Ali di Primavera The Rutherford Chamber Consort Spring 2014 http://www.rutherfordchamberconsort.com

Program

Triple Concerto in a minor, BWV 1044 J.S. Bach

Christopher Tavernier, klavier Pamela Caldemeyer, Sharon Lawrence,

Quintet for Harp, Flute, Violin, Viola, and Cello Jean Cras

Sharon Lawrence, violin Kara Poorbaugh, viola Kathy Foster, cello Hannah Blalock, harp Pamela Caldemeyer, flute

Souvenir de Florence, op. 70 P. I. Tchaikovsky

Sharon Lawrence, violin I Carlos Tarzona, violin II Simon Ertz, viola I Kara Poorbaugh, viola II Kathy Foster, cello I Matt Lavin, cello II

The Rutherford Chamber Consort Sextet

Bios

Sharon Lawrence Sharon Lawrence has played professionally with a number of symphony orchestras: Virginia Symphony, Roanoke Symphony, Opera Roanoke, and Richmond Symphony. Currently she is playing with Greenville Symphony, Spartanburg Philharmonic, Hendersonville Symphony, Brevard Philharmonic, Asheville Symphony, and Charlotte Philharmonic. For twelve years, she taught at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, teaching applied strings, music education classes and directing the university orchestra. Presently, she is on staff at Gardner-Webb University. She has also directed the Southside Strings Community Orchestra hosted by Hampden-Sydney College. Mrs. Lawrence holds BM and MM degrees in violin performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University.

Mrs. Lawrence is founder and artistic director of the Rutherford Chamber Consort, an ensemble of classically trained professional musicians, which perform great chamber music for the citizens of Rutherford and surrounding counties.

Mrs. Lawrence also directs Sinfonietta Evensong ~ a community-performing ensemble, comprised of mostly the students of Mrs. Lawrence and local area musicians. In addition to classical playing, Mrs. Lawrence is an experienced fiddler. She has played Celtic , bluegrass, and old time for a number of years. She has studied and worked with many world-class fiddlers: Bobby Hicks, Richard Greene, Martin Hayes, James Kelly, Laura Risk and Alan Jabbour. Joy and enthusiasm of these various styles are evident in her teaching, and she encourages students to experience great adventures in music making.

The Rutherford Chamber Consort The Rutherford Chamber Consort is a professional arts organization, dedicated to bringing great chamber music to the Carolina Foothills. Our members live in the area and come from the finest music schools: Peabody Conservatory, The Juilliard School, Indiana University, Cleveland Institute of Music, Eastman Institute of Music, Cincinnati Conservatory, Ural State Conservatory, The Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels, The Moscow Gnessin Institute, and the North Carolina School of the Arts. We have played with world-class artists and now choose to call the foothills of North Carolina home. To find out more about us please visit our website. http://www.rutherfordchamberconsort.com

Carlos Tarazona Violinist Carlos Tarazona was born and grew up in Guajaguil, Ecuador, where he first learned to play the violin. At the age of fifteen, Carlos came to the United States to further his musical studies. He studied violin with Michel Samson at the University of Louisville, where he earned a Bachelors degree in Music.

After graduating, Carlos earned a position playing in the New World Symphony in Miami under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas. Carlos came to the Charlotte Symphony in 2003 and plays now as a regular extra on the CSO's Classics series concerts. Carlos enjoys soccer and many other sporting activities.

Simon Ertz Simon Ertz is principal viola of the Winston Salem Symphony and also a member of the Greensboro Symphony. He plays as a regular substitute in Charlotte Symphony and is also a member of the Sarasota Opera Orchestra.

Simon joined the Degas Quartet in June 2002; before that he was pursuing a doctoral degree in viola performance at Michigan State University where he was also a teaching assistant. Simon grew up in the north west of Scotland and moved to Manchester to study at Chethams and to have regular lessons at the age of seventeen. After two years there he studied viola at the Royal Northern College of Music with Roger Raphael and Simon Rowland-Jones. Simon was a member of several chamber music groups, which won prizes including the Terrence Weil and Leonard Hirsch competitions. He was also awarded the Thomas Barret memorial prize for viola. By the time Simon graduated from the RNCM he was working with orchestras such as the BBC Philharmonic, Northern Chamber, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. After two years working in the UK, Simon moved to Michigan to continue his education. As well as completing his Master's degree at Michigan State University, he served as assistant principal viola of the Greater Lansing Symphony and played in the orchestra's string quartet. During his time in Syracuse, Simon was a member of the Syracuse Symphony and played at Carnegie Hall with them in April 2003. He has also made chamber music appearances with members of the orchestra including concerts for the 2003 Geneva festival.

