Guest Artist Biographies

Winner of a 2005 Avery Fisher Career Grant and a 2005 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, Shai Wosner has been described by The New York Times as "a superb pianist" and by The Financial Times as "an artist to follow keenly." Active as a soloist and chamber musician, his uniquely intellectual and poetic approach has caught the attention of audiences and critics alike.

Since his Carnegie Hall debut in 2000 with the Chicago Civic Orchestra and Daniel Barenboim conducting, Mr. Wosner has performed with many major orchestras in the United States including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the symphony orchestras of Baltimore, Chicago, Columbus, Houston, and San Francisco; the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, among others. He has worked with conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Lawrence Foster, Zubin Mehta, Peter Oundjian, and Yan Pascal Tortelier.

Highlights of Mr. Wosner's current performing activities include debuts with the Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Pacific Symphony orchestras; chamber music performances in Philadelphia, St. Paul, and Portland; and a tour with Christian Tetzlaff and fellow laureates of the BB Trust to London, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Vienna. During the summer of 2006, Mr. Wosner performed at summer festivals such as Ravinia (Chicago Symphony / Conlon), Hollywood Bowl (Los Angeles Philharmonic / Slatkin), Bravo! Vail (Dallas Symphony / Remmereit), and La Jolla's SummerFest.

Mr. Wosner gave his New York recital debut at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in February 2004 to critical acclaim. He has also given recitals in Chicago's Orchestra Hall, Vancouver, Toronto, Kalamazoo, and on Ravinia's "Rising Stars" series, and recently recorded works of Beethoven, Schumann, and Chopin for the radio program "St. Paul Sunday". Summer festival appearances include the Hollywood Bowl, Grand Teton Music Festival and La Jolla's SummerFest. A sought-after chamber music collaborator, Mr. Wosner was a member of Lincoln's Center's Chamber Music Society Two and has performed at chamber music festivals including Bargemusic, the Chamber Music Northwest festival in Portand, the Seattle Chamber Music Society, and recently performed in duo recital with cellist Claudio Bohorquez at the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico.

Abroad, Mr. Wosner made his Vienna Philharmonic debut in Salzburg in January 2006 as part of the celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth. He has also appeared with the Barcelona Symphony, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, the Gothenburg Symphony, the Israel Philharmonic, the Jerusalem Symphony, the Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam, the Orchestre National de Belgique, and the Staatskapelle Berlin, among others. He made his London Proms debut in 2003 in a performance of Mozart's Concerto for Three Pianos with pianists Daniel Barenboim and Saleem Abboud-Ashkar, and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. Mr. Wosner attended the first West-Eastern Divan workshop organized by Daniel Barenboim and Yo-Yo Ma in Weimar in 1999 and returned annually for many years. He has given recitals in Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands and is a regular participant at the annual Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival.

Performances of contemporary music are an important component of Mr. Wosner's activities. In January 2000, he performed Bright Sheng's "Red Silk Dance" with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Bramwell Tovey conducting. More recently, Mr. Wosner performed at the University of California-Berkeley's Edge Festival (June 2003) on a program dedicated to the music of John Adams. Additional appearances in contemporary music frameworks include the Pierre Boulez Workshop at Carnegie Hall in 2001, and the Ars Musica festival in Brussels in 2000 and 2001, where he performed György Ligeti's Piano Concerto under the direction of James Wood. He was also involved there in cooperation with composer Salvatore Sciarrino for a project based on his piano music that was later released on CD ("Cypres"). At the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music, Mr. Wosner, together with pianist Ju-Ping Song, gave the United States premiere of Per Nørgård's "Unendlicher Empfang."

A prizewinner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 1999, Mr. Wosner has received awards in other international piano competitions, notably in Senigallia, Italy, in Palm Beach and at the Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv (1995). He has been a recipient of numerous America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarships and has been featured on radio and television in the United States, France, Switzerland, Belgium and Israel.

Born in Israel in 1976, Shai Wosner studied for 12 years with Emanuel Krasovsky in Tel Aviv. In addition, he studied composition, theory, and improvisation with André Hajdu, with whom he has participated in various improvisation concerts and activities. His studies continued at the Juilliard School with Emanuel Ax.

