ABOUT OUR FINE ARTIST CONCERT SERIES
Downtown Piano Works is committed to providing world-class performances free to the Frederick community with our Fine Artist Concert Series. Funding for the series comes solely from the owners, and is supported by the patronage of our business. We live in Frederick, and strongly believe in giving back to the community in which we chose to raise our family. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, after we send the e-mail invitations, and a percentage of the seats are set aside for students of the Downtown Piano Works music school. If you would like to be added to our events list, please fill out the contact form on this website. We hope you enjoy the series!
AUGUST, 2010
August 26th, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Shai Wosner, Piano
Downtown Piano Works is deeply honored to welcome back International Concert Pianist, Shai Wosner to our Fine Artist Concert Series for an evening of works by Schubert and Ravel. As always, there is no charge for admission to our series, but space is limited to 65. Please RSVP to downtownpianoworks@yahoo.com, or call (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
Shai Wosner continues to attract international recognition for his exceptional artistry, musical integrity and creative insight. With imaginative programming that communicates his intellectual curiosity, Wosner performs a wide-ranging repertoire from Mozart and Beethoven to Ligeti and composers of his own generation. Hailed by the Financial Times as "an artist to follow keenly", Wosner’s virtuosity and perceptiveness have increasingly made him a favorite among audiences and critics.
In the 2008-2009 season Mr. Wosner appears in recitals throughout the US and Europe, including London's Wigmore Hall, the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and The 92nd Street Y in New York. Recent and upcoming orchestral engagements include his critically-acclaimed debut with The Cleveland Orchestra, his return to the Atlanta and Houston symphonies, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Fresno Philharmonic, the Indianapolis and North Carolina symphonies. He also continues his extensive performing and recording activity as a BBC New Generation Artist, which he was named in September 2007. His residency this season, to be broadcast throughout the BBC Radio 3 network, encompasses recital, chamber-music and concerto repertoire, as well as directing two Mozart concerti from the keyboard.
Highlights of his 2009-2010 season include his subscription debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, engagements with the BBC Scottish Symphony (a Proms concert at the Royal Albert Hall as well as subscription concerts), recitals as a soloist and in duos with violinists Jennifer Koh and Viviane Hagner.
In 2005, Wosner won an Avery Fisher Career Grant. In the same year, he received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award which led to the joint commission (by the Trust and The 92nd Street Y) of Michael Hersch's Chamber Concerto, a work for piano and 13 players, based on poetry by Zbigniew Herbert.
In recent seasons, Wosner has appeared with numerous major orchestras in North America and Europe, including re-engagements with The Los Angeles Philharmonic at The Hollywood Bowl, the National Arts Centre Orchestra and performances with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Baltimore, San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas, Milwaukee, Columbus and Memphis; the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia; Staatskapelle Berlin, the Gothenburg Symphony, the Barcelona Symphony, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony and Orchestre National de Belgique, among others. In 2006 he debuted with the Vienna Philharmonic during the 250th anniversary celebrations of Mozart's birth, in Salzburg. He has worked with conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Leonard Slatkin, Donald Runnicles, Hans Graf, Alan Gilbert, Peter Oundjian, James Conlon, James Judd and Yan Pascal Tortelier.
Wosner is widely sought after by his colleagues for his versatility and spirit of partnership. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with numerous esteemed artists including Pinchas Zukerman, Lynn Harrell, Cho-Liang Lin and Christian Tetzlaff. From 2002-2004, he was a member of Lincoln's Center's Chamber Music Society Two. He regularly performs at various chamber music festivals, including Chamber Music Northwest in Portland and La Jolla's SummerFest. Other summer festival appearances include the Ravinia Festival, Hollywood Bowl, Mostly Mozart, Grand Teton Music Festival, and Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. His many chamber music engagements in the 2008-2009 season include a performance with members of The New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall. Other collaborations this season include a performance of the Mozart concerto for three pianos with Joseph Kalichstein and Alon Goldstein and the New York String Orchestra with Jaime Laredo at Carnegie Hall. For several consecutive summers, Wosner was also involved in the West-Eastern Divan Workshop led by Daniel Barenboim and toured as soloist with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. Born in Israel, Mr. Wosner enjoyed a broad musical education from a very early age, studying piano with Emanuel Krasovsky, and composition, theory and improvisation with André Hajdu. He later studied at Juilliard with Emanuel Ax.
Shai lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.
“Mr. Wosner had a wonderfully supple touch for Mozart.”
New York Times
“Wosner proved the star of the evening as solo protagonist in Mozart's Piano Concerto No.21"
Miami Herald
“…nimble technique and dry wit… His mastery of Chopin’s passagework was flawless, and he lavished plenty of elegance on the score’s less glittery sections… A return visit is clearly in order.”
The San Francisco Chronicle
“…marvelously sculpted phrases…” The Philadelphia Enquirer
“Not for a long time have I heard ‘Carnaval’ played this well. Wosner is a major talent.”
Chicago Tribune
“As played by Shai Wosner…it hardly seemed difficult at all, just crisp and exhilarating.”
Financial Times
“..played with great delicacy and a skittish sense of fun.” The Guardian
“…many musical works flourish better when players forget the flash and approach them with plainspoken,intelligent ideas, as pianist Shai Wosner so satisfyingly did… His lively playing made the outermovements sparkle—crisp articulation and hints of rhythmic swagger created delightful vitality…”
The Houston Chronicle
SEPTEMBER, 2010
September 8th, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Thomas Pandolfi, Piano
Downtown Piano Works warmly welcomes back International Concert Pianist Thomas Pandolfi to our Fine Artist Concert Series, for an evening of works by (TBD) As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 65. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
American pianist Thomas Pandolfi is emerging as a prodigious virtuoso who excels in reviving the core repertoire from the "Golden Age of Pianism." Praised for his interesting and innovative programming, his recitals regularly include works by Busoni, Godowsky, Dohnanyi and Chasins, and his orchestral appearances often feature concerti by Paderewski, MacDowell, Moszkowski and Anton Rubinstein.
The young pianist's career has already included performances with such European orchestras as The George Enescu Philharmonic, The Cluj Philharmonic, The Moravian Philharmonic, The National Philharmonic of the Republic of Moldova, The Tiraspol Philharmonic, and The Galati Philharmonic, as well as the American symphony orchestras of Mississippi, Cedar Rapids, Asheville, Princeton, San Angelo, York, Fairfax, Northbrook, Great Falls, and Owensboro to name but a few. He has collaborated with such conductors as Dimitru Goia, Sabin Pautza, Peter Schmelzer, Mihail Agafita, Grigori Moseico, David Russell Hulme, Petronius Negrescu, Murry Sidlin, Andreas Delfs, Christian Tiemeyer, Ron Spigelman, William Kushner, Nicholas Palmer, William Hudson, Kirk Muspratt, Kim Allen Kluge, Robert Hart Baker, Crafton Beck, Lawrence Rapchak, Gordon Johnson and Vincent Zito. Following a performance of MacDowell's D Minor Piano Concerto with The George Enescu Philharmonic, The Bucharest Cultural Observer lauded Pandolfi's "virtuosity, beautiful touch, sensitivity and broad scope...logical phrasing and expressive percussiveness...a soloist whom we would like to hear again." Of Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Asheville Symphony, The Asheville Citizen-Times remarked, "Pandolfi is a standout among today's young pianists, demonstrating a great technician's grace, finesse and polish...his virtuosity and strength might have had some believing that Liszt himself had taken over the keyboard." Equally popular as a recitalist, Pandolfi has appeared in concert halls nationwide. The Washington Post has described him as "an artist who is master of both the grand gesture and the sensual line. Pandolfi possesses first-rate technical skills, an unerring comma nd of phrasing, a quicksilver touch and cunning legerdemain when it comes to pedaling...etched with calm and crystal clarity...outstanding." New York Concert Review has characterized Pandolfi's interpretations as containing "high level pianism and tasteful, diversified musical ideas...crystalline texture and deft coloration... charm and bracing elan."
During the 2008-09 season, Pandolfi performed debut recitals in Canada, Germany and China, appeared with The Aberystwyth Symphony in Wales, and toured twice throughout Eastern Europe, both in recital and as guest soloist with orchestras. During last season, he also performed with a number of American symphony orchestras, and presented recitals throughout the United States. Highlights during the 2009-10 season, include the world premiere of British composer, Simon Proctor's, dazzling and unique "James Bond" Piano Concerto in London. He will also perform this work in the USA with the St. Augustine Symphony (FL), and Symphonicity (VA), along with the "Warsaw Concerto", and make guest solo appearances with The Great Falls Symphony (MT) in D'Indy's Symphony on a French Mountain Air for Piano and Orchestra, The Allegro Chamber Orchestra (PA) in Hummel's Piano Concerto in A Minor, The Memphis Symphony in Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, The American Festival Pops Orchestra in Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue for the Gala Opening Night of Merchant Hall at The Hylton Performing Arts Center (VA), The National Philharmonic of the Republic of Moldova in Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2, The Cluj Philharmonic in Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2, and The George Enescu Philharmonic (Bucharest, Romania) in the Albeniz "Concierto Fantastico". Audiences this season will also enjoy his artistry in New York, North Carolina, Illinois, Michigan, Montana, Delaware, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC.
A graduate of The Juilliard School, Pandolfi earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees as a scholarship student.
"Thomas Pandolfi's recital revealed an artist who is the master of both the grand gesture and the sensual line."
The Washington Post
"At the Arts Club of Washington, pianist Thomas Pandolfi took another step toward becoming one of the area's favorite young musicians. Evident in other recent Washington performances, his ability to charm audiences was seen and heard once again as he captured the essence of each musical composition he performed."
The Washington Post
"Playing with the Bach Sinfonia, Thomas Pandolfi gave the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 9 a healthy, extroverted performance, taking the tricky third movement register leaps accurately and in tempo, and never prettifying the music's wit and verve."
The Washington Post
"Thomas Pandolfi, the soloist for the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, is a standout among today's young pianists... the climax of the evening's concert came in Pandolfi's superb performance of Liszt's Piano Concerto No.2 he demonstrated a great technician's grace, finesse, and polish. His virtuosity and strength, expressed in his thundering statements of the thematic material in the first movement, might have had some believing that Liszt himself had taken over the keyboard."
Asheville Citizen-Times
OCTOBER, 2010
October 2nd, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Giuseppe Lupis, Piano
Downtown Piano Works warmly welcomes back International Concert Pianist Giuseppe Lupis to our Fine Artist Concert Series, for an evening of works by (TBD) As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 65. Please RSVP to
Giuseppe Lupis is a pianist and a musician whose interests range from baroque music to contemporary styles and from jazz to his own arrangements of popular music.
