2017-2018 Season
| Date | Type | Title | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, 09/28/2017 - 9:45am | Music by Members | Music by Members/Open House - Sep 28, 2017 |
Member Program and Open House. Reception follows in the Fireside Room. Admission free! PROGRAMSonata in E flat major, Op. 5, No. 3 by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837) Virginia Allen, viola; Linda MacGougan, piano Hungarian born Hummel, as an 8 year old, lived with Mozart and studied with him for 2 years. Over the subsequent years he was either a friend of, student of or teacher of Beethoven, Haydn, Czerny, Mendelssohn and many others. Later in life, his style of balanced classicism was overtaken by the fireworks of composers like Liszt. Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52 by Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) The Ballade No. 4 was composed in 1842 in Paris and Nohant and revised in 1843. The work was dedicated to Baroness Rothschild, wife of Nathaniel de Rothschild, who had invited Chopin to play in her Parisian residence, where she introduced him to the aristocracy and nobility. According to Robert Schumann, this Ballade was inspired by Adam Mickiewicz's poem. The Three Budrys, which tells of three brothers sent away by their father to seek treasures, and the story of their return with three Polish brides. A distinguishing feature of the fourth Ballade is its contrapuntal nature. Of the four Ballades Chopin composed, it is considered by many pianists to be the most difficult, both technically and musically. Oblivion by Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992), arranged by R. Becker & J. Handler Chorei by Alfredo da Rocha Viana Filho ("Pixinguinha") (1897-1973) and Benedito Lacerda (1903-1958) East-West Suite by Stephen Lalor (1962- ) II. Ballade Leonor Snow, flute Oblivion is a hauntingly beautiful melody by the great Argentinean composer and performer, Astor Piazzolla. Chorei is an example of Brazilian “choro” music, which has some similarities to ragtime music. Stephen Lalor's music reflects a combination of his formal training and extensive experience performing a wide range of genres at an international level. He is a well-known Australian composer and mandolinist.
BIOSVirginia Allen Ginny Allen graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Music degree. She then went on to get a Master’s degree in Special Education, teaching the hearing impaired. After spending some years raising a family, she went back to school and became a registered nurse. She recently retired from a 20-year nursing career. Ginny is presently Concertmaster of the Connecticut Valley Symphony Orchestra and is a performing member of The Musical Club of Hartford. She has been a member of the CVSO since the 1980’s. Many things bring her great pleasure in life. Making music is one of them. Another is her role as a bi-coastal grandmother, with 4 grandchildren in Rhode Island and 2 in California.
Linda MacGougan Linda MacGougan is a pianist, performing as soloist, accompanist and chamber musician. Teaching piano is her vocation, as she loves working with children. Linda’s a member of the Connecticut State Music Teachers Association and serves as an adjudicator for some of their events. She received degrees in music from Yale and UConn.
Soohyung Yoo
Korean American pianist Soohyung Yoo has performed for audiences throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe, at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall in New York, Academy of Music in Philadelphia, and Salle Cortot in Paris. She has garnered prizes in several international competitions, such as the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition, International Young Artists Piano Competition, Pinault International Competition, and prizewinner of the Artist International Presentations, resulting in a solo debut recital at Weill Hall in Carnegie Hall. Soohyung obtained her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music, and Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland. She also trained in Europe through the International Certificate for Piano Artists program held by the Ecole Normal de Musique de Alfred Cortot in Paris and Fondation Bell’Arte de Braine-l'Alleud in Belgium. Soohyung currently enjoys working with students at Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, CT, where she heads the applied music department.
Leo Snow Leo Snow plays flute, alto flute, piccolo and wooden flute with the guitar/mandolin duo of Judith Handler and Mark Levesque as well as in the Farmington Valley Symphony Orchestra (FVSO) and has also performed with Charter Oak Flutes and the Connecticut Valley Chamber Orchestra. In 1996 she founded Musical Friends, a chamber group of musicians that invites various musical friends to perform depending on the repertoire performed. Leo holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance from Southern Methodist University, a Bachelor of Music in Music Management from the Hartt School of Music and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Hartford. She has studied with flutists Greig Sherer (Hartford), Claire Johnson (Dallas), Mary Ellen Jacobs (Hartford) and Keith Underwood (New York) and performed in a masterclass for the legendary Julius Baker. Her greatest pleasure is making music with friends!
Judith Handler and Mark Levesque Husband and wife duo, Judith Handler and Mark Levesque have performed over 2,000 concerts together in the United States & Europe. Their sophisticated & expressive arrangements blend classical, Brazilian, Latin American, klezmer, gypsy, jazz, Celtic and folk music influences to create a unique and extraordinary sound. This matched with their impeccable musicianship and outstanding stage presence has won them a widespread enthusiastic following. Handler & Levesque have performed for festivals, arts centers, universities and museums. Recent highlights include performances in Portugal & Spain in August 2016, Eurofest 2014 in Bruchsal, Germany, The English Church in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Classical Mandolin Society of America Convention 2014 in Portland, Oregon, The Performing Arts Complex of Delaware County, The United Methodist Church in New Market, Maryland, Troy NY Music Hall, International Festival of Arts & Ideas, Caramoor Center in Katonah, NY, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Hudson River Museum, Roger Williams University, The University of Connecticut, The Bushnell Performing Arts Center, The Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s Musical Dialogue Series, The Byron Colby Barn, Music Mountain and the Jewish Museum in Manhattan. They have performed for many community events including First Night Westport, The Mystic Arts Café, Bean Blossom Music Series in Indiana, the Rainbow’s End Series in Chicago, Nashua Public Library in New Hampshire and the Quechee Club in Vermont. They are founding members of the New American Mandolin Ensemble that performs contemporary classical music in the U.S. and abroad. Handler & Levesque are on the roster of Cantaloupe Music Productions in Manhattan, New England Foundation for the Arts, and the Connecticut Library Consortium. Their CDs Passion, Two Guitars Live! & Acoustic Blend have received critical acclaim and have been sold in dozens of countries throughout the world. All three CDs have been used by the Greater Hartford Arts Council as a gift to thousands of donors to their United Arts Campaign in 2003, 2006 and 2009. Handler & Levesque have also been featured on numerous compilation CDs with other artists as well as many radio & cable programs. Mark Levesque has performed on guitar (classical, jazz archtop, 12 string, electric & gypsy), mandolin, and cuatro in numerous ensembles throughout New England most recently with the CitySingers of Hartford. He has played and arranged world, jazz, Latin and blues music and has worked with synthesizer orchestration and studio recording. Mark’s passion for guitar and mandolin music has led him to research music from all over the world and his creative ideas have been the stimulus for many of the arrangements performed by the group. He currently teaches mandolin and guitar at a private studio in Vernon, CT. Mark has taken courses at Central Connecticut State University and the Hartt School of Music as well as private instruction with guitarists in a variety of genres. Judith Handler received a Master of Music in guitar performance from the Hartt School of Music, a Bachelor of Music from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, a Diploma of Merit from Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy, a Certificate from Curs Internacional de Música at the Vila-Seca i Salou Conservatory in Spain and a Diploma from the Aspen Music School. She has performed and given workshops and classes throughout the United States. Judith also performs historical programs on period instruments in the Rosewood Chamber Ensemble with flutist Barbara Hopkins, teaches at a private studio in Vernon, CT and runs monthly performance classes. Judith is founder of the Connecticut Guitar Society. |
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT |
| Thu, 10/12/2017 - 10:00am | Music by Members | Music by Members - Oct 12, 2017 |
Member Program featuring Michelle Davis, *Tracy Norkun, Fred Fenn, Bridget de Moura Castro, Sandra Ann Craig, Laura Mazza-Dixon, and *Monika Kinstler. PROGRAMTrio Sonata in D Minor, H.569 Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) For many years the Trio Sonata in D Minor, H. 569 was attributed to J.S. Bach but recent early music scholars have come to the conclusion that the piece was actually composed by his son, C.P.E. Bach. Since J.S. Bach taught his children, it is sometimes hard to differentiate who composed what piece. "Within the rich repertoire of instrumental trios spanning Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s entire creative life, the sonatas for two treble instruments and bass represent not only the majority but also the composer’s point of departure for this genre of composition, going all the way back to the Leipzig years when he was studying with his father” (Christoph Wolf). Michelle Davis, flute ***
Andante and Rondo, Op. 25 Franz Doppler (1821-1883)
Michelle Davis, flute Albert Franz Doppler, following the example of Paganini, was both a composer and a virtuoso performer. Taught by his composer and oboist father, Joseph, Franz made his Vienna debut as a flutist at the age of 13 and embarked on several concert tours, often accompanied by his brother Carl, also a highly accomplished flautist and composer. Composed to showcase the talents of the Doppler brothers during one of their many tours, Andante and Rondo is a flashy showpiece for 2 flutes. The Rondo features complex rhythmic layers, and has the cheek and drive of a Hungarian gypsy dance. *** Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major, K. 333 W. A. Mozart (1756-1791) Sandra Ann Craig, piano This sonata is written in 1778. It is in Mozart's mature style. A special feature is found in the third movement, which is a large Rondo, which has a full-sized "cadenza in tempo," occupying the position of the customary cadenza for the soloist in the classical concerto, a feature that is unique in the piano sonata of Mozart. *** Suite in A minor for Two Viols John Jenkins (1592-1678) Fantasia Laura Mazza-Dixon, bass viola da gamba John Jenkins played, taught, and composed instrumental music for the English nobility during the height of the popularity of the viol consort. A skilled performer on both the lute and the viol, Jenkins was one of the most highly regarded composers in England between the death of William Byrd and the rise of Henry Purcell. Perhaps best known for his consorts for four, five and six viols, Jenkins’ manuscripts of pieces written for two bass viols included some fifty-five movements, among them the Fantasias, Ayre and Courant we will perform on this program.
BIOSBridget de Moura Castro Bridget de Moura Castro has a piano studio in Avon, CT, is music director of Our Lady of Sorrows, Hartford and is married to concert pianist Luiz de Moura Castro. With 10 CDs on organ, piano and fortepiano she has recently returned from Portugal and Brazil where she gave organ recitals.
Michelle Davis
Michelle Davis is a graduate of The New England Conservatory of Music where she studied with Fenwick Smith. She is a member of The West Hartford Symphony Orchestra and performs frequently with Bridget de Moura Castro and others on solo and chamber music programs. Michelle also plays extensively with Tony Rauche at Avon Memorial United Methodist Church. She has taught all ages of flute students and has directed children’s choirs for almost thirty years. She is now two classes away from her Master’s Degree in Secondary English with an emphasize in reading and literature. She has a 23-year-old son, attending graduate school at Lipscomb University in Nashville, a 20-year-old daughter, pursuing dance arts administration at Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi, and a 16-year-old son who just finished a summer with the Tanglewood BUTI Young Artist’s Orchestra on his violin.
Fred Fenn
Frederick Fenn has been playing the bassoon for many years. He has played with the Vermont Philharmonic, the Torrington Symphony, the Litchfield Chamber Orchestra, Laudate Orchestra, the Nutmeg Woodwind Quintet, and the Simsbury Community Band. Fenn is a retired special education teacher now enjoying a music-infused retirement.
Sandra Ann Craig Sandra Ann Craig studied privately and earned a BA in performance from the College of Idaho. Piano is her major instrument. She also plays harpsichord and organ. She is a choral singer and in her younger years played clarinet. She has built a harpsichord and clavichord and supervised the building of two virginals by eighth graders at a local junior high school. She is a past president of the Musical Club of Hartford and a member of the club’s Vocal Ensemble.
Laura Mazza-Dixon
Laura Mazza-Dixon teaches classical guitar and viola da gamba at the Windy Hill Guitar Studio in Granby, CT. With a degree in classical guitar from Penn State University and an MFA in Early Music from Sarah Lawrence College. She has directed the Early Music Ensembles at the Hartt School of Music Community Division. Currently she coaches the Early Music at Windy Hill Ensembles with Deborah Robin, recorder. Along with Anne Mayo, harpsichord, and Susan Allen, flute, Laura performs Baroque music with the ensemble Les Amies de Théodore. Recently she has also performed at Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford with The Cathedral Viols, along with Monika Kinstler, Leland Tolo, Dana Campbell and Carrie Crompton.
