The music of Augusta Read Thomas (b. 1964 in New York) is nuanced, majestic, elegant, capricious, lyrical, and colorful — "it is boldly considered music that celebrates the sound of the instruments and reaffirms the vitality of orchestral music" (Philadelphia Inquirer). Championed by such luminaries as Barenboim, Rostropovich, Boulez, Eschenbach, Salonen, Maazel, Ozawa, and Knussen, she rose early to the top of her profession.
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Levi Boylan, trombone
Trombonist Levi Boylan began his musical journey studying the piano at the age of four. He turned to the trombone at age ten, studying with Ann Arbor low brass teacher Jonathan Holtfreter. Occasionally making cameo appearances with members of his musical family, he performed the trombone solo of the aria Tuba Mirum from the Mozart Requiem in a spectacle organized by his great uncle, Canadian bass baritone Gary Relyea at the Niagara-on-the Lake Music festival in Ontario, Canada. Over the years, he played many times at Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown Concert House (KCH), often accompanied by his grandmother and KCH Founder Deanna Relyea. He currently studies at The Juilliard School with the distinguished teacher Joseph Alessi.
Jerry Bryant, trumpet
Jerry Bryant has enjoyed a rich career that spans continents and genres. Serving seven years with the United States Navy Band, Bryant honed his craft while touring the world, representing his country through music. In addition to his military service, he is a member of the New York City Opera Orchestra and serves as Principal Trumpet at The Glimmerglass Festival, as well as with the Princeton and Greenwich symphonies. Bryant's virtuosity has graced renowned stages across the United States, including performances with The Metropolitan Opera, The National Symphony, New Jersey Symphony and Jacksonville Symphony, among others.
Colleen Bernstein
Colleen Bernstein is an award-winning percussionist and educator recognized for her versatility and passion. She is currently the percussionist for Monty Python’s Spamalot on Broadway, as well as a member of the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra. Ms. Bernstein has previously collaborated with notable artists including Béla Fleck, Judy Collins, Tania León, Concertgebouw Orchestra Camerata, American Symphony Orchestra, Silkroad Ensemble, International Contemporary Ensemble, Talea Ensemble, Balla Kouyaté, and Sandbox Percussion.
Phillip Solomon, clarinet
Clarinetist Phillip Solomon enjoys a varied career of collaborative and heartfelt music making in New York City. As an orchestral musician, he performs regularly with the Metropolitan Opera, and has appeared with the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, New Jersey Symphony, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, among others. During his summers, he serves as Second Clarinet of the Glimmerglass Festival Orchestra. As a Klezmer musician, he was a founding member of Mountain Mishpokhe, a Klezmer band based in Aspen, Colorado.
Mimi Solomon, piano
American pianist Mimi Solomon enjoys a multi-faceted career as a chamber musician, soloist, and teacher. She has performed throughout the United States, China, Japan and Europe, has appeared as soloist with orchestras including Shanghai Symphony, Philharmonia Virtuosi, and Yale Symphony Orchestra, and has been featured on numerous radio and television broadcasts including the McGraw-Hill Young Artist’s Showcase, France 3, France Inter, and National Public Radio.
September 24th at 4PM, Mysteries of Identity at the Cooperage!
Mysteries of Identity, Caroline Stinson & Ieva Jokubaviciute in Recital A musical exploration of how we define ourselves, culturally, personally and spiritually, Mysteries of Identity brings together a wide range of compositional voices in search of their own expressive “I am”.
Aleksandra Dzenisenia, cimbalom
Aleksandra Dzenisenia studied at the Belarusian State Academy of Music and at the Conservatoire supérieur in Strasbourg. Literally since her first steps in music Aleksandra made herself known as a talented and original musician. Being only a first-year student Aleksandra got the first prize at the international musical competition in Moscow. She later she took part in many international competitions and was invariably a prize-winner.
John Harbison, Composer in Residence
Composer John Harbison’s concert music catalog of almost 300 works is anchored by three operas, seven symphonies, twelve concerti, a ballet, six string quartets, numerous song cycles and chamber works, and a large body of sacred music that includes cantatas, motets, and the orchestral-choral works Four Psalms, Requiem, and Abraham. He has also penned a substantial body of jazz compositions and arrangements, and cadenzas for major violin and piano concertos. Harbison has received commissions from most of America’s premiere musical institutions, including the Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. As one of America’s most distinguished artistic figures, he is recipient of numerous awards and honors, among them a MacArthur Fellowship and a Pulitzer Prize.
Ensemble Accroche Note
Accroche Note is a group of soloists formed around the soprano Françoise Kubler and clarinettist Armand Angster. Their aim is to lead in the promotion of today’s music through a variety of mediums and genres. The programe of each concert dictates the number of musicians who constitute the ensemble. The flexibility of the group, from solo musician to large chamber ensemble, allows them to tackle varying projects; from the historical pages of the classical repertoire to instrumental and vocal literature of the 20th and 21st century. Other projects centre around improvisation through jazz and other improvised traditions.