Pittsburgh Concert Society 2014–2015 • 72nd Season The sound of Pittsburgh’s artists Pittsburgh Concert Society WHAT WE’RE ABOUT The PCS involvement in the Pittsburgh scene The annual June Alumni Concert features “return is deep and varied: performances” by former Pittsburgh Concert Society winners who have achieved distinguished careers in the Major Artists Auditions, held each spring, are judged field of classical music. by independent adjudicators selected from among deans and faculty of leading schools of music. Candidates Outreach Performances. In addition to its formal audition anonymously and are judged solely on the level concert activity, the Pittsburgh Concert Society reaches of their performance and the quality of their program. out into the community and beyond. Outstanding artists Six Major winners are presented in concerts, generally are invited to perform in venues throughout the city, the following September, October, and November. Major with a special emphasis on reaching young audiences. Auditions are open to highly qualified classical musicians, These performances are arranged by the officers of over the age of 18, living within a 75-mile radius of PCS, working in close collaboration with organizations Pittsburgh who meet the PCS program requirements. such as the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Allegheny Each winner receives an honorarium of $1,000 from the RiverStone Center For the Arts, Chamber Music William and Eleanor Benswanger Memorial Fund of Pittsburgh, assisted living communities, Pittsburgh The Pittsburgh Foundation. and suburban school districts, colleges, and other local arts organizations. Annually, one Young Artist winner Young Artists Auditions are held in January and is featured as a soloist with the Edgewood Symphony are also judged by independent, nationally known Orchestra and Major winners are featured on the adjudicators. Instrumentalists must be under the age of Chamber Music Series of Greater Johnstown. 19, vocalists under 22, and must live within a 75-mile radius of Pittsburgh. Each winner of the Young Artists The PCS Homer Wickline and Conrad Seamen Auditions receives a $500 scholarship from the Benjamin Memorial Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation and Anna Perlow Scholarships Fund of The Pittsburgh awards annual grants designated to provide financial Foundation, designated for the furtherance of his/her assistance to instrumentalists and vocalists, individuals or music studies. groups, in the classical field, who are working to further their careers or their performance opportunities. Young Organists Auditions are held in March. Organists must be under the age of 23 and must live CONTACT INFO: within a 75-mile radius of Pittsburgh. The Young 412-279-2970 Organist winner is presented in a concert, generally soon pittsburghconcertsociety.org after the auditions. The winner of the Young Organists [email protected] Auditions receives a $500 scholarship designated for the furtherance of his/her music studies. The Pittsburgh Concert Society Schedule of Events (PCS) promotes the finest 2014–2015 Season Pittsburgh based classical All events are at 2:00 p.m. at Kresge Recital Hall, musicians, all selected by Carnegie Mellon University. A “Meet the Artists” adjudicators of national stature, reception follows each concert. Tickets can be purchased at the door, by phone 412-279-2970 providing each winner with a or online at pittsburghconcertsociety.org: formal recital opportunity as Adults $15 – Seniors $10 – Students Free well as a financial award. MAJOR WINNERS RECITALS Sunday, September 28, 2014 Matisse String Quartet Christopher Scherer and Erica Founded in 1943, the PCS is Richardson, violins, Si Yu, viola and Marlene Ballena, cello a non-profit, equal opportunity Alyssa Wang, violin organization. All artists appearing Sunday, October 19, 2014 on the PCS programs must live Dimitri Papadimitriou, piano Shanrong Tuo, violin within a 75-mile radius of Sunday, November 9, 2014 Pittsburgh. To insure fairness Michael Tsang, piano and impartiality of the selection Lyra Duo, Melissa Stewart, violin, Luis Hernandez, piano process, PCS auditions are YOUNG ARTISTS WINNERS RECITALS adjudicated by invited musicians Sunday, March 15 and Sunday, March 22, 2015 from outside the Pittsburgh area. ALUMNI CONCERT Sunday, May 31, 2015 Shirley Yoo, piano The PCS is proud of its history Courtney Hershey Bress, harp with guest harpist and its contribution to the arts Kathleen Bride in the Pittsburgh area. It is an SEASON AUDITION DATES organization of dedicated officers Young Artists Auditions Saturday, January 10, 2015 and board members, all volunteers, Jamal Rossi, Dean, Eastman School of Music, adjudicator consistently working to maintain Major Auditions the highest level of musicianship Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18, 2015 Jamal Rossi, Dean, Eastman School of Music, adjudicator in their concert presentations. 