Monika Kinstler* Monika Kinstler, violin and viola da gamba, studied at the University of Cincinnati, receiving a Bachelor of Music in Music History and a Master of Science in Metallurgical Engineering. She is proficient on a variety of historical instruments and has performed with early music ensembles in Cincinnati, Phoenix, Hartford and Buxtehude, Germany. Also a modern violinist, she has performed with orchestras in Scottsdale and Huntsville, Alabama, and is currently a member of the Manchester Symphony Orchestra. As a metallurgical engineer, she has a thirty year career in the aerospace industry, holds multiple patents, and is currently employed as a manager in Pratt & Whitney’s Materials & Processes Engineering department. Her musical and engineering interests collide in a passion for woodworking, and she has built several historical musical instruments, including a set of virginals and two vielles.
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Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT |
| Thu, 10/19/2017 - 10:00am | Jolidon Concert Series | Julian Schwarz, cello and Marika Bournaki, piano - Oct 19, 2017 |
Jolidon Concert featuring the Schwarz-Bournaki Duo (Julian Schwarz, cello and Marika Bournaki, piano) PROGRAMSonata no. 5 in D Major, Op 102, No. 2 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Cellist Julian Schwarz and Pianist Marika Bournaki of the Schwarz-Bournaki Duo are both young, rising stars in the classical music world. Julian, born into a multigenerational musical family, holds a Bachelors and a Masters Degree from Juilliard. He has already established an active international chamber music and solo career, performing many times with orchestras conducted by his father, Gerard Schwarz, including his concerto debut at age 11 with the Seattle Symphony, as well as with other orchestras. In 2013, he won first prize in the professional cello division of the Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition in Hong Kong. Marika, who is also a graduate of Juilliard, began performing as a child making her professional debut at age 9. She has been described as “the Celine Dion of classical” by The Huffington Post and in 2011 was named as one of the Canadian Chatelaine Magazine's Women of the Year. She is the subject of the documentary film, I am Not a Rock Star, which traces her evolution as a pianist from the age of 12 to 20. Julian and Marika met as students in the 2006 Aspen Festival. Over the subsequent years they reconnected at the Verbier festival in Switzerland, and as students at the Juilliard School in New York City. They began their musical collaboration in 2014 and made their debut together in recital at the Austrian Embassy in Washington DC for the Embassy Series. Since then this vibrant duo has performed many recitals as a duo. In 2016, Julian and Marika were awarded First-prize in the Boulder International Chamber Music Competition’s “The Art of the Duo”. The competition attracted 156 applications from 25 countries and 22 duos were selected to compete. The Duo will begin their program for the Musical Club with Beethoven’s last Cello Sonata no. 5, Op. 102, No. 2. Although written after Beethoven had become deaf and at a time when his compositions had become more complex and visionary, this sonata is more accessible and conventionally structured than his fourth cello sonata. However, the concluding fugue prefigures the fugal finales of the Hammerklavier Sonata and the late string quartets. Next is Schubert's “Arpegionne” sonata. This sonata is the only substantial composition for the arpeggione instrument, essentially a bowed guitar, which remains extant today. The sonata was composed in November 1824 but by the time the sonata was published posthumously in 1871, the enthusiasm for the novelty of the arpeggione had long since vanished, together with the instrument itself. Today, the piece is heard almost exclusively in transcriptions for cello or viola, and piano. After intermission the Duo will continue with Debussy’s Cello sonata. This piece was written as one of six sonatas for various instruments that Debussy had planned to compose; however, his death in 1918 prevented him from carrying out this plan and only three were ever written. It is notable for its brevity and is considered one of the masterpieces written for the cello. The program will conclude with Brahms’ fast-moving and exciting Scherzo in C minor, Bloch’s beautiful and moving Meditation Hébraïque, and Chopin’s Introduction and Polonaise Brillante in C Major, Op. 3. One of Chopin’s first published compositions, this work for cello and piano is still heavily rooted in the piano, with the cello taking on a primarily melodic role while the technical aspects of the performance are left to the piano. SCHWARZ-BOURNAKI DUO
Cellist Julian Schwarz and pianist Marika Bournaki met as students at the Aspen Music Festival in 2006. Over the subsequent years they reconnected at the Verbier festival in Switzerland, and as students at the Juilliard School in New York City. They began their musical collaboration in 2014 and made their debut together in recital at the Austrian Embassy in Washington DC for the Embassy Series.
BIOSJULIAN SCHWARZ Julian Schwarz was born to a multigenerational musical family in 1991. Heralded from a young age as a cellist destined to rank among the greatest of the 21st century, Julian’s powerful tone, effortless virtuosity, and extraordinarily large color palate are hallmarks of his style. In 2013 Mr Schwarz won 1st prize in the professional cello division of the Schoenfeld International String Competition in Hong Kong, and in 2016 won 1st prize at the Boulder International Chamber Music Competition’s “The Art of Duo” with Canadian pianist Marika Bournaki. After making his concerto debut at the age of 11 with the Seattle Symphony and his father Gerard Schwarz on the podium, he made his US touring debut with the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2010. Since then he has led an active career as soloist. Recent and upcoming debuts include the Buffalo and Rochester Philharmonics, Camerata Chicago, Symphony Silicon Valley, and the Toledo, Jacksonville, Charleston, Tucson, Amarillo, San Antonio, Des Moines, Charlotte, and West Virginia Symphonies. Return engagements include the Hartford and Springfield (MA) Symphonies, Northwest Sinfonietta, Lake Union Civic Orchestra, Symphoria (Syracuse NY), and the Boca Symphonia. Internationally, he made his Australian debut with the Queensland Symphony, his Mexican debuts with the Boca del Rio Symphony in Veracruz and the Mexico City Philharmonic with frequent collaborator Jorge Mester, and his Hong Kong debut at the Intimacy of Creativity Festival. He has also appeared at the Salzburg Mozarteum, and the Verbier festival in Switzerland. As a recitalist, he has performed at the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico, the Rosenegg Castle in Steyr Austria, on the Embassy Series in Washington DC, at the National Arts Club, and in Palm Springs, CA. In March 2017, Mr. Schwarz embarked on an extensive 10-recital tour of China, and will make debuts for the Musical Club of Hartford, the University Club in NYC, and the Boulder Bach Festival in the 17-18 season. A committed chamber musician, he is a member of the New York based Frisson Ensemble, the New York Classical Players, and the Mile-End Trio with violinist Jeff Multer and pianist Marika Bournaki. He performs frequently at Bargemusic in Brooklyn with violinist Mark Peskanov, on the Frankly Music Series in Milwaukee with violinist Frank Almond, and has been the featured young artist at both the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival and the Seattle Chamber Music Festival. Julian Schwarz is an ardent supporter of new music, and often commissions new works to enhance the cello repertoire. He has premiered concertos by Richard Danielpour, Samuel Jones (recorded with the All Star Orchestra for public television in 2012, subsequently released as a DVD on Naxos), and will give the world premiere of Lowell Liebermann’s first Cello Concerto with a consortium of five orchestras in the 17-18 season. Other premieres include the US Premiere of Dobrinka Tabakova’s Cello Concerto with the Urban Playground Chamber Orchestra, and recital works by Paul Frucht, Gavin Fraser, Ren Damin, and Gerard Schwarz. On record, the Schwarz-Bournaki duo has recorded Bright Sheng’s “Northern Lights” for Naxos, the complete cello/piano works by Ernest Bloch for the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music, and will release a debut recital album in 2017. A devoted teacher, Mr. Schwarz serves as Asst. Professor of Cello at Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University (Winchester, VA). Other faculty appointments include the Eastern Music Festival (Greensboro, NC), Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance (Nova Scotia, Canada), and faculty teaching assistant to Joel Krosnick at The Juilliard School. Mr. Schwarz studied at the Academy of Music Northwest, the Colburn School with Ronald Leonard, and received both BM and MM degrees from The Juilliard School where he studied with mentor Joel Krosnick. Other influential teachers include David Tonkonogui, Toby Saks, Lynn Harrell, Neal Cary, and chamber music studies with Andre Roy, Arnold Steinhardt, Jonathan Feldman, Toby Appel and Paul Coletti. Julian plays on a Neapolitan cello made by Gennaro Gagliano in 1743, is an active contributor to Strings Magazine’s Artist Blog, and sits on the music committee of the National Arts Club. MARIKA BOURNAKI Described as “the Celine Dion of classical” by The Huffington Post, MARIKA BOURNAKI is at once a world-class performer, dazzling pianist, vivacious young woman and one of the freshest faces on the classical music scene. Ms. Bournaki not only brings distinctive interpretations to favorite standards, but extends her passion for music by commissioning works from younger composers and collaborating with artists from various fields. Marika Bournaki has appeared as guest soloist with the symphony orchestras of Montréal, Quebec and St. Petersburg along with Romania’s Timisoara Filharmonica, Switzerland’s Verbier Chamber Orchestra and Canada’s Orchestre Métropolitain. In addition to a benefit recital for the Glenn Gould Foundation at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, she has been presented in solo recitals and chamber music collaborations throughout the United States, Canada and the world, including Belgium, England, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Switzerland and South Korea. A devoted chamber musician, Marika Bournaki performs regularly at Brooklyn’s Bargemusic, the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival and the Frankly Music series in Milwaukee, while serving on the faculties of the Eastern Music Festival and Canada’s Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance. She tours internationally with duo partner cellist Julian Schwarz, and together won 1st prize in the 2016 Boulder International Chamber Music Competition’s “The Art of Duo.” Ms. Bournaki is also a member of the Mile-End Trio with Mr. Schwarz and violinist Jeffrey Multer. The award-winning documentary “I am Not a Rock Star,” featuring Marika Bounaki and directed by Bobbi Jo Hart, has captivated international audiences of all ages. The feature-length film chronicles Ms. Bournaki’s evolution as an artist from the age of 12 to 20. A runaway success at multiple film festivals throughout the world, screenings of “I am Not a Rock Star” and solo performances were recently presented in Chicago, Dallas, Memphis, Miami, Napa Valley, Palm Springs, Toronto and Vancouver, as well as in Greece, México and Spain. The film has also been seen in Greece (ERT), The Netherlands (NTS), Norway (NRK), Sweden (SVT) the United Kingdom (BBC4), Australia (SBS) and New Zealand (Sky). The documentary is the recipient of awards for Best Arts Documentary and Best Editing from the 2014 Canadian Screen Awards. Marika Bournaki’s innovative approach to her art and performance is reflected in a number of multimedia projects intended to reach out to new audiences. Additionally, her role as Ambassador to the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal’s summer event, “A Cool Classical Journey,” afforded new and stimulating ways to share her music with the public. Marika Bournaki holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, where her principal teachers were Yoheved Kaplinsky and Matti Raekallio. She makes her home in New York City.
