Sunday, May 9, 2021 3 pm
Sasha Beresovsky, piano
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Beethoven: Fantasy in G Minor, Op. 77
Chopin: Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38
Brahms: Ballade Op. 10 No. 1 in D Minor “Edward”
Liszt: Transcendental Étude No. 4 in D minor "Mazeppa"
Schubert: Andante from an unfinished sonata, D840
Ravel: A la manière de Borodine
Ravel: Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn
Debussy: Danse (Tarantelle Styrienne)
ABOUT THE PERFORMER
Sasha Beresovsky is a graduate of Indiana University, studying most recently with the late Edmund Battersby. He regularly appears at The Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria as part of the Summer Chamber Music Series of WMPA, in 2015 presenting Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. Sasha has spent much of the last three years in Boston, where he taught privately and, with a group of friends, organized the Boston Community Studio Class. Now he returns to the DC area to continue his studies with John O'Conor at Shenandoah University in Virginia.
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Sunday, May 2, 2021 3 pm
John Sutherland Earle, piano
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, BWV 903
Fantasia – Recitative – Fuga
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951): Klavierstueck (Piano Piece), Op. 33a
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111
Maestoso – Allegro con brio ed appassionato
Arietta: Adagio molto semplice e cantabile
ABOUT THE PERFORMER
John Sutherland Earle is well-known to WMPA audiences from his performances of the Emperor Concerto with the WMP during the winter 2020 season, and from his annual appearances with many different partners on the WMPA summer chamber music series over the last ten years. He studied piano performance and chamber music at the Oberlin Conservatory, Stanford University, and the Vienna Hochschule fűr Musik. His principle teachers were John Dupaquier, Peter Takacs, Adolph Baller, and Haggai Niv, and recently he joined the studio of Linda Monson. A National Merit and Fulbright Scholar as well as prizewinner at the Pacific International, Carmel Music Society, Palo Alto Symphony, and Misbin Chamber Music Competitions, he participated twice in the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, and he has given concerts in more than a dozen states of the US, several countries of Europe, and in Russia and Japan. Since moving to the DC area in 2010, he has been performing regularly with several groups including the IBIS Chamber Music Society, Rock Creek Chamber Players, Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association, Friday Morning Music Club, and members of the US Army and Air Force Orchestras. In a parallel life, John does research and teaches at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.
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Sunday, April 25, 2021 3 pm
Mellifera Quartet
Catherine Gerhiser, violin
Christina Wensel, violin
Matthew Maffett, viola
Benjamin Wensel, cello
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Rebecca Clarke: Movement for String Quartet (1924)
Comodo et Amabile
Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet in F Major Op. 59, No. 1 (1806)
Allegro
Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando
Adagio molto e mesto
Thème russe; Allegro
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Mellifera Quartet While the four members have been collaborating in a variety of musical formations for years, coming together as a quartet in 2017 marked the beginning of a new era of shared artistic endeavors. Mellifera (mel-IF-air-ah), from the Latin meaning honey-bearing, signifies the aural aspirations of the group. By crafting programs that span the musical spectrum, Mellifera brings newly composed works to their audience alongside well-traveled classics. The quartet’s debut recordings with clarinetist Robert DiLutis were recently released on the Delos and RM Records labels. The members of the Mellifera Quartet view kindness and compassion as equals to the goal of performance excellence. They strive to create a musical environment that reflects these beliefs.
Catherine Gerhiser, a native of Savannah, Georgia, received her Bachelor’s degree from the Juilliard School in 2005, and her Master’s in 2007, studying with Masao Kawasaki. Prior to her time at The Juilliard School, she attended the Cleveland Institute of Music Young Artist Program, studying with Linda Cerone. Her many inspiring coaches and teachers include Michael Tilson Thomas, Joseph Kalichstein, Joel Smirnoff, Bonnie Hampton, and John Mack, among others. Gerheiser has performed with the Tanglewood Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, National Repertory Orchestra, and Spoleto Festival Orchestra. Catherine has appeared as soloist with the Savannah Symphony, the Hilton-Head Philharmonia, the National Repertory Orchestra, The New World Symphony, and the US Army Orchestra. Prior to joining the U.S. Army Strings, Catherine spent four years in Miami, Florida, playing with the New World Symphony, where she met her husband, Gene. Catherine loves exploring DC with her husband and three boys, Caleb and Tyler, and Jacob.
Christina Wensel was born and began her music instruction in Evanston, IL. With the support of her teacher Rachel Barton and her first chamber music coach Dr. Allen Dennis, she discovered an intense love of chamber music. Christina performed with the MYA quartet for many years taking first prize at Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. At 15, she joined the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and had the opportunity to perform with many of the great guest conductors of the Chicago Symphony. She continued to perform with MYA Orchestra and soloed with the group after winning the Walgreens Concerto competition. Continuing her education at Oberlin Conservatory she earned a BM in violin performance while studying with Gregory Fulkerson, and went on to receive her Master's degree from the Juilliard School, where she studied with Ronald Copes. Christina has performed at many concerts and festivals including the UBS Verbier Festival, MoMA Summer Garden Series, New York String Seminar, and the New Hampshire Bach Festival. She has been a featured soloist with The Dayton Philharmonic, US Army Strings, and the Galesburg Symphony. As a member of the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra, she toured Europe and North and South America with Maestro James Levine. Christina is also an active studio musician and has performed with Kanye West, Duncan Sheik, Beyonce, Wynonna Judd and Pete Seeger. Christina is also a much sought-after fiddler, playing for dances and workshops throughout the U.S. and Europe.
Matthew Maffett is an active soloist, orchestral and chamber musician throughout the Washington DC area. Currently he is a section violist in the United States Air Force String Ensemble, regularly performing at the White House and other high-profile government events. After receiving degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the prestigious Colburn School in Los Angeles, CA, Matthew appeared at numerous festivals around the globe, including the Schleswig-Holstein, Manchester, and Norfolk festivals, among others. Since residing in Washington DC, Matthew has regularly performed with the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, New Orchestra of Washington, and the National Symphony Orchestra. His principal teachers include Csaba Erdélyi, Atar Arad, Mimi Zweig and Paul Coletti.
Hailing from Rochester, New York, cellist Benjamin Wensel earned degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Eastman School of Music. While at Eastman, Ben served as assistant to renowned pedagogue Alan Harris. Equally important to his musical education were performances in seminars and master classes for members of the Cleveland, Guarneri, Juilliard, Miami, and Ying quartets, chamber music studies with Peter Salaff and members of the Audubon and Cavani Quartets, and solo master classes with Clemens Michael Hagen, Steven Isserlis, David Soyer, and Michel Strauss. Festival experiences include Interlochen, Kent-Blossom, Aspen, National Repertory Orchestra, and Moulin d’Ande. Ben has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, Syracuse Symphony, and has been a member of The U.S. Army Orchestra, Strolling Strings, and String Quartet since 2003. Ben lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Christina, and their children, Juniper, Ellis, and Willa.
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Sunday, April 11, 2021 3 pm
Trio Peridot
Laura Kobayashi, violin
Kenneth Law, cello
David Kosutic, piano
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912): Selections from Five Negro Melodies,
Op.59, No.1, for Piano Trio
1. “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child”/Andante con moto
5. “My Lord Delivered Daniel”/Allegro molto
W. A. Mozart (1756-91): Trio in C Major, K.548 for Violin, Cello and Piano
Allegro
Andante cantabile
Allegro
Clara Wieck Schumann (1819-96): Selections from Trio in G minor,
Op.17, for Violin, Cello and Piano
Allegro moderato
Andante
Allegretto
Astor Piazzolla (1921-92): La Muerte del Angel for Violin, Cello and Piano (1970)
Arr. Jose Bragato
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Trio Peridot is committed to performing music by women and composers of African descent. Concerts have included performances on the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina; at the Arts Club of Washington (D.C.) and the Embassy of Bulgaria (Washington, D.C.); the Montpelier Center for the Arts in Laurel, Maryland; the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center in the City of Fairfax (Virginia) as well as other venues in Maryland, New York and Virginia. Individually, they have performed in venues including the Terrace Theatre at the Kennedy Center, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Embassy of Norway and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Washington, D.C.; Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City; Gindi Auditorium in Los Angeles and the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis, Missouri as well as overseas in the European Union, the United Kingdom, South America, Norway, Panama, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Trinidad, South Africa and Thailand.
Violinist, Laura Kobayashi, performs as a member of the Kobayashi/Gray Duo, Trio Peridot and Main Street Chamber Players and is a founding member of the Main Street Music Studios where she maintains a large studio of students. Dr. Kobayashi actively performs throughout the United States and has also performed abroad in Wales, Thailand, South Africa, Norway, Argentina, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and Brazil and the islands of Trinidad, St. Lucia and Puerto Rico. In addition, she has recorded two compact discs of music by women composers for the Albany Records label. She has also edited for publication a violin sonata by 19th Century French woman composer, Marie Grandval, for Hildegard Publishing Company. Dr. Kobayashi is also the recipient of two teaching awards: the 2012 VASTA (Virginia State Chapter of ASTA) Outstanding String Teacher Award and the 2002 “Excellence in Teaching” Award by the School of Music and College of Creative Arts at West Virginia University. Her past teaching positions include West Virginia University, the University of Georgia and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Prior to her teaching career, Dr. Kobayashi was a professional orchestral musician and played in the second violin section in the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. Dr. Kobayashi studied violin with Dorothy DeLay, Andrew Jennings, Paul Kantor and Denes Zsigmondy. Her degrees are from The Juilliard School, Yale University and The University of Michigan.
“Kosutic thrilled the audience…genuine musicianship and excellent technique” New York Concert Review 2000. A native of the Washington, D.C. area, Pianist, David Kosutic was first featured on WGMS “Spotlight Hour” at the age of sixteen, and currently enjoys a career as a private teacher and performer. Following the completion of his Doctor of Music in Piano degree at Indiana University (Bloomington) as a student of Luba Edlina, he performed at numerous venues including Carnegie Hall Weill Hall, The Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, and The Sheldon in St. Louis. He has been a featured soloist with the Georgetown Symphony Orchestra under Victoria Gau, playing Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto, and has appeared frequently on many local recital series, including The Alden Theater “Rising Stars Series,” National City Christian Church’s “Music at Midday,” Georgetown University “Friday Music Is”, The Lyceum, as well as The Church of the Epiphany “Tuesday Morning Series.” The Norwegian Embassy presented David in recital at Union Station Great Hall as part of their Gifts of Norway Exhibition. He has presented lecture recitals on Schumann’s Kreisleriana, Op. 16, most notably for the College Music Society. As a teacher, Dr. Kosutic maintains an active piano studio in Falls Church, Virginia, with students placing in local and state level competitions.
Cellist, teacher and author Kenneth Law is a member of the Main Street Chamber Players, Trio Peridot and Ritz Chamber Players. He has performed at the Arts Club of Washington (D.C.), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Alice Tully Hall, and the “Jazz at Lincoln Center” Concert Series. Overseas, he has performed in England, France, Scotland, Panama and Puerto Rico, and has collaborated with Earl Carlyss (Juilliard String Quartet), Michael Tree (Guarneri Quartet), and the Ying String Quartet. In March of 2006, Mr. Law was featured on the nationally televised NAACP Image Awards as a member of the Ritz Chamber Players. Mr. Law gave his first performance at the Piccolo Spoleto Music Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, as a member of the Converse Trio in the Spring of 2008; in the Summers of 2009 and 2010 returned as a member of Ensemble Argos and in the Spring of 2017 as a member of the Polaris Piano Trio. In the Summer of 2011 he performed as a member of the Charleston Baroque, and as Director of Chamber Music and performer in the 2013 Colour of Music Festival, also in Charleston. Mr. Law currently maintains a large private studio in Fairfax, Virginia. His students have been accepted to the Eastman School of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, Peabody and Oberlin Conservatories and Indiana University (Bloomington). Mr. Law is the recipient of the Studio Teacher of the Year Award from both the South Carolina (2010) and Virginia (2017) chapters of the American String Teachers Association. Mr. Law received undergraduate and graduate degrees in performance from the Eastman School of Music and Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory. He was also a chamber music fellow at The Juilliard School.
