Guest Artists Day 1

Full Recital: IVC Welcome Recital​

6 June 2023, 12:00 PM, MACM

Featured Artist Recital

6 June 2023, 7 PM, MACM

Lecture Recital: The Franck Sonata: A New Transcription

6 June 2023, 1:00 PM, PC 807

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Violist Katrin Meidell, DMA, enjoys a prolific career as a performer and educator. She is a Karen Tuttle Coordination pedagogue whose diverse abilities have taken her across the USA, to Canada, Finland, Austria, Poland, Brazil, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. A strong proponent of new music, she consistently premieres works commissioned by and written for her. She is a founding member of Violet (www.duetviolet.com) with Dr. Elizabeth Crawford, clarinet. Their self-titled debut album, Violet, was released on Albany Records in 2019. In the orchestral setting, she has performed with the Indianapolis and Fort Worth Symphonies, the Fort Wayne and Boston Philharmonics, and freelance orchestras throughout Georgia, Indiana, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Dr. Meidell has been published in American String Teacher and the Journal of the American Viola Society. She was highly involved in the American Viola Society for eight years— first as a volunteer, then a board member— culminating in her organizing and hosting the 2022 American Viola Society Festival & 47th International Viola Congress, which took place in June 2022.

She is a Karen Tuttle Coordination pedagogue, with recent master class engagements at the International Viola Congress (Netherlands), the Poznań International Viola Forum (Poland), Boston University, the University of North Texas, West Virginia University, Illinois State University, University of Tennessee, and the University of Northern Colorado. Her students are winners of competitions and orchestral positions alike.

She worked for six years in a Harvard neuroscience lab, studying the brains of musicians. More recently, she focused on Music and Medicine, a field in which she has worked towards finding a comprehensive answer to why string players are prone to injury. She regularly presents these findings and other pedagogical sessions at regional, national, and international conferences. Highlights include performances and presentations at American Viola Society Festivals (2016, 2018, 2020/2021), College Music Society Conferences (2016, 2017), the 2017 International Viola Congress, and three presentations at the 2020 American String Teachers Association Conference.

She holds degrees from Boston University, New England Conservatory, and the University of North Texas. She taught at Ball State University from 2013-2018 and is now Associate Professor of Viola at the Schwob School of Music, Columbus State University.

When not working, she enjoys outdoor activities and knitting. For more, please visit www.katrinmeidell.com.

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Lecture Recital: The Franck Sonata: A New Transcription

6 June 2023, 1:00 PM, PC 807

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Pianist Esther Park has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in recitals across the United States as well as Asia and major European cities. Ms. Park has appeared as soloist with many orchestras such as Houston Symphony, Corpus Christi Symphony, Filharmonia Pomorska, Poland, Shanghai Philharmonic, China, the American Academy of Conducting Orchestra at Aspen, Shreveport Symphony, the Juilliard Symphony, and the New Jersey Symphony.

Ms. Park gave a five-city recital tour in Korea, and has performed at the Juilliard Theater in NYC, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Halls' Weill Recital Hall, Salle Cortot in Paris, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Ms. Park is the winner of the 2013 Jose Roca International piano competition and Russian International piano competition (now San Jose International Piano Competition), 2009 "Prix Amadeo" and the 2009 Chopin Gesellschaft Klavierwettbewerb. She is the winner of the 2004 Gina Bachauer Piano Competition at the Juilliard School, and the 52nd Kosciusko International Piano Competition.

Ms. Park is a founding member of a piano duo with her sister, Sun-A Park. Duo Amadeae has since won the Chicago International Duo Piano Competition, and has appeared in numerous festivals, concerto performances and in duo recitals. The duo has been heard on WQXR as well as part of the Horowitz & Stecher foundation's piano series.

Ms. Park has received her Bachelor's degree and Master's degree from the Juilliard School, studying with Yoheved Kaplinsky. Ms. Park also studied at the

Hochschule fur Musik und Theater (Hannover) under the tutelage of Bernd Goetzke, and has since received the Artist Diploma, Master of Musical Arts Degree and the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at the Yale School of Music under the guidance of Boris Berman. Ms. Park has been serving as the associate professor of piano since 2015 and the director of Pre-College program at the East Tennessee State University. During the 2022-2023 academic year, Ms. Park taught at the Schwob School of Music as visiting associate professor of music.

