Advance Program Notes
Chamber Music Series
June 13-29, 2016
These Advance Program Notes are provided online for our patrons who like to read about
performances ahead of time. Printed programs will be provided to patrons at the performances.
Programs are subject to change.
Chamber Music Series
June 13-29, 2016
All performances are free and will be held in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, Street and Davis Performance Hall
in the Moss Arts Center unless otherwise noted.
Thursday, June 16, 2016, 7:30 PM
SUMMER NIGHTS AND MELODIES
Saturday, June 25, 2016, 7:30 PM
FOLK INSPIRATIONS AND ECHOES
Nikola Djurica, clarinet
Mathias Tacke, violin
David Ehrlich, violin
Nikola Djurica, clarinet
Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin
Mathias Tacke, violin
David Ehrlich, violin
Katharina Kang, viola
Dmitry Kouzov, cello
Richard Masters, piano
Our June chamber series brings music guaranteed
to set your spirits soaring into the summer stars. We
start out with Beethoven’s Trio for Clarinet, Cello, and
Piano in B Flat Major, op. 11; Dohnányi’s Quintet for
Piano and Strings, no. 1 in C Minor; and a buoyant
selection of Klezmer Music for Clarinet and String
Quartet.
Thursday, June 16, 2016, 7:30 PM
INFORMAL JAZZ CONCERT FEATURING CLARINET
AND PIANO
P. Buckley Moss Art Gallery, 223 Gilbert Street,
Blacksburg
Nikola Djurica, clarinet
Albert Newberry, piano
Enjoy art and jazz in this casual gathering hosted by
the P. Buckley Moss Art Gallery.
Thursday, June 23, 2016, 7:30 PM
QUINTET FERVOR
Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin
Mathias Tacke, violin
David Ehrlich, violin
Katharina Kang, viola
Michael Strauss, viola
Dmitry Kouzov, cello
Richard Masters, piano
Two of the world’s most admired quintets are featured
in this program filled with German passion. Brahm’s
expansive and heroic Quintet for Piano and Strings in
F Minor, op. 34 and Beethoven’s String Quintet in C
Major, op. 29, The Storm, show the composers at the
top of their forms.
Michael Strauss, viola
Emanuel Gruber, cello
Richard Masters, piano
Drawing inspiration from many lands and folk
traditions, this evening features rich works, including
the Arutiunian Suite for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano;
the Kodály Serenade for Two Violins and Viola; and
other repertoire.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016, 7:30 PM
ELEGANCE AND EMOTION
Squires Recital Salon
Nikola Djurica, clarinet
Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin
David Ehrlich, violin
Katharina Kang, viola
Michael Strauss, viola
Emanuel Gruber, cello
The evening’s concert puts lyricism in the spotlight,
with Mozart’s fancifully romantic Quintet for Clarinet
and Strings in A Major, Pártos’ Concertino for String
Quartet, and Mendelssohn’s String Quintet in B Flat
Major, op. 87, with its passionate and mysterious
undertones.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016, 7:30 PM
SUMMER INTENSIVE CHAMBER MUSIC SEMINAR
CLOSING CONCERT
Squires Recital Salon
Featuring the young artist ensembles taking part in
this year’s intensive seminar, the evening’s program
will be drawn from the rich range of repertoire they
have developed through coaching and rehearsals
over the past two weeks.
Program Notes
Thursday, June 16, 2016, 7:30 PM
SUMMER NIGHTS AND MELODIES
Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, Street and Davis Performance Hall, Moss Arts Center
Nikola Djurica, clarinet
Mathias Tacke, violin
David Ehrlich, violin
Katharina Kang, viola
Dmitry Kouzov, cello
Richard Masters, piano
Trio for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano in B Flat Major, op. 11
Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770-1827)
Allegro con brio
Adagio
Tema: Pria ch’io L’impegno
Klezmer music for Clarinet and String Quartet
Traditional
Arranged by Lev Zurbin
INTERMISSION
Quintet for Piano and Strings, no. 1, in C Minor
Allegro
Scherzo: Allegro vivace
Adagio, quasi andante
Finale: Allegro animato
Trio for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano in B Flat Major, op. 11
Ludwig van Beethoven
A very entertaining, light-spirited work, which was
probably composed for the clarinet virtuoso, Joseph
Beer, from Bohemia. This was composed before the
first set of six string quartets, op.18; it shows off the
players and does not pretend to be a deep, serious,
and complex work. The first movement has a couple of
false endings just to keep us on our toes. The second
movement starts with a beautiful, expressive, slow
introduction to the cello. Afterwards we have some
conversations between the cello and the clarinet, and
after a more dramatic section, we have the repeat in
a more ornate way. The last movement, titled Before
What I Intended, has a theme and nine variations,
which were mainly created to entertain and show off
the performers’ skills. It was based on an aria with
the same name from the opera, L’Amor Marinaro,
by Joseph Weigl. This work became very popular, so
Beethoven re-wrote it for a violin, cello, and piano as
well, so he could sell more copies of the music and
get more players interested in performing it.
Klezmer Music for Clarinet and String Quartet
Traditional; arranged by Lev Zurbin
Program notes will be given from the stage.
