ANNOUNCING 2009-10 Season

American Chamber Players
October 24, 2009

	ACP

Among today's most exciting and innovative chamber music ensembles, The American Chamber Players were formed in 1985 by Miles Hoffman from a core group of artists of The Library of Congress Summer Chamber Festival.  The six members of the ensemble perform repertoire ranging from familiar masterpieces to neglected gems to newly commissioned American works, and  their fascinating and delightful programs with varied instrumental combinations have been as enthusiastically praised as their dynamic performances. 

Cypress String Quartet
November 14, 2009 

	Cypress

Widely celebrated for the power of its performances and its passionate dedication to the genre, the Cypress String Quartet combines technical precision with imaginative programming to create unforgettable concert experiences.
   On top of a busy schedule of over 90 concerts each year at venues across America and internationally, including the Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, Stanford Lively Arts, Krannert Center and Ravinia Festival, the Cypress String Quartet is a vibrant member of the San Francisco arts community. The Cypress String Quartet represents the voice of the new generation of American culture and brings passion, inspiration and enjoyment to every audience. 
 

 
Trio Solisti
January 16, 2010

Trio Solisti

Hailed as "the most exciting piano trio in America" by The New Yorker Magazine, Trio Solisti is comprised of three brilliant instrumentalists - violinist Maria Bachmann, cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach and pianist Jon Klibonoff. Trio Solisti has earned a reputation for its passionate, committed, and adventurous performances marked by exquisite individuality of expression and seamless ensemble playing. The Trio’s cutting edge verve and mastery across a wide spectrum of styles has garnered superlatives not often encountered in the piano trio genre. This versatility also extends to new music, most notably to the works of 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winner Paul Moravec.
     The members of Trio Solisti collaborate with many of today's leading composers. Bachmann and Klibonoff performed the world premiere of Philip Glass's Sonata for violin and piano (2008) in February 2009, cellist Alexis Gerlach performed the world premiere of a concerto by Kevin Puts for cello and string quintet in New York in May 2009, and Maria Bachmann performs the world premiere of Paul Moravec's Violin Concerto in May 2010.

 2008-09 Season

 Stanislas Sextet
Saturday, April 11, 2009, 8pm

	Stanislas Sextet

  The Stanislas Sextet associates the members of the Stanislas Quartet and two American musicians, the violonist and viola player, John Fadial, and the cellist Beth Vanderborgh. They met in Nancy in 1994 and decided to explore together the magnificent repertoire for string sextets. In 1996 they gave their first concert in the Salle Poirel in Nancy, followed by a tour of America, which took them to W Va, NC, MD and finally Washington, where their interpretation of the first sextet of Brahms was particularly appreciated by the critic of the Washington Post. In October 2006, the Stanislas Sextet was invited in residence at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, where master-classes alternated with concerts in Greensboro and in other towns in North Carolina.  

	David Russell

Classical guitarist David Russell is world renowned for his superb musicianship and inspired artistry, having earned the highest praise from audiences and critics alike. In recognition of his great talent and his international career, he was named a Fellow of The Royal Academy of Music in London in 1997. He bécame a GRAMMY award winner in 2005 for his CD AIRE LATINO in the category of best instrumental soloist in classical music.

Queens Chamber Players
Saturday, November 1, 2008, 8pm
Featuring Paul Nitsch and Solaris Wind Quintet

 Friends of Music at Queens kicked off its 2008-2009 concert season hosting The Loonis McGlohon Endowment’s presentation of “North Carolina is My Home.” Commissioned by Governor Jim Hunt in the early 1980s to honor North Carolina’s 400^th anniversary, the state’s native sons – Charles Kuralt and Loonis McGlohon – originally composed the piece in 1983 and is told in word and song. Performed in major venues across the country, this musical narrative features WBT-AM radio personality Al Gardner; Maddy Winer, entertainment director for the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, N.C.; Hollywood’s Mike Campbell; and Charlotte’s very own Rick Bean Trio. 

 2007-08 Season Review

	Leon Fleisher

LEON FLEISHER, PIANIST
Saturday, March 29, 2008, 8pm
2007 Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient!