Performance venues include among others Temple Square Concert Series, Salt Lake City, Utah; Serate Musicali, Verdi Conservatory Hall, Milan, Italy; Municipality Hall, Varna, Bulgaria; Guido Miranda Theatre, Resistencia, Argentina; Treze de Majo Theatre, Santa Maria, Brazil; Neuwied, Germany; Contemporary Music Society, Krakow, Poland; and Volyn State University, Lutsk, Ukraine. Giuseppe Lupis performed for the American Liszt Society Festival; the Peabody Award Banquet at the Governor’s Mansion in Atlanta, Georgia; and the ACDA convention at The Clay Center in West Virginia.
As soloist he has appeared with the Lviv, Latvian, and Bari Symphonies, the UGA Symphony and the Ascoli Chamber Orchestra. He has also performed with percussionist and composer Ney Rosauro, and his live DVD recording with guitar player Scotty Anderson was released in September 2008. His compact disc of George Gershwin solo works (Phoenix label, 2000) was declared “exceptional” by musicologist Alberto Cantù on Il Giornale (Milan, Italy).
Giuseppe Lupis served on the juries of the International Singing Competition “Citta’ di Alcamo”, and the Premio Massimo Urbani Jazz Competition of which he is former artistic director. Starting Fall 2009, Giuseppe Lupis has been appointed to the faculty at Grand Valley State University, where he serves as Assistant Professor of Piano/Artist Performer. Previous teaching positions include the Bari and Campobasso Italian state conservatories; the G.B Pergolesi Music Institute in Ancona, Italy; Wesleyan College, Georgia Southern University, Pittsburg State University, and Missouri Southern State University in the United States. As a pedagogue, Giuseppe Lupis has given masterclasses, including Valdosta State University; University of Southern Mississippi; Chopin Music Lyceum, Krakow, Poland; and Volyn State University, Lutsk, Ukraine, and has taught also at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Michigan; The Ascoli Piceno Festival, Italy; and the Vale Veneto Festival, Brazil.
A former pupil of renowned concert pianist Aldo Ciccolini, Giuseppe Lupis holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts in piano performance at the University of Georgia, USA, under the tutelage of Richard Zimdars, and a Piano Performance degree earned with highest honors at the Bari Conservatory, Italy, under Pierluigi Camicia. In addition, Giuseppe Lupis studied with jazz pianist Enrico Pieranunzi, and at La Scala Theatre Academy in Milan. He is a recipient of the 2005 Franz Liszt Award and the 2003 Concerto Competition Award at the University of Georgia, and second prize winner of the 1989 Italian National Béla Bartók piano competition.
"EXCEPTIONAL. Few Italian pianists with a classical background have, as Giuseppe Lupis does, a sincere love, a natural confidence, and an absolute ease with the music of the author of Rhapsody in Blue."
"Il Giornale"
NOVEMBER, 2010
November 27th, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Sara Daneshpour, Piano
Downtown Piano Works warmly welcomes International concert Pianist Sara Daneshpour to our Fine Artist Concert Series, for an evening of works (TBD) As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 65. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat.
Sara Daneshpour is the 2nd prize winner of the 2007 William Kapell International Piano Competition, 1st prize and Gold Medal winner of the 2007 International Russian Music Piano Competition, and 1st prize of the 2003 Beethoven Society of America Competition. She is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music studying under Leon Fleisher, and presently studies under the direction of Dr. Oleg Volkov.
Ms. Daneshpour has performed not only in her native city of Washington DC, but also in New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Russia, Germany, Finland, Estonia,Denmark, and Sweden. She has been heard on stages of such prestigious venues as the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Carnegie Hall in New York and at the Great Hall of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. She has also been featured nationwide on 160 public radio stations, including the venerable WGBH in Boston.
Ms. Daneshpour's performances have earned high accolades of audiences and critics alike. The Washington Post wrote of her performance with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra "...she created transfixing poetry. And she found delightful details in passagework and incidents that other pianists treat as routine." The Baltimore Sun stated that Sara "delivered a powerhouse account of Tchaikovsky's Concerto No.1 producing enough tone for two pianists in the process.", while The Mercury News called her performance "...sensational. Strength, finesse, passion; it was all there."
In addition, she has been featured as a soloist on prestigious music series including the Werner Richard Saal concert series in Munich, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Strathmore Hall in Washington, DC, Ventura Festival, The Frederuc Chopin Society in St.Paul, Minnesota, The Gnessin School of Music in Moscow, and the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York, in which the New York Concert Review wrote,“ she lavished color on oft-nelected line, illuminated subtle beauties, and raged through the storms, always with stunning polish…she exhibits all the requisites for a high voltage career and more: blazing technique, power, expressivity, imagination, and a lovely stage presence.“
“…she lavished color on oft-neglected lines, illuminated subtle beauties, and raged through the storms, always with stunning polish.”
New York Concert Review
“…she attacked the finale with unremitting intensity, bringing listeners to their feet.”
New York Concert Review
“…admirably colorful playing.” The Baltimore Sun
“…she created transfixing poetry.” The Washington Post
“,,,[Daneshpour] played with a combination of technical abandon …and elegant restraint of tone and volume.”
The Washington Post
JANUARY, 2011
January 22nd, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Alexander Solomon, Piano
Downtown Piano Works warmly welcomes International Concert Pianist Alexander Solomon to our Fine Artist Concert Series, for an evening of works by (TBD) As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 65. RSVP via e-mail or call (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
Alexander Solomon, pianist, earned a master’s degree and performance diploma at Yale School of Music and has worked towards a doctorate at the Peabody Conservatory under legendary pianist and pedagogue Leon Fleisher. Mr. Solomon graduated cumlaude in biology from Yale College and with distinction from Stanford Law School, where he was managing editor of the Law Review. His past instructors have included Peter Frankl, Claude Frank, Boris Berman, and Olegna Fuschi.
Most recently, Mr. Solomon performed with the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Orchestra. Among Mr. Solomon’s achievements are first place in the William Waite Concerto Competition, the Bergen County Philharmonic Concerto Competition, and the Stanford Symphony Orchestra Competition; second place in the National Federation of Music Clubs National Competition; third place in the Kingsville International Music Competition; and finalist in the Concert Artist Guild Audition. Mr. Solomon was also a semi-finalist in the first International e-Piano Competition and the San Antonio International Piano Competition. At Juilliard Pre-College Division, Mr. Solomon was recognized as one of six outstanding graduates, and at Yale was the recipient of the New Prize for exemplary representation of Jonathan Edwards College.
A frequent performer, Mr. Solomon has appeared in the New York area and elsewhere in the United States, and has been featured on WQXR’s program Young Artists Showcase. Highlights of overseas performances include an appearance with a touring orchestra in Ibiza, Spain and a recital at the Chopin house in Valdemosa, Spain. An avid chamber musician, Mr. Solomon has participated in the Taos, Verbier, Norfolk, Ravinia, and Sarasota summer music festivals. Mr. Solomon has also been a resident artist at the Banff Centre in Banff, Canada.
Mr. Solomon is currently a federal prosecutor with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
"Solomon swept through the score like a breeze. It was hard work, but he made it look easy - with much passion, but without showy mannerisms. He put the music, not himself, at center stage. For this, and for his incredible technique, the audience loved him. Their response was tumultuous."
Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
FEBRUARY, 2011
February 5th, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Irina Nuzova, Piano
Downtown Piano Works warmly welcomes International Concert Pianist Irina Nuzova to our Fine Artist Concert Series, for an evening of works by (TBD) As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 65. RSVP via e-mail or call (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
Irina Nuzova "rises above mere virtuosity" (Washington Post) in her thoughtful rendition of the classical repertoire both as a soloist and as chamber music partner. Ms. Nuzova has performed in the U.S. among others at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC, for Boston’s WBGH, the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, and at various venues overseas in Europe and South America. Her chamber ensemble appearances include the WarnerNuzoa duo, the acclaimed piano-cello duo with Wendy Warner; collaborations with Calefax, a reed quintet from the Netherlands; and regular performances in string ensembles. A CD will be released with works by Rachmaninov and other Russian romantics on the Cedille label in early 2010.
Ms. Nuzova won top prizes as piano soloist and as chamber ensemble pianist in international competitions such as the Vincenzo Bellini and Citta di Senigallia International Competitions in Italy, the Bruce Hungerford Award at the Young Concert Artist Auditions in New York, the Beethoven Piano Sonata International Competition in Memphis, Tennessee., and at the Vittorio Gui and the Premio Trio di Trieste International Chamber Music Competitions in Italy.
A native of Moscow, Ms. Nuzova made her debut with the Omsk Philharmonic at the age of 14 while attending the famous Gnessin School of Music. She received her education at Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School of Music, and has earned her Doctorate degree from the Hartt School of Music (University of Hartford) in Connecticut.
"...superb performance...quite extraordinary...rising above mere virtuosity..."
TheWashington Post
"..the excellent pianist and partner, Irina Nuzova, displayed such remarkable affinity for the music that one might have thought that she, too, was Spanish, not Russian."
New York Concert Reviews
"..Russian brand of virtuosity...wonderful...heroic performance...impressed audience and jury alike..."
Strad, London/New York
"The Brahms turned gossamer in the hands of Nuzova ... beautiful and compelling reading."
Milwaukee Sentinel
"Impeccable........virtuosity and intensity of feeling."
La Nazione, Florence Italy
MARCH, 2011
March 19th, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
John Wickelgren, Piano
Downtown Piano Works warmly welcomes concert pianist Dr. John Wickelgren to our Fine Artist Concert Series for an evening of works by (TBD). As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 65. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
A native of Colorado, John Wickelgren has been described as a pianist who “wonderfully…mingled the sounds of gentle breezes with the clamor of racing horses.” Dr. Wickelgren has played solo and chamber concerts in Colorado, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. He has also performed in several summer festivals, including Bowdoin and Interlochen. As a resident artist of the La Gesse Foundation in 1997, he presented an all-Schubert concert in honor of the composer’s bicentenary, at the Chateau de la Gesse near Toulouse, France. Dr. Wickelgren has served as keyboardist with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra since 2006, and in April 2008 he made his solo debut with the orchestra in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasia, Op. 80. In October 2008 Dr. Wickelgren gave the inaugural solo concert on the new Bösendorfer Imperial Grand at Frederick Community College. Dr. Wickelgren is currently working to become a certified instructor of the Taubman method under the auspices of the Golandsky Institute, studying with senior faculty member Robert Durso in Philadelphia. Dr. Wickelgren actively participates in the institute’s teaching and performance seminars in New York and Princeton University.