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Partial Recital Twelve Shades of the Viola Project

6 June 2023, 6:00 PM, MACM

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Marcin Murawski – violist, conductor, teacher and journalist, prize winner in solo and chamber music contests. He studied at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań with Professor Andrzej Murawski. He graduated with honors in 1998, and has been employed since 1997 at the Poznań-based Academy, where he teaches a viola class – currently as a full professor.  In 2004, he received the doctor of musical arts degree from the Academy of Music in Katowice, and in 2012 received the degree of a qualified doctor of the art of music from the Academy of Music in Poznań, and in July 2020 he received the title of professor from the President of Poland. He has given solo performances (e.g. with the Wellington Viola Congress Orchestra, Lviv Virtuosi Orchestra, the Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra ‘Amadeus’, the Koszalin Philharmonic Orchestra). He has given recitals in France, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Ukraine, Lithuania, Norway, Iceland, Ireland, Slovakia, the Czechia, Latvia, Estonia, USA (e.g. Carnegie Hall), Russia, China, Georgia and New Zealand.

Murawski has given lectures and chamber music master courses in viola and chamber music in Europe: Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, National Music Conservatory in St Petersburg, Russia; Grieg Academy in Bergen, Norway; Icelandic Academy of Arts in Reykjavik, Iceland; Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, Ireland; Academy of Music in Riga, Latvia; National Music Academy in Lvov, Ukraine; Estonian Music and Theatre Academy in Tallinn, Estonia; National Music Conservatory in Tbilisi, Georgia, and in the USA at the University of Iowa, Lawrence University, University of Northern Iowa, Illinois State University, Ball State University, Luther College, Coe College, and in New Zealand at the Victoria University of Wellington as well as in China at the Harbin Conservatory of Music. He has been a juror in national musical contests, as well as the teacher of numerous graduates who went on to win several prizes and distinctions themselves. Since 2003 he is a member of the International Viola Society (since January 2020 Member of the Board of the IVS).

Murawski has released over 30 CD and DVD albums with solo and chamber works, most featuring world premieres; he has recorded music across all periods and including contemporary music (and music written especially for him), such as the works of the American violist and composer, Michael Kimber.

www.marcinmurawski.eu

Lecture Recital: The Fusion between East and West: Chinese Folk Music on Viola

6 June 2023, 2:00 PM, PC 807

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Violist Zi Ye, was admitted to the prestigious High School affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of
Music in China under the tutelage of Professor Sheng Li at the age of 14. Later she received full
scholarships and studied at both Bard Conservatory of Music and Bard College in the United
States for 6 years under the guidance of Steven Tenenbom and Michael Tree. After obtaining a
B.M. degree in viola performance and a B.A. degree in French Studies from Bard, she moved to
Canada to pursue her master’s and doctoral degree in the biggest French University in North
America – University of Montreal, under the direction of Jutta Puchhammer. Her doctoral
dissertation – The Fusion between East and West: Representative Works for Violin and Viola of
Chinese Folk Music in the 20th Century in China is the first dissertation that introduces Chinese
folk music, Chinese traditional instruments, and the playing methods in French language.
Ms. Ye was a winner of the concerto competition at the Bard Conservatory of Music and
successfully performed the Bloch Viola Suite 1919 under the baton of JoAnn Falleta. She was
awarded the honorable scholarship established by cellist Luis Garcia-Renart for four consecutive
years at Bard. In her sophomore year, she was chosen by the renowned New York String Seminar
and performed at Carnegie Hall under the baton of Jaime Laredo. She also won the special prize
during her Master’s studies at the concerto competition at University of Montreal which she gave
her solo recital at the historic concert venue – La Chapelle Historique du Bon-Pasteur in
Montreal.
While still studying in high school, Ms. Ye was selected as the youngest member by the Asian
Youth Orchestra (founded by Yehudi Menuhin and based in Hong Kong) and toured many
countries in Asia. As the co-principal violist during her studies at Bard, she toured with Bard
Conservatory Orchestra and performed at such prestigious venues as Berlin Konzerthaus, Vienna
Konzerthaus, Great Hall of Liszt Academy, Rudolfinum Dvorak Hall, Warsaw Philharmonic
Hall, Slovak Radio Concert Hall, Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory, Mariinsky Theatre,
Shanghai Grand Theatre, Beijing National Center for the Performing Arts, Hong Kong Cultural
Center, Taiwan National Concert Hall. During her studies in Canada, she was also invited to
perform with the I Musici de Montréal, the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, the Orford
Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Festival Orchestra as the principal violist. In addition, she
was selected as the only viola representative by the Fondation Père Lindsay and HEC-Montreal
in the Business and Career Program for Musicians.
At the invitation of Robert Martin, the former director of Bard Conservatory of Music, Ms. Ye
participated in the writing of his book Synergy: Music and the Liberal Arts, which was published
globally in bilingual (English and Chinese) in November 2021.

Masterclass Artist

6 June 2023, 3 PM, PC 807

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The Washington Post has praised violist Juan-Miguel Hernandez as having

!...the sweetest, most sonorous tone...” (Charles T. Downey). The Atlanta Journal

Constitution describes him as !...tender, lyrical, loaded with personality” (Pierre Ruhe). Performances as soloist and chamber musician have seen Juan-Miguel Hernandez on some of the world"s leading halls, including Carnegie Hall, Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Disney Hall (Los Angeles), Salzburg Mozarteum, King"s Place (London), Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, Wigmore Hall (London) and The White House.