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Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT |
| Thu, 11/02/2017 - 10:00am | Music by Members | Music by Members - Nov 2, 2017 |
Member Program featuring Stacy Cahoon, Gene Chen, John Church, Carrie Hammond, Lisa Kugelman. This program spans four centuries of music, from Elizabethan Songs to string chamber music written in the 20th century. John Church, baritone, has assembled a collection of true Elizabethan songs as well as Roger Quilter’s modern interpretations. He will be accompanied by Elizabeth Carabillo, piano. The A Minor Tchaikovsky Piano Trio, first movement, will be performed by Lisa Kugelman, violin, Fran Bard, cello, and Stacy Cahoon, piano. It is an elegy dedicated “In Memory of a Great Artist” to Tchaikovsky’s close friend and mentor, Nicholas Rubenstein. Clarinet and Soprano will combine in the Spohr German Songs Op. 103, with husband and wife team of Jon and Carrie Hammond, with Paul Feyer, piano. The program finishes with a unique String Trio performing both contemporary works by Yale composer Kernis writing in homage to Mozart, as well as a movement from Mozart’s Divertimento in E flat. These are performed by MuUyas String Trio consisting of *Yu-Hao Chang, violin, Gene Chen, viola, and *Vivian Su, cello. PROGRAMGo Lovely Rose Roger Quilter (1877-1953) Time Stands Still John Dowland (1563-1626) Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind Roger Quilter (1877-1953) John Church, baritone *** Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50 Peter I. Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Lisa Kugelman, violin *** Three Selections from Six German Songs, Op.103 Louis Spohr (1784-1859) *** Mozart en route (or a little traveling music) Aaron Jay Kernis (b. 1960) Divertimento in E-Flat, K. 563 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) MuUyas String Trio
BIOSStacy Cahoon
Stacy Cahoon, pianist, enjoys collaborating with vocalists and instrumentalists alike. She holds performance degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and a Master of Music in Accompanying and Ensemble from the Hartt School of Music. Her active accompanying life has included flute duo performances at Lincoln Center’s Bruno Library, and St. Peter’s Church in NYC, and vocal concerts at the Mark Twain House, and South Church in New Britain. As a member of Trio Cantabile, consisting of voice, harp, and piano, she has performed at The Wood Memorial Library in South Windsor, and the Music at the Red Door concert series at St. John’s Episcopal Church in West Hartford. Since 1995, Stacy has been the accompanist for the Travelers Chorale, the oldest company-sponsored singing group in the country. In 2008, her choral composition “Little Tree” a setting of the poem by e.e. cummings, had its premiere at Bushnell Hall. As a soloist, she has presented recitals at Center Church in Hartford, the Unitarian Meeting House, West Hartford, CT and throughout her native Cape Cod. Stacy is an independent piano teacher in West Hartford. Fran Bard Fran Bard, cellist, has played with the Hartford Symphony for many years. An avid chamber music player, she is a cellist with the Hop River Chamber Players. She also taught in the Windsor and Glastonbury Public Schools.
Lisa Kugelman, violinist, is a graduate of Yale College and the University of CT School of Medicine and completed her residency and fellowship at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Lisa performs regularly with the Hartford Symphony and the Worthington Trio and has a dermatology practice in West Hartford.
MuUyas
The MuUyas Chamber Music was formed because of their passion, enthusiasm and love for the chamber music repertoire. MuUyas means "making music" in the dialect from Seediq, one of fourteen Taiwanese aboriginal tribes. Together, they hope to share their love for the chamber music repertoire and to continue the great traditions of playing chamber music that has been passed down for centuries. Previously known as the Alpaca String Quartet, the founding members for MuUyas are violinist Yu-Hao (Howard) Chang, violist Po-Chun (Gene) Chen, and cellist Wen-Hsuan (Vivian) Su. Western Classical Music has long been a part of the Taiwanese culture; it is common for children in a Taiwanese family to learn some sort of Western Classical instruments. The multicultural aspect of Taiwanese culture allowed these musicians to grow and meet halfway across the globe from their birth country to come together to form the MuUyas Chamber Music.
John Church, baritone, received his BA in music and briefly studied composition as a post graduate. He sings with the choir at St. John’s Episcopal Church (West Hartford), MadSingers, and CitySingers of Hartford. He has also sung with Trinity Episcopal’s Compline Schola, and The Festival Singers (in performances of Neely Bruce’s Bill of Rights), and joins friends regularly to entertain at Avery Heights.
Carrie is the director of Business Development for Infinity Hall & Bistro, a 500-seat live music venue anchoring Hartford’s Front Street Arts and Entertainment District. She was CEO of the Hartford Symphony from 2011-2014 and before that spent 25 years in financial and strategic management for both The Travelers and United Technologies. A graduate of Harvard Business School and Wellesley College, she is active on many Boards including The Hartford Stage, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, The Hartt School, Connecticut Arts Alliance and Choral Arts New England.
Elizabeth Carabillo Elizabeth Carabillo has been a handbell choir director and is currently the accompanist for the CT Women's Chorale. |
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT |
| Thu, 11/09/2017 - 10:00am | Musical Exploration | Michelle Fiertek, Spanish Songs - Nov 9, 2017 |
Musical Exploration featuring Michelle Fiertek in Spanish Songs. Michelle Murray Fiertek, soprano, will present a program of songs by 19th and 20th century Spanish composers, accompanied by Daniel Hartington, guitar, and Stephen Scarlato, piano. Composers include Joaquin Rodrigo, Fernando Sor, Federico Garcia Lorca, Rodolfo Halffter, Frederic Mompou and Antón García Abril. Watch a recently posted music video of Michelle Murray Fiertek and Daniel Hartington performing Nana de Sevilla by Federico García Lorca. Canciones EspañolasTres Canciones Españolas - Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) Seguidillas - Fernando Sor (1778-1839) Canciones Españolas Antiguas - Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936) Michelle Murray Fiertek, soprano INTERMISSION Marinero en tierra - Rodolfo Halffter (1900-1987) Combat del somni - Frederic Mompou (1893-1987) Canciones del jardín Secreto - Antón García Abril (b. 1933)
Michelle Murray Fiertek
“Soprano Michelle Murray (Fiertek) brings heat and soul…singers without appetite for what they sing are merely specters, but Murray is alive and full-blooded…effortlessly musical.” …Arizona Republic
An active singer across many musical genres, in 2016 Connecticut soprano Michelle Murray Fiertek sang the role of Gertrud in Opera Connecticut’s production of Hansel and Gretel (Humperdinck), and the role of Ann Putnam in Hartford Opera Theater’s production of The Crucible (Ward). Her recent calendar of song recitals included performances across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and in Madrid, Spain. In 2015 Michelle was proud to have been nominated in the “Best Featured Actress in a Musical Production” category by Broadway World Connecticut for her performance as Miss Pinkerton/June Jinkins in Hartford Opera Theater’s double bill of “The Old Maid and the Thief” (Menotti) and “An Embarrassing Position” (Shore). In her early years, Michelle opened “The Voyage of the Little Mermaid” for Disney’s Hollywood Studios as one of the original Ariels. She went on to work as the lead singer aboard the S. S. Discovery I and, in 1995, became the first American singer to be invited to perform both Japanese and American music in Minakami, Japan. She has released two albums on the Summit Records label: Blue: The Complete Cabaret Songs of William Bolcom and Arnold Weinstein, described as “exemplary” by BBC Music Magazine and named “CD of the week” by the Arizona Republic and KBAQ-FM, and The Juliet Letters. Michelle made her Carnegie Hall debut in December 2005 with a solo performance described as “First rate – engaging and authentic” in New York Concert Review. A champion of Spanish art song, Michelle has studied under such famed musicians as pianist Miguel Zanetti and mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza in Granada, Spain as part of the celebrated Interpretation of Spanish Song program, as well as returned to the program in subsequent years as a guest artist. She has been a faculty and guest recital artist at venues across the country, and the featured soloist in many large-scale choral works, including Fauré’s Requiem, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Mass in C Minor, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach's B Minor Mass and Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum and Messiah. She holds two B.M. degrees from Arizona State University, an M.M. from California State University, Long Beach, and a D.M.A. in Vocal Performance from The Hartt School, University of Hartford. She currently serves on the voice faculty of The Hartt School, Hartt Community Division, and Manchester Community College.
Daniel Hartington
Guitarist Daniel Hartington performs regularly as a soloist and extensively as part of a number of chamber ensembles. Recent solo performances include recitals throughout New England, as well as in several cities in Germany. He has been featured on numerous concert series including the North Meadow House Concert Series, the Mishi-maya-gat Spoken Word and Music Series, the Pierpont Concert Series, the Hill-Stead Museum Sunken Garden Poetry Festival, and the Connecticut Guitar Society. Hartington’s chamber experience includes premier performances and recordings of several major works. In 2010, he was a member of the chamber orchestra which gave the premiere performance and recording of “The Calm Bee in the Busy Hive,” a guitar concerto written for Christopher Ladd by Robert Carl. Also in 2010, Hartington was a member of the guitar quartet that premiered three works by Thomas Schuttenhelm. In 2008 he was a member of the ensemble which premiered “A Coney Island of the Mind,” a song cycle by Anthony Cornicello on a text by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. In 2009 he performed with flutist Gonzalo Cortes and violist Jessica Heller at the opening night of the Sunken Garden Poetry Festival at The Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, Conn., sharing the stage with former U.S. Poet Laureate, Robert Hass. As a member of Blackledge Music Inc., Hartington has performed at events such as the Ted Hershey Dance Marathon at the Charter Oak Cultural Center in Hartford, Conn., and the Connecticut Dance Alliance performance showcase in a trio of guitar, flute, and dancer. Hartington also serves as director of the Connecticut Guitar Ensemble. Under his direction, this group of amateur guitarists has performed on stage with William Kanengiser (2009) and the Mark and Beverly Davis guitar duo (2010) and presented a series of concerts throughout central Connecticut. In recent performances the ensemble has performed in pre-concert events at the Bushnell Performing Arts Center in Hartford, Conn., before renowned guitarist John Williams (2011), and before the Brazil Guitar Duo (2010). As a teacher Hartington maintains several studios, serving on the faculty of Eastern Connecticut State University, The University of Hartford’s Hartt School Community Division, and Miss Porter’s School. He completed graduate studies at The Hartt School with Richard Provost and undergraduate studies at the University of Rhode Island with Daniel Salazar Jr. He has performed in many master classes including classes with world-renowned guitarists William Kanengiser, David Russell, David Tannenbaum, and Oscar Ghiglia.
Stephen Scarlato
Stephen Scarlato is a collaborative pianist and organist based in central Connecticut. He received his bachelor's degree in organ performance from The Hartt School, where he studied under Larry Allen. While at The Hartt School, Scarlato received the University of Hartford's Regents Honors Award for academic excellence, won prizes in the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival/USA, was a finalist in Hartt's Performance 20/20 competition, and received the Ethel Greenberg scholarship for outstanding performance within the organ department. He graduated summa cum laude. He can be heard on several commercially available recordings, including the Valmarie Music cd The Ash Grove with soprano Julie M. Poole, and a collection of Chinese art songs entitled Infinite Time with baritone Chai-lun Yueh. In addition to a wide variety of freelance work, he currently serves as organist at Immanuel Congregational Church, and as a staff accompanist in The Hartt School's vocal studies division. |
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT |
| Thu, 11/30/2017 - 10:00am | Music by Members | Music by Members - Nov 30, 2017 |
Member Program featuring Audree Raffay, David Kennedy, Scott Lamlein, Maryjane Peluso, Benita Rose, and Anhared Stowe. This program of mainly pieces written in a romantic vein begins with a group of well loved Legends and Slavonic Dances for four hands at one piano, by Antonin Dvorak. The piano team of Maryjane Peluso and Allison Platt will play Legends, Op. 5, No. 1 in D minor and Op. 59, No. 3, in G minor, and Slavonic Dances, Op. 72, No. 2, in E minor and Op. 46, No. 1, in C major. (Note: The Dvorak set was not performed due to performer illness.) The organist, Scott Lamlein, at St. Johns Episcopal church in West Hartford, will play Toccata in F by Dieterich Buxtehude, and from Symphony No. 5 for organ in F minor, the beautiful Adagio and very spirited and well-known Toccata. Anhared Stowe, violinist and Pi-Hsun Shih, pianist, will perform the Beethoven Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major, Op. 47 (The Kreutzer). It is written in the style of a concerto in which he introduced elements of dynamic conflict, giving equal weight to both violin and piano. Anhared is a former player with the Hartford Symphony. “A Little Bit of Broadway” is the title of baritone David Kennedy’s program. He will sing three songs, including Fiddler on the Roof, If I were a Rich Man, and To Life. Benita Rose, pianist, will end the program with the Concert Etude No. 2 by Franz Liszt and the stirring Hungarian Rhapsody, No. 12. The Rhapsody is a popular piece, which needs good hand technique for its brilliant passage work and plenty of power for the final conclusion.
