena Canin was born into a family of professional musicians in New York City. An accomplished chamber musician, Ms. Canin was twice invited to the Marlboro Music Festival and has toured the United States with Music From Marlboro, the Brandenburg Ensemble, and Goliard Concerts. In New York, she has made frequent appearances on the Continuum Series at Alice Tully Hall and at the Mannes Beethoven Institute. Ms. Canin has taught chamber music to young musicians at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Chamber Music Center of New York. She holds degrees from Swarthmore College and the Juilliard School, where her principal teachers were Burton Kaplan and Robert Mann. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, pianist Thomas Sauer, and their two sons.
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Jennifer Johnson Cano
Gloria Chien
A naturally gifted singer noted for her commanding stage presence and profound artistry, Jennifer Johnson Cano has garnered critical acclaim for committed performances of both new and standard repertoire. For her performance as Offred in Poul Ruders’s The Handmaid’s Tale she was lauded as “towering…restless, powerful, profound, she is as formidable as this astonishingly demanding role deserves,” by The New York Times. With more than 100 performances on The Metropolitan Opera stage, her most recent roles have included Nicklausse, Emilia, Hansel and Meg Page. Recent engagements include Bravo! Vail with the New York Philharmonic, Ravinia Festival with Matthew Polenzani, Cleveland Orchestra’s Blossom Music Festival, LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl, San Francisco Symphony’s Opening Night Gala with Michael Tilson Thomas, and a Carnegie Hall recital with Anna Netrebko. Recent recordings include a live performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony, Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1: Jeremiah with Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and a live recording of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde featuring conductor George Manahan, tenor Paul Groves and St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble. Ms. Cano joined The Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera after winning the Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition, and made her Met debut during the 2009-2010 season. Among her honors is being the First Prize winner of the Young Concert Artist International Auditions, a Sara Tucker Study Grant, a Richard Tucker Career Grant, and George London Award. Ms. Cano is a native of St. Louis, and has earned degrees from Webster University and Rice University.
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Taiwanese-born pianist Gloria Chien has one of the most diverse musical lives as a noted performer, concert presenter, and educator. She made her orchestral debut at the age of sixteen with the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Thomas Dausgaard, and she performed again with the BSO with Keith Lockhart. She was subsequently selected by The Boston Globe as one of its Superior Pianists of the year, “who appears to excel in everything.” In recent seasons, she has performed as a recitalist and chamber musician at Alice Tully Hall, the Library of Congress, the Phillips Collection, the Dresden Chamber Music Festival, and the National Concert Hall in Taiwan. She performs frequently with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. In 2009, she launched String Theory, a chamber music series in Chattanooga, Tennessee that has become one of the region’s premier classical music presenters. The following year she was appointed Director of the Chamber Music Institute at Music@Menlo. In 2017, she joined her husband, violinist Soovin Kim, as artistic director of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival in Burlington, Vermont. The couple has recently been appointed artistic directors at Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, OR. Chien studied extensively at the New England Conservatory of Music with Wha Kyung Byun and Russell Sherman. She is Artist-in-Residence at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, and she is a Steinway Artist.
Tom Chiu (FLUX Quartet)
New music champion and recipient of the Chamber Music America Commissioning Grant, violinist and composerimprovisor Tom Chiu has performed over 200 premieres worldwide by influential musicians including David First, Oliver Lake, Michael Schumacher, Henry Threadgill, and the late Muhal Richard Abrams. Chiu has also created mixed-media works with choreographer Pam
Tanowitz, video artist Phill Niblock, balloonist Judy Dunaway, and Mabou Mines director Lee Breuer. His original works, dedicated to Joan La Barbara, Sylvere Lotringer, Bobby Few and others, have been premiered at the BBC, Mount Tremper Arts, EMPAC, Roulette, STEIM Amsterdam, Walker Art Center, Bang-on-a-Can Marathon, MOMA PS1, and Anthology Film Archives. XI Records has just released a 2-cd album of Chiu’s compositions and improvisations, titled TOM CHIU: THE LIVE ONE.
Dover Quartet
Hailed as “the next Guarneri Quartet” (Chicago Tribune), BRYAN LEE the Dover Quartet Violin catapulted to MILENA PAJAROinternational VAN DE STADT stardom in 2013, Viola following a CAMDEN SHAW stunning sweep of Cello all prizes at the Banff Competition and has since become one of the most in-demand ensembles in the world. In addition to its faculty role as the inaugural Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble in Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music, the Dover Quartet holds residencies with the Kennedy Center, Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, Artosphere, the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, and Peoples’ Symphony Concerts in New York. Among the group’s numerous honors are the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award, and Lincoln Center’s Hunt Family Award. Equally comfortable with repertoire from a range of eras, the quartet has worked with some of the world’s foremost living composers, including Caroline Shaw and Mason Bates.
JOEL LINK Violin
The quartet’s recent collaborators include Emanuel Ax, Inon Barnaton, Ray Chen, Edgar Meyer, Anthony McGill, the Escher Quartet, and Roomful of Teeth. In addition to two previous albums for the label, the Dover Quartet is recording the
East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO)
MEG FREIVOGEL Violin
LIZ FREIVOGEL Violin
KOBI MALKIN Violin
MELISSA REARDON (Executive Director) Viola
KRISTIN LEE Violin NELSON LEE Violin SUSIE PARK Violin ANNALIESA PLACE Violin NICK KENDALL Violin TAI MURRAY Violin
JESSICA THOMPSON Viola MICHAEL KATZ Cello DAN MCDONOUGH Cello KEN OLSEN Cello NATE FARRINGTON Bass
In 2001, a group of musicians – colleagues and friends from leading conservatories and music festivals across the country – collectively envisioned the creation of a democratically-run, self-conducted chamber orchestra that would thrive on the pure joy and camaraderie of classical music making. This organic approach and high level of passion and commitment resulted in ECCO, a dynamic collective that combines the strength and power of a great orchestral ensemble with the personal involvement and sensitivity of superb chamber music. Known for innovative programming with works old and new, ECCO is comprised of some of today’s most vibrant and gifted young string players -- soloists, chamber musicians, principals of major American orchestras, and GRAMMY Awardwinners. ECCO members play with major symphony orchestras and noted chamber ensembles. For a few concentrated periods of time each year, the members of ECCO meet for rehearsal and musical exploration.
Cooking, eating, enjoying close friendships and now sharing tips for raising the next generation of ECCO are important aspects of their gatherings. Along with musical exploration, there is always an intense discussion about the joys and challenges of maintaining a truly communal creative organization. ECCO celebrated their first decade of friendship and discovery with the 2012 release of their first commercial recording on eOne. It includes Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C Major Op. 48, and the exuberant and surprising “La Follia” Variations for String Orchestra, arranged by ECCO’s own Michi Wiancko after Francesco Geminiani’s Concerto Grosso No. 12 in D minor.
Monica Ellis
Bassoonist Monica Ellis is a founding member of the ground-breaking, Grammy nominated wind quintet, Imani Winds, who in their 24th season maintains a vigorous domestic and international touring schedule. A natural organizer, Monica is an artistic and administrative leader for Imani Winds, their annual Chamber Music Festival, and the non-profit Imani Winds Foundation. Influential teachers include Mark Pancerev, of the Pittsburgh Symphony, George Sakakeeny at Oberlin Conservatory (BM), and Frank Morelli at The Juilliard School (MM) and Manhattan School of Music (PS), the last of which she is on faculty. Performing relevant and culturally significant music, Imani Winds have premiered over 40 new works to date. They are proud role models to all, but especially to the diverse community of African-American classical musicians. In February 2021, they released their 8th studio recording entitled BRUITS. Grammophone states, “the ensemble’s hot rapport churns with conviction throughout…” She has performed and recorded with renowned artists and organizations from Wayne Shorter to the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. As a celebrated clinician and educator, Ms.
Ellis has given virtual and in-person solo performances and masterclasses around the country. Monica is a frequent commentator on critical discussions regarding race, gender and entrepreneurship in classical music. Advisory committees include the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition, Orchestra of St. Luke’s Education and IDRS Commissioning Committees, and she is a board member of Concert Artists Guild.
ARTISTS
complete Beethoven string quartet cycle for Cedille Records, with the first volume set for release in September 2020. The Dover Quartet was formed in 2008 at the Curtis Institute of Music.
Felix Fan (FLUX Quartet)
Felix Fan, is a rare talent in the world of contemporary music. Described by Gramophone as “particularly sublime”, he is one of the most acclaimed, renowned, and respected cellists performing today. As a soloist, collaborative artist and advocate for new music, Felix is admired for his technically refined interpretations and independent spirit in his work with diverse and contemporary composers including Philip Glass, Michael Gordon, Hans Werner Henze, Oliver Knussen, David Lang, Meredith Monk, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Kaija Saariaho, Tan Dun, Julia Wolfe and Charles Wuorinen. Felix continues to collaborate with the most cutting-edge composers and instrumentalists, “navigating the structural complexities and layers of shifting tempo with flair” (The New York Times). A strong advocate for the creation and commissioning of new music, Felix has premiered over 100 works and dozens of recordings in his career. On the world stage, he has appeared at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Musikverein and the Royal Festival Hall and as a soloist with orchestras including the Hong Kong Philharmonic, National Symphony (Taiwan), and the Munich Chamber Orchestra. As a member of Flux Quartet, Felix pushes the boundaries of contemporary music, embracing the avant garde and interpreting the innovative styles of emerging composers and artists. Flux has been featured onscreen and in soundtracks for acclaimed director Matthew Barney and collaborated with esteemed
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choreographers Pam Tanowitz, Shen Wei and Christopher Wheeldon. Before Flux, he enjoyed touring with the Bang on a Can Allstars for several years. Beyond the world of contemporary music, Felix believes in the power of collaboration between musicians, filmmakers, actors and artists. In this capacity, he worked with director Charlie Kaufman and the Coen Brothers on a live radio play featuring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Steve Buschemi. He has also performed with members of Sonic Youth, Wilco and The National. Fan studied cello with Eleanore Schoenfeld (University of Southern California), Janos Starker (Indiana University), Aldo Parisot (Yale University) and Boris Pergamenschikow (Hochschule fur Musik, Cologne, Germany). In 1994, he was honored by Bill Clinton as a Presidential Scholar.
Nate Farrington (ECCO)
Nathan Farrington is a bassist, singer, and composer living in Los Angeles. He regularly appears in the bass sections of many of America’s top orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, and the Seattle Symphony. In 2016, Nathan was named the Principal Bass of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra under James Conlon, and pursues chamber music and solo opportunities avidly. Nathan has appeared at the Marlboro Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, the Olympic Music Festival, ChamberFest Cleveland, and at the Da Camera Society. Wherever he is performing, Nathan makes sure to take along his trusty guitar and pairs singing and playing operatic arias and folk songs alongside his bass playing.
In addition to his performance interests, Nathan is deeply interested in cinema. His LA based audio company, Hazard Audio, connects top classical minds, with the artistic minds in movie and TV production. His life in each of these fields has helped him engage in new and interesting projects highlighting the natural strengths of each of the two worlds!.