As a soloist Juan-Miguel has made appearances with orchestras, including the Rochester Philharmonic, San Fransisco Chamber Orchestra, the Chicago Sinfonietta, iPalpiti Orchestra, as well as the Colorado and Atlanta Symphonies. As a chamber musician he has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Lynn Harrell, Ralph Kirshbaum, Kim Kashkashian, Gérard Caussé and Itzhak Perlman.

Chamber music being at the forefront of his career, Juan-Miguel was a member of the legendary Fine Arts Quartet (2013-2018) and original member of the Harlem Quartet (2006-2012), as well as a founder of the "Boreal Trio” (2012-2018) and ”Trio Virado" (2012-2021), both specialized in the creation of new repertoire. He has also been a member of the UK based Kaleidoscope chamber collective since 2018.

Festival and program appearances as guest artist and pedagogue include the Festival Pablo Casal (Prades, France), the Festival Des Arcs (France), the Amalfi Coast Music Festival (Italy), Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival (South Africa), the Brevard Summer Institute (USA), the Mozaic Festival (USA), Festicamara (Colombia), Montreal Jazz & Panama Jazz Festivals and Musica Mundi International Festival (Belgium), Borromeo (Switzerland) & Madeline Island (USA) Music Festivals, Toronto Summer Music & Orford Academy and the Heifetz International Music Institute (2023). In the summer of 2021 he was appointed Associate Artistic Director of the Festival del Lago International Music Festival (Mexico).

He has been featured on radio airwaves and television broadcasts throughout Canada, United Kingdom and the United States including NBC's Good Morning America, The Today Show, NPR radio, PBS, BBC 3, and the Telemundo Network

and Radio-Canada. His collaborative recordings have been released by Cedille records, the White Pine, Navona, Chandos and Naxos music labels.

Juan-Miguel was born in Montreal, Canada and began his musical studies at the age of seven. Among his teachers were Paul Coletti at the Colburn Conservatory and Kim Kashkashian at the New England Conservatory. He also worked with Paul Neubauer, Karen Tuttle, Steven Dann, James Dunham, Barbara Westphal, Garth Knox and Pinchas Zukerman.

Juan-Miguel won the first Prize at the International Johannes Brahms Competition (Austria), adding to other top prizes won at the National Canadian Music Competition, and the 9th National Sphinx Competition, presented by JPMorgan Chase. He was honored with the medal of the National Assembly of Quebec for his significant international achievements.

His strong commitment to educate and engage new audiences all around the globe have brought him to reach young musicians and various communities through art convoys in South Africa and Venezuela, various music festivals in South America and outreach projects in Europe and North America. He is also a regular mentor for the Benedetti Foundation.

In 2016 Juan-Miguel was appointed as professor of Viola at the Royal Academy of Music (London) where he now remains as visiting professor after moving back to Montreal. In September 2021, he joined the faculty of music at Montreal university as invited Professor of viola. He was invited to serve on the Jury of the Johannes Brahms International Competition/Austria (2017), the Sphinx National Competition/USA (2018, 2022 & 2023) and the Banff International String Quartet Competition (2022).

Beyond his extensive classical repertoire he has regularly performed with Jazz living legends Gary Burton, Stanley Clark, Paquito D"Rivera and Chick

Corea.Further collaborations include Nora Jones"#album !Broken Little Hearts” as well as the album "Hot House" playing alongside Chick Corea and Gary Burton for which a Grammy was awarded.

Juan-Miguel plays on a beautiful 2008 Miralles viola from Altadena/California.

Partial Recital: The Voyage

6 June 2023, 4:30 PM, MACM

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Sharon Wei, viola

Canadian violist Sharon Wei is a dynamic and multi-faceted musician, establishing herself as one of the most respected violists on the scene today. She has appeared as

concerto soloist with orchestras such as Symphony of the Redwoods, Kingston Symphony, Sinfonia Toronto, Orchestra of Southern Utah, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and Connecticut Valley Chamber Orchestra and in 2022 premiered Richard Mascall’s “Ziigwan” viola concerto with the London Symphonia. She has performed recital tours with pianist Angela Park under the auspices of Debut Atlantic and Prairie Debut.

As a chamber musician, she regularly takes part at international festivals such as Verbier, Marlboro, Prussia Cove, Banff, Seattle and Ravinia. She is the violist of the award-winning New Orford String Quartet. Sharon has performed with renowned musicians including James Ehnes, Lynn Harrell, Peter Wiley, Gary Hoffman, Claude Frank, Joseph Silverstein, James Campbell, the Amernet, and St. Lawrence String Quartets. Sharon co-founded Ensemble Made in Canada in 2006. Their Mosaïque Project won a 2021 JUNO for Classical Album of the Year and toured to every province and territory in Canada in both traditional venues and eclectic ones such as the seabed of Hopewell Rocks at low tide. In 2022 Sharon performed on a Musicians from Marlboro tour.

