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 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.
This season he makes his debut with the Alexandria Symphony as well as
continuing to appear with the National Chamber Ensemble in
the role of Artistic Director and performer. He also returns to the
Phillips Collection for a recital with pianist Carlos Cesar Rodriguez. Most
recently he appeared in recital in Minneapolis,MN and in Washington DC. This
past season he also made his debut on the Steinway Series at at the
Smithsonian Museum of American Art. In March he made 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 and soloist 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,
presented by film and Broadway star Tony Roberts, 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 Inter-Cities Foundation Award.
“A great talent like Lukasz Szyrner comes along infrequently . . . . [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. “... 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.
JEFFREY CHAPPELL has performed throughout the United States in recitals and chamber music and has been a soloist with major symphony orchestras including the Philadelphia, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Houston, and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras. Frequent appearances with the Baltimore Symphony include concerts at Carnegie Hall and Wolf Trap, and a substitution for Claudio Arrau on four hours’ notice playing the Brahms Second Concerto. Many of his performances have been heard on nationwide radio broadcasts. He has concertized in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, and appeared at summer festivals including Marlboro and the La Gesse Festival. Mr. Chappell is also a recording artist and an award-winning composer. His solo piano composition “American Sonata” won the Keyboard Magazine Soundpage Competition, and “Shadowdance” was commissioned by the Mid-Atlantic Chamber Orchestra with a grant from the Meet The Composer Foundation. He was a recipient of the Solo Recitalist Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. His teachers were Jane Allen, Eleanor Sokoloff at the Curtis Institute, and Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory. He is on the faculties of Goucher College and The Levine School of Music. He was a contributing editor for Piano&Keyboard. Mr. Chappell is represented by CHL Artists. For more information, visit jeffreychappell.com.
"Unassuming charm" is a quality often attributed to the performances of
Ukrainian-born violinist, Peter Sirotin. But behind that charm is a refined
style honed over fifteen years of performing for audiences in Russia,
Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada and the United States.
Born in 1973, Sirotin began studying violin at the age of six. At 14, he
debuted with the Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra performing the Paganini
Concerto No.1. Four years later he graduated from Moscow’s prestigious
Central Music School with Honors, and in 1991, he joined the Moscow Soloists
chamber orchestra, becoming the acclaimed group’s youngest member. Sirotin
has studied under the tutelage of the world’s most respected authorities,
including Adolf Leschinsky, a pupil of Carl Flesch, Berl Senofsky, Victor
Danchenko and Alexander Melnikov. He has worked with internationally
renowned artists such as Natalia Gutman, Alexander Rudin, Alexei Lubimov,
Yuri Bashmet, Igor Zhukov and the members of the Borodin String Quartet. He
has also performed in music festivals and concert series across Europe and
Asia, including the Istanbul Music Festival; the Rostropovich Music Festival
in Evian, France; and the Promenade Concerts in London’s Royal Albert Hall.
As the concertmaster of the Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, he performed
with Arlo Guthrie in Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center Concert Hall and Verizon
Hall in Kimmel Center. Today, Sirotin plays a non-stop schedule of solo,
chamber music, and orchestral performances throughout the United States and
Canada. He is a graduate of the Moscow State Conservatory and the Peabody
Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. Peter Sirotin founded the Mendelssohn
Piano Trio and the Razumovsky String Quartet in 1997. Currently he is the
Associate Concertmaster of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra and
Artist-in-Residence at Messiah College in PA.
Graduated from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University with BM and MM. She is currently Artist-in-Residence at Messiah College in PA. As Pianist for the Mendelssohn Piano Trio, Ya-Ting Chang contributes a virtuoso talent developed from years of solo and chamber music experience. She is reputed for her measureless ability to couple sophistication and grace with an intellectual passion for each piece she performs. The result is a performance of an extraordinary musicality and depth. Ya-Ting Chang began studying piano at age six, and she soared to national prominence in her native Taiwan when she won first prize in the 1987 Taiwan National Piano Competition. After coming to the United States in 1988 as part of the Taiwanese Government’s Gifted Children program, she studied piano with Enrique Graf. She entered the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University as a scholarship student of Ann Schein. She has performed extensively throughout the United States, Germany, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Award won include the International Young Keyboard Artists Association Piano Solo Competition, and Piano Concerto Competition; the Music Teachers National Association Maryland Piano Competition and the Eastern Division Piano Competition; International Corpus Cristi Young Artists Piano Concerto Competition; and the Taiwan National Chopin Competition.
The Washington Post critics described her recent performances in Washington DC Embassy Series as “impressive” and “eloquent”.
Edgardo Malaga, jr., Double Bassist, is currently serving as Assistant Principal Bass for the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. He has also been a frequent performer the with National Symphony and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Post-Classical Ensemble and Concert Opera of Washington. Mr. Malaga has been active playing chamber music in the Washington area with the Fessenden Ensemble, Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra, the Left Bank Chamber Music Society and with Daniel Heifetz and the Classical Band. He currently serves on the faculty of American University and St. Mary's College, MD.
Characterized as a “compelling and imaginative performer” by The Washington Post, pianist Kathryn Brake has performed solo recitals in the United States, Canada, Italy, France, Switzerland and Spain. A winner of the National Young Chopin Competition, the Beethoven Competition, the Kosciusko Foundation Awards and the Elizabeth Davis Award, she has performed as soloist with several orchestras, including the Baltimore Symphony and the National Symphony. A much sought-after chamber music player and recitalist who is equally at ease with a wide range of musical styles, Ms. Brake has performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Phillips Gallery and the National Gallery in Washington DC, the Armand Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, the Teatro Real in Madrid and the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona. She is a regular performer at the Sun Valley Symphony Chamber Music Festival and is pianist for the Washington based group Musica Aperta. Ms. Brake has performed live on WETA and WGMS radio stations and has recorded broadcasts for France Musique and Radio Television Espanola. She can be heard on the Albany Records label in several critically acclaimed recordings of duos and chamber music.