As a member of the Degas Quartet Simon has performed in venues across the country including appearing as guest artists at the Aspen Music festival, the Chicago Chamber Music Society and at the Library of Congress where he performed on the Tuscan Medici Stradivarius. Simon Ertz plays a viola made by his brother, Neil Ertz

Kara Poorbaugh Principal Violist of the Asheville Symphony, Kara Poorbaugh performs extensively across our region as an orchestral and chamber musician. Kara is a founding member of the Opal String Quartet, Principal Violist of the Hendersonville Symphony, and performs regularly with the Greenville Symphony (SC), Asheville Lyric Opera, and Symphony of the Mountains (TN). Kara has been featured as a soloist with the Ballantyne Chamber Orchestra, Blue Ridge Orchestra, and Raleigh Symphony in recent years. As violist of the Opal String Quartet, Kara has performed in schools, bars, art galleries, street corners and concert halls. Opal has been featured on several regional chamber music series, and serves as Artists-in-Residence for the educational outreach programs of the Asheville Chamber Music Series and the Asheville Symphony Guild.

Kara is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music (BMus-viola performance and music education) where she studied with John Graham and the Ying Quartet. While at Eastman, Kara performed and recorded with the new music ensemble Alarm Will Sound and was a core member of Gamelan Lila Muni, a Balinese music ensemble.

Kara started playing the viola at age eleven at the Duke University String School with Dorothy Kitchen. As a young adult, she served as principal violist in several youth orchestras, won concerto competitions, and attended summer festivals at Interlochen, Musicorda, and Brevard Music Center. In addition to her extensive performance schedule, Kara is a faculty member at the Joyful Noise Community Music and Arts Center, a nonprofit organization based in Weaverville, where she serves as Director of Chamber Music and maintains a full private studio of violin, viola, and chamber music students. In her spare time, Kara practices Purna yoga, admires her regal creatures, Rusty the dog and Jasper the cat, aspires to being a film buff, and plays with the chamber-folk band Lovestruck Suckers.

Kathy Foster Kathleen Foster, cellist, recieved her B.S. in music from Indiana University in 1969 where she studied with Janos Starker and Fritz Magg. She recieved her MM from Bowling Green State University working with Peter Howard. More recently she spent four years studying with master teacher and performer, George Neikrug. She lived in Maine for almost 20 years where she was on the faculty as cello teacher at Bates and Bowdoin Colleges. She also taught at the Merriconeag Waldorf School. As a free lance musician, she was principal cellist of the Maine State Ballet Orchestra, the Maine Chamber Ensemble and PORT opera company. She has been a member of the Portland Symphony since 1990.

In 2007 Kathleen relocated to Rutherfordton, NC. She now teaches for the Lawson Academy at Converse College. She is a member of the Lawson Trio and performs regularly on the Lawson Series at Converse College. She is a member of the Asheville Symphony and the Spartanburg Philharmonic. Kathleen maintains her position in the Portland Symphony and commutes to play at least 4 classical concerts a season. Kathleen is a dedicated teacher for students of all ages and at all levels. She has studied both the Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais.

She incorporates this knowledge in her teaching where she helps the student find ease in playing. She has hosted several Feldenkrais workshops since moving to NC to help her students gain greater insight into good body use and awareness.

Matthew Lavin Matthew is a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who came to Charlotte eleven years ago to play under the baton of Christof Perick. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree at the San Francisco Conservatory and was one of the founding members of the award-winning Sausalito Quartet, a group that held summer residencies at Aspen, Tanglewood, and Banff music festivals. They toured North America extensively during their four years. Mr. Lavin continues to cultivate his love of chamber music by playing it whenever he can.