Mr. Wosner resides in New York City with his wife, Roni Tamari.

Since making her debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the age of nine, violinist Tai Murray has performed extensively as soloist with orchestras and in recitals across the United States and Europe. Born in Chicago in 1982, she has been heard on such concert stages as Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl, Salt Lake City's Abravanel Hall and Chicago's Orchestra Hall.  Concerto performances include performances with the symphonies of Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Dallas, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Utah, Charlotte, Oakland, Sacramento, Washington, D.C., and many others.  She appeared with the St. Louis Symphony in two consecutive seasons and her April 2004 performance of the Bernstein Serenade with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra elicited the following from the Chicago Tribune: “Violin playing so full of youthful vitality and freshness deserved a huge ovation, and that’s what it got from Thursday’s crowd, as well as from the orchestra members themselves.”

Recent seasons have brought her to numerous debuts with orchestras large and small.  She made her New York concerto debut with the Juilliard Orchestra at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in May 2002 and her New York recital debut at Merkin Hall in April 2003.  Ms. Murray was invited to perform the Dvořák violin concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra in August 2005 in Berlin.  She opened the Sacramento Philharmonic's 2002-2003 season with a performance of the Korngold Violin Concerto, following which the critic for the Sacramento Bee said, "The soloist in the Korngold Concerto was Tai Murray. . . Murray was up to all its challenges. The ending was brilliantly dynamic; the ovation was instantaneous." In its year-end roundup, the newspaper singled out this performance as the classical concert of the year.   She made her South American debut with the Sibelius Violin Concerto in Caracas in may 2007.

        An accomplished chamber musician, Ms. Murray made her third national tour with Musicians from Marlboro in February 2005.  She completed two seasons as member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center II, performs regularly with the Ritz Chamber Players and toured with Peter Serkin, Jaime Laredo and the Brandenburg Ensemble on several occasions. Since 2005 her recital appearances include New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Louisville, Washington, St. Paul, and La Jolla.

     Tai Murray has received top prizes in the Indiana University Concerto Competition, the inaugural Sphinx Competition, and the Juilliard School Concerto Competition.  She was also awarded a Certificate of Honor for outstanding musicianship by the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy. In 2000 Ms. Murray earned an Artist Diploma in music performance from Indiana University and another Artists Diploma from the Juilliard School in 2006.

Edward Cumming celebrates his fifth season as the ninth Music Director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra in 2006-2007. His appointment was announced in 2001, culminating a two-year search process involving nearly 300 applicants from around the world.

Mr. Cumming was appointed Resident Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 1997. In that role, he worked closely with Music Director Mariss Jansons, accompanying the orchestra on tour and collaborating on its syndicated radio broadcasts. He conducted the PSO in its highly regarded concerts for young people at Heinz Hall and in outreach concerts throughout Western Pennsylvania, and also performed on the Orchestra's Pops series.

As Resident Conductor of the Florida Orchestra from 1989 to 1993, he garnered audience and critical acclaim for his "Champagne" and "Coffee" concerts, two series of light classics for young adults and senior citizens. In 1991, he conducted  the  Florida  Orchestra in  Stephen Montague's  "From the White Edge of Phrygia" and performed with such notable guest artists as Sylvia McNair, Christopher Parkening, Gary Graffman, Robert McDuffie, and the late Malcolm Frager. In 1991, Mr. Cumming conducted a recording of the "Star Spangled Banner" with Whitney Houston and the Florida Orchestra for Super Bowl XXV. In 1996, he was appointed Artistic Director of the Flagstaff Festival of the Arts, and in 1997, he was appointed Music Director of the nationally acclaimed Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, one of five orchestras invited to the National Youth Orchestra Festival in 1998. He returned with the PYSO to perform at this biennial event in 2002.

