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Home , Alexander Arutiunian, Clarinet quintet, Escher String Quartet, Informal Jazz, Shanghai Quartet, Shmuel Ashkenasi

Advance Program Notes Series June 13-29, 2016

These Advance Program Notes are provided online for our patrons who like to read about performances ahead of time. Printed programs will be provided to patrons at the performances. Programs are subject to change. Chamber Music Series June 13-29, 2016 All performances are free and will be held in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, Street and Davis Performance Hall in the Moss Arts Center unless otherwise noted.

Thursday, June 16, 2016, 7:30 PM Saturday, June 25, 2016, 7:30 PM SUMMER NIGHTS AND MELODIES FOLK INSPIRATIONS AND ECHOES Nikola Djurica, Katharina Kang, Nikola Djurica, clarinet Michael Strauss, viola Mathias Tacke, Dmitry Kouzov, , violin Emanuel Gruber, cello David Ehrlich, violin Richard Masters, Mathias Tacke, violin Richard Masters, piano David Ehrlich, violin Our June chamber series brings music guaranteed to set your spirits soaring into the summer stars. We Drawing inspiration from many lands and folk start out with Beethoven’s Trio for Clarinet, Cello, and traditions, this evening features rich works, including Piano in B Flat Major, op. 11; Dohnányi’s for the Arutiunian Suite for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano; Piano and Strings, no. 1 in C Minor; and a buoyant the Kodály Serenade for Two and Viola; and selection of Klezmer Music for Clarinet and String other repertoire. Quartet.

Thursday, June 16, 2016, 7:30 PM Tuesday, June 28, 2016, 7:30 PM INFORMAL CONCERT FEATURING CLARINET ELEGANCE AND EMOTION AND PIANO Squires Recital Salon P. Buckley Moss Art Gallery, 223 Gilbert Street, Blacksburg Nikola Djurica, clarinet Katharina Kang, viola Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin Michael Strauss, viola Nikola Djurica, clarinet Albert Newberry, piano David Ehrlich, violin Emanuel Gruber, cello Enjoy art and jazz in this casual gathering hosted by The evening’s concert puts lyricism in the spotlight, the P. Buckley Moss Art Gallery. with Mozart’s fancifully romantic Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A Major, Pártos’ Concertino for , and Mendelssohn’s in B Flat Thursday, June 23, 2016, 7:30 PM Major, op. 87, with its passionate and mysterious QUINTET FERVOR undertones. Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin Michael Strauss, viola Mathias Tacke, violin Dmitry Kouzov, cello David Ehrlich, violin Richard Masters, piano Wednesday, June 29, 2016, 7:30 PM Katharina Kang, viola SUMMER INTENSIVE CHAMBER MUSIC SEMINAR Two of the world’s most admired are featured CLOSING CONCERT in this program filled with German passion. Brahm’s Squires Recital Salon expansive and heroic Quintet for Piano and Strings in Featuring the young artist ensembles taking part in F Minor, op. 34 and Beethoven’s String Quintet in C this year’s intensive seminar, the evening’s program Major, op. 29, The Storm, show the composers at the will be drawn from the rich range of repertoire they top of their forms. have developed through coaching and rehearsals over the past two weeks. Program Notes Thursday, June 16, 2016, 7:30 PM SUMMER NIGHTS AND MELODIES Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, Street and Davis Performance Hall, Moss Arts Center Nikola Djurica, clarinet Katharina Kang, viola Mathias Tacke, violin Dmitry Kouzov, cello David Ehrlich, violin Richard Masters, piano

Trio for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano in B Flat Major, op. 11 Allegro con brio (1770-1827) Adagio Tema: Pria ch’io L’impegno

Klezmer music for Clarinet and String Quartet Traditional Arranged by Lev Zurbin

INTERMISSION Quintet for Piano and Strings, no. 1, in C Minor Erno Dohnányi Allegro (1877-1960) Scherzo: Allegro vivace Adagio, quasi andante Finale: Allegro animato

