Guest Artist Series
2016–2017 Season
Helen M. Hosmer Hall
Tuesday, April 11, 7:30 PM
Crane Symphony Orchestra
Ching-Chun Lai, director
Awake and Rejoice
Burt Mason
(b. 1975)
Nils Klykken, conductor
Pause
Violin concerto in C, Op. 5, No. 1
Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Allegro
(1745–1799)
Andante moderato
Rondeau
Kelly Hall-Tompkins, violin
Concerto for Trombone
Allegro
Grave
Allegro
George Walker
(b. 1922)
Burt Mason, trombone
Intermission
Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American Symphony)
Moderato assai
Adagio
Animato
Lento, con risolutione
William Grant Still
(1895–1978)
Kelly Hall-Tompkins, violin
Acclaimed by the New York Times as “the versatile violinist who makes the music come
alive” and for her “tonal mastery” (BBC Music Magazine) and “searing intensity”
(American Record Guide), violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins is forging a dynamic career as
a soloist and chamber musician. Winner of a Naumburg International Violin Competition
Honorarium Prize as well as a Concert Artists Guild Career Grant, Ms. Hall-Tompkins
has appeared as soloist with orchestras including the Dallas Symphony, Oakland
Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Tulsa Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of New
York, and a Brevard Festival Orchestra under the baton of Keith Lockhart, in addition to
numerous concerts and recitals in cities including New York, Washington, Cleveland,
Toronto, Chicago, Baltimore, and Greenville, South Carolina, and at festivals in France,
Germany and Italy.
For thirteen months on Broadway, Ms. Hall-Tompkins was the “Fiddler,” violin soloist,
for the Bartlett Sher production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” with numerous solos written
especially for her. The New York Times hailed her in a feature article as holding the title
role, together with dancer Jesse Kovarsky. Featured as soloist in almost 500 Broadway
performances, plus a Grammy-nominated cast album alongside a bonus track by Itzhak
Perlman, Ms. Hall-Tompkins has been the featured subject on NBC’s Today Show with
Harry Smith, NBC 4 New York with Janice Huff, NBC 4 at 5, Playbill.com,
BroadwayWorld.com, WWFM radio Princeton and Strings Magazine among numerous
other major press outlets for her role in Fiddler. A significant collaborating partner with
violinist/composer Mark O’Connor for five years, Ms. Hall-Tompkins performed his
Double Violin Concerto with O’Connor in concerts across the United States. As a
passionate chamber musician, Ms. Hall-Tompkins was first violinist of the O’Connor
String Quartet, which performed concerts nationally, including Tanglewood, Santa Fe
Chamber Music Festival and Lincoln Center’s Great Performer’s Circle, and a member of
the Florida-based Ritz Chamber Players, including concerts in residence at Jacksonville’s
Times Union Center for the Performing Arts, the Ravinia Festival’s “Rising Stars Series,”
New York at Lincoln Center’s Allen Room, and in Baltimore in collaboration with BSO
concertmaster and string principals, along with many other venues. She has performed at
the Garth Newel Music Center, Chamber Music South Dakota, New York City’s
Bargemusic, live on WNYC’s “Soundcheck”, at Miami’s Deering Estate Series and for
the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild.
Additional performance highlights include a 2007 Benefit for the Victims of Darfur at
Carnegie Hall. Ms. Hall-Tompkins was invited by actress Mia Farrow and conductor
George Matthew to perform as soloist before an orchestra comprised of musicians from
every major orchestra in the world. In 2002 Hall-Tompkins commissioned a new work
for violin and percussion from the German composer Siegfried Matthus, which was
premiered at Michigan’s Pine Mountain Music Festival and gave in 2016 with the
Oakland East Bay Symphony the US Premiere of Professor Matthus’s newest Violin
Concerto. Ms. Hall-Tompkins’ performances have been broadcast in New York by
WQXR, by Chicago’s WFMT and live on the BBC.
Regularly tapped as concertmaster, Ms. Hall-Tompkins’ distinguished orchestral career
includes the 2016 Lincoln Center Benefit for the 10 year Anniversary of “Light in the
Piazza,” a 2016 PBS Live from Lincoln Center Broadcast with Lang Lang. Ms. HallTompkins’ orchestral career also includes extensive touring in the United States and
internationally with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, including performances in Carnegie
Hall, Lincoln Center, Japan, Singapore, Scotland and a recording with countertenor
Andreas Scholl. She has also performed over 150 performances with the New York
Philharmonic, under conductors including Kurt Masur, Leonard Slatkin, Andre Previn,
Charles Dutoit and Valery Gergiev. Ms. Hall-Tompkins has also lead numerous
Carnegie Hall concerts with the New York Pops and as founding member of the Chamber
Orchestra of New York, which performed its debut concert in Carnegie’s Zankel Hall in
the Fall ’07 with Ms. Hall-Tompkins also as soloist. From 1999-2012 she was a member
of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s first violin section.
A dedicated humanitarian, Ms. Hall-Tompkins founded and directs Music Kitchen-Food
for the Soul, which has, to date, brought almost 100 chamber music performances to New
York City and Los Angeles homeless shelters, with over 150 artists including Emanuel
Ax, Glenn Dicterow, Albrecht Mayer, Jeff Ziegler and Rene Marie. Kelly and Music
Kitchen have been featured in The New York Times, on CBSNews.com and
ABCNews.com, plus Strings Magazine, Chamber Music America Magazine, Spirituality
and Health Magazine, Columbia University Radio and cable’s Hallmark Channel.
