Concerts @ First and The Emory Chamber Music Society
present:
Bach’s Lunch
Bach‘s Lunch December 10th, 2021 12:00 P.M Eternal Love Triangle- Music of Clara & Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms
Three Romances, Op. 22
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
Andante molto Allegretto: Mit zartem Vortrage Leidenschaftlich schnell Jessica Shuang Wu, violin; Julie Coucheron, piano
Violin Sonata #1 in A Minor, Op.105
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Mit leidenschaftlichem Ausdruck Allegretto Lebhaft David Coucheron, violin; Julie Coucheron, piano
Sonata in F Minor, Op. 120, #1 Allegro appassionato
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Andante un poco adagio Allegretto grazioso Vivace Yinzi Kong, viola; William Ransom, piano
About the Artists David Coucheron joined the Atlanta Symphony as Concertmaster in September 2010. At the time, he was the youngest concertmaster among any major U.S. orchestra. Throughout his career, Coucheron has worked with conductors Robert Spano, Michael Tilson Thomas, Simon Rattle, Mstislav Rostropovich and Charles Dutoit, among others. He has performed as soloist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Sendai Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. Coucheron has given solo recitals at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Olympic Winter Games (Salt Lake City, Utah), as well as in Beograd, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Serbia, Singapore and Shanghai. His chamber music performances have included appearances at Suntory Hall as well as Wigmore Hall and Alice Tully Hall. Coucheron serves as the Artistic Director for the Kon Tiki Chamber Music Festival in his hometown of Oslo, Norway. He is also on the artistfaculty for the Aspen Music Festival and Brevard Music Festival. An active recording artist, recordings with sister and pianist Julie Coucheron include “David and Julie” (Naxos/Mudi) and “Debut” (Naxos). He is also the featured soloist on the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, which was released on ASO Media in Fall 2014. Coucheron began playing the violin at age three. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree from The Curtis Institute of Music, his Master of Music from The Juilliard School and his Master of Musical Performance from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, studying with teachers including Igor Ozim, Aaron Rosand, Lewis Kaplan and David Takeno. Coucheron plays a 1725 Stradivarius, on kind loan from Anders Sveaas Charitable Trust.
Born in Oslo, Norway, Julie Coucheron began playing the piano at age four. She earned her Bachelor and Master’s Degree with honors from the Royal Academy of Music in London. Ms. Coucheron has established an international career, winning major awards in Italy, Germany, UK and in the United States. She has worked with musicians such as Emanuel Ax, Chee-Yun Kim, Christopher O’Riley, Yo-Yo Ma, and Elton John, and has toured Europe, America, South America and Asia, performing in halls like Verizon Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. Ms. Coucheron has performed with the Norwegian Radio Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Jena Symphony, the Ukrainian Symphony in Kiev, and recently made her debut with the Atlanta Symphony. Ms. Coucheron regularly performs at festivals such as the Oslo Chamber Music Festival, Bergen International Music Festival, Highlands-Cashiers, and at La Jolla Summer Fest. She is Artistic Director of the Fjord Cadenza festival in Norway and for the Kon Tiki Chamber Music Festival in Oslo, Norway. She enjoys a close collaboration with her brother David, and they have made two recordings, ‘Debut’ and ‘David and Julie’ on the Naxos label. In addition to her busy concert schedule, Ms. Coucheron is a sought after teacher and pedagogue. In August 2014, she was appointed Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University. She Coucheron Conservatory, Emory University and Mercer University, and enjoys a various and wide range of styles and repertoire emerging from her highly trained classical background to the more contemporary and popular music. Recent collaborations include performances with the Steve Miller Band and Elton John. Violist Yinzi Kong, born and raised in Shanghai, is a founding member of the internationally acclaimed Vega String Quartet. Miss Kong started her musical training at age five and gave her first public performances at seven. After moving to the United States in 1995, Miss Kong received a bachelor's degree from the Harid Conservatory in Florida and a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music. Since winning several top prizes at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in France, the Carmel String Quartet Competition and the Coleman Competition in the US with the Vega, Miss Kong has enjoyed a versatile career in both solo and chamber music performance and teaching. She has performed in major concert halls all over the world including the stages of Carnegie Hall, and her live performances have been heard on NPR's Performance Today, the National Radio of China, Shanghai TV, Radio France, France Musiques, and the National Radio of the Czech Republic. Miss Kong has also collaborated with some finest musicians of our time including Eliot Fisk, William Preucil, David Shifrin, Richard Stoltzman, Mark O’Connor, Charles Wadsworth, and Sarah Chang among others.