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Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT |
| Thu, 12/14/2017 - 10:00am | Music by Members | Music by Members - Dec 14, 2017 |
Member Program featuring Susanne Shrader, Carolyn Bernstein, Michelle Duffy, Bridget Gilchrist, and Adrienne Milics. PROGRAMA Selection of Christmas Carols Silent Night Franz Xaver Gruber (1787-1863) Angels' Medley Traditional; arr. by Ernie & Becky Brock Romance, Op. 37 Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921) *** Trio for Flute, Clarinet (or Viola) and Harp (or Piano) Elizabeth Poston (1905-1987) Bridget Gilchrist, flute
“Elisabeth Poston (1905-1987) was a British composer and musician, who studied at the Royal Academy of Music and later worked for both the BBC and the Arts Council. She is best remembered for her setting of the Christmas carol Jesus Christ the Apple Tree, which is still performed regularly today. The Harp Trio was commissioned in 1958 by Anthony Friese-Greene, to whom it is dedicated. He was secretary of the Hampton Music Club, where it was first performed as part of a private concert. This beautiful work is one of her more substantial compositions, comprising four contrasting movements. Originally scored for Flute, Clarinet, and Harp, it can be performed with a Viola instead of the Clarinet and/or a Piano instead of the Harp.”—quote from Musicroom.com The trio is in four contrasting movements: the second is poignantly beautiful and the last has a strong rhythmic drive, with a puckish sense of humor. *** Plöner Musiktag Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) Susanne Shrader, violin Paul Hindemith was a prolific German composer, violist, violinist, teacher and conductor. He was one of the principal German composers of the first half of the 20th century and a leading musical theorist who sought to revitalize tonality, which was being challenged by the introduction of Schoenberg's 12-tone music. His early music was considered anti-Romantic and iconoclastic. “On June 20, 1932, Hindemith spent the day at a school in Plön, a small town between Hamburg and Kiel. The school specialized in music, and he had written a series of pieces for the students to learn and play. Thus: A Day of Music at Plön. The day opened with Morning Music, a complex set for brass instruments. Much of the day was spent rehearsing individuals and ensembles. For a boy who could play only the xylophone, Hindemith wrote a part, on the spot; for three boys who couldn’t play any instrument, he wrote recorder trios and had them trained to play the instrument. During breaks between courses of midday dinner, the orchestral Table Music was played. In the afternoon, a cantata (“Admonition to Youth to Apply Themselves to Music”) for two soloists, three choruses, and orchestra which urges children to learn music was sung, spoken (a melodrama), and played. Hindemith was renowned for his sense of humor; the cantata is supposedly mostly tongue in cheek, but any wit therein doesn’t translate--the texts seem deadly serious, almost boarding-school punitive in attitude. The Evening Concert, a 35-minute series of orchestral, ensemble, and instrumental works, closed the day. The point of it all was performing, not creating music for the ages to be heard by the general public or even the Serious Record Collector. So there seems little point in evaluating the music (by what standards?) or the performances (measured against whom?). While parts of Table Music have a light touch, most of the Plön music is in Hindemith’s heavy, neobaroque style of the early 1930s. “—Quote from Arkivmusic.com *** Serenade in D Major, Op. 25 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) This work is one of the Trios für Streichinstrumente and was originally scored for flute, violin, and viola. (Here the flute is substituted by the violin ). It is a very unusual arrangement, one of the only in the literature. From Jon Palmer (allmusic.com): By Mozart's time, “the term 'serenade' was not necessarily associated with a piece played in the evening and directed toward a lover. Serenades were still, however, pieces written for particular occasions and often performed outdoors… In Vienna it became common to compose such works for very small ensembles… The forces, however, are reduced and the structure of the work is much smaller in scale… [Beethoven's] opening Allegro is marked "Entrada," traditionally indicating that the music is intended to accompany the entrance of an important person. Beethoven's use of Spanish term is more a nod toward the past than it is indicative of any practical use for the piece. A binary structure with a brief coda, the Allegro's numerous repeats are typical of both dance music and the pièce d'occasion.” Trio "Le Londres” Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931) Lisa Kugelman, violin This is the only trio for two violins and viola composed by Eugène Ysaÿe. The trio was unpublished at the time Eugène Ysaÿe died in 1931. It was composed from ca. 1914--1916, and was given its premiere performances in London in 1916. The trio was revised between 1916 and 1926. The revisions were done in stages and were related to different performances of the work from 1916 and 1925. The initial title was Trio Pour Deux Violons et Alto. The publisher nicknamed it "Le Londres." It premiered in London in 1916. Eugène Ysaÿe was foremost a concert violinist to whom many composers dedicated their violin concerti or sonatas. *** Rapsodie espagnole Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Capriccio espagnol, Op. 34 Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole was one of his first major works for orchestra, first performed in 1908. He composed a version for piano 4-hands or 2 pianos at the same time. Ravel’s mother was Basque, and his father was French. He grew up in a Basque town in France, very close to the Spanish border. Many of his pieces reflect this Spanish heritage. The final movement of the suite, Feria (marked assez animé) is the longest of the four movements, so we are concluding instead with the shorter final movement of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol. The Capriccio espagnol was written for orchestra and had its first performance in 1887 in St. Petersburg, Russia. This suite was originally intended for solo violin, but Rimsky-Korsakov decided an orchestral work would do it better justice. Rimsky-Korsakov stated that, “It is intended as a brilliant composition for the orchestra. The change of timbres, the felicitous choice of melodic designs and figuration patterns, exactly suiting each kind of instrument, brief virtuoso cadenzas for solo instruments, etc., constitute here the very essence of the composition and not its garb or orchestration. The Spanish themes of dance character furnished me with rich material for putting in use multiform orchestral effects. All in all, the Capriccio is undoubtedly a purely external piece, but vividly brilliant for all that.” He uses the fandango as his finale for this suite. This is a type of Andalusian dance for couples, and one of most widespread of the Spanish dances, whose music expresses the passion of the dancers. *** Popular Christmas Classics White Christmas Irving Berlin (1888-1989) It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas Meredith Willson (1902-1984) I’ll Be Home for Christmas Kim Gannon, lyrics; Walter Kent (1911-1994), music Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Ralph Blane, lyrics; Hugh Martin (1914-2011), music
Adrienne Milics, mezzo-soprano
BIOSBridget Gilchrist
Bridget M. Gilchrist, a cum laude graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Music, studied flute under Mr. Louis Soloway, and Mr. Thomas Nyfenger, then Principal flutist with the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra. She was also toured and performed with the UCONN Flute Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble, and was recorded as a soloist with the Jazz Ensemble. As a graduate student at Hartt School of Music, she completed conducting symposiums with Stanley DeRusha, Craig Kirchoff (Ohio State University) and Allan McMurray(University of Colorado); as well as courses conducted by Jerry Nowak and Anthony Maeillo(George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia), and performed with Jackie McLean’s Jazz Lab. Mrs. Gilchrist taught in the Manchester, Ct. schools, and also taught music theory and history at Manchester Community College. Under her direction, the Jr. and Sr. high schools’Concert, Marching, and Jazz Bands traveled extensively throughout the US and Canada, winning numerous prestigious awards. Notably, her Jazz Ensemble earned a 2nd place finish in the Berklee College of Music Jazz Festival, which qualified them to compete in the Music USA National Finals for High School Jazz Bands throughout the country. In addition to her 35 years of experience as a music educator and private instructor of flute, Mrs. Gilchrist is an avid performer, soloist and conductor/ guest conductor with numerous performing ensembles. She plays flute, piccolo, alto flute and bass flute. She also conducts and composes for flute choirs, and leads flute Master Classes in many schools systems. Her student Flute Choirs perform regularly at various community service venues, including the Festival of Trees at the Wadsworth Atheneum, for the past 23 years! Mrs. Gilchrist is also active in the CT. Music Educator’s Association, having been the head flute judge for Ct. All-State and many Regional Auditions for the past 30 years, as well as Festival Chair and Jazz Chair, and numerous committees. A 20+ year member of the Musical Club of Hartford, Mrs Gilchrist is the Coordinator of the HS Scholarship Competition for Winds, Strings, Piano, and Voice, as well as the new Solo Jazz Competition for talented HS students of Jazz.
Susanne Shrader
Susanne began study on the violin at age 10 with Max Zinder. At Mount Holyoke College she studied with Catherine Melhorn and Marcus Thompson as chamber music coaches. She was a music minor. At the age of 30 she added viola. She subsequently studied with Lawrence Dutton of the Emerson String Quartet. She studied and performed the Bartok Quartet #6 under the tutelage of the Manhattan Quartet in Budapest in 2010. She has been a violinist in the Princeton University Orchestra, and the Five-College Orchestra in western Massachusetts. Susanne has held the Principal Viola position and assistant concertmistress in the Connecticut String Orchestra and the Manchester Symphony Orchestra and principal viola in the Farmington Valley Symphony Orchestra. She was the co-founder of the Cotes de Riviere Piano Quartet, with performances of Brahms Piano Quartet and has performed chamber music throughout Connecticut in the Noteworthy Ensemble (pn, cl, vla or vln). She performs one concert annually with this group. In the past, Susanne has performed movements from Stravinsky L'Histoire du Soldat, Mozart's Kegelstatt Trio, Libby Larsen's Blackbirds; and the Khachaturian Trio, Reger Trio, and Dohnanyi Quintet.
Clarinetist Carolyn Bernstein, has performed with numerous area orchestras, including the Connecticut Valley Chamber Orchestra, the Litchfield Chamber Orchestra, the Torrington Symphony and others. From 2013-15 she played with the Senior Orchestra Society of New York (city). She holds a B.S. in Music and an M.S. in Special Education from Hofstra University, combining both for many years as a music therapist. She continued her post-graduate studies with Leon Russianoff, then of both the Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music faculties. Shortly after moving to Connecticut (in 1981) she became a faculty member of the Hartt School of Music’s Community Division and the Hartford Conservatory. She now maintains a small private teaching practice at her home. Her other interests include reading, painting, and spending time with her family and grandchildren.
Michelle Duffy and Diane Day Diane Day and Michelle Duffy have performed both piano duets and duo piano works together since 2002. Diane graduated with an Artist’s Diploma from The Hartford Conservatory’s four-year program majoring in Piano and in Theory & Composition. She began teaching piano at age 11, and has performed as both a soloist and with chamber ensembles. Michelle studied piano from age 5 and received a BA with a major in music. Her professional career was as a librarian, but since retirement she has rekindled her interest in music and piano performance, thanks to opportunities afforded by the Musical Club of Hartford.
Adrienne Milics Adrienne Milics, MBA, PCC, is an Executive Coach specializing in leadership and communication with focus areas in executive presence, presentation skills and women in leadership. She brings a unique background in executive leadership, voice performance, coaching and training as well as extensive business experience in financial services, insurance, and technology. Along the way, Adrienne received a Master of Music in Opera Performance from the Boyer College of Music at Temple University and has over 30 years of professional experience performing opera, song recitals and jazz.
Jean Esselink Jean Esselink earned a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music and Master’s degree in music from the Hartt School. Ms. Esselink has sung with CONCORA and with the Chancel Choir of South Church. She taught elementary music in the New Britain public schools and maintained a private piano studio. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Main Street Singers.
Alan F. Kennedy Al is a retired financial analyst who grew up in Illinois. Coming from a musical family, he began taking piano lessons at age five, but his real musical love was for the clarinet, which he began studying the next year. In addition to playing first chair clarinet section in his high school band and drum major of the marching band, he started an 8-piece dance band with the help of his father. During these early years he spent three wonderful summers at Interlochen National Music Camp. He graduated from Carleton College with a music major, after having spent 2 summers at Eastman School. In the last 40 years Al has played with several big bands, and currently enjoys playing classical clarinet duets with a friend.