2014 Major Auditions Winners Recitals Major auditions are open to instrumentalists, Music has taken Alyssa Wang vocalists, and chamber music ensembles over internationally to venues in Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, the age of 18 who live within a 75-mile and Norway. First place winner of the radius of Pittsburgh and who meet PCS program Pacific Musical Society competition and requirements. This season’s auditions were held the Contra Costa String Association Competition in California, she has on April 11 and 12, 2014, the adjudicator was performed before many audiences and collaborated Peter Landgren, Dean, The University of with renowned teachers: Stephen Barratt-Due, Dora Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Schwartzberg, Stephen Clapp, Wei He, and many more. She was first violinist in the award winning Échappé String Quartet at the San Francisco Conservatory. She has served as concertmaster in the San Francisco Youth Symphony SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2014 Orchestra, Berkeley Youth Orchestra, and worked under the baton of prestigious conductors Simon Rattle, Michael Matisse String Quartet: Christopher Scherer Tilson Thomas, Gerard Schwarz, Joseph Silverstein, and Erica Richardson, violins, Si Yu, viola Alasdair Neale. Alyssa has attended numerous summer music festivals including Music@Menlo, Valdres, Credo, and Marlene Ballena, cello Youth Music International. Currently, she participates in Alyssa Wang, violin a Pittsburgh music organization called Musicians with a Musician, and provides free concerts to underprivileged The Matisse String people around the city. She especially enjoys exploring Quartet, founded as the contemporary music and hopes to help others appreciate Carnegie Mellon Honors what recent music has to offer. Alyssa studies with Andres Quartet, plays an essential Cardenes at Carnegie Mellon as an undergraduate major in role in the life of the Carnegie violin performance. Mellon School of Music and in community outreach. As SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2014 cultural ambassadors, the Matisse Quartet represents Carnegie Mellon’s School of Music through a variety of Dimitri Papadimitriou, piano performance opportunities. They were invited to play along side the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra as part of Shanrong Tuo, violin their Children’s Concerts at Heinz Hall and to Qatar to take part in Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s 10th Anniversary Praised for his artistry, commitment and celebrations. In addition, the quartet performed a recital as passion for music, Greek pianist Dimitri part of the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s Chamber Papadimitriou has just been awarded Music Series in Greensburg, on live TV as a part of WQED the title ‘Doctor of Music Performance’ Pittsburgh’s 40th Anniversary Celebration, and collaborated from the Royal Irish Academy of Music with Dr. Robert Page on Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. in Dublin, Ireland. He has already appeared several times with the National Coached by faculty members David Harding and Noah Radio Symphony Orchestra of his country, with the most Bendix-Balgley, members of this quartet went through recent collaboration broadcast live on radio. Recently he a rigorous audition process and were selected by the made his debut with the Athens State Orchestra playing string faculty and distinguished guest Joseph Silverstein. Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 at the Athens Megaron The Mattise String Quartet consists of members Erica after winning the Young Soloists Concerto Competition. Richardson and Christopher Scherer, violin; Si Yu, viola; Currently Dimitri is residing in Pittsburgh maintaining and Marlene Ballena, cello. an active life as a young concert pianist and is pursuing an Artist Diploma at Carnegie Mellon University under Sergey Schepkin’s tuition. During his graduate studies at Indiana University with Emile Naoumoff and Menahem Pressler, he participated in a plethora of festivals throughout Europe 2014 Major Auditions Winners Recitals and the U.S. which gave him the opportunity to interact Competition, and Duquesne Young Artists Competition with highly acclaimed teachers such as Dmitri Bashkirov, for all age categories. He was a winner of the Pittsburgh Yoheved Kaplinsky, Sergey Babayan and John O’Conor, all Concert Society Young Artists Competition in 2005. of whom have praised his musicianship and artistry. Michael was the 1st place winner in the Senior & Junior Shanrong Tuo holds a Master’s Degree in Divisions of the MTNA and represented Pennsylvania in Violin performance from Carnegie Mellon the East Division competitions. In 2011, he appeared School of Music, where she studied with as a soloist with the Pittsburgh