Philip Hosford is a pianist of international reputation, having toured throughout the United States, Europe, South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. Performance highlights include those at the Kennedy Center, Strathmore Center for the Arts, New York’s Lincoln Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, Teatro del Opera in Buenos Aires and Kolarec Narodni Hall in Belgrade. He is the winner 15 national and international piano competitions. He is a recipient of the Solo Performers Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and is currently performing as a member of the National Philharmonic Piano Trio. Mr. Hosford and his wife, Hayuru Taima founded the Academy of Music in Gaithersburg, Maryland which has a current enrollment of over 500 students.
Andrew Pal is a professional musician and composer who played with various bands in Eastern Europe (Legend, Utopia, O-Zone). Among the most successful projects that Andrew participated in was the musical arrangements and accompaniment for the vocal trio O-Zone. In 2002-2004, Utopia and O-Zone performed across Europe for thousands of fans, and some of O-Zone's songs (“Dragostea din Tei” - aka “Numai Numai”, “Pentru tine”, etc.) were among the top 10 songs on the 2004 Eurochart. In May of 2005 Andrew moved to the US and, at this time, along with weekly performances as a lead guitar with an alternative rock band "Butter Sweet" and his guitar teaching at several music schools, Andrew is working on adaptation of his existing songs and recording of new material. Most recently Andrew wrote and recorded the score for an independent movie (“My Life in Dreams” by Luis Campos) submitted to the Sundance Festival 2007.
Lowell Liebermann is one of America’s most frequently performed and
recorded composers. Orchestras worldwide have played Liebermann's works, as
have distinguished artists including Sir James Galway, Steven Isserlis,
Susan Graham, Charles Dutoit, James Levine, Andrew Litton, Msistislav
Rostropovich and many others. His compositions have been released on compact
disc by more than forty labels. His Piano Concerto No.2, Op.36, recorded by
Stephen Hough and the BBC Scottish Symphony with the composer conducting,
received a Grammy nomination for “Best Contemporary Classical Composition.”
Mr. Liebermann has written two operas, both premiered to great audience and
critical acclaim: The Picture of Dorian Gray, commissioned and premiered by
the Monte-Carlo Opera, and Miss Lonelyhearts, with a libretto by J. D.
McClatchy after Nathanael West’s novel, commissioned by the Juilliard School
to celebrate its 100th Anniversary. He has served as Composer-in-Residence
for many organizations, including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Sapporo's
Pacific Music Festival, and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. He was the
first composer to win the Composers' Invitational Award of the Van Cliburn
Piano Competition for his Three Impromptus, Op.68 . Mr. Liebermann maintains
an active performing schedule as pianist and conductor. He has collaborated
with distinguished artists such as flautists Sir James Galway and Jeffrey
Khaner, violinist Chantal Juillet, cellist Andres Diaz,
and singers Robert White and Carole Farley in venues such as Carnegie Hall,
Lincoln Center, London’s Wigmore Hall and the Berlin Philharmonie.
Carmen Balthrop has an astonishing range of repertoire from Baroque opera
to contemporary song literature. She has appeared with most of the major
opera companies in North America including The Metropolitan, San Francisco
and Houston, as well as European opera houses including Venice(Teatro La
Fenice) and Berlin (Teatro des Westens).Her many orchestral appearances
include oratorio and concert performances with the New York Philharmonic,
National, Boston, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis,
Houston and Detroit symphonies.
In great demand as a recitalist, she has performed at the White House, the
Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, as well as the major venues of Italy, the
Netherlands, Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia, Beijing and Shanghai, China
and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and Nassau,Bahamas. National Public Radio chose
to air, on Christmas day (2000), the live recording of her Chrismas art song
recital, performed at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Ms.Balthrop’s discography, found on the Deutsche Grammophon, Elan, New
World, and Fonit Cetra labels, includes the title roles of Scott Joplin's
Treemonisha and Claudio Monteverdi's L’Incoronazione di Poppea. Her solo
compact disc entitled The Art Of Christmas, Volume I was released in the
fall of 2004 and is available at CDBaby.com.
A Professor of Voice in the School of Music at the University of Maryland,
she has been inducted into the University’s Alumni Hall of Fame.
Critically acclaimed as a musician of virtuosity and versatility, pianist José Cáceres has appeared throughout the United States, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Some of the venues in which he has performed in recital include the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall; the Concert Hall, Terrace Theater and Millennium Stages at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; the Sala Manuel M. Ponce at Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City; and the Concert Hall at the Fine Arts Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He has been heard with major orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra, the American Youth Philharmonic, the Fairfax Symphony, and the Puerto Rico Symphony.
His passion to perform as collaborator in chamber and art song recitals has led him to appear as guest artist with the Washington Chamber Society as well as at the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, the San Antonio Music Festival, the Library of Congress, the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and at the Marian Anderson International Vocal Arts Competition and Festival.
Ms Dukan began her musical studies in Split, Croatia, where she won
numerous national competitions, including first prize in Stresa, Italy. Her
appearance at the 1995 Chopin Competition in Warsaw led to engagements
throughout Poland. She has performed frequently with national orchestras and
in recitals and has recorded for radio and television in her native country
and in Italy. Her North American appearances include the
American Liszt Society Festival in Hamilton, Canada and twice a the Texas
Festival of Young Artists. She has performed numerous recitals throughout
the Washington area. Ms Dukan is an honored Maryland State Arts Council
Individual Performer’s Grant three time recipient and is on the piano
faculty at the Academy of Fine Arts in Montgomery County.