Sharon has been guest principal violist of the Cincinnati Symphony, Canadian Opera Company, and Ensemble Matheus in Paris. Recently she was a guest violist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic on their 2021 Grammy recording of Ives Symphonies.

Sharon was on faculty at Yale and Stanford University and is currently Associate Professor of viola and will be acting Assistant Dean of Research in 2023 at Western University. She has given masterclasses at the American Viola Society Festival, Beijing Conservatory and universities across Canada. In summers she is a regular faculty violist at Curtis Summerfest, Scotia Festival, Tuckamore Festival, and Orford Academy. At Western Sharon has created a course for performance majors in which students learn off-stage initiatives such as networking, grant writing, website design, and managing finances. Sharon won the viola prize at Yale University and has been the recipient of grants through the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, FACTOR and Western University.

www.neworford.com

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Scott St John, violin

Violinist Scott St. John, from London Ontario, is known for his joyful style of music- making and inspiring chamber music coaching. Scott is Concertmaster and Artistic Partner of the innovative ROCO Chamber Orchestra in Houston, Texas, and teaches Chamber Music at University of Toronto. He performs frequently with the St. John – Mercer – Park Piano Trio, and returns often to the summertime Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont. Recently Scott was appointed as “Chamber Music Artist-in-Residence” at Western University in London Ontario.

Early violin success with teacher Richard Lawrence in London Ontario gave Scott a path to the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and the chance to work with David Cerone, Arnold Steinhardt and Felix Galimir. After winning the Alexander Schneider Competition and playing a Carnegie Hall debut, NYC pulled Scott into its orbit, where Young Concert Artists gave him fabulous opportunities for performance. In addition to a magical year of working at the Disney Store in Times Square, Scott has been Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, and Artist-in-Residence at Stanford University as part of the St. Lawrence String Quartet. From 2018 to 2021 he was Director of Chamber Music at The Colburn School in Los Angeles.
Scott has received an Avery Fisher Career Grant and won a Juno Award for recording Mozart with his sister Lara St. John. He founded the Felix Galimir Award for chamber music students at University of Toronto. Scott loves chamber music, Dvorak, new music, music by less-known composers, and a great espresso. He has been to all the Canadian provinces, 49 of the United States, and would prefer to travel by train when practical. He is married to violist Sharon Wei and they have a 11-year-old daughter named Julia.

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Julia St John, violin

Julia has been playing violin for several years under the tutelage of Aimee Kreston and Irene Tandberg. She had the chance to meet composer Reena Esmail in March 2020 in whom she found a kindred spirit. During the early days of the pandemic Reena was inspired to create a new work for Julia so she could collaborate with her parents while much of the world was in isolation. Julia enjoyed the creative process of exchanging ideas and trying out new sounds and is excited to have a chance to perform this new trio. Julia is an avid reader and is passionate about creative writing.

Lecture Recital: Vieuxtemps and His Circle: Voices of the Romantic Viola

6 June 2023, 4:30 PM, PC 807

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"Although best known as a violinist-composer, Henri Vieuxtemps played the viola regularly in chamber music and expanded the Romantic viola repertoire through three significant works (Capriccio for solo viola, Elegie for Viola and Piano, Op. 30, and Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 36), as well as an unfinished viola sonata and a variety of other short works. In spite of his violinistic heritage, Vieuxtemps wrote effectively for the viola and these compositions feature our instrument’s deeply expressive voice in the context of his signature virtuosity.

 

An overview of Vieuxtemps’ works for viola is complemented by performances of selected works by other composers in his circle, including Pauline García Viardot, Clara Schumann, and others.  This exploration of Vieuxtemps and his contemporaries provides a lens through which we can consider the existing Romantic viola repertoire and possible expansions through transcription."

Lecture Recital: Vieuxtemps and His Circle: Voices of the Romantic Viola

6 June 2023, 4:30 PM, PC 807

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Hailed for her “sensitive, flexible, and tempestuous dexterity” (Fanfare Magazine), pianist Michelle Schumann has built a reputation for evocative and moving performances that are infused with unique energy and zeal. Recent international performances have taken her to France, England, Scotland, Austria and Italy. Since 2006, Schumann has served as Artistic Director of the Austin Chamber Music Center, where her specialty is developing unexpectedly integrated and thought-provoking programs. Schumann is artist-in-residence and professor of piano at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor where she is the founder and Artistic Director of the Hillman Visiting Artists Series. She received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin and holds a Young Artist Diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Performance Diploma from the Vienna Conservatory.