Trio for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano in B Flat Major, op. 11 Quintet for Piano and Strings, no. 1, in C Minor Ludwig van Beethoven Erno Dohnányi A very entertaining, light-spirited work, which was The C minor is the first of almost 70 probably composed for the clarinet virtuoso, Joseph early works that the composer considered worthy Beer, from Bohemia. This was composed before the of an opus number. Brahms endorsed Dohnányi’s first set of six string quartets, op.18; it shows off the enthusiasm for the piece by arranging for it to be players and does not pretend to be a deep, serious, played in Vienna soon after the premiere in 1895. The and complex work. The first movement has a couple of work is full of passion and youthful energy, and it has false endings just to keep us on our toes. The second been a popular chamber music work with music lovers movement starts with a beautiful, expressive, slow everywhere. The opening allegro begins as the piano introduction to the cello. Afterwards we have some sets out the broad, ardently mobile first subject idea, conversations between the cello and the clarinet, and which will return to end the entire work in the coda after a more dramatic section, we have the repeat in of the finale. The strings develop the opening motif a more ornate way. The last movement, titled Before in a majestically sonorous unison, which is the sound What I Intended, has a theme and nine variations, Brahms uses in his first piano quartet, op. 25. The which were mainly created to entertain and show off scherzo is complex rhythmically and is reminiscent of the performers’ skills. It was based on an aria with the Furiants of Dvořák. The trio is much gentler and the same name from the opera, L’Amor Marinaro, very melodious. The adagio is the most Romantic by Joseph Weigl. This work became very popular, so movement, using a haunting melody introduced Beethoven re-wrote it for a violin, cello, and piano as by the viola and passing through the instruments in well, so he could sell more copies of the music and different combinations. The finale, a strutting rondo in get more players interested in performing it. 5/4 time, takes as its theme a proud Magyar-inspired idea, and is very imaginative. The coda brings back Klezmer Music for Clarinet and String Quartet the opening theme of the entire work, played by the Traditional; arranged by Lev Zurbin piano and followed immediately by the strings, in preparation for a grandiose reiteration of the Magyar Program notes will be given from the stage. motif. Dohnányi’s op. 1 ends triumphantly. Program Notes Thursday, June 23, 2016, 7:30 PM QUINTET FERVOR Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, Street and Davis Performance Hall, Moss Arts Center

Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin Michael Strauss, viola Mathias Tacke, violin Dmitry Kouzov, cello David Ehrlich, violin Richard Masters, piano Katharina Kang, viola

Quintet for Piano and Strings in F Minor, op. 34 Allegro non troppo (1833-1897) Andante, un poco adagio Scherzo: Allegro Finale: Poco sostenuto INTERMISSION String Quintet in C Major, op. 29, The Storm Ludwig van Beethoven Allegro moderato (1770-1827) Adagio molto espressivo Scherzo: Allegro Finale: Presto-Andante con moto e scherzoso

Quintet for Piano and Strings in F Minor, op. 34 These three components are juxtaposed throughout Johannes Brahms the movement. The finale opens with a pensive, Johannes Brahms began work on the quintet in slow introduction, fueled by deeply-felt chromatic 1862, the year he decided to leave his hometown harmonies. The body of the movement, in fast tempo, of to settle in Vienna. the piece is a hybrid of rondo and sonata forms. Despite the was cast for string quintet with two . In August buoyant, Gypsy flavor of the movement’s thematic 1862 he sent the first three movements to his friend material, the tragic tenor of this great quintet is and mentor, Clara Schumann, and to violinist Joseph maintained until its closing page. Joachim, who responded enthusiastically at first, but expressed reservations about the piece during the String Quintet in C Major, op. 29, The Storm following months. Brahms destroyed that version. By Ludwig van Beethoven 1863 he decided to revise the work for two The only original viola quintet by Beethoven was and performed it with Karl Tausig at a concert in composed shortly after the six op. 18 quartets and Vienna in 1864. During the summer of 1864 Brahms was published a year later in 1802. This beautiful work revised the score, this time as a quintet for piano looks back at Mozart, who composed a famous viola and string quartet. The quintet’s opening movement quintet in the same key and showed it to Beethoven. is tempestuous and tragic in mood. The dramatic The first two movements are very classical and main theme is stated immediately in unison by violin, transparent, while the last two give us a glimpse into cello, and piano and then repeated with greater force Beethoven’s future, the more Romantic style. Right by the entire ensemble. The development section from the beginning, the lyrical character, beautiful treats the main and second themes and ushers in the melodies, and delicate voicing show his admiration recapitulation on a great wave of sound. The slow and respect of Mozart. The fourth movement, second movement is very tender and warm. The nicknamed The Storm, reminds us somewhat of the outer sections of the three-part form are based on a last movement of op. 18, quartet no. 6. However, this gentle, lyrical strain in sweet, close interval harmonies, movement is more positive and entertaining in spirit while the movement’s central portion uses a melody and is interrupted twice by short Menuet sections that incorporating an octave-leap motive. The scherzo is serve as a contract to the fast pace of the rest of the one of Brahms’ most electrifying movements. The movement. scherzo proper contains three motivic elements. Program Notes Saturday, June 25, 2016, 7:30 PM FOLK INSPIRATIONS AND ECHOES Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, Street and Davis Performance Hall, Moss Arts Center Nikola Djurica, clarinet Michael Strauss, viola Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin Emanuel Gruber, cello Mathias Tacke, violin Richard Masters, piano David Ehrlich, violin

Suite for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano Alexander Arutiunian Introduction: Lento (1920-2012) Scherzo: Allegretto Dialog: Adagio Finale: Allegro non troppo

Serenade for Two Violins and Viola Zoltán Kodály Allegramente (1882-1967) Lento, ma non troppo Vivo

