2008

Luzerne Chamber Music Festival  

"A Celebration of  *American Chamber Music"  

Featuring Works of  *American Composers        of the Past and Present     

Eight Monday Evenings @ 8 p.m.

July 7:  Opening Night with The Luzerne Trio 

Returning from their winter season with Classic Chamber Concerts, Philadelphia Orchestra emeritus player Bert Phillips, cello, and  spouse Toby Blumenthal, piano, kick off the 2008  Luzerne Chamber Music Festival with special guest Raymond Gniewek, retired Concertmaster  of  The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, violin.

With Luzerne Chamber Players  Rita Mitsel,  Juilliard graduate, oboe, and William Goodwin,  Curtis graduate, viola.

Repertoire:   Camille Saint Saens – Trio in F Major, Opus 18  for piano, violin, cello.    *Charles Martin Loeffler – Two Rhapsodies for oboe, viola and piano.     Johannes Brahms – Quartet in C Minor, Opus 60  for piano, violin, viola, cello.

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July 14:   Skidmore College Artist-in-Residence   Joel Brown, Classical Guitarist,  Presents...

                *William Grant Still – Trio for piano, violin, cello.         *Anthony Holland – Three Poems Without Words for guitar, flute, cello.    Robert Schumann – Quintet in E flat Major, Opus 44, piano &  strings.

With Luzerne Chamber Players:  

Tatianya Abramova, piano,  LeAnne Wistrom, Principal Flute, Erie Philharmonic, flute;  Rico Mc Neela, Director of Orchestra Studies, University of Toledo, Tara Montour, Virginia Symphony and Karen Sanno, Louisiana Philharmonic, violins;  William Goodwin, Naples Philharmonic, viola; Troy Chang, Manhattan School of Music, and  Eduard Gulabyan, Southwest Florida Symphony, cellos.

Composer-in-Residence, *Anthony Holland, to Speak about  His Own Work in the Context of *American Chamber Music

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MIDORI with pianist Charles Abromovic

IN CONCERT BENEFIT for LUZERNE

TUESDAY, JULY 15th  @  8 PM

(Master Classes on July 16th, 9:30 am)

Repertoire:

—INTERMISSION—

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July 21:  Luzerne Chamber Players' Exclusive

Members of the Luzerne Chamber Players come to Luzerne Music Center from Symphony Orchestras & University and College Faculties throughout the World to play in our annual festival, reside on campus and instruct our music students.

Repertoire:   W. A. Mozart – Quintet in E flat major, K 452, for            piano, oboe, clarinet, bassoon,  and horn.   *Gunther Schuller – Woodwind Quintet.    *George Rochberg – Trio for piano, clarinet, horn.   Francis Poulenc –   Trio for piano, oboe, bassoon.

LeAnne Wistrom, Principal Flute, Erie Philharmonic;  Rita Mitsel, oboe;  Robyn Jones, Principal Clarinet, Louisiana Philharmonic; Susan Loegering, Principal Bassoon, Louisiana Philharmonic; William Schulman, Symphony of the Americas & Boca Raton Symphony, horn; Toby Blumenthal,  piano.

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July 28:   MaD Fusion

With pianist Matt Herskowitz, David Rozenblatt on drums and Mat Fieldes on bass

Featuring works of American composers George Gershwin and  Original Jazz/Crossover Repertoire by Matt Herskowitz

MaDFusion represents the new frontier in musical collaboration. Pianist Matt Herskowitz, drummer David Rozenblatt and bassist Mat Fieldes draw upon diverse musical cultures and genres to forge a completely new sound which defies labeling. The music is a progressive blend of jazz and classical traditions with world music, funk, club, pop and hip-hop.

MaDFusion's first album, Forget Me Not (released under the band's former name "HRP"), has received worldwide acclaim, prompting Dave Brubeck to write, “This is the final straw. I’d better retire now.”

Influenced by their experiences with great music and musicians from around the world, MaDFusion brings an eclectic slant to its musical soundscape. Performances include high-energy bursts of virtuosity interspersed with contemplative, soul-searching respites. MaDFusion consistently dazzles audiences with the unexpected through scripted content and improvisation.

MaDFusion has appeared at major music festivals in Europe, Canada and the United States, and has been featured in performances and recordings with Absolute Ensemble, Paquito D'Rivera, Lew Soloff, Dave Taylor, Marcel Khalife, Dhafer Yousef and Daniel Schnyder.