Doug Fitch
Visual artist, designer, and director Doug Fitch’s several productions with the NY Philharmonic include Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre; Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen; A Dancer’s Dream: Two Works by Stravinsky; and HK Gruber’s Gloria – A Pig Tale. Mr. Fitch has also created productions for Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Santa Fe Opera, and Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and for Bard’s SummerScape Festival. His Tanglewood production of Elliott Carter’s What Next? was filmed and later screened at the Museum of Modern Art. Fitch directed and designed Matthew Aucoin’s Orphic Moments at National Sawdust, a production, later remounted at Salzburg’s Landestheater. It was reconfigured for Master Voices at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater. At La Jolla Summerfest, he performed a liveanimated version of Musorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition from Inon Barnaton. His cabaret, Doug Fitch’s Art Gallery Variety Show, has appeared at National Sawdust and Maison Francaise at Columbia University. Mr. Fitch is a co-founder of Giants Are Small, which, in co-production with Universal Music and Deutsche Grammophon, developed Peter and the Wolf in Hollywood — an iPad app, CD, and digital album featuring Alice Cooper as narrator and the German National Youth Orchestra. Recent highlights include LA Opera’s remount of Hansel and Gretel, Le Grand Macabre at the ElbPhilharmonie and Punkitititi: Breakfast Included – a new show for Mozart Woche 2020 with the Salzburg Marionette Theater and and Pan, created in collaboration with Marcos Balter and Claire Chase.
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FLUX Quartet
FLUX Quartet has performed to rave reviews in TOM CHIU Cello venues worldwide, including the CONRAD HARRIS Tate Modern with Violin BBC Radio3, Park MAX MANDEL Avenue Armory, Viola Mount Tremper Arts, EMPAC, Kennedy Center, Walker Art Center, Library of Congress, Carnegie’s Zankel Hall, as well as festivals in Australia, Europe and Asia. The group’s discography includes recordings on the Cantaloupe, Innova, New World and Tzadik labels, in addition to the full catalogue of Morton Feldman’s string quartet works on Mode Records. In 2020, FLUX released a live album of the complete quartet output of Toshi Ichiyanagi, a leader of the Japanese avant-garde. Featured premieres in 2021 include an interactive electro-acoustic piece by Hans Tammen, as well as a chamber opera by Marc Neikrug. FELIX FAN Violin
Strongly influenced by the “anythinggoes” philosophy of Fluxus, violinist Tom Chiu founded FLUX in the late 90’s. The quartet has since cultivated an uncompromising repertoire that combines late 20th-century iconoclasts like Nancarrow, Scelsi and Ligeti, with today’s pioneers, including Oliver Lake, David Lang, David First, Wadada Leo Smith and many others. To support the creation of new work, FLUX has been awarded grants from the American Composers Forum, Aaron Copland Fund, Fromm Foundation, Meet-The-Composer, New Music USA, and Chamber Music America. FLUX discovers emerging composers from its many college residencies, including Wesleyan, Dartmouth, Williams, Princeton, Bard, William and Mary, and several others.
“The FLUX Quartet is legendary for its furiously committed, untiring performances.” (Alex Ross, www.therestisnoise.com)
Liz Freivogel (Jupiter Quartet/ECCO)
Liz Freivogel is the violist of the Jupiter String Quartet, with which she has spent much of the past 20 years performing across the United States and abroad. She maintains a private studio of violists at the University of Illinois, where the Jupiters are Artistsin-Residence, and also helps to run the chamber music program. Ms. Freivogel attended Oberlin Conservatory/College (double majoring in English and viola performance) and New England Conservatory, studying with the wonderful teachers Jeffrey Irvine, Kim Kashkashian, and Martha Katz. Chamber music mentors included members of the Cleveland and Takacs Quartets, as well as the cellist Oliver Edel. Ms. Freivogel grew up in a musical family, playing string quartets with her three siblings from a young age. Three of the four siblings are now professional string quartet musicians (the fourth became a physicist). One of the most inspiring parts of Ms. Freivogel’s career has been the opportunity to collaborate with so many fantastic musicians. Some of her most frequent and supportive co-performers are Natasha Brofsky, James Dunham, Gilbert Kalish, Kim Kashkashian, Paul Katz, Jon Nakamatsu and Roger Tapping, as well as the Jasper, Parker, and Ying String Quartets. In addition to winning top prizes in the Banff International and Fischoff National Chamber Music competitions with the Jupiter Quartet, Ms. Freivogel individually won prizes in the Primrose International Viola Competition, Oberlin Concerto Competition, and the
American String Teachers Association Competition. She has taught several times at the Bowdoin International Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival and Madeline Island Chamber Music.
Meg Freivogel (Jupiter Quartet/ECCO)
Meg Freivogel McDonough, second violinist and founding member of the Jupiter String Quartet, grew up playing chamber music with her siblings. She attended the Cleveland Institute of Music for a Bachelor of Music degree, studying with Donald Weilerstein and participating in the flourishing chamber music program run by Peter Salaff and the Cavani Quartet. From there, Meg moved to Boston and the New England Conservatory where she obtained her Master of Music and Master of Chamber Music degrees, acting as teaching assistant to Donald Weilerstein and studying closely with Lucy Chapman, Paul Katz and other members of the Cleveland Quartet. Since finishing her studies, she has traveled the world concertizing and teaching with the Jupiter String Quartet. Meg is also a founding member of East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO). Inspired by how music has shaped her life, Meg wishes to share her belief that creating art through music can provide tools useful in life in general. She feels studying an instrument and working in a chamber music group provides invaluable experience learning to collaborate with others. This communication and process provide kindling for creative ideas and inspire personal growth, ultimately creating fulfillment and enjoyment in the artistic process. She wishes to keep chamber music easily accessible, current and interesting to young and old audiences alike. Her husband, Daniel McDonough, plays cello in the quartet, and her sister, Elizabeth Freivogel, plays viola.
Blythe Gaissert
Mezzo-soprano Blythe Gaissert has established herself as one of the preeminent interpreters of some of the brightest stars of new classical music. A true singing actress, she has received critical acclaim for her interpretations of both new and traditional repertoire in opera, concert, and chamber repertoire.
ARTISTS
FLUX also avidly pursues multidisciplinary collaborations, resulting in acclaimed new works with choreographer Pam Tanowitz, balloonist Judy Dunaway, digital collective OpenEnded Group, and artist Matthew Barney. (www.fluxquartet.com)
Recent performances include the role of Georgia O’Keefe TODAY IT RAINS with Opera Parallele and American Opera Projects, Gertrude Stein in Ricky Ian Gordon 27 for Intermountain Opera, Bozeman, Walker Loats in Mikael Karlsson’s ECHO DRIFT for American Opera Projects at the Prototype Festival, Hansel HANSEL UND GRETEL with San Diego Opera, Sadie in Ricky Ian Gordon MORNING STAR with On-Site Opera, the role of Hannah After in AS ONE with New York City Opera/American Opera Projects, Opera Idaho, New York City Opera, Opera Memphis, San Diego Opera, Opera Colorado and Opera Columbus, Beethoven 9th Symphony with the Sarasota Orchestra, Berio Folk Songs and Siegrune DIE WALKUERE with the Dallas Symphony and Berlioz L’Enfance du Christ with the Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro RTVE conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya. Recent performances include the role of Georgia O’Keefe in Today it Rains with Opera Parallele and American Opera Projects, Gertrude Stein in Ricky Ian Gordon’s 27 for Intermountain Opera, Bozeman, Walker Loats in Mikael Karlsson’s Echo Drift for American Opera Projects at the Prototype Festival, Hansel in Hansel Und Gretel with San Diego Opera, Sadie in Ricky Ian Gordon’s Morning Star with On-Site Opera, the role of Hannah After in As One with New York City Opera/American Opera Projects, Opera Idaho, New York City Opera, Opera Memphis, San Diego Opera, Opera Colorado and Opera Columbus, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Sarasota Orchestra, Berio Folk Songs and Siegrune’s Die Walkuere with the Dallas Symphony and Berlioz in L’Enfance du Christ with the Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro RTVE, conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya.
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Jonathan Greeney
Jonathan Greeney is the principal timpanist of the Oregon Symphony. He is also a member of the 45th Parallel Universe Helios Camerata, The Gemini Project Percussion Group, and a member of The Percussion Collective. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in performance from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, and a Master of Music degree in performance from Cleveland State University. Also an active educator, Greeney is an adjunct professor of percussion studies at Portland State University. Before joining the Oregon Symphony, Jonathan Greeney was a member of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Xalapa in Veracruz Mexico, where he performed as a full time section percussionist until the Summer of 2008. Since joining the Oregon Symphony in the fall of 2010, he and his family have resided happily in Portland, Oregon.
Marc-André Hamelin
“A performer of near-superhuman technical prowess” (The New York Times), pianist Marc-André Hamelin is known worldwide for his unrivalled blend of consummate musicianship and brilliant technique in the great works of established repertoire, as well as for his intrepid exploration of rarities, earning him legendary status as a true icon of the piano. His concert appearances each year include recitals, orchestral engagements and chamber music collaborations with the leading arts organizations of our time. An exclusive recording artist for Hyperion Records his impressive discography of more than 60 recordings includes concertos and solo piano works by such composers as Alkan, Brahms, Godowsky, Haydn, Medtner, Liszt, and Shostakovich. Upcoming releases will feature discs of C.P.E Bach and William Bolcom.
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Mr. Hamelin has composed music throughout his career, with nearly 30 compositions to his name, including Toccata on L’Homme armé which was performed by all 30 live competitors at the 2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. The majority of his works are published by Edition Peters. Mr. Hamelin makes his home in the Boston area with his wife, Cathy Fuller. Born in Montreal, Marc-André Hamelin is the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the German Record Critics’ Association and has received seven Juno Awards and eleven Grammy nominations. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Chevalier de l’Ordre du Québec, and a member of the Royal Society of Canada.
Conrad Harris (FLUX Quartet)
Violinist Conrad Harris has performed at Ostrava Days, Darmstadt Ferrienkürse für Neue Musik, Gulbenkian Encounters of New Music, Radio France, Warsaw Autumn, and NY Sonic Boom Festival. In addition to FLUX Quartet, he is a member of the violin duo String Noise, concertmaster/soloist with the S.E.M. Orchestra, Ostravská Banda, STX Ensemble, and Ensemble LPR. He has performed and recorded with Elliott Sharp, Robert Ashley, Alvin Lucier, David Behrman, “Blue” Gene Tyranny, Jean-Claude Risset, Rohan de Saram and Tiny Tim. A recording of the sonatas of Lejaren Hiller was released in 2018 with pianist Joe Kubera on New World Records followed by a CD of the music of John Becker. Harris has also recorded for Lovely, Mode, Asphodel, Vandenburg, CRI, Northern Spy, Cold Blue, New Focus, Chaikin, Infrequent Seams, and Vinyl Retentive Records.
Martin Hébert
Martin was appointed principal oboist with the Oregon Symphony Orchestra in 2006. Before coming to Oregon, he held that same position with The Florida Orchestra, the Savannah Symphony, and the Mexico City Philharmonic. He
has served as guest principal oboe with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, and the Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra. In addition to orchestral work, Martin has played with opera, ballet, and chamber ensembles throughout the United States. In Oregon, he has performed with Chamber Music Northwest, Portland Opera, and the Oregon Bach Festival. Martin is Instructor of Oboe at Oregon State University in Corvallis, and also maintains a private studio of pupils. He is a founding faculty member of the summer music camp Woodwinds @ Wallowa in Eastern Oregon. Martin can be heard on recordings with the Oregon Symphony on the Pentatone label, the Atlanta Symphony on Telarc, and the Mexico City Philharmonic on Decca.