Suite for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano Serenade for Two Violins and Viola Alexander Arutiunian Zoltán Kodály Alexander Arutiunian was born in , . Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók are considered the first He graduated from the Komitas State Conservatory of nationalistic Hungarian composers. They searched Yerevan in 1941 and continued his studies in . for music of the people, finding the oldest village In 1954 he became the music director of the Armenian people they could and asking them to sing tunes they Philharmonic and also taught at the Komitas State learned as children. They did not want to compose Conservatory of Yerevan. Arutiunian is the recipient in the Germanic style that they learned as students, of numerous awards, such as State Prizes of the but wanted to incorporate their folklore into the new U.S.S.R. and A.S.S.R., as well as the Orpheus Award works. This serenade is unique in its structure: three in the . His compositions are written in movements, with the middle movement functioning a very accessible style, which incorporates features as a love story between the violin and viola. The of Armenian folk music. This trio was commissioned instrumentation is unusual as well. The viola functions by the Verdehr Trio and funded by Michigan State here as a full participant in the melodic structure, University in 1992. The world premiere took place while supplying the bass at the same time. The only in Baltimore, Maryland, on October 10, 1992, by other famous work in the chamber music literature members of the Verdehr Trio, featuring Walter for this combination is a beautiful terzetto by Antonín Verdehr (violin), Elas Ludewig-Verdehr (clarinet), and Dvořák. The first movement shows the influence of Gary Kirkpatrick (piano). French impressionism on the composer, as Kodály was a great admirer of the music of Claude Debussy. Still, the sound, rhythmical stress, and feel of the movement are typical to Kodály and Bartók. In the second movement Kodály succeeded in using music to sound like words or syllables. The lovers quarrel, ridicule each other, and then express their love again. The last movement is very brilliant and is based on folk tunes of the people. The style of all movements is very free, the emotions flow, and the work ends in a frenzy.

Additional information to be announced from the stage. Program Notes Tuesday, June 28, 2016, 7:30 PM ELEGANCE AND EMOTION Squires Recital Salon

Nikola Djurica, clarinet Katharina Kang, viola Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin Michael Strauss, viola David Ehrlich, violin Emanuel Gruber, cello

Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A Major Allegro (1756-1791) Larghetto Menuetto Allegretto con Variazioni

Concertino for String Quartet Ödön Pártos (1907-1977)

INTERMISSION

String Quintet in B Flat Major, op. 87 Allegro Vivace (1809-1847) Andante scherzando Adagio e lento Allegro molto vivace

Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A Major Philharmonic. Pártos composed the concertino, his first Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart quartet, in 1932. From early on his compositions reflected the rhythms and melodic patterns of Eastern tradition, Just like Johannes Brahms, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart emphasizing the chromatic melodic turns and themes. This was blown away listening to a great clarinet player and was work was revised several times and arranged for string inspired to write a special work to feature this marvelous orchestra. It is a powerful, short work in one movement. musician. In Mozart’s case it was , who served as the principal clarinet of the court orchestra in Vienna. Stadler was a famous and brilliant clarinetist who String Quintet in B Flat Major, op. 87 experimented regularly with the instrument and invented a Felix Mendelssohn way to extend its range by four notes. The quintet is very lyrical, warm, and beautiful; every player has interesting and This very popular work was composed during a vacation in attractive things to play, and the clarinet shines throughout. Bad Soden, one of Felix Mendelssohn’s favorite vacation The last movement has a feel of a folk tune and is written spots, where he composed the famous violin concerto. in the form of theme and variations. The variations are of The quintet in B flat major is a passionate work, reminding different temperament and feelings and give opportunity us of the great concerto as well as the unique octet, written about 20 years earlier. An extraverted, exciting to the instrumentalist to show some virtuosity. opening movement gives great prominence to the first violin, making parts of the movement sound almost like a Concertino for String Quartet virtuoso concerto. The second movement, with its dance- Ödön Pártos like motion, serves as something of an interlude between the opening movement and the third, the cornerstone Israeli composer and head of the Music Academy, movement of the piece, where a haunting, tragic melody is Ödön Pártos was born in Hungary and studied violin with on top of a rhythmical pattern resembling a heartbeat. This famous teacher Jen Hubay. Partos moved to Palestine ő is one of the most special movements that Mendelssohn in 1938 and was principal viola player with the Palestine ever wrote. The sparkling final movement returns to the Symphony Orchestra, which later became the Israeli energy of the first and makes for an exciting conclusion. Program Notes Wednesday, June 29, 2016, 7:30 PM SUMMER INTENSIVE CLOSING CONCERT Squires Recital Salon Julius Quartet Arizona State University Hyun Jeong Helen Lee, violin Clarice Collins, violin David Do, violin Luke Hill, violin John Batchelder, viola Sarah Knight, viola Byron Hogan, cello Wei Guo, cello Fuego Trio Performing with Arizona State University Melody Whitaker, violin Chris Rogers-Beadle, viola Trevor Whitaker, cello Terrence Lo, cello Courtney Hight, piano Bard College Tianpei Ai, violin Caroline Buse, violin and viola Valory Hight, violin Emily Munstedt, cello