As founding Music Director (1993-96) of the Pacific Symphony Institute, Mr. Cumming gave world premieres of Hector Armienta's "Caras del Sol" and Khoa Van Le's "Symphonic Ode to Vietnam, 1975". In November 1999, he conducted the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra in the world premiere performance of Tamar Diesendruck's "Every Which Wave". During his Pittsburgh tenure he also conducted regional premieres of Elliott Carter's Symphony of Three Orchestras and Hans Werner Henze's "Undine". Premieres with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra include the October 2004 New England premiere of Roberto Sierra's Concerto for Saxophones, the January 2005-HSO commissioned world premiere of Valerie Coleman's "The Painted Lady", the March 2005 world premiere of Richard Cumming's "Aspects of Hippolytus" and the November 2005 HSO-commissioned world premiere of Michael Gatonska's "Wandering the Moon Nursery". Mr. Cumming was the recipient of the 2003 ASCAP award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music.

Percussionist Colin Currie has established a reputation for his charismatic and virtuosic performances of works by today’s leading composers, and despite his youth has already appeared with many of the world’s most important orchestras. Regularly commissioning and recording new works, he has made an inspirational and innovative contribution to the percussion repertoire.

In 2005-06 Colin Currie made his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Christoph Eschenbach, premiering a new Percussion Concerto by American composer Jennifer Higdon, in Philadelphia, Carnegie Hall and Washington. Also, he performed with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in the European premiere of Colours of Crimson by Bright Sheng, and premiereed Time Release by Steven Mackey with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Residentie Orkest. In the 2006-07 season Currie made his debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra with long-time collaborator Marin Alsop, and will return with the LPO for the European premiere of the Higdon Concerto in December 2007. He began the season by performing the world premiere of Michael Nyman’s Percussion Concerto at Copenhagen’s Tivoli Festival in August 2006, with Hannu Lintu and the Copenhagen Philharmonic, and appeared at the 2006 BBC Proms leading and directing a percussion project celebrating the music of Steve Reich. He also performed with the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, St Paul Chamber Orchestra and Osnabruck Symphony with conductors including Leonard Slatkin, Roberto Minczuk, Thierry Fischer, HK Gruber, Arild Remmerit, Carlos Kalmar, David Lockington, Kwame Ryan and Pierre Andre Valade.

"This world premiere performance was stunningly well-played, both by the irrepressible Currie and the ensemble."
.............................................. - The Herald (United Kingdom)

"It's a dazzling showpiece [Higdon Concerto] for Scottish percussionist Colin Currie, who played the dickens out of it. Dashing from one side of the stage to the other, Mr. Currie put on a virtuoso show of oodling marimba, booming drums, crashing cymbals and clopping temple blocks."
..............................................- The Dallas Morning News

Wendy Warner was first brought to the attention of the world stage when in 1990 she was awarded First Prize in the Fourth International Rostropovich Competition in Paris.  Following that success Ms. Warner made her debut with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Mstislav Rostropovich and was re-engaged to appear on the orchestra’s North American tour.

In the years to follow, Ms. Warner was the featured soloist on tours with the Bamberg Symphony under Rostropovich and with the Moscow Virtuosi under Vladimir Spivakov including a performance to critical acclaim at Carnegie Hall.  She has also appeared with the major symphony orchestras of Chicago, Boston, London, Berlin, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Baltimore, Paris, Iceland and Hong Kong.  Her many collaborators include conductors Christoph Eschenbach, Andre Previn, Jesus Lopez-Cobox, Charles Dutoit, Eiji Oue, Michael Tilson Thomas, Neeme Jarvi and Yuri Falik, amongst others.

Ms. Warner’s recent seasons have included a performance of the Brahms Double Concerto with Anne-Sophie Mutter and L’Orchestre de Paris under Semyon Bychkov, a tour of Japan as the soloist with the NHK Symphony and the Japan Philharmonic, and appearances at the Mostly Mozart Music Festival at Avery Fischer Hall and the Grant Teton Music Festival.  Also, Ms. Warner was a featured soloist at the World Cello Congress III in Baltimore, Maryland.