Nicholas Houfek
Nicholas Houfek is a NYC based lighting designer working in music, dance, and theater. Selected projects include: Claire Chase’s Density Project (The Kitchen,) International Contemporary Ensemble, Natalie Merchant, Maya Beiser, Ojai Music Festival, Silk Road Ensemble, Tyshawn Sorey’s Perle Noire directed by Peter Sellars, Anohni’s She Who Saw Beautiful Things at The Kitchen, Suzanne Farrin’s La Dolce Morte at the Metropolitan Museum of Art directed by Doug Fitch, George Lewis’ Soundlines featuring Steve Schick and directed by Jim Findlay, Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s In The Light of Air, Ashley Fure’s The Force of Things, The 39 Steps (Olney Theatre Center). Mr. Houfek has designed for the Martha Graham Dance Company, Cedar Lake Contemporary Dance, and Ian Spencer Bell Dance. Houfek is an ensemble member of the International Contemporary Ensemble, and he is a graduate of Boston University.
Pierre Jalbert
Internationally acclaimed violinist Bella Hristova is known for her passionate and powerful performances, beautiful sound, and compelling command of her instrument. Her numerous prizes include a 2013 Avery Fisher Career Grant, First Prize in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and First Prize in the Michael Hill International Violin Competition. Ms. Hristova has performed extensively as a soloist with orchestras including the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the New York String Orchestra, and the Kansas City and Milwaukee Symphonies. She has performed recitals at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and Boston’s Isabella Gardner Museum, and regularly appears with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. In 2017, she toured New Zealand performing and recording the complete Beethoven Sonatas for Piano and Violin with renowned pianist Michael Houstoun. Bella Unaccompanied, Ms. Hristova’s recording on A.W. Tonegold Records, features works by Corigliano, Kevin Puts, Piazzolla, Milstein, and Bach. A committed proponent of new music, she commissioned iconic American composer Joan Tower to write “Second String Force,” a piece that she premiered and performed in recitals throughout the United States and abroad. Further, she collaborated with her husband David Serkin Ludwig on a violin concerto written for her through a consortium of eight major orchestras across the country. Ms. Hristova began violin studies at the age of six in her native Bulgaria. She studied with Ida Kavafian at the Curtis Institute of Music, and received her Artist Diploma with Jaime Laredo at Indiana University. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and their four cats. She performs on a 1655 Nicolò Amati violin.
Widely recognized as one of America’s most highlyregarded composers, Pierre Jalbert writes vibrant, darkly intense, and superbly crafted scores in a musical language that is engaging, expressive, and deeply personal. Drawing inspiration from a variety of sources, including plainchant melodies, liturgical music, early pop and rock, and the natural world, his works have become fixtures on concert programs around the world, and at Carnegie Hall, by the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, the Los Angeles and St. Paul Chamber Orchestras and Houston, Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Cincinnati Symphonies; the Ying, Borromeo, Enso, Escher, and Emerson String Quartets, Music from Copland House, and violinist Midori. Among his many honors are the Rome Prize, the BBC Masterprize, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Stoeger Award, and an award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is Professor of Music at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in Houston, and is an artistic director of Musiqa.
Braizahn Jones
Braizahn Jones is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Hal Robinson and Edgar Meyer for four years. Prior, he spent two years with Jeffrey Weisner at The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University before transferring to Curtis in 2014. Since then, Braizahn has gone on to perform and tour with both the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Seattle Symphony as a sub before receiving tenure as the Assistant Principal Bassist of the Oregon Symphony; where, as of 2021, he is the Acting Principal Bass. A passionate teacher, Braizahn has served as Double Bass faculty at the National Orchestral Institute, the Pacific Music Institute, and various other festivals and youth orchestras locally, nationally, and internationally.
As a chamber musician, Braizahn has performed with world-renowned artists at Jackson Hole Chamber Music as well as locally with other Oregon Symphony musicians.
ARTISTS
Bella Hristova
Jupiter Quartet
The Jupiter String Quartet is a particularly MEG FREIVOGEL Violin intimate group, consisting of LIZ FREIVOGEL violinists Nelson Viola Lee and Meg DANIEL MCDONOUGH Freivogel, violist Cello Liz Freivogel (Meg’s older sister), and cellist Daniel McDonough (Meg’s husband, Liz’s brother-in-law). Now enjoying their 20th year together, this tight-knit ensemble is firmly established as an important voice in the world of chamber music. NELSON LEE Violin
The quartet has performed in some of the world’s finest halls, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, Boston’s Jordan Hall, Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes, Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center and Library of Congress, Austria’s Esterhazy Palace, and Seoul’s Sejong Chamber Hall. In addition to their performing career, they have been artists-inresidence at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana since 2012, where they maintain private studios and direct the chamber music program. Their chamber music honors and awards include the grand prizes in the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition; the Young Concert Artists International auditions in New York City; the Cleveland Quartet Award from Chamber Music America; an Avery Fisher Career Grant; and a grant from the Fromm Foundation. From 20072010, they were in residence at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Two.
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The quartet chose its name because Jupiter was the most prominent planet in the night sky at the time of its formation and the astrological symbol for Jupiter resembles the number four.
Ayano Kataoka
Percussionist Ayano Kataoka is known for her brilliant and dynamic technique, as well as the unique elegance and artistry she brings to her performances. She has been a season artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 2006 when she was chosen as the first percussionist for the society’s prestigious residency program, The Bowers Program (formerly Chamber Music Society Two.) She has collaborated with many of the world’s most respected and leading artists, including Emanuel Ax, Jaime Laredo, Ani Kavafian, David Shifrin, Jeremy Denk, to name a few. Ms. Kataoka gave a world premiere of Bruce Adolphe’s Self Comes to Mind for cello and two percussionists with cellist Yo-Yo Ma at the American Museum of Natural History. She presented a solo recital at Tokyo Opera City Recital Hall which was broadcast on NHK, the national public station of Japan. More recently, she was a featured percussion soloist to perform Steven Mackey’s Micro-Concerto for Percussion Solo and Chamber Ensemble at the Chamber Music Society as well as at Music@Menlo, and Christopher Theofanidis’s percussion concerto Drum Circles with The Percussion Collective and Hardford Symphony Orchestra. At Chamber Music Northwest, she collaborated with Portland-based dance company BodyVox in 2012. Her performances can also be heard on Deutsche Grammophon, Naxos, New World, Albany and Music@Menlo LIVE recording labels. A native of Japan, Ms. Kataoka began her marimba studies at age five, and percussion at 15. She received her artist diploma degree from Yale School of Music, where she studied with marimba virtuoso Robert van Sice. She is currently Associate Professor of Percussion at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
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Michael Katz (ECCO)
Hailed by the press for his “bold, rich sound” (Strad Magazine) and “nuanced musicianship,” (The New York Times), Grammy nominated Cellist Michael Katz has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in venues such as Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Kimmel Center, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center (Sarasota, FL), Oji Hall (Tokyo, Japan), Philips Hall (Eindhoven, Netherlands), Teatro Cervantes (Malaga, Spain), Lucerne KKL (Lucerne, Switzerland), and Henry Crown Auditorium (Jerusalem, Israel). He has performed at music festivals such as Ravinia, Music@Menlo, Mostly Mozart, Festival Mozaic, Yellow Barn, Lucerne, Holland Music Sessions, Sarasota, Methow Valley, Classical Bridge, Cooperstown, Green Box, Bard, Copenhagen, Malaga Clasica, Perlman Music Program, Orford, and Kol Hamusica, and has collaborated as a soloist with conductors such as James DePriest, David Stern, Barbara Yahr, and Dongmin Kim. His musicianship has been recognized with many awards, among them all three awards at the 2011 Aviv Competition, first prizes at the 2010 Juilliard School’s Concerto Competition, and the 2005 Turjeman Competition, as well as awards from the America Israel Cultural Foundation and the Ronen Foundation. Mr. Katz has collaborated and performed with artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Midori, Donald Weilerstein, Daniel Philips, Peter Wiley, Anthony Marwood, Peter Frankl, Charles Neidich, Roger Tapping, Lucy Chapman. As the cellist of the Lysander Piano Trio, he was a winner of the 2012 Concert Artists Guild Competition, and was awarded first prizes at the 2011 Coleman Competition and 2011 J.C. Arriaga Competition. Deeply committed to community outreach and education, from 2014-2016 Mr. Katz was a Fellow in Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect. He was previously selected to be part of a special string quartet led by Midori to present formal and outreach concerts in Myanmar and Japan as part of the 2013-2014 International Community Engagement Program, and was invited
to return to the program in 2016-2017 for concerts in Nepal and Japan. Mr. Katz is a faculty member at the Csehy Summer School of Music and the Chamber Music Institute in Stamford, CT, from 2015-2017 he served as an adjunct cello professor at Nyack College. Born in Tel-Aviv Israel, Mr. Katz began his cello studies at age 7. Among his teachers in Israel were Zvi Plesser, Hillel Zori and the late Mikhail Khomitzer. Mr. Katz received his Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory where he studied with Laurence Lesser, his Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School where he studied with Joel Krosnick, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from SUNY Stony Brook as a student of Colin Carr.
Nick Kendall (ECCO)
Nick Kendall picked up his first violin at the age of three. With an insatiable appetite for diversity of expression he went to the streets of Washington, D.C. to play trash cans for lunch money as a teenager. A couple of years later, he was forming pick-up rock bands at Curtis Institute of Music while making concert debuts at the most prestigious halls in the world. By now Nick has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, BBC Proms in London, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Hamer Hall in Melbourne, Ravinia Festival, Sydney Opera House, Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Teatro del Lago in Frutillar, Chile, Hyogo Performing Arts Center outside Osaka, Japan and an array of sports arenas across Belgium, Germany, Denmark and Luxembourg as one of the featured artists on the touring super-show Night of the Proms. His professional collaborations include Joshua Bell, Charles Dutoit, Branford Marsalis, Christoph Eschenbach, Joshua Radin, Keith Lockhart, Alisa Weilerstein, Michael Tilson Thomas, Jake Shimabukuro, Marin Alsop, Swiss pop and soul star Stefanie Heinzmann, Krzysztof Urbanski, and the legendary Irish rock band “Simple Minds.”
Trained in the Suzuki method — which his grandfather, John Kendall, brought from Japan to America in the 1960s — Nick continues the teaching tradition. As a caretaker of his craft, he is passing on the vitality of music to a new generation.
Soovin Kim
Korean-American violinist Soovin Kim launched an international performing career at age 20 after winning the Paganini International Violin Competition. His enormous range of concert activities include regular performances of the complete Bach sonatas and Paganini caprices for solo violin, sonatas for violin and piano ranging from Beethoven to Ives, Mozart and Haydn concertos and symphonies as a conductor, and world premiere works almost every season. For 20 years, he performed as violinist in the Johannes String Quartet, and now plays each season in the ChienKim-Watkins Trio. Among his many commercial recordings is his acclaimed disc of Paganini’s Twenty- Four Caprices (“thrillingly triumphant” Classic FM Magazine). He is the founder and artistic director (together with his wife, pianist Gloria Chien) of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival (LCCMF) in Burlington, Vermont. He was bestowed an honorary doctorate by the University of Vermont for the LCCMF’s great contributions to its community. Chien and Kim are in their first year as artistic directors of Chamber Music Northwest. Kim devotes much of his time to his passion for teaching at the New England Conservatory in Boston, and many of his students already enjoy successful performing and teaching careers.