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Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT |
| Thu, 01/11/2018 - 10:00am | Music by Members | Music by Members - Jan 11, 2018 |
For the Musical Club of Hartford’s first music-by-members program in 2018, we will be treated to a wide-ranging program to delight and amuse you. Sylvia Goldstein will perform two movements from the Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major by Ludwig van Beethoven, composed in 1809-1810. Beethoven called it “Les Adieux,” and added a dedication reading "On the departure of his Imperial Highness, for the Archduke Rudolph in admiration." The French attack on Vienna, led by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1809, forced Beethoven's patron, Archduke Rudolph, to flee the city, to which this dedication - and the titles of the movements and the sonata overall - may refer. Sylvia will play the movement II - “Andante espressivo” (The Absence) and movement III – “Vivacissimamente “ (The Return). Next on the program, Lean-Cheng Tan and Ellen Ma will sing two duets. The first duet will be “Jasmine Flower,” a traditional Jiangsu Folk song. One of the first Chinese folk songs to attain international popularity, the song describes young girls marveling at the loveliness and fragrance of the white jasmine flower. Giacomo Puccini, in his opera Turandot, might have taken the melody of “La Sui monti dell’Est” (The Mountain of the East) from this Chinese folk song. The second duet will be “Sull’aria,” a duettino from Act 3 of The Marriage of Figaro, K. 492, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In this short duet, Countess Almaviva dictates to Susanna an invitation to a tryst addressed to the countess' husband in a plot to expose his infidelity. Next, Lean-Cheng Tan and Gail Tanguay will perform two pieces from the Dolly Suite, Opus 56, a piano duet by Gabriel Fauré. The duet is a collection of pieces for one piano, four hands, written or revised between 1893 and 1896 to mark the birthdays and other events in the life of Hélène Bardac, aka Dolly, daughter of Fauré’s mistress. The performers will play pieces III “Le jardin de Dolly” and VI “Le pas espagnol.” Following that, Karen Robinson, soprano, will be accompanied by Diane Day, piano, in the performance of four songs from Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, which was first produced Off-Broadway in 1968 and has given rise to many international and regional productions, revivals, and a film adaptation. Jacques Brel (1929-1978) was a Belgian singer, songwriter, actor and director of many thoughtful and provocative songs. He had a large following – first in Belgium and France and later throughout the world. Most of his songs were written with French lyrics. Occasionally he composed in Flemish, the other language of Belgium. The four songs that will be performed on January 11 are “Marieke,” “I Loved,” “Sons of” and “If We Only Have Love.” For the production, Brel’s lyrics were translated into English by Eric Blau and Mort Schuman. They also provided a story to link together the twenty-three songs included in the revue. Deborah Robin, recorder, and Sylvia Goldstein, piano, will perform Divertimento for Treble Recorder and Piano (1964) by John Graves. With the title “Divertimento”, the composer suggests a link to 18th century music history, when the divertimento was a popular form of composition, generally of a light vein, consisting of 3-10 movements, composed for a small instrumental ensemble. This Divertimento for recorder and piano has five movements: Prelude, Air, Festivo, Soliloquy, and Finale. The recorder, whose typical classical repertoire draws from the Baroque or earlier, is most often paired with a period keyboard like harpsichord. In this contemporary work written specifically for piano accompaniment, both the recorder and keyboard are challenged with popular techniques of the day, such as tone clusters, abrupt meter and key changes, clashing harmonies, and unpredictable syncopation. The program will close with the Meeting House Trio - Walter Mayo, bass, David Sergio, piano, David Woodard, drums - performing a sampling of jazz standards from the Great American Songbook, the canon of the most important and influential American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20th century. It includes the most popular and enduring songs from the 1920s to the 1950s that were created for Broadway theatre, musical theatre, and Hollywood musical film. The jazz trio will be joined for a few tunes by soprano Karen Robinson and baritone John Church. BIOSSylvia Goldstein (piano) is a pianist, teacher and composer. She has served as chairperson of the Piano Department of the Hartford Conservatory, adjunct professor of music at Capital Community-Technical College, and music director of Temple B’Nai Israel. Several of Sylvia’s liturgical and secular compositions for voice and piano have been published, and her Chanukah Oratorio “Who Can Retell?” has aired annually for over 30 years during the holiday season on West Hartford Community Television. Sylvia studied music at the Mannes School of Music, the Juilliard School of Music Preparatory Division, and the Longy School of Music, then continued her studies at Cornell University, Brandeis University, and the University of CA at Berkeley. Sylvia has both a B.A. and an M.A. in Music, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Sylvia is also a member of The Women Cantors Network and the Guild of Temple Musicians, as well as the Musical Club of Hartford.
Lean-Cheng Tan (voice, piano) was born in Penang, Malaysia. She began her piano studies at age eleven with the Royal School of Music of England, and was a school music teacher before she moved to the United States. In 2006-2008, Lean-Cheng served as the Co-President of the Hartford Chapter, Connecticut State Music Teacher Association. Her vocal teachers included Professor Danna Su, Chai-Lun Yueh, Joan Glazier and Dr. Susan Mardingly. Lean-Cheng sings in the Musical Club’s Vocal Ensemble and she is also an active performer in an 8-hands piano ensemble. She has taught piano for over 30 years and accompanied school choirs as well as the Chinese Community Choirs. Ellen Ma (voice) is a retired teacher, Musical Club of Hartford member since 2003, and all-around music lover. Gail Tanguay (piano) holds a B.M. in piano from Shenandoah University Conservatory of Music, and a Master Degree in Music Education from the Hartt School. She was a Choral Director for 35 years with the Wethersfield school system and is an active accompanist with soloists, choirs and musical theatre presentations. She is also a member of the hand-bell choir of Westminster Church and often accompanies their vocal choirs. Karen de Bergh Robinson (voice) graduated from Sarah Lawrence as a Performing Arts Major. In New York City, she performed the soprano lead in numerous Gilbert and Sullivan productions, including the role of Princess Ida with the Village Light Opera Company. After moving to Connecticut, Karen sang for 15 years with the Connecticut Opera Company as a member of their AGMA chorus. She has been a soloist in Hartford-area churches, and performed in numerous duo concert performances with the pianist Paul Bisaccia in such venues as the Wadsworth Athenaeum and the Wood Memorial Library. She recently recorded a CD entitled “Songs I Have Loved.”
Diane Day (piano), a native of Simsbury, started studying piano at age 7, and teaching at age 11! She completed the 4-year program at the Hartford Conservatory with an Artist’s Diploma in Piano, with a minor in Theory & Composition. Diane studied with Juan Nazarian, Maria Luisa Faini, and Howard Parsons. In addition to teaching piano privately for over 40 years, Diane has also been a frequent piano soloist, accompanist for vocal, instrumental and dance performers, and pianist in chamber music ensembles including the Quindec Piano Quintet and the Duffy-Day Duo. Currently Diane performs two-piano works with Stacy Cahoon. Deborah Robin (recorder) is a market research consultant, but has played recorder as a serious instrument since age 7 and has always enjoyed performing with both “period” and modern instrument and vocal ensembles wherever she roams, which has included Providence, RI, New Haven, CT, Boston, MA, Lexington, KY, and now West Hartford, CT. Deborah was featured recorder soloist (with Bernard Krainis and Stanley Ritchie) on the first American recording of Bach Brandenburg Concerto no. 4 on original instruments (Aston Magna Festival Orchestra, Smithsonian Collection, 1978). John Church (voice) received his B.A. in music and studied composition as a post-graduate. He sings with St. John’s Episcopal Church (West Hartford) choir, MadSingers, and CitySingers of Hartford. John has also sung with Trinity Episcopal’s Compline Schola, and The Festival Singers (in performances of Neely Bruce’s Bill of Rights), and joins friends regularly to entertain at Avery Heights. The Meeting House Trio consists of: Walter Mayo (bass), retired attorney. Walter made his opera debut as a (tacit) tusk-bearer in the CT Opera arena production of Aida in 1981. Dave Sergio (piano), retired teacher. David is a classically trained pianist and has participated in the Musical Club’s Piano Ensemble Day with Jane Bugbee.
David Woodard (drums), retired architect. David recently joined his wife, Carolyn, as a performing member of the Musical Club of Hartford.
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Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT |
| Sun, 01/21/2018 - 2:00pm | High School Competition Winners Performance | Classical Competition Winners Concert - Jan 21, 2018 |
In early January, The Musical Club of Hartford held its 42nd annual scholarship competition for high school students living or studying music in Connecticut. At the Winners’ concert we will hear the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in the Piano, Strings, Winds, and Voice categories of this competition. The strings, brass/woodwind, and voice scholarship prizes are awarded by the Musical Club’s Gifts and Scholarships Fund, which also supports many other musical activities in the Hartford area. The Piano Competition is sponsored by the Musical Club's Evelyn Bonar Storrs Fund, set up by a bequest to provide funds for talented and advanced students of piano. This is one of our most well attended programs of the year. Be sure not to miss the performances of these extraordinarily talented young students! Admission is free! Bridget Gilchrist, Coordinator and Winds Chair David Garrido-Cid, Piano Chair Linda MacGougan, Strings Chair Carolyn Bernstein, Voice Chair
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Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT |
| Thu, 01/25/2018 - 10:00am | Music by Members | Music by Members - Jan 25, 2018 |
Come to enjoy the voices of Sudie Marcuse Blatz and Laura Cook in duet, jazz played on hammered dulcimer, bassoon and guitar, original compositions by contemporary women, including our own Ami Montstream, Boston's Jennifer Griffith, and the late Amy Beach. Savor the first movement of Prokovief's Sonata in C for Cello and Piano, played by Fran Bard and Carolyn Woodward and revel in the saxophone of Tony Gibbs with Benita Rose at the piano on Hemke's "Variations on Carnival ov Venice." PROGRAMI) A Little Jazz Music“Take Five” Paul Desmond (1924 – 1977)
II) A Little Baroque and Classical Music“Les Naiades”” Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) “Ecco il Petto” Benedetto Marcello (1686 – 1739)
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Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT |
| Sun, 01/28/2018 - 3:30pm | High School Competition Winners Performance | Jazz Competition Winners Concert - Jan 28, 2018 |
Performances by the Winners of the 1st High School Competition in Solo Jazz This year, in early January, The Musical Club of Hartford held its 1st annual scholarship jazz solo competition for high school students living or studying music in Connecticut. This is the first of its kind in Connecticut! The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will perform in a jazz cabaret setting accompanied by a professional jazz trio. The professional trio will also perform a set separately from the students, to round out the one-hour concert. The scholarship prizes are awarded from the Jolidon Fund, named for Marjorie Jolidon, who left a share of her estate to the Musical Club. Come to support these wonderfully talented musicians and to listen to a free concert with live professional jazz! Admission is free!
Jazz Competition Winners1st Place winner: Lucas Gazianis Concert performance pieces: Corcovado -Antonio Carlos Jobim, Night Train - Jimmy Forrest, Stolen Moments - Oliver Nelson The First Place winner in the Musical Club of Hartford’s High School First Jazz Soloist Competition is pianist Lucas Gazianis, a sophomore at Greenwich High School. He studies with Joyce DiCamillo. He performs with the Greenwich High School Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble, and has been accepted by audition into the Western Region Jazz Ensemble, and Concert Band, for the past 2 years. Last year he was accepted into the Ct All State Jazz Ensemble. Additionally, last year he received the ‘Outstanding Soloist’ award at the Essentially Ellington Festival in Greenwich, as well as the Darien Jazz Festival. He has also performed with Joyce DiCamillo’s JAZZ ALIVE Combo, and participated in the Greenwich Summer Jazz workshop. 2nd Place winner: Ryan Griffiths Concert performance pieces: Body and Soul - Johnny Greene, On Green Dolphin Street - Bronislaw Kaper The Second Place winner in the Jazz Soloist Competition was Tenor Saxophonist Ryan Griffiths, a senior at North Haven High School. He studies with Neil Dokurno. At North Haven High School, Ryan is a multi-instrumentalist who plays lead Tenor Sax in the Jazz 1 group, as well as Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Clarinet, Trumpet, in the Pit Orchestra, and Upright and Electric Bass in Jazz 2 group, as well as the Upright Bass in the Orchestra, and sings Bass in the Honor’s Choir. He also performs as lead tenor sax with the Educational Center for the Arts Jazz Ensemble, and the Neighborhood Music School select Ensemble. He has auditioned and been accepted into the Southern Regional Jazz Band as lead tenor for the past 3 years, as well as 1st chair Bass Clarinet in the Southern Regional Band. He has also participated in several summer Jazz programs…Hartt School, Rutgers Mason Gross, Neighborhood School, and Western Connecticut (Band and Jazz Band). He plans to major in Music Education and Jazz Studies (Tenor Saxophone.) 3rd Place winner: Jacob Donald Concert performance piece: Donna Lee - Charlie Parker, Blue in Green - Bill Evans The Third Place winner in the Jazz Soloist Competition was guitarist Jacob Donald, a high-honors senior at South Windsor High School. He studies with Richard Goldstein. For the past 3 years, Jacob has performed with the South Windsor High School Spectrum Band (Show Choir Band), and Jazz Band as lead guitarist. He participates in Guitar Class, Chorus, AP Music Theory, and Piano class at school, and has performed as guitarist at Infinity Hall in Hartford, the Hungry Tiger Cafe in Manchester, The Space in Hamden, Nightingales Acoustic Cafe, and the Music Now Showcase ICRV Radio with Ramblin Dan Stevens. He has been performing with his own band ‘Letterhead’ for the past 4 years, as well. He hopes to be a music teacher, as he enjoys encouraging children’s self-esteem, while helping them to discover something new every day. Honorable Mention was awarded to : Trumpet player Ryan Farrell, a junior at Joseph A. Foran High School in Milford. He studies with Steve Perrett. Judges: Mr. Douglas Maher, and Mr. Kevin Duffy
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Universalist Church, 433 Fern St, West Hartford, CT |
| Thu, 02/01/2018 - 9:45am | Member Meeting | Mid-Year Meeting - Feb 1, 2018 |
Come early for refreshments at 9:45 a.m. and then find a seat at one of the round tables that will be set up in the Fireside Room. The meeting will begin shortly after 10:00 am with a 30-minute recital by the Duo Alterity (Joseph Van Doran, guitar, & Allison Hughes, flute). Both performers are pursuing graduate degrees at The Hartt School and are appearing for our enjoyment through the Hartt@Home program.