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Sunday, March 28, 2021 3 pm
Beau Soir Ensemble
Carole Bean, flute
Michelle Myers Lundy, harp
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Entr’acte Jacques Ibert (1890 – 1962)
Woofin the Cat Cameron Wilson (b. 1964)
Carmen Georges Bizet (1838 – 1875)
Habanera
Entr’acte
Seguidilla
Seven Spanish Folk Songs Manuel de Falla (1876 – 1946)
Nana
Cancion
Algues; 7 Pieces Bernard Andres (b. 1941)
Drowsy Maggie Medley Kathryn Cater
Drowsy Maggie Reel
She Moved Through the Fair
Deidre’s Fancy Slip Jig
Skye Boat Song
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Carole Bean is the Piccoloist with the National Symphony Orchestra. Before joining the NSO, she performed with the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra in Mexico and the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. She also performs with the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, Verge Ensemble, and Fessenden Ensemble. Ms. Bean has presented numerous children’s concert performances as part of the Outreach Program of the NSO. She also has performed with the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, since 1992. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Ms. Bean attended Bowling Green State University and Northwestern University, where she studied with Judith Bentley and Walfrid Kujala, respectively.
Michelle Myers Lundy is a professional harpist who performs throughout the Washington, DC area. She has performed at the Kennedy Center, Strathmore Hall and Mansion, the Capitol, Supreme Court, National Archives, Lyceum Museum, Alden Theatre and several of the Smithsonian Museums. Ms. Lundy is currently principal harpist with the Manassas Ballet Theatre Orchestra, Amadeus Orchestra, Tysons McLean Orchestra, Arlington Philharmonic and the New Orchestra of Washington. She often plays with the National Philharmonic and and regularly works with the Thomas Circle Singers.
As a proponent of chamber music, Ms. Lundy is the founding member of Beau Soir Ensemble (BSE), a flute, viola and harp duo formed in 2007. Beau Soir Ensemble has premiered music written for the trio in the Washington D.C. area. The trio has performed at a variety of esteemed venues throughout the region including the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, Lyceum Museum in Alexandria, DACOR Bacon House, and the Anderson House.
Ms. Lundy began her musical studies in St. Louis on piano at the age of six. She spent five summers at National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan, where she began her harp studies. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University in harp performance. While at Northwestern she was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Ms. Lundy continued her studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where she received a Master of Music degree.
The Beau Soir Ensemble is a flute, viola, and harp trio, based in the Washington, DC area, dedicated to the performance of standard and contemporary chamber music repertoire spanning a variety of genres. The group was founded by harpist Michelle Lundy in 2007. Beau Soir Ensemble regularly performs at venues and acclaimed concert series in the Mid-Atlantic region, including the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage, Strathmore Mansion, Alden Theatre, Center Stage, Sundays at Three in Columbia, Harman Center for the Arts, Arts Club of Washington, The Lyceum, Church of the Epiphany, Dumbarton House, Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Old Town Hall (Fairfax, VA), and The Anderson House. The trio also won the 2014 Montpelier Arts Recital Competition.
As part of its commitment to exposing audiences to contemporary music and new artists, Beau Soir frequently offers performances featuring world and local premiers by various exciting composers. Since 2014, the trio has performed local premieres of music by David Bruce, Don Davis, Milton Barnes, Marjan Mozetich, Lucas Richman, Stephen Main, Eduardo Angulo, Sonny Burnette and Paul Ben-Haim. In 2021, Beau Soir will perform the world premiere of “Two Trios” by Alexander Jacobsen, “The Nightfall” by Roberto Di Marino and “Sarabande” by David Teie in 2021. BSE will partner with Truman Harris to premiere a piece in 2022.
The innovative group is also dedicated to expanding the repertoire available to flute/viola/harp, including commissioning Baroque transcriptions of music by J.S. Bach and C.P.E. Bach.
Known for its exciting performance style and diverse programming, Beau Soir continues to attract a strong fan base through its acclaimed performances and unique audience interaction, which includes background, analysis, historical information, and descriptions of performance techniques within each performance. Beau Soir Ensemble’s goal is to make classical music accessible, interesting and enjoyable, inspiring a new generation of music lovers.
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Sunday, March 21, 2021 3 pm
West Shore Piano Trio
Jay DeWire, piano
Heather Haughn, violin
Diana Flesner, cello
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Louise Farrenc: Piano Trio in Eb Major, Op.33
Allegro
Adagio sostenuto
Minueto-Allegro
Finale-Vivace
Amy Beach: Piano Trio in A minor, Op.50
Allegro
Lento espressivo
Allegro con brio
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Since their first performance on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay in 2008, the West Shore Piano Trio has brought passion, color, and penetrating insight to the works they perform, not only through their playing but also through their commentary and interaction with audiences. Praised for their “fluid” and “sultry” playing, the West Shore Piano Trio brings new life to the monuments of the trio literature.
Highlights from recent seasons include the premier of Ruby Fulton’s trio “Whitney” which was commissioned by the WSPT and premiered at Community College of Baltimore County Essex Community College in Baltimore, MD; collaborative performances with DancEthos at Washington DC's Fringe Festival; a concert and masterclass at Endicott College in Beverly, MA; travels to New Mexico to collaborate with violist Willy Sucre for performances in Placitas and Socorro; and a performance on the FUMC Vesper Concert Series in Lubbock, TX. Past concerts have taken the West Shore Trio from coast to coast and they have performed in Alabama, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia. Performances include concerts at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Chautauqua Institution, Intersections Festival, An die Musik, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Goucher College, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Harmony Hall, and the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts.
The WSPT believes that education and live performance enhance each other, and that the better informed an audience is about a work, the more deeply they will appreciate its performance. To this end, the members of the trio accompany each concert with brief verbal commentary, providing biographical details about the composer, framing the work in the context of its time, and highlighting thematic and compositional elements of the piece, as well as connections shared between each work on the program. When speaking about the music, they use accessible, jargon-free language that enables the music to be understood by non-musicians and musicians alike.
The West Shore Trio’s commitment to education further extends to include masterclasses, question-and-answer sessions, and collaborative projects. They maintain an active relationship with the Duke Ellington School for the Arts, where they have given multiple concerts, coached students from the orchestra, and served as mentors for students in the string and piano divisions.They also maintain ongoing connections with Frostburg State University and Goucher College, where they have given concerts, spoken to students about the logistics and lifestyle of a career in music, and given a lecture/performance on the political and personal elements of Shostakovich’s piano trio. While traveling they have visited local schools or colleges and have given concerts and worked with students at Endicott College in Massachusetts and at the Stephen Wise Academy in California.
The WSPT also maintains an ongoing collaborative relationship with DancEthos. In November 2012 they gave the premier performance of the dance piece The Divide, which is set to the music of Rebecca Clarke and explores the complex landscape of gender bias and definition. This collaborative work was performed again in February 2013 and featured as part of the innovative multi-genre Intersections Festival in Washington, D.C. Their performances with DancEthos in 2015 as part of the Fringe festival were voted as one of the top performances of the festival
Based in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, the members of the trio were educated at the Eastman School of Music, New England Conservatory, San Francisco Conservatory, Rice University Shepherd School of Music, the University of Illinois, and the University of Maryland. They have studied with or been coached by such esteemed musicians as violinists Lynn Blakeslee, Isaac Stern, Kathleen Winkler, Roland and AlmitaVamos, and ZviZeitlin, pianists Larissa Dedova and Brian Ganz, cellists Bonnie Hampton and Brandon Vamos, and members of the Aborada, Alexander, American, Cleveland, Concord, Juilliard, Kocian, Kronos, Left Bank, Miami, Miró, Pacifica, Penderecki, St. Lawrence, Tákacs, Tokyo, and Ying Quartets.
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Sunday, March 14, 2021 3 pm
Philharmonia da Camera
Tiberiu Baicoianu, clarinet
Henry Stubbs, cello
Hai Jin, piano
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Johannes Brahms: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano Op120, No.2 in E flat major
Allegro amabile
Allegro appassionato
Andante con moto — Allegro
Johannes Brahms: Sonata for Cello and Piano No.1, Op.38 in e minor
Allegro non troppo,
Allegretto quasi Menuetto,
Allegro
Paul Schoenfield: Café Music, Movement II
Rubato-Andante Moderato
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
As an active concert pianist, chamber musician, and orchestral soloist, Sassmanshaus Piano Trio member, Hai Jin has performed over 200 recitals throughout United States and Asia. She has received numerous awards and prizes in competitions, including the Liszt competition in the 2013 Art of Piano in Cincinnati, and the Cincinnati Concerto Competition in 2014. She has appeared as a soloist throughout China and has been engaged with several Chinese orchestras such as China Conservatory orchestra, Shanxi string Chamber orchestra and Yanbian symphony orchestra.
She made her United States debut in 2010 upon the invitation of Boston University. She has recorded and collaborated with violinist Haoli Lin on his debut CD Romantic Journey, and previously recorded with Violinist Yabing Tan on her CD Yabing Tan published by Great Wall Classics.
Jin has also appeared as faculty in Music festivals such as Great wall Music Academy and Cleveland International Music Festival, giving master classes at Norfolk State university, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, China Conservatory of Music, participating as Jury at Washington Universal Piano competition, Water Cube Competition and Talent CCTV Competition.
She was piano faculty at the Preparatory Department of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and Assistant Professor in Minzu University (Beijing, China) and Assistant Conductor at the Maryland Lyric Opera. Currently, she plays concerts mostly in DC area as solo pianist.
Henry Stubbs recently graduated with his MM in Cello Performance/Suzuki Pedagogy at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In April 2017, Henry graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with a BM in Cello Performance. In January 2015, Henry was named a national finalist for the MTNA Young Artists strings competition after winning the MTNA competitions for the state of Ohio and the five state East Central Division. His primary teachers have been Alan Rafferty and Richard Weiss. Other influential teachers include Avi Friedlander, Jared Ballance, and Stephen Geber.
Henry has studied chamber music with members of the Cleveland, Cavani, Ariel, Miami, and Vega String Quartets. Additionally, he has performed in masterclasses for Hans Jorgen Jensen, Richard Aaron, Alisa Weilerstein, Johannes Moser, Merry Peckham, and Melissa Kraut. An accomplished orchestral musician, Henry has served as principal cellist of the Richmond (IN) Symphony Orchestra, Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra, CIM Orchestra, CCM Concert Orchestra, and the National Orchestral Institute. He has also performed with the Firelands Symphony Orchestra, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, and the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra. Henry has received fellowships and full scholarships to perform in renowned summer orchestral festivals, including the National Repertory Orchestra, the National Orchestral Institute, and the Kent/Blossom Festival—a partnership with The Cleveland Orchestra.
At the Cleveland Institute of Music, Henry completed his long-term Suzuki training under the guidance of Abbey Hansen. He has registered Every Child Can and Suzuki Units 1-10 training with the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Currently on faculty at Levine Music in Washington D.C. and the Harmonia School of Music & Art in northern Virginia, Henry has previously taught at the Aurora School of Music, the Sato Center for Suzuki Studies, MyCincinnati, and Cincinnati Young Artists.
Tiberiu Baicoianu currently holds a position as the Principal Clarinet of the Firelands Symphony Orchestra in Sandusky, Ohio, and has joined multiple ensembles in the northern Ohio area, including the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland POPS Orchestra. Additionally, he has also performed alongside the Cleveland Orchestra as part of the Kent/Blossom Music Festival.
He is a founding member and has performed extensively with the Cleveland Wind Trio (CWT), an ensemble comprised of oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, which has been presenting fresh, compelling performances throughout the greater Cleveland area and beyond. Together, they have performed well over 100 concerts in the last two years, with a focus on accessibility, engaging presentation, and welcoming communication with the audience.
For the 2018-2019 season, he joined the North Coast Winds (NCW), an award-winning wind quintet known for their exciting performances and community outreach. His time spent with NCW was focused on educational outreach, as well as organizing and teaching at the yearly NCW Chamber Music Camp taught at the Music Settlement of Cleveland. His love for chamber music has brought him to countless audiences at institutions such as the National Music Festival Resonance Series, Holden Arboretum, the Alexandria Lyceum, the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, the National Art Gallery, Kent State University, University of Maryland, MilkBoy ArtHouse, Oberlin, Cleveland, Tanglewood, Brevard, and many more.