Sarah Kwak
Paul Laraia
Sarah Kwak was appointed Concertmaster of the Oregon Symphony in 2012. Since then, she has performed to critical acclaim throughout Oregon. Hailed as a “world-class soloist,” Kwak is renowned for her “lyrical depth, thoughtful phrasing, myriad shadings of tone and easy technical prowess.” After her concerto debut with the Oregon Symphony, The Oregonian said she “tore it up in a performance as dazzling as any recent star guest soloist.” Sarah joined the Oregon Symphony after serving as first Associate Concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra from 1988 to 2012 and as that orchestra’s acting concertmaster from January 2010 to September 2011. Kwak, a 2008 McKnight Artist Fellowship winner, has been soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Houston Symphony, and Curtis Chamber Orchestra. She was a founding member of the Rosalyra String Quartet, which made its New York debut in 1996 and was awarded a McKnight Artist Fellowship in 2000. She has served on the faculty of Princeton University and at the University of Nevada at Reno. She serves as Concertmaster of the Oregon Bach Festival and has participated in the festivals of Marlboro, Chamber Music Northwest, Portland Piano International, Pittsburgh Summerfest, Bargemusic of New York, Festival Mozart in France, Siletz Bay and Astoria. In addition, she has served as guest Concertmaster with the Utah Symphony. Born in Boston and raised in Lawrence, Kansas, Kwak entered Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute at 12, studied briefly at the Vienna Hochschule für Musik, and graduated from Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music in 1983. Among her teachers were Joseph Sivo, Ivan Galamian, and Szymon Goldberg.
First Prize winner the 13th Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and 14th Sphinx Competition, violist Paul Laraia is enjoying the early stages of an international career as soloist and chamber musician. Acclaimed by The Strad for his “eloquent” and “vibrant” playing, Paul has been soloist with the major orchestras of Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Bogata, New Jersey, Nashville, New Haven, and St. Paul.
ARTISTS
Nick’s leadership comes from personal history with collective action. Years ago, Nick gathered his friends to form a band whose direction and energy stems out of the power of cooperation, now the critically acclaimed East Coast Chamber Orchestra. His genrebending trio, Time for Three, creates new communities of audiences and 2014 PBS feature Time for Three LIVE! covering one of TF3 concerts won an Emmy Award.
As a principal member of the internationally acclaimed Sejong Soloists, and as the violist of the Grammy Award-winning Catalyst Quartet, Paul has given hundreds of performances globally in venues such as Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, the Kennedy Center in DC, Seoul Arts Center, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall, Lincoln Center’s Great Performers Series, and London’s Wigmore Hall. He has been an invited artist at major festivals such as the Yellow Barn, Sarasota, Vail International Dance, Festival Del Sole, incheon music hic et nunc!, Hong Kong Generation Next Arts, Sitka, Banff Grand Canyon, and Cornell’s “Mayfest,” where he has collaborated with artists such as Gil Shaham, Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, Jorg Widmann, Vadim Repin, Edgar Meyer, Donald Weilerstein, Cho-lang Lin, Anthony Marwood, and Paul Huang. Laraia comes from a Philadelphian viola lineage, having studied with Brynina Socolofsky, Choon-jin Chang, and Che-hung Chen during his formative years in highschool. Paul then continued his studies at the New England Conservatory of Music under Kim Kashkashian, where he made musical friends and colleagues that continue to influence him to this day.
Kwak is a founding member of Classical Up Close, a non-profit organization whose mission is to present free chamber music concerts in neighborhoods around the Portland metro area and to make classical music accessible to all.
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Bryan Lee (Dover Quartet)
Bryan Lee is a violinist with the Dover Quartet, the Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble in Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music. Mr. Lee has performed as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Delaware, Lansdowne, and Temple University symphony orchestras, among others. He was awarded the bronze medal at the 2005 Stulberg International String Competition and won second prize at the 2004 Kingsville Young Performers Competition. He has been featured on NPR’s From the Top and has attended Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, La Jolla Music Society’s Summerfest, Music from Angel Fire, Encore School for Strings, Sarasota Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, and the Perlman Music Program. Mr. Lee has served as associate concertmaster of Symphony in C and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and as a substitute for the Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Lee is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Pamela Frank and Victor Danchenko. His previous studies were with Choong-Jin Chang and Soovin Kim. He performs on a 1904 Riccardo Antoniazzi. Mr. Lee joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2020. He also teaches at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music.
Earl Lee
A current associate conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and former resident conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Earl Lee is a renowned Korean-Canadian performer who has captivated audiences worldwide. Earl’s passion for music is reflected in his diverse career as both a conductor and cellist. His recent appearances include leading the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, New Japan Philharmonic, Gangnam Symphony Orchestra,
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Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. Earl is the recipient of the Solti Foundation U.S Career Assistance Award 2021, and was the recipient of the 50th Anniversary Heinz Unger Award from the Ontario Arts Council in 2018. In 2013, Earl was one of two performers to receive the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Scholarship — chosen by renowned conductor Kurt Masur — to travel to Leipzig and study the music and life of Felix Mendelssohn. That same year, Lee was awarded the Ansbacher Fellowship by the American Austrian Foundation and members of the Vienna Philharmonic, and he spent six weeks at the Salzburg Festival in Austria. As a cellist, Earl toured with the acclaimed duet of Gary Burton & Chick Corea as a guest member of the Harlem String Quartet in 2012, performing in notable venues including Symphony Hall in Boston, Maison symphonique de Montréal, and the iconic Blue Note jazz club in New York City. Earl has also toured the United States as part of ensembles including Musicians from Marlboro. He is currently a member of a conductor less chamber ensemble, the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO).
Kristin Lee (ECCO)
A recipient of the 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant, as well as a top prizewinner of the 2012 Walter W. Naumburg Competition and the Astral Artists’ 2010 National Auditions, Kristin Lee is a violinist of remarkable versatility and impeccable technique who enjoys a vibrant career as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and educator. “Her technique is flawless, and she has a sense of melodic shaping that reflects an artistic maturity,” writes the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Strad reports, “She seems entirely comfortable with stylistic diversity, which is one criterion that separates the run-of-themill instrumentalists from true artists.” In addition to her dynamic performing career, Lee was recently appointed to the faculty of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as
Assistant Professor of Violin. She is the artistic director of Emerald City Music, a chamber music series she co-founded in 2015, that presents authentically unique concert experiences and bridges the divide between the highest caliber classical music and the many diverse communities of the Puget Sound region of Washington State. An accomplished chamber musician, Kristin Lee is a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, performing at Lincoln Center in New York and on tour with CMS throughout each season, as well as a principal artist of Camerata Pacifica in Santa Barbara, sitting as The Bernard Gondos Chair. She is also concertmaster of the Nu Deco Ensemble in Miami, Florida, and is a member of Steve Coleman’s Natal Eclipse, a hybrid chamber-jazz ensemble that explores the very foundations of group improvisation and spontaneous composition. Lee has also appeared in chamber music programs at Music@Menlo, La Jolla Festival, Medellín Festicámara of Colombia, the El Sistema Chamber Music festival of Venezuela, the Sarasota Music Festival, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern of Germany, the Hong Kong Chamber Music Festival and the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, among many others. For more information, visit violinistkristinlee.com.
Nelson Lee (Jupiter Quartet/ECCO)
Nelson Lee is first violinist of the Jupiter String Quartet which has performed extensively throughout North America and abroad. The Quartet is in residence at the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign where each member teaches and jointly coordinates the chamber music program. As a soloist, Nelson has appeared with the Cleveland Institute Symphony Orchestra, Yale Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, Ann Arbor Symphony, and University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra. He also performs regularly with the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO).
Nelson comes from a family of musicians. His parents are both pianists (his father also a conductor) and his twin sisters Andrea and Alicia play the cello and clarinet. He is married to Denise Djokic, cellist, with whom he collaborates often.
Nina Lee (Brentano String Quartet)
An active chamber musician, Nina Lee has collaborated with many artists such as Felix Galimir, Jaime Laredo, David Soyer, Nobuko Imai, Isidore Cohen and Mitsuko Uchida, and has performed at the Marlboro and Tanglewood Music Festivals. She has toured with Musicians from Marlboro and has participated in the El Paso International Chamber Music Festival. She is the recipient of a Music Certificate from the Curtis Institute of Music, and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music from the Juilliard School, where her teacher was Joel Krosnick. Ms. Lee teaches at Princeton University and Columbia University.
Joel Link (Dover Quartet)
Joel Link is a violinist with the Dover Quartet, the Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble in Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music. Mr. Link is an active soloist and chamber musician; and has been a top prize winner of numerous competitions including the Johansen International Competition in Washington, D.C. and the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition in England, for which he was featured in The Strad magazine. Mr. Link has appeared on numerous radio shows, including NPR’s From the Top. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Mr. Link studied with renowned violinists Joseph Silverstein and Pamela Frank, and served as the Curtis Symphony Orchestra’s concertmaster for the 2009–10 season. He has attended music festivals across the globe, including the Ravinia Festival, the Marlboro Music Festival, and Music from Angel Fire. As a member of the Dover Quartet, Mr. Link won first prize and every special award at the Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2013 and the gold medal and grand prize in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in 2010; and performs over 100 concerts around the world annually. He plays a very fine Peter Guarneri of Mantua violin kindly loaned to him by Irene R. Miller through the Beare’s International Violin Society. Mr. Link joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2020. He also teaches at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music.
David Ludwig
David Serkin Ludwig’s first memory was singing Beatles songs with his sister; his second was hearing his grandfather perform at Carnegie Hall; foreshadowing a diverse career collaborating with many of today’s leading musicians, filmmakers, and writers. His choral work “The New Colossus,” opened the private prayer
service for President Obama’s second inauguration. The next year NPR Music named him in the world’s “Top 100 Composers Under Forty.” He holds positions and residencies with nearly two dozen orchestras and music festivals in the US and abroad.
ARTISTS
Nelson has had the opportunity to collaborate with such artists as David Shifrin, Joel Krosnick, Paul Katz, Roger Tapping, Michael Tree, Peter Wiley, Ida Kavafian, Wu Han, Gilbert Kalish, Bob McDonald, and Menahem Pressler. He has performed with the Boston Chamber Music Society, Park City Chamber Music Society and has also been heard at the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival. An active and devoted teacher, Nelson has given masterclasses at numerous institutions and festivals around the country including the Peabody Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music, Northwestern University, Boston Conservatory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Aspen Music Festival, Madeline Island Music Camp, and Music at Menlo. He also served as a teaching assistant to Donald Weilerstein while attending the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Ludwig has received commissions and notable performances from many of the most recognized artists and ensembles of our time, including the Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, and National Symphony Orchestras, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Dresden Music Festival, as well as Jonathan Biss, Jeremy Denk, Jennifer Koh, Jaime Laredo, David Shifrin, eighth blackbird, the Dover and Borromeo Quartets, and the PRISM Saxophone Quartet. Ludwig received the prestigious 2018 Pew Center for the Arts and Heritage Fellowship, as well as the First Music Award, and is a two-time recipient of the Independence Foundation Fellowship, a Theodore Presser Foundation Career Grant, and awards from New Music USA, the American Composers Forum, American Music Center, Detroit Chamber Winds, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Ludwig is chair of composition at The Curtis Institute of Music where he also serves as the Gie and Lisa Liem Artistic Advisor, and is director of Ensemble 20/21 and Curtis SummerFest. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, acclaimed violinist Bella Hristova, and their four beloved cats.
Kobi Malkin (ECCO) Praised by The New York Times for his “aptly traversed palette of emotions, from languid introspection to fevered intensity with gorgeous tone and an edge-of-seat intensity”, Israeli violinist Kobi Malkin is making his mark as an exciting soloist and a perceptive chamber musician. He is the winner of the prestigious Ilona Kornhauser Prize and the Canetti International Violin Competition, and appears regularly in such venues as New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Boston’s Jordan Hall, Vienna Konzerthaus, Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.
