Arizona Friends of Chamber Music 2015 - 2016 Season

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2015–2016 SeasonEvening Series, Piano & Friends, Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival

LEO RICH THEATER

at the Tucson Convention Center

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Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, the Southwest’s premiere chamber music organization, proudly presents its 68th season!

AFCM’s Evening Series, six diverse and exciting concerts, opens with the sublime Emerson, and ends with a return of the acclaimed Jerusalem Quartet. Piano, violin, and cello soloists, all rising stars in the classical musical sky, are featured in our popular Piano & Friends series. The 23rd annual Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival, anchored by the eclectic Pacifica Quartet, will welcome both familiar faces and newcomers like pianist Marc-André Hamelin and cellist Johannes Moser. And in a first for the organization, AFCM is thrilled to present a one-day, two-concert series, The Magic of Beethoven: The Complete Cello Sonatas with the estimable Sharon Robinson and pianist Benjamin Hochman.

Old friends and new faces brighten our 68th Evening Series. We launch the season with the always popular, greatly respected Emerson Quartet, appearing for the first time in Tucson with its new cellist, Paul Watkins. Russian pianist and Van Cliburn Competition finalist Nikita Mndoyants, whom you may remember from his 2014 Piano & Friends recital, returns this time in the company of the Czech Republic’s Zemlinsky Quartet. The Escher Quartet will make its first appear-ance in Tucson, although you’ll recognize one of its violinists, Aaron Boyd, a former concertmaster of the Tucson Symphony. You can always expect something different from Germany’s Minguet Quartet, which mingles contemporary composers with past masters, and in Tucson will also mingle with dynamic German pianist Andreas Klein. The youthful and zestful Modigliani Quartet brings French flair to the series, which is capped by a return visit from the Jerusalem Quartet, which in previous back-to- back AFCM performances has proven its mastery of Shostakovich and much more.

Evening Series

On the cover

The Pacifica Quartet will be performing during the 23rd Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival, March 13–20, 2016

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Emerson Quartet

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015 7:30 PM

Beethoven: Quartet in D Major, Op. 18 No. 3 Bartók: Quartet No. 4 Schubert: Quartet No. 15 in G Major

The Emerson Quartet, one of the world’s leading chamber ensembles, has made more than a dozen AFCM appearances since its Tucson debut in 1983. The players know Beethoven and Bartók through and through, having performed their complete quartet cycles many times. The ensemble promises authoritative accounts of poised early Beethoven and dynamic mid-career Bartók, as well as the final, dramatic quartet of Schubert.

Zemlinsky Quartet with Nikita Mndoyants, PIANO

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015 7:30 PM

Mndoyants: Piano Quintet No. 2 (AFCM commissioned world premiere) Gemrot: Quartet No. 4 Beethoven: Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 127

Nikita Mndoyants, a 2013 Cliburn Competition finalist, is a powerful pianist and a talented composer. He and the Zemlinsky Quartet, a group working in the great Czech tradition, will premiere a quintet that AFCM commissioned him to write. Jiri Gemrot, one of AFCM’s favorite living Czech composers, recently wrote his fourth quartet especially for the Zemlinsky Quartet, while Beethoven wrote his Op. 127 for nothing less than a Russian prince.

Escher Quartet

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2015 7:30 PM

Janácek: Quartet No. 1, “Kreutzer Sonata” Zemlinsky: Quartet No. 2, Op. 15 Mendelssohn: Quartet in E Minor, Op. 44 No. 2

America’s Escher Quartet takes its name from the great Dutch graphic artist who inspires the musicians with his interplay between individual components working together to form a whole. The ensemble has recorded all of Alexander von Zemlinsky’s quartets, and is doing the same for Mendelssohn. One critic deemed the Escher’s recording of Zemlinsky’s Second to be a “first-class” performance of one of the composer’s “greatest and most radical achievements.”

Minguet Quartet with Andreas Klein, PIANO

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2016 7:30 PM

Bach: Selections from The Art of the Fugue Gould: String Quartet, Op. 1 Bach: Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, BWV 1052

Taking its name from an 18th-century Spanish philosopher who attempted to make the fine arts available to the masses, Germany’s Minguet Quartet brings to Tucson its “Homage to Glenn Gould,” featuring the Bach fugal music Gould loved so much, a Bach concerto Gould loved to play (here featuring the compelling German pianist Andreas Klein), and Gould’s own rarely-heard string quartet.