Tiberiu has recently started his own clarinet studio, geared towards providing a more involved approach. He is the former clarinet faculty at the Oberlin Community Music School, a non-profit where he worked with a studio of talented young musicians, as well as a frequent guest-teacher at the Aurora School of Music in Aurora, Ohio.
He performed on the Naxos label in a 2018 GRAMMY-nominated album featuring contemporary American music as part of the National Orchestral Institute and Festival. Additionally, he appears on multiple Oberlin Conservatory Label Recordings, such as the Bernard Rands English Horn Concerto and Stephen Hartke’s declamatory “State of Ship”.
Tiberiu Baicoianu holds his master’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of Franklin Cohen. His former teachers include Richard Hawkins at Oberlin Conservatory and Claire Eichhorn.
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Sunday, February 28, 2021 3 pm
Samuel Runolfson, cello
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Eugene Friesen
Stained Glass Morning &
Dances of Rasputin
Traditional Star of County Down
Casals Song of the Birds
Mark Summer Kalimba
Carter Brey Tango para llaria
Mark O'Connor Appalachian Waltz
Rogelio Huguet y Tagell
Flamenco from Suite Espanole No. 1
Stephen Katz Mini Thanks
ABOUT THE PERFORMER
Samuel Runolfson graduated from the University of Utah with a Masters in Cello Performance and Weber State University with a Bachelors in Music Education. Samuel currently teaches Elementary Strings in the Prince William County School District in Virginia. Samuel has participated in a variety of performing ensembles including the New American Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra Ogden, Manassas Symphony Orchestra, Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra, and is currently Principal Cellist of the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic. Samuel has performed chamber music in a variety of settings as well including quartets, cello ensembles piano trios, jazz and Celtic ensembles. As well as countless hours in the public schools performing, lecturing and teaching music to students from elementary to high school. Samuel has also performed and taught in Haiti during the summer of 2008. Samuel has also worked with several summer music camps including Blue Sky Music Camps and Summer Strings (a program through Weber State University) Samuel is also an active recording artist having recorded for commercials, movies, TV spots, and local artists ranging in style from classical to pop to jazz. He has received additional coaching and instruction from many groups and musicians including: The St. Lawrence String Quartet, Tesla String Quartet, Amelia Piano Trio, Thomas Rosenberg, Atar Arad, Setsuko Nagata, Matt Haimovitz, Mathias Tackle, Samantha George, Tim Fain, Scott Tisdal and Janet Anthony. Samuel has conducted the Bonneville Youth Orchestra, Weber State Symphony Orchestra, the Lincoln Youth Chamber Orchestra, Lincoln Youth Symphony, Morgan Valley Chamber Orchestra, and various High Schools and Jr. High Schools for clinics, as well as festivals.
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Sunday, February 21, 2021 3 pm
Zach Bridges, tuba
Hai Jin, piano
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Bruce Broughton Oliver’s Birthday
Antonio Capuzzi Andante and Rondo
Barbara York How Beautiful
Robert W. Smith Teutonic Tales
Paquito D’Rivera Vals Venezolano
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Zach Bridges joined The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” Ceremonial Band in August, 2016. His primary duties in the Ceremonial Band include supporting funerals at Arlington National Cemetery as well as wreath laying ceremonies by heads of state and other foreign dignitaries at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, monthly retirement parades, special reviews, and arrival and departure honors for foreign dignitaries at the White House and Pentagon.
Zach also currently serves as the Principal Tuba of the Maryland Symphony, a position he has held since 2019. He is a founding member of the Apex Brass, an ensemble comprised of premiere military band members, and has performed with several organizations in the region, including the Baltimore Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Washington Concert Opera.
Zach received his bachelor’s degree from Baylor University where he studied with Dr. Kent Eshelman. He received his master’s degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where he studied with David Kirk, Principal Tuba of the Houston Symphony.
Prior to joining Army Band, Zach performed with the Houston Ballet, East Texas Symphony and the Waco Symphony, as well as the festival orchestras of Lake George, Brevard Music Center, National Music Festival, Texas Music Festival, and the Sewanee Music Festival.
In addition, Zach has performed in several solo competitions including the Artist Tuba solo competition at the 2014 International Tuba Euphonium Conference in Bloomington, Indiana, where he was a semi-finalist. He was also named winner of the 2011 Young Artist Tuba division at the International Leonard Falcone solo competition.
In his free time, he enjoys swing dancing with his wife Rebekah, baking bread, and playing with their cat, Lafayette.
As an active concert pianist, chamber musician, and orchestral soloist, Sassmanshaus Piano Trio member, Hai Jin has performed over 200 recitals throughout United States and Asia. She has appeared as a soloist throughout China and has been engaged with several Chinese orchestras such as China Conservatory orchestra, Shanxi string Chamber orchestra and Yanbian symphony orchestra. She made her United States debut in 2010 upon the invitation of Boston University. She has recorded and collaborated with violinist Haoli Lin on his debut CD Romantic Journey, and previously recorded with Violinist Yabing Tan on her CD Yabing Tan published by Great Wall Classics. Jin has also appeared as faculty in Music festivals such as Great wall Music Academy and Cleveland International Music Festival, giving master classes at Norfolk State university, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, China Conservatory of Music, participating as Jury at Washington Universal Piano competition, Water Cube Competition and Talent CCTV Competition. She has worked with renowned artists such as Rohan De Silva, Hiram Diaz, Erinn Frechette, Heather Verbeck Harrison, Gao Can, Yi li etc. She is a D.M.A. candidate at the University of Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music in Piano Performance with cognate area in Orchestral Conducting. At the same institution, her A.D. and M.M. in Piano Performance were completed under guidance of pianists Awadagin Pratt and James Tocco. Her B.M. in Piano Performance is from China Conservatory. She had taught at the Preparatory Department of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and as Assistant Professor in Minzu University (Beijing, China), Assistant Conductor at the Maryland Lyric Opera. Currently, she appears mostly in DC area as solo pianist.
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Sunday, February 14, 2021 3 pm
MAIN STREET CHAMBER PLAYERS
The Lyceum
PERFORMERS
Kenneth Law, cello;
Rosanne Conway, piano;
Laura Kobayashi, violin;
Harold Levin, viola;
Barbara Fitzgerald, double bass
PROGRAM
Gabriel Faure (1845–1924)
Romance in A Major for Cello and Piano, Op.69 (1894)
Gaspar Cassado (1897–1966)
Requiebros for Cello and Piano (1931)
Astor Piazzolla (1933-1990)
Five Tangos for Violin and Double Bass
Se Fue Sin Decirme Adios/He Left without saying Goodbye
La Misma Pena/The Same Sorrow arr. Andreas Wiebecke-Gottstein
Saint Louis en L’lle/Saint Louis at the Island
Guardia Nueva/New Guard
Adios Nonino/Goodbye Father arr. Andres Martin
Robert Schumann (1810-56)
Quartet in E-flat Major, Op.47, for Violin, Viola, Cello and Piano
Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo
Scherzo: Molto vivace
Andante Cantabile
Finale: Vivace
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
The Main Street Chamber Players is a mixed instrumental chamber ensemble whose collective experience spans more than 20 years and is comprised of members of Main Street Music Studios and various guest artists. Concerts by MSCP have included performances at the John Kendall Recital Hall in Takoma Park, Maryland and The Lyceum in Alexandria, Virginia as well as a number of churches in the Northern Virginia area.
Hailed by critics for her “musical elegance and brilliant technique”, pianist Rosanne Conway is a native of Seattle, Washington, where she performed with the Seattle Symphony at the age of 16. She holds degrees from the University of Washington and the University of Colorado and as winner of the Petri Award for Foreign Study, attended the Hochschüle fur Müsik und Theatre in Hannover, Germany and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. In New York, she studied with Earl Wild at The Juilliard School. Ms. Conway has appeared on many local and regional concert series including Anderson House, the Luxembourg Embassy, the State Department, and for the American Liszt Society Festival at the Kennedy Center. Ms. Conway and Santiago Rodriguez have recorded Rachmaninoff’s four hand/two piano works for the Elan label. Ms. Conway has also served on the faculties of Lewis and Clark College, the University of Maryland, and the National Cathedral School. She is also a founding member of the Main Street Music Studios in Fairfax, Virginia as well as a member of the Main Street Chamber Players.
Barbara Fitzgerald, double bassist, is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees. As winner of the school’s concerto competition, she performed the Pichl Concerto for Double Bass with the Juilliard Philharmonia. She has lived in various parts of the world where she has been in orchestras, given solo recitals and been soloist with orchestra in concerto performances, most recently performing the Koussevitzky Concerto with the Reston Community Orchestra in Reston, Virginia and with the Summer Strings Orchestra in Glen Burnie, Maryland. She toured Eastern Europe with the McGill Chamber Orchestra from Montreal, Canada; was principal bass of the West Australia Symphony Orchestra in Perth, West Australia; has played in summer festivals in Europe and Mexico; has been a free-lance bassist in New York City, and is presently a free-lance bassist in Washington, D.C. Ms. Fitzgerald is a founding member of the Main Street Music Studios and a member of the Main Street Chamber Players in Fairfax, Virginia. She currently serves on the faculty of the Peabody Bass Works at the Peabody Conservatory and is the director of “Basstravaganza”, a summer camp for bassists in Northern Virginia.
Violinist, Laura Kobayashi, performs as a member of the Kobayashi/Gray Duo and Main Street Chamber Players and is a founding member of the Main Street Music Studios where she maintains a large studio of students. Dr. Kobayashi actively performs throughout the United States and has also performed abroad in Wales, Thailand, South Africa, Norway, Argentina, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and Brazil and the islands of Trinidad, St. Lucia and Puerto Rico. In addition, she has recorded two compact discs of music by women composers for the Albany Records label. She has also edited for publication a violin sonata by 19th Century French woman composer, Marie Grandval, for Hildegard Publishing Company. Dr. Kobayashi is also the recipient of two teaching awards: the 2012 VASTA (Virginia State Chapter of ASTA) Outstanding String Teacher Award and the 2002 “Excellence in Teaching” Award by the School of Music and College of Creative Arts at West Virginia University. Her past teaching positions include West Virginia University, the University of Georgia and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Prior to her teaching career, Dr. Kobayashi was a professional orchestral musician and played in the second violin section in the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. Dr. Kobayashi studied violin with Dorothy DeLay, Andrew Jennings, Paul Kantor and Denes Zsigmondy. Her degrees are from The Juilliard School, Yale University and The University of Michigan.
Cellist, teacher and author Kenneth Law is a member of the Main Street Chamber Players and Ritz Chamber Players. He has performed at the Arts Club of Washington (D.C.), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Alice Tully Hall, and the “Jazz at Lincoln Center” Concert Series. Overseas, he has performed in England, France, Scotland, Panama and Puerto Rico, and has collaborated with Earl Carlyss (Juilliard String Quartet), Michael Tree (Guarneri Quartet), and the Ying String Quartet. In March of 2006, Mr. Law was featured on the nationally televised NAACP Image Awards as a member of the Ritz Chamber Players. Mr. Law gave his first performance at the Piccolo Spoleto Music Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, as a member of the Converse Trio in the Spring of 2008; in the Summers of 2009 and 2010 returned as a member of Ensemble Argos and in the Spring of 2017 as a member of the Polaris Piano Trio. In the Summer of 2011 he performed as a member of the Charleston Baroque, and as Director of Chamber Music and performer in the 2013 Colour of Music Festival, also in Charleston. Mr. Law currently maintains a large private studio in Fairfax, Virginia. His students have been accepted to the Eastman School of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, Peabody and Oberlin Conservatories and Indiana University (Bloomington). Mr. Law is the recipient of the Studio Teacher of the Year Award from both the South Carolina (2010) and Virginia (2017) chapters of the American String Teachers Association. Mr. Law received undergraduate and graduate degrees in performance from the Eastman School of Music and Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory. He was also a chamber music fellow at The Juilliard School.