Pianist, Artistic Director, master teacher, editor, and judge for international competitions, William Ransom appears around the world as soloist with orchestras, recitalist, and chamber musician. His performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio and Television in the US, Argentina, Poland and Japan. He regularly collaborates with musicians including Yo-Yo Ma, Richard Stoltzman, William Preucil, Stephen Isserlis, Robert McDuffie, and members of the Emerson, Tokyo, Cleveland, Juilliard, American, St. Petersburg, Borromeo, Parker, Ariel and Lark String Quartets; the Empire Brass Quintet, Eroica Trio, and the percussion group Nexus among others. As a master teacher, he also performs and gives master classes at numerous schools of music and universities around the world. He has recorded for ACA Digital and Rising Star Records. Ransom is the Mary Emerson Professor of Piano at Emory University in Atlanta where he is founder and Artistic Director of the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta. A graduate of The Juilliard School and the University of Michigan, in the summers, Ransom is Artistic Director of the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival in North Carolina and for a decade was an artist-faculty member at the Kamisaibara Pianists Camp in Japan. In 2016 he was named Artistic Director of the Juneau Jazz & Classics Festival and also one of Musical America Worldwide’s “30 Musical Innovators”. As a founding member of the Vega String Quartet, Jessica Shuang Wu has performed extensively throughout North America, Asia, and Europe and has been broadcast on NPR's Performance Today, Radio France, the National Radio of China, The National Radio of the Czech Republic, and Shanghai TV. Her concert appearances include the Vega Quartet's critically acclaimed Lincoln Center debut and "a Triumphant L.A. Debut" (Los Angeles Times); performances at the Weill and Zankel Recital Halls, and Issac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall; Harvard Club in New York; Museum d'Orsay of Paris; Highlands Festival in North Carolina; Aspen Music festival; La Jolla Concert Series, and many others. Born in Shanghai, Ms. Wu began her violin studies at the age of five and made her solo debut with the Shanghai Philharmonic at the age of twelve. At age nine, she joined the Shanghai Conservatory and started playing chamber music at the age of thirteen. Ms. Wu and the Vega String Quartet won the first prize at the Coleman International Chamber Ensemble Competition and first prize at the Carmel International Chamber Music Competition. The following year, the Vega String Quartet was awarded four out of total six prizes from the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in France, including the International Music Critics' prize. The quartet has released a CD under Naxos Records Inc., on TwentiethCentury American Music. Ms. Wu appears regularly in chamber music concerts with many of today's leading artists such as Richard Stoltzman, William Preucil, Sarah Chang, Robert Mcduffie, Charles Wadsworth, Elliot Fisk, Christopher O'Reily, and the Eroica Trio.
Thanks to our generous donors for making this concert possible!
Concerts @ First 2021-2022 Donors Maestro
Patron
Orchestrator
Dave and Anne Drake in honor of Herb and Mary Archer
Mr. and Mrs. Baxter Jones in memory of Margaret and Bates Block
Elizabeth Fogartie
Ann and Eberhard Voit
Margaret Talmadge Howell
Underwriter
Benefactor
Cheryl Hughes in memory of Carlton Hughes
Mrs. Kenneth Taratus
Anne Pritchett
Clay and Eileen Scofield Gail and David Watson in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Brooks S. Lide, Friend Jr.; Mr. William R. Minnich, Jr. Joseph Bishop, M.D. and Stuart Noel, Angel Ph.D. Anonymous in memory of Ellis Callaway Hooper
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Concerts @ First presents September 10, December 10, February 18, May 13 12:00 P.M. Bach’s Lunch Series Co-presented with the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta
With members of Julliard and Vega string quartets, and Zuill Bailey Friday, October 29, 2021 8:00 P.M. Battle of the Keys Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto mvt. 1 arr. for piano and organ and a world premiere performed by Julie Coucheron and Jens Korndörfer Sunday, November 14, 2021 4:00 P.M. Atlanta Chamber Players Works by Brahms, Krause, Bunch, and more Sunday, December 12, 2021 10:00 A.M. Christmas Concert Telemann’s Latin Magnificat in C FPC Choir and Orchestra Friday, January 7, 2022 8:00 P.M. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Saint-Saens’ Organ Symphony and Poulenc’s Organ Concerto with Jens Korndörfer Sunday, January 23, 2022 3:00 P.M. Georgian Chamber Players Friday, February 4, 2022 8:00 P.M. Piano Dedication Concert With Chopin Competition Prize Winner Charles Richard– Hamelin Works by Mozart, Schumann, and Chopin Wednesday, February 23, 2022 8:00 P.M. Masterworks Concert Principal Flutist Christina Smith (ASO) with Georgia State University’s Symphony Orchestra Sunday, April 3, 2022 3:00 P.M. Atlanta Chamber Winds Works by Dvorak, Mozart, Shulz Saturday and Sunday, June 18 and 19, 2022 Challenge the Stats Celebrating Artists of Color