Ontario Pops releases debut album

Ontario Pops Orchestra releases debut album "Breaking Barriers"

Music includes concertos and symphonic works by Mozart, Bach, and Vivaldi conducted by Music Director Carlos Bastidas

One of the most diverse professional orchestras in Canada, OPO highlights work of women and BIPOC composers/instrumentalists

On March 31, 2023 the Ontario Pops Orchestra (OPO) releases its debut CD, Breaking Barriers. The album was released on digital platforms in Fall 2022. Three Black women are spotlighted as soloists: violinists Tanya Charles Iveniuk, Yanet Campbell Secades and bassoonist Marlene Ngalissamy. The recording includes concertos by Bach and Vivaldi alongside Holst’s St. Paul’s Suite, and "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" and Symphony No. 40 by Mozart, all led by OPO founder, conductor, and music director Carlos Bastidas.

Inspired by watching broadcasts of the Boston Pops Orchestra as a youngster in his native Colombia, Bastidas founded the OPO in 2014 to foster musicianship in a positive, inclusive and supportive environment. One of the most diverse professional orchestras in Canada, the Toronto-based orchestra performs classical and popular music, provides musicians with performance and professional development opportunities, and highlights the work of women and BIPOC composers and instrumentalists. 

The album release will be celebrated with a concert on March 31, 2023 at 8 pm at Toronto's Trinity St. Paul Music Centre (427 Bloor St. W). Tickets are $20-$30 CAD and are available here.

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical or digital copy of this recording.

About the Artists

Carlos Bastidas is the founder, conductor, and music director of the Ontario Pops Orchestra in Toronto and the emeritus conductor for the Durham Chamber Orchestra in the Region of Durham (Ontario). Born in Colombia, Maestro Bastidas studied bassoon, composition, conducting and chamber music at the University of Ottawa. In 2019, he received the Transformation Institute's Transformation Award for Heritage, and was one of TD's 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadians. As found of Ontario Pops, he has steadily built the ensemble's following and developed its reputation as one of the most diverse professional orchestras in Canada from its beginnings in 2014.

Born in Camagüey, Cuba, violinist Yanet Campbell Secades is an accomplished soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. She has performed throughout Europe and the Caribbean as well as in her home country Cuba. In 2015, she won the first prize at Cuba’s prestigious Unión de Artistas y Escritores Cubanos (UNEAC) competition, and in 2019 she was a prize winner at the Federation of Canadian Music Festivals’ National Competition. Yanet has performed at the Rheingau Musik Festival in Germany and the Mozartwoche in Austria. She received her Master of Music from Memorial University of Newfoundland and she is currently is in the Artist Diploma Program at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada with roots in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, violinist Tanya Charles Iveniuk, has performed across North and South America, and the Caribbean. Recipient of the Women’s Art Associate of Canada – Luella McCleary Award, the Gabriella Dory Prize in Music, and the Hamilton Black History Council’s John C Holland Award, Tanya received a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto, and an Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School. She is the concertmaster of the Obiora Ensemble, and violinist with Ensemble du Monde (Guadeloupe), Toronto Mozart Players, and the Odin Quartet. Former posts include Associate Concertmaster of the Gateways Festival Orchestra and violinist with Sinfonia Toronto. Tanya is a dedicated educator, and an in-demand string adjudicator and clinician abroad as well as in Ontario.

Marlene Ngalissamy developed a deep passion for the bassoon at age 13. As her curiosity blossomed, she was accepted at the Montreal Conservatory of Music where she studied with Mathieu Harel and Stephane Levesque. She continued her studies at the Curtis Institute of Music with Daniel Matsukawa. She participated in workshops and programs around the world including the Pacific Music Festival in Japan, the International Summer Academy of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and the Pablo Casals Festival in France.

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Breaking Barriers

Ontario Pops Orchestra
Carlos Bastidas, conductor

Tanya Charles Iveniuk, violin
Yanet Campbell Secades, violin
Marlene Ngalissamy, bassoon

CD release date: March 31, 2023
(Digital album released October 2022)

TRACKS

Disc 1

Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550 by Wolfang Amadeus Mozart
[01] I. Molto allegro 8:35
[02] II. Andante 7:34
[03] III. Menuetto. Allegretto - Trio 4:28
[04] IV. Allegro assai 5:41

The Four Seasons, RV 315 "Summer" by Antonio Vivaldi
with Tanya Charles Iveniuk, violin
[05] I. Allegro non molto 6:10
[06] II. Adagio e piano - Presto e forte 2:43
[07] III. Presto 3:02

St. Paul's Suite for String Orchestra, Op. 29, No. 2 by Gustav Holst
[08] I. Jig. 3:45
[09] II. Ostinato. 2:03
[10] III. Intermezzo. 4:14
[11] IV. Finale (The Dargason) 3:47

Disc 2
Serenade in G Major, K. 525 "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" by W.A. Mozart
[01] I. Allegro. 6:18
[02] II. Romanze. 6:55
[03] III. Menuetto 2:16
[04] IV. Finale. 4:05

Violin Concerto in A minor, No. 1, BWV 1041 by Johann Sebastian Bach
with Yanet Campbell Secades, violin
[05] I. Allegro moderato 4:21
[06] II. Andante. 7:11
[07] III. Allegro assai 3:57

Violin Sonata No. 3, BWV 1005 by J.S. Bach
with Yanet Campbell Secades, violin
[08] I. Adagio. 4:59

Bassoon Concerto in E minor, RV 484 by Vivaldi
with Marelene Ngalissamy, bassoon
[09] I. Allegro poco. 4:45
[10] II. Andante. 3:38
[11] III. Allegro 3:11

January: Cassatt String Quartet at Texas Tech and residency in West Texas

Cassatt String Quartet performance at Texas Tech in Lubbock

January 29 performance is part of the long-running Cassatt in the Basin program with guest artist Mark Morton on bass

Community program "Cassatt in the Basin" brings the quartet to West Texas twice a year for concerts and music education events in Odessa and Midland

"an extraordinary quartet” – New York Times

On January 29 at 2 pm, the Cassatt String Quartet performs at Kent R. Hance Chapel on the campus of Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Admission is free, details are here.

The New York-based quartet brings a special program to Lubbock, performing quartets by Mozart and Dorothy Rudd Moore. Mark Morton, professor of double bass at Texas Tech University, joins them for Giovanni Bottesini's "Gran Quintet for strings".

The concert is one of the events of Cassatt in the Basin. Since 2005, the quartet's bi-annual residencies in West Texas have enriched the lives of adults and students in the community through concerts, workshops and other music events across the region.

The January 2023 visit by the Cassatt String Quartet includes a multitude of activities in Odessa and Midland, including:

• Concerts at at Manor Park Retirement Home (1/25) and Heartland Home Assisted Living (1/28)

• Coachings and side-by-sides with students at Odessa and Permian High Schools, and Compass Academy

• Open rehearsal at Brookdale Senior Living (1/26)

• Family program at the Ector County Library (1/30)

A full schedule of events is at CassattInTheBasin.com/Events. 

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Hailed for its “mighty rapport and relentless commitment,” the Cassatt String Quartet has performed to critical acclaim across the world since its founding in 1985, with appearances at Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Tanglewood Music Center, the Kennedy Center, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Centro National de las Artes, Maeda Hall, and Beijing’s Central Conservatory. The group’s discography includes over forty recordings, spanning the Koch, Naxos, New World, Point, CRI, Tzadik, and Albany labels – including three discs that have been named by Alex Ross to his “10 Best Classical Recordings” feature in The New Yorker Magazine. 

The Cassatt Quartet’s upcoming projects include major performances and recordings of works by Tania León, Dylan Schneider, Shirish Korde, and Daniel S. Godfrey; their annual residencies at the Seal Bay Festival of American Chamber Music and Cassatt in the Basin!; hometown concerts in the New York area; and appearances at Treetops Chamber Music Society, Maverick Concerts, and Music Mountain. 

The CSQ is named for the great Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt. 

Calendar Listing

Cassatt in the Basin presents

Cassatt String Quartet

with Mark Morton, bass

Muneko Otani, violin
Jennifer Leshnower, violin
Rosemary Nelis, viola
Gwen Krosnick, cello

Free Admission

January 29 at 2:00 pm

Kent R. Hance Chapel
2511 17th Street
Lubbock, TX

PROGRAM
Dorothy Rudd Moore: Modes
Giovanni Bottesini: Gran Quintet for strings
Mozart: String Quartet No.23 in F major, K.590

Details here

Pianist Francine Kay performs Czech music on new release

Pianist Francine Kay performs Czech music on Things Lived and Dreamt

Release date January 13, 2023 on Analekta

Music by Dvořák, Smetana, Janáček, and Suk, and a work by the rarely-heard Czech woman Vítězslava Kaprálová

"Kay plays with astonishing grace and floating sonorities" — Knut Franke, Fono Forum (Germany)

Pianist Francine Kay performs favorites and seldom-heard works by Czech composers on Things Lived and Dreamt, a new recording from Analekta Records (AN29004, release date January 13, 2023). In addition to the charming and popular Humoresque No. 7 by Dvořák and Smetana’s Polka No. 2, the collection shines a light on Suk's piano masterpiece from which the album's title is taken. Things Lived and Dreamt op. 30 is a set of ten fantastical pieces that Suk himself described as “a sort of artist’s diary”. 

A highlight of the album is April Preludes by Vítězslava Kaprálová (1915-1940), a student of Bohuslav Martinů. “If it hadn’t been for her premature death in 1940 at the young age of twenty-five, Vítězslava Kaprálová would undoubtedly have become a major figure in 20th century music,” according to Music Web International.

Leoš Janáček's great Sonata 1.X.1905 (From the Street) runs the gamut of emotional energy as it commemorates the death of a Moravian carpenter who was killed during a civil demonstration.

This is Ms. Kay’s fourth recording on Analekta. Her Debussy recording earned her a JUNO nomination and was Fono Forum's Disc of the Month.

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.