Evening Series

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Modigliani Quartet

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016 7:30 PM

Beethoven: Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 18 No. 6 Schubert: Quartettsatz in C Minor Dvorák: Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, “American”

Since 2003, France’s Modigliani Quartet has steadily built its reputation to the point at which one major German critic declared it to be “one of today’s best quartets in the world,” praising its “balance, transparency, symphonic comprehension, and confident style.” Here, the Modigliani Quartet will apply its oft-remarked panache and playfulness to three engaging quartets spanning the 19th century.

Jerusalem Quartet

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016 7:30 PM

Haydn: Quartet in D Major, Op. 64 No. 5, “Lark” Bartók: Quartet No. 6 Ravel: Quartet in F Major

The Jerusalem Quartet made its name with searing performances and recordings of Shostakovich’s quartets, four of which it played here in 2013, after having debuted in Tucson with yet another in 2011. Here is an opportunity to hear what else is possible from this ensemble, noted for its passion, precision, and warmth, qualities especially suited to the beloved Ravel quartet.

Our Sunday matinée series, Piano & Friends, introduces young artists at the beginning of outstanding careers. Russian pianist Denis Kozhukhin is sure to generate excitement, having proven himself at England’s Leeds and Belgium’s Queen Elisabeth competitions. Canadian violinist Nikki Chooi is also a competition prize-winner who is distinguished mainly in the core Classical and Romantic repertory. Hungarian cellist István Várdai, a laureate of the Tchaikovsky Competition, was recently proclaimed by Hungary’s Daily News to be “the world’s greatest cellist” —a pronouncement you can judge either reckless or right only at Piano & Friends.

Evening Series Piano & Friends

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Denis Kozhukhin, PIANO

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2015 3:00 PM

Haydn: Sonata in D Major, Hob. XVI:37 Brahms: Fantasies, Op. 116 Rachmaninov: Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42 Haydn: Sonata in B Minor, Hob. XVI:32 Franck: Prelude, Chorale and Fugue, Op. 21 Prokofiev: Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, Op. 83

Russian pianist Denis Kozhukhin was awarded third prize in the 2006 Leeds International Piano Competition and first prize in the 2010 Belgian Queen Elisabeth Competition, drawing attention for his command of both spectacle and subtlety. A German critic called him a “piano whisperer.” He went on to proclaim, “Mere effects are not his thing. His touch, his articulation— all is sensitively balanced and displays an almost crystalline precision.”

Nikki Chooi, VIOLIN

with Amy Yang, PIANO

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2016 3:00 PM

Poulenc: Violin Sonata, Op.119 Bach: Chaconne in D Minor Prokofiev: Violin Sonata in F Minor, Op.80 Gershwin-Heiftez: 3 Preludes

Canadian violinist Nikki Chooi graduated from Juilliard this past January and immediately embarked on a six-week tour of Russia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Australia. He was welcomed to the antipodes as “not just a dazzling technician, but a chamber musician of some class.” Not limited to razzle-dazzle, he has also made his mark with sensitive performances of Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms.

Hailed by New York Concert Review as “a magnificent artist and poet,” pianist Amy Yang is a seasoned soloist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. An experienced performer, Ms. Yang has concertized in many major halls in the United States and abroad. She is the founder of The Schumann Project, a special series of concerts to present Schumann’s major solo piano and chamber works over the next decade.

István Várdai, CELLO with Julien Quentin, PIANO

SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 2016 3:00 PM

Kodály: Sonata in B Minor for Solo Cello, Op. 8 Stravinsky: Suite Italienne Janácek: Pohádka Brahms: Cello Sonata No. 2 in F Major, Op. 99

This 30-year-old Hungarian cellist was recognized as “exceptionally gifted” as early as age 12 when he entered the Franz Liszt Conservatory, and subsequently proceeded to win almost every cello competition in sight. As an adult musician, István Várdai has been described as “a special kind of genius … with perfect intonation, ample interpretation, impeccable tempo—in short, he is an incredible virtuoso.”

French pianist Julien Quentin has established himself as a versatile and sensitive musician, exhibiting great maturity and poise. His remarkable depth of musicianship and distinct clarity of sound, coupled with flawless technique, make him an artist in demand as both soloist and chamber musician. Now residing in Berlin, he also collaborates on a wide range of projects, from improvisation to producing electronic music.