Harold Levin joined Main Street Music Studios as Artist-Teacher of Viola in 2019, after serving as Professor of Viola at Skidmore College. He previously held viola and conducting positions at the University of Nebraska (Lincoln), West Virginia, Bucknell, and Marywood Universities. His former students hold public school, college, and professional orchestra positions throughout the United States. An active performer, Dr. Levin has played viola with the orchestras of Louisville, Cincinnati, Omaha, Memphis, Long Island, Orlando, and Jacksonville, and has taught and performed in summer festivals including Cabrillo, Interlochen, Rutgers Summerfest, Bedford Springs, Bay View, Breckenridge, Lake Placid, and the Colorado Philharmonic. Currently he teaches and performs each summer at The Blue Mountain Festival in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Dr. Levin holds degrees from Ball State University, the University of Cincinnati, and Rutgers University, where his teachers included Michael Tree, Donald McInnes, Raymond Stilwell, and Robert Slaughter. In addition to his college work, he has led youth orchestras in Indiana, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Florida. A commissioned, recorded, and published composer; his works have been performed throughout the U.S.
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Sunday February 7, 2021 3 pm
Michael De Sapio, violin
John Armato, lute and guitar
Renaissance dances (arranged with tablature by Anton Höger):
Allmaine - Thomas Holmes (1606-1638)
The Tobacco Pipe - Anonymous
Ballo detto il Picchi - Giovanni Picchi (1571-1643)
Sonata No.33 in F - Sylvius Leopold Weiss (1686 - 1750)
Prelude - Allemande
Sonata in D minor for lute and violin - Friedrich Wilhelm Rust (1739-1796)
Allegro maestoso – Arioso – Rondeau
Grand duo in A major - Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829)
Andante molto sostenuto – Allegretto espressivo
Un dia de noviembre - Leo Brouwer (b. 1939)
Nightclub 1960 - Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
Michael De Sapio was raised in Alexandria, Virginia and attended The Catholic University of America and The Peabody Conservatory, where with some fellow students he formed Charm City Baroque. Equally at home on Baroque and modern instruments, Michael has performed with The Washington Bach Consort, Folger Consort, Modern Musick, Wolf Trap Opera Company, and the Fairfax Symphony, among other groups. He is also an avid chorister in Roman Catholic church choirs. In addition to his musical activities, Michael is a writer for Fanfare magazine and a variety of other publications.
John Armato came from Los Angeles to Baltimore to study classical guitar at the Peabody Conservatory, then went on to earn a Master's in lute performance there. He has performed with a number of area ensembles including Peabody Consort and National Gallery of Art Vocal Ensemble, and has also toured extensively in Japan and Taiwan. Most recently, John recorded an album of English and Italian songs with soprano Nola Richardson entitled How Sweet the Torment. John gives lessons at the International School of Music and at Music and Arts Center, where he teaches classical and rock guitar to students of all levels.
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Sunday January 31, 2021 3 pm
Sasha Beresovksy, piano
Robert Schumann
Kreisleriana, Eight Fantasies for Piano, Op. 16
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata in F Major, Op. 54
In tempo d’un menuetto
Allegretto - Più allegro
César Franck
Prélude, Chorale, et Fugue
Sasha Beresovsky is a graduate of Indiana University, studying most recently with the late Edmund Battersby. He regularly appears at The Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria as part of the Summer Chamber Music Series of WMPA, in 2015 presenting Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. Sasha has spent much of the last three years in Boston, where he taught privately and, with a group of friends, organized the Boston Community Studio Class. Now he returns to the DC area to continue his studies at Shenandoah University in Virginia.
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Sunday January 24, 2021 3 pm
Jay DeWire, piano
Debussy: Images Book I
1. Reflets dans l'eau 2. Hommage a Rameau 3. Mouvement
Schumann: Humoreske, Op. 20
Jay DeWire, piano, has performed across the United States as a soloist, collaborator, and member of the West Shore Trio. Highlights include two performances as soloist with the Prince George’s Philharmonic, concerts in Chautauqua, Los Angeles and New Mexico. with the West Shore Piano Trio, a performance at the North American Saxophone Alliance in Lubbock,Texas with Dr. Brent Weber and Dr. Mark Gallagher, and the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts with Dr. Mark Gallagher. He teaches piano and history at Frostburg State University.
Dr. DeWire began playing piano at the age of four and gave his first solo recital at age 12. He received a B.A. with High Distinction and a Master of Arts in piano performance from the University of Virginia, and a Master of Music from the New England Conservatory. In December of 2007 he received a D.M.A. from the University of Maryland School of Music (College Park). He has studied with such distinguished pianists as Joanne Haroutounian, Mimi Tung, Gabriel Chodos, Bradford Gowen, Steve Drury, John Moriarty, and Larissa Dedova. He has performed in master classes for Claude Frank, Andre Watts, Ruth Laredo, and Tigran Alikhanov, the Director of the Moscow Conservatory, and appeared in several competitions including: The National Society of Arts and Letters Competition, National Symphony Orchestra Competition, Baldwin Competition, Washington, DC Beethoven Competition (Honorable Mention), and was a finalist in the American Musicological Society (Mid-Atlantic Chapter) Writing Competition. Dr. DeWire has also received numerous prizes including the Brander Wyatt Morrison Prize, and a Dean of Faculty Fellowship (UVa), as well as scholarships at the University of Maryland, New England Conservatory and University of Virginia.
Sunday December 6, 2020
The 4th Annual Alexandria TUBACHRISTMAS
Eight Tubists perform 22 Holiday Tunes
From the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria VA
Performers, as shown in the video:
From left to right, back row:
Matt Fonda, alto horn
Jimmy Fonda, euphonium
Tommy Fonda, tuba
Dick Fonda, tuba
From left to right, front row:
Chris Buckley, euphonium
Phil Franke, euphonium
Karl Hovey, tuba
Zach Bridges, tuba
Steve Rice, conductor
TubaChristmas History
Created by Harvey Phillips, TUBACHRISTMAS concerts have been presented in over 300 cities throughout the United States and in many foreign countries. Phillips was inspired to create TUBACHRISTMAS as an annual event honoring his teacher, the late great tuba player William Bell, who was born on Christmas Day, 1902. Every TUBACHRISTMAS performance features traditional Christmas carols that were arranged by American composer Alec Wilder for the first ever TUBACHRISTMAS, held on December 22, 1974 at Rockefeller Center in New York. The warm, rich organ-like sound of the tuba-euphonium choir (and there have been groups with more than 200!) has won the ears and hearts of every audience. For more information about TUBACHRISTMAS and the Harvey Phillips Foundation, see www.tubachristmas.com.
Normally performed outdoors by many tubists on Alexandria's Market Square, due to COVID 19 this year's TUBACHRISTMAS has been moved indoors and downsized to eight safely spaced tubists .
Sasha Beresovsky, piano
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Beethoven: Fantasy in G Minor, Op. 77
Chopin: Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38
Brahms: Ballade Op. 10 No. 1 in D Minor “Edward”
Liszt: Transcendental Étude No. 4 in D minor "Mazeppa"
Schubert: Andante from an unfinished sonata, D840
Ravel: A la manière de Borodine
Ravel: Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn
Debussy: Danse (Tarantelle Styrienne)
ABOUT THE PERFORMER
Sasha Beresovsky is a graduate of Indiana University, studying most recently with the late Edmund Battersby. He regularly appears at The Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria as part of the Summer Chamber Music Series of WMPA, in 2015 presenting Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. Sasha has spent much of the last three years in Boston, where he taught privately and, with a group of friends, organized the Boston Community Studio Class. Now he returns to the DC area to continue his studies with John O'Conor at Shenandoah University in Virginia.
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Sunday, May 2, 2021 3 pm
John Sutherland Earle, piano
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, BWV 903
Fantasia – Recitative – Fuga
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951): Klavierstueck (Piano Piece), Op. 33a
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111
Maestoso – Allegro con brio ed appassionato
Arietta: Adagio molto semplice e cantabile
ABOUT THE PERFORMER
John Sutherland Earle is well-known to WMPA audiences from his performances of the Emperor Concerto with the WMP during the winter 2020 season, and from his annual appearances with many different partners on the WMPA summer chamber music series over the last ten years. He studied piano performance and chamber music at the Oberlin Conservatory, Stanford University, and the Vienna Hochschule fűr Musik. His principle teachers were John Dupaquier, Peter Takacs, Adolph Baller, and Haggai Niv, and recently he joined the studio of Linda Monson. A National Merit and Fulbright Scholar as well as prizewinner at the Pacific International, Carmel Music Society, Palo Alto Symphony, and Misbin Chamber Music Competitions, he participated twice in the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, and he has given concerts in more than a dozen states of the US, several countries of Europe, and in Russia and Japan. Since moving to the DC area in 2010, he has been performing regularly with several groups including the IBIS Chamber Music Society, Rock Creek Chamber Players, Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association, Friday Morning Music Club, and members of the US Army and Air Force Orchestras. In a parallel life, John does research and teaches at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.
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Sunday, April 25, 2021 3 pm
Mellifera Quartet
Catherine Gerhiser, violin
Christina Wensel, violin
Matthew Maffett, viola
Benjamin Wensel, cello
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Rebecca Clarke: Movement for String Quartet (1924)
Comodo et Amabile
Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet in F Major Op. 59, No. 1 (1806)
Allegro
Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando
Adagio molto e mesto
Thème russe; Allegro
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Mellifera Quartet While the four members have been collaborating in a variety of musical formations for years, coming together as a quartet in 2017 marked the beginning of a new era of shared artistic endeavors. Mellifera (mel-IF-air-ah), from the Latin meaning honey-bearing, signifies the aural aspirations of the group. By crafting programs that span the musical spectrum, Mellifera brings newly composed works to their audience alongside well-traveled classics. The quartet’s debut recordings with clarinetist Robert DiLutis were recently released on the Delos and RM Records labels. The members of the Mellifera Quartet view kindness and compassion as equals to the goal of performance excellence. They strive to create a musical environment that reflects these beliefs.
Catherine Gerhiser, a native of Savannah, Georgia, received her Bachelor’s degree from the Juilliard School in 2005, and her Master’s in 2007, studying with Masao Kawasaki. Prior to her time at The Juilliard School, she attended the Cleveland Institute of Music Young Artist Program, studying with Linda Cerone. Her many inspiring coaches and teachers include Michael Tilson Thomas, Joseph Kalichstein, Joel Smirnoff, Bonnie Hampton, and John Mack, among others. Gerheiser has performed with the Tanglewood Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, National Repertory Orchestra, and Spoleto Festival Orchestra. Catherine has appeared as soloist with the Savannah Symphony, the Hilton-Head Philharmonia, the National Repertory Orchestra, The New World Symphony, and the US Army Orchestra. Prior to joining the U.S. Army Strings, Catherine spent four years in Miami, Florida, playing with the New World Symphony, where she met her husband, Gene. Catherine loves exploring DC with her husband and three boys, Caleb and Tyler, and Jacob.
Christina Wensel was born and began her music instruction in Evanston, IL. With the support of her teacher Rachel Barton and her first chamber music coach Dr. Allen Dennis, she discovered an intense love of chamber music. Christina performed with the MYA quartet for many years taking first prize at Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. At 15, she joined the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and had the opportunity to perform with many of the great guest conductors of the Chicago Symphony. She continued to perform with MYA Orchestra and soloed with the group after winning the Walgreens Concerto competition. Continuing her education at Oberlin Conservatory she earned a BM in violin performance while studying with Gregory Fulkerson, and went on to receive her Master's degree from the Juilliard School, where she studied with Ronald Copes. Christina has performed at many concerts and festivals including the UBS Verbier Festival, MoMA Summer Garden Series, New York String Seminar, and the New Hampshire Bach Festival. She has been a featured soloist with The Dayton Philharmonic, US Army Strings, and the Galesburg Symphony. As a member of the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra, she toured Europe and North and South America with Maestro James Levine. Christina is also an active studio musician and has performed with Kanye West, Duncan Sheik, Beyonce, Wynonna Judd and Pete Seeger. Christina is also a much sought-after fiddler, playing for dances and workshops throughout the U.S. and Europe.
Matthew Maffett is an active soloist, orchestral and chamber musician throughout the Washington DC area. Currently he is a section violist in the United States Air Force String Ensemble, regularly performing at the White House and other high-profile government events. After receiving degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the prestigious Colburn School in Los Angeles, CA, Matthew appeared at numerous festivals around the globe, including the Schleswig-Holstein, Manchester, and Norfolk festivals, among others. Since residing in Washington DC, Matthew has regularly performed with the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, New Orchestra of Washington, and the National Symphony Orchestra. His principal teachers include Csaba Erdélyi, Atar Arad, Mimi Zweig and Paul Coletti.