Things Lived and Dreamt

Francine Kay, piano
Analekta (AN29004)
Release date: January 13, 2023

TRACKS

LEOŠ JANÁČEK (1854–1928) 
Sonata 1.X.1905 (1905)
[01] Předtucha (Lepressentiment/ The Presentiment) Con moto 5:47
[02] Smrt (La mort / The Death) Adagio 7:16

JOSEF SUK (1874–1935)
Jaro (Printemps / Spring), Op. 22a (1902)
[03] No.5 Vroztoužení (Ledésir/Longing) Allegro non troppo 3:56

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK (1841–1904) Humoresques, Op. 101 (1894)
[04] No. 4 – Poco andante – fa majeur / F Major 2:32
[05] No.7 – Poco lento e grazioso–sol bémol majeur/G-Flat Major 3:10
[06] No.8 – Poco andante–si bémol mineur/B-Flat Minor 3:03

JOSEF SUK (1874–1935)
Životem a snem (Things Lived and Dreamt), Op. 30 (1909)
[07] I Allegretto moderato – S humorem a ironií, místy rozdurděně (With humour and irony, agitated in places) 2:13
[08] II Allegro vivo – Neklidně a nesměle, bez silnějšího výrazu (Restless and somewhat timid, without strongly marked expression) 1:48
[09] III Andante sostenuto–Tajemně a velmi vzdušně (Mysterious and light and airy) 3:44
[10] IV Poco allegretto – Zamyšleně, později stále výbojněji (Contemplative, then increasingly resolute in mood) 3:07
[11] V Adagio – K uzdraveni mého syna (For my son’s recuperation) – Klidně, shlubokým citem (Calm, with deep feeling) 5:26
[12] VI Moderato quasi allegretto – S výrazem tiché, bezstarostné veselosti (With quiet, carefree cheer) 3:27
[13] VII Adagio non tanto – Jednoduše, později s výrazem drtivé moci (Forthright, later with the expression of overpowering force) 4:27
[14] VIII Vivace – Jemně, švitorně (Delicate, warbling) 2:04
[15] IX Poco Andante – Šepotavě a tajemně (Whispering and mysterious) 3:34
[16] X Adagio – Zapomenutým rovům v koutku hřbitova křečovického (Dedicated to forgotten graves in the Křečovice cemetary – Snivě (Dreamy) 5:04

VÍTĚZSLAVA KAPRÁLOVÁ (1915–1940)
Dubnová Preludia (Préludes d’avril / April Preludes), Op. 13 (1937
[17] I Allegro ma non troppo 2:10
[18] II Andante 3:16 
[19] III Andante semplice 2:20 
[20] IV Vivo 1:47

BEDŘICH SMETANA (1824–1884) 
Czech Dances 1, JB 1 : 107 (1877)
[21] Polka No.2 en la mineur/in A Minor – Moderato 2:17

Total time = 74:09

About the Artist

Noted for her “extraordinary range of color” (Montreal Gazette) and “poetic brilliance” (Toronto Star), the JUNO-nominated pianist Francine Kay is acclaimed for the beauty of her sound and the intensity and depth of her interpretations. 

Since making her debut at the Carnegie Recital Hall as winner of the Pro Piano Competition, Francine Kay has been a regular guest at international festivals.  Her performances are broadcast frequently on CBC, NPR, the BBC, WFMT, Radio France, and the EBU.

Ms. Kay’s discography on the Analekta label includes recordings of works by Ravel, Satie and Debussy, the latter of which was hailed as "prodigious, incomparably luxuriant in sound, bold and effortless" (Répertoire), and “one of the most outstanding recordings of Debussy’s piano music in recent years.” (Fono Forum)

Francine Kay is on the faculty of Princeton University. She earned her DMA at Stony Brook University, her Masters and Bachelors degrees at The Juilliard School with Adele Marcus, and an Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Leon Fleisher, Gilbert Kalish and Marek Jablonski were Francine Kay's musical mentors. 

Cover Art: Veronika Holcová; Photo credit: Bo Huang

"Connecting Cultures" music for piano four-hands

New album "Connecting Cultures": music for piano four-hands played by Zhihua Tang and Deborah Moriarty

Music from around the world by Mozart, Dvořák, Falla, Amy Beach, Florence Price; music from China, and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue

On Blue Griffin Records, released November 25, 2022

In a project born out of the performers' desire to connect with other cultures around the world and with one another, the pianists Deborah Moriarty and Zhihua Tang released "Connecting Cultures: Four-hand music from around the world" on Blue Griffin Records November 25, 2022.

Both Moriarty and Tang are on faculty at Michigan State University College of Music and each perform around the world. For this album, they share a piano bench, performing works by Amy Beach, Florence Price, Dvořák, and the Chinese composers Wang Jianzhong and Gong Huahua, alongside familiar favorites Rhapsody in Blue and Mozart's Andante and Five Variations in G major.

Each of the works are drawn from the composers' roots. From spirituals to nursery songs and folk dances, the selection comes from a variety of cultures and promotes female, African American, and Hispanic composers alongside standard repertoire. "Through these pieces it is possible to discern a unified human characteristic that has been poignantly revealed by this pandemic," the duo writes in the album's liner notes. "We all have a keen longing for home and comfort, and for a better united future for humanity. By exploring these human traits, we can express renewed faith in the promise of all cultures coming together to move toward that future on common ground."

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.

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Connecting Cultures
Deborah Moriarty and Zhihuang Tang, piano four-hands

Blue Griffin (DE 3592)
Release date: November 25, 2022

TRACKS

Antonín Leopold Dvořák 
[01] Slavonic Dance, Op 46. No. 8 4:36
[02] Slavonic Dance, Op. 72 No. 2 4:49

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
[03] Andante and Five Variations in G major, K. 501 8:03

Wang Jianzhong
[04] Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon 3:20

Gong Huahua
[05] Mountain Harvest 6:49

Manuel de Falla
Two Spanish Dances from La Vida Breve
[06] Spanish Dance No. 1 3:38
[07] Spanish Dance No. 2 4:45

Amy Marcy Cheney Beach
Summer Dreams, Op. 47
[08] The Brownies 3:46
[09] Robin Redbreast 1:42
[10] Twilight 1:45
[11] Katy-dids 1:11
[12] Elfin Tarantelle 1:52
[13] Good Night 2:59

Florence Beatrice Price|
Three Negro Spirituals
[14] I Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray 1:53
[15] Lord I Want to Be a Christian 4:03
[16] Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit 1:32

George Gershwin (arr. Henry Levine)
[17] Rhapsody in Blue 17:31

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Zhihua Tang is assistant professor and director of collaborative piano at the Michigan State University College of Music. Tang has enjoyed an active performing career around the world and has been praised for her extraordinary versatility and profound artistry on the piano.

As a concerto soloist, she has performed with Detroit Civic Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Indiana University Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Ballet Orchestra, and Shanghai Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra. As a recitalist, she has performed extensively across Europe, the United States, and Asia, and has participated in the Aspen Music Festival, Banff Music Festival, and Gilmore Piano Festival.  

A native of Shanghai, Tang earned her DMA from Michigan State University College of Music studying with Deborah Moriarty, her master's degree from Indiana University studying with Menahem Pressler and attended the Shanghai Conservatory.

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Deborah Moriarty is professor of piano and chair of the piano area at the Michigan State University College of Music, where she is a recipient of the Distinguished Faculty Award. 

A Massachusetts native, she made her debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at age 11. She has served on the piano faculty at the New England Conservatory of Music and the University of Lowell. Moriarty attended the Curtis Institute of Music, the Juilliard School, and the New England Conservatory of Music, where she received her Master of Music degree with honors. A medal winner in the “Concours Debussy,” she is an active recitalist and soloist with orchestras across the country, and has performed in Europe, Asia and South America. Moriarty is a founding member of the Fontana Ensemble of Michigan and has recordings on the Crystal, CRI, Blue Griffin and Centaur labels. 

Moriarty is the Artistic Director of the Encore Festival and the “Music in the Hidden Churches” concert series in Todi, Italy. She is co-founder of “Celebrating the Spectrum: A Festival of Music and Life,” an annual summer festival that brings together talented pianists with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Sylvan Winds 2022-23 season begins Dec 16

The Sylvan Winds announce their 2022-2023 season. Across three concerts in December, February, and May, the wind quintet performs in significant cultural and historic buildings in Manhattan. Kicking off on December 16, 2022 at 7:30 pm at the Church of Notre Dame in Morningside Heights, the Sylvan Winds get into the holiday spirit with traditional French carols and March of Three Kings from Bizet's L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2. The program also includes music by Claude Arrieu, one of the most prolific French women of the 20th century, and works by Rameau, Auric, and Milhaud. Selections from Bizet's Carmen complete this all-French program. Details are below.

The venue, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was founded by a French community of priests and has been a center of the French culture in New York since 1910.

The Sylvan Winds' 2022-2023 season celebrates music, culture, and history. Performing in important cultural and historic New York City buildings, the Sylvan Winds creates imaginative and informative programs that reflect the environs of each space. (Programs subject to change)

• Chants de Noel! | December 16, 7:30pm | Church of Notre Dame (405 West 114th St, Manhattan) Works by Rameau, Auric, Arrieu, Milhaud, Bizet, and traditional French Carols.

• Plugged In | February 19, 6pm | Scorca Hall (330 Seventh Ave, Manhattan) Works for winds and electronics by Martin, Davidovsky, Azmeh, Loggins-Hull, and a world premiere by Svjetlana Bukvich.

• La Pasion: Fado, Tango & Flamenco | May 25, 6:30pm | Hispanic Society Museum & Library (Broadway between 155th and 156th St, Manhattan) Works by Albeniz, Bizet, da Silva, D’Rivera, de Sousa, Gomes, and Piazzolla.

Hailed by the New York Times for "…its adventuresome programming and stylishness of performance," the Sylvan Winds was founded in 1982. Founding member and flutist Svjetlana Kabalin is joined by oboist Kathy Halvorson, clarinetist Nuno Antunes, Gina Cuffari on bassoon, and horn player Zohar Schondorf, completing the traditional woodwind quintet instrumentation. The quintet has appeared under the auspices of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival and the Caramoor International Music Festival.

Tickets for the December 16 concert at Church of the Notre Dame are $25 in advance ($20 students/seniors) or $30 at the door and available here.

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The SYLVAN WINDS

2022-23 Season

Programs subject to change

December 16, 7:30pm: Chants de Noel!
Church of Notre Dame (405 West 114th St (entrance on Morningside Dr), Manhattan) 

The Sylvan Winds get in the holiday spirit with an All-French program at the historic Church of Notre Dame in Morningside Heights. Works by Rameau, Auric, Arrieu, Milhaud, Bizet, and traditional French Carols are on the program. 