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Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT |
| Thu, 02/15/2018 - 10:00am | Musical Exploration | Emlyn Ngai: Form, Fantasy, and Four Strings - Feb 15, 2018 |
Musical Exploration featuring Emlyn Ngai, Baroque violin. Emlyn Ngai, Artist Teacher at Hartt in violin and performance practice. He will present a program spotlighting the violin, the bow, playing technique, and the ways that composers wrote for the instrument during the Baroque period. Here is the description Emlyn has provided: The violin has always been regarded as an instrument that could imitate the human voice with incredible realism and delicacy. Since its early roots steeped in vocal music, the violin has been pushed to find its own realm of possibilities. Drawing upon a rich dance music tradition as well as the instrument’s innate lyricism, composer-performers have created a wonderful body of works for unaccompanied violin that intertwines form and structure with lofty inventiveness. This presentation will explore the evolution of violin playing and aesthetics changes in the 1600s and 1700s through works by J.S. Bach, Thomas Baltzar, Nicolas Matteis, Jr., Giuseppe Tartini, and Georg Philip Telemann. Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra Tempesta di Mare, Emlyn enjoys a diverse life as both a modern and historical violinist. He holds degrees from McGill University, Oberlin College Conservatory, and the Hartt School.
BIODegrees: Licentiate, Royal Schools of Music Emlyn Ngai enjoys a diverse life as both a modern and historical violinist. In addition to being associate concertmaster of the Carmel Bach Festival and director of the festival’s Circle of Strings, Emlyn is a member of the Adaskin String Trio with which he has performed extensively across Canada and the United States and has been recorded for broadcast by CBC Radio, Radio-Canada, and National Public Radio. As concertmaster of Tempesta di Mare, the Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra, he has performed across the US and in Europe, and has made eight releases on the British label Chandos. Tempesta’s recordings and live performance broadcasts are distributed nationally through NPR and internationally via the European Broadcasting Union. His association with such early music groups as Apollo’s Fire, Boston Baroque and Joshua Rifkin’s Bach Ensemble has taken him to Bermuda, Germany, Spain, and the UK as well as across the US. Recording credits include Centaur, MSR Classics, New World Records, and Telarc. His recordings for the label Musica Omnia have received acclaim in American Record Guide, BBC Music Magazine, Gramophone, and The Strad. Emlyn holds degrees from McGill University, Oberlin College Conservatory, and the Hartt School. His teachers have included Frona Colquhoun, Sydney Humphreys, Thomas Williams, Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer. It was during his studies with Marilyn McDonald at Oberlin that he won first prize on baroque violin in the 1995 Locatelli Concours Amsterdam and appeared at the Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo with Ensemble Il Giardino Armonico and the Berliner Tage für Alte Musik. An enthusiastic educator, Emlyn has taught at Boston University, Mount Holyoke College, and McGill University and has been a faculty member of Amherst Early Music, Madison Early Music Festival and the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute. Currently he teaches modern and baroque violin, chamber music and performance practice at The Hartt School, where he also co-directs the Collegium Musicum. |
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT |
| Thu, 03/22/2018 - 10:00am | Storrs Scholars Recital | Storrs Scholars Piano Recital - Mar 22, 2018 |
Evelyn Bonar Storrs established a fund through the Musical Club to support "talented and advanced students of piano". Each year a number of these scholarship recipients present a Piano Recital that showcases some stars of tomorrow. Admission free.
PERFORMERS AND PROGRAMShuangning Liu Sonata No. 7 in B-flat major, Op.83 by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) Allegro inquieto Shuangning Liu is a DMA candidate at Hartt School of The University of Hartford, studying with Dr. Paul Rutman. He is scheduled to play his first DMA recital on April 5th, 2018, 7:30 pm at Millard Auditorium, University of Hartford. He will play pieces by Bach, Liszt, and Prokofiev. He is also a co-founder and organizer of the Hartford International Music Festival which takes place every summer at Hartford area. Last year, the event was held at the Hartt School, and 30 students from the U.S and China came here to join us. The festival lasts 10 days, and consists of master classes, private lessons, a faculty concert, a student recital, and ensemble coaching. For more information please contact shuangningliu_1988<at>hotmail.com. Victor Nigri e Silva Santos French Suite No.5 in G major, BWV 816 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue Victor Nigri is a Master’s candidate in piano performance at The University of Hartford's The Hartt School, where he is the recipient of a music talent scholarship, studying under the guidance of Professor Luiz de Moura Castro and Professor Dr. David Westfall. He has performed in both solo and chamber music recitals throughout Brazil, the United States and Portugal. He recently took part in the Campos do Jordão International Winter Festival, Brazil, and Óbidos International Piano Festival, Portugal. In 2014 he graduated from Minas Gerais State University with a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance as a student of Professor Heron Alvim. In addition to being distinguished with an Honorable Prize of Best Performance of Brazilian Music at the VII Maestro Spartacco Rossi Piano Competition, Nigri was also a top prizewinner at the XXII Souza Lima Piano Competition and the IX Cora Pavan Capparelli Piano Competition. Nigri has performed in master classes and private lessons for Yefim Bronfman, Arnaldo Cohen, Paul Badura-Skoda, Anna Malikova, Boris Berman, Josep Colom and Berenice Menegale. Cihan Yücel Piano Sonata No. 20 in D major, K. 311 by W. A. Mozart (1756-1791) Allegro con spirito Andante con espressione Rondeau: Allegro Miles Walter Prelude and Fugue in B minor, BWV 893 (from WTC Book II) by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Six Etudes and a Dream Hannah Lash (b. 1981) “Thumbs and Pinkies” Études, Book 2 György Ligeti (1923-2006) No. 8, “Fém” Miles Walter is a pianist and composer from New Hampshire. He is currently finishing a BA in Music (Intensive) at Yale, where he studies piano with Wei-Yi Yang and composition with Hannah Lash and Kathryn Alexander. He is an eager chamber musician and an active performer of new music. Jimin Han Piano Sonata Op. 35 No. 2 by Fréderic Chopin (1810-1849) 1st movement South Korean pianist Jimin Han was born in 1989 and began studying piano at the age of five. In 2007, Han made her solo debut recital performing in the 24th Annual Young Musical Recital at the YoungSan Arts Performance Hall while studying at the Sunhwa Arts High School in Seoul. Han has also won top prizes at the Teenager Music Competition and receive honorable mention prizes at the Chopin International Competition and Paderewski International Competition in Hartford, the Beijing International Music Festival Academy. Jimin Han earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in piano performance from Yonsei University. Han is currently an artist diploma student with the 20/20 performance ensemble at the Hartt School where she studies with Professor David Westfall. Anna Grudskaya 3 Sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) Sonata K. 380 in E Major Sonata K. 466 in F minor Sonata K. 24 in A Major Anna Grudskaya was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan to a family of musicians and artists and began piano studies at the age of four. Winner of the Concerto/Aria Competition at Santa Clara University, the Van Waynen Piano Competition, and the 2017 Hartt Chamber Music Competition, Ms. Grudskaya has performed in concert halls in the United States and abroad. She has performed in festivals including the Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria; International Keyboard Institute and Festival; Aspen Music Festival and School; Beijing International Music Festival and Academy; New Orleans Piano Institute; NYU Summer Piano Intensive; and Adamant Music School. She has worked with distinguished artists such as Menahem Pressler, Nelita True, Boris Berman, Ann Schein, Alan Chow, and Alessio Bax. Anna Grudskaya has earned degrees from Santa Clara University, Mannes College of Music, New York University, and is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in piano performance at The Hartt School under the tutelage of David Westfall. Other major teachers have included Hans Boepple, Pavlina Dokovska, Vladimir Valjarevic, and Eteri Andjaparidze. Ms. Grudskaya is a faculty member at the Hartt School Community Division as well as the Interlochen Center for the Arts. Note: Ms. Grudskaya was prevented by a snowstorm from traveling to Hartford for this performance. Yoshina Toi Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110, Mvt. III by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro ma non troppo Yoshino Toi is a junior pursuing her Bachelor of Music degree at the Hartt School under the direction of Professor David Westfall. She is a winner of the Paranov Concerto Competition at the Hartt School and has received awards in multiple competitions including, the Brevard Music Center Piano Competition, the High School Scholarship Competition by the Musical Club of Hartford, the Audrey Thayer Competition, and the Rene̒e B. Fisher Piano Competition with the Best Performance of the Commissioned Work. A native of Japan, she has studied at the Hartt Community Division since moving to the U.S. in 2010. Her previous teachers include, Malgosia Lis and Atsuko Imamura. Hanna Yukho Don Juan’s Serenade from “Masks” by Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937) Born in Minsk (Belarus), Hanna Yukho started playing piano at age six under the tutelage of her mother. In 1999 she made her debut with the Belarusian State Chamber Orchestra performing the fifth J. S. Bach piano Concerto. Prizewinner of International Piano Competition in memory of Arthur Rubinstein in Bydgoszcz, Poland, Hanna received her first award at the age of ten as a winner of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Antonin, Poland. In 2003, she became a prizewinner of the International Piano Competition “Music of Hope” in Gomel, Belarus. In 2015, she won Pianist’s Award of the ISA15 – International Summer Academy of the MDW in Reichenau, Austria. During her career, Hanna appeared at important venues at different festivals such as Weill Recital Hall – Carnegie Hall and Klavierhaus in New York during the Mannes Sounds Festival, Flagey in Belgium. Hanna has participated in international festivals such as Vladimir’s Spivakov’s charity Festival “Moscow meets friends”. She also gave performances in Belgium, Italy, Austria, Holland, Poland, and Russia. As a soloist, Hanna has performed with the Belarusian State Chamber and Symphony Orchestra several times. Hanna has won scholarships from different institutions such as Tuition Scholarship from Mannes College The New School For Music, Tuition Scholarship from Yale School of Music, and Marian Marcus Wahl Memorial Award, and The Musical Club of Hartford. Hanna Yukho attended Republican Music College in her native Minsk, Belarus. In 2013, she graduated from the Academy of Music in Minsk where she studied with Prof. Igor Olovnikov, who had been her teacher for the previous thirteen years. Hanna attended Mannes College The New School for Music where she studied with the legendary pianist Vladimir Feltsman. In 2017 Hanna Yukho graduated from Yale School of Music where she studied with Boris Berman and Peter Frankl. |
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT |
| Sun, 03/25/2018 - 3:00pm | Piano Ensemble Day | Piano Ensemble Program Mar 25, 2018 |
This program features teams of pianists playing two grand pianos, with a varied repertory.