Erno Dohnányi
(1877-1960)
Quintet for Piano and Strings, no. 1, in C Minor
Erno Dohnányi
The C minor piano quintet is the first of almost 70
early works that the composer considered worthy
of an opus number. Brahms endorsed Dohnányi’s
enthusiasm for the piece by arranging for it to be
played in Vienna soon after the premiere in 1895. The
work is full of passion and youthful energy, and it has
been a popular chamber music work with music lovers
everywhere. The opening allegro begins as the piano
sets out the broad, ardently mobile first subject idea,
which will return to end the entire work in the coda
of the finale. The strings develop the opening motif
in a majestically sonorous unison, which is the sound
Brahms uses in his first piano quartet, op. 25. The
scherzo is complex rhythmically and is reminiscent of
the Furiants of Dvořák. The trio is much gentler and
very melodious. The adagio is the most Romantic
movement, using a haunting melody introduced
by the viola and passing through the instruments in
different combinations. The finale, a strutting rondo in
5/4 time, takes as its theme a proud Magyar-inspired
idea, and is very imaginative. The coda brings back
the opening theme of the entire work, played by the
piano and followed immediately by the strings, in
preparation for a grandiose reiteration of the Magyar
motif. Dohnányi’s op. 1 ends triumphantly.
Program Notes
Thursday, June 23, 2016, 7:30 PM
QUINTET FERVOR
Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, Street and Davis Performance Hall, Moss Arts Center
Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin
Mathias Tacke, violin
David Ehrlich, violin
Katharina Kang, viola
Michael Strauss, viola
Dmitry Kouzov, cello
Richard Masters, piano
Quintet for Piano and Strings in F Minor, op. 34
Johannes Brahms
(1833-1897)
Allegro non troppo
Andante, un poco adagio
Scherzo: Allegro
Finale: Poco sostenuto
INTERMISSION
String Quintet in C Major, op. 29, The Storm
Allegro moderato
Adagio molto espressivo
Scherzo: Allegro
Finale: Presto-Andante con moto e scherzoso
Quintet for Piano and Strings in F Minor, op. 34
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms began work on the quintet in
1862, the year he decided to leave his hometown
of Hamburg to settle in Vienna. Originally the piece
was cast for string quintet with two cellos. In August
1862 he sent the first three movements to his friend
and mentor, Clara Schumann, and to violinist Joseph
Joachim, who responded enthusiastically at first, but
expressed reservations about the piece during the
following months. Brahms destroyed that version. By
1863 he decided to revise the work for two pianos
and performed it with Karl Tausig at a concert in
Vienna in 1864. During the summer of 1864 Brahms
revised the score, this time as a quintet for piano
and string quartet. The quintet’s opening movement
is tempestuous and tragic in mood. The dramatic
main theme is stated immediately in unison by violin,
cello, and piano and then repeated with greater force
by the entire ensemble. The development section
treats the main and second themes and ushers in the
recapitulation on a great wave of sound. The slow
second movement is very tender and warm. The
outer sections of the three-part form are based on a
gentle, lyrical strain in sweet, close interval harmonies,
while the movement’s central portion uses a melody
incorporating an octave-leap motive. The scherzo is
one of Brahms’ most electrifying movements. The
scherzo proper contains three motivic elements.
Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770-1827)
These three components are juxtaposed throughout
the movement. The finale opens with a pensive,
slow introduction, fueled by deeply-felt chromatic
harmonies. The body of the movement, in fast tempo,
is a hybrid of rondo and sonata forms. Despite the
buoyant, Gypsy flavor of the movement’s thematic
material, the tragic tenor of this great quintet is
maintained until its closing page.
String Quintet in C Major, op. 29, The Storm
Ludwig van Beethoven
The only original viola quintet by Beethoven was
composed shortly after the six op. 18 quartets and
was published a year later in 1802. This beautiful work
looks back at Mozart, who composed a famous viola
quintet in the same key and showed it to Beethoven.
The first two movements are very classical and
transparent, while the last two give us a glimpse into
Beethoven’s future, the more Romantic style. Right
from the beginning, the lyrical character, beautiful
melodies, and delicate voicing show his admiration
and respect of Mozart. The fourth movement,
nicknamed The Storm, reminds us somewhat of the
last movement of op. 18, quartet no. 6. However, this
movement is more positive and entertaining in spirit
and is interrupted twice by short Menuet sections that
serve as a contract to the fast pace of the rest of the
movement.
Program Notes
Saturday, June 25, 2016, 7:30 PM
FOLK INSPIRATIONS AND ECHOES
Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, Street and Davis Performance Hall, Moss Arts Center
Nikola Djurica, clarinet
Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin
Mathias Tacke, violin
David Ehrlich, violin
Michael Strauss, viola
Emanuel Gruber, cello
Richard Masters, piano
Suite for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano
Alexander Arutiunian
(1920-2012)
Introduction: Lento
Scherzo: Allegretto
Dialog: Adagio
Finale: Allegro non troppo
Serenade for Two Violins and Viola
Zoltán Kodály
(1882-1967)
Allegramente
Lento, ma non troppo
Vivo
Suite for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano
Alexander Arutiunian
Serenade for Two Violins and Viola
Zoltán Kodály
Alexander Arutiunian was born in Yerevan, Armenia.