John Wickelgren received his Master’s and Doctorate degrees in piano performance at the Peabody Conservatory, where he studied with Yoheved Kaplinsky, Dominique Weber and Zitta Zohar. At Oberlin College, where he received undergraduate degrees in English and Piano Performance, he was a finalist in the annual Conservatory concerto competition, and also received a Piano Faculty Accompanying Prize upon graduation. Dr. Wickelgren has also medalled in the Kawai America Piano Competition and the Russell Wonderlic Competition in Baltimore.
One of Dr. Wickelgren’s specialties is the piano music of Henry Cowell, of which he has given several lecture-recitals and performances including Cowell’s Little Concerto for piano and orchestra at Oberlin’s Cowell centenary festival in 1997. In addition Dr. Wickelgren was an assistant coach for the Peabody Opera program for two years, also serving as music director for its production of Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine, and he also coached and performed in several premieres.
Currently, Dr. Wickelgren is on the music faculties of Frederick Community College and Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland. In 2004, he was a recipient of an Individual Artist Award from the Maryland State Arts Council, the funds of which were used to record his solo CD, “Reflections: The Year 1905.” More information about the recording can be found at www.cdbaby.com.
PAST PERFORMANCES
JULY, 2010
July 17th, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Alon Goldstein, Piano
Downtown Piano Works warmly welcomes back our favorite, international concert Pianist Alon Goldstein, to our Fine Artist Concert Series for an evening of works including Beethoven's "Appassionata", Schuman's Fantasy and more!. As always, the concert is free, but space is limited to 65. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
Alon Goldstein is one of the most sensitive artists of his generation, admired for his musical intelligence and dynamic personality. Alon’s artistic vision and innovative programming have made him a favorite with audiences and critics alike throughout the United States, Europe, and Israel. Goldstein made his orchestral debut at the age of 18 with the Israel Philharmonic under the baton of Maestro Zubin Mehta, and in April of 2008 made a triumphant return with Maestro Herbert Blomstedt. In November 2009 the Kansas City Symphony, under the baton of music director Michael Stern, will give the world premiere performance of a piano concerto written for Alon by rising star Israeli composer Avner Dorman and will also perform the world premiere of a concerto by Mark Kopytman with Avner Biron and the Jerusalem Camerata Orchestra. Other 2009-10 season appearances with orchestra include Chopin Concerto no. 2 with the Delaware Symphony, Mozart Concerto K. 453 with the Jerusalem Symphony and a return engagement with the Bucharest Philharmonic 'George Enescu'.
In 2009-10 Alon returns in recital with the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. as well as return appearances throughout Israel, including his annual recital, broadcast live, at Henry Crown Symphony Hall. Alon will be featured at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival performing all three Schumann piano trios and can be heard performing chamber music concerts at the Peoples’ Symphony Concerts, Society of the Four Arts and The Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival with principals from the Berlin Philharmonic and violinist Nikolaj Znaider. Alon debuts in recital with the International Keyboard Festival Master Series at Mannes College, Tannery Pond Concerts, Civic Music Association of Oklahoma City, Muhlenberg College, The Reif Center and Matinee Musicale. Alon is proud to be honoring Dame Myra Hess in a recital celebrating the 70th anniversary of the London National Gallery of Art Series which she founded. The program, which mirrors the inaugural recital performed by Dame Myra, will be performed in Chicago on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts and broadcast live on radio and television.
In the 2008-2009 season, Alon made his Carnegie Hall debut in the Mozart Triple Concerto alongside Joseph Kalichstein and Shai Wosner. His recent Beethoven concerto cycle with the Rockford Symphony, which expanded the traditional concert experience to a multi-media presentation contextualizing Beethoven’s life and work, resulted in unprecedented attendance and subsequent subscriptions. He returned to the Rockford Symphony with a series of concerts illuminating the works of Johannes Brahms and Robert and Clara Schumann, again resulting in enthusiastic audience attendance and response. In recent seasons, Alon has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco, St. Louis, Houston, Vancouver, Kansas City and North Carolina Symphonies, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and orchestras on tour in Paris, Russia, Romania and Bulgaria. An ardent chamber musician, Alon has collaborated with violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson as well as the Tokyo String Quartet at the 92nd Street Y in New York, in trio performances with cellist Amit Peled and violinist Ilya Kaler and clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein.
Alon has longstanding relationships with the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. and the Bell Series in Jackson, MS. Alon has appeared at the Gilmore, Santa Fe, Tanglewood, Ravinia, Marlboro, Seattle, and Steamboat (Colorado) festivals in the United States as well as Prussia Cove (England), the Verbier Festival (Switzerland) and Klavier Festival in Rühr (Germany). He performed at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the recently opened Millennium Park in Chicago with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. Over the past several years he has also taught and played at the "Tel Hai" international piano master classes held in Israel.
The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London recognized Alon’s distinctive musical and interpersonal skills and created the position of Performance Fellow for him. As such, he initiated an innovative chamber music concert series, collaborating with students and faculty members as well as organizing annual festivals devoted to the 4-hands piano repertoire. After the residency in London, Alon spent two seasons as "Artist-in-Residence" at the Theo Lieven International Piano Foundation in Lake Como, Italy. In this inspiring environment, as one of only eight promising young pianists in residence from around the world, he was able to enjoy private master classes with world-renowned musicians.
He is the winner of numerous competitions, among them the Arianne Katcz Piano Competition in Tel Aviv, Nena Wideman Competition in the US and the Francois Shapira competition in Israel. He is also the recipient of the 2004 Salon di Virtuosi Career Grant and the America Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarships. The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC chose a live recording of one of Alon’s recitals there for its first CD release. Other recordings include solo recital programs through the Jerusalem Music Center "Mishkenot Sha’ananim" and the Israeli Music Institute featuring works by Israeli composers. Alon graduated from the Peabody Conservatory where he studied with Leon Fleisher and served as his assistant – a position assigned only to his most exceptional students.
“Extremely cultivated, refined command of the keyboard…”
Philadelphia Inquirer
"an irresistible powerhouse performance"
New York Times
“Goldstein, Simply Profound”
The Washington Post
“The robust pianist Alon Goldstein, in his Grand Park debut, rose commandingly to the long solo introduction.His stylish and spirited playing treated the music like the fiery improvisation Beethoven must have intended.”
Chicago Tribune
“This young artist has style, smarts and technique…”
Philadelphia Inquirer
“Alon Goldstein, a fine young pianist who proved a worthy match for his illustrious colleagues [Tokyo String Quarter].”
New York Times
JUNE, 2010
June 18th, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Amit Peled, Cello
Dina Vainshtein, Piano
Downtown Piano Works is deeply honored to welcome International Concert Artists, Amit Peled, and Dina Vainshtein to our Fine Artist Concert Series for an evening of works by Beethoven, Tsintsadze and Chopin.As always, there is no charge for admission to our series, but space is limited to 65. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
From the United States to Europe to the Middle East and Asia , Israeli cellist Amit Peled, a musician of profound artistry and charismatic stage presence, is acclaimed as one of the most exciting instrumentalists on the concert stage today.
Mr. Peled who was recently described by the American Record Guide as “Having the flair of the young Rostropovich”, has performed as a soloist with many orchestras and in the world’s major concert halls, such as: Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall, New York, Salle Gaveau, Paris, Wigmore Hall, London, Konzerthaus, Berlin, and Tel Aviv's Mann Auditorium.
Following enthusiastically received debuts with the Columbus Symphony ("Peled is nothing short of a superb player,” The Columbus Dispatch) and the Baltimore Symphony (I was struck by the richness of Peled’s tone and the intensely poetic nature of his phrasing; this was very classy cello playing...." The Baltimore Sun) Mr. Peled’s 2010/11 season will include recital debuts at the Kennedy Center, and NYC's Symphony Space, and an Alice Tully Hall Concerto debut playing the Hindemith cello concerto.
As a recording artist, Mr. Peled has just released two critically acclaimed CDs: “The Jewish Soul” and “Cellobration” under the Centaur Records Label. Fanfare Magazine stated: “By all evidence, Amit Peled is a superb cellist. His technical prowess in the Davidoff and Ligeti vouchsafe that; and his tone, of pellucid purity, gleams with a glint of gold in the slow, lyrical numbers.”
Peled is also a frequent guest artist, performing and giving master classes at prestigious summer music festivals such as the Marlboro Music Festival, Newport Music Festival, Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Heifetz International Music Institute, Schleswig Holstein Festival and Euro Arts Festival in Germany, Gotland Festival in Sweden, Prussia Cove Festival in England, The Violoncello Forum in Spain, and the Mizra International Academy and Festival in Israel.
Amit Peled has been featured on television and radio stations throughout the world, including NPR’s “Performance Today”, WGBH Boston, WQXR New York, WFMT Chicago, Deutschland Radio Berlin , Radio France , Swedish National Radio & TV, and Israeli National Radio & TV.
Russian-born pianist Dina Vainshtein has performed extensively throughout North America, Europe and Russia, at such prestigious venues as the Alice Tully Hall and Weill Hall in New York City, Jordan Hall in Boston and the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. She has degrees from the Gnesins’ Institute of Music in Moscow, the Cleveland Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music. Her principal teachers were Boris Berlin, Arthur Aksenov and Vivian Hornik Weilerstein.
In 1998 she received a Special Prize for Best Collaboration at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. She also won prizes at the 1997 Schubert and Music of Modernity International Competiton in Austria, and the All-Union Russian Piano Competition in 1993. She has worked as a collaborative pianist for the studios of renowned pedagogues such as Donald Weilerstein, Kim Kashkashian and Miriam Fried, as well as for Walnut Hill School and the New England Conservatory. She continues to work closely with many young rising performers.
She has performed at the Ravinia Festival, Caramoor Festival, Sunriver festival, Music Academy of the West, (Santa Barbara) Meadowmount and the Heifitz International Music Institute. She has appeared as a soloist with I Musici de Montreal, under the direction of Yuli Turovsky, and as a guest artist with the Borromeo String Quartet. She has also given live performances on WGBH (Boston), WFMT (Chicago) and for NPR’s Performance Today series. Her 2002 recording with violinist Frank Huang for the Naxos label – Violin Recital: Fantasies – received critical acclaim.
"Mr. Peled expressed a dark-hued cello sound and rendered the lyrical theme that begins the Adagio with dreaminess."