Admission free.
PROGRAMRobert Schumann - Andante and Variations, Op.46 (1843)Robert Schumann's Andante and Variations was the only piece he wrote for two pianos. It was originally written for two pianos, two cellos and French horn. Not happy with the original version after hearing its first performance in March, 1843, and at the urging of his wife Clara and his friend Felix Mendelssohn, Schumann rewrote the piece, eliminating the cellos and horn, and cutting out several passages and variations. The piece now contains a 32-bar theme, followed by four variations, then a 16-bar restatement of the theme, three more variations, and one last reiteration of the theme leading directly to a tranquil coda with a wonderful spinning down effect. The variations vary in length. Even though the horn part was removed, the sixth variation evokes the heroic sound of a full choir of horns. The treatment of the pianos gives the effect of a dialogue between two people who are so close that they finish each other's sentences, lend support while the other one is talking, and even alternate singing individual words in the 1st variation. There is no hint of dueling personalities here - these two are definitely on the same wave length. The new version was introduced by Clara Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn. The original version was not performed again until Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann played it in 1868; and that version was not actually published until 1893 (as WoO 10). George Gershwin - S’Wonderful/Funny Face, arr. Paul Posnak (2007)Wanting to fill a regrettable void in the repertoire of Gershwin arrangements for two pianos, Paul Posnak created and published a group of four pieces, including this medley. His aim was to capture Gershwin’s bravura orchestral style as heard in original solo recordings, a style which featured “wonderful inner voices, contrapuntal runs, jazz figurations, sophisticated chordal textures, and swing.” Dorothy Bognar and Connie Hegarty, duo pianists ********** Legend in D Minor, Op.59, No.1 |
Lincoln Theater, University of Hartford |
| Thu, 04/12/2018 - 10:00am | Jolidon Concert Series | Göran Marcusson, flute and Tim Carey, piano, Apr 12, 2018 |
Jolidon Concert featuring Göran Marcusson, flute and Tim Carey, piano. Göran, who is from Sweden, first received international acclaim after winning several competitions early in his career. Later, he was awarded a handmade flute of Waterford Crystal for his outstanding performance in a Galway master class, which was followed by a duo performance on television. He has played for many years at the summer Newport Music Festival, runs one of largest flute master classes in Sweden and also teaches at the Wildacres Flute retreat in North Carolina each summer. As one interviewer commented, “he makes brilliant flute playing look as easy as tossing a ball.” Tim, who is from England and has been playing with Göran for over 20 years, has developed a reputation as “the flautists’ accompanist".
PROGRAM
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Flute sonata No. 1, in A major Philippe Gaubert (1879-1941)
Sonata for Flute and Piano, Op. 23 (1987) Lowell Liebermann (1961- )
2 Sentimentala romanser, Op.28 Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927)
Vallflickans dans (Herdsmaidens Dance) Hugo Alfvén (1872-1960) From Bergakungen (The Mountain King) Suite, Op. 37
BIOGRAPHIES
Göran Marcusson literally burst onto the American flute scene in 1987 when he won First Prize in the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition. In 1992, he earned his soloist diploma from the Music Conservatory of Gothenburg. That same year, he won a prize at the Vienna Music Competition. Sir James Galway awarded Mr. Marcusson a handmade flute of Waterford Crystal for his outstanding performance in the Galway Masterclass, which was followed by a duo performance on television. His debut CD The Romantic Swedish Flute received rave reviews and has been followed by six more albums: The Nordic Flute, American Sonatas, Prokofieff – Martinu - and others, Reflective Flute, Inspiration by Bach, and Melodies of a Silver Flute. He can also be heard on YouTube and Spotify. Mr. Marcusson has been guest principal flute with the London Symphony Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Cadaques, and Gothenburg Opera Orchestra. Currently he is Principal Flute with the Gothenburg Wind Orchestra and also maintains a busy international schedule as a soloist, performing in the US, South America, Asia, and throughout Europe. He has been a member of Rhode Island’s Newport Music Festival’s “Family of Artists” since making his debut in 1995. Known for his inspirational and sympathetic teaching, Mr. Marcusson offers highly effective masterclasses. He and his wife, Gitte, host the largest flute masterclass in Sweden every October, called “The Nordic Flute.” Each June, he teaches at the Wildacres Flute Retreat in Little Switzerland, North Carolina. Mr. Marcusson is a Miyazawa Artist and plays on a unique flute especially made for him called “Western Orchid.”
Tim Carey, who lives in Chelmsford, England, enjoys a career full of variety, as solo performer, chamber-music player, orchestral keyboard player and teacher. His early studies were with Harold Parker, Louis Kentner, and then, at the Royal College of Music, London, with Kendall Taylor, David Parkhouse, and Bernard Roberts. He was awarded many prizes and scholarships during his time there, both in and outside college.
When not actively involved in musical pursuits, Tim still finds time for his other interests which include languages, collecting and restoring cars, aircraft, boats and spending time with his large family.
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Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT |
| Thu, 04/19/2018 - 10:00am | Music by Members | Music by Members - Apr 19, 2018 |
(Note: This program was originally scheduled for March 8, but was cancelled because of snow.) We celebrate International Women’s Day [somewhat belatedly!] with the music of two 19th-century female composers, from Spain and France. This will be complemented by works of two males - a German Romantic composer and a contemporary Spanish composer. Songs of Eugenia Osterberger, of the Galician area of Spain, will kick off the program. These selections feature the wife-and-husband team of Alice Matteson, soprano, and David Garrido-Cid, piano and they comprise the first of four Musical Club premieres on the program. Osterberger was a brave woman during revolutionary times; also, she hosted and performed both as a singer and a pianist at many soirees featuring poetry and music. Next up is the first movement of Brahms’ beloved Sonata for Piano and Cello, Opus 38, played by Linda MacGougan and Karen Benjamin. Alice and David will bring us back to Galicia with two songs by contemporary composer - and friend of David - Octavio Vázquez. Louise Farrenc was the first female to be granted a full piano professorship at the Paris Conservatory and was also a well-regarded composer during her lifetime. Her Trio for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano, Opus 44 will be performed by David Schonfeld, Karen Benjamin and Linda MacGougan. The conclusion for this wide-ranging program will be the Galician Folk Dances by Vázquez, a mix of folklore, emotion and virtuosity, to be played by David Garrido-Cid. PROGRAMCántigas e Melodias Eugenia Osterberger (1852-1932)
Alice Matteson, Soprano David Garrido-Cid, Piano
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Cello Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 38 Johannes Brahms (1833-97) Allegro non troppo Karen Benjamin, Cello Linda MacGougan, Piano
**** En Cornes Octavio Vázquez (b. 1972) Como Chove Miudiño
Alice Matteson, Soprano David Garrido-Cid, Piano
**** Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano in E-flat Major, Op. 44 Louise Farrenc (1804-1875) Andante; Allegro moderato Adagio Minuetto Allegro David Schonfeld, Clarinet Karen Benjamin, Cello Linda MacGougan, Piano
**** Galician Folk Dances Octavio Vázquez March (Processional) Moderate Dance Moderato (flowing melody) Lento (melancholic) Vivace Vivace David Garrido-Cid, Piano
BIOSPianist David Garrido Cid, born in Venezuela, but of Spanish descent, studied primarily in Madrid, completing his bachelor’s degree in piano and chamber music at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid. He went on to study with Luiz de Moura Castro at The Hartt School , earning a Master of Music and a Graduate Professional Diploma in 2001 & 2002. He continued studies at the Yale School of Music with Boris Berman, earning his Artist Diploma in 2005. Alice Matteson, soprano, came to The Hartt School in 2004 to study with Cherie Caluda and Joanna Levy, and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance in 2008. David and Alice were married in September 2013, and welcomed their first child into the world in January 2017.
David is the Director of Music Ministries at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hartford, CT, and is the Spanish Teacher at the adjacent St. Thomas the Apostle School. Alice sings with the Schola Cantorum at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, CT, and co-directs the Cathedral Youth Choir. They take much joy in serving these and other spiritual communities with their music. Alice has an active private teaching studio as well. The duo enjoys performing together as much as possible. They have presented programs at the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, CT, South Congregational Church in Granby, CT, The Musical Club of Hartford, Kimball Farms in Lenox, MA, and Trinity United Methodist Church in Springfield, MA.
Linda MacGougan’s life with the piano began at the age of 2 1/2, when she received a toy grand piano for Christmas. Then, after years of begging for lessons - to prove to her parents (who’d hated piano lessons as children) that she truly wanted them - she began official studies in fourth grade. She went on to graduate from Yale with a major in music, and then attended UConn, earning a M.M. in Piano Performance. Performing and teaching have been her career. Linda loves teaching piano to children, striving to make lessons enjoyable and worthwhile for each of them. She’s a member of the Connecticut State Music Teachers Association and serves as an adjudicator for some of their events. David Schonfeld grew up in the Bronx. Although exposed to classical music as a child, his interest was not kindled until his teens. His first instrument was the recorder. In college he played clarinet, then switched to oboe, studying with Lois Wann. David received a B.A. in Music from CCNY and an M.Phil. in Music Theory from Yale. In 1971, he won a Fulbright to study South Indian classical music on the vina in Madras, India, where he spent a number of years (also studying yoga). In Connecticut, he performed with international folk-dance bands for 20 years, on clarinet, oboe, recorder, guitar, and double bass. He also did some composing and arranging for these bands. During this period, he took classical clarinet lessons with Curt Blood and Greek-style folk clarinet with George Stathos. From 2011-2013, he studied oboe with Marilyn Krentzman. Since then, he has been concentrating on Baroque oboe, with instruction from Marc Schachman primarily. David has performed for the Musical Club on clarinet, (modern) oboe, and Baroque oboe. David has been a classical-music broadcaster at WWUH radio since 2002. He currently has several young private students in clarinet. Being an amateur and a "doubler" has its advantages: When David messes up on clarinet, he can console himself by saying, "Well, for an oboist, I'm not too bad on clarinet." Conversely, when he is disappointed by his oboe playing he can say, "For a clarinetist, I'm not too shabby on oboe!" Karen Benjamin is a psychotherapist and lifelong chamber music player.