He graduated from the Komitas State Conservatory of
Yerevan in 1941 and continued his studies in Moscow.
In 1954 he became the music director of the Armenian
Philharmonic and also taught at the Komitas State
Conservatory of Yerevan. Arutiunian is the recipient
of numerous awards, such as State Prizes of the
U.S.S.R. and A.S.S.R., as well as the Orpheus Award
in the United States. His compositions are written in
a very accessible style, which incorporates features
of Armenian folk music. This trio was commissioned
by the Verdehr Trio and funded by Michigan State
University in 1992. The world premiere took place
in Baltimore, Maryland, on October 10, 1992, by
members of the Verdehr Trio, featuring Walter
Verdehr (violin), Elas Ludewig-Verdehr (clarinet), and
Gary Kirkpatrick (piano).
Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók are considered the first
nationalistic Hungarian composers. They searched
for music of the people, finding the oldest village
people they could and asking them to sing tunes they
learned as children. They did not want to compose
in the Germanic style that they learned as students,
but wanted to incorporate their folklore into the new
works. This serenade is unique in its structure: three
movements, with the middle movement functioning
as a love story between the violin and viola. The
instrumentation is unusual as well. The viola functions
here as a full participant in the melodic structure,
while supplying the bass at the same time. The only
other famous work in the chamber music literature
for this combination is a beautiful terzetto by Antonín
Dvořák. The first movement shows the influence of
French impressionism on the composer, as Kodály
was a great admirer of the music of Claude Debussy.
Still, the sound, rhythmical stress, and feel of the
movement are typical to Kodály and Bartók. In the
second movement Kodály succeeded in using music
to sound like words or syllables. The lovers quarrel,
ridicule each other, and then express their love again.
The last movement is very brilliant and is based on
folk tunes of the people. The style of all movements
is very free, the emotions flow, and the work ends in
a frenzy.
Additional information to be announced from the stage.
Program Notes
Tuesday, June 28, 2016, 7:30 PM
ELEGANCE AND EMOTION
Squires Recital Salon
Nikola Djurica, clarinet
Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin
David Ehrlich, violin
Katharina Kang, viola
Michael Strauss, viola
Emanuel Gruber, cello
Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A Major
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756-1791)
Allegro
Larghetto
Menuetto
Allegretto con Variazioni
Concertino for String Quartet
Ödön Pártos
(1907-1977)
INTERMISSION
String Quintet in B Flat Major, op. 87
Allegro Vivace
Andante scherzando
Adagio e lento
Allegro molto vivace
Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A Major
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Just like Johannes Brahms, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
was blown away listening to a great clarinet player and was
inspired to write a special work to feature this marvelous
musician. In Mozart’s case it was Anton Stadler, who
served as the principal clarinet of the court orchestra in
Vienna. Stadler was a famous and brilliant clarinetist who
experimented regularly with the instrument and invented a
way to extend its range by four notes. The quintet is very
lyrical, warm, and beautiful; every player has interesting and
attractive things to play, and the clarinet shines throughout.
The last movement has a feel of a folk tune and is written
in the form of theme and variations. The variations are of
different temperament and feelings and give opportunity
to the instrumentalist to show some virtuosity.
Concertino for String Quartet
Ödön Pártos
Israeli composer and head of the Tel Aviv Music Academy,
Ödön Pártos was born in Hungary and studied violin with
famous teacher Jenő Hubay. Partos moved to Palestine
in 1938 and was principal viola player with the Palestine
Symphony Orchestra, which later became the Israeli
Felix Mendelssohn
(1809-1847)
Philharmonic. Pártos composed the concertino, his first
quartet, in 1932. From early on his compositions reflected
the rhythms and melodic patterns of Eastern tradition,
emphasizing the chromatic melodic turns and themes. This
work was revised several times and arranged for string
orchestra. It is a powerful, short work in one movement.
String Quintet in B Flat Major, op. 87
Felix Mendelssohn
This very popular work was composed during a vacation in
Bad Soden, one of Felix Mendelssohn’s favorite vacation
spots, where he composed the famous violin concerto.
The quintet in B flat major is a passionate work, reminding
us of the great concerto as well as the unique octet,
written about 20 years earlier. An extraverted, exciting
opening movement gives great prominence to the first
violin, making parts of the movement sound almost like a
virtuoso concerto. The second movement, with its dancelike motion, serves as something of an interlude between
the opening movement and the third, the cornerstone
movement of the piece, where a haunting, tragic melody is
on top of a rhythmical pattern resembling a heartbeat. This
is one of the most special movements that Mendelssohn
ever wrote. The sparkling final movement returns to the
energy of the first and makes for an exciting conclusion.
Program Notes
Wednesday, June 29, 2016, 7:30 PM
SUMMER INTENSIVE CLOSING CONCERT
Squires Recital Salon
Julius Quartet
Hyun Jeong Helen Lee, violin
David Do, violin
John Batchelder, viola
Byron Hogan, cello
Fuego Trio
Melody Whitaker, violin
Trevor Whitaker, cello
Courtney Hight, piano
Bard College
Tianpei Ai, violin
Caroline Buse, violin and viola
Valory Hight, violin
Emily Munstedt, cello
Program to be announced from the stage.