Program to be announced from the stage. Biographies FACULTY

SHMUEL ASHKENASI, violin Shmuel Ashkenasi, first violinist on the and professor of violin at Northern Illinois University, holds an artist diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music. He performs extensively as a soloist in the United States, , , the former , and . His personal recording credits include the Paganini Violin Concerti with the Vienna Philharmonic, recorded for Deutsche Grammophon; the Mozart Violin Concerto no. 5, KV 219; and the Beethoven Romances with the Chamber Orchestra, recorded for Tudor Records. In 1962, he was awarded second prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, causing an international sensation and musical triumph, since his country, , had no diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union at the time. He then went on to win the Merriweather Post Contest in Washington, D.C. He began musical training in Tel Aviv, Israel, and later studied with at the Curtis Institute. In 1969 Ashkenasi founded the Vermeer Quartet, a preeminent string quartet.

MATHIAS TACKE, violin Mathias Tacke, violin, was the second violinist of the acclaimed Vermeer Quartet from 1992 until 2007 and, prior to that, a member of the Ensemble Modern Frankfurt, one of the most important professional groups specializing in contemporary music. In this capacity, he gave countless first performances, including works by most of today’s leading composers. With the Vermeer Quartet, he gave performances in practically all of the most prestigious festivals, including Tanglewood, Taos, Ravinia, South Bank, and , to name only a few. He appears internationally as a soloist and chamber player, performing a wide range of repertoire from the Baroque to music of our time and has made numerous recordings for such labels as Sony, ECM, Harmonia Mundi, Naxos, and Cedille. Three of the Vermeer Quartet recordings were nominated for a Grammy Award. Tacke is professor of violin and chamber music at Northern Illinois University and guest lecturer for string chamber music at Northwestern University.

DAVID EHRLICH, violin Violinist David Ehrlich began his professional career as concertmaster and soloist with the Tel Aviv Chamber Orchestra and toured as guest soloist with other Israeli chamber orchestras. He served as concertmaster and soloist of the Colorado Festival Orchestra, Filarmonica de Caracas, and Philharmonic Orchestra, and he was associate concertmaster with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. In 1984 he joined the Audubon String Quartet at Virginia Tech as first violinist. With the quartet, Ehrlich toured all over the world, performing on some of the most prestigious stages and appearing on radio and television. He has conducted master classes and lectures at New Conservatory, University of South Carolina, Oberlin, Cleveland Institute of Music, Chautauqua-New York, Tel Aviv University, and Arizona State University, as well as in Ireland, Venezuela, the Czech Republic, and many other countries. He has recorded on such labels as RCA, Telarc, and Centaur. Since 2004, Ehrlich has served as the outreach fellow of fine arts at Virginia Tech, where he is involved in developing music programs in underserved communities of southern and southwest Virginia. Together with his wife, Teresa Ehrlich, he founded the Renaissance Music Academy, and he is also the artistic director of Musica Viva, a chamber music concert series based in Blacksburg. Ehrlich performs on a violin made by Carlo Bergonzi (1735), through the generosity of the Virginia Tech Foundation. Biographies, continued KATHARINA KANG, viola Katharina Kang has performed as a soloist with leading orchestras at Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, and Grieg Hall in Bergen, as well as Philharmonic Halls in Essen, Wuppertal, Cologne, Berlin, Hamburg, and . Her performances have been broadcast by BBC, NDR, WDR, SWR, and HR. Kang has worked with conductors such as Dmitrij Kitajenko, Arnold Katz, Kirill Petrenko, Michael Sanderling, Toshiyuki Kamioka, Ingo Ernst Reihl, Alondra de la Parra, Ruben Gazarian, and Neemi Jarvi. Kang is currently a student of Jaime Laredo at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Her performances include collaborations with Pavel Gililov, Boris Bloch, Elmar Oliviera, Timothy Eddy, Franz Helmerson, Shmuel Ashkenasi, and Amit Peled. She attended master classes with Frank Peter Zimmermann, Miriam Fried, Phillip Setzer, Leon Fleisher, Pamela Frank, , and American String Quartet. In 2014 she was invited as artist-in-residence of Heifetz International Music Institute in Virginia, Jamestown Art Center in Rhode Island, and Baltimore Youth Symphony in Maryland. Kang studied with Rosa Fain and Robert Schumann Musikhochschule in Düsseldorf and graduated with a bachelor of music degree from the Manhattan School of Music, New York, with and Patinka Kopec. Kang plays Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (Paris 1864).