Ms. Warner is very involved in teaching and helping to develop young musical talents.  It is evident from her appearances with the New World Symphony and Greater Boston Youth Symphony, numerous master classes, lectures and demonstrations at Wichita University, Hartt School of Music, the Julius Stulberg International String Competition in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the Music Institute of Chicago, Suzuki-Orff School in Chicago and Belvoir Terrace Performing Arts Summer Camp in Lenox, Massachusetts.  She has been sought after by students of major music institutions for private lessons and performance expertise.

Recent recordings by Ms. Warner include works for cello by Hindemith on Bridge Records, duos for cello and violin with Rachel Barton on Cedille records, and the forthcoming Barber Concerto with the Royal Scottish National Philharmonic under Marin Alsop for the Naxos label.

“He looked like a modern day Paganini—and he played like one, too.”
........................................................--The Cincinnati Enquirer

From the moment he takes the stage, Grammy Award-nominee violinist Philippe Quint captivates audience with his charismatic presence. Beyond his recognized star power, Mr. Quint is often lauded for a “searingly poetic lyricism” ( Daily Telegraph , UK ) in repertoire that ranges from Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms to the leading composers of our time. Philippe is the recipient of an outstanding 1723 Antonio Stradivari "Ex-Kiesewetter" violin, on loan to him from Mr. and Mrs. Arrison through the generous efforts of the Stradivari Society in Chicago .

Mr. Quint, whose unusual surname is of Italian origin, was born of a rich musical heritage in St. Petersburg, Russia ; his mother, Lora Kvint, is celebrated as one of Russia 's most well known popular composers. Mr. Quint left the former Soviet Union in 1991 and is now an American citizen who harbors a strong commitment to the music of his new country, frequently performing works by William Schuman, LukasFoss, Leonard Bernstein, Ned Rorem, John Corigliano, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and Lera Auerbach.

Mr. Quint's impressive discography on the NAXOS label includes: William Schuman's Violin Concerto- a debut album that received two Grammy Award nominations including “Best soloist with an Orchestra” as well as “Editor's Choice” by both Gramophone and Strad magazines; Bernstein's “Serenade” with Marin Alsop that also received Editor's Choice by Gramophone and was selected as CD of the Week by the UK's Daily Telegraph and critically acclaimed Ned Rorem's Violin Concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic under the direction of Jose Serebrier. In 07', he collaborated with noted pianist William Wolfram on two CD's recordings: the complete works of Miklos Rozsa (due in the fall of 07') and most recently works of John Corigliano and Virgil Thomson. Upcoming projects this year include August recording of Korngold's Violin Concerto with Carlos Miguel Prieto and Orchestra de Mineria and a recording of works by Paganini arranged by Fritz Kreisler (January 08').

In the summer of 2007 he debuts in Australia performing with Melbourne and Queensland Symphonies and in the fall of 2007 he tours South Africa and makes his debut in France with the Orchestre de Bayonne-Cote Basque.

Mr. Quint has been in wide demand, both domestically and internationally; recent concert engagements include the Detroit , Indianapolis , Minnesota , Houston , Omaha , Alabama , Nashville , and Virginia Symphonies, Buffalo , Louisiana , and Oklahoma Philharmonic Orchestras, Bournemouth and the Royal Liverpool (UK). the China National Symphony; the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra; and the Mostly Mozart Festival. His has appeared under the batons of renowned conductors including Marin Alsop, Andrew Litton, Klauspeter Seibel, Kurt Masur, Hans Graf, Maxim Shostakovich, JoAnn Falletta, Jorge Mester, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Kirk Trevor, Carl St.Clair and Kenneth Schermerhorn.

An active chamber musician, he has appeared in recitals and performances at the Rome Chamber Music Festival, Lincoln Center (NY), Caramoor (NY), Ravinia (IL), Aspen (CO), Lukas Foss's Hamptons Music Festival (NY), Kravis Center (FL), UC Davis Presents (CA), and most recently at the National Gallery in Washington (DC).In the 05-06 season Mr. Quint was the featured soloist at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles in the world premiere of Lera Auerbach's Concerto No.1, a piece written and dedicated to him. His live performances and interviews have been broadcast in New York on WQXR and WNYC, on England 's BBC Radio 3, Boston 's WGBH, Chicago 's WFMT, Denver 's KVRD, St. Louis ' KFUO, National Public Radio (NPR), Austria 's ORF, and on ABC-TV in Sacramento and Detroit .