Arizona State University
Clarice Collins, violin
Luke Hill, violin
Sarah Knight, viola
Wei Guo, cello
Performing with Arizona State University
Chris Rogers-Beadle, viola
Terrence Lo, cello
Biographies
FACULTY
SHMUEL ASHKENASI, violin
Shmuel Ashkenasi, first violinist on the Vermeer Quartet and professor of violin at Northern Illinois University,
holds an artist diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music. He performs extensively as a soloist in the United
States, Europe, South America, the former Soviet Union, and Japan. His personal recording credits include
the Paganini Violin Concerti with the Vienna Philharmonic, recorded for Deutsche Grammophon; the Mozart
Violin Concerto no. 5, KV 219; and the Beethoven Romances with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, recorded
for Tudor Records. In 1962, he was awarded second prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, causing
an international sensation and musical triumph, since his country, Israel, had no diplomatic relations with the
Soviet Union at the time. He then went on to win the Merriweather Post Contest in Washington, D.C. He
began musical training in Tel Aviv, Israel, and later studied with Efrem Zimbalist at the Curtis Institute. In 1969
Ashkenasi founded the Vermeer Quartet, a preeminent string quartet.
MATHIAS TACKE, violin
Mathias Tacke, violin, was the second violinist of the acclaimed Vermeer Quartet from 1992 until 2007 and,
prior to that, a member of the Ensemble Modern Frankfurt, one of the most important professional groups
specializing in contemporary music. In this capacity, he gave countless first performances, including works by
most of today’s leading composers. With the Vermeer Quartet, he gave performances in practically all of the
most prestigious festivals, including Tanglewood, Taos, Ravinia, South Bank, and Berlin, to name only a few.
He appears internationally as a soloist and chamber player, performing a wide range of repertoire from the
Baroque to music of our time and has made numerous recordings for such labels as Sony, ECM, Harmonia
Mundi, Naxos, and Cedille. Three of the Vermeer Quartet recordings were nominated for a Grammy Award.
Tacke is professor of violin and chamber music at Northern Illinois University and guest lecturer for string
chamber music at Northwestern University.
DAVID EHRLICH, violin
Violinist David Ehrlich began his professional career as concertmaster and soloist with the Tel Aviv Chamber
Orchestra and toured as guest soloist with other Israeli chamber orchestras. He served as concertmaster and
soloist of the Colorado Festival Orchestra, Filarmonica de Caracas, and Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra, and
he was associate concertmaster with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. In 1984 he joined the Audubon
String Quartet at Virginia Tech as first violinist. With the quartet, Ehrlich toured all over the world, performing
on some of the most prestigious stages and appearing on radio and television. He has conducted master
classes and lectures at New England Conservatory, University of South Carolina, Oberlin, Cleveland Institute of
Music, Chautauqua-New York, Tel Aviv University, and Arizona State University, as well as in Ireland, Venezuela,
the Czech Republic, and many other countries. He has recorded on such labels as RCA, Telarc, and Centaur.
Since 2004, Ehrlich has served as the outreach fellow of fine arts at Virginia Tech, where he is involved in
developing music programs in underserved communities of southern and southwest Virginia. Together with his
wife, Teresa Ehrlich, he founded the Renaissance Music Academy, and he is also the artistic director of Musica
Viva, a chamber music concert series based in Blacksburg. Ehrlich performs on a violin made by Carlo Bergonzi
(1735), through the generosity of the Virginia Tech Foundation.
Biographies, continued
KATHARINA KANG, viola
Katharina Kang has performed as a soloist with leading orchestras at Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, St.
Petersburg Philharmonic, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, and Grieg
Hall in Bergen, as well as Philharmonic Halls in Essen, Wuppertal, Cologne, Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich. Her
performances have been broadcast by BBC, NDR, WDR, SWR, and HR. Kang has worked with conductors
such as Dmitrij Kitajenko, Arnold Katz, Kirill Petrenko, Michael Sanderling, Toshiyuki Kamioka, Ingo Ernst Reihl,
Alondra de la Parra, Ruben Gazarian, and Neemi Jarvi. Kang is currently a student of Jaime Laredo at the
Cleveland Institute of Music. Her performances include collaborations with Pavel Gililov, Boris Bloch, Elmar
Oliviera, Timothy Eddy, Franz Helmerson, Shmuel Ashkenasi, and Amit Peled. She attended master classes
with Frank Peter Zimmermann, Miriam Fried, Phillip Setzer, Leon Fleisher, Pamela Frank, Escher String Quartet,
and American String Quartet. In 2014 she was invited as artist-in-residence of Heifetz International Music
Institute in Virginia, Jamestown Art Center in Rhode Island, and Baltimore Youth Symphony in Maryland. Kang
studied with Rosa Fain and Robert Schumann Musikhochschule in Düsseldorf and graduated with a bachelor
of music degree from the Manhattan School of Music, New York, with Pinchas Zukerman and Patinka Kopec.
Kang plays Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (Paris 1864).