New York Times
“He has the flair of the young Rostropovich”
American Record Guide
“Simply gorgeous sound”
Baltimore Sun
“Every movement was imbued with its own shade of resigned solemnity”
Washington Post
“The cellist gave his heart in Rachmaninoff – beauty was coupled with drama”
Seattle Times
MAY, 2010
May 1st, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
WEST GARDEN PIANO TRIO
Danielle DeSwert Hahn, Piano
Benjamin Wensel, Cello
Luke Wedge, Violin
Downtown Piano Works is pleased to welcome the West Garden Trio to our Fine Artist Concert Series, for an evening of works by Bernstein, Copeland and Ives. As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 65. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
The West Garden Piano Trio was formed in early 2008 as the resident piano trio at the National Gallery of Art. Coming from diverse backgrounds, the three musicians with a passion for playing chamber music that appeals to a wide audience are known for their interesting and diverse programming. They have performed to full houses at the National Gallery of Art in addition to embassy and other DC area venues.
Violinist Luke Wedge received a master of music degree in violin performance from Northwestern University and a bachelor of music degree in English literature from the University of Kansas. His principal instructors included David Perry, Gerardo Ribeiro, and Ben Sayevich. Wedge has made solo and recital appearances in Chicago, Illinois; Lawrence, Kansas; and Washington, DC. He is an experienced orchestral musician and has been engaged by the National Gallery of Art Orchestra, the National Symphony, and the Ravinia Festival, among others. A member of the United States Air Force Strings, he has been since 2003 a member of the Covington String Quartet, which was the quartet-in-residence at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania from 2003–2006.
Cellist Benjamin R. Wensel holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Eastman School of Music. He has performed in seminars and master classes for members of the Cleveland, Guarneri, Juilliard, Miami, and Ying quartets; studied chamber music with Peter Salaff and members of the Audubon and Cavani Quartets; and participated in solo master classes with Clemens Michael Hagen, Steven Isserlis, and Michel Strauss. He is currently a member of the Army Strings. Wensel has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Syracuse Symphony as well as with many fine local ensembles. A founding member of the Tarab Cello Ensemble, Wensel performed in the premieres of more than twenty new works written by established and emerging American composers, and participated in the ensemble’s residencies at Princeton University, Stetson University, and the University of South Florida. He taught chamber music and maintained a studio at the Hochstein School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he was the cellist of the Hochstein String Quartet. Currently a member of the faculty at the Washington Conservatory, Wensel maintains a private studio in Arlington, Virginia, and plays with the newly formed Messaien Quartet as well as the National Gallery of Art Piano Trio. He can be heard on recordings produced by the Bridge, Harmonia Mundi, and Summit record labels.
Brussels-born pianist Danielle DeSwert Hahn is a freelance collaborative pianist and coach and the music program specialist at the National Gallery of Art. She has worked as a pianist and coach with the Ash Lawn Highland Opera Festival, Chautauqua Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Kentucky Opera, the New Orleans Opera Association, Portland (Oregon) Opera, the San Francisco Opera Center, Sarasota Opera, and the Washington National Opera. From 2004–2006 she was the principal repetiteur with the Baltimore Opera Company and Washington Concert Opera. She performs regularly in chamber music and voice recitals, including performances at the Arts Club of Washington, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, the Kennedy Center, the Mexican Institute of Culture, the National Gallery, the Russian Embassy, and the White House. She is principal pianist with the Inscape Chamber Music Project. She holds a master of music degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she studied with Martin Katz, and a bachelor of music degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She also studiedwith Warren Jones and Anne Epperson at the Music Academy of the West and was an apprentice coach with the Washington Opera, working with Placido Domingo.
APRIL, 2010
April 13th, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Alon Goldstein, Piano
Hyunah Yu, Soprano
Downtown Piano Works is honored to welcome back our favorite, international concert Pianist Alon Goldstein, and Hyunah Yu to our Fine Artist Concert Series for an evening of works by TBD. As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 65. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
Alon Goldstein is one of the most sensitive artists of his generation, admired for his musical intelligence and dynamic personality. Alon’s artistic vision and innovative programming have made him a favorite with audiences and critics alike throughout the United States, Europe, and Israel. Goldstein made his orchestral debut at the age of 18 with the Israel Philharmonic under the baton of Maestro Zubin Mehta, and in April of 2008 made a triumphant return with Maestro Herbert Blomstedt. In November 2009 the Kansas City Symphony, under the baton of music director Michael Stern, will give the world premiere performance of a piano concerto written for Alon by rising star Israeli composer Avner Dorman and will also perform the world premiere of a concerto by Mark Kopytman with Avner Biron and the Jerusalem Camerata Orchestra. Other 2009-10 season appearances with orchestra include Chopin Concerto no. 2 with the Delaware Symphony, Mozart Concerto K. 453 with the Jerusalem Symphony and a return engagement with the Bucharest Philharmonic 'George Enescu'.
In 2009-10 Alon returns in recital with the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. as well as return appearances throughout Israel, including his annual recital, broadcast live, at Henry Crown Symphony Hall. Alon will be featured at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival performing all three Schumann piano trios and can be heard performing chamber music concerts at the Peoples’ Symphony Concerts, Society of the Four Arts and The Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival with principals from the Berlin Philharmonic and violinist Nikolaj Znaider. Alon debuts in recital with the International Keyboard Festival Master Series at Mannes College, Tannery Pond Concerts, Civic Music Association of Oklahoma City, Muhlenberg College, The Reif Center and Matinee Musicale. Alon is proud to be honoring Dame Myra Hess in a recital celebrating the 70
In the 2008-2009 season, Alon made his Carnegie Hall debut in the Mozart Triple Concerto alongside Joseph Kalichstein and Shai Wosner. His recent Beethoven concerto cycle with the Rockford Symphony, which expanded the traditional concert experience to a multi-media presentation contextualizing Beethoven’s life and work, resulted in unprecedented attendance and subsequent subscriptions. He returned to the Rockford Symphony with a series of concerts illuminating the works of Johannes Brahms and Robert and Clara Schumann, again resulting in enthusiastic audience attendance and response. In recent seasons, Alon has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco, St. Louis, Houston, Vancouver, Kansas City and North Carolina Symphonies, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and orchestras on tour in Paris, Russia, Romania and Bulgaria. An ardent chamber musician, Alon has collaborated with violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson as well as the Tokyo String Quartet at the 92nd Street Y in New York, in trio performances with cellist Amit Peled and violinist Ilya Kaler and clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein.
Alon has longstanding relationships with the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. and the Bell Series in Jackson, MS. Alon has appeared at the Gilmore, Santa Fe, Tanglewood, Ravinia, Marlboro, Seattle, and Steamboat (Colorado) festivals in the United States as well as Prussia Cove (England), the Verbier Festival (Switzerland) and Klavier Festival in Rühr (Germany). He performed at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the recently opened Millennium Park in Chicago with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. Over the past several years he has also taught and played at the "Tel Hai" international piano master classes held in Israel.
The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London recognized Alon’s distinctive musical and interpersonal skills and created the position of Performance Fellow for him. As such, he initiated an innovative chamber music concert series, collaborating with students and faculty members as well as organizing annual festivals devoted to the 4-hands piano repertoire. After the residency in London, Alon spent two seasons as "Artist-in-Residence" at the Theo Lieven International Piano Foundation in Lake Como, Italy. In this inspiring environment, as one of only eight promising young pianists in residence from around the world, he was able to enjoy private master classes with world-renowned musicians.
He is the winner of numerous competitions, among them the Arianne Katcz Piano Competition in Tel Aviv, Nena Wideman Competition in the US and the Francois Shapira competition in Israel. He is also the recipient of the 2004 Salon di Virtuosi Career Grant and the America Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarships. The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC chose a live recording of one of Alon’s recitals there for its first CD release. Other recordings include solo recital programs through the Jerusalem Music Center "Mishkenot Sha’ananim" and the Israeli Music Institute featuring works by Israeli composers. Alon graduated from the Peabody Conservatory where he studied with Leon Fleisher and served as his assistant – a position assigned only to his most exceptional students.
The South Korean-born American soprano, Hyunah Yu, received a degree in molecular biology from the University of Texas, Austin, and was successfully pursuing a career in molecular biology. Her professional career in music came relatively late - after the tragic death of her husband just two years after they were married. He was the victim of America’s first fatal car-jacking. This tragedy demanded that her deep-felt love of music called her to a career as a singer. She studied voice at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore earning a Master of Music and an Artist Diploma.
Hyunah Yu first gained recognition in 1999 as a soloist in St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) with the New England Bach Festival. She was a prize-winner in the 1999 Walter W. Naumburg International Competition and a finalist in the Dutch International Vocal Competition and the Concert Artist Guild International Competition in New York. At the 2000 Marlboro Music Festival in the USA, Hyunah Yu was discovered by the eminent pianist Mitsuko Uchida, who has supported and encouraged her since. In 2003 she was nominated by Uchida and awarded a Fellowship by the Borletti-Buitoni Trust.
Hyunah Yu made her successful New York City recital debut in 2004 at Carnegie Hall. Her recent engagements include Arnold Schoenberg's String Quartet, No. 2 and J.S. Bach's St. John Passion (BWV 245) at the Marlboro Music Festival; the Mass in B minor (BWV 232) Magnificat (BWV 243) solo cantatas at the New England Bach Festival; and solo recitals at Jordan Hall in Boston, Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center and Carnegie Recital Hall in New York.
In the 2004-2005 season, Hyunah Yu appeared in the Shriver Hall concert Series in Baltimore. European engagements during that year included Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev, J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor (BWV 232) in Cologne under Semyon Bychkov with the Orchestra of the West Deutsche Rundfunk, Beethoven 9with David Zinman at the Aspen Music Festival and a solo recital debut for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. During the 2005-2006 season, she sang in the Marlboro Festival in which she has been a regularly participating artist since 2000. She also made a series of concert appearances including a very successful recital for the Vancouver Recital Society, at the Curtis Institute for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, at the Alice Tully Hall for the Lincoln Center, a recital for the Chicago Chamber Musicians and on tour with Musicians from Marlboro. The highlight of 2006 for Hyunah Yu has been singing the title role in Peter Sellars' new production of Zaide conducted by Louis Langrée. This has been a joint production between the Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival and the Wiener Festwochen and has played in Vienna, New York, and Holland and at London's Barbican.
Hyunah Yu, has already caught the ears of leading USA critics and promoters with a series of refined performances in the opera house and concert hall. Her lyric voice, impeccable musicianship and readiness to explore new repertoire have appealed directly to composers, Alan Mandel and Barton Bullock among them, who have written works specifically for her. The Baltimore Sun has identified her as "a rising star - a lovely voice with diamond purity".