Mr. Quint studied at Moscow 's Special Music School for the Gifted with the famed Russian violinist Andrei Korsakov, and made his orchestral debut at the age of 9, performing Wieniawski's Concerto No. 2. After emigrating to the United States , he earned both Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Juilliard and was graduated in 1998.  His distinguished pedagogues included Dorothy Delay, Cho-Liang Lin, Masao Kawasaki, and Felix Galimir. He has also studied and participated in masterclasses with Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, and Arnold Steinhardt. Having won a myriad of awards since his days as a student, Quint has amassed top prizes at the Juilliard Competition ('98), Spain's Pablo de Sarasate International Violin Competition ('97), where he also received the Special Audience Prize, and the Salon de Virtuosi Award ('97). He has been a Career Grant recipient of the Clarisse B. Kampel Foundation since 1996 and the Bagby Foundation since 2002.

Please visit www.philippequint.com and www.myspace.com/philippequint

www.sbchoral.org

This season marks the 60th anniversary of the Santa Barbara Choral Society, which holds the distinction of being the oldest continuing community performance organization on the Central Coast.  A semi-professional group of more than 120 auditioned voices under the direction of JoAnne Wasserman and dubbed by esteemed choral conductors Paul Salamunovich and Vance George as among the finest community choruses on the West Coast, the Choral Society continues to expand on the tradition of choral excellence that has earned it a loyal following.

The Choral Society has been named Chorus in Residence for the new Granada Theater for the Performing Arts, which will foster its continued collaboration with other local, regional, and international performance organizations, which have included performances with acclaimed Italian Nova Amadeus Orchestra, Boni Pueri Czech boys’ choir, and Suddeutsche Kammer Philharmonie internationally and locally with The Santa Barbara Symphony, The Santa Barbara Children’s Chorus, Opera Santa Barbara, and this year, for the first time, State Street Ballet in a World Premiere Ballet-Choral performance of Orff’s Carmina Burana, on May 31 and June 1, 2008 at the Granada Theater. 

Annually, the Choral Society joins with Santa Barbara Symphony in their gala Independence Day festivities at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse.

In July 2007, the Choral Society completed its second international tour, during which the group was honored to sing mass at the high altar at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.   Additionally, the Choral Society presented orchestral concert performances of the Haydn Thereseinmesse and Lauridsen Lux Aeterna with Nova Amadeus Orchestra to audiences in Rome and Florence, Italy and with the Suddeutsche Kammer Philharmonie as the finale concert of the popular Musiksommer Festival in Ehingen, Germany.

Since its inception in 1948, the Choral Society has been a service and educational organization, promoting artistic development and providing opportunities for individual community members to study and perform great works of choral music. The Choral Society offers the community at large an opportunity to discover and enjoy a diverse repertoire of choral music. It also assists other musical organizations and schools through outreach programs and cooperative events. As part of its commitment to sustaining professional choral musicians in the area, the Choral Society employs a core group of paid singers to lead and mentor their sections.

Jo Anne Wasserman is beginning her fifteenth season as conductor and artistic director of the Santa Barbara Choral Society. She has worked with an impressive list of outstanding choral and orchestral conductors, including John Alexander and Lawrence Christensen and was chosen to participate in master classes with Paul Salamunovich, the late Robert Shaw and Roger Wagner.  She has been Master Class Conductor of the Oregon Bach Festival, Chorus Master for Opera Santa Barbara, and has served on the faculty of California State University, Northridge.

Jo Anne Wasserman's dedication to music education, the development of emerging young artists, and her philosophy of increasing cultural awareness has enlivened the Santa Barbara Choral Society's commitment to sharing excellence in choral music with the arts community both locally and internationally.