Piano & Friends

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The Arizona Friends of Chamber Music offers you a rare opportunity to hear all of Beethoven’s original works for cello and piano in a single day, performed by our old friend Sharon Robinson (cellist of one of AFCM’s favorite ensembles, the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio) and a series newcomer, the eloquent and virtuosic pianist Benjamin Hochman. Performing Beethoven’s cello sonatas and variations has been called a journey through Beethoven’s life. The works range from his early Classical period (these sonatas give prominence to the piano rather than the cello) through his largely optimistic, tuneful middle period, to his intense, concentrated final phase. The Robinson-Hochman duo will present not only all five sonatas, but also Beethoven’s three delightful sets of variations on themes by Handel and Mozart. This will all take place over the course of two full-length concerts separated by a dinner break, and it is sure to be one of the most memorable events in AFCM’s 68th season.

Sunday, January 31, 2016

3:00 PM

Beethoven: Sonata in F Major, Op. 5 No. 1 Sonata in G Minor, Op. 5 No. 2 — Variations in G Major, WoO 45 Sonata in A Major, Op. 69

7:30 PM

Beethoven: Variations in E-flat Major, WoO 46 Sonata in C Major, Op. 102 No. 1 — Variations in F Major, Op. 66 Sonata in D Major, Op. 102 No. 2

Sharon Robinson, CELLO

Revered for her chamber music performances, cellist Sharon Robinson co-founded the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio nearly four decades ago. Winner of the Avery Fisher Recital Award, the Piatigorsky Memorial Award, the Pro Music’s Award, and a Grammy nomination, she is recognized worldwide as a consummate artist. Whether as a recitalist, soloist with orchestra, or member of her trio, critics, audiences and fellow musicians respond to what the Indianapolis Star has called “a cellist who has simply been given the soul of Caruso.”

Benjamin Hochman, PIANO

Pianist Benjamin Hochman’s eloquent and virtuosic performances blend artistic bravura with poetic interpretation. Described by The New York Times as a “gifted, fast-rising artist,” he is an impassioned and intelligent exponent of diverse composers, from Bach and Mozart to Kurtág and Lieberson. He strives to express the essence of each composer’s works, resulting in interpretations that the Vancouver Sun described as “stylish and lucid, with patrician authority and touches of elegant wit where context allows.”

The Magic of Beethoven: The Complete Cello Sonatas with cellist Sharon Robinson and pianist Benjamin Hochman

Special Presentation

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The 23rd Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival is anchored by one of today’s finest ensembles, the Pacifica Quartet, and brings together such festival favorites as Cynthia Phelps, Bernadette Harvey and Axel Strauss with exciting festival newcomers Marc-André Hamelin and Johannes Moser. As he has since the beginning, festival director Peter Rejto masterminds a stimulating mix of familiar and unfamiliar, old and new— including the exciting premiere of an AFCM commissioned duo for cello and piano by Canadian composer Heather Schmidt. And don’t forget our Festival Gala Dinner and Concert, an elegant meal at the Arizona Inn graced with performances of music you won’t hear at any of the regular festival concerts.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

3:00 PM

Rossini: String Sonata No. 6 Weinberg: Cello Sonata No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 63 Stevens: Rhythmic Caprice Beethoven: String Quartet in C Major, Op. 59 No. 3

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

7:30 PM

Schumann: Andante and Variations, Op. 46 Wieniawski: Reverie Piazzolla: Histoire du Tango Schubert: String Quintet in C Major

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

7:30 PM

Brahms: Horn Trio in E-Flat Major, Op. 40 Bartók: Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion Schmidt: Cello Sonata (AFCM commissioned world premiere) Goetz: Piano Quintet in C Minor, Op. 16

Friday, March 18, 2016

7:30 PM

Puts: Piano Quintet Dresher: Double Ikat Ysaÿe: String Trio, Op. 19, “London” Ornstein: Piano Quintet

Saturday, March 19, 2016

3:00 & 4:00 PM

Master Classes

6:00 PM

Gala Dinner and Concert at the Arizona Inn

Sunday, March 20, 2016

3:00 PM

Harbison: Twilight Music Adams: Hallelujah Junction Vaughan Williams: Piano Quintet in C Minor

Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival

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Artistic director PETER

REJTO is committed to presenting the finest chamber music, both well-loved works and new, unfamiliar ones, performed by some of the world’s finest musicians. He is a founding member of the Los Angeles Piano Quartet and a former professor at the University of Arizona’s School of Music and the Oberlin College Music Conservatory.