Hyunah Yu has recorded two solo recitals for BBC Radio 3's Voices programme and has given several first performances. Her first CD was picked as one of Radio 3’s Best of 2004. Her second, EMI Debut Disc, was released in January 2007. Recorded with the Prague Philharmonia conducted by Shuntaro Sato, the CD features Mozart arias and Bach cantatas.
“Extremely cultivated, refined command of the keyboard…”
Philadelphia Inquirer
"an irresistible powerhouse performance"
New York Times
“Goldstein, Simply Profound”
The Washington Post
“The robust pianist Alon Goldstein, in his Grand Park debut, rose commandingly to the long solo introduction.His stylish and spirited playing treated the music like the fiery improvisation Beethoven must have intended.”
Chicago Tribune
“This young artist has style, smarts and technique…”
Philadelphia Inquirer
“Alon Goldstein, a fine young pianist who proved a worthy match for his illustrious colleagues [Tokyo String Quarter].”
New York Times
"a rising star - a lovely voice with diamond purity" Baltimore Sun
April 3rd, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Andrei Licaret, Piano
Downtown Piano Works is pleased to welcome international concert Pianist Andrei Licaret to our Fine Artist Concert Series for an evening of works by Beethoven, Chopin and more. As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 65. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
Romanian pianist Andrei Licaret is considered to be a great personality of his generation, delivering a rhythmic and energetic musical display despite his youth. At age 27, he is one of the rising stars on the Classical music scene. Born in Bucharest, Andrei was five years old when he started to learn the piano with his father. He made his orchestral debut at age eleven, playing a Mozart concerto and since then, he has given concerts throughout Europe, including venues in Paris, Enghien, Santander, Alicante, Berlin, Wurzburg, Rome, Thessaloniki, Copenhagen, Istanbul, Prague, St.Gallen, Tel-Aviv, and in the United States, including New York, Washington D.C., Boston, Houston, Iowa, and New Jersey.
Mr. Licaret has been invited by all the important Romanian orchestras and played under the baton of conductors such as Cristian Mandeal, Horia Andreescu, Jin Wang, Arnold Ostman, Arie Vardi, Ilarion Ionescu-Galati , Florentin Mihaescu.
He is a prize winner of several competitions, among them Jeuness Musicales 1st Prize(1996), Bucharest Yamaha 1st Prize (2002), Lorry Wallfish Prize (2003) , 2nd Prize in Tel-Hai Competition (2007) and 2nd Prize in the Shreveport Concerto Competition(2008).
His teachers have included Gabriela Enasescu at the George Enescu Music High-school in Bucharest, Viniciu Moroianu, Dana Borsan, Dan Dediu (with whom he studied composition) at Bucharest Conservatory and Jacques Rouvier (in Paris). He has also been a regular student of Dmitri Baskirov’s Mozarteum master-classes in Salzburg.
Andrei Licaret is a member of the “Henri Coanda” Foundation and has recorded for the Romanian Radio and the National Romanian Television.
He is currently studying with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory.
....Licaret played naturally, poetically and with extraordinary attention to detail -- a tantalizing glimpse that left you wanting more.
Washington Post
...displayed a powerful technique Washington Post
MARCH 2010
March 19th, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Shai Wosner, Piano
Downtown Piano Works is deeply honored to welcome International Concert Pianist, Shai Wosner to our Fine Artist Concert Series for an evening of works by Beethoven, Schumann and Mozart, including Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata". As always, there is no charge for admission to our series, but space is limited to 65. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
Shai Wosner continues to attract international recognition for his exceptional artistry, musical integrity and creative insight. With imaginative programming that communicates his intellectual curiosity, Wosner performs a wide-ranging repertoire from Mozart and Beethoven to Ligeti and composers of his own generation. Hailed by the Financial Times as "an artist to follow keenly", Wosner’s virtuosity and perceptiveness have increasingly made him a favorite among audiences and critics.
In the 2008-2009 season Mr. Wosner appears in recitals throughout the US and Europe, including London's Wigmore Hall, the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and The 92nd Street Y in New York. Recent and upcoming orchestral engagements include his critically-acclaimed debut with The Cleveland Orchestra, his return to the Atlanta and Houston symphonies, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Fresno Philharmonic, the Indianapolis and North Carolina symphonies. He also continues his extensive performing and recording activity as a BBC New Generation Artist, which he was named in September 2007. His residency this season, to be broadcast throughout the BBC Radio 3 network, encompasses recital, chamber-music and concerto repertoire, as well as directing two Mozart concerti from the keyboard.
Highlights of his 2009-2010 season include his subscription debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, engagements with the BBC Scottish Symphony (a Proms concert at the Royal Albert Hall as well as subscription concerts), recitals as a soloist and in duos with violinists Jennifer Koh and Viviane Hagner.
In 2005, Wosner won an Avery Fisher Career Grant. In the same year, he received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award which led to the joint commission (by the Trust and The 92nd Street Y) of Michael Hersch's Chamber Concerto, a work for piano and 13 players, based on poetry by Zbigniew Herbert.
In recent seasons, Wosner has appeared with numerous major orchestras in North America and Europe, including re-engagements with The Los Angeles Philharmonic at The Hollywood Bowl, the National Arts Centre Orchestra and performances with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Baltimore, San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas, Milwaukee, Columbus and Memphis; the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia; Staatskapelle Berlin, the Gothenburg Symphony, the Barcelona Symphony, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony and Orchestre National de Belgique, among others. In 2006 he debuted with the Vienna Philharmonic during the 250th anniversary celebrations of Mozart's birth, in Salzburg. He has worked with conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Leonard Slatkin, Donald Runnicles, Hans Graf, Alan Gilbert, Peter Oundjian, James Conlon, James Judd and Yan Pascal Tortelier.
Wosner is widely sought after by his colleagues for his versatility and spirit of partnership. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with numerous esteemed artists including Pinchas Zukerman, Lynn Harrell, Cho-Liang Lin and Christian Tetzlaff. From 2002-2004, he was a member of Lincoln's Center's Chamber Music Society Two. He regularly performs at various chamber music festivals, including Chamber Music Northwest in Portland and La Jolla's SummerFest. Other summer festival appearances include the Ravinia Festival, Hollywood Bowl, Mostly Mozart, Grand Teton Music Festival, and Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. His many chamber music engagements in the 2008-2009 season include a performance with members of The New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall. Other collaborations this season include a performance of the Mozart concerto for three pianos with Joseph Kalichstein and Alon Goldstein and the New York String Orchestra with Jaime Laredo at Carnegie Hall. For several consecutive summers, Wosner was also involved in the West-Eastern Divan Workshop led by Daniel Barenboim and toured as soloist with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. Born in Israel, Mr. Wosner enjoyed a broad musical education from a very early age, studying piano with Emanuel Krasovsky, and composition, theory and improvisation with André Hajdu. He later studied at Juilliard with Emanuel Ax.
Shai lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.
“Mr. Wosner had a wonderfully supple touch for Mozart.”
New York Times
“Wosner proved the star of the evening as solo protagonist in Mozart's Piano Concerto No.21"
Miami Herald
“…nimble technique and dry wit… His mastery of Chopin’s passagework was flawless, and he lavished plenty of elegance on the score’s less glittery sections… A return visit is clearly in order.”
The San Francisco Chronicle
“…marvelously sculpted phrases…” The Philadelphia Enquirer
“Not for a long time have I heard ‘Carnaval’ played this well. Wosner is a major talent.”
Chicago Tribune
“As played by Shai Wosner…it hardly seemed difficult at all, just crisp and exhilarating.”
Financial Times
“..played with great delicacy and a skittish sense of fun.” The Guardian
“…many musical works flourish better when players forget the flash and approach them with plainspoken,intelligent ideas, as pianist Shai Wosner so satisfyingly did… His lively playing made the outermovements sparkle—crisp articulation and hints of rhythmic swagger created delightful vitality…”
The Houston Chronicle
MARCH, 2010
March 6th, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
CHIHARA TRIO
Enrico Elisi, Piano
Anthony Costa, Clarinet
Tim Deighton, Viola
Downtown Piano Works is pleased to welcome the Chihara Trio to our Fine Artist Concert Series. As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 65. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
The Chihara Trio, formed in 2009, consists of Anthony Costa (clarinet), Timothy Deighton (viola), and Enrico Elisi (piano).
The group takes its name from the celebrated American composer Paul Chihara (b. 1938), who has been commissioned to write a new work for the trio that will be premiered March 25th, 2010 in Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall. During the same season, the group has also commissioned composer Kye Ryung Park to write a new work for the group.
The instrumentation of the ensemble, is considered a standard genre. Important contributions to the trio’s repertoire include compositions by W. A. Mozart, Max Bruch, Jean Francaix, G. Kurtag, Libby Larsen, Robert Schumann, Alfred Uhl and Gordon Jacob.
FEBRUARY, 2010
February 2nd, 8:00 p.m.
CHOPIN 200 CELEBRATION
Alon Goldstein, Piano
Yun Byun, Piano
Downtown Piano Works warmly welcomes back our favorite, international concert pianist Alon Goldstein, and Yun Byun to our Fine Artist Concert Series for an amazing evening of works for two pianos celebrating Chopin's 200th birthday! As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 65. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
Alon Goldstein made his orchestral debut at the age of 18 with the Israeli Philharmonic under the baton of Maestro Zubin Mehta, and in April of 2008 made a triumphant return with Maestro Herbert Blomstedt with Beethoven Concerto No. 1, the same concerto he played the year before with the Philadelphia Orchestra.In recent seasons, Alon has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco, St. Louis, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Vancouver, Kansas City and North Carolina Symphonies, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and orchestras on tour in Paris, Russia, Romania and Bulgaria. His recent Beethoven concerto cycle with the Rockford Symphony, which expanded the traditional concert experience to a multi-media presentation contextualizing Beethoven’s life and work,resulted in unprecedented attendance and subsequent subscriptions. In November 2009 the Kansas City Symphony, under the baton of music director Michael Stern gave the world premier performance of a piano concerto written for Alon by rising star Israeli composer Avner Dorman. Other 2009-10 season appearances with orchestra include Chopin Concerto no. 2 with the Delaware Symphony, MozartConcerto K. 453 with the Jerusalem Symphony and a return engagement with the Bucharest Philharmonic 'George Enescu'. In the 2008-2009 season, Alon made his Carnegie Hall debut in the Mozart Triple Concerto with Joseph Kalichstein and Shai Wosner. He returned to the Rockford Symphony with a series of concerts illuminating the works of Brahms and Schumann, again resulting in enthusiastic audience attendance and response.
