Leonid
Sushansky (violin)Violinist Leonid Sushansky has been acclaimed widely for his, "Gorgeous tone...
Compelling musical personality...Passionate intensity," The Washington Post.
He has appeared with many orchestras, as a recitalist and chamber musician in
esteemed concert halls worldwide and has been featured on numerous radio and
television programs. He began musical studies with his mother, Rimma Sushanskaya,
a violinist and pupil of the legendary David Oistrakh. Mr. Sushansky enjoyed
early recognition when at age 12 he appeared on the Marvin Hamlisch TV Special
for Showtime. From age 13, Mr. Sushansky was a scholarship student at the Juilliard
School, where he remained for 7 years under the tutelage of Dorothy DeLay. He
also had the privilege of being coached by the great violinist, Isaak Stern.
At age 15, he was invited by Zubin Mehta to make his debut with the New York
Philharmonic in the Young People's Concerts performing the Tchaikovsky Violin
Concerto. Graduate studies were completed at the University of Maryland with
Daniel Heifetz and the Guarneri Quartet. His other important teachers and mentors
have included Elisabeth Adkins and Catherine Filene Shouse, the founder of Wolf
Trap.
In the 2007-08 season Mr.Sushansky makes his Minneapolis recital debut with
acclaimed pianist Paul Shaw. He appears with the National Chamber Ensemble in
the role of Artistic Director and performer. In January, 2008 he returns to
the Phillips Collection for a recital with pianist Carlos Cezar Rodriguez, a
tribute to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on Mozart's birthday. In March he makes a
special appearance with the Landon Symphonette performing the Theme from "Schindlers
List", Sarasate's Introduction and Tarantella and the Kabalevsky Violin Concerto.
Feeling at home in the role of soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, he
served as Concertmaster of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra from 2000-2007 and
continues to perform as a guest musician with many of the Ensembles in the DC
area including the National Symphony and the Washington National Opera. As a
chamber musician he has performed at New York's Lincoln Center, the Kennedy
Center, Merkin Hall, Carnegie Hall, on several European tours and on many occasions
has appeared on the Embassy Series in Washington DC. The many prizes and honors
he has received include the Outstanding Young Emigre Musician Award at age 11,
presented by film and Broadway star Tony Roberts, as well as winning the Leningrad
Young Musician's Competition, the Westchester Conservatory Competition, the
University of Maryland Concerto Competition, Three University of Maryland Graduate
Assistantships, the New York Philharmonic National Young Artists Competition,
the Bergen Philharmonic Competition and the 1998 Inter-Cities Foundation Award.
“A great talent like Lukasz Szyrner comes along infrequently . . . . He has established an outstanding solo reputation. . . . [and] is without a doubt an outstanding instrumentalist who has a brilliant technique and a vivid talent....” Stephen Kates, Professor of Cello at The Peabody Conservatory. “... and the Sonata for Unaccompanied Cello, played beautifully by Lukasz Szyrner.” The Washington Post With a resumé of musical accomplishments beyond his years, Lukasz Szyrner brings his engaging talent to the stage. Born in Poznan, the musical capital of Poland, he began his studies at the age of seven. A recognized child prodigy, Mr. Szyrner was performing in the Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra when he was ten and made his solo debut with the orchestra at fourteen, performing the Saint-Saëns cello concerto. He was the youngest Master’s graduate of the Jan Paderewski Music Conservatory in Poznan, studying under Prof. Stanislav Pokorski. He continued his studies with Karine Georgian at the prestigious Hochschule für Musik in Detmold, Germany. (.http://www.hfm-detmold.de/..) Since coming to this country he has studied at The Peabody Conservatory with celebrated cellist Stephen Kates, and with renowned cellist Laurence Lesser at the New England Conservatory of Music. By age twenty, Mr. Szyrner started winning competitions worldwide. These including the International Nicanor Zabaleta Competition for Strings in San Sebastian, Spain; the Irving M. Klein String Competition in San Francisco; the Mary Graham Lesley International Music Competition; the Yale Gordon Competition; the International UNESCO competition for Young Musicians; and the D’Angelo Young Artist Competition. He was a semi-finalist in the Leonard Rose Competition, and in the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. In 1993, he was the recipient of the Glos Wielkopolski “Medal of Young Art” award for his artistic achievements in Poland and abroad. In past seasons, Mr. Szyrner has performed solo and chamber works throughout Europe and in major cities across the United States, including New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Richmond, and San Francisco. In addition to an active recital and chamber music career, Mr. Szyrner has soloed with many orchestras. He spends summers performing at numerous festivals such as the prestigious Ravinia Festival; the Piatigorsky Seminar in Los Angeles; and the Heifetz InternationalMusic Institute, where he also taught a master class series to aspiring young performers. Mr. Szyrner made his debut on compact disc with the Swedish recording company, Chamber Sound, and has performed for radio and television in Poland, Sweden, and Germany.