MICHAEL STRAUSS, viola
Known for his “rich tone and lyrical acumen” (Chicago Tribune), violist Michael Isaac Strauss has performed
around the world as a soloist and recitalist in chamber music and in symphonic settings. He made his solo
debut with the Minnesota Orchestra in 1990 and has since appeared as featured solo and recording artist
with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Orchestra 2001, Charleston Symphony, and Camerata Chicago,
among others. During his 20-year tenure as the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra principal violist, Strauss was
also featured as soloist or collaborator in duo roles nearly every season. Strauss’ love for the intimate concert
setting has led to concert series and festival appearances across Europe, North America, and Asia, such as
Schleswig-Holstein, Montpellier, LaJolla, Caramoor, Banff, and Beijing International. A former member of the
distinguished Fine Arts Quartet, Strauss made several European and domestic concert tours with the ensemble,
as well as a highly regarded live broadcast performance on Radio France and a Lyrinx label SACD recording
of Mozart’s complete viola quintets. Strauss has made several other recordings of new music, including the
I Virtuosi debut recording of Jennifer Higdon’s Viola Sonata, as well as David Finko’s Viola Concerto and
chamber music works by living composers with the Philadelphia-based Orchestra 2001 on CRI. Strauss is the
featured soloist in the Centaur release of Stamitz Viola Concerto, op. 1 and in the Suzuki Viola School CDs,
volumes 8 and 9. A dedicated teacher, Strauss regularly presents master classes across the U.S. and in China
and has served on the faculties of Oberlin Conservatory, Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing
Arts, Indiana University, Butler University, DePauw University, Swarthmore College, and the University of the
Arts in Philadelphia. Strauss is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and performs on a viola attributed to
Matteo Albani of Bolzano, Italy, in 1704.
EMANUEL GRUBER, cello
Emanuel Gruber received a bachelor of music and a master of music from Tel Aviv University. Formerly principal
cellist of the Israeli Chamber Orchestra, Gruber was awarded the Pablo Casals Prize by the Israel Philharmonic
Orchestra in 1970, and he won the Concert Artists’ Guild Auditions in 1975. He has participated in HeifetzPiatigorsky master classes at the University of Southern California. Gruber has been on the faculty of the Rubin
Academy in Tel Aviv and served as a visiting professor at Indiana University. He has participated in the Musical
Spring Festival in St. Petersburg and the Rostropovich Cello Festival in Riga. Gruber was on the jury of the
second Davidoff International Cello Competition.
Biographies, continued
DMITRY KOUZOV, cello
A versatile performer, cellist Dmitry Kouzov has performed on five continents with orchestras, in solo and duo
recitals, and in chamber music performances. He has appeared with the St. Petersburg Symphony (Russia),
National Symphony of Ukraine, South Bohemian Chamber Philharmonic (Czech Republic), and Symphony
Orchestra Classica (Russia). Kouzov received first prize at the International Beethoven Competition in the Czech
Republic and is a two-time laureate of the International Festival-Competition Virtuosi of the Year 2000 in Russia
and winner of the New York Cello Society Rising Star Award. His credits include numerous performances at
many prominent concert venues throughout his native Russia. He made his New York orchestral debut at Alice
Tully Hall in 2005, under the baton of Raymond Leppard. Highlights of Kouzov’s recent seasons include a debut
with the Symphony Orchestra of St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra,
and Johannesburg Philharmonic, as well as solo appearances, duo recitals, and chamber music appearances at
the Ravinia and Caramoor Festivals Rising Stars Series. Most recently, he made his recording debut on Naxos
with three C.P.E. Bach Gamba Sonatas and a recital CD, Two Hundred Years of Cello Masterpieces, on Marquis
Classics. Kouzov has appeared in command performances before Mikhail Gorbachev and Prince Andrew, Duke
of York, and is a founding and active member of the Manhattan Piano Trio, performing extensively throughout
the United States. Currently Kouzov is an assistant professor of cello at the University of Illinois and was
previously a faculty member at the Juilliard School and Oberlin Conservatory. He holds both bachelor of music
and master of music degrees from the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, as well as an artist diploma from Juilliard.
NIKOLA DJURICA, clarinet
Nikola Djurica started playing the clarinet at the young age of six in Belgrade, Serbia. He progressed very rapidly
and started winning special prizes and accolades in competitions in his country, as well as in Italy, Macedonia,
Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Russia. He was invited to perform on television and radio in Serbia
and was honored as best young musician of the generation. Later, he was invited to a prestigious professional
festival, the Belgrade Music Festival (BEMUS), where he was the youngest musician. Djurica attended summer
festivals in Prague, Madrid, the Amalfi coast in Italy, Austria, and Germany. He continued his studies in the U.S.,
where he went to Interlochen Center for the Arts and later the Cleveland Institute of Music. He was invited back
to his country to receive a special award from the government, the “New Face of Serbia,” which is given to
the most successful or promising Serbians in their fields. In his first year at Cleveland Djurica won the concerto
competition and performed as soloist with the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) orchestra. He is a member
of the faculty in Ameropa, a chamber music festival in Prague, and was one of a very select group of faculty
that were asked to participate in a special program at Prague Spring, one of the world’s most prestigious
festivals. Djurica is a founder and a member of an improvisational ensemble, the Contranuities Quartet, which
is dedicated to bringing diverse people together by exploring the intersections of musical genres and the
cultures of the world. He currently resides in Serbia and Japan, where he performs regularly.