In their frequent collaboration over the last decade, Ms. Wasserman has prepared choral works for the Santa Barbara Symphony, including Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and Symphony No. 9, Mahler's Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3, the Verdi Requiem and the Bloch Sacred Service.

Ms. Wasserman conducted the Choral Society and Orchestra in the Mozart Requiem on its 2005 Eastern European tour, with concerts in Prague, Vienna, Budapest, and Czesky Krumlov. Most recently, she conducted the Choral Society on its 2007 Tour d'Italia e Bavaria in mass performances at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican and in Greve, Italy, as well as in concerts of the Haydn Theresienmesse and Morten Laurirdsen's Lux Aeterna with Rome-based Nova Amadeus Orchestra in Rome and Florence and with the Suddeutsche Kammer Philharmonie at the acclaimed Musiksommer Festival in Ehingen, Germany.

Since winning First Prize in the 1987 Busoni International Piano Competition, Lilya Zilberstein has established herself as one of the finest pianists in the world. In North America, she has appeared with the symphonies of Chicago (at Ravinia), Colorado, Dallas, Flint, Harrisburg, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kalamazoo, Milwaukee, Montreal, Omaha, Quebec, Oregon, and Saint Louis, as well as the Florida Orchestra and the Pacific Symphony, to name a few. In Europe and Asia, engagements include the Berlin Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, Dresden Staatskapelle, Helsinki Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, London Symphony, Moscow Philharmonic, NHK Symphony (Tokyo), RAI Symphony (Torino), Royal Philharmonic, La Scala Orchestra, Taipei Symphony and the Vienna Symphony. Festival engagements include Lugano, Peninsula, Chautauqua and Mostly Mozart, both in New York and Japan.

A captivating recitalist, Ms. Zilberstein appears regularly in music centers throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. Recent performances have taken her to Madrid, Berlin, Budapest, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Innsbruck, Luxembourg, Stuttgart and Liverpool. Also a sought-after collaborator, Ms. Zilberstein has been performing duos with Martha Argerich for many years. In addition to show-stopping performances in Norway, France, Italy and Germany, a CD of the Brahms Sonata for Two Pianos played by Ms. Zilberstein and Ms. Argerich was released in 2003. Recent collaborations include extensive tours in the United States, Canada and Europe with Russian violinist Maxim Vengerov. Featured on the EMI recording Martha Argerich and Friends: Live from the Lugano Festival, Mr. Vengerov’s and Ms. Zilberstein’s performance of the Brahms Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano won a Grammy nomination for best classical album as well as best chamber music performance.

Lilya Zilberstein has also made numerous recordings for Deutsche Grammophon; these include the Rachmaninoff Concerti Nos. 2 and 3 with Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic, the Grieg Concerto with Neeme Järvi and the Göteborg Symphony, as well as solo works of Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Mussorgsky, Liszt, Schubert, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel and Chopin.

A native of Moscow, Ms. Zilberstein is a graduate of the Gnessin Pedagogical Institute. In addition to the Busoni Competition Gold Medal, she was the 1998 Prizewinner of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy (other recipients include Gidon Kremer, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Esa-Pekka Salonen). She moved to Hamburg in 1990, where she lives with her husband and their two sons.

Gold medalist of the 2006 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, Augustin Hadelich has established himself as an eloquent and unique voice among the new generation of violinists.  As testament to his astonishing versatility across all periods of the repertoire, Mr. Hadelich also received the competition’s special awards for best performance of a Romantic concerto, Classical concerto, Beethoven sonata, violin sonata other than Beethoven, Bach work, commissioned work, encore piece and Paganini caprice.

Lauded as a “brilliant” violinist in the New York Times, Augustin Hadelich made his Carnegie Hall orchestral debut in January 2008, performing the Brahms Double Concerto under Miguel Harth-Bedoya, with cellist Alban Gerhardt and the Fort Worth Symphony; he then returned in March 2008 for his solo recital debut in Stern Auditorium.  Other upcoming and recent recitals include the Chamber Music Society of Detroit, Kennedy Center’s Fortas Chamber Music Concerts, La Jolla Music Society, Lincoln Center’s Reade Theatre, and a collaboration with Midori at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater.