PROGRAM

Bizet: March of Three Kings from L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2.
Rameau:  Gavotte with Six Doubles
Auric: Trio for oboe, clarinet & bassoon
Arrieu: Quintet in C (1955) 
Milhaud: La Cheminée du Roi René
Traditional: French Carols
Bizet: March of Three Kings from the L'Arlessiene Suite
Bizet: Selections from Carmen  

February 19, 6:00 pm: Plugged In
Scorca Hall (330 Seventh Ave, Manhattan)

The Sylvan Winds present a program of contemporary works for winds and electronics. Featuring a world premiere by the Bosnian-American composer Svjetlana Bukvich, "How many would it take?" by Syrian clarinetist/composer Kinan Azmeh, and works by Allison Loggins-Hull, Mario Davidovsky, Irving Fine, and Robert Martin.

PROGRAM

Robert Martin: Black Rock
Irving Fine: Partita
Mario Davidovsky: Synchronisms No. 8 for wind quintet and tape
Kinan Azmeh: How many would it take? 
Allison Loggins-Hull: Agency (2023)
Svjetlana Bukvich: World Premiere (2023)

May 25, 6:30 pm: La Pasion: Fado, Tango & Flamenco
Hispanic Society Museum & Library (Broadway between 155th and 156th St, Manhattan)

Music from the Latin diaspora, presented at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library. Featuring works by Albeniz, Bizet, da Silva, D’Rivera, de Sousa, Gomes, and Piazzolla.

PROGRAM

Bizet: Aragonaise, Seguidilla & Danse Boheme from Carmen
Piazzolla: Libertango & Milonga sin palabras
Paquito D'Rivera: Vals Venezolano & Contradanza
Julio Campos de Sousa: Fado Loucura
Jose Carlos Gomes: Fado Magala
Albeniz: Asturias from Suite Espanola, Op. 47
Traditional: Siguiriya/Martinete
Pedro da Silva: An Irishman in Turkey

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These concerts are made possible, in part, with funding from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

Oct 22: Cutting Edge Concerts 25th Season Finale

Cutting Edge Concerts closes 25th anniversary season with works by Victoria Bond and others

October 22 concert presented in collaboration with KeyedUp Music Project at Tenri Cultural Center 

"a gift to New Yorkers thirsty for new sounds" – Time Out New York

Composer Victoria Bond founded Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival to celebrate, support and promote the work of living composers. Over the past 25 years, works by more than 200 composers have been played by world-class ensembles and soloists in the country. Audiences have delighted to dozens of world premieres and hundreds of on-stage conversations with the composers themselves.

On October 22 at 7 pm at Tenri Cultural Center, Cutting Edge Concerts closes out their 2022 season. Joining forces with KeyedUp Music Project, the program includes songs by Bond set to words by Albert Einstein and Walt Whitman, sung by Dennis Tobensky, and Illumination performed by pianist Marc Peloquin. Also on the program: music by Robert Helps, Dalit Warshaw, and David Del Tredici. details and tickets 

In other Cutting Edge Concerts news, the Bowers/Fader duo gives an encore performance of Bond's "Nowhere Land," which they premiered at last month's CEC concert at St. John's in the Village. The concert is on October 23 at 5 pm at the National Opera Center.  details and tickets

New CD from Artistic Director Victoria Bond

On October 1, 2022, Cutting Edge Concerts' Artistic Director Victoria Bond's new album, "Blue and Green Music" was released on Albany Records. The centerpiece of the album is the world premiere recording of Blue and Green Music, commissioned by the Cassatt Quartet through a Chamber Music America commissioning grant.

Also on the album: Bond's Dreams of Flying, performed by the Cassatt Quartet, plus the song cycle From an Antique Land, and a song set to a text by Albert Einstein, Art and Science, both performed by baritone Michael Kelly and pianist Bradley Moore. 

About Cutting Edge Concerts

Inspired by Pierre Boulez's series, "Perspective Encounters", the composer and conductor Victoria Bond founded Cutting Edge Concerts in 1998. With 25 years of concerts, Cutting Edge Concerts has presented over 300 new works by more than 200 composers. Each program highlights the music of living composers, all of whom attend the concert. Along with performances by world-class ensembles and soloists, each program features on-stage discussions between host Victoria Bond and the composers.

About Victoria Bond

A major force in 21st century music, composer Victoria Bond is known for her melodic gift and dramatic flair. Her works for orchestra, chamber ensemble and opera have been lauded by The New York Times as "powerful, stylistically varied and technically demanding." Her compositions have been performed by the New York City Opera, Shanghai, Dallas and Houston Symphonies, members of the Chicago Symphony and New York Philharmonic, American Ballet Theater and the Cassatt and Audubon Quartets.  Ms. Bond is also an acclaimed conductor, and is the principal guest conductor of Chamber Opera Chicago, and has held conducting positions with Pittsburgh Symphony, New York City Opera, Roanoke Symphony, and Bel Canto and Harrisburg Operas.

Nov 17: César Franck at 200

View Press Release with Images

November 17: Concert celebrating 200th anniversary of César Franck’s birth

Organist David Enlow performs all-Franck recital at Manhattan's Church of Ascension

"strong and compelling" — The American Organist

In honor of the 200th anniversary of César Franck’s birth, the organist David Enlow presents an all-Franck recital. The performance is on November 17, 2022, 7:00 pm at The Church of the Ascension (5th Avenue at 10th Street in Manhattan).

The French composer César Franck was an enormous influence on the development of romantic and post-romantic music. His music combined the structure of German Romanticism with the orchestral color and harmonies of French music. As a prodigious organ player, the Belgian-born composer inspired Parisian organists and composers alike with his long-form works for solo organ and virtuoso improvisations.

Organist David Enlow is uniquely poised for such a commemoration. His recording of Franck's complete organ works (Pro Organo, 2012) received critical acclaim, with l'Orgue praising his “perfect technique, inventive, flexible, vigorous musicality.” 

The Church of the Ascension is an especially appropriate venue for this recital, as it is home to the only French-built organ in New York City, the Manton Memorial Organ built by Pascal Quorin in St-Didier, France. With over 6000 pipes, it is the largest French organ built anywhere in the past half century. The church’s history goes almost as far back as Franck himself – it was first organized in 1827, and has been in its current building since 1841.

Highlights of the November 17 recital include: 

• Choral in A minor: Franck's final work, written while convalescing after a traffic accident in Paris

• The cinematic Pièce Héroïque, written for the dedication of the organ at Paris' Palais du Trocadéro. "This piece could easily be the soundtrack to a feature film about love in wartime," says David Enlow

• Final: A carnival-like work written for the composer's populist friend Louis Lefébure-Wély

Organist David Enlow, hailed for his “dazzling technique” (Boston Classical Review) and “performances full of color, passion, invention, and power” (American Record Guide), is Music Director of Park Avenue Synagogue and Church of the Resurrection, and organist of the Clarion Music Society. He is first prize winner of the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival and the Arthur Poister Competition, and studied with Paul Jacobs, John Weaver, and John Tuttle.

Tickets for the November 17 recital at The Church of the Ascension (W 10th St and 5th Ave, New York, NY) are $20 and available here.

Calendar Listing

Organist David Enlow

César Franck 200th Birthday Concert

November 17, 2022 at 7:00 pm

The Church of the Ascension
W 10th St, 5th Ave.
New York, NY

Tickets: $20 general admission available here

PROGRAM

All works by Cesar Franck, performed on the Manton Memorial Organ built by Pascal Quorin (St-Didier, France)

Pièce Héroïque (from Trois Pièces)
Grande Pièce Symphonique
Prière
Final (from Six Pièces)
Cantabile (from Trois Pièces)
Choral en la-mineur / Choral in A Minor

From coast to coast with pianist Inna Faliks

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Ukrainian-American Pianist Inna Faliks' 2022 Fall Season

Highlights include performances of "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" and auto-biographical recital "Polonaise-Fantasie: the Story of a Pianist"

Performances at Lincoln Center, Evanston Symphony, Red Rocks Music Festival and more

"A pianist of the highest order" - Berkshire Fine Arts

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
October 21 at 7:00 pm | Lincoln Center (New York, NY)
October 30 at 2:30 pm | Pick-Staiger Concert Hall (Evanston, IL)

In October, pianist Inna Faliks performs Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" in two appearances. On October 21, she joins the Pegasus Orchestra and conductor Karén Hakobyan at Lincoln Center. She is one of five stellar pianists  in a program that also includes all of Rachmaninoff's works for piano and orchestra. On October 30, she joins the Evanston Symphony to perform the work with conductor Lawrence Eckerling. 

Polonaise-Fantaisie: The Story of a Pianist
November 13 at 7:00 pm | The Sofia, Home of B Street Theatre (Sacramento, CA)
November 20 at 4:00 pm | Bethel Lutheran Church (Madison, WI)

"Polonaise-Fantaisie: The Story of a Pianist" is the hybrid of a piano recital and an autobiographical monologue, and Inna Faliks considers it the most personal project she has ever done. She says: “It is my hope that, in sharing this story, I offer audiences a glimpse into a life of a performing musician, as well as into my very personal story – the story that makes me the artist I am today.” Ms. Faliks recorded the project as an album on Delos in 2017. 

Red Rocks Music Festival: "Mainly Beethoven"
December 4 at 3:00 pm | Steele Indian School Park (Phoenix, AZ)

Ms. Faliks joins violinist Liba Schacht (Roosevelt University) and cellist John Sharp (Chicago Symphony) for a program of chamber music at Red Rocks Music Festival in Phoenix. They'll perform the Southwest premiere of Veronika Krausas' "Master & Margarita Suite" alongside Fanny Mendelssohn's "Notturno" and the Archduke Trio and Appassionata Sonata by Beethoven. 

Forthcoming musical memoir

Inna Faliks has announced that Weight in the Fingertips will be published by Globe Pequot on June 15, 2023. The book is "a memoir of experiences growing up in Ukraine and immigrating to the States, becoming a musician, the adventures of a musical life, the trials of being a woman in a male dominated field, a paean to teachers and mainly a love affair with the music itself."