Yun Ha Byun started her piano studies at the age of three in Seoul, Korea. After graduating from high school, she wanted to enhance her understanding of music and decided to study at Indiana University with Edward Auer. She achieved the highest mark possible for her entrance audition and has been awarded the Music Dean’s Award for Study, the second prize in Indiana University’s Concerto Competition, and a scholarship from the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra’s Young Artist Competition. After Yun moved to Baltimore to study at Peabody Institute, she participated in many competitions and received numerous awards. She was a recipient of the Peabody Career Develoment Award twice. Yun has participated in many Masterclasses as well as the Aspen Music Festival and the Tel-Hai International Piano Masterclasses with Gabriel
Chodos, Alon Goldstein, Yoni Farhi, Asaf Zohar and Alan Weiss. Recently she appeared in the Exploritas concert series at Peabody Institute and a benefit concert in Annapolis with Brian Ganz, who is a faculty member at Peabody Institute. She was invited to give masterclasses at St. Mary’s College in Maryland as well.
Currently, Yun is pursuing her Master’s Degree at Peabody Institute working with Professor Brian Ganz and pianist Alon Goldstein. In the near future, her next public recital is scheduled for the Harmony Hall Concert Series in Fort Washington, Maryland in Feb 2010. Yun is pursuing her master’s degree at Peabody Institute working with Brian Ganz and pianist Alon Goldstein.
“Extremely cultivated, refined command of the keyboard…”
Philadelphia Inquirer
"an irresistible powerhouse performance"
New York Times
“Goldstein, Simply Profound”
The Washington Post
“The robust pianist Alon Goldstein, in his Grand Park debut, rose commandingly to the long solo introduction.His stylish and spirited playing treated the music like the fiery improvisation Beethoven must have intended.”
Chicago Tribune
DECEMBER
December 17th, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
Alon Goldstein, Piano
Amit Peled, Cello
Alex Fiterstein, Clarinet
Downtown Piano Works is deeply honored to welcome the Goldstein-Peled-Fiterstein Trio to our Fine Artist Concert Series for an evening of works by Beethoven, Shostakovich, Brahms and more. As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 65. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
Alon Goldstein made his orchestral debut at the age of 18 with the Israeli Philharmonic under the baton of Maestro Zubin Mehta, and in April of 2008 made a triumphant return with Maestro Herbert Blomstedt with Beethoven Concerto No. 1, the same concerto he played the year before with the Philadelphia Orchestra.In recent seasons, Alon has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco, St. Louis, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Vancouver, Kansas City and North Carolina Symphonies, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and orchestras on tour in Paris, Russia, Romania and Bulgaria. His recent Beethoven concerto cycle with the Rockford Symphony, which expanded the traditional concert experience to a multi-media presentation contextualizing Beethoven’s life and work,resulted in unprecedented attendance and subsequent subscriptions. In November 2009 the Kansas City Symphony, under the baton of music director Michael Stern will give the world premier performance of a piano concerto written for Alon by rising star Israeli composer Avner Dorman. Other 2009-10 season appearances with orchestra include Chopin Concerto no. 2 with the Delaware Symphony, MozartConcerto K. 453 with the Jerusalem Symphony and a return engagement with the Bucharest Philharmonic 'George Enescu'. In the 2008-2009 season, Alon made his Carnegie Hall debut in the Mozart Triple Concerto with Joseph Kalichstein and Shai Wosner. He returned to the Rockford Symphony with a series of concerts illuminating the works of Brahms and Schumann, again resulting in enthusiastic audience attendance and response.
From the United States to Europe to the Middle East to Asia, Amit Peled, a musician of profound artistry and charismatic stage presence, is acclaimed as one of the most exciting cellists on the concert stage today. Mr. Peled has performed as soloist with orchestra and in the world’s major concert halls, such as: Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall, New York, Salle Gaveau, Paris, Wigmore Hall, London, Konzerthaus, Berlin, and Tel Aviv's Mann Auditorium. Mr. Peled is also a frequent guest artist, performing and giving master classes, at prestigious summer music festivals such as the Marlboro Music Festival, Newport Music Festival, Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Heifetz International Music Institute, Schleswig Holstein Festival and Euro Arts Festival in Germany, Gotland Festival in Sweden, Prussia Cove Festival in England, The Violoncello Congress in Spain, and the Kfar Blum Music Festival in Israel.
Mr. Peled has been featured on television and radio stations throughout the world, including NPR’s “Performance Today”, WGBH Boston, WQXR New York, WFMT Chicago, Deutschland Radio Berlin, Radio France, Swedish National Radio & TV, and Israeli National Radio & TV. A celebrated artist on the website of the Internet Cello Society, Mr. Peled is a Professor at the Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University and plays a rare Andrea Guarneri cello ca. 1689.
Alexander Fiterstein is one of the world's exceptional young clarinet players. Winner of the 2009 Avery Fisher Career Grant and graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and The Juilliard School, where his teachers included Charles Neidich and Eli Heifetz, Mr. Fiterstein has received awards from the America-Israel cultural foundation since 1991. Fiterstein is currently on the faculty of Kean University in New Jersey.
"An irresistable powerhouse performance." New York Times
“The cellist gave his heart in Rachmaninoff – beauty was coupled with drama.”
Seattle Times
"A Clarinetist with a warm tone and powerful technique" New York Times
"Goldstein, simply profound." Washington Post
“Simply gorgeous sound” Baltimore Sun
“Every movement was imbued with its own shade of resigned solemnity”
Washington Post
NOVEMBER
November 7th, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
Giuseppe Lupis, Piano
Downtown Piano Works is pleased to welcome International Concert Artist Giuseppe Lupis to our Fine Artist Concert Series, for an evening of works by (TBD) As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 65. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
Giuseppe Lupis is a pianist and a musician whose interests range from baroque music to contemporary styles and from jazz to his own arrangements of popular music.
Performance venues include among others Temple Square Concert Series, Salt Lake City, Utah; Serate Musicali, Verdi Conservatory Hall, Milan, Italy; Municipality Hall, Varna, Bulgaria; Guido Miranda Theatre, Resistencia, Argentina; Treze de Majo Theatre, Santa Maria, Brazil; Neuwied, Germany; Contemporary Music Society, Krakow, Poland; and Volyn State University, Lutsk, Ukraine. Giuseppe Lupis performed for the American Liszt Society Festival; the Peabody Award Banquet at the Governor’s Mansion in Atlanta, Georgia; and the ACDA convention at The Clay Center in West Virginia.
As soloist he has appeared with the Lviv, Latvian, and Bari Symphonies, the UGA Symphony and the Ascoli Chamber Orchestra. He has also performed with percussionist and composer Ney Rosauro, and his live DVD recording with guitar player Scotty Anderson was released in September 2008. His compact disc of George Gershwin solo works (Phoenix label, 2000) was declared “exceptional” by musicologist Alberto Cantù on Il Giornale (Milan, Italy).
Giuseppe Lupis served on the juries of the International Singing Competition “Citta’ di Alcamo”, and the Premio Massimo Urbani Jazz Competition of which he is former artistic director. Starting Fall 2009, Giuseppe Lupis has been appointed to the faculty at Grand Valley State University, where he serves as Assistant Professor of Piano/Artist Performer. Previous teaching positions include the Bari and Campobasso Italian state conservatories; the G.B Pergolesi Music Institute in Ancona, Italy; Wesleyan College, Georgia Southern University, Pittsburg State University, and Missouri Southern State University in the United States. As a pedagogue, Giuseppe Lupis has given masterclasses, including Valdosta State University; University of Southern Mississippi; Chopin Music Lyceum, Krakow, Poland; and Volyn State University, Lutsk, Ukraine, and has taught also at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Michigan; The Ascoli Piceno Festival, Italy; and the Vale Veneto Festival, Brazil.
A former pupil of renowned concert pianist Aldo Ciccolini, Giuseppe Lupis holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts in piano performance at the University of Georgia, USA, under the tutelage of Richard Zimdars, and a Piano Performance degree earned with highest honors at the Bari Conservatory, Italy, under Pierluigi Camicia. In addition, Giuseppe Lupis studied with jazz pianist Enrico Pieranunzi, and at La Scala Theatre Academy in Milan. He is a recipient of the 2005 Franz Liszt Award and the 2003 Concerto Competition Award at the University of Georgia, and second prize winner of the 1989 Italian National Béla Bartók piano competition.
"EXCEPTIONAL. Few Italian pianists with a classical background have, as Giuseppe Lupis does, a sincere love, a natural confidence, and an absolute ease with the music of the author of Rhapsody in Blue."
"Il Giornale"
OCTOBER
October 2nd, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
Alon Goldstein, Piano
Downtown Piano Works warmly welcomes back one of our favorites, international concert pianist Alon Goldstein to our Fine Artist Concert Series for an incredible evening of works by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert and more! As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 60. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
Alon Goldstein made his orchestral debut at the age of 18 with the Israeli Philharmonic under the baton of Maestro Zubin Mehta, and in April of 2008 made a triumphant return with Maestro Herbert Blomstedt with Beethoven Concerto No. 1, the same concerto he played the year before with the Philadelphia Orchestra.In recent seasons, Alon has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco, St. Louis, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Vancouver, Kansas City and North Carolina Symphonies, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and orchestras on tour in Paris, Russia, Romania and Bulgaria. His recent Beethoven concerto cycle with the Rockford Symphony, which expanded the traditional concert experience to a multi-media presentation contextualizing Beethoven’s life and work,resulted in unprecedented attendance and subsequent subscriptions. In November 2009 the Kansas City Symphony, under the baton of music director Michael Stern will give the world premier performance of a piano concerto written for Alon by rising star Israeli composer Avner Dorman. Other 2009-10 season appearances with orchestra include Chopin Concerto no. 2 with the Delaware Symphony, MozartConcerto K. 453 with the Jerusalem Symphony and a return engagement with the Bucharest Philharmonic 'George Enescu'. In the 2008-2009 season, Alon made his Carnegie Hall debut in the Mozart Triple Concerto with Joseph Kalichstein and Shai Wosner. He returned to the Rockford Symphony with a series of concerts illuminating the works of Brahms and Schumann, again resulting in enthusiastic audience attendance and response.
“Extremely cultivated, refined command of the keyboard…”
Philadelphia Inquirer
"an irresistible powerhouse performance"
New York Times
“Goldstein, Simply Profound”
The Washington Post
“The robust pianist Alon Goldstein, in his Grand Park debut, rose commandingly to the long solo introduction.His stylish and spirited playing treated the music like the fiery improvisation Beethoven must have intended.”