Following five previous performances on AFCM’s stage, the PACIFICA QUARTET returns to anchor the 2016 Festival. Recognized for its virtuosity, exuberant performance style, and often-daring repertory choices, over the past two decades the Pacifica Quartet has gained international stature as one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today. It’s the quartet in residence at the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

A cellist of the revered Tokyo String Quartet for 14 seasons, CLIVE

GREENSMITH has made many appearances in Tucson, both as a member of the quartet and as a featured Festival artist. Now a professor at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, he manages to make the rounds of music festivals in America, Europe, and Asia, and recently formed the Montrose Trio with pianist Jon Kimura-Parker and former Tokyo Quartet violinist Martin Beaver.

Celebrated Canadian piano virtuoso MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN often performs in the company of leading orchestras, but he is especially noted for dazzling performances of solo works by Liszt and Godowsky, as well as Haydn recordings that have been praised as “brilliant” and “definitive.” He has also written technically challenging music of his own, and as a chamber partner has collaborated many times with the Takács and Pacifica Quartets.

Australian pianist BERNADETTE HARVEY

divides her time between collaborations, solo appearances, and recordings. She has had several new works written for her,includ-ing by previous Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival composer Ross Edwards, who completed a solo piano sonata for her to perform and record in 2014. In our 2015 Festival she participated in the premiere of a trio by Lowell Liebermann. This year will mark her fifth Festival appearance.

Gramophone magazine has hailed Canadian- German musician JOHANNES MOSER as “one of the finest among the astonishing gallery of young virtuoso cellists.” His repertory ranges from Beethoven to a new concerto for electric cello. He’s a dedicated chamber musician who has appeared at many international festivals and in concert with the likes of Joshua Bell and Midori. In 2014 he was a co-recipient of the Brahms Prize, which has previously gone to such artists as Leonard Bernstein and Anne-Sophie Mutter.

Violinist/violist YURA

LEE is the winner of the only first prize awarded across the four categories in the 2013 ARD Music Competition in Munich. She also received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. Critics have noted her technical mastery, spontaneity, agility, and finesse. As a chamber musician, she regularly appears at festivals in Aspen, Ravinia, Verbier, and elsewhere, and performs with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Born and raised in Turkey, bassist VOLKAN

ORHON teaches at the University of Iowa, and is familiar in Tucson through his many appearances at the Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival and AFCM’s Piano & Friends series. Recognized as one of the world’s top classical bassists, he has performed with such internationally recognized musicians as Gary Karr and the Emerson and Tokyo Quartets.

Festival Artists

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CYNTHIA PHELPS has served as the New York Philharmonic’s principal violist since 1992, yet also finds time to teach at Juilliard, tour internationally, perform with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and other such groups, and make periodic appearances at the Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival. The New York Times recently praised one of her performances for its “expressive phrasing,” and her most recent recording, Air, was nominated for a Grammy.

ERIC RUSKE became the Cleveland Orchestra’s principal horn at age 20, and toured and recorded for six years with the Empire Brass Quintet. France’s Le Monde has described his sound as “both luminous and brilliant, always with a perfect roundness, an impeccable virtuosity.” He directs the horn seminar at Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute and is horn professor at Boston University.

Bulgarian-born SVET STOYANOV has captivated audiences internationally with his virtuosic technique on the marimba and a wide variety of other percussion instruments. Winner of the 2003 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, as well as numerous other competition awards, he has garnered accolades from audiences and profes-sionals throughout Europe and the United States for his dynamic concerto performances, his theatrical recital presentations, and the elegance of his chamber music collaborations.

Violinist AXEL STRAUSS, a repeat visitor to the Festival, has drawn attention for his ability to present both fiery and lyrical music with what one critic described as “classically controlled passion.” The first German artist ever to win the interna-tional Naumburg Violin Award in New York, he chairs the string area and is professor of violin and chamber music at McGill University.

MATTHEW STRAUSS has been applauded throughout the United States as an energetic percussionist and timpanist. In addition to his positions as percussionist with the Houston Symphony and timpanist with the American Symphony Orchestra at the Bard Music Festival, he serves on faculty at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and at the Texas Music Festival at the University of Houston.

HEATHER SCHMIDT has unique dual talents as a pianist and composer, having garnered praise from the press, describing her as “poised and utterly musical.” Her acclaim in both her native Canada and on the international musical scene comes from her many successes as a virtuoso soloist and composer. In addition to concert music, she composes scores for film, television, and documentaries.

Festival Artists

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Our website is full of great information and is easy to use. You can learn about upcoming programs and artists, preview program notes, and explore our educational outreach activities. The site is also an archive of AFCM’s glorious past. You can see a list of every piece performed at our concerts since 1977, listen to audio recordings of all of the 50+ world premieres commissioned by AFCM over the years, and view videos of over a dozen of these historic performances, going back to 2005. You can also conveniently purchase subscriptions and individual performance tickets, underwrite concerts, sponsor a favorite group or musician, commission a new world premiere, make a tax-deductible donation to AFCM, and more.