Recent Recordings

Reimagine: Beethoven and Ravel (Navona NV6352)
Listen on Spotify
Purchase album

The Schumann Project, Volume 1 (MSR Classics)
Listen on Spotify
Purchase album

Biography

“Adventurous and passionate” (The New Yorker) Ukrainian-born American pianist Inna Faliks has made a name for herself through her commanding performances of standard piano repertoire, as well genre-bending interdisciplinary projects, and inquisitive work with contemporary composers. After her acclaimed teenage debuts at the Gilmore Festival and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, she has performed on many of the world’s great stages in recital and with many major orchestras, performing with conductors Leonard Slatkin, Keith Lockhart and many others.

Ms. Faliks collaborates with and premieres music by some of today’s most significant composers, including Billy Childs, Richard Danielpour, Timo Andres and Clarice Assad. She is known for her poetry-music series Music/Words, and has worked with a number of prominent poets. She regularly tours her monologue-recital Polonaise-Fantasie, the Story of a Pianist, which tells the story of her immigration to the United States from Odessa (recorded on Delos). Besides Reimagine, her discography includes all-Beethoven and Rachmaninoff/Ravel/Pasternak discs for MSR Classics, and the Master and Margarita project, featuring three world premieres on Sono Luminus.

In addition to her other impressive accomplishments, Faliks is a respected educator and is head of Piano Studies at UCLA. She is also a published writer, with articles and essays appearing in Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post, among other media outlets. Inna Faliks is a Yamaha Artist.

New from composer Mark Abel

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Composer Mark Abel's Spectrum to be released on Delos Records October 21

Album features world premiere recordings of songs and chamber music

Featuring all-star performers including sopranos Hila Plitmann and Isabel Bayrakdarian

“[Abel] treats words with shapely care, establishing vibrant and urgent contexts for the interaction of voice and instruments.” – Gramophone

Two song cycles form the cornerstone of “Spectrum” (Delos DE3592, rel. October 21, 2022), the new album of music by Mark Abel, which features some of the most outstanding voices on stage today: Hila Plitmann, Isabel Bayrakdarian, and Kindra Scharich. Abel's music has been praised by Gramophone Magazine as "compelling in narrative depth and energy" and The Whole Note wrote that Abel is “a compositional master of intriguing contemporary music.”

Trois Femmes du Cinema (Three Women of Cinema), set to texts by Abel himself, is performed by powerhouse soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian and famed pianist Carol Rosenberger. Abel says his texts about cult figures Anne Wiazemsky, Pina Pellicer and Larisa Shepitko “distill my feelings about their work and what I believe they were trying to convey as artists.”

Renowned singers Hila Plitmann, soprano, and Kindra Scharich, mezzo-soprano, are featured in the emotive Two Scenes from “The Book of Esther.” The composer refers to the piece as “a slice of an opera in development.” Writes Abel in the booklet notes, "The biblical heroine, an iconic figure in the cultural lore of Judaism, was an inspiration for Hila Plitmann when she was growing up in Israel." 

The two-disc set, rounded out by three chamber works and the short song cycle 1966, features pianist Dominic Cheli (2017 CAG winner), Pacific Symphony concertmaster Dennis Kim, Alexander String Quartet violist David Samuel, cellist Jonah Kim, horn player Jeff Garza, flutist Christy Kim and pianists Sean Kennard and Jeffrey LaDeur.

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.

“Mark Abel earns praise for musical innovation. Moreover, he garners affection by recapturing the enchantment of song." – Voix des Arts

Composer Mark Abel
Spectrum

Delos  (DE 3592)
Release date: October 21, 2022

TRACKS

CD1

Trois Femmes du Cinema (23:22)
01 Anne Wiazemsky (8:47)
02 Pina Pellicer (6:07)
03 Larisa Shepitko (8:28)

04 Reconciliation Day (10:22)

05 Out the Other Side (10:01)

CD2

Two Scenes from “The Book of Esther” (22:46)
01 The Maiden Esther (8:47)
02 Two Queens (13:58)

03 The Long March (12:59)

1966
04 Fall Sunday, San Francisco (4:17)
05 First Love (3:09)
06 Somewhere in Wyoming (5:22)

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Mark Abel has been called “a compositional master of intriguing contemporary music” (The Whole Note) and his works have been praised by Gramophone Magazine as "compelling in narrative depth and energy."

Abel’s creative life weaves together music and journalism. Deeply entranced by classical music as a child, his interest gave way to jazz and rock in adolescence, capped by a lengthy stint as a guitarist, bassist, songwriter and record producer in New York in the 1970s and & '80s. In 1983, however, he turned his attention to journalism, ultimately becoming foreign editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. During those years, he began working out complex compositional ideas, a path that rekindled his affection for classical music. Spectrum is the sixth recording of his music on the Delos label.

Cutting Edge Concerts Fall concerts

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Cutting Edge Concerts: final programs of 25th anniversary season

CUTTING EDGE CONCERTS New Music Festival 
Victoria Bond, Artistic Director

Sept. 23: Philip Glass celebration with Pauline Kim Harris in collaboration with The Village Trip

Oct. 22: Songs by Victoria Bond presented in collaboration with Keyed Up Music Project

"...a gift to New Yorkers thirsty for new sounds" – Time Out New York

Composer Victoria Bond founded Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival to celebrate, support and promote the work of living composers. Over the past 25 years, works by more than 200 composers have been played by world-class ensembles and soloists in the country. Audiences have delighted to dozens of world premieres and hundreds of on-stage conversations with the composers themselves.

The 2022 season closes with two concerts in Manhattan: 

At St. John's in the Village, Bond's string trio Dancing on Glass is featured on a program honoring Philip Glass at 85. Dancing on Glass is performed by Pauline Kim Harris, violin (pictured); Chieh-Fan Yiu, viola; and Coleman Itzkoff, cello, on September 23 at 7 pm.  details and tickets

On October 22 at 7 pm at Tenri Cultural Center, Cutting Edge Concerts joins forces with Keyed Up Music Project, with a program that includes songs by Bond set to words by Albert Einstein and Walt Whitman, sung by Dennis Tobensky, and Illumination performed by pianist Marc Peloquin. details and tickets

CUTTING EDGE CONCERTS: A short history

Inspired by Pierre Boulez's series, "Perspective Encounters", the composer and conductor Victoria Bond founded Cutting Edge Concerts in 1998. With 25 years of concerts, Cutting Edge Concerts has presented over 300 new works by more than 200 composers. Each program highlights the music of living composers, all of whom attend the concert. Along with performances by world-class ensembles and soloists, each program features on-stage discussions between host Victoria Bond and the composers.

For the 20th anniversary, New Music Box published a feature on the festival and its many highlights and accomplishments. In it, Victoria Bond wrote "I launched the Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival in 1998 with the purpose of presenting the music of living composers, including—but not limited to—my own work. I was eager to know what my composition colleagues were writing and to have a way of bringing their music to the public. I also knew many performers interested in new music, and the thought of putting these together was intoxicating."

Victoria Bond, Artistic Director

A major force in 21st century music, composer Victoria Bond is known for her melodic gift and dramatic flair. Her works for orchestra, chamber ensemble and opera have been lauded by The New York Times as "powerful, stylistically varied and technically demanding." Her compositions have been performed by the New York City Opera, Shanghai, Dallas and Houston Symphonies, members of the Chicago Symphony and New York Philharmonic, American Ballet Theater and the Cassatt and Audubon Quartets.  Ms. Bond is also an acclaimed conductor, and is the principal guest conductor of Chamber Opera Chicago, and has held conducting positions with Pittsburgh Symphony, New York City Opera, Roanoke Symphony, and Bel Canto and Harrisburg Operas.

Oct 1: Victoria Bond "Blue and Green Music" on Albany

Composer Victoria Bond's Blue and Green Music released on Albany Records October 1

Album features world premiere recordings; highlights Bond's longstanding collaboration with the Cassatt String Quartet

Title track inspired by Georgia O'Keefe painting of same name

[Victoria Bond's works are] "powerful, stylistically varied and technically demanding." — The New York Times

On October 1, 2022, composer Victoria Bond's new album, "Blue and Green Music" will be released on Albany Records (TROY 1905). The centerpiece of the album is the world premiere recording of Blue and Green Music, commissioned by the Cassatt Quartet through a Chamber Music America commissioning grant. 

The title track was inspired by a Georgia O'Keeffe painting of the same name, which uses the two colors to create an abstract study in motion, color and form. Victoria Bond writes, "O’Keeffe said, 'Since I cannot sing, I paint.' Her painting is filled with music and it was my challenge to hear that music. I created two distinct motifs to express the two colors, and those motifs developed their own sense of direction and form. Just as O’Keeffe’s painting is suggestive rather than specific, my music is intended to evoke rather than describe."

The Cassatt Quartet is a longstanding collaborator with Ms. Bond, who has appeared as guest composer at The Cassatt's Seal Bay Music Festival twice. The quartet has performed Bond's Dreams of Flying numerous times on the concert stage, and the world premiere recording is included on this album. 

Rounding out the album are songs performed by baritone Michael Kelly and pianist Bradley Moore. From an Antique Land is Bond's setting of poetry by Edna St. Vincent Millay, Percy Shelley and Gerard Hopkin, each tied together by the theme of memory. Art and Science was inspired by a 1927 letter written by Albert Einstein. Bond says she discovered through this letter that Einstein valued art fully as much as he valued science, and drew a connection between them.

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.

“The excellent Cassatt String Quartet” — Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times

Blue and Green Music

String Quartets and Vocal Works by Victoria Bond

Cassatt String Quartet

Michael Kelly, baritone
Bradley Moore, piano

Albany Records (TROY 1905)
Release date: October 1, 2022

TRACKS

Blue and Green Music^ [15:35]
01 Blue and Green  [06:08]
02 Green  [02:03]
03 Blue  [03:34]
04 Dancing Codes [03:49]

05 Art and Science*   [08:28]

From an Antique Land* [28:04]
06 Recuerdo  [05:32]
07 Ozymandius  [07:04]
08 Spring and Fall  [07:40]
09 On Hearing a Symphony of Beethoven  [7:48]

Dreams of Flying^ [17:41]
10 Resisting Gravity  [06:20]
11 Floating  [01:40]
12 The Caged Bird Dreams of the Jungle  [05:17]
13 Flight  [04:24]

Total Time = 69:47
^Performed by the Cassatt String Quartet
*Performed by Michael Kelly, baritone & Bradley Moore, piano

Aug 5: “El Rebelde” – songs by Gabriela Frank and Shostakovich

New from Art Song Colorado: “El Rebelde,” release date August 5, 2022

Baritone Andrew Garland performs music by Gabriela Lena Frank, including the world premiere recording of Cantos de Cifar y el Mar Dulce (Songs of Cifar and the Sweet Sea)

Album includes more music by Frank, and Shostakovich’s Spanish Songs

“Andrew Garland sang with vocal allure and dramatic urgency.” — Alex Ross, The New Yorker

The acclaimed baritone Andrew Garland is front and center on a new album of songs by Gabriela Lena Frank and Dmitri Shostakovich on Art Song Colorado’s label (DASP 005, release date August 5, 2022). “El Rebelde” (“The Rebel”) brings together the vocal compositions of Frank and Shostakovich, two composers who transformed Spanish language song through their innovative settings.