Chicago Tribune
SEPTEMBER
September 26th, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
An Evening of All Mozart
Enrico Elisi, Piano
Downtown Piano Works is pleased to welcome International Concert Artist Enrico Elisi to our Fine Artist Concert Series, for an all Mozart program. As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 60. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
Italian pianist Enrico Elisi regularly performs and gives master classes in Europe, America, and Asia. He has appeared as a soloist with several orchestras in the US, Italy, and Portugal. He was featured as a recitalist in several radio broadcasts, including a German radio station which hosted a two-and-a-half-hour program about Elisi, most recently. With his versatility he has garnered top awards at such diverse venues as the Venice Competition - which brought him a performance at the famous La Fenice theatre, in Italy - and the Oporto International Competition - which led to a broadcast for Portuguese national television.
An active chamber musician, Elisi has collaborated with many renowned artists and has also performed at the Taos and Ravinia Festivals. Elisi is equally at home with the standard repertoire as well as new music. He enjoys working with living composers and has premiered several works (some of which were dedicated to him) at debut recitals in Toulouse, France; Carnegie Recital Hall; as well as other venues in North and South America.
Elisi worked extensively with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, where he served as his mentor's assistant during his master's and doctoral degrees. Mr. Elisi also holds two Italian degrees from the Conservatory of Florence and the world renowned "Incontri col Maestro" International Piano Academy of Imola, where he studied with Lazar Berman, Boris Petrushansky, and Alexander Lonquich. Mr. Elisi is on the piano faculty at Penn State University and has formerly served on the faculty of the University of Nevada (UNLV).
“Musical fireworks were presented at the end of the concert, where the hands of the pianist flew. The enthusiasm of the public was so great that they allowed the pianist
his farewell only after three encores.”
Wolfsburger Allgemeine
"Enrico Elisi revealed remarkable sensitivity,imagination and polish. He brought clarity and sublety to Bach's Partita No. 6, considerable eloquence to Mozart's F Major Sonata K. 332. And his phrasing of two Mazurkas andthe G minor Ballade by Chopin contained uncommon rhythmic elasticity and poetic refinement...."
The Baltimore Sun
"Elisi's playing offered a balance between a brilliant technique and a lyric singing quality of tone. A true musician, Elisi is a master of elegance, refinement and fantasy..."
La Nueva España, Spain
AUGUST
August 1st, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
Andrew Kraus, Piano
Downtown Piano Works warmly welcomes back Concert Pianist, Andy Kraus for an evening of works by Debussy, Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Godowsky and more! There is no charge for admission but space is limited. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
An accomplished soloist and collaborative pianist, Mr. Kraus just returned from a concert tour of China where he was the featured soloist with the Mantovani Orchestra.
Mr. Kraus is a former Instructor of Music and Staff Accompanist at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Mr. Kraus received his B.M. from Boston University, where he was a Boston University Scholar, and his M.M. from East Carolina University where he was a teaching fellow for Paul Tardis. Andy furthered his studies at Yale School of Music.
In August and September 2008 Mr. Kraus was privileged to participate in master classes conducted by noted pedagogue and clinician, Peter Feuchtwanger (himself a protégé of Clara Haskil), in Hude and Boeblingen, Germany, and was a soloist performer in the final public recitals. Mr. Kraus enjoys a reputation as a local coach and accompanist who brings out the best in performers, and is returning this year to the staff of the Crittenden Summer Opera Studio. His passion is to share his love of and insights into piano music with audiences in both traditional and non-traditional venues.
JULY
July 4th, 2009, 7:00 p.m.
'BLUENOISE'
Ronnie Burrage
Drums, Percussion, Keyboards, Vocals
Eric Delente
Violin
Benito Gonzalez
Piano
Essiet Essiet
Bass
Downtown Piano Works is pleased to welcome 'Bluenoise' to our Fine Artist Concert Series, for an evening of hot Jazz. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234.
Ronnie Burrage the leader of Bluenoise, and currently teaching at PSU a class he created for the Department of Arts & Architecture and Integrative Arts called "World Closer" which observes world art forms through music, literature, dance and art towards building a Global community. Burrage’s style draws elements from hard bop, bebop, funk, and soul. His credits read like the Who’s Who of jazz, as he has toured and or recorded with many of greatest artists of our time, from Duke Ellington, Wayne shorter, Woody Shaw, McCoy Tyner, Archie Shepp, Joe Zawinul, Jackie Mclean, Bobby McFerrin, Pat Metheny, Julius Hemphill, Jaco Pastorius, Michael & Randy Brecker, The Mingus Dynasty / Epitaph / Big Band to many, many others. More recently, Ronnie’s efforts have been directed at the exploration of new modalities that blend different media and diverse influences from the numerous cultures that he’s experienced from over 30 years of performing around the world.
Eric Delente's eclectic violin style stems from a broad experience that includes extensive classical training from classical masters Jacques Israelievitch and Fredryk Sadowski towards orchestral performance and composition, and later turning to Jazz studies with John Blake, Harold Danko and Didier Lockwood. In addition to a successful film and video scoring career in NYC, he has recorded and performed extensively in the commercial domain with the rock superstar Lenny Kravitz, the European pop-diva Vanessa Paradis, and Hip-Hop masters, Daddy-O and Scotty Hard. Now a Frederick, MD resident, Eric recently joined Ronnie Burrage in creating Bluenoise, a musical collaboration that experiments with combinations from uncharted territories. Eric’s current primary instrument is a custom John Jordan seven string electric violin that traverses a range that goes well below a cello, up through the normal range of a violin.
The fusion of world rhythms and straight-ahead jazz make this Passionate performer an audience favorite all over the world. Benito Gonzalez is recognized as an exciting pianist and composer for his well-received debut album, “Starting Point” (Christian McBride, Antonio Sanchez, Rene McLean, Ron Blake) and as winner of the 2005 Great American Jazz Piano Competition. After two years touring with jazz master, Kenny Garrett, he added numerous festivals and international jazz club dates to his credit. Benito has shared the stage with Curtis Fuller, Pharaoh Sanders, Bobby Hutcherson, Christian McBride, Ignacio Berroa, Billy Hart, Al Foster, Roy Hargrove, Rene McLean, Steve Turre, Hamiet Bluiett, Antonio Sanchez, T.K. Blue, Nicholas Payton, Jackie Mclean and Kenny Garrett. His multi-cultural talents have led to frequent recording dates; from American jazz masters to West African musicians to Latin bands.
Widely Considered one of the top bassists in jazz today, Essiet Essiet first received critical acclaim over a decade ago in Bobby Watson's group Horizon. Born in Nebraska to Nigerian parents, he began studying violin at age 10 and switched to bass viol at 14. As a child, he traveled widely with his family and that early exposure to many cultures, folk-ways, languages, and religions fostered his world view of strength through diversity. ”Some musicians are purists”, says Essiet, but I like to mix styles. Essiet was Art Blakey's last bassist, playing with him for 2 years and on 3 CDs. He's also performed with Freddie Hubbard, Cedar Walton, Benny Golson, and the Blue Note All-Stars, to name a few. Essiet also leads IBO, a Nigerian jazz project.
JUNE
CELLOBRATION!
June 17th, 2009 at 3:30 p.m.
matinee
Amit Peled, Cello
Eliza Ching, Piano
Downtown Piano Works warmly welcomes back Cellist, Amit Peled and Pianist Eliza Ching to our Fine Artist Concert Series, for an afternoon of works by J.S. Bach,
Casals, Mendelssohn, Ligetti, Davidoff, Faure, Couperin, Eccless, Granados and Glazunov! As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 60. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this matinee performance.
From the United States to Europe to the Middle East to Asia, Amit Peled, a musician of profound artistry and charismatic stage presence, is acclaimed as one of the most exciting cellists on the concert stage today. Mr. Peled has performed as soloist with orchestra and in the world’s major concert halls, such as: Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall, New York, Salle Gaveau, Paris, Wigmore Hall, London, Konzerthaus, Berlin, and Tel Aviv's Mann Auditorium.
Mr. Peled is also a frequent guest artist, performing and giving master classes, at prestigious summer music festivals such as the Marlboro Music Festival, Newport Music Festival, Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Heifetz International Music Institute, Schleswig Holstein Festival and Euro Arts Festival in Germany, Gotland Festival in Sweden, Prussia Cove Festival in England, The Violoncello Congress in Spain, and the Kfar Blum Music Festival in Israel.
Mr. Peled has been featured on television and radio stations throughout the world, including NPR’s “Performance Today”, WGBH Boston, WQXR New York, WFMT Chicago, Deutschland Radio Berlin, Radio France, Swedish National Radio & TV, and Israeli National Radio & TV. A celebrated artist on the website of the Internet Cello Society, Mr. Peled is a Professor at the Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University and plays a rare Andrea Guarneri cello ca. 1689.
Eliza Ching is an active pianist in the Washington D.C. area. She has performed in venues including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Millennium Stage and Terrace Theatre at The Kennedy Center. Ms. Ching is currently faculty staff pianist at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Levine School of Music. In the summers she is a collaborative pianist the Heifetz Institute of Music in New Hampshire. She has previously served as staff pianist at the North Carolina School of the Arts and the Aspen Music Festival. Ms. Ching holds degrees in Piano Performance from the Manhattan School of Music and Rice University. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the collaborative piano program at the University of Maryland, College Park, under the guidance of Rita Sloan.
“Simply gorgeous sound”
Baltimore Sun
“Every movement was imbued with its own shade of resigned solemnity”
Washington Post
“The cellist gave his heart in Rachmaninoff – beauty was coupled with drama”
Seattle Times
MAY
May 16th, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
Thomas Pandolfi, Piano
Downtown Piano Works is pleased and honored to welcome international concert artist Thomas Pandolfi
to our Fine Artist Concert Series, for an amazing evening of works by Liszt, Chopin, Gershwin and Pandolfi. As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 60. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
American pianist Thomas Pandolfi is emerging as a prodigious virtuoso who excels in reviving the core repertoire from the golden age of pianism. The young pianist's career has already included performances with such European orchestras as The George Enescu Philharmonic, The Moravian Philharmonic, and The National Philharmonic of the Republic of Moldova, as well as American symphony orchestras of Mississippi, Cedar Rapids, Asheville, Princeton and San Angelo, to name a few. Following a performance of Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Asheville Symphony, The Asheville Citizen-Times remarked, "Pandolfi is a standout among today's young pianists, demonstrating a great technician's grace, finesse and polish...his virtuosity and strength might have had some believing that Liszt himself had taken over the keyboard." After a recent recital, The Washington Post described him as "an artist who is master of both the grand gesture and the sensual line. Pandolfi possesses first-rate technical skills, an unerring command of phrasing, a quicksilver touch and cunning legerdemain when it comes to pedaling...etched with calm and crystal clarity...outstanding."
