ASHU

Friday, September 10, 2010, 8:00 PM

 

Ashu, saxophone
Kuang-Hao Huang, Piano

 

Ashu, saxophone
Concert saxophonist Ashu, age 25, has continually defied conventions winning major international and national competitions traditionally won by pianists and violinists. He made his recital debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Hall in New York and, at age 16, made his concerto debut at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. Since then, concerto and recital performances have taken him throughout the USA and Europe.

With a dynamic style that captivates audiences, and a repertoire ranging from original works by Ibert, Debussy, and Villa-Lobos to his own arrangements of Piazzolla, Rachmaninoff, and Morricone, Ashu has shown that the concert saxophone can reach beyond stylistic categorization and to a large diversity of people. His playing has been described as “Riveting...Brilliant...Pizzazz to burn!” (National Public Radio Performance Today host) and “...just as much fun to watch him as it is to listen to him.” (Dallas Morning News). Born and raised in California, Ashu has won First Prizes at competitions including the International Heida Hermanns, International Kingsville Wind Instrumentalist, National Federation of Music Clubs, National Midland-Odessa, National Lennox, National George S. Howard, and Houston Symphony Concerto Competitions. Ashu graduated from Northwestern University and is currently based in Chicago. For more information, please visit his website at www.ashuonline.com.

 

Kuang-Hao Huang, piano
Pianist Kuang-Hao Huang has performed throughout Europe and the United States, and as a soloist with the New World Symphony Orchestra and Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra. In March 2000, he premiered two works as part of Carnegie Hall’s Millennium Book Project. Huang is an active collaborator, regularly performing with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Chamber Musicians. He has performed on Ravinia’s Rising Star Series, WFMT and the Symphony’s Music NOW series.

 

 

TERESA WALTERS, PIANO

Friday, October 22, 2010, 8:00 PM

 

The mesmerizing performances by Teresa Walters on today's international concert stages inspire unanimous praise. In recent seasons, she has performed on six continents and in most of the 50 United States, earning the world's highest praise for her solo recitals and performances as guest artist with orchestras. Whether performing for European royalty in Esterhazy Palace or fundraising for chidren's charities in Delhi, Teresa Walters is a musical ambassador at home and abroad. International tours in recent seasons have included Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Australia, Russia, Japan, and Israel where the Jerusalem Post described her artistry as "Marvelous! As close to perfect as I hope to hear."

 

Teresa Walters earned her doctorate from Peabody Conservatory and was awarded an international fellowship for a year of study abroad at the Paris Conservatoire. She and her husband live in the New York City area. For more information about this acclaimed pianist, visit her website at www.teresawalters.com

 

PETAR JANKOVIC, GUITAR

Friday, November 12, 2010, 8:00 PM

 

Petar Jankovic is an artist who masterfully translates music into emotion. From humble beginnings as a guitar student in his native Yugoslavia (presently Serbia), Jankovic has won international acclaim with audiences, students, and today’s top musicians throughout Europe and the Americas.

 

Jankovic holds a degree in classical guitar from the Music Academy in Belgrade, a masters degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and the esteemed Artist Diploma Degree also from the I.U. Jacobs School of Music. At present, he is a faculty member at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and a very active performing artist with over 30 concerts in a season. What is most appealing about Jankovic’s style is his genuine, expressive interpretation of any given composition. More than a classical guitar player, he is a person with the gift of communicating honest emotions of the human experience. Jankovic has released three solo CDs. To learn more about Petar Jankovic, please visit www.petarjankovic.net.

ETA3

Alexey Gorokholinsky, clarinet
Tomoko Nakayama, piano
Emily Thomas, flute

Friday, February 25, 2011, 8:00 PM

 

Named after a luminous and spectacular star-forming nebula in our galaxy, ETA3 is a classical trio. Formed at The Juilliard School during spring of 2006, ETA3 strives to communicate the intellectual and emotional elements of life by broadening the audience's perspective through a varied range of repertoire. The Trio was recognized by Juilliard as one of three prominent emerging chamber music groups of 2006 leading to their Alice Tully Hall debut.