Along with the pianist Jeremy Reger, Garland performs Cantos de Cifar y el Mar Dulce (Songs of Cifar and the Sweet Sea) in its world premiere recording. Cifar is a setting of a collection of poems by the Nicaraguan poet Pablo Antonio Cuadra that recounts the odyssey of a harp-playing mariner who travels the waters of Lake Nicaragua. Eight songs are contained on this album, and Frank intends to ultimately set all 30 poems of this saga.

Also on this album is Las Cinco Lunas de Lorca (The Five Moons of Lorca), with tenor Javier Abreu and Cuatro Canciones Andinas (Four Andean Songs), both by Frank; and Spanish Songs Op. 100 by Dmitri Shostakovich.

Lorca, with text by the Cuban-American playwright Nilo Cruz, describes the assassination of the literary giant Federico García Lorca in the Spanish Civil War. Texts for Four Andean Songs draw on traditional poetry of the Quechua people, descendants of the ancient Incas. The Peruvian folklorist José María Arguedas collected and translated these poems from Quechua into Spanish. Shostakovich’s songs are traditional Spanish tunes in simple arrangements: Spanish culture through a Russian lens.

Garland says he admires Frank’s music for its "driving rhythms, the jazz harmonies, the non-classical vocal techniques, the Spanish language, the high F#s and Gs." He continues, "Besides her innovative music-making, I adore Gabi’s philosophy: when western “classical music” assimilates another culture, it must make both cultures equal: one culture can’t dominate the other."

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.

"[Lena Frank is] one of the 35 most significant women composers in history" — The Washington Post

Track List

Gabriela Lena Frank: Cantos de Cifar y el Mar Dulce (Songs of Cifar and the Sweet Sea)
[01] I. El nacimiento de Cifar
[02] XV. Me diste oh Dios! una hija
[03] XVIII. Primer parte: El rebelde
[04] XVIII. Segune parte: Tomasito, el cuque
[05] XVIII. Tercer parte: El Niño
[06] XXII. Primer parte: Eufemia
[07] XXII. Segund parte: En La Vela del Angelito
[08] XXX. Pescador

[09] Gabriela Lena Frank: Las Cinco Lunas de Lorca

Gabriela Lena Frank: Cuatro Canciones Andinas
[10] Despedida
[11] Yo Crio una Mosca
[12] Carnaval de Tambobamba
[13] Yunca

Dmitri Shostakovich: Spanish Songs, Op. 100
[14] Prashai Granada (Farewell, Granada)
[15] Zvyozochki (Starry Eyes)
[16] Pyervaya Fstryecha (First Meeting)
[17] Ronda (Round Dance)
[18] Chernookaya (Dark Eyes)
[19] Son (Dream)

Total Time = 68:31

Biographies

Baritone Andrew Garland has performed recitals at Carnegie Hall, the New York Festival of Song, the Ravinia festival, Cleveland Art Song Festival, Bard Festival, Vocal Arts DC, college campuses around North America, and venues in Italy, Croatia, Greece, and Turkey. He has premiered works by Heggie, Bolcom, Paulus, Steven Mark Kohn, Hoiby, Cipullo, and Gabriela Frank. He has performed in concert with the Atlanta Symphony, Boston Baroque, Handel and Haydn, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and leading opera roles at Seattle Opera, New York City Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera, Minnesota Opera, and many others. Garland teaches on the voice faculty at the University of Colorado.

Art Song Colorado introduces new audiences to classical song. Their innovative performances by Colorado artists include visual art, super-titles and storytelling. Art Song Colorado’s online videos capture the feeling of live performance in bite-sized experiences that are a perfect introduction for audiences. Join Art Song Colorado for “Musical Storytelling in a timeless style.”

Aug. 26: Pianist Orli Shaham's Mozart Vols 2 & 3

Volumes 2 and 3 of Orli Shaham's Complete Piano Sonatas by Mozart

2-disc set released August 26 on Canary Classics

Singles released August 12 & 19

“a first-rate Mozartean” — The Chicago Tribune

The internationally-renowned concert pianist Orli Shaham is deep into a multi-year endeavor of recording all of Mozart’s piano sonatas. Volumes 2 and 3 of "Mozart: Complete Piano Sonatas" is released on Canary Classics (CC21) on August 26, 2022. Singles will be released on August 12 (Rondo All Turca: Allegretto from K.331) and August 19 (Allegretto from K.576).

In this two CD set, Orli Shaham performs the ever-popular Sonata K.331, including the Rondo Alla Turca; one of the most technically demanding piano works by Mozart - the Sonata in D major, K.576; and the Sonata in A minor, K.310, a work with enormous emotional depth. Says Ms. Shaham, “These sonatas give so many insights into Mozart’s mind, his personality, and his soul, and reveal fresh ideas about the music and its meaning with every hearing.” The complete list of sonatas on Volumes 2 and 3 is below.

Improvisation is a big part of Orli Shaham’s approach to this music. For months leading up to the recording sessions, she worked on sections that she felt Mozart left open to improvisation, experimenting with all kinds of ideas. The result is a great sense of spontaneity in each of the sonatas she recorded. "The act of improvisation allows you to feel some sense of what Mozart would have felt. He was a real flesh-and-bone human being, for all his genius, just like us,” said Ms. Shaham.

Critics call Shaham "an intelligent and sensitive guide" for this music. For a digital or physical copy of Volumes 2 and 3 (Canary Classics CC21, released August 26), contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com. Volume 1 (Canary Classics CC19) is also available.

"Her playing is defined by expressive and varied phrasing, always convinced of where it's leading" — Classical Musical Sentinel

Orli Shaham, piano

Mozart Piano Sonatas Vol. 2 and 3

K.282 ● K.283 ● K.310 ● K.331 ● K. 332

K.545 ● K.576

Canary Classics CC21
Release date: August 26, 2022*

*Singles released on August 12 (Rondo All Turca: Allegretto from K.331)
and August 19 (Allegretto from K.576)

Volume 2 (Total Time = 61:11)
[01-03] Piano Sonata in A Minor, No. 9, K. 310
[04-06] Piano Sonata in F Major, No. 12, K. 332
[07-09] Piano Sonata in D Major, No. 18, K. 576

Volume 3 (Total Time = 69:34)
[01-03] Piano Sonata in C Major, "für Anfänger", No. 16, K. 545
[04-06] Piano Sonata in E-flat Major, No. 4, K. 282
[07-09] Piano Sonata in G Major, No. 5, K. 283
[10-12] Piano Sonata in A Major, "Alla turca", No. 11, K. 331

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Hailed as “a first-rate Mozartean” by Chicago Tribune, Orli Shaham has established an international reputation as one of today's most gifted pianists.

Orli Shaham has performed with many of the major orchestras around the world, and has appeared in recital from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House. She is Artistic Director of Pacific Symphony’s chamber series Café Ludwig in Costa Mesa, California and Artistic Director of the interactive children's concert series, Orli Shaham’s Bach Yard, which she founded in 2010.

In 2022, Ms. Shaham releases the second and third volumes of the complete Mozart Piano Sonatas. Her Mozart recording project also includes Volume 1 of the Piano Sonatas and her album of Piano Concertos with St. Louis Symphony, all of which are part of her discography of a over a dozen titles on Canary Classics, Deutsche Gramophone, Albany Records, SFS Media and more.

Orli Shaham is a Co-Host and Creative for the national radio program From the Top. She is on the piano and chamber music faculty at The Juilliard School and is chair of the board of trustees at Kaufman Music Center in New York. In 2022, Orli Shaham serves on the juries of both the Cliburn and Honens International Piano Competitions.

September: A "herculean feat" by Momenta Quartet (new dates)

Momenta Quartet presents:

Momenta Festival VII

New Dates!

September 15, 16, 17 & 18, 2022

Featuring: Mexican Independence Day Celebration, Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov, world premiere by David Glaser, Brahms' Horn Trio, and more

Four unique programs curated by each quartet member; free admission

"[the Momenta Festival] has become one of the most amazingly eclectic, never mind herculean feats attempted by any chamber ensemble in this city..." - New York Music Daily

Momenta Quartet presents its annual festival September 15-18, 2022 (rescheduled from June 2022). All four concerts are at the Broadway Presbyterian Church (601 W 114th St. New York, NY) at 7:30 pm, and admission is free.

The seventh edition of the festival features four diverse chamber music programs each curated by a different member of the quartet. With programs that blend the old and new, the "intriguing programming" (The New York Times) and "striking originality" (I Care If You Listen) of the Momenta Festival have been acclaimed by critics and fans alike.

The festival opens with a string quartet by the Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov, paired with works by Americans Elizabeth Brown and Shawn Jaeger. On Mexican Independence Day (September 16), the quartet performs two string quartets by Julián Carrillo, as the group is in the midst of recording all of Carrillo's quartets for Naxos. Guest artists David Byrd-Marrow, horn and Nana Shi, piano join the quartet on September 17 for a whimsical work, In Memory of Perky Pat, and Brahms' monumental horn trio. The world premiere of David Glaser’s String Quartet No. 5, written for Momenta in memory of Mario Davidovsky, alongside Beethoven’s groundbreaking “Serioso” quartet, closes the festival.

"I continue to be surprised at the quality of programming each member of the quartet brings to the festival," says Momenta violist Stephanie Griffin. "We founded this festival in 2015 as an artistic outlet for each of our individual musical interests, and my colleagues have introduced so many new pieces and composers to audiences and myself across the seven years."

Admission to all concerts is free. Programs are subject to change.