Hailing from Rochester, New York, cellist Benjamin Wensel earned degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Eastman School of Music. While at Eastman, Ben served as assistant to renowned pedagogue Alan Harris. Equally important to his musical education were performances in seminars and master classes for members of the Cleveland, Guarneri, Juilliard, Miami, and Ying quartets, chamber music studies with Peter Salaff and members of the Audubon and Cavani Quartets, and solo master classes with Clemens Michael Hagen, Steven Isserlis, David Soyer, and Michel Strauss. Festival experiences include Interlochen, Kent-Blossom, Aspen, National Repertory Orchestra, and Moulin d’Ande. Ben has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, Syracuse Symphony, and has been a member of The U.S. Army Orchestra, Strolling Strings, and String Quartet since 2003. Ben lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Christina, and their children, Juniper, Ellis, and Willa.
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Sunday, April 11, 2021 3 pm
Trio Peridot
Laura Kobayashi, violin
Kenneth Law, cello
David Kosutic, piano
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912): Selections from Five Negro Melodies,
Op.59, No.1, for Piano Trio
1. “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child”/Andante con moto
5. “My Lord Delivered Daniel”/Allegro molto
W. A. Mozart (1756-91): Trio in C Major, K.548 for Violin, Cello and Piano
Allegro
Andante cantabile
Allegro
Clara Wieck Schumann (1819-96): Selections from Trio in G minor,
Op.17, for Violin, Cello and Piano
Allegro moderato
Andante
Allegretto
Astor Piazzolla (1921-92): La Muerte del Angel for Violin, Cello and Piano (1970)
Arr. Jose Bragato
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Trio Peridot is committed to performing music by women and composers of African descent. Concerts have included performances on the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina; at the Arts Club of Washington (D.C.) and the Embassy of Bulgaria (Washington, D.C.); the Montpelier Center for the Arts in Laurel, Maryland; the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center in the City of Fairfax (Virginia) as well as other venues in Maryland, New York and Virginia. Individually, they have performed in venues including the Terrace Theatre at the Kennedy Center, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Embassy of Norway and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Washington, D.C.; Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City; Gindi Auditorium in Los Angeles and the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis, Missouri as well as overseas in the European Union, the United Kingdom, South America, Norway, Panama, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Trinidad, South Africa and Thailand.
Violinist, Laura Kobayashi, performs as a member of the Kobayashi/Gray Duo, Trio Peridot and Main Street Chamber Players and is a founding member of the Main Street Music Studios where she maintains a large studio of students. Dr. Kobayashi actively performs throughout the United States and has also performed abroad in Wales, Thailand, South Africa, Norway, Argentina, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and Brazil and the islands of Trinidad, St. Lucia and Puerto Rico. In addition, she has recorded two compact discs of music by women composers for the Albany Records label. She has also edited for publication a violin sonata by 19th Century French woman composer, Marie Grandval, for Hildegard Publishing Company. Dr. Kobayashi is also the recipient of two teaching awards: the 2012 VASTA (Virginia State Chapter of ASTA) Outstanding String Teacher Award and the 2002 “Excellence in Teaching” Award by the School of Music and College of Creative Arts at West Virginia University. Her past teaching positions include West Virginia University, the University of Georgia and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Prior to her teaching career, Dr. Kobayashi was a professional orchestral musician and played in the second violin section in the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. Dr. Kobayashi studied violin with Dorothy DeLay, Andrew Jennings, Paul Kantor and Denes Zsigmondy. Her degrees are from The Juilliard School, Yale University and The University of Michigan.
“Kosutic thrilled the audience…genuine musicianship and excellent technique” New York Concert Review 2000. A native of the Washington, D.C. area, Pianist, David Kosutic was first featured on WGMS “Spotlight Hour” at the age of sixteen, and currently enjoys a career as a private teacher and performer. Following the completion of his Doctor of Music in Piano degree at Indiana University (Bloomington) as a student of Luba Edlina, he performed at numerous venues including Carnegie Hall Weill Hall, The Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, and The Sheldon in St. Louis. He has been a featured soloist with the Georgetown Symphony Orchestra under Victoria Gau, playing Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto, and has appeared frequently on many local recital series, including The Alden Theater “Rising Stars Series,” National City Christian Church’s “Music at Midday,” Georgetown University “Friday Music Is”, The Lyceum, as well as The Church of the Epiphany “Tuesday Morning Series.” The Norwegian Embassy presented David in recital at Union Station Great Hall as part of their Gifts of Norway Exhibition. He has presented lecture recitals on Schumann’s Kreisleriana, Op. 16, most notably for the College Music Society. As a teacher, Dr. Kosutic maintains an active piano studio in Falls Church, Virginia, with students placing in local and state level competitions.
Cellist, teacher and author Kenneth Law is a member of the Main Street Chamber Players, Trio Peridot and Ritz Chamber Players. He has performed at the Arts Club of Washington (D.C.), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Alice Tully Hall, and the “Jazz at Lincoln Center” Concert Series. Overseas, he has performed in England, France, Scotland, Panama and Puerto Rico, and has collaborated with Earl Carlyss (Juilliard String Quartet), Michael Tree (Guarneri Quartet), and the Ying String Quartet. In March of 2006, Mr. Law was featured on the nationally televised NAACP Image Awards as a member of the Ritz Chamber Players. Mr. Law gave his first performance at the Piccolo Spoleto Music Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, as a member of the Converse Trio in the Spring of 2008; in the Summers of 2009 and 2010 returned as a member of Ensemble Argos and in the Spring of 2017 as a member of the Polaris Piano Trio. In the Summer of 2011 he performed as a member of the Charleston Baroque, and as Director of Chamber Music and performer in the 2013 Colour of Music Festival, also in Charleston. Mr. Law currently maintains a large private studio in Fairfax, Virginia. His students have been accepted to the Eastman School of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, Peabody and Oberlin Conservatories and Indiana University (Bloomington). Mr. Law is the recipient of the Studio Teacher of the Year Award from both the South Carolina (2010) and Virginia (2017) chapters of the American String Teachers Association. Mr. Law received undergraduate and graduate degrees in performance from the Eastman School of Music and Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory. He was also a chamber music fellow at The Juilliard School.
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Sunday, March 28, 2021 3 pm
Beau Soir Ensemble
Carole Bean, flute
Michelle Myers Lundy, harp
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Entr’acte Jacques Ibert (1890 – 1962)
Woofin the Cat Cameron Wilson (b. 1964)
Carmen Georges Bizet (1838 – 1875)
Habanera
Entr’acte
Seguidilla
Seven Spanish Folk Songs Manuel de Falla (1876 – 1946)
Nana
Cancion
Algues; 7 Pieces Bernard Andres (b. 1941)
Drowsy Maggie Medley Kathryn Cater
Drowsy Maggie Reel
She Moved Through the Fair
Deidre’s Fancy Slip Jig
Skye Boat Song
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Carole Bean is the Piccoloist with the National Symphony Orchestra. Before joining the NSO, she performed with the Xalapa Symphony Orchestra in Mexico and the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. She also performs with the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, Verge Ensemble, and Fessenden Ensemble. Ms. Bean has presented numerous children’s concert performances as part of the Outreach Program of the NSO. She also has performed with the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, since 1992. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Ms. Bean attended Bowling Green State University and Northwestern University, where she studied with Judith Bentley and Walfrid Kujala, respectively.
Michelle Myers Lundy is a professional harpist who performs throughout the Washington, DC area. She has performed at the Kennedy Center, Strathmore Hall and Mansion, the Capitol, Supreme Court, National Archives, Lyceum Museum, Alden Theatre and several of the Smithsonian Museums. Ms. Lundy is currently principal harpist with the Manassas Ballet Theatre Orchestra, Amadeus Orchestra, Tysons McLean Orchestra, Arlington Philharmonic and the New Orchestra of Washington. She often plays with the National Philharmonic and and regularly works with the Thomas Circle Singers.
As a proponent of chamber music, Ms. Lundy is the founding member of Beau Soir Ensemble (BSE), a flute, viola and harp duo formed in 2007. Beau Soir Ensemble has premiered music written for the trio in the Washington D.C. area. The trio has performed at a variety of esteemed venues throughout the region including the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, Lyceum Museum in Alexandria, DACOR Bacon House, and the Anderson House.
Ms. Lundy began her musical studies in St. Louis on piano at the age of six. She spent five summers at National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan, where she began her harp studies. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University in harp performance. While at Northwestern she was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Ms. Lundy continued her studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where she received a Master of Music degree.
The Beau Soir Ensemble is a flute, viola, and harp trio, based in the Washington, DC area, dedicated to the performance of standard and contemporary chamber music repertoire spanning a variety of genres. The group was founded by harpist Michelle Lundy in 2007. Beau Soir Ensemble regularly performs at venues and acclaimed concert series in the Mid-Atlantic region, including the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage, Strathmore Mansion, Alden Theatre, Center Stage, Sundays at Three in Columbia, Harman Center for the Arts, Arts Club of Washington, The Lyceum, Church of the Epiphany, Dumbarton House, Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Old Town Hall (Fairfax, VA), and The Anderson House. The trio also won the 2014 Montpelier Arts Recital Competition.
As part of its commitment to exposing audiences to contemporary music and new artists, Beau Soir frequently offers performances featuring world and local premiers by various exciting composers. Since 2014, the trio has performed local premieres of music by David Bruce, Don Davis, Milton Barnes, Marjan Mozetich, Lucas Richman, Stephen Main, Eduardo Angulo, Sonny Burnette and Paul Ben-Haim. In 2021, Beau Soir will perform the world premiere of “Two Trios” by Alexander Jacobsen, “The Nightfall” by Roberto Di Marino and “Sarabande” by David Teie in 2021. BSE will partner with Truman Harris to premiere a piece in 2022.
The innovative group is also dedicated to expanding the repertoire available to flute/viola/harp, including commissioning Baroque transcriptions of music by J.S. Bach and C.P.E. Bach.
Known for its exciting performance style and diverse programming, Beau Soir continues to attract a strong fan base through its acclaimed performances and unique audience interaction, which includes background, analysis, historical information, and descriptions of performance techniques within each performance. Beau Soir Ensemble’s goal is to make classical music accessible, interesting and enjoyable, inspiring a new generation of music lovers.
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Sunday, March 21, 2021 3 pm
West Shore Piano Trio
Jay DeWire, piano
Heather Haughn, violin
Diana Flesner, cello
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Louise Farrenc: Piano Trio in Eb Major, Op.33
Allegro
Adagio sostenuto
Minueto-Allegro
Finale-Vivace
Amy Beach: Piano Trio in A minor, Op.50
Allegro
Lento espressivo
Allegro con brio
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Since their first performance on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay in 2008, the West Shore Piano Trio has brought passion, color, and penetrating insight to the works they perform, not only through their playing but also through their commentary and interaction with audiences. Praised for their “fluid” and “sultry” playing, the West Shore Piano Trio brings new life to the monuments of the trio literature.
Highlights from recent seasons include the premier of Ruby Fulton’s trio “Whitney” which was commissioned by the WSPT and premiered at Community College of Baltimore County Essex Community College in Baltimore, MD; collaborative performances with DancEthos at Washington DC's Fringe Festival; a concert and masterclass at Endicott College in Beverly, MA; travels to New Mexico to collaborate with violist Willy Sucre for performances in Placitas and Socorro; and a performance on the FUMC Vesper Concert Series in Lubbock, TX. Past concerts have taken the West Shore Trio from coast to coast and they have performed in Alabama, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia. Performances include concerts at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Chautauqua Institution, Intersections Festival, An die Musik, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Goucher College, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Harmony Hall, and the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts.
The WSPT believes that education and live performance enhance each other, and that the better informed an audience is about a work, the more deeply they will appreciate its performance. To this end, the members of the trio accompany each concert with brief verbal commentary, providing biographical details about the composer, framing the work in the context of its time, and highlighting thematic and compositional elements of the piece, as well as connections shared between each work on the program. When speaking about the music, they use accessible, jargon-free language that enables the music to be understood by non-musicians and musicians alike.