Biographies, continued
RICHARD MASTERS, piano
Richard Masters is a soloist, opera coach, chamber musician, and orchestral pianist based in Blacksburg,
where he is an assistant professor of piano and collaborative piano on the music faculty at Virginia Tech’s
School of Performing Arts. Significant collaborations include concerts with baritone Donnie Ray Albert, mezzosoprano Kathryn Findlen, mezzo-soprano Barbara Conrad, and many others. He has appeared with former
Boston Symphony principal trombonist Norman Bolter, former Juilliard String Quartet violinist Earl Carlyss,
and saxophonist Harvey Pittel, as well as under the baton of Lorin Maazel. Masters has performed solo,
chamber, and vocal recitals throughout the U.S. and in Europe. As a solo pianist, Masters plays a wide variety
of standard and non-traditional repertoire, including contemporary pieces written for or commissioned by
him. A strong proponent of contemporary American composers, he has performed world premieres of pieces
by Kenneth Frazelle, Charles Nichols, Kent Holliday, and many others. He is an enthusiastic performer of the
Great American Songbook: at a recent recital, he revived the virtuoso song transcriptions of mid-20th century
cocktail pianist Cy Walter; a close friend of Walter’s described the performances as “damn[ed] good,” saying
that it was the first time since Walter’s death that he had been so moved by a rendition of the transcriptions. He
recently appeared on the National Flute Association’s 2015 keynote concert in Wish, a work for flute and piano
commissioned by Masters from flutist and composer Valerie Coleman. In the September of 2015, he performed
on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Music at the Gardner series in Boston, playing works of Frazelle and
Charles Tomlinson Griffes. In the remainder of the 2015-16 season, he will perform elsewhere in Massachusetts,
as well as in Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Virginia. For more
information on Masters, please visit www.richard-masters.com.
STUDENTS
JULIUS QUARTET
HYUN JEONG HELEN LEE, violin
Hailed as being a “superior [and] excellent” violinist (The Flint Journal), Hyun Jeong Helen Lee has captivated
audiences throughout the United States, Canada, and Asia. Leading into her conservatory career, she attended
the Interlochen Center for the Arts in the summer of 2009. While there, she was concertmaster of the World
Youth Symphony Orchestra for two terms. She has performed with the Chichibu Festival Orchestra, Royal
Oak Symphony Orchestra, and the Boston Conservatory String Ensemble as winner of the String Ensemble
Concerto Competition. She has also performed in master classes with various artists, including Phillipe Quint,
Jorja Fleezanis, and Joseph Silverstein. She has recently finished an undergradute degree at the Boston
Conservatory, where she studied with Markus Piacci, and is currently studying with Weigang Li of the celebrated
Shanghai Quartet as part of John J. Cali School of Music’s Graduate Quartet-in-Residence program.
DAVID DO, violin
Violinist David Do is currently the second violinist of Montclair State University’s Graduate String Quartet-inResidence, the Julius Quartet. Do has appeared as an international soloist at the Chichibu International Music
Festival in Japan, performing with the Chichibu Festival Orchestra. Furthermore, he has also performed as
a soloist with various orchestras in the Northern California region, including a commissioned work by Kerry
Lewis with the San Jose Youth Chamber Orchestra, where he also served as concertmaster. As a passionate
chamber musician, Do has participated in various chamber music festivals and concerts, such as the McGill
International String Quartet Academy, the Banff Centre’s Chamber Music Residency Program, the Tanglewood
String Quartet Seminar, and others. Do completed his undergraduate studies at the Boston Conservatory,
where he studied with Markus Piacci. Prior to his conservatory career, he began his formal training at San
Francisco Conservatory’s Preparatory Division studying with Doris Fukawa. Presently, he is a student of Yi-Wen
Jiang, the renowned second violinist of the Shanghai Quartet.
Biographies, continued
JOHN BATCHELDER, viola
Violist John Batchelder has captivated audiences across North and South America as a passionate chamber
musician and soloist. He has performed as soloist with numerous ensembles, such as the Hemenway Strings,
Worcester Bach Consort, and Piano High Symphony Orchestra and has participated in various summer festivals
and master classes. In 2011, he was a winner of the Davis Projects for Peace Grant for his program designed to
help, encourage, and teach music to the young children of the favelas of Natal, Brazil. He has recently finished
a graduate performance diploma at the Boston Conservatory under the instruction of Lila Brown and previously
served as artistic coordinator at the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) award-winning
organization, Project STEP, a non-profit music education program. Currently, he is studying with Honggang
Li of the celebrated Shanghai Quartet as part of John J. Cali School of Music’s Graduate String Quartet-inResidence program.
BYRON HOGAN, cello
Byron Hogan is a cellist and arranger from Lakeland, Florida. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music performance
from Florida Southern College, where he studied under Anne Parrette and Jeffrey Lang; a master’s degree
in performances and chamber performance from the University of South Florida, where he studied under
Scott Kluksdahl; and a graduate performance diploma from the Boston Conservatory, where he studied under
Rhonda Rider. He has played in ensembles such as the Ocala Symphony Orchestra, the Osud Trio, the St.
