Chamber Music at Centrum

String Quartet That Also Whistles, Whispers and Wails

Fresh off their week in Port Townsend, the Attacca Quartet just performed in New York City and were reviewed by Steve Smith in the New York Times.

"...the concert was, in a word, sensational. [...] The first two pieces had something else in common: each called on performers to do more than just play. In a striking moment early in Huang Ruo’s “Three Tenses” (2005), Mr. Yee whistled a high, keening melody while playing a low drone. Moments later Ms. Schroeder simulated a gust of wind by blowing into her instrument."

For those of you who caught the Attacca's performances during their week here at the 2008 Festival, I'm sure you'd agree with that assessment. It's exciting to see a young ensemble begin to make its mark in the world. Best wishes to the Attacca Quartet.

Cellist Desmond Hoebig to Appear at the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival

Cellist Desmond Hoebig, who will be in residence at the 2008 Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival, first appeared as a soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the age of eight. He went on to study, during the years of 1979-83, at the Juilliard School, while winning awards over that same time frame: the 1980 Canadian Music Competitions International Stepping Stones, the 1981 CBC Radio Talent Competition. He was a finalist in the 1982 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.

Hoebig is equally accomplished as a solo, chamber, and orchestral player. He has appeared with multiple orchestras as a guest soloist, toured widely, and won first prize in the 1984 Munich International Competition. He is currently principal cellist of the Cleveland Symphony.

Hoebig will perform at the Joseph F. Wheeler Theater on both Friday, June 27; and Saturday, June 28. Tickets are available here or by calling Centrum at 800-733-3608 or 360-385-3102, x117. Tickets may be purchased in person in Port Townsend at the Centrum office at Fort Worden State Park; at Quimper Sound, 230 Taylor Street; and at The Food Co-op, 414 Kearney Street. Tickets may also be purchased at individual events, but availability is not guaranteed.

THE PORT TOWNSEND SUMMER CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL
Helen Callus, Artistic Director

Friday, June 27
The Joseph F. Wheeler Theater – 7:30 pm
• Quartet in A minor, D. 804. Franz Schubert. Performed by the Tokyo String Quartet
• Primera Luz (written for the Tokyo String Quartet). Lera Auerbach. Performed by the Tokyo String Quartet.
• Sextet No. 2 in G major, Op. 36. Johannes Brahms. Performed by the Attacca String Quartet with Helen Callus, viola; and Desmond Hoebig, cello.
Tickets: $29/25; youth 18 & under free with reservations

Saturday, June 28
The Joseph F. Wheeler Theater – 7:30 pm
• Quintet for Strings in Bb, K. 174. Wolfgang Mozart. Performed by the Tokyo String Quartet with Helen Callus, viola.
• Quartet in Eb for Piano and Strings, Op. 47. Robert Schumann. Performed by Martin Beaver, violin; Helen Callus, viola; Desmond Hoebig, cello; Robert Koenig, piano.
• Quartet in A minor, Op. 132. Ludwig van Beethoven. Performed by the Tokyo String Quartet.
Tickets: $29/25; youth 18 & under free with reservations

Violinist Andrew Dawes

Andrew Dawes, who will be in residence at the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival is known as one of the most distinguished violinists Canada has ever produced. As a founding member and first violinist of Canada’s renowned Orford String Quartet, he has played over 2,000 concerts in more than 25 countries and won three Juno Awards and made more than 50 recordings.

In 1992 he was awarded the Order of Canada in recognition of his contribution to the musical life of Canada. In 1994, he received the prestigious Chalmers National Music Award for creativity and excellence in the arts. He first performed at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival in 1996 as first violinist of the Tokyo Quartet and has performed here in many concerts since then. He now teaches at the University of British Columbia and is a member of the Eden Trio.

The Attacca Quartet

The Attacca Quartet, along with the Tokyo String Quartet, will be in residence at the Port Townsend Chamber  Music Festival. The Attacca Quartet was formed at the Juilliard School in 2003, and is comprised of four second year-masters degree students—violinists Amy Schroeder and Keiko Tokunaga, violist Gillian Gallagher, and cellist Andrew Yee. The Quartet has already won multiple national and international awards in their short history and has collaborated with many internationally acclaimed artists.

"Razumovsky"

[The Tokyo String Quartet playing the fourth movement of Beethoven's string quartet op.59 no. 3.]

The Tokyo String Quartet--Martin Beaver and Kikuei Ikeda (violins), Kazuhide Isomura (viola), and Clive Greensmith (cello)--will be in residence at Centrum June 22-29 as faculty members at the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival.