The West Shore Trio’s commitment to education further extends to include masterclasses, question-and-answer sessions, and collaborative projects. They maintain an active relationship with the Duke Ellington School for the Arts, where they have given multiple concerts, coached students from the orchestra, and served as mentors for students in the string and piano divisions.They also maintain ongoing connections with Frostburg State University and Goucher College, where they have given concerts, spoken to students about the logistics and lifestyle of a career in music, and given a lecture/performance on the political and personal elements of Shostakovich’s piano trio. While traveling they have visited local schools or colleges and have given concerts and worked with students at Endicott College in Massachusetts and at the Stephen Wise Academy in California.
The WSPT also maintains an ongoing collaborative relationship with DancEthos. In November 2012 they gave the premier performance of the dance piece The Divide, which is set to the music of Rebecca Clarke and explores the complex landscape of gender bias and definition. This collaborative work was performed again in February 2013 and featured as part of the innovative multi-genre Intersections Festival in Washington, D.C. Their performances with DancEthos in 2015 as part of the Fringe festival were voted as one of the top performances of the festival
Based in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, the members of the trio were educated at the Eastman School of Music, New England Conservatory, San Francisco Conservatory, Rice University Shepherd School of Music, the University of Illinois, and the University of Maryland. They have studied with or been coached by such esteemed musicians as violinists Lynn Blakeslee, Isaac Stern, Kathleen Winkler, Roland and AlmitaVamos, and ZviZeitlin, pianists Larissa Dedova and Brian Ganz, cellists Bonnie Hampton and Brandon Vamos, and members of the Aborada, Alexander, American, Cleveland, Concord, Juilliard, Kocian, Kronos, Left Bank, Miami, Miró, Pacifica, Penderecki, St. Lawrence, Tákacs, Tokyo, and Ying Quartets.
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Sunday, March 14, 2021 3 pm
Philharmonia da Camera
Tiberiu Baicoianu, clarinet
Henry Stubbs, cello
Hai Jin, piano
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Johannes Brahms: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano Op120, No.2 in E flat major
Allegro amabile
Allegro appassionato
Andante con moto — Allegro
Johannes Brahms: Sonata for Cello and Piano No.1, Op.38 in e minor
Allegro non troppo,
Allegretto quasi Menuetto,
Allegro
Paul Schoenfield: Café Music, Movement II
Rubato-Andante Moderato
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
As an active concert pianist, chamber musician, and orchestral soloist, Sassmanshaus Piano Trio member, Hai Jin has performed over 200 recitals throughout United States and Asia. She has received numerous awards and prizes in competitions, including the Liszt competition in the 2013 Art of Piano in Cincinnati, and the Cincinnati Concerto Competition in 2014. She has appeared as a soloist throughout China and has been engaged with several Chinese orchestras such as China Conservatory orchestra, Shanxi string Chamber orchestra and Yanbian symphony orchestra.
She made her United States debut in 2010 upon the invitation of Boston University. She has recorded and collaborated with violinist Haoli Lin on his debut CD Romantic Journey, and previously recorded with Violinist Yabing Tan on her CD Yabing Tan published by Great Wall Classics.
Jin has also appeared as faculty in Music festivals such as Great wall Music Academy and Cleveland International Music Festival, giving master classes at Norfolk State university, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, China Conservatory of Music, participating as Jury at Washington Universal Piano competition, Water Cube Competition and Talent CCTV Competition.
She was piano faculty at the Preparatory Department of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and Assistant Professor in Minzu University (Beijing, China) and Assistant Conductor at the Maryland Lyric Opera. Currently, she plays concerts mostly in DC area as solo pianist.
Henry Stubbs recently graduated with his MM in Cello Performance/Suzuki Pedagogy at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In April 2017, Henry graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with a BM in Cello Performance. In January 2015, Henry was named a national finalist for the MTNA Young Artists strings competition after winning the MTNA competitions for the state of Ohio and the five state East Central Division. His primary teachers have been Alan Rafferty and Richard Weiss. Other influential teachers include Avi Friedlander, Jared Ballance, and Stephen Geber.
Henry has studied chamber music with members of the Cleveland, Cavani, Ariel, Miami, and Vega String Quartets. Additionally, he has performed in masterclasses for Hans Jorgen Jensen, Richard Aaron, Alisa Weilerstein, Johannes Moser, Merry Peckham, and Melissa Kraut. An accomplished orchestral musician, Henry has served as principal cellist of the Richmond (IN) Symphony Orchestra, Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra, CIM Orchestra, CCM Concert Orchestra, and the National Orchestral Institute. He has also performed with the Firelands Symphony Orchestra, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, and the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra. Henry has received fellowships and full scholarships to perform in renowned summer orchestral festivals, including the National Repertory Orchestra, the National Orchestral Institute, and the Kent/Blossom Festival—a partnership with The Cleveland Orchestra.
At the Cleveland Institute of Music, Henry completed his long-term Suzuki training under the guidance of Abbey Hansen. He has registered Every Child Can and Suzuki Units 1-10 training with the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Currently on faculty at Levine Music in Washington D.C. and the Harmonia School of Music & Art in northern Virginia, Henry has previously taught at the Aurora School of Music, the Sato Center for Suzuki Studies, MyCincinnati, and Cincinnati Young Artists.
Tiberiu Baicoianu currently holds a position as the Principal Clarinet of the Firelands Symphony Orchestra in Sandusky, Ohio, and has joined multiple ensembles in the northern Ohio area, including the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland POPS Orchestra. Additionally, he has also performed alongside the Cleveland Orchestra as part of the Kent/Blossom Music Festival.
He is a founding member and has performed extensively with the Cleveland Wind Trio (CWT), an ensemble comprised of oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, which has been presenting fresh, compelling performances throughout the greater Cleveland area and beyond. Together, they have performed well over 100 concerts in the last two years, with a focus on accessibility, engaging presentation, and welcoming communication with the audience.
For the 2018-2019 season, he joined the North Coast Winds (NCW), an award-winning wind quintet known for their exciting performances and community outreach. His time spent with NCW was focused on educational outreach, as well as organizing and teaching at the yearly NCW Chamber Music Camp taught at the Music Settlement of Cleveland. His love for chamber music has brought him to countless audiences at institutions such as the National Music Festival Resonance Series, Holden Arboretum, the Alexandria Lyceum, the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, the National Art Gallery, Kent State University, University of Maryland, MilkBoy ArtHouse, Oberlin, Cleveland, Tanglewood, Brevard, and many more.
Tiberiu has recently started his own clarinet studio, geared towards providing a more involved approach. He is the former clarinet faculty at the Oberlin Community Music School, a non-profit where he worked with a studio of talented young musicians, as well as a frequent guest-teacher at the Aurora School of Music in Aurora, Ohio.
He performed on the Naxos label in a 2018 GRAMMY-nominated album featuring contemporary American music as part of the National Orchestral Institute and Festival. Additionally, he appears on multiple Oberlin Conservatory Label Recordings, such as the Bernard Rands English Horn Concerto and Stephen Hartke’s declamatory “State of Ship”.
Tiberiu Baicoianu holds his master’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of Franklin Cohen. His former teachers include Richard Hawkins at Oberlin Conservatory and Claire Eichhorn.
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Sunday, February 28, 2021 3 pm
Samuel Runolfson, cello
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Eugene Friesen
Stained Glass Morning &
Dances of Rasputin
Traditional Star of County Down
Casals Song of the Birds
Mark Summer Kalimba
Carter Brey Tango para llaria
Mark O'Connor Appalachian Waltz
Rogelio Huguet y Tagell
Flamenco from Suite Espanole No. 1
Stephen Katz Mini Thanks
ABOUT THE PERFORMER
Samuel Runolfson graduated from the University of Utah with a Masters in Cello Performance and Weber State University with a Bachelors in Music Education. Samuel currently teaches Elementary Strings in the Prince William County School District in Virginia. Samuel has participated in a variety of performing ensembles including the New American Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra Ogden, Manassas Symphony Orchestra, Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra, and is currently Principal Cellist of the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic. Samuel has performed chamber music in a variety of settings as well including quartets, cello ensembles piano trios, jazz and Celtic ensembles. As well as countless hours in the public schools performing, lecturing and teaching music to students from elementary to high school. Samuel has also performed and taught in Haiti during the summer of 2008. Samuel has also worked with several summer music camps including Blue Sky Music Camps and Summer Strings (a program through Weber State University) Samuel is also an active recording artist having recorded for commercials, movies, TV spots, and local artists ranging in style from classical to pop to jazz. He has received additional coaching and instruction from many groups and musicians including: The St. Lawrence String Quartet, Tesla String Quartet, Amelia Piano Trio, Thomas Rosenberg, Atar Arad, Setsuko Nagata, Matt Haimovitz, Mathias Tackle, Samantha George, Tim Fain, Scott Tisdal and Janet Anthony. Samuel has conducted the Bonneville Youth Orchestra, Weber State Symphony Orchestra, the Lincoln Youth Chamber Orchestra, Lincoln Youth Symphony, Morgan Valley Chamber Orchestra, and various High Schools and Jr. High Schools for clinics, as well as festivals.
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Sunday, February 21, 2021 3 pm
Zach Bridges, tuba
Hai Jin, piano
The Lyceum
PROGRAM
Bruce Broughton Oliver’s Birthday
Antonio Capuzzi Andante and Rondo
Barbara York How Beautiful
Robert W. Smith Teutonic Tales
Paquito D’Rivera Vals Venezolano
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Zach Bridges joined The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” Ceremonial Band in August, 2016. His primary duties in the Ceremonial Band include supporting funerals at Arlington National Cemetery as well as wreath laying ceremonies by heads of state and other foreign dignitaries at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, monthly retirement parades, special reviews, and arrival and departure honors for foreign dignitaries at the White House and Pentagon.
Zach also currently serves as the Principal Tuba of the Maryland Symphony, a position he has held since 2019. He is a founding member of the Apex Brass, an ensemble comprised of premiere military band members, and has performed with several organizations in the region, including the Baltimore Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Washington Concert Opera.
Zach received his bachelor’s degree from Baylor University where he studied with Dr. Kent Eshelman. He received his master’s degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where he studied with David Kirk, Principal Tuba of the Houston Symphony.
Prior to joining Army Band, Zach performed with the Houston Ballet, East Texas Symphony and the Waco Symphony, as well as the festival orchestras of Lake George, Brevard Music Center, National Music Festival, Texas Music Festival, and the Sewanee Music Festival.
In addition, Zach has performed in several solo competitions including the Artist Tuba solo competition at the 2014 International Tuba Euphonium Conference in Bloomington, Indiana, where he was a semi-finalist. He was also named winner of the 2011 Young Artist Tuba division at the International Leonard Falcone solo competition.
In his free time, he enjoys swing dancing with his wife Rebekah, baking bread, and playing with their cat, Lafayette.
As an active concert pianist, chamber musician, and orchestral soloist, Sassmanshaus Piano Trio member, Hai Jin has performed over 200 recitals throughout United States and Asia. She has appeared as a soloist throughout China and has been engaged with several Chinese orchestras such as China Conservatory orchestra, Shanxi string Chamber orchestra and Yanbian symphony orchestra. She made her United States debut in 2010 upon the invitation of Boston University. She has recorded and collaborated with violinist Haoli Lin on his debut CD Romantic Journey, and previously recorded with Violinist Yabing Tan on her CD Yabing Tan published by Great Wall Classics. Jin has also appeared as faculty in Music festivals such as Great wall Music Academy and Cleveland International Music Festival, giving master classes at Norfolk State university, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, China Conservatory of Music, participating as Jury at Washington Universal Piano competition, Water Cube Competition and Talent CCTV Competition. She has worked with renowned artists such as Rohan De Silva, Hiram Diaz, Erinn Frechette, Heather Verbeck Harrison, Gao Can, Yi li etc. She is a D.M.A. candidate at the University of Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music in Piano Performance with cognate area in Orchestral Conducting. At the same institution, her A.D. and M.M. in Piano Performance were completed under guidance of pianists Awadagin Pratt and James Tocco. Her B.M. in Piano Performance is from China Conservatory. She had taught at the Preparatory Department of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and as Assistant Professor in Minzu University (Beijing, China), Assistant Conductor at the Maryland Lyric Opera. Currently, she appears mostly in DC area as solo pianist.