MICHAEL STRAUSS, viola

Known for his “rich tone and lyrical acumen” (Chicago Tribune), violist Michael Isaac Strauss has performed around the world as a soloist and recitalist in chamber music and in symphonic settings. He made his solo debut with the Minnesota Orchestra in 1990 and has since appeared as featured solo and recording artist with the Chamber Orchestra of , Orchestra 2001, Charleston Symphony, and Camerata Chicago, among others. During his 20-year tenure as the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra principal violist, Strauss was also featured as soloist or collaborator in duo roles nearly every season. Strauss’ love for the intimate concert setting has led to concert series and festival appearances across Europe, , and Asia, such as Schleswig-Holstein, Montpellier, LaJolla, Caramoor, Banff, and Beijing International. A former member of the distinguished Fine Arts Quartet, Strauss made several European and domestic concert tours with the ensemble, as well as a highly regarded live broadcast performance on Radio France and a Lyrinx label SACD recording of Mozart’s complete viola quintets. Strauss has made several other recordings of new music, including the I Virtuosi debut recording of Jennifer Higdon’s Viola Sonata, as well as David Finko’s Viola Concerto and chamber music works by living composers with the Philadelphia-based Orchestra 2001 on CRI. Strauss is the featured soloist in the Centaur release of Stamitz Viola Concerto, op. 1 and in the Suzuki Viola School CDs, volumes 8 and 9. A dedicated teacher, Strauss regularly presents master classes across the U.S. and in and has served on the faculties of Oberlin Conservatory, Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, Indiana University, Butler University, DePauw University, Swarthmore College, and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Strauss is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and performs on a viola attributed to Matteo Albani of Bolzano, Italy, in 1704.

EMANUEL GRUBER, cello Emanuel Gruber received a bachelor of music and a master of music from Tel Aviv University. Formerly principal cellist of the Israeli Chamber Orchestra, Gruber was awarded the Pablo Casals Prize by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in 1970, and he won the Concert Artists’ Guild Auditions in 1975. He has participated in Heifetz- Piatigorsky master classes at the University of Southern California. Gruber has been on the faculty of the Rubin Academy in Tel Aviv and served as a visiting professor at Indiana University. He has participated in the Musical Spring Festival in St. Petersburg and the Rostropovich Cello Festival in Riga. Gruber was on the jury of the second Davidoff International Cello Competition. Biographies, continued DMITRY KOUZOV, cello A versatile performer, cellist Dmitry Kouzov has performed on five continents with orchestras, in solo and duo recitals, and in chamber music performances. He has appeared with the St. Petersburg Symphony (), National Symphony of Ukraine, South Bohemian Chamber Philharmonic (Czech Republic), and Symphony Orchestra Classica (Russia). Kouzov received first prize at the International Beethoven Competition in the Czech Republic and is a two-time laureate of the International Festival-Competition Virtuosi of the Year 2000 in Russia and winner of the New York Cello Society Rising Star Award. His credits include numerous performances at many prominent concert venues throughout his native Russia. He made his New York orchestral debut at Alice Tully Hall in 2005, under the baton of Raymond Leppard. Highlights of Kouzov’s recent seasons include a debut with the Symphony Orchestra of St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra, and Johannesburg Philharmonic, as well as solo appearances, duo recitals, and chamber music appearances at the Ravinia and Caramoor Festivals Rising Stars Series. Most recently, he made his recording debut on Naxos with three C.P.E. Bach Gamba Sonatas and a recital CD, Two Hundred Years of Cello Masterpieces, on Marquis Classics. Kouzov has appeared in command performances before Mikhail Gorbachev and Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and is a founding and active member of the Manhattan Piano Trio, performing extensively throughout the United States. Currently Kouzov is an assistant professor of cello at the University of Illinois and was previously a faculty member at the and Oberlin Conservatory. He holds both bachelor of music and master of music degrees from the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, as well as an artist diploma from Juilliard.