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An avid chamber musician, Kobi has collaborated with Frans Helmerson, Kim Kashkashian, Mitsuko Uchida, and Peter Wiley, among others. He has performed at numerous festivals, such as Ravinia, Music@Menlo, Yellow Barn, the Perlman Music Program, and the Marlboro Music Festival. Kobi is an alumnus of Ensemble Connect, a program of Carnegie Hall and The Juilliard School, which trains the next generation of performers to be artists and teachers who hold a deep commitment to the communities in which they live and work. He holds a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Sylvia Rosenberg and Donald Weilerstein, and a Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory, where he worked under the guidance of Miriam Fried. Kobi plays on a 1701 Pietro Guarneri violin, generously on loan to him by Yehuda Zisapel.
Max Mandel (FLUX Quartet)
Violist Max Mandel enjoys a varied and acclaimed career as a chamber musician, soloist, orchestral musician and speaker. He is Principal Viola of The Orchestra of The Age of Enlightenment and a member of the trailblazing ensemble FLUX Quartet. He has appeared as guest Principal Viola with The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, The Australian Chamber Orchestra, The Scottish Chamber Orchestra, The Academy of Ancient Music, and the Handel & Haydn Society amongst others. Mandel’s other group affiliations include The Smithsonian Chamber Players, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and The Silk Road Ensemble. His recent recordings include Toshi Ichiyanagi String Quartets with FLUX on Camerata Records and Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with violinist Aisslinn Nosky and the Handel & Haydn Society Orchestra on Coro Records. Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, he lives in London.
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Kelly Markgraf
Branford Marsalis
Baritone Kelly Markgraf has been hailed by The New York Times for his “heart-stirring” singing and “charismatic” stage presence, and has enjoyed collaboration with some of the world’s most esteemed conductors, including Gustavo Dudamel, Charles Dutoit, Alan Gilbert, Giancarlo Guerrero, Michael Tilson Thomas, David Robertson, Robert Spano, and Edo de Waart. He has performed with the nation’s leading symphony orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas, he made his San Francisco Symphony debut as Bernardo in a live concert recording of West Side Story which was later nominated for a Grammy Award. He then reprised the role with Paavo Jarvi and the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo. Mr. Markgraf recently bowed again with San Francisco Symphony in their multimedia production of Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortileges alongside Isabel Leonard. He created the role of Paul Jobs in Mason Bates’ premiere The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs at the Santa Fe Opera, which later received a 2019 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. He also originated the roles of Hannah Before in Laura Kaminsky’s and Mark Campbell’s opera As One, and Ring Lardner in Joel Puckett’s lauded baseball opera The Fix. Other notable premiere recordings include John Harbison’s Requiem with the Nashville Symphony (Naxos), Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, Carlisle Floyd’s Wuthering Heights, and two albums of chamber music and lieder from the Music@Menlo chamber music festival. Mr. Markgraf has been seen on PBS’s nationally televised Great Performances from Carnegie Hall and heard on NPR’s Performance Today. He holds degrees from Boston University, the University of Cincinnati’s CollegeConservatory of Music, and the Juilliard School.
Growing up in the rich environment of New Orleans as the oldest son of pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis, Branford was drawn to music along with siblings Wynton, Delfeayo, and Jason. His first instrument, the clarinet, gave way to the alto and then the tenor and soprano saxophones when the teenage Branford began working in local bands. A growing fascination with jazz as he entered college gave him the basic tools to obtain his first major jobs, with trumpet legend Clark Terry and alongside Wynton in Art Blakey’s legendary Jazz Messengers. When the brothers left to form the Wynton Marsalis Quintet, the world of uncompromising acoustic jazz was invigorated. Branford formed his own quartet in 1986 and, with a few minor interruptions in the early years, has sustained the unit as his primary means of expression. Known for the telepathic communication among its uncommonly consistent personnel, its deep book of original music replete with expressive melodies and provocative forms, and an unrivaled spirit in both live and recorded performances, the Branford Marsalis Quartet has long been recognized as the standard to which other ensembles of its kind must be measured. Classical music inhabits a growing portion of Branford’s musical universe. A frequent soloist with classical ensembles, Branford has become increasingly sought after as a featured soloist with such acclaimed orchestras as the Chicago, Detroit, Düsseldorf, and North Carolina Symphonies and the Boston Pops, with a growing repertoire that includes compositions by Debussy, Glazunov, Ibert, Mahler, Milhaud, Rorem, and Vaughn Williams. Making his first appearance with the New York Philharmonic in the summer of 2010, he was again invited to join them as soloist in their 2010-2011 concert series where he unequivocally demonstrated his versatility and prowess, bringing “a gracious poise and supple tone… and an insouciant swagger” (The New York Times) to the repertoire.
As for other public stages, Branford spent a period touring with Sting, collaborated with the Grateful Dead and Bruce Hornsby, served as Musical Director of The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno, and hosted National Public Radio’s widely syndicated Jazz Set. The range and quality of these diverse activities established Branford as a familiar presence beyond the worlds of jazz and classical music, while his efforts to help heal and rebuild New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina mark him as an artist with an uncommonly effective social vision. Together with Harry Connick, Jr. and New Orleans Habitat for Humanity, Branford conceived and helped to realize The Musicians’ Village, a community in the Upper Ninth Ward that provides homes to the displaced families of musicians and other local residents. At the heart of The Musicians’ Village stands the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, a community center dedicated to preserving the rich New Orleans musical legacy containing stateof-the-art spaces for performance, instruction, and recording. Some might gauge Branford Marsalis’s success by his numerous awards, including three Grammys and (together with his father and brothers) his citation as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts. To Branford, however, these are only way stations along what continues to be one of the most fascinating and rewarding journeys in the world of music.
Daniel McDonough (Jupiter Quartet/ECCO)
Cellist Daniel McDonough has performed across the U.S. and abroad as a chamber musician and recitalist. He is best known as a founding member of the award-winning Jupiter String Quartet. In addition to his regular appearances with the Jupiter String Quartet, Daniel is a founding member of the innovative East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO). Daniel has been heard repeatedly on NPR’s Performance Today and seen on Live from Lincoln Center. He has had the privilege of collaborating with Menahem Pressler, Donald Weilerstein, Wu Han, Roger Tapping, Paul Katz, Marcus Thompson, and Jeremy Denk, among many others. He has appeared as soloist with the Asheville (NC) Symphony, the CMS of Lincoln Center, the Austin Symphony, the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra. Daniel is heard regularly at many of the premiere summer music festivals across the country. A passionate teacher, Daniel has given lessons and guest masterclasses at some of the country’s leading institutions including The Peabody Institute, The Eastman School of Music, The Cleveland Institute of Music, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Boston Conservatory. Daniel began his musical studies at the age of five in Austin, Texas. He went on to receive his Bachelor’s degree, with honors in chamber music and cello performance, from The Cleveland Institute of Music and a Master’s from The Juilliard School. Daniel lives in Urbana, IL with Megan Freivogel (also of the Jupiter Quartet) and their three children, Lillian, Felix, and Oliver. When he’s not playing music or parenting he loves to play tennis.
Tai Murray (ECCO)
Described as “superb” by The New York Times, violinist Tai Murray has established herself as a musical voice of a generation. “Technically flawless... vivacious and scintillating... It is without doubt that Murray’s style of playing is more mature than that of many seasoned players…” (Muso Magazine)
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Broadway has also welcomed Branford’s contributions. His initial effort, original music for a revival of August Wilson’s Fences, garnered a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music in a Play and a Tony nomination for Best Original Score Written for the Theater. Branford also provided music for The Mountaintop, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett, and served as musical curator for the 2014 revival of A Raisin in the Sun. Branford’s screen credits include the original music for Mo’ Better Blues and acting roles in School Daze and Throw Momma from the Train.
Appreciated for her elegance and effortless ability, Murray creates a special bond with listeners through her personal phrasing and subtle sweetness. Her programming reveals musical intelligence. Her sound, sophisticated bowing and choice of vibrato, remind us of her musical background and influences, principally, Yuval Yaron (a student of Gingold & Heifetz) and Franco Gulli. Winner of an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2004, Tai Murray was named a BBC New Generation Artist (2008 through 2010). As a chamber musician, she was a member of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society II (2004-2006). She has performed as guest soloist on the main stages world-wide, performing with leading ensembles such as the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Symphony Orchestra, and all of the BBC Symphony Orchestras. She is also a dedicated advocate of contemporary works (written for the violin). Among others, she performed the world premiere of Malcolm Hayes’ violin concerto at the BBC PROMS, in the Royal Albert Hall. As a recitalist Tai Murray has visited many of the world’s capitals having appeared in Berlin, Chicago, Hamburg, London, Madrid, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Paris and Washington D.C., among many others. Tai Murray’s critically acclaimed debut recording for harmonia mundi of Ysaye’s six sonatas for solo violin was released in February 2012. Her second recording featuring works by American Composers of the 20th century was released by the Berlin-based label eaSonus, and her third disc, with the Bernstein Serenade, was released on the French label mirare. Tai Murray plays a violin by Tomaso Balestrieri fecit Mantua ca. 1765, on generous loan from a private collection.
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Marc Neikrug
Composer Marc Neikrug has had an international career for half a century. He has written chamber music, symphonic music, musictheater, and opera. Major performances have taken place with the New York, Los Angeles, and Buffalo Philharmonics, as well as the symphonies in Boston, Pittsburgh, Houston, Atlanta, Cincinnati, New World (Miami), St. Louis, Milwaukee, Washington DC, Chicago, Utah, Dallas, Phoenix, New Mexico, Minnesota, and Cleveland orchestras, and the St. Paul and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestras. Mr. Neikrug works have been performed internationally by the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa, the BBC Symphony, London Synfonietta, English Chamber Orchestra, Halle Orchestra, Zurich Tonhalle, Frankfurt Radio Orchestra, Berlin Radio Orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Barcelona Symphony, Liege Orchestra, Lisbon Gulbenkian Orchestra, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Osaka Symphony, Jerusalem Symphony, and the Israel Chamber Orchestra. Festival performances have been at Ravinia, Tanglewood, Hollywood Bowl, Aspen, Angel Fire, La Jolla, Marlboro, Menlo, Savannah, London’s South Bank, Aldeburgh, Berlin Festival, Franfurt Festival, Schleswig Holstein, Zurich, Melbourne, Tokyo’s Music Today, and Jerusalem Festival.
Paul Neubauer
Violist Paul Neubauer’s exceptional musicality and effortless playing led The New York Times to call him “a master musician.” He recently made his Chicago Symphony subscription debut with conductor Riccardo Muti and his Mariinsky Orchestra debut with conductor Valery Gergiev. He also gave the U.S. Premiere of the newly discovered Impromptu for viola and piano by Shostakovich with pianist Wu Han. In addition, his recording of the Aaron Kernis Viola Concerto with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, was released on Signum Records and his recording
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of the complete viola and piano music by Ernest Bloch with pianist Margo Garrett was released on Delos. Appointed principal violist of the New York Philharmonic at age 21, he has appeared as soloist with over 100 orchestras including the New York, Los Angeles, and Helsinki philharmonics; National, St. Louis, Detroit, Dallas, San Francisco, and Bournemouth symphonies; and Santa Cecilia, English Chamber, and Beethovenhalle orchestras. He has premiered viola concertos by Bartók (revised version of the Viola Concerto), Friedman, Glière, Jacob, Kernis, Lazarof, Müller-Siemens, Ott, Penderecki, Picker, Suter, and Tower and has been featured on CBS’s Sunday Morning, A Prairie Home Companion, and in The Strad, Strings, and People magazines. A two-time Grammy nominee, he has recorded on numerous labels including Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, RCA Red Seal, and Sony Classical. Mr. Neubauer performs with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and is the artistic director of the Mostly Music series in New Jersey. He is on the faculty of The Juilliard School and Mannes College.