In the "Pops" genre, Thomas is also considered a leading interpreter of the works of George Gershwin. A graduate of The Julliard School, Pandolfi earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees as a scholarship student.
"Thomas Pandolfi's recital revealed an artist who is the master of both the grand gesture and the sensual line."
The Washington Post
"At the Arts Club of Washington, pianist Thomas Pandolfi took another step toward becoming one of the area's favorite young musicians. Evident in other recent Washington performances, his ability to charm audiences was seen and heard once again as he captured the essence of each musical composition he performed."
The Washington Post
"Playing with the Bach Sinfonia, Thomas Pandolfi gave the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 9 a healthy, extroverted performance, taking the tricky third movement register leaps accurately and in tempo, and never prettifying the music's wit and verve."
The Washington Post
May 8th, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
Amit Peled, Cello
Eliza Ching, Piano
Downtown Piano Works welcomes Cellist, Amit Peled and Pianist Eliza Ching to our Fine Artist Concert Series, for an evening of works by Beethoven Tchaikovsky, Bloch, Ligetti, Davidoff and more! As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 60. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
From the United States to Europe to the Middle East to Asia, Amit Peled, a musician of profound artistry and charismatic stage presence, is acclaimed as one of the most exciting cellists on the concert stage today. Mr. Peled has performed as soloist with orchestra and in the world’s major concert halls, such as: Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall, New York, Salle Gaveau, Paris, Wigmore Hall, London, Konzerthaus, Berlin, and Tel Aviv's Mann Auditorium.
Mr. Peled is also a frequent guest artist, performing and giving master classes, at prestigious summer music festivals such as the Marlboro Music Festival, Newport Music Festival, Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Heifetz International Music Institute, Schleswig Holstein Festival and Euro Arts Festival in Germany, Gotland Festival in Sweden, Prussia Cove Festival in England, The Violoncello Congress in Spain, and the Kfar Blum Music Festival in Israel.
Mr. Peled has been featured on television and radio stations throughout the world, including NPR’s “Performance Today”, WGBH Boston, WQXR New York, WFMT Chicago, Deutschland Radio Berlin, Radio France, Swedish National Radio & TV, and Israeli National Radio & TV. A celebrated artist on the website of the Internet Cello Society, Mr. Peled is a Professor at the Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University and plays a rare Andrea Guarneri cello ca. 1689.
Eliza Ching is an active pianist in the Washington D.C. area. She has performed in venues including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Millennium Stage and Terrace Theatre at The Kennedy Center. Ms. Ching is currently faculty staff pianist at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Levine School of Music. In the summers she is a collaborative pianist the Heifetz Institute of Music in New Hampshire. She has previously served as staff pianist at the North Carolina School of the Arts and the Aspen Music Festival. Ms. Ching holds degrees in Piano Performance from the Manhattan School of Music and Rice University. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the collaborative piano program at the University of Maryland, College Park, under the guidance of Rita Sloan.
“Simply gorgeous sound”
Baltimore Sun
“Every movement was imbued with its own shade of resigned solemnity”
Washington Post
“The cellist gave his heart in Rachmaninoff – beauty was coupled with drama”
Seattle Times
APRIL
April 3rd, 2009, 7:30 p.m. (Friday)
Alon Goldstein, Piano
Downtown Piano Works is very privileged to welcome international concert pianist Alon Goldstein to our Fine Artist Concert Series for an incredible evening of works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Avner Dorman and Alberto Ginastera. As always, there is no charge for admission but space is limited to 60. Please RSVP (301) 631-1234 to guarantee a seat for this performance.
Alon Goldstein is a pianist with a powerful gift for communication and his artistry has touched audiences and critics alike throughout the United States, Europe, and Israel. He has been hailed for his original and compelling recitals in major music centers here and abroad and for performances as soloist with such major North American orchestras as those of Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver, among others. In 2008, he was enthusiastically received when he was heard with Hebert Blomstedt and the Israel Philharmonic in Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1, the same concerto he played the year before in his return engagement with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
He has performed in major cities throughout the U.S. and Europe including recitals in New York, Washington DC, Baltimore, Chicago, St. Paul, St. Louis and Houston. He has also played on such prestigious series as Ravinia’s Rising Stars, the Klavier Festival in Rühr, Germany, the Purcell Room in London, and has been heard on WQXR in New York and BBC Radio 3 in the UK.
“The robust pianist Alon Goldstein, in his Grand Park debut, rose commandingly to the long solo introduction.His stylish and spirited playing treated the music like the fiery improvisation Beethoven must have intended.”
Chicago Tribune
“Goldstein, Simply Profound” The Washington Post
“Remarkable… lyrical music-making…” Dallas Morning News
“….Alon Goldstein, who made a superb Philadelphia Orchestra debut last summer, showed even more depth and style in Saturday’s performance….You wanted encores—preferably, his entire repertoire.”
“extremely cultivated, refined command of the keyboard” Philadelphia Inquirer
MARCH
March 7th, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
(First Saturday)
Rodrigo Pincheira, Piano
Gary Barnes, Bass
Downtown Piano Works is pleased to welcome Rodrigo Pincheira and Gary Barnes to our Fine Artist Concert Series, in conjunction with the Downtown Frederick Partnership-First Saturday Gallery Walk for a delightful evening of Jazz standards. There is no charge for admission, however seating is limited, so please RSVP (301) 631-1234.
Rodrigo began studying piano at the ago of 5 with Marta Sanchez, a Dalcroze Eurythmics Master Teacher and concert pianist. At 16, he started lessons with Hanna-Wu Li at Carnegie Mellon University with whom he continued his studies throughout college, culminating in a B.H.A in Music and European Studies. During his time with Mrs. Li, he had the privilege of performing solo in Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in New York City for winning first place in his division in the AMSA World Piano Competition. After college, he also studied with György Sandor in New York. In his last year of college, Rodrigo was introduced to the wonders of Jazz, and has been concentrating almost exclusively on Jazz since then.
Gary picked up a six-string lead guitar and began teaching himself to play at age 5. At 13, he discovered that he preferred bass guitar to lead, and thus his lifelong passion for Bass began. In addition to extensive performances with churches and choirs, Gary's diverse musical interests led him to play with groups of many different styles-from Gospel, Rock and Funk to Motown and Country Western. Gary went on an extended tour of Southeast Asia for the Department of Defense where he played music for different Armed Service groups.
Rodrigo and Gary have been playing together for the past three years, nationally, as the group "Minus One".
March 10th, 2009, 9:30 a.m.F.C.M.T.A. Workshop
"Inside The Piano, A Tour Of Our Instruments"
FEBRUARY
February 7th, 2009 (First Saturday) 7:30pm
Andrew Kraus
Join us in welcoming Andrew Kraus to Downtown Piano Works Fine Artist Concert Series, in conjuction with The Downtown Frederick Partnership - First Saturday Gallery Walk, for what promises to be an exciting program with music by Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Copland and Gershwin. There is no charge for admission, however seating is limited, please RSVP (301) 631-1234.
Mr. Kraus is former Instructor of Music and Staff Accompanist at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia where he accompanied faculty members in 27 recitals, instrumentalists as well as vocal recitals with repertoire ranging from a complete Winterreise through Bel Canto Opera. He also performed 4 solos recitals and 2 radio appearances, and he soloed twice with the University Wind Ensemble playing George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Stravinsky’s Concerto for Piano and Winds.
From 1980 to 2002, Mr. Kraus left full time work in the music business, returning to the piano in 2002 and working for several years thereafter rebuilding his technique and stamina. Since 2003, Mr. Kraus has worked as a full time freelance pianist around the Washington, DC area. In addition to his work as a collaborative pianist, Mr. Kraus is an accomplished soloist. He will be joining the Mantovani Orchestra as a featured soloist for their 2009 tour of concert venues in Mainland China.
In August and September 2008 Mr. Kraus was privileged to participate in master classes conducted by noted pedagogue and clinician, Peter Feuchtwanger (himself a protégé of Clara Haskil), in Hude and Boeblingen, Germany, and was a soloist performer in the final public recitals. Mr. Kraus enjoys a reputation as a local coach and accompanist who brings out the best in performers. His passion is to share his love of and insights into piano music with audiences in both traditional and non-traditional venues.
February 14th, 2009 - all day event
M.S.M.T.A. Keyboard Musicianship Testing Program
Eligibility:
Any student of an MSMTA member, including adults, may participate. There are no age or grade restrictions, with one exception, for any level of the exam. High school students who are candidates for the Senior DMA Award must be tested at no less than Level 3 in at least four modules, and at a higher level each year thereafter. Candidates for the Junior DMA Award may begin at Level 1. They need not adhere to the same requirements. The modules need not be in consecutive order. Two levels per year may be entered, and both levels will count towards DMA points. Scales are compulsory.
DECEMBER
December 5th, 2008 - January 1, 2009
Downtown Piano Works will be among only a handful of piano dealers nationwide to offer a performance by Elton John like you've never seen before - with the limited edition Elton John Signature Series Red Piano.
At the touch of a button, the high tech player piano's keys and pedals come to life, recreating note-for-note performances recorded earlier by Elton himself, as he "sings" such classics as "Tiny Dancer", "Your Song", "Rocket Man", "Candle In The Wind", and "Take Me To The Pilot".
Embodying the spirit of Legendary performer, the piano's striking "Chinese Red" color represents the same distinctive hue chosen by Elton for his Yamaha instrument featured in his smashingly successful Las Vegas show.
This marks the first time Yamaha has ever honored an artist by naming a piano after him. No more than 50(!) pianos will be made, all of which will be signed by the artist. Once production is complete, the color will be retired from the Yamaha piano shop forever.
Performances every Saturday @ 2pm in the month of December
December 6th, 2008 7:30 pm
Local composer and pianist Susan Dale will be performing on Elton John's "Red Piano". Join us for an evening of jazz, classical, pop, spoken word and original music, including solo piano pieces such as "Warm Me", Susan's classic children's song "The Lonely Toaster" and of course some Elton John tunes. This marks off the beginning of our Local Artist Series in conjunction with The Downtown Frederick Partnership - First Saturday Gallery Walk...
Seating is limited, please RSVP (301) 631-1234