Orchestra highlights of Mr. Hadelich’s 2007/08 season include appearances with the symphonies of Chautauqua, Columbus (OH), Fort Worth, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Kansas City, New Orleans, Louisville, and Santa Barbara, as well as the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie / Saarbrücken-Kaiserslautern and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México.  The 2007/08 season also marks his professional recording debut with two CDs for Naxos: the complete solo violin fantasies of Telemann and the complete violin concerti of Haydn.  Outside the U.S., Mr. Hadelich has appeared with the Capetown Philharmonic, Dresdner Philharmonie, Museumsorchester Frankfurt, Staatsorchester Stuttgart, Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, and the chamber orchestras of Bavaria, Berlin, Hamburg, Kiel, Lucerne, Pforzheim and Toulouse.  He has collaborated with such renowned conductors as Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Günther Herbig, Christoph Perick, Christoph Poppen, Stefan Sanderling, Klauspeter Seibel, Michael Stern and Mario Venzago.

Born in Italy in 1984, the son of German parents, Augustin Hadelich holds a diploma (summa cum laude) from the Instituto Mascagni in Livorno, Italy, as well as a graduate diploma and the coveted Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School, where he was a student of Joel Smirnoff.  Hehas been a participant at the Marlboro and Ravinia festivals and in numerous master classes with renowned violinists such as Uto Ughi, Christoph Poppen, Norbert Brainin, Pinchas Zukerman, Zachar Bron, Yehudi Menuhin and Miriam Fried.   As first-prize winner of the Indianapolis competition, Mr. Hadelich plays on the 1683 ex-Gingold Stradivari violin and Tourte bow.

***

“Hadelich’s performance…combined virtuosic technique with dependable intonation, a captivating stage presence, a singing style that transcended dissonant harmonies and a sound that could stand up to the full forces of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra [Bartók Concerto No. 2].”

INDIANAPOLIS STAR

Matt’s versatile three-octave range has brought audiences to their feet from New York to Los Angeles, clamoring for encores. His pop-opera renditions of Neapolitan songs and classical arias are soulful tonal paintings that leave audiences breathless and yearning for more.

Part of Matt’s wide appeal comes from his natural ability to relax his audiences by drawing them into the emotional experience of musical universality. Educated in Opera Performance at Drake University and the University of Illinois, Matt also studied with Hearmanus Bear of Northwestern University and David Lloyd of the Julliard School of Music. He is an innovative and creative singer, songwriter, and musician. One of his musical mentors, Herbie Hancock, helped inspire Matt to spearhead his current quest toward jazz-opera fusion.

Matt was featured as “Alfredo” in La Traviata, has been a repeat soloist with Suzanne Guzman in the “Opera and Great American Songwriters Concert” in Los Angeles, has performed in the benefit concert, “United We Stand,” in Camp Pendleton for families of fallen Marines (ECM Productions), and was a featured artist and solo performer along with Dennis Miller, Rob Lowe, Jay Leno and The Pointer Sisters at the Celebrity Gala Honoring Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara, California.

Richard Kaufman has devoted much of his musical life conducting and supervising music for film and television productions, as well as performing film and classical music in concert halls and on recordings.  This is his fourth year conducting the Santa Barbara Symphony New Years Celebration.   Richard is in his eleventh season as Principal Pops Conductor with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and he holds the same position with Orange County’s Pacific Symphony (seventeenth season) and The Florida Orchestra (fourth season).  Richard is in his fourth season with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert series, “Friday Night at the Movies”, conducting classic and contemporary film music, as well as classical music used in motion pictures.  He regularly appears as a guest conductor with symphony orchestras throughout the United States. 