Tara Helen O’Connor
Avery Fisher Career Grant, and twotime Grammy nominee Tara Helen O’Connor was the first wind player chosen to participate in The Bowers Program and is now a Season Artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. A Wm. S. Haynes flute artist, Tara regularly participates in the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Music@ Menlo, Chamber Music Festival of the Bluegrass, Spoleto Festival USA, CMNW, Mainly Mozart Festival, Music from Angel Fire, the Banff Centre, Rockport Music, Bay Chamber Concerts, Manchester Music Festival, the Great Mountains Music Festival, Chesapeake Music Festival and the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. She and her husband Daniel Phillips, are the newly appointed Artistic Directors of the Music From Angel Fire Festival in New Mexico. Tara is a member of the woodwind quintet Windscape and is a founding member of the Naumburg Awardwinning New Millennium Ensemble. She has collaborated with the Orion
String Quartet, St. Lawrence Quartet, Emerson Quartet and has appeared on A&E’s Breakfast for the Arts, Live from Lincoln Center and has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, EMI Classics, Koch International, CMS Studio Recordings with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Bridge Records. Tara is Associate Professor of Flute, Chair of Classical Music Studies at Purchase College Conservatory of Music. Additionally, Tara is on the faculty of Bard College Conservatory of Music and the CPP Program at Manhattan School of Music. She lives with her husband, violinist Daniel Phillips, and their two miniature dachshunds, Chloé and Ava, in Manhattan.
Monica Ohuchi
Japanese-American pianist Monica Ohuchi performs “with beauty, clarity and drive... [offering a] warmth... and expressiveness [that’s] irresistible and deeply moving.” (The Times Argus) Filled with purpose, Ohuchi exudes a “commanding pianism.” (The New York Times) “Dutifully and gracefully” (San Francisco Classical Voice) attentive to musical depth and detail, Ohuchi offers uniquely generous and engaging performances. Since capturing first prize at the Chinese International Piano Competition at age five, Ohuchi has won top prizes in over twenty national and international piano competitions. Her solo, chamber, and teaching career includes appearances across the US, Canada, Japan, and Europe at such venues as Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Meany Hall (Seattle), the Canadian Opera Company’s Richard Bradshaw Amphitheater, and Hakuju Concert Hall (Tokyo). Recent performing engagements include soloing with the Colorado Symphony, Marin Symphony, and Newport Symphony. A gracious and polished chamber musician, Ohuchi is a member of Fear No Music and performs with the Chintimini Chamber Music Festival (Oregon) and Craftsbury Chamber Players (Vermont). With a passion for equity and diversity, Ohuchi serves as Executive Director of Fear No Music alongside her violist and composer
Ohuchi teaches at Reed College, and has previously taught at the Juilliard School. monicaohuchi.com
Kenneth Olsen (ECCO)
Kenneth Olsen became Assistant Principal Cello of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2005. Prior to his appointment with the CSO, he received his Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of Richard Aaron, and furthered his studies at The Juilliard School as a student of Joel Krosnick. Ken grew up in Albany, NY where he was a pupil of Luis Garcia Renart of Bard College. Outside of the CSO he is heavily involved in both chamber and solo pursuits. Ken is a founding member of ECCO (East Coast Chamber Orchestra), a critically-acclaimed, conductorless chamber orchestra comprised of some of today’s most vibrant and gifted young string players -- soloists, chamber musicians, and members of major American orchestras. He is also a founding member of the Chicago-based Civitas Ensemble, as well as the cellist of the Lincoln String Quartet, made up of musicians from the CSO.
Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt (Dover Quartet)
Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt is the violist of the Dover Quartet, the Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble in Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music. Ms. Pajarovan de Stadt has appeared as a soloist with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jacksonville Symphony,
and the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra; and has performed in recitals and chamber music concerts throughout the United States, Latin America, and Europe, including an acclaimed 2011 debut recital at London’s Wigmore Hall. With the Dover Quartet she won first prize and every special award at the Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2013, and the gold medal and grand prize in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in 2010. Ms. Pajaro-van de Stadt numerous awards also include first prize at the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, and top prizes at the Tokyo International Viola Competition and the Sphinx Competition. A violin student of Sergiu Schwartz and Melissa Pierson-Barrett for several years, she began studying viola with Michael Klotz at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in 2005. Ms. Pajaro-van de Stadt graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Roberto Díaz, Michael Tree, Misha Amory, and Joseph de Pasquale. Ms. Pajaro-van de Stadt received a master’s degree in string quartet performance from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where she studied with James Dunham as a member of the Dover Quartet. Ms. Pajaro-van de Stadt joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2020. She also teaches at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music.
Susie Park (ECCO)
Hailed as “prodigiously talented” (The Washington Post) and praised for her “freedom, mastery and fantasy” (La Libre, Belgium), Australian violinist Susie Park has established a reputation as an artist who combines expansive emotive range and dynamic stage presence. As violinist of the Eroica Trio from 2006 to 2012, she performed throughout the US, Brazil, Denmark, Germany and New Zealand, and released a Grammy-nominated album on EMI Classics. As soloist, she has performed with the Vienna Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, San Francisco, Indianapolis and Memphis Symphonies, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Korea’s KBS Symphony
Orchestra, the Lille National Orchestra, New Zealand’s Wellington Sinfonia, and the major Australian orchestras. Park has appeared in venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the 92nd Street Y, the Kimmel Center, the Smithsonian Institution, Musikverein, Cologne Philharmonie, Dusseldorf Tonhalle and the Sydney Opera House. A Laureate of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, and top prizewinner in the Menuhin and Wieniawski International Competitions, Park attended the Marlboro Music Festival and toured the U.S. with Musicians from Marlboro. Festival appearances include Music from Angel Fire, Open Chamber Music at Prussia Cove, England, the Aspen, Caramoor, Portland, Skaneateles and Ravinia Festivals. Park is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music the New England Conservatory. Her teachers have included Jaime Laredo, Ida Kavafian, Donald Weilerstein and Miriam Fried. A former member of Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society Two, she is a founding member of East Coast Chamber Orchestra. Park was first violinist of the Enso String Quartet in their final season in 2018. She enjoys performing as a guest with the Twin Cities esteemed chamber ensemble, Accordo. Park is First Associate Concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra, and has appeared as guest concertmaster of the Pittsburgh, Seattle and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras as well as the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
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husband, Kenji Bunch who is the group’s Artistic Director. “Fear No Music’s husband-and-wife leadership team… have spent the past five years making FNM the best kind of Portland hybrid: a classical ensemble with unimpeachable performance credentials, a love for local and contemporary composers, and a mature sense of social justice and responsibility.” (Oregon ArtsWatch)
Karla Donehew Perez
A founding member of the Catalyst Quartet, Karla Donehew Perez maintains a busy performance schedule throughout the United States and around the world. Born in Puerto Rico, Donehew Perez began playing the violin at age three and made her solo debut with the Puerto Rico Symphony at nine years old. At age 12, her family moved to California where she continued her studies with Anne Crowden, director and founder of The Crowden School. Donehew Perez completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying
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performance with the heralded violin teachers Paul Kantor, David Cerone, and William Preucil. She has performed as featured soloist with the Berkeley Symphony, Sacramento Philharmonic, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Oakland East Bay Symphony, Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, Sphinx Chamber Orchestra, and the New World Symphony among others. As a chamber musician, she has performed with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and collaborated with artists such as Joshua Bell, Zuill Bailey, Awadagin Pratt, Anthony McGill, Stewart Goodyear, Fredericka Von Stade, Garry Karr, and members of the Guarneri, Juilliard, and Takács quartets. Donehew Perez has been guest concertmaster at the Tucson Symphony and spent two years as a fellow at the New World Symphony, where she was often concertmaster or principal second violin. Donehew Perez performs on a violin made in 2013 by renowned German luthier Stefan Peter Greiner, supported in part by a Sphinx MPower Artist Grant, and a fine violin bow by Victor Fetique on generous loan from the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation.
Annaliesa Place (ECCO)
Annaliesa Place, violin, is a passionate performer and educator. She performs across the United States and abroad with various ensembles including the East Coast Chamber Orchestra. She is featured on recordings with Absolute Ensemble for Sony Classical, ECCO for EOne Records, and Sting’s album Symphonicities. She is also featured in the 2019 Warner Bros. Movie, Western Stars with Bruce Springsteen. Annaliesa has also performed and recorded with Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder, The Roots, Michael Bublé and Paul McCartney, among others. Ms. Place was featured in the Cleveland Orchestra’s first video conference with Alan Gilbert and was hailed by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as ‘the epitome of poise and intelligence.’ She is the Director of Strings at the Dwight-Englewood School in Englewood, New Jersey where she founded StringJam, a conductor-less string orchestra. As a curriculum
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consultant and lead teacher for Juilliard’s Global K-12 Programs, Annaliesa teaches at Summer Arts with Juilliard in Geneva, Switzerland. Along with her husband, cellist Diego Garcia, they formed Bowstruck and made their debut on top of Aspen Mountain in June 2014. Ms. Place received a B.M. from Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University and a M.M. from The Juilliard School. Her principal teachers have included Vasile Beluska, David Russell, David Updegraff, Victor Danchencko, and Robert Mann.
Matan Porat Hailed by The New York Times for his “magnificent sound and breath of expression,” pianist and composer Matan Porat has performed in distinguished venues including the Philharmonie in Berlin, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Auditorium du Louvre in Paris and the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, and with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic and Hong Kong Sinfonietta.
Known for his unique, narrativebased programming, Porat’s varied repertoire ranges from the complete Bach Partitas and Schubert Sonatas to Ives’ Concord Sonata and the Ligeti Concerto. He recorded 3 solo CDs for Mirare, “Variations on a theme by Scarlatti” – 24 pieces from Couperin to Boulez which all relate to Scarlatti’s Sonata K. 32, “Lux,” a recital of works around light, from dawn to nightfall and “Carnaval,” a program around Schumann’s Carnaval Op. 9. An avid chamber musician, Porat has participated in many acclaimed festivals including the Marlboro, Lockenhaus, Ravinia, Verbier, Hohenems, and Rheingau festivals. Chamber music appearances include performances with the Artemis Quartet, Cuarteto Casals, Pacifica, Modigliani, and Jerusalem Quartets. Porat is also well-known for his improvisation, in particular for silent films, and hailed by The New Yorker’s Alex Ross with “an astounding feat of creative musicianship.”
Porat’s works have been commissioned and performed by Nicolas Altstaedt, Avi Avital, Kim Kashkashian, Andreas Scholl, Vladimir Jurowski, Cuarteto Casals and Dover Quartet, as well as the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. Born in Tel-Aviv, Matan Porat studied with Emanuel Krasovsky, Maria João Pires and Murray Perahia, obtaining his Master’s degree from the Juilliard School. His composition teachers were Ruben Seroussi and George Benjamin.