Visit arizonachambermusic.org today!

Subscribing to Arizona Friends of Chamber Music’s concerts guarantees you the best deal on tickets, the greatest selection of seats, and the most flexibility.

Subscriber benefits include

• Savings – Up to 20% off single ticket prices• Priority Access – Purchase tickets before single ticket buyers• Priority Seating – Reserve the best seats available• Priority Retention – Last season’s subscribers can retain their seats

Ways to purchase

• Mail – Send order form and payment in enclosed envelope• Phone – Call 520 577-3769• Online – Conveniently purchase tickets at

arizonachambermusic.org

Contact us

Arizona Friends of Chamber Music PO Box 40845 Tucson, Arizona 85717 520 577-3769 [email protected]

Explore our website Subscriptions

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Subscriptions are the most affordable way to experience AFCM.

Significant discounts are available for the Evening Series, Piano & Friends, the Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival, and our Sunday Afternoon Series (3 Piano & Friends concerts + 2 Festival matinées). Additionally, we are offering two new subscrip-tion packages, The Magic of Beethoven: The Complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas with cellist Sharon Robinson and pianist Benjamin Hochman (2 back-to-back concerts), and AFCM 360, an affordable option to introduce new audience members, ages 21 to 39, to the joys of chamber music.

Evening Series

6 concerts for $156 ($24 savings)

Piano & Friends

3 concerts for $72 ($18 savings)

Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival

5 concerts for $120 (5 for the price of 4)

Sunday Afternoon Concerts

3 Piano & Friends + 2 Festival matinées 5 concerts for $120 (5 for the price of 4)

The Magic of Beethoven

The Complete Cello Sonatas 2 concerts for $50 ($10 savings)

AFCM 360

3 concerts for $60 (3 for the price of 2)

Any 3 concerts for ages 21–39. Tickets held at Will Call and proof of age required.

Ticket sales cover less than half of our total costs. Your generous donations ensure that AFCM is here for tomorrow’s audiences. Please contribute today.

Planned giving is one of the best ways to support AFCM over the long term. Join the Jean-Paul Bierny Legacy Society by remembering AFCM in your will or estate plans.

Gifts of stock are gratefully accepted and often tax effective for the donor. Please call our office, 520 577-3769, and let us know if you’ve done so. The sending broker does not include your name and we want to be sure and acknowledge your gift, as well as provide IRS with proof of donation.

All current donations of $100 and above, including commissions, are recognized in concert programs and on our website. Donations for the last 12 months are updated four times each year in the latest concert programs.

Subscriptions Donations

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Commissioning

This season AFCM will present two new works, bringing the total since 1997 to an astounding 60! Commission a new piece and meet the composer, attend rehearsals, be acknowledged from the stage and on a lobby poster, in concert programs, and on the AFCM website.

• Commission a new piece of music that will live on after its Tucson world premiere

• Sponsor a commission in your name or in honor of someone

• Price is negotiated with composer but usually ranges from $12,000 to $15,000

• Commissions can be divided among donors

Sponsorships

Share your love of chamber music by sponsoring a concert or musician or one of our educational outreach programs. Sponsors are recognized from the stage and acknowledged in programs, lobby posters, and on the AFCM website.

• Sponsor a concert from any series – $5,000

• Co-sponsor a concert from any series – $2,500

• Sponsor a single musician’s performance – $1,500

• Co-sponsor the Festival’s Youth Concert – $2,500

• Adopt a school in our Music in the Schools program – $1,000

Tributes

Celebrate a colleague or loved one with a gift made In Honor of or In Memory of. Tributes of $100 or more are listed in concert programs and on the AFCM website.

Thousands of school-age children, thanks to generous contributions from donors, continue to experience chamber music, often for the first time, through our Music in the Schools program, master classes, and the Festival’s annual Youth Concert.

AFCM now ranks among the top commission-ing organizations in the country, bringing new works to the musical repertoire every year. Audiences will hear two sponsored compositions this season, one of which will be performed at the 2016 Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival.

While AFCM’s upcoming roster of artists rivals that of any major city, our ticket prices are less than you might pay elsewhere just for parking. Come join music lovers, music scholars, and the musically curious for Arizona Friends of Chamber Music’s brilliant season of music.

Subscribe today!

Other ways to support AFCM

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