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Sunday, February 14, 2021 3 pm
MAIN STREET CHAMBER PLAYERS
The Lyceum
PERFORMERS
Kenneth Law, cello;
Rosanne Conway, piano;
Laura Kobayashi, violin;
Harold Levin, viola;
Barbara Fitzgerald, double bass
PROGRAM
Gabriel Faure (1845–1924)
Romance in A Major for Cello and Piano, Op.69 (1894)
Gaspar Cassado (1897–1966)
Requiebros for Cello and Piano (1931)
Astor Piazzolla (1933-1990)
Five Tangos for Violin and Double Bass
Se Fue Sin Decirme Adios/He Left without saying Goodbye
La Misma Pena/The Same Sorrow arr. Andreas Wiebecke-Gottstein
Saint Louis en L’lle/Saint Louis at the Island
Guardia Nueva/New Guard
Adios Nonino/Goodbye Father arr. Andres Martin
Robert Schumann (1810-56)
Quartet in E-flat Major, Op.47, for Violin, Viola, Cello and Piano
Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo
Scherzo: Molto vivace
Andante Cantabile
Finale: Vivace
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
The Main Street Chamber Players is a mixed instrumental chamber ensemble whose collective experience spans more than 20 years and is comprised of members of Main Street Music Studios and various guest artists. Concerts by MSCP have included performances at the John Kendall Recital Hall in Takoma Park, Maryland and The Lyceum in Alexandria, Virginia as well as a number of churches in the Northern Virginia area.
Hailed by critics for her “musical elegance and brilliant technique”, pianist Rosanne Conway is a native of Seattle, Washington, where she performed with the Seattle Symphony at the age of 16. She holds degrees from the University of Washington and the University of Colorado and as winner of the Petri Award for Foreign Study, attended the Hochschüle fur Müsik und Theatre in Hannover, Germany and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. In New York, she studied with Earl Wild at The Juilliard School. Ms. Conway has appeared on many local and regional concert series including Anderson House, the Luxembourg Embassy, the State Department, and for the American Liszt Society Festival at the Kennedy Center. Ms. Conway and Santiago Rodriguez have recorded Rachmaninoff’s four hand/two piano works for the Elan label. Ms. Conway has also served on the faculties of Lewis and Clark College, the University of Maryland, and the National Cathedral School. She is also a founding member of the Main Street Music Studios in Fairfax, Virginia as well as a member of the Main Street Chamber Players.
Barbara Fitzgerald, double bassist, is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees. As winner of the school’s concerto competition, she performed the Pichl Concerto for Double Bass with the Juilliard Philharmonia. She has lived in various parts of the world where she has been in orchestras, given solo recitals and been soloist with orchestra in concerto performances, most recently performing the Koussevitzky Concerto with the Reston Community Orchestra in Reston, Virginia and with the Summer Strings Orchestra in Glen Burnie, Maryland. She toured Eastern Europe with the McGill Chamber Orchestra from Montreal, Canada; was principal bass of the West Australia Symphony Orchestra in Perth, West Australia; has played in summer festivals in Europe and Mexico; has been a free-lance bassist in New York City, and is presently a free-lance bassist in Washington, D.C. Ms. Fitzgerald is a founding member of the Main Street Music Studios and a member of the Main Street Chamber Players in Fairfax, Virginia. She currently serves on the faculty of the Peabody Bass Works at the Peabody Conservatory and is the director of “Basstravaganza”, a summer camp for bassists in Northern Virginia.
Violinist, Laura Kobayashi, performs as a member of the Kobayashi/Gray Duo and Main Street Chamber Players and is a founding member of the Main Street Music Studios where she maintains a large studio of students. Dr. Kobayashi actively performs throughout the United States and has also performed abroad in Wales, Thailand, South Africa, Norway, Argentina, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and Brazil and the islands of Trinidad, St. Lucia and Puerto Rico. In addition, she has recorded two compact discs of music by women composers for the Albany Records label. She has also edited for publication a violin sonata by 19th Century French woman composer, Marie Grandval, for Hildegard Publishing Company. Dr. Kobayashi is also the recipient of two teaching awards: the 2012 VASTA (Virginia State Chapter of ASTA) Outstanding String Teacher Award and the 2002 “Excellence in Teaching” Award by the School of Music and College of Creative Arts at West Virginia University. Her past teaching positions include West Virginia University, the University of Georgia and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Prior to her teaching career, Dr. Kobayashi was a professional orchestral musician and played in the second violin section in the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. Dr. Kobayashi studied violin with Dorothy DeLay, Andrew Jennings, Paul Kantor and Denes Zsigmondy. Her degrees are from The Juilliard School, Yale University and The University of Michigan.
Cellist, teacher and author Kenneth Law is a member of the Main Street Chamber Players and Ritz Chamber Players. He has performed at the Arts Club of Washington (D.C.), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Alice Tully Hall, and the “Jazz at Lincoln Center” Concert Series. Overseas, he has performed in England, France, Scotland, Panama and Puerto Rico, and has collaborated with Earl Carlyss (Juilliard String Quartet), Michael Tree (Guarneri Quartet), and the Ying String Quartet. In March of 2006, Mr. Law was featured on the nationally televised NAACP Image Awards as a member of the Ritz Chamber Players. Mr. Law gave his first performance at the Piccolo Spoleto Music Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, as a member of the Converse Trio in the Spring of 2008; in the Summers of 2009 and 2010 returned as a member of Ensemble Argos and in the Spring of 2017 as a member of the Polaris Piano Trio. In the Summer of 2011 he performed as a member of the Charleston Baroque, and as Director of Chamber Music and performer in the 2013 Colour of Music Festival, also in Charleston. Mr. Law currently maintains a large private studio in Fairfax, Virginia. His students have been accepted to the Eastman School of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, Peabody and Oberlin Conservatories and Indiana University (Bloomington). Mr. Law is the recipient of the Studio Teacher of the Year Award from both the South Carolina (2010) and Virginia (2017) chapters of the American String Teachers Association. Mr. Law received undergraduate and graduate degrees in performance from the Eastman School of Music and Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory. He was also a chamber music fellow at The Juilliard School.
Harold Levin joined Main Street Music Studios as Artist-Teacher of Viola in 2019, after serving as Professor of Viola at Skidmore College. He previously held viola and conducting positions at the University of Nebraska (Lincoln), West Virginia, Bucknell, and Marywood Universities. His former students hold public school, college, and professional orchestra positions throughout the United States. An active performer, Dr. Levin has played viola with the orchestras of Louisville, Cincinnati, Omaha, Memphis, Long Island, Orlando, and Jacksonville, and has taught and performed in summer festivals including Cabrillo, Interlochen, Rutgers Summerfest, Bedford Springs, Bay View, Breckenridge, Lake Placid, and the Colorado Philharmonic. Currently he teaches and performs each summer at The Blue Mountain Festival in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Dr. Levin holds degrees from Ball State University, the University of Cincinnati, and Rutgers University, where his teachers included Michael Tree, Donald McInnes, Raymond Stilwell, and Robert Slaughter. In addition to his college work, he has led youth orchestras in Indiana, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Florida. A commissioned, recorded, and published composer; his works have been performed throughout the U.S.
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Sunday February 7, 2021 3 pm
Michael De Sapio, violin
John Armato, lute and guitar
Renaissance dances (arranged with tablature by Anton Höger):
Allmaine - Thomas Holmes (1606-1638)
The Tobacco Pipe - Anonymous
Ballo detto il Picchi - Giovanni Picchi (1571-1643)
Sonata No.33 in F - Sylvius Leopold Weiss (1686 - 1750)
Prelude - Allemande
Sonata in D minor for lute and violin - Friedrich Wilhelm Rust (1739-1796)
Allegro maestoso – Arioso – Rondeau
Grand duo in A major - Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829)
Andante molto sostenuto – Allegretto espressivo
Un dia de noviembre - Leo Brouwer (b. 1939)
Nightclub 1960 - Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)
Michael De Sapio was raised in Alexandria, Virginia and attended The Catholic University of America and The Peabody Conservatory, where with some fellow students he formed Charm City Baroque. Equally at home on Baroque and modern instruments, Michael has performed with The Washington Bach Consort, Folger Consort, Modern Musick, Wolf Trap Opera Company, and the Fairfax Symphony, among other groups. He is also an avid chorister in Roman Catholic church choirs. In addition to his musical activities, Michael is a writer for Fanfare magazine and a variety of other publications.
John Armato came from Los Angeles to Baltimore to study classical guitar at the Peabody Conservatory, then went on to earn a Master's in lute performance there. He has performed with a number of area ensembles including Peabody Consort and National Gallery of Art Vocal Ensemble, and has also toured extensively in Japan and Taiwan. Most recently, John recorded an album of English and Italian songs with soprano Nola Richardson entitled How Sweet the Torment. John gives lessons at the International School of Music and at Music and Arts Center, where he teaches classical and rock guitar to students of all levels.
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Sunday January 31, 2021 3 pm
Sasha Beresovksy, piano
Robert Schumann
Kreisleriana, Eight Fantasies for Piano, Op. 16
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata in F Major, Op. 54
In tempo d’un menuetto
Allegretto - Più allegro
César Franck
Prélude, Chorale, et Fugue
Sasha Beresovsky is a graduate of Indiana University, studying most recently with the late Edmund Battersby. He regularly appears at The Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria as part of the Summer Chamber Music Series of WMPA, in 2015 presenting Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. Sasha has spent much of the last three years in Boston, where he taught privately and, with a group of friends, organized the Boston Community Studio Class. Now he returns to the DC area to continue his studies at Shenandoah University in Virginia.
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Sunday January 24, 2021 3 pm
Jay DeWire, piano
Debussy: Images Book I
1. Reflets dans l'eau 2. Hommage a Rameau 3. Mouvement
Schumann: Humoreske, Op. 20
Jay DeWire, piano, has performed across the United States as a soloist, collaborator, and member of the West Shore Trio. Highlights include two performances as soloist with the Prince George’s Philharmonic, concerts in Chautauqua, Los Angeles and New Mexico. with the West Shore Piano Trio, a performance at the North American Saxophone Alliance in Lubbock,Texas with Dr. Brent Weber and Dr. Mark Gallagher, and the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts with Dr. Mark Gallagher. He teaches piano and history at Frostburg State University.
Dr. DeWire began playing piano at the age of four and gave his first solo recital at age 12. He received a B.A. with High Distinction and a Master of Arts in piano performance from the University of Virginia, and a Master of Music from the New England Conservatory. In December of 2007 he received a D.M.A. from the University of Maryland School of Music (College Park). He has studied with such distinguished pianists as Joanne Haroutounian, Mimi Tung, Gabriel Chodos, Bradford Gowen, Steve Drury, John Moriarty, and Larissa Dedova. He has performed in master classes for Claude Frank, Andre Watts, Ruth Laredo, and Tigran Alikhanov, the Director of the Moscow Conservatory, and appeared in several competitions including: The National Society of Arts and Letters Competition, National Symphony Orchestra Competition, Baldwin Competition, Washington, DC Beethoven Competition (Honorable Mention), and was a finalist in the American Musicological Society (Mid-Atlantic Chapter) Writing Competition. Dr. DeWire has also received numerous prizes including the Brander Wyatt Morrison Prize, and a Dean of Faculty Fellowship (UVa), as well as scholarships at the University of Maryland, New England Conservatory and University of Virginia.
Sunday December 6, 2020
The 4th Annual Alexandria TUBACHRISTMAS
Eight Tubists perform 22 Holiday Tunes
From the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria VA
Performers, as shown in the video:
From left to right, back row:
Matt Fonda, alto horn
Jimmy Fonda, euphonium
Tommy Fonda, tuba
Dick Fonda, tuba
From left to right, front row:
Chris Buckley, euphonium
Phil Franke, euphonium
Karl Hovey, tuba
Zach Bridges, tuba
Steve Rice, conductor
TubaChristmas History
Created by Harvey Phillips, TUBACHRISTMAS concerts have been presented in over 300 cities throughout the United States and in many foreign countries. Phillips was inspired to create TUBACHRISTMAS as an annual event honoring his teacher, the late great tuba player William Bell, who was born on Christmas Day, 1902. Every TUBACHRISTMAS performance features traditional Christmas carols that were arranged by American composer Alec Wilder for the first ever TUBACHRISTMAS, held on December 22, 1974 at Rockefeller Center in New York. The warm, rich organ-like sound of the tuba-euphonium choir (and there have been groups with more than 200!) has won the ears and hearts of every audience. For more information about TUBACHRISTMAS and the Harvey Phillips Foundation, see www.tubachristmas.com.