William Purvis
William Purvis pursues a multifaceted career both in the U.S. and abroad as horn soloist, chamber musician, conductor, and educator. A passionate advocate of new music, he has participated in numerous premieres including horn concerti by Peter Lieberson, Bayan Northcott, Krzysztof Penderecki (New York premiere), and Paul Lansky; horn trios by Poul Ruders and Paul Lansky; Sonate en Forme de Préludes by Steven Stucky; and recent premieres by Elliott Carter, Retracing II for Solo Horn and Nine by Five with the New York Woodwind Quintet. He is a member of the New York Woodwind Quintet, the Yale Brass Trio, and the Triton Horn Trio, and is an emeritus member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Mr. Purvis has been a frequent guest artist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Boston Chamber Music Society, and has collaborated with many of the world’s most esteemed string quartets, including the Juilliard, Tokyo, Orion, Brentano, Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Daedalus, and Fine Arts string quartets. Recent Festival appearances have included the Sarasota, Norfolk, Sebago Long Lake, Chestnut Hill and Phoenix Chamber Music Festivals in the U.S., the Great Mountain, Busan and Gimhae Chamber Music Festivals in South Korea and the Kitaruizawa Festival in Japan. He has participated in performances on historical instruments with the Smithsonian Chamber Players, and a recording of the Quintets for Piano and Winds will be released in 2021. He has recorded extensively on numerous labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classical, Naxos, Koch, and
Melissa Reardon (ECCO)
Grammynominated violist Melissa Reardon is an internationally renowned performer whose solo and chamber playing spans all musical genres. Melissa is the Artistic Director of the Portland Chamber Music Festival in Portland, ME, Artist-in-Residence at Bard College and Conservatory and a founding member and the Executive Director of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO). As a member of the Ensō String Quartet from 2006 until its final season in 2018, Melissa toured both nationally and internationally, with highlight performances in Sydney, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, New York’s Carnegie Hall, and Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center to name a few. Lauded by Classical Voice for her “elegant” and “virtuosic” performances, the Massachusetts-born musician won first prize at the Washington International Competition, and is the only violist to win top prizes in consecutive HAMS International viola competitions. A sought-after collaborative musician and teacher, Melissa has appeared in numerous festivals across the United States and around the world, and has toured with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, and with Musicians from Marlboro. She held the post of Associate Professor of Viola at East Carolina University from 2007-2013, and earned degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory. Melissa is married to the cellist Raman Ramakrishnan and they live in NYC with their eight-year-old son Linus.
Doug Reneau
Alan Richardson In 2014, Doug Reneau was appointed Third Trumpet of the Oregon Symphony Orchestra by Music Director, Carlos Kalmar.
Before moving to Portland, he held the position of Assistant Principal Trumpet with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans, where he performed and taught trumpet for over five years. While in Louisiana, Doug played over 150 weddings at various area churches and venues, and was the chief trumpeter at the famous St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square. He also played in a popular Dixieland jazz band and accompanied countless traditional New Orleans second-line parades for weddings, funerals, and other local events. Doug is an active and passionate music educator. Currently, he coaches students of the Portland Youth Philharmonic and Metropolitan Youth Symphony. He has instructed students of all levels, from beginners to advanced college and professional players. He served as an adjunct instructor at the University of New Orleans, taught private lessons at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, and led masterclasses and performed guest artist recitals at several major American schools of music. He studied at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance in Kansas City, MO, and at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington. His primary teachers (aside from numerous musical relatives!) were Keith Benjamin, John Rommel, Jeff Bailey, Peter Wood, and Jeff Nelsen. Doug grew up in a musical family in Sioux City, IA. His mother is a singer and his father is a violinist. His brother, Charles, has been the bass trombonist of the Oregon Symphony Orchestra since 2007.
Mr. Richardson has performed at concert series including Lincoln Center’s Great Performers, Chamber Music Society of Detroit, and Bargemusic, and at a number of festivals including Bay Chamber Concerts, Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Rockport Music Festival, and Kneisel Hall. He has collaborated with such artists as Renée Fleming, Peter Wiley, Michael Tree, as well as the Miró, Juilliard, and American String Quartets.
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Bridge. Mr. Purvis is currently Professor in the Practice of Horn and Chamber Music at the Yale School of Music, where he is also coordinator of winds and brasses, and serves as Director of the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments.
In addition to his work with the Aeolus Quartet, Mr. Richardson serves as principal cellist of the New Orchestra of Washington, and maintains an active freelancing career. 2019-20 performance highlights include a concerto appearance with the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, multiple guest performances with A Far Cry, and Aeolus Quartet features at NYC’s PROTOTYPE festival and Lincoln Center’s “Inside Chamber Music.” Along with his colleagues in the Aeolus Quartet, Mr. Richardson serves as Co-Artistic Director of the Charles Wadsworth Piano Competition. Mr. Richardson studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Texas at Austin, University of Maryland and the Juilliard School. He currently performs on a 2016 cello by Samuel Zygmuntowicz, generously on loan from the Five Partners Foundation.
Ian David Rosenbaum
Praised for his “spectacular performances” (The Wall Street Journal), and his “unfailing virtuosity” (Chicago Tribune), percussionist Ian David Rosenbaum has developed a musical breadth far beyond his years. As a passionate advocate for contemporary music, Mr. Rosenbaum has premiered over one hundred new chamber and solo works. He has collaborated with and championed the music of established and emerging composers alike.
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In 2017, Mr. Rosenbaum released his first full-length solo album, Memory Palace, on NS Tracks. He is featured on Andy Akiho’s 2018 album The War Below alongside The Knights and pianist Vicky Chow, and will release an album with Andy Akiho and the Dover Quartet in 2020. In 2012 Mr. Rosenbaum joined the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Bowers Program (formerly CMS Two) program as only the second percussionist they have selected in their history. Highlights of the 2019-2020 season include the world premiere of Seven Pillars, an evening length multidisciplinary work by Andy Akiho with Sandbox Percussion at the Mondavi Center, a performance of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Kontakte at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and debuts at the Moab Music Festival, Rockport Music, and Dumbarton Oaks. Mr. Rosenbaum is a member of Sandbox Percussion, The Percussion Collective, and The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble. He has recorded for the Bridge, Innova, Naxos, and Starkland labels and is on faculty at the Mannes School of Music. Mr. Rosenbaum endorses Pearl/Adams instruments, Vic Firth mallets, and Remo drumheads.
Camden Shaw (Dover Quartet)
Camden Shaw is the cellist of the Dover Quartet, the Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble in Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music. He has appeared with the ensemble in performances all over the world to great acclaim. Mr. Shaw has collaborated in chamber music with such renowned artists as Daniel Hope, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, and the late Leon Fleischer, and maintains an active career as a soloist. Highlights from recent seasons include a performance of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, Op. 56 with the Artosphere Festival Orchestra, where Shaw also holds the principal chair; and the release of his solo album by Unipheye Music, which was met with critical praise.
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Mr. Shaw graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music in 2010, where he studied with Peter Wiley. Other major teachers include Norman Fischer, David Finckel, and Steven Isserlis. He performs on an instrument made in 2010 by Frank Ravatin. Mr. Shaw joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2020. He also teaches at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music.
Fred Sherry
Fred Sherry has introduced audiences on five continents and all fifty United States to the music of our time for over five decades. He was a founding member of TASHI and Speculum Musicae, Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and has been a member of the Group for Contemporary Music, Berio’s Juilliard Ensemble and the Galimir String Quartet. He has also enjoyed a close collaboration with jazz pianist and composer Chick Corea. Elliott Carter, Mario Davidovsky, Steve Mackey, David Rakowski, Somei Satoh, Charles Wuorinen and John Zorn have written concertos for Sherry, and he has premiered solo and chamber works dedicated to him by Milton Babbitt, Derek Bermel, Jason Eckardt, Lukas Foss, Oliver Knussen, Peter Lieberson, Donald Martino and Toru Takemitsu among others. Fred Sherry’s vast discography encompasses a wide range of classic and modern repertoire; he has been soloist and “sideman” on hundreds of commercial and esoteric recordings. Mr. Sherry was the organizer for Robert Craft’s New York recording sessions from 1995-2012. Their longstanding collaboration produced celebrated performances of the Schoenberg Cello Concerto, all four String Quartets and the String Quartet Concerto as well as major works by Stravinsky and Webern. Mr. Sherry’s book 25 Bach Duets from the Cantatas was published by Boosey & Hawkes in 2011, the revised edition was released in 2019. C.F. Peters unveiled his treatise on contemporary string playing, A Grand Tour of Cello Technique, in 2018.
He is a member of the cello faculty of The Juilliard School, The Mannes School of Music and The Manhattan School of Music.
James Shields
James Shields joined the Oregon Symphony as Principal Clarinet in the autumn of 2016. Before relocating to Portland, James served as principal clarinet of the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, as well as the New Mexico Philharmonic in Albuquerque. A graduate of The Juilliard School, James studied with Ricardo Morales, principal clarinet of the Philadelphia Orchestra. James has appeared as a soloist with the Oregon Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, Interlochen’s World Youth Symphony Orchestra (MI), and the Albuquerque Philharmonic (NM), and as guest principal clarinet with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival (CO), and Santa Fe Pro Musica (NM). In addition to his orchestral and solo activities, Mr. Shields is increasingly becoming known to North American audiences as a dynamic and passionate performer of chamber music, making over 30 appearances annually in intimate settings throughout the United States and Canada. James is the co-artistic director of Chatter, an Albuquerque-based chamber music organization that presents more than 70 concerts per year. In over a decade of involvement with Chatter, Mr. Shields has programmed and performed in hundreds of concerts, and presented a diverse range of repertoire, from classical favorites to world premieres. In Portland, Mr. Shields is a member of cutting edge chamber music groups Fear No Music and 45th Parallel Universe, as well as a frequent guest performer with Third Angle New Music. In addition to his performing activities, he holds a M.M. in composition from the University of New Mexico, and continues to compose regularly.
Clarinetist David Shifrin is active as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, and chamber music artist. He is Artistic Director Emeritus of CMNW (19812020) and was the artistic director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York from 1992 to 2004. Shifrin was a winner of the coveted Avery Fisher Prize in 2000, Yale University’s Cultural Leadership Citation in 2009, and the 2012 Interlochen Center for the Arts Ovation Award for distinguished alumni. He has appeared with such distinguished ensembles as the Guarneri, Tokyo, and Emerson string quartets, and with major symphony orchestras worldwide including Philadelphia, Minnesota, Detroit, Dallas, Houston, Milwaukee, and Denver. A frequent guest at numerous summer festivals, Shifrin has appeared at the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center, performing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in its original version. His Delos recording of this concerto received a Record of the Year award from Stereo Review, and he has been nominated for three Grammy awards. A graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and Curtis Institute of Music, he is professor of music at Yale University, artistic director of the Chamber Music Society at Yale series, the “Yale in New York” series at Carnegie Hall and the Phoenix (winter) Chamber Music Festival. In addition to his extensive catalogue on Delos, Shifrin has recorded for the Angel, RCA, Nonesuch, Arabesque, and CRI labels. David Shifrin is a Backun Artist and performs on MoBa clarinets.
Mark Steinberg (Brentano String Quartet)
Mark Steinberg is an active chamber musician and recitalist. He has been heard in chamber music festivals in Holland, Germany, Austria, and France and participated for four summers in the Marlboro Music Festival, with
which he has toured extensively. He has also appeared in the El Paso Festival, on the Bargemusic series in New York, at Chamber Music Northwest, with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and in trio and duo concerts with pianist Mitsuko Uchida, with whom he presented the complete Mozart sonata cycle in London’s Wigmore Hall in 2001, with additional recitals in other cities, a project that continues for the next few years. Mr. Steinberg has been soloist with the London Philharmonia, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Kansas City Camerata, the Auckland Philharmonia, and the Philadelphia Concerto Soloists, with conductors such as Kurt Sanderling, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Miguel Harth-Bedoya. Mark Steinberg holds degrees from Indiana University and The Juilliard School and has studied with Louise Behrend, Josef Gingold, and Robert Mann. An advocate of contemporary music, Mr. Steinberg has worked closely with many composers and has performed with 20th century music ensembles including the Guild of Composers, the Da Capo Chamber Players, Speculum Musicae, and Continuum, with which he has recorded and toured extensively in the U.S. and Europe. He has also performed and recorded chamber music on period instruments with the Helicon Ensemble, the Four Nations Ensemble, and the Smithsonian Institute. He has taught at Juilliard’s Pre-College division, at Princeton University, and New York University, and is currently on the violin faculty of the Mannes College of Music.