He has toured in country/Christian artist John Berry's band as well as Harry Connick Jr.'s band. He remains a freelancer in Charlotte, playing with the Charlotte Symphony and Carolina Chamber Players as time allows.

Hannah Blalock Hannah is a student at Gardner-Webb University majoring in music performance. Hannah Blalock has the honor of being the first Distinguished Presidential Scholarship winner of Music at Gardner-Webb University. She has been invited to participate in the prestigious Lily Laskine International Harp Competition in Paris, France. Hannah has performed in Aspen Colorado, Los Angeles, and Chicago as well as famous concert venues including Carnegie hall, the Kennedy Center, Peter J. Sharp theatre, and Alice Tully hall in New York City. She has performed internationally in Dublin, Ireland; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Aarau, Switzerland; the Swiss Alps; Vancouver, Canada; and Courcheval, France. Hannah has become a sought-after harpist in the region performing in area orchestras, chamber groups and churches as a soloist. Hannah is a graduate of The Juilliard School of Music pre-college division. She is a student of Sivan Magen.

Christopher Tavernier Christopher is the guest performing artist for the Rutherford Chamber Consort playing the Klavier. Christopher made his debut as a concert pianist with the Tar River Philharmonic Orchestra last year in North Carolina at the age of thirteen, performing Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No.1 in B Flat Minor, Opus 23. As the guest soloist, Christopher opened the Tar River Philharmonic Orchestra’s Fall 2013 Season at the Dunn Center for the Performing Arts at Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. This year, Christopher won the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Young Artist Competition and the Symphony Orchestra of Augusta Georgia’s junior division. He will have the honor to play with the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra performing Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Opus 43 on May 18th.

Christopher is in the seventh grade at Hendersonville Middle School in Hendersonville, NC. His first love is the piano, and he is now realizing his dream to be a great concert pianist and performing artist. He loves the arts, reading, writing, and playing competitive chess. Christopher is a member of the “National Junior Beta Club,” honoring his outstanding character and academic achievement. In addition to being an honor student and a part of the AIG program in Mathematics and Reading, he was selected for the Duke University Talent Identification Program, placing above the 95th percentile nationally. Additionally, Christopher was nominated to attend the National Young Scholars Program (NYSP). Christopher began his piano studies at the age of six. His favorite composer is Franz Liszt, of whom he is proud to be a direct musical descendant. Christopher’s repertoire contains many works by Franz Liszt. His teacher, Dr. John Cobb, a semifinalist in the Third International Van Cliburn Piano Competition, is an international performer and recording artist. Dr. Cobb studied with Claudio Arrau, whose teacher was a pupil of Franz Liszt. Throughout his career, Claudio Arrau was renowned throughout the world as one of the supreme keyboard masters of the century. Franz Liszt was a student of Czerny, who in turn was a pupil of Ludwig van Beethoven. Hence the musical lineage actually extends from Beethoven to Christopher Tavernier.

Christopher is a member of the Asheville Area Piano Forum, where he enjoys performing on a regular basis. Christopher also performs in many other venues and competitions. He has won several honors and awards and looks forward to playing with the New York Philharmonic.

Special Thank You to Freeburg

Here's some information about the harpsichord and piano that Freeburg Pianos supplied

The harpsichord was built by "Early Keyboard Instruments." Roger Anderson Luthier. It has a single manual with 58 notes, GG-e''' and is disposed 2x8 with a buff on the back 8'. Natural keys are covered with ebony and the walnut sharps are topped with bone. The case, which is classically Flemish, is 84" long, 34" wide and 10.5" deep. It has a "free, clear voice that is a little reedy and aggressive with a booming bass, snarly tenor and treble that doesn't fade off into the distance." Keith Freeburg will tune it to a well-tempered scale of Bach's time. We will use a Mason and Hamlin’s grand piano: a model BB 7' semi-concert grand which will also be tuned to the Equal Beating Victorian Temperament.

Freeburg Pianos • 2314 Asheville Hwy • Hendersonville, NC • (828) 697-0110

The Rutherford Chamber Consort http://www.rutherfordchamberconsort.com

Ali di Primavera The Rutherford Chamber Consort Spring 2014

Chamber Music of Bach, Cras and Tchaikovsky