SHORT PERFORMER BIOS
Michael Hersch
A composer of “uncompromising brilliance” (The Washington Post) whose work has been described by The New York Times as “viscerally gripping and emotionally transformative music ... claustrophobic and exhilarating at once, with moments of sublime beauty nestled inside thickets of dark virtuosity,” Michael Hersch is widely considered among the most gifted composers of his generation. Recent events and premieres include his Violin Concerto, commissioned by Patricia Kopatchinskaja and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra at the Lucerne and the Avanti Festivals, and productions of his opera Poppaea at the Wien Modern and ZeitRäume Basel Festivals. His acclaimed two-act monodrama, On the Threshold of Winter has had performances in New York, Baltimore, Chicago, Salt Lake City, and Washington D.C. Recent commissions include his I hope we get a chance to visit soon at the Ojai and Aldeburgh Festivals, and his work Agatha, which had premiere performances in Bern and Geneva as part of Hersch’s appointment as Composer-in-Residence with the Camerata Bern. Major recent projects include new works for Ensemble Phoenix Basel, and a new opera for Sarah Maria Sun, Schola Heidelberg, and Ensemble Musikfabrik to premiere in Cologne in June 2023.
About Jason Hardink
A fearless interpreter of large-scale piano works both modern and historical, Jason Hardink’s recent repertoire includes Olivier Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, Michael Hersch’s The Vanishing Pavilions, Pierre Boulez’ Notations, and Wolfgang Rihm’s numbered Klavierstücke. His 2019 appearance at New York’s Weill Recital Hall demonstrated “abandon and remarkable clarity” and a “capacity for tenderness and grace” (The New York Times).
Upcoming recordings include Jason Eckardt’s pulse-echo with the JACK Quartet and a solo disc of music by Ferneyhough, Xenakis, and Beethoven. Recent performances include his Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music debut as soloist in the North American premiere of Gerald Barry’s Piano Concerto with conductor Cristian Macelaru, and Andrew Norman’s piano concerto Suspend with Thierry Fischer and the Utah Symphony. Much sought after as a chamber musician, Mr. Hardink has collaborated with violinists Augustin Hadelich, Nicola Benedetti, and Phillip Setzer, among others. He has appeared on chamber music series all over the U.S., including Music in Context, Fear No Music, Music on the Hill, Aperio Music of the Americas, Montana Chamber Music Society, and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble.
About Mariel Roberts
American cellist Mariel Roberts is widely recognized not just for her virtuosic performances which seethe with “excruciating intensity” (The Whole Note), but as a “fearless explorer” in her field (Chicago Reader). Her appetite for collaboration and experimentation as an interpreter, improvisor, and composer have helped create a body of work which bridges avant-garde, contemporary, classical, improvised, and traditional music. She has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician most notably as a member and co-director of the Wet Ink Ensemble, as well as with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Mivos Quartet, Bang on a Can All Stars, and Ensemble Signal. She performs regularly on major stages for new music such as the
Lincoln Center Festival (NYC), Wien Modern (Austria), Lucerne Festival (Switzerland), Cervantino Festival (Mexico), Klang Festival (Denmark), Shanghai New Music Week (China), Darmstadt Internationalen Ferienkurse für Neue Musik (Germany), and Aldeburgh Music Festival (UK). Roberts has been featured on many recordings, including titles on Innova, Albany, New World, New Amsterdam, Carrier, New Focus, and Urtext Records. Roberts' compositions have been performed at venues such as Merkin Hall and Miller Theater in New York City.
About Jacob Rhodebeck
Jacob Rhodebeck is a pianist known for his tremendous command of the instrument and his enthusiasm for performing new and little known music. In 2019, he gave the world premiere of Michael Hersch’s 6-hour one day may become menace at the Wien Modern Festival. Mr. Rhodebeck's 2016 New York City performance of Hersch’s The Vanishing Pavilions was described by The New York Times as “searing.” Highly active in the world of new music, Mr. Rhodebeck has performed with the Lost Dog New Music Ensemble in performances of music by John Luther Adams and Per Nørgård; he has collaborated with and premiered works by Mason Bates, Christopher Bailey, Lukas Ligeti, amongst many others. He was a Fellow at the Tanglewood Summer Music Festival for two seasons, and a member of the contemporary piano/percussion ensemble, Yarn/Wire. Mr. Rhodebeck has worked with many other contemporary music ensembles including Wet Ink, Composers Concordance, and counter)induction.
About Jamie Hersch
Jamie Hersch has been widely lauded for his artistry and virtuosic command in both the standard and contemporary repertoire. An active soloist and chamber artist, he has performed with many ensembles around the world, including the George Enescu Philharmonic, the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, the Network for New Music, the Eastern Music Festival Orchestra, and in various chamber orchestras and ensembles in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., as well as in Europe and Asia. With cellist Daniel Gaisford, he gave the world premiere of Michael Hersch's Last Autumn in Philadelphia in 2009. It was selected by The Philadelphia Inquirer as among the Best in Classical Music of that year. Mr. Hersch currently serves as Associate Principal Horn with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and plays on Patterson Custom horns.