Dionne Laufman is a prize winning pianist and chamber musician. Ms.Laufman "is a poetic musician who has a marvelous sense of the movement of a line." Joan Reinthaler, The Washington Post. Winner of the Concert Artists Guild Competition in New York, she has performed throughout the United States, Europe and Canada. She made her solo debut recital at Carnegie Recital Hall in l973. Engagements outside the United States have included performances in Vienna, Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Bern, The Hague, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Montreal. In the Washington area, she has appeared in recital at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Phillips Collection, the Dumbarton Concert Series, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Barns at Wolf Trap, the Textile Museum, Meridian House, and with Artists To End World Hunger. Dionne Laufman "Made magic at the keyboard...Brilliant." Mark Adamo, The Washington Post. As a repertory member of The Embassy Series, in Washington, D.C., she was among the first Americans ever to perform at the Russian Embassy and the Russian Ambassador's Residence. Other Embassy Series concerts in which she participated, were at the embassies of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, The Netherlands, Great Britain, Hungary, Poland, New Zealand and Mexico. Ms. Laufman is known to radio and television audiences on the East Coast. She played with"a hearty extroverted style... energetic... exciting." John Rockwell, New York Times. Overseas audiences heard her broadcast over the Voice of America from the Kennedy Center, performing "Fantasy for Piano," a work written for her by composer Lawrence Moss. She has recorded for Opus. 1 Records. She was a pupil of eminent pianist Leon Fleisher, Konrad Wolff, Frank Glazer and Katja Andy. Chamber music mentors included members of the Fine Arts Quartet, the New York Woodwind Quintet, pianist Frank Glazer, and violin pedagogue Dorothy Delay. From l986-'89, Ms. Laufman was pianist and co-director of the Summer Serenades Chamber Music Festival at Strathmore Hall, which featured commissioned new works. She has been a repertory member of several chamber music ensembles, including The Embassy Series, The Washington Music Ensemble, The Capitol Chamber Ensemble, and currently, the National Chamber Ensemble. Dionne Laufman is co-founder of the Washington Conservatory of Music, where she served as Chairman of the Piano Faculty from l996-'99, and taught since its inception in l984. "Her playing was full of "passion and poetry." Scott Duncan, Baltimore Evening Sun.
Uri Wassertzug has appeared widely as a member of chamber music groups and as a guest artist, including performances in New Zealand and Alaska. He was a founding member of the Sun Quartet, which serves on the faculty of California State University, Sacramento He appears on CDs with both the Sun Quartet and the Empyrean Ensemble, a new-music group. In 1998, Mr. Wassertzug joined the Washington National Opera/ Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra in Washington DC, and he performs frequently as Guest Principal Violist with the National Philharmonic. He was a member of the Sacramento Symphony for its final six years, and has performed with many other symphonic and opera orchestras in the United States. In the summers, he has also performed in groups such as the Sun Valley Summer Symphony in Idaho, the International Orchestra of Italy, and the Cabrillo Music Festival in Santa Cruz, CA. Mr. Wassertzug teaches viola at George Washington University, and previously taught viola, violin, and chamber music at California State University in Sacramento. He has coached violists and violinists of various youth orchestras, including the DC Youth Orchestra and the California Youth Symphony. Mr. Wassertzug earned a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from the University of Maryland in College Park, and a Master of Music in Chamber Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
“Beautiful phrasing and understanding of character of the music.” “Bravo! A pleasure to listen to.” These are just some of the comments from judges of 2006 Mary Graham Lasley Competition, where Violinist Najin Kim was awarded the first prize.
Born in Seoul, Ms. Kim began her violin studies at the age of 4, and soon
was recognized as a child with an exceptional talent by winning the first
prize at Korean Daily Newspaper Competition at the age of 7, followed by the
second prize at Ewha Kyung-Hyang Competition only a few years after. At the
age of 9, Ms. Kim made the first trip to US to perform Mozart Concerto No. 5
with Northeast Chamber Orchestra in LA, California. In 1993, Ms. Kim moved
to New York to attend The Juilliard School, where she earned Pre-College
degree and Bachelor’s degree in violin performance in the studios of Dorothy
Delay, Wonbin Yim, and Hyo Kang. Ms. Kim went on to earn her Master’s degree
from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
Ms. Kim participated the first Annual Young Artist Starling-Delay Symposium
in 2001 as a Young Artist, and performed Shostakovich Violin Concerto in the
masterclasses of two World-Renowned violinists, Midori and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg
at Lincoln Center. As a recipient of various scholarships and grants, Ms. Kim performs around
the world. Ms. Kim participated in various summer music festivals, including
Aspen Music Festival, Spoleto USA Festival, and Santa Barbara Music Academy
of the West. An active chamber musician, Ms. Kim won Young Chamber
Musicians’ competition at the Lincoln Center of New York, where her group
gave an award performance of Brahms Piano Quintet. Her previous chamber
coaches include Orion String Quartet, Toby Appel, Lewis Kaplan, Melvin Chen,
Peter Oundjian, Tokyo String Quartet, Brentano String Quartet, Vermeer
String Quartet, Seth Knopp, and Alan Stepansky. Ms. Kim currently attends Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University
as a full scholarship recipient in the studio of Herbert Greenberg. Her
recent achievements include winning the professional division at Baltimore
Music Club Competition, and the 1st prize of Mary Graham Lasley Competition.
Ms. Kim also performs as guest musician with the Baltimore Symphony
Orchestra, Kennedy Center Orchestra, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra and the
National Symphony.