Normally performed outdoors by many tubists on Alexandria's Market Square, due to COVID 19 this year's TUBACHRISTMAS has been moved indoors and downsized to eight safely spaced tubists .
Sunday November 15, 2020
Hai Jin, piano
Hiram Diaz
The Lyceum
J. S. Bach: No.1 BWV 525
Percy Code: At Dawn – Zelda - At Sunset
Vladimir Cosma: Euphonium Concerto
Allegro Assai
Andantino
Giocoso
Simone Mantia: All those endearing young charms
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
As an active concert pianist, chamber musician, and orchestral soloist, Sassmanshaus Piano Trio member, Hai Jin has performed over 200 recitals throughout United States and Asia. She has appeared as a soloist throughout China and has been engaged with several Chinese orchestras such as China Conservatory orchestra, Shanxi string Chamber orchestra and Yanbian symphony orchestra. She made her United States debut in 2010 upon the invitation of Boston University. She has recorded and collaborated with violinist Haoli Lin on his debut CD Romantic Journey, and previously recorded with Violinist Yabing Tan on her CD Yabing Tan published by Great Wall Classics. Jin has also appeared as faculty in Music festivals such as Great wall Music Academy and Cleveland International Music Festival, giving master classes at Norfolk State university, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, China Conservatory of Music, participating as Jury at Washington Universal Piano competition, Water Cube Competition and Talent CCTV Competition. She has worked with renowned artists such as Rohan De Silva, Hiram Diaz, Erinn Frechette, Heather Verbeck Harrison, Gao Can, Yi li etc. She is a D.M.A. candidate at the University of Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music in Piano Performance with cognate area in Orchestral Conducting. At the same institution, her A.D. and M.M. in Piano Performance were completed under guidance of pianists Awadagin Pratt and James Tocco. Her B.M. in Piano Performance is from China Conservatory. She had taught at the Preparatory Department of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and as Assistant Professor in Minzu University (Beijing, China), Assistant Conductor at the Maryland Lyric Opera. Currently, she appears mostly in DC area as solo pianist.
Hiram Diaz is a euphoniumist, trombonist, vocalist and music educator in the Washington DC area. A second generation Cuban American, he grew up in Miami, Florida surrounded by the Latin-American diaspora and its incredible contributions to the arts. Throughout Hiram’s education, he competed in several international euphonium competitions, including winning the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference Artist Euphonium Competition, placing second at the Leonard Falcone International Artist Euphonium Competition, and receiving an honorable mention at the first international Concours de Tuba Tours, in Tours, France. Hiram’s primary teachers include Dr. Brian Bowman, Tim Northcut, Jay Bertolet and Lee Rogers.
As a euphoniumist Hiram has played solo and recital performances throughout the United States and abroad. He has been a featured soloist at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, Illinois, various International Tuba and Euphonium Conferences, and recently with “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band on their National Concert Tour. He performs regularly as guest euphonium, trombone, or bass trumpet with such groups as the Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, and National Symphony Orchestras.
Hiram is also a very active chamber musician as a member and returning guest with such groups as High Bridge Brass, Washington Symphonic Brass, Dominion Brass Quartet, and the American Tuba Quartet. Currently, Hiram proudly serves as a euphoniumist in “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in Washington D.C., a position he has held since 2012.
Hiram lives in Silver Spring Maryland with his wife Molly, and their three children Olivia, David, and Ana.
Hai Jin, piano
Hiram Diaz
The Lyceum
J. S. Bach: No.1 BWV 525
Percy Code: At Dawn – Zelda - At Sunset
Vladimir Cosma: Euphonium Concerto
Allegro Assai
Andantino
Giocoso
Simone Mantia: All those endearing young charms
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
As an active concert pianist, chamber musician, and orchestral soloist, Sassmanshaus Piano Trio member, Hai Jin has performed over 200 recitals throughout United States and Asia. She has appeared as a soloist throughout China and has been engaged with several Chinese orchestras such as China Conservatory orchestra, Shanxi string Chamber orchestra and Yanbian symphony orchestra. She made her United States debut in 2010 upon the invitation of Boston University. She has recorded and collaborated with violinist Haoli Lin on his debut CD Romantic Journey, and previously recorded with Violinist Yabing Tan on her CD Yabing Tan published by Great Wall Classics. Jin has also appeared as faculty in Music festivals such as Great wall Music Academy and Cleveland International Music Festival, giving master classes at Norfolk State university, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, China Conservatory of Music, participating as Jury at Washington Universal Piano competition, Water Cube Competition and Talent CCTV Competition. She has worked with renowned artists such as Rohan De Silva, Hiram Diaz, Erinn Frechette, Heather Verbeck Harrison, Gao Can, Yi li etc. She is a D.M.A. candidate at the University of Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music in Piano Performance with cognate area in Orchestral Conducting. At the same institution, her A.D. and M.M. in Piano Performance were completed under guidance of pianists Awadagin Pratt and James Tocco. Her B.M. in Piano Performance is from China Conservatory. She had taught at the Preparatory Department of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and as Assistant Professor in Minzu University (Beijing, China), Assistant Conductor at the Maryland Lyric Opera. Currently, she appears mostly in DC area as solo pianist.
Hiram Diaz is a euphoniumist, trombonist, vocalist and music educator in the Washington DC area. A second generation Cuban American, he grew up in Miami, Florida surrounded by the Latin-American diaspora and its incredible contributions to the arts. Throughout Hiram’s education, he competed in several international euphonium competitions, including winning the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference Artist Euphonium Competition, placing second at the Leonard Falcone International Artist Euphonium Competition, and receiving an honorable mention at the first international Concours de Tuba Tours, in Tours, France. Hiram’s primary teachers include Dr. Brian Bowman, Tim Northcut, Jay Bertolet and Lee Rogers.
As a euphoniumist Hiram has played solo and recital performances throughout the United States and abroad. He has been a featured soloist at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, Illinois, various International Tuba and Euphonium Conferences, and recently with “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band on their National Concert Tour. He performs regularly as guest euphonium, trombone, or bass trumpet with such groups as the Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, and National Symphony Orchestras.
Hiram is also a very active chamber musician as a member and returning guest with such groups as High Bridge Brass, Washington Symphonic Brass, Dominion Brass Quartet, and the American Tuba Quartet. Currently, Hiram proudly serves as a euphoniumist in “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in Washington D.C., a position he has held since 2012.
Hiram lives in Silver Spring Maryland with his wife Molly, and their three children Olivia, David, and Ana.
Sunday November 1, 2020
Hai Jin, piano
The Lyceum
Robert Schumann: Arabesque in C Major, Op. 18
J.S. Bach: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring from Cantata No. 147 (arr. Dame Myra Hess)
J. S. Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze (arr. Egon Petri)
Granados: Goyescas No. 4 Quejas, o La Maja y el ruiseñor
Granados: Goyescas No. 7 El Pelele
Franz Liszt: Tarantella, Venezia e Napoli (No. 3 from Années de pèlerinage, 2nd Year)
ABOUT THE PERFORMER
As an active concert pianist, chamber musician, and orchestral soloist, Sassmanshaus Piano Trio member, Jin has performed over 200 recitals throughout United States and Asia. She has appeared as a soloist throughout China and has been engaged with several Chinese orchestras such as China Conservatory orchestra, Shanxi string Chamber orchestra and Yanbian symphony orchestra. She made her United States debut in 2010 upon the invitation of Boston University. She has recorded and collaborated with violinist Haoli Lin on his debut CD Romantic Journey, and previously recorded with Violinist Yabing Tan on her CD Yabing Tan published by Great Wall Classics. Jin has also appeared as faculty in Music festivals such as Great wall Music Academy and Cleveland International Music Festival, giving master classes at Norfolk State university, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, China Conservatory of Music, participating as Jury at Washington Universal Piano competition, Water Cube Competition and Talent CCTV Competition. She has worked with renowned artists such as Rohan De Silva, Hiram Diaz, Erinn Frechette, Heather Verbeck Harrison, Gao Can, Yi li etc. She is a D.M.A. candidate at the University of Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music in Piano Performance with cognate area in Orchestral Conducting. At the same institution, her A.D. and M.M. in Piano Performance were completed under guidance of pianists Awadagin Pratt and James Tocco. Her B.M. in Piano Performance is from China Conservatory. She had taught at the Preparatory Department of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and as Assistant Professor in Minzu University (Beijing, China), Assistant Conductor at the Maryland Lyric Opera. Currently, she appears mostly in DC area as solo pianist.
Hai Jin, piano
The Lyceum
Robert Schumann: Arabesque in C Major, Op. 18
J.S. Bach: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring from Cantata No. 147 (arr. Dame Myra Hess)
J. S. Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze (arr. Egon Petri)
Granados: Goyescas No. 4 Quejas, o La Maja y el ruiseñor
Granados: Goyescas No. 7 El Pelele
Franz Liszt: Tarantella, Venezia e Napoli (No. 3 from Années de pèlerinage, 2nd Year)
ABOUT THE PERFORMER
As an active concert pianist, chamber musician, and orchestral soloist, Sassmanshaus Piano Trio member, Jin has performed over 200 recitals throughout United States and Asia. She has appeared as a soloist throughout China and has been engaged with several Chinese orchestras such as China Conservatory orchestra, Shanxi string Chamber orchestra and Yanbian symphony orchestra. She made her United States debut in 2010 upon the invitation of Boston University. She has recorded and collaborated with violinist Haoli Lin on his debut CD Romantic Journey, and previously recorded with Violinist Yabing Tan on her CD Yabing Tan published by Great Wall Classics. Jin has also appeared as faculty in Music festivals such as Great wall Music Academy and Cleveland International Music Festival, giving master classes at Norfolk State university, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, China Conservatory of Music, participating as Jury at Washington Universal Piano competition, Water Cube Competition and Talent CCTV Competition. She has worked with renowned artists such as Rohan De Silva, Hiram Diaz, Erinn Frechette, Heather Verbeck Harrison, Gao Can, Yi li etc. She is a D.M.A. candidate at the University of Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music in Piano Performance with cognate area in Orchestral Conducting. At the same institution, her A.D. and M.M. in Piano Performance were completed under guidance of pianists Awadagin Pratt and James Tocco. Her B.M. in Piano Performance is from China Conservatory. She had taught at the Preparatory Department of University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and as Assistant Professor in Minzu University (Beijing, China), Assistant Conductor at the Maryland Lyric Opera. Currently, she appears mostly in DC area as solo pianist.
Sunday, October 25, 2020 3 pm
MAIN STREET CHAMBER PLAYERS
The Lyceum
PERFORMERS:
Kenneth Law, cello; Rosanne Conway, piano; Laura Kobayashi, violin; Harold Levin, viola; Barbara Fitzgerald, double bass
PROGRAM:
Reinhold Gliere/Frank Proto: Selections from Suite for Viola and Double Bass
Rebecca Clarke: Dumka: Duo Concertante for Violin and Viola with Piano (1940-41)
Max Bruch: Canzone, for Cello and Piano, Op.55 (1891)
Zoltan Kodaly: 1st Mvt./Allegro serioso, non troppo from Duo for Violin and Cello, Op.7 (1914)
MAIN STREET CHAMBER PLAYERS
The Lyceum
PERFORMERS:
Kenneth Law, cello; Rosanne Conway, piano; Laura Kobayashi, violin; Harold Levin, viola; Barbara Fitzgerald, double bass
PROGRAM:
Reinhold Gliere/Frank Proto: Selections from Suite for Viola and Double Bass
Rebecca Clarke: Dumka: Duo Concertante for Violin and Viola with Piano (1940-41)
Max Bruch: Canzone, for Cello and Piano, Op.55 (1891)
Zoltan Kodaly: 1st Mvt./Allegro serioso, non troppo from Duo for Violin and Cello, Op.7 (1914)