Richard received the 1993 Grammy Award in the category of Best Pop Instrumental Performance for a recording he conducted with the Nuremberg Symphony.  His most recent recording, entitled “The High and the Mighty” (Varese Sarabande) is with the London Symphony Orchestra.  Recorded at Abby Road Studios, this CD features music from classic and contemporary films about flying.  Richard’s other recordings include film music performed by the Brandenburg Philharmonic in Berlin, a second recording with the Nuremberg Symphony celebrating the 100th anniversary of motion pictures, and two critically acclaimed CDs with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, conducting the film music of Alfred Newman and Victor Young.

He has conducted for performers including John Denver, Andy Williams, Mary Martin, Nanette Fabray, Sir James Galway and Art Garfunkel.  As a violinist, Richard performed on numerous film and television scores including "Jaws", “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, “Saturday Night Fever”, and (in a moment of desperation) "Animal House".  He has recorded with artists including John Denver, Burt Bacharach, and Ray Charles.  

Richard joined the Music Department of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in 1984 as Music Coordinator, and for the next 18 years supervised music for all MGM television projects.  He received two EmmyAward nominations, one for the animated series, "The Pink Panther" in the category of Outstanding Music Direction and Composition, and another for Outstanding Original Songco-authored for the series, "All Dogs Go to Heaven.”  As a unique part of his career in film, Richard has coached various actors in musical roles including Jack Nicholson, Dudley Moore and Tom Hanks.

He has appeared as a guest speaker at various universities including Southern California, Georgia, Furman, and California State Universities at Northridge and Fullerton.  Richard is a member of the Music Advisory Boards of the Young Musicians Foundation and Henry Mancini Institute.

Born in Los Angeles, Richard began violin studies at age 7, played in the Peter Meremblum California Junior Symphony, and was a member of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra.  He attended the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood in the Fellowship program, and earned a B.A. in Music from California State University Northridge.  Richard lives in Southern California with his wife, Gayle.  His daughter, Whitney is a graduate (with honors) from Chapman University in Orange, California, and is currently a member of the cast of the National Tour of “Mama Mia”.

Nelson Kole is a musician of great diversity. As a pianist, composer, songwriter, arranger, and music director, his unique sense of humor and sensitivity infuses every aspect of his musical life. Nelson will tell you, “Since the age of four, the piano has been my whole life. Music is my first language, English a distant second.”

Nelson’s professional career began on the Las Vegas strip where he accompanied headliners including Frank Sinatra and Dionne Warwick. He soon became music director/arranger for entertainers including Don Rickles, Ben Vereen, Ann Jillian, Lorna Luft and Clint Holmes. While in Las Vegas, Nelson’s jazz group Nelson Kole ‘n Kompany became a local favorite.

Moving to Los Angeles brought new and exciting opportunities. Nelson was composer/arranger on the highly rated Martin Short series “Prime Time Glick” and went on to compose music for children’s shows including “Weinerville” and songs for the beloved Lamb Chop on Shari Lewis’ “Lamb Chops Play-Along.” As music director for WWOR-TV’s talk/variety show “New York at Night” starring Clint Holmes, Nelson co-wrote the theme song.  He’s also collaborated with Billy Crystal writing “out take” songs for Crystal’s character, the One-Eyed Monster, in the Disney/Pixar animated feature, “Monsters, Inc.” Recently, Nelson’s song “Someday” was chosen from a field of over 25,000 entries as a top twenty finalist in American Idol’s first Songwriting competition. Most recently Nelson has produced and co-written songs for “Talk Show With Spike Feresten” on Fox TV.

Nelson has scored three musicals: “Dennis the Musical” (an adaptation of the popular Dennis the Menace comic strip character); “Pirates,” for Princess Cruises featuring an all-original score, a first for the cruise line industry; and “Comfortable Shoes”, based on the life of Clint Holmes, which was nominated for Chicago’s prestigious Jeff Award for “Best New Work”.

Nelson’s own one man show, “Say It with Music,” features his original songs, piano compositions, and autobiographical anecdotes wrapped around his love for music, the piano, and in particular, jazz.

Currently, Nelson heads his own production company, Marinade Enterprises, which has produced music for over three dozen live shows for major clients.

Nelson resides in Woodland Hills, California with the love of his life, his wife Lorrie, where he continues to do what he does best…make music.