 

Alexey Gorokholinsky
Eastern European performances have taken Alexey on tour throughout his native Russia as a featured artist of the “New Names” rising stars series. Performances from these tours were broadcast on national radio and television media both in Russia and USA. He has also been heard on several occasions since 2002 via NPR’s “From the Top.” He has appeared as soloist with New York Solisti, Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra and Jefferson Symphony Orchestra. He recently earned his Master’s degree from The Juilliard School under the tutelage of world renowned clarinetist, Charles Neidich.

 

Tomoko Nakayama
Born in Tokyo, Tomoko gave her first solo recital at the age of eleven when she performed at the Japanese Embassy. Recently, Tomoko participated in the International Keyboard Institute & Festival (NYC) and the Early Music Festival (Belgium). She is accompanist for the Irving Berlin Girls Scout Chorus and teaches at Musipire Music Education Center and the Bronx School of Music (NYC). In 2005 Tomoko joined the faculty of the Piano School of NYC. Her international engagements include appearances in Singapore, Japan, Belgium and the Czech Republic.

 

Emily Thomas
Emily recently finished her Masters at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Robert Langevin, principal flutist of the New York Philharmonic. She has been awarded the New Horizons Fellowship and Academy of American conductors’ fellowship to the Aspen Music Festival where she also won second prize in woodwind concerto competition (2005). Highlights of her past and present seasons include performances at Carnegie Hall (NYC) with the Juilliard Symphony Orchestra, Kennedy Center Theatre (DC), Lorin Maazel’s private concert Hall in Castleton (VA), Huntsville Symphony Orchestra (AL), and collaboration with Joshua Bell and Christian Tetzlaff at Aspen Festival (CO). She has also been featured twice on NPR's “From the Top” Radio show.

EUGENIA ZUKERMAN, FLUTE
SVETLANA STREZEVA, SOPRANO
MILANA STREZEVA, PIANO

Friday, April 29, 2011, 8:00 PM

 

Three internationally acclaimed artists come together for an evening of exceptional music.

 

Eugenia Zukerman has been hailed by the press as “one of the finest flutists of our time.” An internationally renowned recitalist and soloist, she was honored by Young Concert Artists and by The Open University of Israel for her lifetime achievement in music. Ms. Zukerman is not only a flutist, but a writer, artistic director, television/web journalist and educator and has recorded for Delos, CBS Masterworks, Pro Arte, Vox Cum Laude and Newport Classics. As an author, Ms. Zukerman has published and co-authored several books and has contributed articles to such prominent periodicals as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Esquire and Vogue. She holds an honorary doctorate by Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois and is currently a member of the faculty of New York University’s Department of Music and Performing Arts. Television performances include her role as arts correspondent for more than 300 profiles on CBS SUNDAY MORNING, the Charlie Rose Show (PBS), NBC’s Today and A & E’s Breakfast with the Arts. To learn more, please visit www.eugeniazukerman.com.

 

Svetlana Strezeva is a prominent Russian-born American soprano and Laureate of the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow and Glinka Vocal International Competition in Minsk. She did her professional studies at La Scala in Milan, Italy, under the guidance of Opera Diva Simionato and made her debut at the Bolshoi Theater as Shemakha in "Le Coq D'Or" by Rimsky-Korsakoff under the direction of Maestro Eugene Svetlanov. Mme Strezeva has recorded with the Bolshoi Opera Orchestra, Moscow Pops Symphony and the orchestra of Russian Folk instruments. She has been praised as "The Great Russian Nightingale" by Russia's St. Petersburg Press. Now residing in the United States, Mme Strezeva occasionally performs with her pianist and daughter Milana. To learn more, please visit www.strezeva.com.

 

Milana Strezeva is a Moldovan-American pianist, talented vocal collaborator and a consummate voice coach. A graduate of The Julliard School, Milana has been part of several opera productions including Dicapo Opera (NYC), Sorg Opera (OH), and American Opera Company (NYC). Milana is also the founding member of the award-winning Manhattan Piano Trio, one of the most prominent and active chamber music groups in America. Along with her Trio, she has performed over 300 concerts in the past four seasons spanning 30 US States, South Africa and Australia. To learn more, please visit www.manhattanpianotrio.com.