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Momenta Quartet's 2022 Momenta Festival

All concerts start at 7:30 pm (doors at 7 pm)
at the Broadway Presbyterian Church (601 W 114th St.) in Manhattan

Free admission, no tickets/reservations needed

SEPTEMBER 15: Distant Songs - curated by Michael Haas, cello

In the words of Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov, “Music is, above all, a chant, a song the world sings about itself.” Momenta explores the influence of song and the human voice on this program featuring recent works by Silvestrov and American composers Elizabeth Brown and Shawn Jaeger.

Program:

Elizabeth Brown: Just Visible in the Distance (2013)

Valentin Silvestrov: String Quartet no. 3 (2011)

Shawn Jaeger: Thy Wondering Eyes (2010)

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SEPTEMBER 16: A Mexican Independence Day Celebration - curated by Stephanie Griffin

Momenta continues its deep dive into the fascinating and under-explored world of historic Mexican composers. As part of the quartet’s ongoing project to make the world premiere recordings of Julián Carrillo’s complete string quartets for Naxos, Momenta will perform his String Quartet No. 5 (1937) and No. 11 (1962).

Julián Carrillo (1875 - 1965) was a Mexican composer, conductor and music theorist, who developed a theory of microtonal music which he called "The Thirteenth Sound" (Sonido 13).

Program:

Julián Carrillo: String Quartet No. 5

Julián Carrillo: String Quartet No. 11

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SEPTEMBER 17: Horn Fifths - curated by Alex Shiozaki, violin

Guest artists: David Byrd-Marrow, horn and Nana Shi, piano

David Byrd-Marrow and Nana Shi join Momenta on this program exploring the horn and its harmonies. Having premiered Hirofumi Mogi’s In Memory of Perky Pat (2021) earlier this year, Momenta is reprising that whimsical piece for string quartet and french horn. Grażyna Bacewicz’s Piano Quintet No. 2 (1965) provides another take on harmony, replacing overtones with quintal harmonies in this angular and virtuosic quintet. To close the evening, we return to the comforting consonance of Johannes Brahms’s Horn Trio, taking us through a full range of emotions without leaning too much into the clash of dissonance.

Program:

Hirofumi Mogi: In Memory of Perky Pat (2021) for string quartet and horn

Johannes Brahms: Trio for Violin, Horn, and Piano in E-flat Major, Op. 40 (1865)

Grażyna Bacewicz: Piano Quintet No. 2 (1965)

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SEPTEMBER 18: Visionary Sounds - curated by Emilie-Anne Gendron, violin

Momenta presents the world premiere of David Glaser’s String Quartet No. 5 (2022), written for Momenta in memory of Mario Davidovsky, alongside Davidovsky’s intricate Synchronisms No. 9 (1988) for violin and recorded electronic sounds. This exploratory evening also includes Mexican microtonal trailblazer Julián Carrillo’s final String Quartet No. 11 (1962); and Beethoven’s groundbreaking “Serioso” quartet.

Program:

Stefan Wolpe: Twelve Pieces for String Quartet (1950)

Mario Davidovsky: Synchronisms No. 9 (1988) for violin and recorded electronic sounds

David Glaser: String Quartet No. 5, in memoriam Mario Davidovsky (2022)*

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 11 in f minor, Op. 95 “Serioso” (1810)

*world premiere, written for Momenta

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Momenta Quartet

Emilie-Anne Gendron, violin
Alex Shiozaki, violin
Stephanie Griffin, viola
Michael Haas, cello

Momenta: the plural of momentum – four individuals in motion towards a common goal. This is the idea behind the Momenta Quartet, whose eclectic vision encompasses contemporary music of all aesthetic backgrounds alongside great music from the recent and distant past. The New York City-based quartet has premiered over 150 works, collaborated with over 200 living composers and was praised by The New York Times for its “diligence, curiosity and excellence.” In the words of The New Yorker’s Alex Ross, “few American players assume Haydn’s idiom with such ease.”

Momenta has appeared at such prestigious venues as the Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery, Rubin Museum, Miller Theatre at Columbia University, the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Washington University in St. Louis, Ostrava Days in the Czech Republic, and at the internationally renowned Cervantino Festival in Mexico. Momenta has recorded for Centaur Records, Furious Artisans, PARMA, New World Records, and Albany Records; and has been broadcast on WQXR, Q2 Music, Austria's Oe1, and Vermont Public Radio.

The Momenta Festival VII is made possible through the generous support of the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the Amphion Foundation, the Alice M. Ditson Fund, New Music USA, Chamber Music America, the Sparkplug Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. The 2022 Momenta Festival is supported by The Adele and John Gray Endowment Fund and through the generosity of many individual donors.‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Violist Wenting Kang's "Mosaic"

Award-winning violist Wenting Kang releases "Mosaic" on Blue Griffin Records with pianist Sergei Kvitko

New album of works by Debussy, Fauré, Albéniz, de Falla, and more

Album highlights era of cultural exchange between Spanish & French composers

"What makes Mosaic so deserving of recommendation? ... Pacing, pitch, dynamics, intonation, vibrato—all are handled with extreme sensitivity and circumspection, the result a riveting treatment custom-designed to invite repeat visits." — Textura

Violist Wenting Kang, winner of the First Prize of the Tokyo International Viola Competition, has been praised as an "excellent violist" who “possesses a dark glowing sound” (New York Times). Her debut album Mosaic, on Blue Griffin Records (BGR609), is a collection of diverse and colorful pieces from France and Spain.

Featuring works by Albéniz, Casals, de Falla, Fauré, Akira Nishimura, Ravel, and Francisco Tárrega, the collection celebrates an era of a century ago in which Spanish and French composers frequently collaborated.

"These composers not only had a strong impact on each other´s work, but they were also very connected in their personal lives," Ms. Kang says. "Some of them were professor and student, such as Fauré and Ravel. Others were close friends and colleagues, such as Fauré and Albéniz, Ravel and Falla, Tárrega and Casals and de Falla, and on and on."

When choosing repertoire for the album, Ms. Kang considered scores that had been arranged for violin or cello, which also worked very well on viola, including Pablo Casals' arrangement of "Après un rêve" by Fauré, and Jascha Heifetz´s transcription of the Debussy’s song “Beau Soir." Nearly all of the music on Mosaic was adapted by Kang for viola.

Ms. Kang’s partner on this recording is Sergei Kvitko, critically acclaimed pianist and internationally sought-after producer and sound engineer, who wears all of these hats on this production. The CD was recorded in 2021 at the state-of-the art Estudio Uno in Madrid, Spain.

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.

"a mosaic of musical jewels" — Melómano Magazine (Gold Medal review)

Mosaic

Wenting Kang, viola
Sergei Kvitko, piano

Blue Griffin Records (BGR609)

Track List

Claude Debussy
[01] Beau Soir (Transcr. J. Heifetz)
[02] Première Rhapsodie

Francisco Tárrega
[03] Recuerdo de la Alhambra (Transcr. R. Ricci)

Maurice Ravel
[04] Pavane pour une infante défunte (Transcr. V. Borisovsky)
[05] Vocalise-étude en forme de Habanera

Gabriel Fauré
[06] Élégie in C minor, Op. 24
[07] Papillon, Op. 77
[08] Berceuse, Op. 16 (Transcr. T. Butorac)
[09] Après un rêve, Op. 7, No. 1 (Transcr. P. Casals)

Isaac Albéniz
[10] Tango in D Major, Op. 165 No. 2 (Transcr. M. Rummel)

Akira Nishimura
[11] Fantasia on Song of the Birds

Pablo Casals
[12] El Cant dels Ocells-Song of the Birds

Manuel de Falla
Siete canciones populares españolas (Transcr. E. Colon)
[13] El Paño Moruno
[14] Seguidilla Murciana
[15] Asturiana
[16] Jota
[17] Nana
[18] Canción
[19] Polo

Total time = 70:52

Biographies

Chinese-born violist Wenting Kang is praised for her “dark glowing sound” by The New York Times. She is an active performer with orchestras and in recital halls across Europe and in the US, China and Japan. She is the principal violist of Orquesta Sinfonica de Madrid at the Royal Theatre of Spain and founding member and principal violist of Madrid Soloists Chamber Orchestra. A sought-after chamber musician, she has been a member of Dalia String Quartet and Imai Viola Quartet.

Kang won the top prize in the Tokyo International Viola Competition, and earned awards at the Johannes Brahms International Competition and the Primrose International Viola Competition. She studied at Central Conservatory in Beijing, the New England Conservatory in Boston, and at the Kronberg Academy in Germany, under the guidance of Nobuko Imai, Kim Kashkashian, Garth Knox, Donald Weilerstein, Miriam Fried, and Changhai Wang.

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Sergei Kvitko’s career follows simultaneous paths as pianist, composer/arranger, and recording engineer, producer and owner of the Blue Griffin Recording label. As a pianist, he has earned critical acclaim for his "natural, appealing musicality and sensual understanding of piano tone” (The Chronicle-Herald). Active as a recitalist and soloist, Mr. Kvitko continues to perform across the United States, Europe and Asia.

Kvitko’s decades-long reputation as an internationally sought-after classical recording engineer and producer was recognized with a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Classical Album. Sergei Kvitko was born in Russia and began studying music at the age of six. His formal studies culminated with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Michigan State University, where he studied with Ralph Votapek.

Have you heard the 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning composition?

Pulitzer Prize-winning composition "Voiceless Mass" by Raven Chacon commissioned by Present Music

Wisconsin-based contemporary ensemble celebrates with release of the video of the world premiere performance

"a mesmerizing, original work for organ and ensemble that evokes the weight of history in a church setting, a concentrated and powerful musical expression with a haunting visceral impact." — Citation from Pulitzer Prize Committee

Present Music, a contemporary music ensemble in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, congratulates the composer Raven Chacon on winning the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Present Music, along with the Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ and Plymouth Church UCC, commissioned the winning work in 2021 for their long-running concert series, now in its 40th season. "Voiceless Mass" was written specifically for the Nichols & Simpson organ and its space at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee. Present Music performed the world premiere on their annual Thanksgiving Concert; a video of that performance is below.

“Voiceless Mass” is scored for organ, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, two percussionists, strings and sine tones. Raven Chacon writes:

This work considers the spaces in which we gather, the history of access of these spaces, and the land upon which these buildings sit. Though ‘mass’ is referenced in the title, the piece contains no audible singing voices, instead using the openness of the large space to intone the constricted intervals of the wind and string instruments. In exploiting the architecture of the cathedral, Voiceless Mass considers the futility of giving voice to the voiceless, when ceding space is never an option for those in power.