Ms. Hall Tompkins received an Honorary Doctorate from the Manhattan School of
Music, her alma mater, in 2016, and also delivered the Commencement address. She is
also one of three 2017 recipients of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, which will be
presented at the US Supreme Court by Justice Sotomayor. She earned a Master’s degree
from the Manhattan School under the mentorship of Glenn Dicterow, concertmaster of
the New York Philharmonic. While there, she was concertmaster of both of the school’s
orchestras. Prior to that, she earned a Bachelor of Music degree with honors in violin
performance with a minor in French from the Eastman School of Music studying with
Charles Castleman. While at Eastman she won the school’s prestigious Performer’s
Certificate Competition, several scholarship awards from the New York Philharmonic,
and was invited to perform chamber music on the school’s Kilbourn Concert Series with
members of the faculty.
An avid polyglot, Ms. Hall-Tompkins studies and speaks seven languages. A native of
Greenville, South Carolina, Ms. Hall-Tompkins began her violin studies at age nine. She
lives in New York City with her husband Joe.
Burt Mason, trombone
Burt Mason currently serves as Principal Trombone of the Chamber Orchestra
of New York. He is on faculty of the Music Advancement Program at the
Juilliard School. He was formerly solo trombone for the Miami Music Project as
well as Principal Trombone and soloist of the New York Staff Band of The
Salvation Army. He performs frequently with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
and New York Philharmonic, and has been featured as a guest artist of the New
York Philharmonic Brass, the Metropolitan Opera Brass and Utah Symphony.
He has also appeared as soloist with numerous ensembles, performing
throughout North America, the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia. Mr.
Mason has performed under the baton of notable conductors such as James
Levine, Alan Gilbert, Mstislav Rostropovich, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Skitch
Henderson, Kenneth Kiesler and Sidney Harth amongst others in worldrenowned venues such as Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center,
Kennedy Center and the Apollo Theater.
Mr. Mason began playing trombone at age 12 but did not receive any formal
lessons until he entered college at the Crane School of Music (SUNY Potsdam).
Despite this lack of formal training in his early stages, his natural skills as a
trombonist placed him as a finalist in the first annual New York Philharmonic
Young Performers Audition, selection for the esteemed NAfME/MENC AllEastern Band, the NYSSMA All-State Band and Orchestra, as well as winning
several local music contests during high school. While in college at the Crane
School of Music, Mr. Mason won the Crane School of Music’s most prestigious
performing contest, the annual Crane Concerto Competition as a sophomore.
Mr. Mason is also an advocate for Diversity in the Arts. He appeared as a guest
on WQXR’s “Conducting Business” with Naomi Lewin to discuss the history
and future of classical music and American orchestras. In addition, he performs
regularly with organizations and events that promote artistic diversity in
classical music, including the Sphinx Competition and Symphony and the
Gateways Music Festival.
As a recording artist, Mr. Mason has been featured as a soloist on a variety of
recordings with the New York Staff Band on the Triumphonic label. He has also
completed several recordings with Chamber Orchestra of New York on the
Naxos label.
Mr. Mason holds an MM in Orchestral Performance from the Manhattan School
of Music studying with David Finlayson of the New York Philharmonic. He has
had additional studies with Joseph Alessi of the New York Philharmonic,
Weston Sprott of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and obtained his BA in
Music as a student of Mark Hartman at the Crane School of Music at SUNY
Potsdam. Mr. Mason also holds an MBA in Arts Administration from SUNY
Binghamton University. Learn more at www.burtmason.com
Crane Symphony Orchestra
Violin I
Jayde Martin **
Dana Berman
Andrew Caswell
Joe Field
Michael Hahn
Esteban Hansbrough
Mackenzie Hoffman
Nurkit Lucksom
Harrison Park
Katherine Smith
Fred Volz
Cello
Meagan Alderisio
Alicia Caropreso
John Carosella
Samantha Godus*^#
Maeve Hanchrow
Jon Kim
John-Kyle Konye
Steve Madonia
Victoria Saladino
Shelby Sipos
Hannah Van Wickler
Violin II
AJ Barbera
Emily Berardicelli
Jessica Bowen
Tom Eustaquio*^#
Marissa Faltings
Adam Girts
Blakely Grunenberg
Lauren Hart
Michael Murdock
Erika Nick
Manuel Rodriguez
Amanda Segale
Bass
Ian Dingman
Ally Jindra
Justin Kehati
Anthony Klenke
Aidan Moore
Adelle St. Onge*^#
Sarah Taylor
Viola
Zach Castro
Loren Daley
Samantha Dalton
Carissa Erikson
J. T. Esposito
Eva Farina
Alexandra Hamilton
Brandon Keough
Alexa Mani
Jill Salem
Shannon Santmyer
Brandon White*^#
Piccolo
Julia Murray
Dustin White
Flute
Julia Murray#
Kennedy Burgess^
Dustin White
Oboe
Meagan Flynn
Christopher Leech#
Olivia McCartney
Lillia Woolschlager*^
English Horn
Lillia Woolschlager
Clarinet
Brandon Burgess^
Alessandra Shellard
Mitchell Tellerday#
Bass Clarinet
Solomon Elyaho
Bassoon
Matthew Boice^#
Tara Price
Contrabassoon
Maxime Esformes
Horn
Kyra Ellliott
Isabella Kolasinski
Madeline Leppert*
Klayton Schaefer^#
Trumpet
Elizabeth Baker
Emily King
Tyler Nappo^#
Trombone
Jenna Thomas
Matthew Tichy^#
Bass Trombone
Sean Selinske
Tuba
Joseph Randazzo
Tenor Banjo
Kyle Lee