NIKOLA DJURICA, clarinet Nikola Djurica started playing the clarinet at the young age of six in Belgrade, Serbia. He progressed very rapidly and started winning special prizes and accolades in competitions in his country, as well as in Italy, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Russia. He was invited to perform on television and radio in Serbia and was honored as best young musician of the generation. Later, he was invited to a prestigious professional festival, the Belgrade Music Festival (BEMUS), where he was the youngest musician. Djurica attended summer festivals in Prague, Madrid, the Amalfi coast in Italy, Austria, and Germany. He continued his studies in the U.S., where he went to Interlochen Center for the Arts and later the Cleveland Institute of Music. He was invited back to his country to receive a special award from the government, the “New Face of Serbia,” which is given to the most successful or promising Serbians in their fields. In his first year at Cleveland Djurica won the concerto competition and performed as soloist with the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) orchestra. He is a member of the faculty in Ameropa, a chamber music festival in Prague, and was one of a very select group of faculty that were asked to participate in a special program at Prague Spring, one of the world’s most prestigious festivals. Djurica is a founder and a member of an improvisational ensemble, the Contranuities Quartet, which is dedicated to bringing diverse people together by exploring the intersections of musical genres and the cultures of the world. He currently resides in Serbia and Japan, where he performs regularly. Biographies, continued RICHARD MASTERS, piano Richard Masters is a soloist, opera coach, chamber musician, and orchestral pianist based in Blacksburg, where he is an assistant professor of piano and collaborative piano on the music faculty at Virginia Tech’s School of Performing Arts. Significant collaborations include concerts with baritone Donnie Ray Albert, mezzo- soprano Kathryn Findlen, mezzo-soprano Barbara Conrad, and many others. He has appeared with former Boston Symphony principal trombonist Norman Bolter, former violinist Earl Carlyss, and saxophonist Harvey Pittel, as well as under the baton of Lorin Maazel. Masters has performed solo, chamber, and vocal recitals throughout the U.S. and in Europe. As a solo pianist, Masters plays a wide variety of standard and non-traditional repertoire, including contemporary pieces written for or commissioned by him. A strong proponent of contemporary American composers, he has performed world premieres of pieces by Kenneth Frazelle, Charles Nichols, Kent Holliday, and many others. He is an enthusiastic performer of the Great American Songbook: at a recent recital, he revived the virtuoso song transcriptions of mid-20th century cocktail pianist Cy Walter; a close friend of Walter’s described the performances as “damn[ed] good,” saying that it was the first time since Walter’s death that he had been so moved by a rendition of the transcriptions. He recently appeared on the National Flute Association’s 2015 keynote concert in Wish, a work for flute and piano commissioned by Masters from flutist and composer Valerie Coleman. In the September of 2015, he performed on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Music at the Gardner series in Boston, playing works of Frazelle and Charles Tomlinson Griffes. In the remainder of the 2015-16 season, he will perform elsewhere in Massachusetts, as well as in , Washington D.C., New York, North Carolina, , and Virginia. For more information on Masters, please visit www.richard-masters.com.

STUDENTS

JULIUS QUARTET

HYUN JEONG HELEN LEE, violin

Hailed as being a “superior [and] excellent” violinist (The Flint Journal), Hyun Jeong Helen Lee has captivated audiences throughout the United States, Canada, and Asia. Leading into her conservatory career, she attended the Interlochen Center for the Arts in the summer of 2009. While there, she was concertmaster of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra for two terms. She has performed with the Chichibu Festival Orchestra, Royal Oak Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Conservatory String Ensemble as winner of the String Ensemble Concerto Competition. She has also performed in master classes with various artists, including Phillipe Quint, Jorja Fleezanis, and Joseph Silverstein. She has recently finished an undergradute degree at the Boston Conservatory, where she studied with Markus Piacci, and is currently studying with Weigang Li of the celebrated Quartet as part of John J. Cali School of Music’s Graduate Quartet-in-Residence program.

DAVID DO, violin Violinist David Do is currently the second violinist of Montclair State University’s Graduate String Quartet-in- Residence, the Julius Quartet. Do has appeared as an international soloist at the Chichibu International Music Festival in Japan, performing with the Chichibu Festival Orchestra. Furthermore, he has also performed as a soloist with various orchestras in the Northern California region, including a commissioned work by Kerry Lewis with the San Jose Youth Chamber Orchestra, where he also served as concertmaster. As a passionate chamber musician, Do has participated in various chamber music festivals and concerts, such as the McGill International String Quartet Academy, the Banff Centre’s Chamber Music Residency Program, the Tanglewood String Quartet Seminar, and others. Do completed his undergraduate studies at the Boston Conservatory, where he studied with Markus Piacci. Prior to his conservatory career, he began his formal training at San Francisco Conservatory’s Preparatory Division studying with Doris Fukawa. Presently, he is a student of Yi-Wen Jiang, the renowned second violinist of the . Biographies, continued JOHN BATCHELDER, viola Violist John Batchelder has captivated audiences across North and South America as a passionate chamber musician and soloist. He has performed as soloist with numerous ensembles, such as the Hemenway Strings, Worcester Bach Consort, and Piano High Symphony Orchestra and has participated in various summer festivals and master classes. In 2011, he was a winner of the Davis Projects for Peace Grant for his program designed to help, encourage, and teach music to the young children of the favelas of Natal, Brazil. He has recently finished a graduate performance diploma at the Boston Conservatory under the instruction of Lila Brown and previously served as artistic coordinator at the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) award-winning organization, Project STEP, a non-profit music education program. Currently, he is studying with Honggang Li of the celebrated Shanghai Quartet as part of John J. Cali School of Music’s Graduate String Quartet-in- Residence program.

BYRON HOGAN, cello Byron Hogan is a cellist and arranger from Lakeland, Florida. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music performance from Florida Southern College, where he studied under Anne Parrette and Jeffrey Lang; a master’s degree in performances and chamber performance from the University of South Florida, where he studied under Scott Kluksdahl; and a graduate performance diploma from the Boston Conservatory, where he studied under Rhonda Rider. He has played in ensembles such as the Ocala Symphony Orchestra, the Osud Trio, the St. Petersburg Opera, and the Miami Ballet and has also been a soloist with the Imperial Symphony and the Bogus Pomp Orchestra. He is currently pursuing a performance certificate at Montclair University.