About Present Music

Since its founding in Milwaukee in 1982, Present Music’s mission has been to commission and perform new concert music, bringing over 80 new works to life. Audiences “can almost always expect Present Music to bring on the unexpected” (The Shepherd Express) with programming that introduces innovative concert formats, embraces a broad diversity of repertoire, and makes the music of our time accessible to audiences with deep expression and serious fun.

The Present Music ensemble ranges from a core group of seven musicians to an ensemble of twenty or more. The group has worked closely with many of the nation's top composers, including John Adams, Henry Brant, David Lang, Caroline Shaw, Ingram Marshall, Missy Mazzoli, Bright Sheng, Roberto Sierra, and Michael Torke; and has a long and impressive track record for identifying outstanding talent early in the artists’ careers. Present Music is the winner of an impressive six ASCAP/Chamber Music America’s Adventurous Programming Award. Their discography includes world premiere recordings on the Argo, Albany, Aoede, Northeastern, Naxos, and Innova labels.

The group is led by Co-Artistic Directors violinist/composer Eric Segnitz and conductor David Bloom. Present Music was founded by conductor Kevin Stalheim, who was Artistic Director for the first 37 years of the ensemble’s existence until 2019.

About Raven Chacon

Raven Chacon is a composer, performer and installation artist from Fort Defiance, Navajo Nation. As a solo artist, collaborator, or with Postcommodity, Chacon has exhibited or performed at Whitney Biennial, documenta 14, REDCAT, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Borealis Festival, San Francisco Electronic Music Festival, Chaco Canyon, Ende Tymes Festival, 18th Biennale of Sydney, and The Kennedy Center. Every year, he teaches 20 students to write string quartets for the Native American Composer Apprenticeship Project (NACAP). He is the recipient of the United States Artists fellowship in Music, The Creative Capital award in Visual Arts, The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation artist fellowship, the American Academy’s Berlin Prize for Music Composition, and the Pew Fellowship. He lives in Albuquerque, NM.

July in NYC and Newport: Pianist Inna Faliks in recital

Ukrainian-American Pianist Inna Faliks in recital at Brooklyn's Bargemusic July 3 & Newport Classical Music Festival July 7

Programs feature works by Clara Schumann, Ravel, and more

This July, the Ukrainian-American Pianist Inna Faliks brings the high romance of Clara Schumann's Piano Sonata in G minor and the colorful impressionism of Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit to two recital programs on the East Coast.

The pianist returns to Brooklyn's floating concert hall for Bargemusic (Brooklyn, NY) on July 3, 2022 at 4 pm. Pairing the Schumann with Ravel, the program marks Ms. Faliks' only NYC appearance this Summer.

This season, Ms. Faliks has performed the works works in recitals across the country. In her only New York appearance this summer, she brings the two pianistic masterpieces together on this compelling program.

On July 7 at 7:30 pm she performs the same repertoire at Newport Classical Music Festival, adding music by Timo Andres, Paola Prestini, and Billy Childs that she commissioned and recorded on her highly acclaimed album "Reimagine: Beethoven and Ravel".

Ms. Faliks recorded Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit on her debut album "Sound of Verse" (2009), and her performance of Clara Schumann's G minor Sonata is on her 2021 album "The Schumann Project, Vol. 1".

Calendar Listing

Masterworks Series: Clara Schumann & Ravel

July 3, 2022 at 4 pm

Bargemusic
1 Water St.
Brooklyn, NY

Tickets and details available here

PROGRAM

Clara Schumann: Piano Sonata in G minor
Maurice Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit

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Newport Classical Music Festival
July 7, 2022 at 7:30 pm

Castle Hill Inn
590 Ocean Ave.
Newport, RI

Tickets and details available here

PROGRAM

Clara Schumann: Piano Sonata in G minor
Maurice Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit
Paola Prestini: Variations on a Spell
Timo Andres: Old Ground
Billy Childs: Pursuit

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“Adventurous and passionate” (The New Yorker) Ukrainian-born American pianist Inna Faliks has made a name for herself through her commanding performances of standard piano repertoire, as well genre-bending interdisciplinary projects, and inquisitive work with contemporary composers. After her acclaimed teenage debuts at the Gilmore Festival and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, she has performed on many of the world’s great stages in recital and with many major orchestras, performing with conductors Leonard Slatkin, Keith Lockhart and many others.

Ms. Faliks collaborates with and premieres music by some of today’s most significant composers, including Billy Childs, Richard Danielpour, Timo Andres and Clarice Assad. She is known for her poetry-music series Music/Words, and has worked with a number of prominent poets. She regularly tours her monologue-recital Polonaise-Fantasie, the Story of a Pianist, which tells the story of her immigration to the United States from Odessa (recorded on Delos). Besides Reimagine, her discography includes all-Beethoven and Rachmaninoff/Ravel/Pasternak discs for MSR Classics, and the Master and Margarita project, featuring three world premieres on Sono Luminus.

In addition to her other impressive accomplishments, Faliks is a respected educator and is head of Piano Studies at UCLA. She is also a published writer, with articles and essays appearing in Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post, among other media outlets. Her musical memoir, “Weight in the Fingertips,” will be out in 2023, published by Globe Pequot. Inna Faliks is a Yamaha Artist.

June 22: Pianist Inna Faliks at The Wallis and beyond

June 22: Ukrainian-American Pianist Inna Faliks performs works by Billy Childs, Timo Andres, Paola Prestini and more at The Wallis

Program features first live performance of critically acclaimed album Reimagine: Beethoven and Ravel in its entirety

Plus, July 3 recital in Brooklyn and performances in Flagstaff and Madison

A long-awaited recital, the Ukrainian-American pianist Inna Faliks comes to the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on June 22, 2022 at 7:30 pm to perform her internationally acclaimed album Reimagine: Beethoven and Ravel in full for the first time.

The program features the live premieres of nine imaginative and rich new works for the piano commissioned by Ms. Faliks, alongside masterpieces by Beethoven and Ravel. Nine contemporary composers, including Paola Prestini, Billy Childs, Timo Andres, and six on UCLA's faculty - Richard Danielpour, Peter Golub, Ian Krouse, David Lefkowitz, Mark Carlson and Tamir Hendelman - were commissioned to craft responses to Ludwig van Beethoven’s Bagatelles, op. 126 and Maurice Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit.

When Ms. Faliks asked Billy Childs to reimagine Ravel’s “Scarbo” (from Gaspard de la Nuit), he latched on to the image of Scarbo as an evil goblin. “It turned into - in my mind - a sadly familiar American storyline, in which a Black man is being pursued,” said Childs. His composition “Pursuit” brings out the urgency of the moment, simultaneously crafting a new work as fiendishly difficult to play as Ravel’s notorious finger-buster.

In this homage to Beethoven and Ravel, the Ukrainian-born American pianist ties together three centuries of music and a range of social commentary and interpretations with her acclaimed artistry and impressive technique. The entire program is featured on her widely critically acclaimed album Reimagine: Beethoven and Ravel (Navona NV6352; release date June 11, 2021), which features the world premiere recordings of the commissioned works.

Tickets for the June 22 concert at The Wallis Annenberg Performing Arts Center (9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd.) in Beverly Hills, CA are available at TheWallis.org.

In addition to the June 22 recital at The Wallis, Pianist Inna Faliks can be found across the country this Summer:

• June 11 & 12 at Bach Dancing and Dynamite Festival (Madison, WI): Inna Faliks performs chamber music by Roberto Pena, Brahms, Mozart, and Beethoven alongside solo selections from her album Reimagine: Beethoven and Ravel.

• June 19 at Flagstaff Piano Festival (Flagstaff, AZ): Ms. Faliks performs a solo piano recital.

• July 3 at Barge Music (Brooklyn, NY): Ms. Faliks returns to Brooklyn's floating music hall to perform Clara Schumann's passionate and rarely heard G minor Piano Sonata and Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit.

Calendar Listing

Pianist Inna Faliks
Reimagine: Beethoven and Ravel
June 22, 2022 at 7:30 pm

The Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts
9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA
Tickets available here

PROGRAM

Peter Golub: Bagatelle
Ludwig van Beethoven: Bagatelles opus 126: Andante con moto, Cantabile e compiacevole
Tamir Hendelman: Bagatelle
Beethoven: Bagatelle # 2, Allegro
Richard Danielpour: Bagatelle
Beethoven: Bagatelle # 3. Andante, Cantabile e grazioso
Ian Krouse: Etude 2a - ‘ad fugam’
Beethoven: Bagatelle # 4, Presto
Mark Carlson: Sweet Nothings
Beethoven: Bagatelle # 5. Quasi allegretto
David Lefkowitz: Bagatelle
Beethoven: Bagatelle # 6. Presto, cut time then Andante amabile e con moto

Pause

Paola Prestini: Variations on a Spell (response to Ondine by Ravel)
Timo Andres: Old Ground (response to Le Gibet by Ravel)
Billy Childs: Pursuit (response to Scarbo by Ravel)
Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit Maurice Ravel

“Adventurous and passionate” (The New Yorker) Ukrainian-born American pianist Inna Faliks has made a name for herself through her commanding performances of standard piano repertoire, as well genre-bending interdisciplinary projects, and inquisitive work with contemporary composers. After her acclaimed teenage debuts at the Gilmore Festival and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, she has performed on many of the world’s great stages in recital and with many major orchestras, performing with conductors Leonard Slatkin, Keith Lockhart and many others.

Ms. Faliks collaborates with and premieres music by some of today’s most significant composers, including Billy Childs, Richard Danielpour, Timo Andres and Clarice Assad. She is known for her poetry-music series Music/Words, and has worked with a number of prominent poets. She regularly tours her monologue-recital Polonaise-Fantasie, the Story of a Pianist, which tells the story of her immigration to the United States from Odessa (recorded on Delos). Besides Reimagine, her discography includes all-Beethoven and Rachmaninoff/Ravel/Pasternak discs for MSR Classics, and the Master and Margarita project, featuring three world premieres on Sono Luminus.

In addition to her other impressive accomplishments, Faliks is a respected educator and is head of Piano Studies at UCLA. She is also a published writer, with articles and essays appearing in Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post, among other media outlets. Inna Faliks is a Yamaha Artist.