Renowned pianist, conductor and teacher Leon Fleisher, now in his sixth decade before the public, began studying with the great German pianist Artur Schnabel at the age of 9, and by 16, in 1944, made his debut with the New York Philharmonic. He was the first American to win the prestigious Queen Elisabeth of Belgium competition, in 1952.  Fleisher was suddenly struck silent when two fingers of his right hand became immobile in 1965. Undergoing many treatments that gave only temporary relief, he was forced to "retire" from two-hand performance when only 37 years old. This was the defining moment in his career until recently, when he began botox treatments that finally helped relieve the neurological affliction known as focal dystonia that had been plaguing him for more than half his life.  
   For several years, Fleisher has been playing with both hands again, and recently made his first two-hand recording in 40 years,  the critically-acclaimed Two Hands.  He has held the Andrew W. Mellon Chair at the Peabody Conservatory of Music since 1959, and also serves on the faculties of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. "Suddenly I realized that the most important thing in my life wasn’t playing with my two hands: it was music," says the fifth-generation Beethoven pupil. Fleisher has also said, "Passion, not technique, is what I learned from Schnabel."    

	The Degas Quartet

Since their founding at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in 1999, the Degas Quartet has emerged as the most exciting young string quartet on stage today.

Emily Popham, violin * Timothy Peters, violin * Simon Ertz, viola * Philip von Maltzahn, cello

Described by the Denver Post as "electric," the Euclid Quartet is a multinational group known for performances filled with personality and vibrant color. They recently won third prize at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition in Japan. Formed in Ohio in 1998, the quartet takes its name from the famous Euclid Avenue in Cleveland; home to a wealth of artistic and cultural institutions. The quartet is in residence at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa.

Jameson Cooper, violin * Jacob Murphy, violinLuis Enrique Vargas, viola * Amy Joseph, cello

Program: Mendelssohn's String Octet, Bartok's String Quartet Op.17, No.2 & Ravel's String Quartet in F.

MARIAN ANDERSON STRING QUARTET
Saturday, November 3, 2007, 8pm
 

	Marian Anderson String Quartet

For over a decade the Marian Anderson String Quartet continues to uphold its mission: To create new and diverse audiences for the field of chamber music.  First formed in 1989 as the Chaminade Quartet, the Quartet made history in 1991 when they won the International Cleveland Quartet Competition, becoming the first African American ensemble, in history, to ever win a classical music competition.  To highlight this singular achievement the members of the quartet asked and received permission of the great contralto, Marian Anderson, to use her name as their own.

 2006-07 Season Review

ETHOS PERCUSSION
Sunday, October 1, 2006, 3pm

Hailed by The New York Times for its “expert togetherness, sensitivity and zest….” Ethos Percussion Group celebrates over fifteen years of captivating audiences throughout the country with exceptional music-making and collective devotion to the incredibly diverse world of percussion music. Visit Ethos on the web.

SERGEI BABAYAN, PIANIST
Sunday, November 12, 2006, 3pm

Acclaimed for the immediacy, sensitivity and depth of his interpretations, Sergei Babayan's performances reveal an emotional intensity and bold energy, equipping him to explore stylistically diverse repertoire. He was the first pianist from the former USSR who was able to compete without government sponsorship after the collapse of the system.  He is a Laureate of the Queen Elizabeth International Piano Competition, the Busoni International Piano Competition, and the Esther Honens International Competition.  
 

JUILLIARD STRING QUARTET
Saturday, February 17, 2007, 8pm

The Juilliard String Quartet is internationally renowned and admired for performances characterized by clarity of structure, beauty of sound, purity of line and an extraordinary unanimity of purpose. As Quartet in Residence at New York City's Juilliard School, the Juilliard String Quartet is widely admired for its seminal influence on aspiring string players around the world.

Joel Smirnoff, violin • Ronald Copes, violin Samuel Rhodes, viola • Joel Krosnick, cello

	Western Jazz Quartet

WESTERN JAZZ QUARTET & RICK BEAN TRIO
Sunday, April 15, 2007, 3pm

Back by popular demand after their outstanding performances at Queens the last two years, the Western Jazz Quartet served as Quartet-in-Residence at Queens University of Charlotte for a week in April culminating in the Sunday concert.  WJQ is the Quartet-in-Residence at Western Michigan University’s School of Music.

Tom Froncek, drums * Tom Knific, bass Trent Kynaston, saxophone Steve Zegree, piano

The Rick Bean Trio is a Charlotte based combo which performs mainly for private functions. The music consists of light jazz in the style of Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, etc. They will perform works by Loonis McGlohon. 

Rick Bean, piano; Terry Peoples, bass and Bill Stowe, drums

*A portion of ticket proceeds from the Jazz Fest concert went to support the Loonis McGlohon Endowment.  

HARRIETTE LINE THOMPSON
Thursday, May 24, 2007, 8pm
Benefit Concert

Concertizing extensively over radio and television and appearing internationally as soloist with a number of symphony orchestras, pianist Harriette Line Thompson has won recognition from critics and audiences alike for her brilliant performances, displaying consistent discipline, charming her audiences with a graceful and polished style and revealing a provocative musical personality and zestful inner excitement. ~ The Eleusis 1997   

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