FUEGO TRIO

MELODY WHITAKER, violin Melody Whitaker, 16, began taking violin at age five and studies with David Ehrlich. She has competed in the James Bland Music Competition and has placed at state level. In February 2011 she was a part of the International Journey of Strings with students from Renaissance Music Academy (RMA), Macao, and Hong Kong. She is currently concertmaster of the RMA Youth Chamber Orchestra. She is in 11th grade and hopes to make a career with her violin.

TREVOR WHITAKER, cello Trevor Whitaker has been studying and performing cello for 12 years. He has studied with various teachers, currently Ben Wyatt. In 2010 he was the only competitor to win an outstanding musician trophy in the Old Dominion Association of Church Schools (ODACS) Fine Arts Competition. In 2014 he competed in the James Bland Music Competition, won first place at regional and district levels, and competed at the state level. He is currently one of two principal cellists in the Renaissance Music Academy Youth Chamber Orchestra. Outside of music, he is avidly interested in theoretical physics, analytic philosophy, and critical theory.

COURTNEY HIGHT, piano Courtney Hight is in her 14th year of piano studies with Teresa Ehrlich. She has grown to love using her music abilities in teaching young students of her own, as well as collaborating with other musicians. She won the Rebecca Orr Technique Festival Scholarship Competition in 2015. She has competed in the James Bland Music Competition, where she won second place, and has also won second place in the Renaissance Music Academy Concerto Competitions in 2013 and 2015. She hopes to pursue a bachelor of music degree in piano performance. Biographies, continued BARD COLLEGE

TIANPEI AI, violin Tianpei Ai was born in Nanjing, China in 1995. He started to play the violin in 2000. From 2007 to 2013 he studied with Yun Wei in the Music Middle School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Since 2013 he has studied with Shmuel Ashkenasi, Weigang Li, and in Bard College Conservatory of Music in New York. He participated in Asian Youth Orchestra in Hong Kong in 2012 as concertmaster. In 2015 he participated in New York String Orchestra Seminar in New York. He was the third prize winner of Hong Kong International Violin Competition in 2012. He won the Concerto Competition of Bard College Conservatory of Music in 2014. In February 2015, he participated in the 54th Paganini International Violin Competition in Genoa, Italy. He participated in Red Rocks Music Festival in Arizona in January 2016.

CAROLINE BUSE, violin and viola Caroline Buse, violist and violinist, has been a finalist and prizewinner in competitions such as the Fischoff International Music Competition, North Carolina Music Teachers National Association (NCMTNA), and the Chapel Hill Philharmonia Competition. Buse has performed with artists such as Placido Domingo, Andrea Bocceli, Audra McDonald, Yair Kless, Frank Almond, and the Amernet Quartet. A graduate of the University of Michigan, she plays violin on the 2014 Grammy-nominated album, L’Orestie d’Eschyle, with the University Symphony Orchestra. She has collaborated with the North Carolina Symphony as the principle violist of the North Carolina Symphony All-Stars under the baton of Grant Llewellyn, as well as with the Miami Symphony, Atlantic Classical Orchestra, and Palm Beach Symphony. Buse is currently completing a master of music degree as the graduate teaching assistant for the Amernet Quartet at Florida International University and as a violin teaching artist for Miami Music Project, a satellite organization of El Sistema.

VALORY HIGHT, violin Valory Hight is currently a first-year student at Bard College Conservatory of Music, where she studies violin with Shmuel Ashkenasi and Weigang Li. Her musical studies began at the age of five with David Ehrlich at the Renaissance Music Academy of Virginia. Hight was concertmistress of the Renaissance Academy Chamber Orchestra from 2011 to 2015 and the Fine Arts Summer Academy Young Artists Symphony during the summer of 2014. She has worked with many conductors, including JoAnn Faletta and Jung-Ho Pak. As an active chamber musician, Hight has been mentored by Shmuel Ashkenasi, Peter Wiley, Meng-Chieh Liu, Peter Serkin, and Paul Coletti.

EMILY MUNSTEDT, cello Cellist Emily Munstedt, originally from Boston, Massachusetts, just completed her first year at the Bard College University, where she is pursuing a double-degree in cello performance and political studies. Currently a student of Peter Wiley, she has also studied with Mickey Katz and Andrew Mark. Munstedt has participated in the Castleman Quartet Program and Ked Kooks Chamber Music Institute. Biographies, continued ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

CLARICE COLLINS, violin Born in France, Clarice Collins is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in violin performance at Arizona State University, studying under Danwen Jiang. Collins has performed many concerts in Europe and the United States, the most recent being the Prokofiev Sonata for Two Violins with her duo partner, Xiangyuan Huang, in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in April 2014 as part of the InterHarmony Festival series. She has been a participant in the Harpa International Academy of Music in Iceland, InterHarmony International Music Festival in Germany, and Conservatory Music in the Mountains Music Festival in Colorado. An avid supporter of new music, Collins is a violinist in the Arizona Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME). As a part of ACME, Collins has performed in concerts for the American Composer Alliance, Society of Composers International, and the Samuel Beckett Conference. She has participated in master classes with Grigory Kalinovsky, Daniel Phillips, Mimi Zweig, and members of the Juilliard, Brentano, and St. Lawrence String Quartets. She maintains a studio of violin and viola students as part of the Arizona State University String Project, as well as privately. She has studied formerly with Arkady Fomin.