June: A "herculean feat" by Momenta Quartet

Momenta Quartet presents:

Momenta Festival VII

June 14, 15, 16, & 17, 2022

Four concerts each curated by a different quartet member

"[the Momenta Festival] has become one of the most amazingly eclectic, never mind herculean feats attempted by any chamber ensemble in this city..." - New York Music Daily

Momenta Quartet presents its annual Momenta Festival June 14-17, 2022. All four concerts will be at the Broadway Presbyterian Church (601 W 114th St. New York, NY), and admission is free.

The seventh edition of the festival features four diverse chamber music programs each curated by a different member of the quartet. With programs that blend the old and new, the "intriguing programming" (The New York Times) and "striking originality" (I Care If You Listen) of the Momenta Festival have been acclaimed by critics and fans alike.

The festival opens with the world premiere of David Glaser’s String Quartet No. 5, written for Momenta in memory of Mario Davidovsky, alongside Beethoven’s groundbreaking “Serioso” quartet. Guest artists David Byrd-Marrow, horn and Nana Shi, piano join the quartet on June 15 for a whimsical work, In Memory of Perky Pat, and Brahms' monumental horn trio. A string quartet by the Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov is featured on June 16, paired with works by Americans Elizabeth Brown and Shawn Jaeger. A world premiere by Hilliard Greene highlights the final evening of the festival, celebrating Juneteenth and the release of Momenta Quartet's album of works by Alvin Singleton.

"We founded this festival in 2015 as an artistic outlet for each of our individual musical interests," says Momenta violist Stephanie Griffin. "I continue to be surprised to discover new pieces and composers that my Momenta colleagues introduce me to through this festival."

Admission to all concerts is free. Programs are subject to change.

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Momenta Quartet's 2022 Momenta Festival

All concerts start at 7:30 pm (doors at 7 pm)
at the Broadway Presbyterian Church (601 W 114th St.) in Manhattan

Free admission, no tickets/reservations needed

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JUNE 14: Visionary Sounds - curated by Emilie-Anne Gendron, violin

Momenta presents the world premiere of David Glaser’s String Quartet No. 5 (2022), written for Momenta in memory of Mario Davidovsky, alongside Davidovsky’s intricate Synchronisms No. 9 (1988) for violin and recorded electronic sounds. This exploratory evening also includes the late great Ursula Mamlok’s elegant “Two Bagatelles” (1961), rediscovered toward the end of the composer’s life in a hidden sketchbook; Mexican microtonal trailblazer Julián Carrillo’s final String Quartet No. 13 (1964); and Beethoven’s groundbreaking “Serioso” quartet.

Program:

Ursula Mamlok: Two Bagatelles (1961) for string quartet

Mario Davidovsky: Synchronisms No. 9 (1988) for violin and recorded electronic sounds

David Glaser: String Quartet No. 5, in memoriam Mario Davidovsky (2022)*

Julián Carrillo: String Quartet No. 13 (1964)

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 11 in f minor, Op. 95 “Serioso” (1810)

*world premiere, written for Momenta

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JUNE 15: Horn Fifths - curated by Alex Shiozaki, violin

Guest artists: David Byrd-Marrow, horn and Nana Shi, piano

David Byrd-Marrow and Nana Shi join Momenta on this program exploring the horn and its harmonies. Having premiered Hirofumi Mogi’s In Memory of Perky Pat (2021) earlier this year, Momenta is reprising that whimsical piece for string quartet and french horn. With his Horn Trio, Johannes Brahms creates a sound world filled with overtones and consonance, and Grażyna Bacewicz turns that world upside down with quintal harmonies in the angular Piano Quintet No. 2 (1965).

Program:

Hirofumi Mogi: In Memory of Perky Pat (2021) for string quartet and horn

Johannes Brahms: Trio for Violin, Horn, and Piano in E-flat Major, Op. 40 (1865)

Grażyna Bacewicz: Piano Quintet No. 2 (1965)

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JUNE 16: Distant Songs - curated by Michael Haas, cello

In the words of Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov, “Music is, above all, a chant, a song the world sings about itself.” Momenta explores the influence of song and the human voice on this program featuring recent works by Silvestrov and American composers Elizabeth Brown and Shawn Jaeger.

Program:

Elizabeth Brown: Just Visible in the Distance (2013)

Valentin Silvestrov: String Quartet no. 3 (2011)

Shawn Jaeger: Thy Wondering Eyes (2010)

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JUNE 17: A Juneteenth Celebration! - curated by Stephanie Griffin, viola

Guest artist: bassist/composer Hilliard Green

Momenta celebrates the release of its CD “Alvin Singleton: Four String Quartets” on New World Records with a performance of his String Quartet no. 1 (1967) and Be Natural (1974), alongside Yusef Lateef’s String Quartet no. 3 and a world premiere for bass and string quartet by jazz bassist Hilliard Greene

Program:

Yusef Lateef: String Quartet no. 3

Alvin Singleton: Be Natural

Hilliard Greene: New work for bass and string quartet*

Alvin Singleton: String Quartet no. 1

*world premiere, written for Momenta

Momenta Quartet

Emilie-Anne Gendron, violin
Alex Shiozaki, violin
Stephanie Griffin, viola
Michael Haas, cello

Momenta: the plural of momentum – four individuals in motion towards a common goal. This is the idea behind the Momenta Quartet, whose eclectic vision encompasses contemporary music of all aesthetic backgrounds alongside great music from the recent and distant past. The New York City-based quartet has premiered over 150 works, collaborated with over 200 living composers and was praised by The New York Times for its “diligence, curiosity and excellence.” In the words of The New Yorker’s Alex Ross, “few American players assume Haydn’s idiom with such ease.”

Momenta has appeared at such prestigious venues as the Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery, Rubin Museum, Miller Theatre at Columbia University, the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Washington University in St. Louis, Ostrava Days in the Czech Republic, and at the internationally renowned Cervantino Festival in Mexico. Momenta has recorded for Centaur Records, Furious Artisans, PARMA, New World Records, and Albany Records; and has been broadcast on WQXR, Q2 Music, Austria's Oe1, and Vermont Public Radio.

The Momenta Quartet’s 2021-2022 season is made possible through the generous support of the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the Amphion Foundation, the Alice M. Ditson Fund, New Music USA, Chamber Music America, the Sparkplug Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. The 2022 Momenta Festival is supported by The Adele and John Gray Endowment Fund and through the generosity of many individual donors.

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June 3: Florence Price piano works from Josh Tatsuo Cullen

New! Pianist Josh Tatsuo Cullen performs music by Florence Price 

“Scenes in Tin Can Alley” released
June 3, 2022 on Blue Griffin Records

“Cullen performed with an astounding mixture of coolness and intensity… with an unfailing sense of rhythm and drive” — Stuttgarter Zeitung

The music of Florence Price (1887 – 1953) is enjoying a renaissance. The 2009 discovery of a trove of manuscripts in the African-American composer’s abandoned summer home generated a lot of excitement and renewed interest in her life and work. The pianist Josh Tatsuo Cullen has recorded an entire album of her evocatively-titled music for solo piano, all specifically from that 2009 discovery. "Scenes in Tin Can Alley: Piano Music of Florence Price" (Blue Griffin BGR615) is released on June 3, 2022. The album includes the first commercial recording of several of these compositions, including Scenes in Tin Can Alley, Thumbnail Sketches of a Day in the Life of a Washerwoman, Village Scenes, and Cotton Dance.

In the liner notes, Cullen writes: 

I chose these works not only because they deserve to be heard, but because they spoke to me as an artist. As a person of mixed Japanese and European descent, I feel a strong connection to Price’s desire to honor and elevate the marginalized people of her own mixed-race heritage personified in Scenes in Tin Can Alley, Thumbnail Sketches of a Day in the Life of a Washerwoman, and Three Miniature Portraits of Uncle Ned.

The composer Florence Price (1887–1953) is the first African-American woman to have an orchestral piece played by a major American orchestra: the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed her Symphony in E Minor in 1933. Born in Little Rock, Ark., and educated at the New England Conservatory, her career blossomed after she moved to Chicago in 1927. Her music received widespread recognition beginning in the 1930s. Price wrote over 300 works, and her arrangements of spirituals were often performed by Marian Anderson, Leontyne Price and other singers.

Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.

Scenes in Tin Can Alley

Piano Music of Florence Price

Blue Griffin Records (BGR615)
Release Date: June 3, 2022

Tracks

Scenes in a Tin Can Alley (1928)
[01] The Huckster   1:44
[02] Children at Play   3:06
[03] Night   6:23

Thumbnail Sketches of a Day in the Life of a Washerwoman (1938-1942)
[04] Morning   1:24
[05] Dreaming at the Washtub   1:52
[06] A Gay Moment   0:37
[07] Evening Shadows   2:21

[08] Clouds (circa 1940’s) 5:47

 Village Scenes (1942)
[09] Church Spires in Moonlight  5:34
[10] A Shaded Lane  2:14
[11] The Park  1:47 

Preludes (1926-1932)
[12] No. 1 Allegro moderato  1:49
[13] No. 2 Andantino cantabile 2:33
[14] No. 3 Allegro molto   1:08
[15] No. 4 Wistful. Allegretto con tenerezza 2:58
[16] No. 5 Allegro 1:40         

Cotton Dance (circa 1940’s)
[17] Presto 3:16

Three Miniature Portraits of Uncle Ned (1932-1941)
[18] At Age 17   1:03
[19] At Age 27   1:16
[20] At Age 70   1:51 

Total time: 50:35

About the Artist

The pianist Josh Tatsuo Cullen is acclaimed for his “astounding mixture of coolness and intensity” (Stuttgarter Zeitung) and has been praised for his “delicious” collaboration by The New York Times. He has performed as solo and collaborative pianist at venues throughout the world.

His recordings include Beethoven’s Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2 and 3, and Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos in E-flat major with his mentor, Paul Badura-Skoda, all with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra led by Paul Freeman. At age nine he performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A major, K. 488 with the Moscow Philharmonic at Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, recording the work in studio the same week.

Cullen holds a master’s degree in piano from The Juilliard School, and a master’s degree in collaborative piano from New York University. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan at age 16.

Born in Hawaii and raised outside of Detroit, Josh Cullen proudly served in the United States Army for over a decade as an interpreter and interrogator.