Petersburg Opera, and the Miami Ballet and has also been a soloist with the Imperial Symphony and the Bogus
Pomp Orchestra. He is currently pursuing a performance certificate at Montclair University.
FUEGO TRIO
MELODY WHITAKER, violin
Melody Whitaker, 16, began taking violin at age five and studies with David Ehrlich. She has competed in
the James Bland Music Competition and has placed at state level. In February 2011 she was a part of the
International Journey of Strings with students from Renaissance Music Academy (RMA), Macao, and Hong
Kong. She is currently concertmaster of the RMA Youth Chamber Orchestra. She is in 11th grade and hopes to
make a career with her violin.
TREVOR WHITAKER, cello
Trevor Whitaker has been studying and performing cello for 12 years. He has studied with various teachers,
currently Ben Wyatt. In 2010 he was the only competitor to win an outstanding musician trophy in the Old
Dominion Association of Church Schools (ODACS) Fine Arts Competition. In 2014 he competed in the James
Bland Music Competition, won first place at regional and district levels, and competed at the state level. He is
currently one of two principal cellists in the Renaissance Music Academy Youth Chamber Orchestra. Outside of
music, he is avidly interested in theoretical physics, analytic philosophy, and critical theory.
COURTNEY HIGHT, piano
Courtney Hight is in her 14th year of piano studies with Teresa Ehrlich. She has grown to love using her music
abilities in teaching young students of her own, as well as collaborating with other musicians. She won the
Rebecca Orr Technique Festival Scholarship Competition in 2015. She has competed in the James Bland
Music Competition, where she won second place, and has also won second place in the Renaissance Music
Academy Concerto Competitions in 2013 and 2015. She hopes to pursue a bachelor of music degree in piano
performance.
Biographies, continued
BARD COLLEGE
TIANPEI AI, violin
Tianpei Ai was born in Nanjing, China in 1995. He started to play the violin in 2000. From 2007 to 2013 he
studied with Yun Wei in the Music Middle School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Since 2013 he
has studied with Shmuel Ashkenasi, Weigang Li, and Arnold Steinhardt in Bard College Conservatory of Music
in New York. He participated in Asian Youth Orchestra in Hong Kong in 2012 as concertmaster. In 2015 he
participated in New York String Orchestra Seminar in New York. He was the third prize winner of Hong Kong
International Violin Competition in 2012. He won the Concerto Competition of Bard College Conservatory of
Music in 2014. In February 2015, he participated in the 54th Paganini International Violin Competition in Genoa,
Italy. He participated in Red Rocks Music Festival in Arizona in January 2016.
CAROLINE BUSE, violin and viola
Caroline Buse, violist and violinist, has been a finalist and prizewinner in competitions such as the Fischoff
International Music Competition, North Carolina Music Teachers National Association (NCMTNA), and the
Chapel Hill Philharmonia Competition. Buse has performed with artists such as Placido Domingo, Andrea
Bocceli, Audra McDonald, Yair Kless, Frank Almond, and the Amernet Quartet. A graduate of the University
of Michigan, she plays violin on the 2014 Grammy-nominated album, L’Orestie d’Eschyle, with the University
Symphony Orchestra. She has collaborated with the North Carolina Symphony as the principle violist of the
North Carolina Symphony All-Stars under the baton of Grant Llewellyn, as well as with the Miami Symphony,
Atlantic Classical Orchestra, and Palm Beach Symphony. Buse is currently completing a master of music degree
as the graduate teaching assistant for the Amernet Quartet at Florida International University and as a violin
teaching artist for Miami Music Project, a satellite organization of El Sistema.
VALORY HIGHT, violin
Valory Hight is currently a first-year student at Bard College Conservatory of Music, where she studies violin
with Shmuel Ashkenasi and Weigang Li. Her musical studies began at the age of five with David Ehrlich at the
Renaissance Music Academy of Virginia. Hight was concertmistress of the Renaissance Academy Chamber
Orchestra from 2011 to 2015 and the Fine Arts Summer Academy Young Artists Symphony during the summer
of 2014. She has worked with many conductors, including JoAnn Faletta and Jung-Ho Pak. As an active chamber
musician, Hight has been mentored by Shmuel Ashkenasi, Peter Wiley, Meng-Chieh Liu, Peter Serkin, and Paul
Coletti.
EMILY MUNSTEDT, cello
Cellist Emily Munstedt, originally from Boston, Massachusetts, just completed her first year at the Bard College
University, where she is pursuing a double-degree in cello performance and political studies. Currently a
student of Peter Wiley, she has also studied with Mickey Katz and Andrew Mark. Munstedt has participated in
the Castleman Quartet Program and Ked Kooks Chamber Music Institute.
Biographies, continued
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
CLARICE COLLINS, violin
Born in France, Clarice Collins is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in violin performance at Arizona State
University, studying under Danwen Jiang. Collins has performed many concerts in Europe and the United
States, the most recent being the Prokofiev Sonata for Two Violins with her duo partner, Xiangyuan Huang,
in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in April 2014 as part of the InterHarmony Festival series. She has been a
participant in the Harpa International Academy of Music in Iceland, InterHarmony International Music Festival
in Germany, and Conservatory Music in the Mountains Music Festival in Colorado. An avid supporter of new
music, Collins is a violinist in the Arizona Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME). As a part of ACME, Collins
has performed in concerts for the American Composer Alliance, Society of Composers International, and the
Samuel Beckett Conference. She has participated in master classes with Grigory Kalinovsky, Daniel Phillips,
Mimi Zweig, and members of the Juilliard, Brentano, and St. Lawrence String Quartets. She maintains a studio
of violin and viola students as part of the Arizona State University String Project, as well as privately. She has
studied formerly with Arkady Fomin.