LUKE HILL, violin Luke Hill started playing violin at five years old as a part of Boulder Suzuki Strings, studying with Amy Gesmer- Packman. He then went to the University of Colorado at Boulder for his undergraduate degree, primarily studying with Charles Wetherbee. He is currently studying with Katherine McLin at Arizona State University for a master’s degree. In addition to his education, he has spent his summers at various summer festivals, including Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival and two years at Brevard Music Center Summer Institute and Festival, as well as a six-week study abroad session in Florence, Italy.

SARAH KNIGHT, viola Sarah Knight grew up playing music in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she participated in various orchestras and chamber ensembles. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in viola performance from Utah State University in 2014 and is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Arizona State University. She loves chamber music, and her most recent engagements have included the Arizona premiere of Yuko Obayashi’s Misericordia for flute and string quartet, the Mozart Clarinet Quintet, and Francaix’s English Horn Quartet.

WEI GUO, cello

Wei Guo has been described as “a tremendous talent who plays with real passion and integrity,” (UW News). She was a finalist at the 2013 National Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Young Artist Competition and an honorable mention winner of the 2014 Northwest MTNA Chamber Music Competition. As a graduate student at the University of Wyoming, she was awarded a full scholarship and teaching assistantship with her professor, Beth Vanderborgh. Guo is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at Arizona State University under Tom Landschoot. Biographies, continued PERFORMING WITH ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

CHRIS ROGERS-BEADLE, viola Violist Chris Rogers-Beadle, from Rockport, Massachusetts, studied with Dimitri Murrath in the preparatory program at New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. The winner of numerous competitions, he has performed with the Walden Chamber Music Players and has soloed with the Boston Civic Symphony, the Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Rogers-Beadle has performed in master classes and lessons with artists such as Steve Tenenbom, Ettore Causa, and Pinchas Zukerman. He is currently a bachelor of music candidate at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, where he studies with Paul Coletti.

TERENCE LO, cello Terence Lo began his musical journey at a very young age as a student at the Renaissance Music Academy in Blacksburg and has since developed a passion for learning and performing music. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in cello performance under Dmitry Kouzov at the University of Illinois. He is an avid chamber musician and is very excited to attend the Intensive Chamber Music Seminar. In the fall, he will begin his sophomore year at the University of Illinois.

PERFORMING DURING THE INFORMAL JAZZ CONCERT

ALBERT NEWBERRY, piano Albert Newberry has been studying classical piano for eight years with Teresa Ehrlich at the Renaissance Music Academy and jazz improvisations for three years with John Salmon at University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Newberry’s original composition, Tritone Blues, was one of the winners of the 2013 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Awards. He placed first in jazz performance for the high school level at the University of West Virginia’s Intersection of Jazz and Classical Music Piano Festival and Competition in 2014. He was also a finalist in classical performance, both at the University of West Virginia and Old Dominion University in the Harold Protsman Classical Period Piano Competition in 2014. Newberry won first place in the 2016 Rebecca Orr Memorial Piano Festival and Scholarship Competition at Radford University. He plans to pursue a career in both classical and jazz piano studies. In the Galleries P. BUCKLEY MOSS SOWING SEEDS June 2-August 7, 2016 Miles C. Horton Jr. Gallery and Sherwood Payne Quillen ‘71 Reception Gallery Dubbed “the people’s artist,” P. Buckley Moss is a household name, her work sold and shown in over 200 galleries nationwide. While she has enjoyed significant commercial success, the foundation of her work is and always has been an unwavering commitment to art education. Moss’ life, through her action and example, is a validation of the transformative power of the arts. Selected works from the Moss family private collection, many on view to the public for the first time, highlight the work and passion of the artist and Moss Arts Center namesake.

YOUNG ARTISTS HOME May 19-July 3, 2016 Ruth C. Horton Gallery In partnership with Giles County Public Schools (GCPS), the Moss Arts Center presents a collection of works created by students in grades 4-7 in a series of in-school workshops coordinated by Amber Nelson, GCPS art teacher, and Meggin Hicklin, exhibition program manager for the Moss Arts Center. This iteration of Young Artists is an exploration of place, perspective, and creative potential in rural areas and an exercise in collaboration and creating opportunities between the Moss Arts Center and our neighboring communities and organizations.

DIANA COOPER HIGHWIRE, 2016 On view through spring 2018 Grand Lobby GALLERY HOURS Tuesday-Friday, 10 AM-6 PM Saturday-Sunday, 10 AM-4 PM