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August 4:  An Intimate Evening with the Luzerne Chamber Players

Eric Schweingruber, trumpet sub, Philadelphia Orchestra;   Aniko Szokody, NYS Capital District pianist;  William Schulman - Luzerne faculty, horn;   Rico McNeela – Director of Orchestral Studies, University of Toledo, OH, violin & viola;  Tara-Louise Montour, Virginia Symphony,  violin;  Melinda Daetsch,  Hartt School of Music Faculty, viola; Eduard Gulabyan, Naples Opera, principal cello.

Repertoire: W.A. Mozart – Quintet in E flat Major, K407,  for horn and strings.    *Eric Ewazen – Trio for trumpet, violin and piano.     Johannes Brahms – Quintet for piano and strings in F Minor, Opus 34

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August 11:  Biava String Quartet

Presents George Crumb's

"Black Angels"

The Biava Quartet takes its name from Maestro Luis Biava, who has been a mentor and inspiration to the Quartet since its inception.

Its members, violinists Austin Hartman and Hyunsu Ko, violist Mary Persin, and cellist Jason Calloway, hold the Lisa Arnhold Quartet Residency at the Juilliard School, serving as graduate quartet in residence and teaching assistants to the Juilliard Quartet. The Quartet previously held the same position with the Tokyo Quartet at Yale.

Other Repertoire:   Joseph Haydn - String Quartet in C Major, opus 54,  No. 2.  Felix Mendelssohn - String Quartet in f Minor, opus 80.

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August 18:   Temple University's David Pasbrig & Luzerne Chamber Players Present...

W.A. Mozart – Quintet in A Major, Opus 581  for clarinet and string quartet; *Paul Schoenfield (b. 1947) – Sparks of Glory for violin, clarinet, cello, piano and narrator; Caesar Franck – Quintet in F Minor for piano and strings.

Mr. Pasbrig studied at The Peabody Conservatory and Temple University where he completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree.  His teachers have included Marian Hahn, Charles Abramovic, Lambert Orkis and Harvey Wedeen. Mr. Pasbrig is currently Associate Director of The Rivers School Summer Music Program in Boston, MA, and teaches at Temple University.     He can be heard on Centaur and New World Records.

With Luzerne Chamber Players Robyn Jones-clarinet; Tara Montour & Rico McNeela-violins; Melinda Daetsch-viola; Troy Chang & Bert Phillips - cello.

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August 25:

Luzerne Festival Finale:  

 Elizabeth Pitcairn in Concert with Red Violin

Elizabeth Pitcairn, solo violinist and alumna of the Luzerne Music Center, returns to present the final concert of  the season, with mentors Toby Blumenthal and spouse Bert Phillips, on piano and cello, and Luzerne Chamber Players Tara Montour, violin and Melinda Daetsch, viola.

Repertoire:  *Amy Beach (1867-1944) - Piano & String Quintet;  Josef  Suk  - Four Pieces for violin and piano;  *George Gershwin Summertime  &   It Ain’t Necessarily So;  Johannes Brahms – Piano Quartet in G minor, Opus 25.

"I dreamed as a child of being a concert soloist and playing a Stradivarius; now I am living that dream...The realities of actually living this dream and the  tremendous commitment combined with the relentless pressure keep my feet firmly planted in the air,"  said the artist in an interview entitled "Discipline Made Her Dream Possible," The South Whidbey Record, January 12, 2008.

" I believe that everything in this life and in this world comes from somewhere. What we experience through our five senses and its consequences of logic and emotions are rooted somewhere, however mysterious and deeply hidden. In thinking about my activities and passion for community involvement, my spirit for volunteering must come from somewhere as well.

 "For me, there exists an almost innate desire to connect and communicate with others; there is an undeniable drive in my nature to become intertwined with the community and to participate in it."

From "About Volunteering" by Midori on www.gotomidori.com

"Ms. Blumenthal's boundless energy and flawless technique are matched only by the creative genius of those whose works she selected for this astoundingly brilliant concert..."

Pianist, composer and Luzerne Alumnus, Mr. Herskowitz is a unique new voice from within the nexus of classical and jazz traditions. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School, Matt is a brilliant young jazz pianist, a stunning interpreter of the classics, and a composer of vast range and originality.

He joins fellow Juilliard graduates and classical music students David Rozenblatt and Mat Fieldes in re-inventing he classics for the 21st Century.  Their interpretations and arrangements are exciting and new.

Mr. Pasbrig has received critical and audience acclaim throughout the US and Far East.  Known for his “Impressive…range of tonal qualities and technical finesse” (Schenectady Gazette).