LUKE HILL, violin
Luke Hill started playing violin at five years old as a part of Boulder Suzuki Strings, studying with Amy GesmerPackman. He then went to the University of Colorado at Boulder for his undergraduate degree, primarily
studying with Charles Wetherbee. He is currently studying with Katherine McLin at Arizona State University for
a master’s degree. In addition to his education, he has spent his summers at various summer festivals, including
Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival and two years at Brevard Music Center Summer Institute and Festival,
as well as a six-week study abroad session in Florence, Italy.
SARAH KNIGHT, viola
Sarah Knight grew up playing music in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she participated in various orchestras and
chamber ensembles. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in viola performance from Utah State University
in 2014 and is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Arizona State University. She loves chamber music, and
her most recent engagements have included the Arizona premiere of Yuko Obayashi’s Misericordia for flute
and string quartet, the Mozart Clarinet Quintet, and Francaix’s English Horn Quartet.
WEI GUO, cello
Wei Guo has been described as “a tremendous talent who plays with real passion and integrity,” (UW News).
She was a finalist at the 2013 National Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Young Artist Competition
and an honorable mention winner of the 2014 Northwest MTNA Chamber Music Competition. As a graduate
student at the University of Wyoming, she was awarded a full scholarship and teaching assistantship with her
professor, Beth Vanderborgh. Guo is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at Arizona State University under
Tom Landschoot.
Biographies, continued
PERFORMING WITH ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
CHRIS ROGERS-BEADLE, viola
Violist Chris Rogers-Beadle, from Rockport, Massachusetts, studied with Dimitri Murrath in the preparatory
program at New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. The winner of numerous competitions, he
has performed with the Walden Chamber Music Players and has soloed with the Boston Civic Symphony,
the Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Rogers-Beadle has performed
in master classes and lessons with artists such as Steve Tenenbom, Ettore Causa, and Pinchas Zukerman. He
is currently a bachelor of music candidate at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, where he studies with Paul
Coletti.
TERENCE LO, cello
Terence Lo began his musical journey at a very young age as a student at the Renaissance Music Academy in
Blacksburg and has since developed a passion for learning and performing music. He is currently pursuing a
bachelor’s degree in cello performance under Dmitry Kouzov at the University of Illinois. He is an avid chamber
musician and is very excited to attend the Intensive Chamber Music Seminar. In the fall, he will begin his
sophomore year at the University of Illinois.
PERFORMING DURING THE INFORMAL JAZZ CONCERT
ALBERT NEWBERRY, piano
Albert Newberry has been studying classical piano for eight years with Teresa Ehrlich at the Renaissance Music
Academy and jazz improvisations for three years with John Salmon at University of North Carolina, Greensboro.
Newberry’s original composition, Tritone Blues, was one of the winners of the 2013 Herb Alpert Young Jazz
Composer Awards. He placed first in jazz performance for the high school level at the University of West
Virginia’s Intersection of Jazz and Classical Music Piano Festival and Competition in 2014. He was also a finalist
in classical performance, both at the University of West Virginia and Old Dominion University in the Harold
Protsman Classical Period Piano Competition in 2014. Newberry won first place in the 2016 Rebecca Orr
Memorial Piano Festival and Scholarship Competition at Radford University. He plans to pursue a career in both
classical and jazz piano studies.
In the Galleries
P. BUCKLEY MOSS
SOWING SEEDS
June 2-August 7, 2016
Miles C. Horton Jr. Gallery and Sherwood Payne Quillen ‘71 Reception Gallery
Dubbed “the people’s artist,” P. Buckley Moss is a household name, her work sold and shown in over 200
galleries nationwide. While she has enjoyed significant commercial success, the foundation of her work is and
always has been an unwavering commitment to art education. Moss’ life, through her action and example, is
a validation of the transformative power of the arts. Selected works from the Moss family private collection,
many on view to the public for the first time, highlight the work and passion of the artist and Moss Arts Center
namesake.
YOUNG ARTISTS
HOME
May 19-July 3, 2016
Ruth C. Horton Gallery
In partnership with Giles County Public Schools (GCPS), the Moss Arts Center presents a collection of works
created by students in grades 4-7 in a series of in-school workshops coordinated by Amber Nelson, GCPS
art teacher, and Meggin Hicklin, exhibition program manager for the Moss Arts Center. This iteration of
Young Artists is an exploration of place, perspective, and creative potential in rural areas and an exercise in
collaboration and creating opportunities between the Moss Arts Center and our neighboring communities and
organizations.
DIANA COOPER
HIGHWIRE, 2016
On view through spring 2018
Grand Lobby
GALLERY HOURS
Tuesday-Friday, 10 AM-6 PM
Saturday-Sunday, 10 AM-4 PM