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Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT |
| Thu, 04/26/2018 - 10:00am | Music by Members | Music by Members - Apr 26, 2018 |
Rameau’s five Pièces de clavecin en concerts were published in 1741, and constitute his only chamber music. Three selections from this work will be performed by Deborah Robin, recorder, Laura Mazza-Dixon, viola da gamba, Monika Kinstler, violin, and Anne Mayo, harpsichord. “Sweet Bird,” from Handel’s pastoral ode entitled L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato ("The Cheerful, the Thoughtful, and the Moderate Man" HWV 55) will be presented by Tema Silk, soprano, Mark Silk, flute, *Monika Kinstler, violin, Laura Mazza-Dixon, viola da gamba, Jennifer Mayo Curran, viola, and Anne Mayo, harpsichord. The entire ode explores in different movements the virtues both of a life of cheerfulness and one of contemplation. The Paris Quartet No. 5, Suite 1, by Telemann will be played by Monika Kinstler, violin, Deborah Robin, recorder, Laura Mazza-Dixon, viola da gamba, and Anne Mayo, harpsichord. Next, the mother-daughter team of Houry Schmeizl and *Jacqueline Schmeizl will perform three piano duets: the first movement of Beethoven’s Sonata for 4 Hands in D Major, Op. 6, followed by Italian Polka by Rachmaninoff and “Waltz” (from Masquerade), by Khachaturian. Lastly, we will hear Mark Child, organ, playing “Carillon de Westminster” by Louis Vierne (from 24 pièces de fantaisie, Suite No. 3, Op. 54, No. 6). The piece was composed as a fantasia on England’s Westminster Chimes. PROGRAM
(1) Pièces de clavecin en concerts Vème (1741) Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) Fugue La Forqueray La Cupis La Marais Deborah Robin, recorder Laura Mazza-Dixon, viola da gamba Monika Kinstler, violin Anne Mayo, harpsichord
(2) Sweet Bird (From the pastoral ode l’Allegro, il Pensieroso ed il Moderato) (Text from John Milton’s “Il Penseroso” of 1645) George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Tema Silk, soprano Mark Silk, flute Monika Kinstler, violin Laura Mazza-Dixon, viola da gamba Jennifer Mayo Curran, viola Anne Mayo, harpsichord
(3) Paris Quartet No. 5, Suite 1, TWV 43 :e1 (1737) Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) Prélude. Vivement Rigaudon Air Replique Gigue Monika Kinstler, violin Deborah Robin, recorder Laura Mazza-Dixon, viola da gamba Anne Mayo, harpsichord
(4) Music for piano 4-hands
Sonata for Piano Four Hands in D Major, Op. 6 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) 1. Allegro molto Italian Polka Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) Waltz (from Masquerade) Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978)
Houry Schmeizl and Jacqueline Schmeizl, piano
(5) Carillon de Westminster Louis Vierne (1870-1937) (from 24 pièces de fantaisie, Suite No. 3, Op. 54, No. 6)
Mark Child, organ
Text from John Milton’s il Penseroso (1645)
First and chief on golden wing, the cherub contemplation bring, And the mute Silence hist along, less Philomel will deign a song, In her sweetest saddest plight, Smoothing the rugged brow of night. Sweet bird, that shun’st the noise of Folly, Most musical, most melancholy, Thee, chantress of the woods among, I woo, to hear thy evensong, Or missing thee, I walk unseen. On the dry smooth shaven green, To behold the wand’ring moon, Riding near her highest noon. Sweet bird …
PROGRAM NOTES
(1) Rameau’s five Pièces de clavecin en concerts were published in 1741, and constitute his only chamber music. In contrast to Italian-style trio sonatas, here the harpsichord plays an obbligato part, with the other instruments acting as accompaniment. He invited various instrument substitutions – flute for violin, additional violin instead of viola da gamba, etc. He usually gave the various movements French “character” or tribute names. In this case, La Forqueray referred to Jean-Baptiste Forqueray, a leading virtuoso viol player and composer in Paris; La Cupis, François Cupis de Renoussard (1732-1808), was a composer, cellist and music educator; La Marais is a tribute to Marin Marais, the famous French viol player whose life was depicted in the film “Tous les matins du monde.”
(2) Sweet Bird, G.F. Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato ("The Cheerful, the Thoughtful, and the Moderate Man" HWV 55)
(3) Telemann published six quartets in various styles in 1730, using French, German and Italian styles of the era. Four French performers/composers were so enthralled by the music that they invited him to Paris to perform the quartets with them, in 1737. He had meantime composed six further quartets, and all 12 were performed during the visit. The 12 quartets are therefore all designated Paris Quartets. Today’s quartet is included in the second group. Telemann was delighted with the concerts and the reception, and wrote upon his return to Germany, “The admirable performances of these quartets by Messrs Blavet (transverse flute), Guignon (violin), the younger Forcroy [i.e. Forqueray] (viola da gamba) and Edouard (cello) would be worth describing were it possible for words to be found to do them justice. In short, they won the attention of the ears of the court and the town, and procured for me in a very little time an almost universal renown and increased esteem.”
(4) Duets for four hands (4a) Beethoven, Sonata for 4 Hands in D Major, Op. 6 Music for two or more players at one keyboard began to come into prominence in the generation after J.S. Bach as the piano -- with its longer keyboard -- began to displace the harpsichord as the "default" keyboard instrument in a well-equipped musical household. While J.C. Bach and Mozart wrote a substantial quantity of music for two pianists, Haydn was much less prolific and Beethoven contributed only a handful of early works to the four-hands literature. Of these, the most substantial and most performed is the two-movement Sonata in D Major, Op. 6, composed and published in 1797. By this time, Beethoven had spent five years in the big city of Vienna after pulling up stakes from his hometown of Bonn, but was still building his reputation as a virtuoso pianist and composer. There is no documentation for any public performance, and it can be assumed that the D Major Sonata was originally composed as a teaching piece. The main themes of both movements are ornamented when they reappear toward the end of the movement, rather than being played straight as Mozart and Haydn might have done. (4b) Rachmaninoff composed his Romantic style Italian Polka for piano four-hands in 1906 and dedicated it to his cousin Sergei Siloti. The piece proved very popular and Rachmaninoff’s cousin Sergei Siloti asked permission for the Imperial Marine Guard Band to make an arrangement of the piece.
(4c) Khachaturian, Waltz, from Masquerade Aram Khachaturian is considered a national treasure and the most renowned Armenian composer of the 20th century. He broadly combined Russian musical traditions with Armenian and other peoples' folk music in his works. About Masquerade: Khachaturian was asked to write music for a production of Masquerade being produced by the director Ruben Simonov. The famous waltz theme in particular gave Khachaturian much trouble in its creation: moved by the words of the play's heroine, Nina – "How beautiful the new waltz is! ... something between sorrow and joy gripped my heart." – the composer struggled to "find a theme that I considered beautiful and new." Masquerade was the last production staged by the theatre before the invasion of the USSR by Germany, and the production run was cut short. Later, in 1944, Khachaturian extracted five movements to make a symphonic suite. The movements are: Waltz, Nocturne, Mazurka, Romance, and Galop.
(5) Louis Vierne composed the Carillon de Westminster as a fantasia on England’s Westminster Chimes, which were played from the clock tower at Westminster beginning in 1858. Vierne transcribed it as hummed by his friend Henry Willis, and there is a variance with the actual chimes. It is a subject of debate as to whether it was mis-hummed or altered by the composer. The piece was first performed by Vierne at Notre Dame in Paris in 1929 and was an instant success. Vierne's student, Henri Doyen, observed that "Everyone […] waited quietly until the end, and a number of people improvised a little ovation for the maître when he came down from the tribune." (Wikipedia) It is certainly a fitting end to a wonderful season at our Westminster!
BIOGRAPHIES
Mark Child, organ, is Director of Music Ministries and organist for Grace Episcopal Church in Windsor, Connecticut. As a much-admired tenor he has been a member of Connecticut Choral Artists (CONCORA) since 2009. He also sings with the Hartford Chorale and CONCORA-To-Go, CONCORA’s educational outreach quartet. Mark holds a Master of Liturgical Music degree from Hartt College of Music as well as a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Bucknell University.
Jennifer Mayo Curran, viola, joins us at the request of her mother, Anne Mayo, to complete the strings complement of the Handel Sweet Bird performed today. We hope this is just the first of many collaborations. Jen is the director of Wesleyan’s Continuing Studies and Graduate Liberal Studies program.
Guest Monika Kinstler, violin and viola da gamba, studied at the University of Cincinnati, receiving a Bachelor of Music in Music History and a Master of Science in Metallurgical Engineering. She is proficient on a variety of historical instruments and has performed with early music ensembles in Cincinnati, Phoenix, Hartford and Buxtehude, Germany. Also a modern violinist, she has performed with orchestras in Scottsdale and Huntsville, Alabama, and is currently a member of the Manchester Symphony Orchestra. As a metallurgical engineer, she has a thirty-year career in the aerospace industry, holds multiple patents, and is currently employed as a manager in Pratt & Whitney’s Materials & Processes Engineering department. Her musical and engineering interests collide in a passion for woodworking, and she has built several historical musical instruments, including a set of virginals and two vielles.
Anne Mayo, harpsichord, assembled and finished a Zuckermann harpsichord kit with her husband in 1974. Since then she has spent all her spare time with harpsichord – studying with Nancy Curran, practicing and playing chamber music with friends. During her working life she was Membership Coordinator at the Wadsworth Atheneum, and then computer operator at the Hartford Conservatory. She has been a Musical Club member for 40 years, and since her retirement has been very active in Musical Club projects, including co-chairing the 125th Anniversary year with Ginny Allen.
Laura Mazza-Dixon - Laura Mazza-Dixon teaches classical guitar and viola da gamba at the Windy Hill Guitar Studio in Granby, CT. She holds a degree in classical guitar from Penn State University and an MFA in Early Music from Sarah Lawrence College. She has directed the Early Music Ensembles at the Hartt School of Music Community Division and performs Renaissance, Baroque and traditional folk music in venues across Connecticut. Her first book of poetry, "Forged by Joy," was published in 2017.
Deborah Robin (recorder) is a market research consultant, but has played recorder as a serious instrument since age 7 and has always enjoyed performing with both “period” and modern instrument and vocal ensembles wherever she roams, which has included Providence, RI, New Haven, CT, Boston, MA, Lexington, KY, and now West Hartford, CT. Deborah was featured recorder soloist (with Bernard Krainis and Stanley Ritchie) on the first American recording of Bach Brandenburg Concerto no. 4 on original instruments (Aston Magna Festival Orchestra, Smithsonian Collection, 1978).
Houry Yapoujian Schmeizl - Houry received her Master of Music in Pedagogy and Piano Performance and her Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance from the Hartt School of Music. At Hartt she studied under the tutelage of Peter Pertis, Dr. Watson Morrison, and Luis de Moura Castro. She was the founding director of the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts Music School (Torrington, CT) and has served as professor of music at The University of Connecticut (Stamford, CT). Among other benefit performances, she and her daughter have recently performed in a Mother-Daughter benefit concert for Gifts of Love (Avon, CT) at Shawn’s Piano Showroom, with her daughter Jacqueline, who joins her on the bench today. Ms. Schmeizl owns and operates Piano Academy and is very excited to reestablish herself in the Farmington Valley. Houry is the self-published author of the Armenian Songbook My Childhood Reflections, Mangootyan Hoosherus. www.hourymusic.com.
Jacqueline Lucine Schmeizl, age 12, is home-schooled student and attends The Master’s School part-time. She has been studying piano for 6.5 years, primarily under the tutelage of her mother, Houry Schmeizl. Jacqueline has performed in Carnegie Hall multiple times as a top-prize winner for American Protégé International Competition (2015), AADGT Passion of Music (2016, 2018), Crescendo International Competition (2014, 2017) and Rising Talents Piano Competition (2015). She was also selected as a top winner in the Audrey Thayer Piano competition (2015). In addition, Jacqueline performed at the CT State Music Teachers Association State Conference in October of 2016. Jacqueline is an avid reader and writer in both English and Armenian. In 2018 and has won many prizes for her writing. Jacqueline is an active member of the Junior Mensa Honors Society, and in her free time she enjoys water and snow skiing, traveling, archery, hiking and performing piano in chamber music ensembles.
Mark Silk, flute, is Professor of the Study of Religion in Public Life at Trinity College, where he directs the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life and the Program on Public Values.
Tema Silk, soprano, has been singing continuously since elementary school. Since moving to CT in the mid-90's, in addition to participating in larger choruses, Tema has performed in vocal recitals at Trinity College, as a soloist in her synagogue, and in and many smaller chamber music ensembles, including the premiere of Elizabeth Austin's choral work, "The Road Less Traveled," commissioned by the Musical Club in 2016. She is the editor for New England Public Radio’s Commentary Series, which she’s been involved with since 2010.
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Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT |
| Thu, 05/03/2018 - 10:00am | Member Meeting | Annual Business Meeting and Luncheon - May 3, 2018 |
Musical Club finishes off its 127th season with the Club’s Annual Luncheon. Following a business meeting, we’ll hear the MuUyas String Trio. You may remember the very enjoyable pieces played by this trio (Yu-Hao [Howard] Chang, violin, Po-Chun [Gene] Chen, viola, and Wen-Hsuan [Vivian] Su, cello) at the Musical Club’s November 2 program. All trio members are pursuing their Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree at the Hartt School. Please plan to attend our end-of-year event. You’ll find out what we’ve accomplished this year, learn details about next year’s programs, elect Executive Board officers, greet your friends, hear the MuUyas String Trio, and enjoy lunch with fellow club members. A menu and detailed program, including the slate of officers to be voted on at the business meeting, are included on a separate page at the end of this Bulletin. You can make your reservation at the April 12, 19, or 26 program meetings, or by mail to co-Treasurer Anita Wilson. The reservation deadline is Friday, April 27. |
Town & County Club, 22 Woodland St, Hartford, CT |