Membership in the Tokyo String Quartet has changed over the decades, but the group’s trademark ensemble purity and dedication to the classical repertoire—as well as to contemporary work—remains the foundation for the group’s success.

The quartet’s current membership includes violinist Martin Beaver, violinist Kikuei Ikeda, violist Kazu Isomura, and cellist Clive Greensmith, who perform over one hundred concerts annually. And although the group registers tremendous sales, the quartet members don’t find relevancy in numbers, but in the music itself, and in giving back to the next generation of chamber music students. 

Playing and commissioning works by modern composers, such as Toshio Hosakawa and Lera Auerbach, are important to the quartet, as well.

“In the Romantic era, with support from the aristocracy, there was much communication between composers and performers. These days, there is often not that level of communication, and so we try to collaborate with composers and try and create new music,” Isomura says. “Obligation is not quite the right word, but it’s a musician’s duty to find wonderful new music and introduce it to the public.”

At Centrum in 2008...the Tokyo String Quartet

One of the the finest chamber music ensembles in the world, the Tokyo String Quartet has captivated audiences and critics alike since it's founding over thirty years ago.

The quartet--Martin Beaver and Kikuei Ikeda (violins), Kazuhide Isomura (viola), and Clive Greensmith (cello)--has collaborated with a remarkable array of artists and composers, built a comprehensive catalogue of critically acclaimed recordings, and established a distinguished teaching record.

Performing over a hundred concerts worldwide each season, the Tokyo String Quartet has a devoted international following that includes the major capitals of the world and extends to all four corners, from Australia to Estonia to Scandinavia and the Far East.

Dedicated to the performance of both new work and the classical repertoire, the Tokyo Quartet this season performs the N.Y. premieres of "Blossoming for String Quartet" by Japanese composer Toshio Hosakawa and "Primera Luz" by Lera Auerbach. These works will be among those presented in three programs at New York's 92nd Street Y, where the quartet continues the 4th year of its official residency.

William Feasley

Classical guitarist William Feasley is performing his multimedia show, "Echoes of Goya," worldwide.

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was a late seventeenth century Spanish court painter. He is regarded both as the last of the old masters and as the first of the moderns. The subversive and subjective element in his art, as well as his bold handling of paint, provided a model for the work of later generations of artists, including Manet and Picasso.

Feasley's multimedia show takes the form of a guitar recital with an accompanying power point slide show. The works of Goya that are featured range from his early "cartoons" through his mature portraiture, examples of the black paintings, six Caprichos and on to the Milkmaid of Bordeaux (pictured right).

The music falls into three categories; music that was around Goya as he created his art, music that his art inspired and Feasley's musical associations between Goya's art and Spanish music.

The repertoire for the concert continues to evolve. Most recently he commissioned Three Goya Portraits from the Cuban-American composer José Lezcano.

William Feasley, who will be on faculty at the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival August 5-12, 2007, is rapidly becoming recognized as one of today's top classical guitarists.

The first guitarist to be awarded the Peabody Conservatory's coveted Artist Diploma, Feasley has since been the recipient of numerous prizes and awards.

Since making his debut in 1980 with the San Francisco Ballet, performing Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, Feasley has maintained an active international touring schedule.

Recent tours have included Spain, the Caribbean, Greece, Yugoslavia, New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Iceland.

He has also has released four critically acclaimed discs: Simplicity, American Sketches, Echoes of Goya, and his most recent CD, Shenandoah, a collection of works with roots in popular or folk music.

Feasley, who is in currently on the faculty of Catholic University, Columbia Union College, and Shepherd University, will be leading a week of workshops August 5-9. As a public capstone to the week, he performs onstage in a free performance at the Joseph F. Wheeler Theater on Tuesday, August 7, at 7 pm.    

Violinist Hal Grossman

Centrum is proud to announce that violinist Hal Grossman, Instructor of Violin at Interlochen Center for Arts, will be in residence at the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival. Grossman, who is listed in Who's Who Among America's Teachers consistently ranks as one of the top violin instructors in the country.

Grossman is a former associate professor of violin at Miami University, played first violin for the Oxford String Quartet, is a winner of several international and national competitions, and has played as a soloist with many American and Canadian orchestras, including the Rochester Philharmonic and the North Carolina Symphony. He has also performed recital tours throughout North America and Europe.

After a full week of teaching, Grossman will perform on both Friday, August 10 and Saturday, August 11 at the Joseph F. Wheeler Theater. More workshop information, as well as registration information, is here. For tickets, follow this link.

Clarinetist Alan Kay

Clarinetist Alan Kay will be in residence at the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival, August 5-11, 2007. After teaching in the weeklong festival workshop, he will give a performance on Friday, August 10, at 7:30 pm at the Joseph F. Wheeler Theater as the special guest clarinetist for Trio Solisti's performance of Tempest Fantasy, composer Paul Moravec's Pulitzer Prize-winning work.