Jessica Thompson (ECCO)
Violist Jessica Thompson is a passionate chamber musician who performs regularly throughout the United States and abroad as a member of the Daedalus Quartet. The quartet, Grand Prize winner of the 2001 Banff International String Quartet Competition and resident quartet at Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society Two from 2005-07, is currently in-residence at the University of Pennsylvania. As a member of Daedalus, Ms. Thompson has premiered works by such composers as Fred Lerdahl, Joan Tower, Richard Wernick, and Vivian Fung. Ms. Thompson has also toured with Musicians from
Marlboro and has performed at numerous festivals such as the Portland Chamber Music Festival, the Halcyon Music Festival (Portsmouth, NH), the Newport Music Festival, as well as the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival.
ARTISTS
David Shifrin
Ms. Thompson has appeared as soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra and in recital in cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and Washington, DC. She currently teaches at Princeton and Columbia Universities. She is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Karen Tuttle.
Davóne Tines
Heralded as “[one] of the most powerful voices of our time” by the Los Angeles Times, the “immensely gifted American bass-baritone Davóne Tines has won acclaim, and advanced the field of classical music” (The New York Times) as a path-breaking artist whose work not only encompasses a diverse repertoire but also explores the social issues of today. As a Black, gay, classically trained performer at the intersection of many histories, cultures, and aesthetics, his work blends opera, art song, contemporary classical, spirituals, gospel, and songs of protest, as a means to tell a deeply personal story of perseverance that connects to all of humanity. Recent and ongoing projects include MASS—a recital program exploring the liturgical Mass woven through Western European, African-American, and 21st-century traditions—and VIGIL—a music film presented by Lincoln Center that pays tribute to Breonna Taylor, whose tragic death has fueled an international outcry. Performances of MASS presented by Carnegie Hall and the Celebrity Series of Boston, among other institutions, are forthcoming after initial postponement due to COVID-19, and concert performances of VIGIL include engagements with the Louisville and Philadelphia Orchestras. He is also co-creator of The Black Clown, a music theater experience commissioned and premiered by The American Repertory Theater and presented at Lincoln Center. He has premiered dramatic works by today’s leading
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composers, including John Adams, Terence Blanchard, and Matthew Aucoin, and his concert appearances include performances of works ranging from Beethoven’s Ninth with the San Francisco Symphony to Kaija Saariaho’s True Fire with the Orchestre national de France. Davóne Tines is a winner of the 2020 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, recognizing extraordinary classical musicians of color. He also received the 2018 Emerging Artists Award from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and is a graduate of Harvard University and The Juilliard School.
Paul Watkins
Paul Watkins enjoys a distinguished career both as a cellist and as a conductor. As solo cellist he performs regularly with all the major British orchestras including the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, London’s Philharmonia, and City of Birmingham Symphony. Outside the UK he has performed with the Netherlands Philharmonic, Melbourne Symphony, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, and the RAI National Symphony Orchestra of Turin. Highlights of recent seasons include concerto appearances with the BBC Symphony under Semyon Bychkov and Sir Andrew Davis, the City of Birmingham Symphony under Alexander Vedernikov, and the European Union Youth Orchestra under the baton of Bernard Haitink. He also premiered (and was the dedicatee of) MarkAnthony Turnage’s new concerto with the Royal Flemish, Tampere, and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. A dedicated chamber musician, he was a member of the Nash Ensemble from 1997 to 2013, and joined the Emerson String Quartet in 2013. He has given solo recitals at the Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, South Bank Centre, Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, and Queens Hall in Edinburgh. In 2009 he signed an exclusive contract with Chandos Records. Recent releases include the Delius, Elgar, and Lutoslawski concertos, and discs of British and American music for cello and piano. In 2014 he was appointed artistic director of the Great Lakes Music Festival of Detroit, and was
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joined the faculty of the Yale School of Music as Visiting Professor of Cello in 2018. Mr. Watkins plays a cello made by Domenico Montagnana and Matteo Goffriller in Venice, c.1730.
Michi Wiancko
Michi Wiancko compositional works have been commissioned by the Boston Chamber Music Society, NOW Ensemble, Aizuri Quartet, Jupiter Quartet, Cavani Quartet, Anne Akiko Meyers, OnSite Opera, MET LIve Arts, American Lyric Theater, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Cleveland Opera Theater, Liquid Music, Ecstatic Music Festival, and many more. She also composes music for short and featurelength films, commercials, and for her own band, Kono Michi. Widely regarded as a highly imaginative arranger, Michi has written for orchestras around the world, from the Pittsburgh Symphony and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, to the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and youth orchestras in Australia and Colombia. As a violinist, chamber musician, and passionate interpreter of contemporary music, Michi has toured and/or worked with many of today’s great composers, artists, and ensembles including Gabriela Lena Frank, Missy Mazzoli, Vijay Iyer, PaviElle French, Laurie Anderson, Jessie Montgomery, Emily Wells, Jen Wasner, International Contemporary Ensemble, The Knights, A Far Cry, Alarm Will Sound, Silkroad, ECCO, and Musicians from Marlboro. Michi has recorded two solo albums: Planetary Candidate, a collection of new electro-acoustic violin pieces released on New Amsterdam Records, and the complete solo works of Émile Sauret on Naxos. A pupil of Donald Weilertein and the late Robert Mann, she debuted with the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and performed her recital debut in New York’s Weill Hall. Michi is director of Antenna Cloud Farm, a festival and retreat, and teaches a course on artist citizenship and creativity at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
Jason Vieaux
Grammy-winner Jason Vieaux, “among the elite of today’s classical guitarists” (Gramophone), is described by NPR as “perhaps the most precise and soulful classical guitarist of his generation”. His recent appearances include the 92Y, San Francisco Performances, Fort Worth Symphony and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. Other debuts and return engagements include the Caramoor, Ravinia and Carmel Bach Festivals, Wolf Trap, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Seoul Arts Center, and Shanghai Concert Hall. Jason Vieaux has performed as soloist with over 100 orchestras, including Cleveland, Toronto, Houston, Nashville, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. In 2021, he premiered “Four Points of Light” composed for Jason by jazz legend Pat Metheny for his new album Road To The Sun (Modern Records). His extensive discography includes Jonathan Leshnoff’s Guitar Concerto with the Nashville Symphony (Naxos), Jeff Beal’s Six Sixteen with the Norrköping Symphony (BIS) and his Grammy winning 2014 solo album Play (Azica). The Huffington Post declared Play is “part of the revitalized interest in the classical guitar.” Slated for 2021 release is a new solo Bach recording on Azica Records. Vieaux has made multiple collaborative appearances with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Music@ Menlo, Strings Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, etc., Regular collaborators include the Escher String Quartet, Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, harpist Yolanda Kondonassis, and accordion/ bandoneon virtuoso Julien Labro. Jason Vieaux co-founded the guitar department at the Curtis Institute of Music, and also serves on the faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He is the classical guitar professor for ArtistWorks.
SUMMER HAS A PLAYLIST
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ABOUT CMNW
Now in its 51st season, Chamber Music Northwest serves more than 50,000 people in Oregon and SW Washington with exceptional chamber music through over 100 events annually, including our flagship Summer Festival, yearround concerts, community activities, educational programs, broadcasts, and innovative collaborations with other arts groups. CMNW is the only chamber music festival of its kind in the Northwest and one of the most diverse classical music experiences in the nation, virtually unparalleled in comparable communities. As one of the leading chamber music producers in the country, CMNW enriches our community by showcasing the world’s greatest musicians and composers. From world-renowned artists and exceptional local musicians to the rising young stars of our Protégé Project, they perform beloved classics and hidden masterpieces, contemporary works, and collaborations with other artists. Committed to sharing their music in fun and accessible ways, our artists participate in extensive community outreach, including free concerts, conversations, and education programs. CMNW also invests in the future of chamber music. Our Protégé Project artists perform and learn from veteran festival artists and work with young musicians in our community. We commission and present 4–6 new works annually, primarily by American composers. A recipient of the Governor’s Arts Award, Chamber Music Northwest is among our region’s most acclaimed arts organizations, and is proud to have balanced its budget in each of the past
Board of Directors Peter van Bever
David Greger
Yoko Greeney
President
Immediate Past President
Ivan Inger
Davida Wilson
Karen Deveney
Vice-President
Member at Large
Marc Therrien
Ravi Vedanayagam
Treasurer
Member at Large
Amelia Lukas
Anne Stevenson
Carl Abbott
Hugh Porter
Secretary
Dan Boyce
William Scott
Leslie Lehmann
Jon Dickinson
Staff Gloria Chien & Soovin Kim
Jaren Hillard
Lauren Watt
Artistic Operations Manager
Artistic Directors
Barbara Bailey
Artistic & Community Programs Coordinator
Peter J. Bilotta
Finance & Administration Director
Benjamin Rosenthal
Executive Director
Leslie Tuomi
Brent Ellingson
Barbara Brooks
Development Director
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Lead House & Volunteer Manager
Happiness Yi
Graham Rosen
Tom Emerson
Production Manager
Recording Engineer Assistant
Photographer, Videographer
Megan Thorpe
Barry Stewart
Elizabeth Schwartz
Stage Manager
Audio/Visual Engineer (Kaul Auditorium)
Chief Program Annotator
Tim Neighbors, Invisible Harness
Special Projects Assistant
Nicole Lane Marketing Director
Ticketing & Data Coordinator
Festival Staff
Caroline Wilkes Stage Manager
Micki Selvitella House Manager
Alan Bise Recording Producer & Engineer
Video Producer
Jeff Hayes Festival Brand & Program Graphic Designer
40 years.
This program book was produced by Chamber Music Northwest. Graphic Design: Jeff Hayes | Printing: B&B Print Source
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Susan Leeb
Alistair Coleman Valerie Asbell Audience Relations Assistant
Eric Leatha Piano Tuner
How do we rebuild a better Oregon? After a year of tremendous hardship, how do we rebuild a more interconnected, equitable, resilient Oregon? How do we help each other recover, rebuild, and restart our lives and businesses? How do we start listening to and considering each others’ point-of-view? How do we inject opportunity, across the state so everyone has a chance to add to the greater good? The answer — Together. Join us as we learn and share how to rebuild a better Oregon, for all Oregonians.
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ANSEL ADAMS In Our Time Through August 1, 2021
Ansel Adams (American, 1902–1984), Moon and Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, 1960; Photograph, gelatin silver print; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Lane Collection, 2018.2681; Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust.
World class chamber music in Oregon wine country
August 7-22, 2021 Dynamic & exciting programming featuring Beethoven, Haydn & Schubert, as well as Caroline Shaw, Gabriella Smith & Joel Thompson, and a world premiere by
2021 Composer-in-Residence Osvaldo Golijov.
Featuring Live In-Person and Online performances from Archery Summit, Sokol Blosser & J. Christopher Wineries.
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Takács Quartet
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