One of the most versatile and respected musicians of his generation, Mr. Kay was honored with membership in the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in 2002 and serves as Principal Clarinet with New York’s Riverside Symphony.  He also performs as principal clarinet with the American Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

Also a conductor, Mr. Kay studied orchestral conducting as a Bruno Walter Scholar at Juilliard with Otto-Werner Mueller and has led ensembles at Purchase College, Juilliard, in Buck’s County (PA), Staten Island, California and New York City. Mr. Kay taught at the Summer Music Academy in Leipzig, Germany in 2004 and teaches at the Manhattan, Hartt and Juilliard Schools. 

Pianist Robert Koenig

Canadian pianist Robert Koenig, a much sought-after collaborative artist and chamber musician, will be teaching and performing at the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival from August 5-12, working with emerging professionals, college students, adult amateurs, and talented high school students.

Mr. Koenig performs regularly in major centers throughout the world with many of this generation’s most renowned musicians.

Recent engagements have included performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Alice Tully Hall in New York, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, the Seoul Arts Center, the Concertgebuow in Amsterdam, and the Louvre Museum in Paris.

He has performed with many of today’s leading artists including Sarah Chang, Hilary Hahn, Pamela Frank, Ida Kavafian, Elmar Oliveira, Sidney Harth, and Aaron Rosand

Mr. Koenig is frequently heard on radio and television, including NPR, the BBC, the CBC, ABC’s “Good Morning America,” and CBS‘s “This Morning.” From 1992-1999, Mr. Koenig was staff pianist at the Juilliard School and in September 1999 he became staff pianist at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.  In the fall of 2000, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Chamber Music at the University of Kansas in Lawrence and has taught there since.

Mr. Koenig has recorded for Artek, Ambassador, Biddulph, Cedille, CRI, Eroica, and Naxos. His most recent CD of favorite encores for violin and piano with violinist Elmar Oliveira was released in May 2001 on the Artek Label.

You can listen to Mr. Koenig's recording of the "Concerto in D for violin, piano, and string quartet" by Ernst Chausson, here. The excerpt is from the fourth movement.

Tempest Fantasy

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec will be composer-in-residence at the 2007 Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival, working closely with college, adult, and emerging-professional composers. Moravec, whose composition Tempest Fantasy will be performed at the Festival by Trio Solisti (the very ensemble that he wrote it for) and clarinetist Alan Kay, has had over a dozen CDs performed of his work, and has composed several dozen chamber, choral, and orchestra works.

It is Tempest Fantasy, a meditation on the motifs and characters of Shakespeare's play The Tempest, that has garnered Moravec much recent acclaim.

"Tempest Fantasy has," Moravec notes, "everything to do with Shakespeare and nothing to do with Shakespeare."

Moravec originally wrote a violin-and-piano piece called Ariel's Fantasy. (In the play, Ariel is a light-hearted messenger sprite.) When violinist Maria Bachmann, of Trio Solisti, first heard the music, she loved its energy and color, and encouraged Moravec to develop it into a complete half-hour piece.

Trio Solisti gave the world premiere performance of Tempest Fantasy. On Friday, August 10, at 7:30 pm, at the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival, Trio Solisti, together with clarinetist Alan Kay, will perform all five movements of Tempest Fantasy: "Ariel," "Prospero," "Caliban," "Sweet Airs," and "Fantasia."

Teaching and Performing: Antonio Lysy

"I can't do without either," Antonio Lysy says, when asked if he prefers performing or teaching.

Performing puts Lysy close to the music, close to the instrument, and to a place of "discovering more about myself, about my limits. It's a great incentive to then be able to pass [that] on," he says.

Antonio is an artist of international stature. He has performed worldwide in major concert halls, including the Royal Festival Hall, the Convertgebuow, and the Berlin Philharmonie. He has also appeared extensively as a soloist, with such orchestras as the Royal Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestras of London, Camerata Academica of Salzburg, Zurich Tonhalle, the Zagreb Soloists, Orchestra di Padova e il Veneto, and many, many others.

He currently teaches at UCLA and will be at the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival August 5-12, teaching, tutoring, and performing.

Listen to Lysy playing Bach's Suite No. 3 in C major.

Trio Solisti at Centrum in 2007

Trio Solisti, whose performances thrill audiences around the globe, will be the featured ensemble at the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival in 2007.

Trio Solisti's recordings include a widely renowned CD of Brahms's work, and recordings of music by composer Paul Moravec that includes the world premiere of Moravec's Pulitzer Prize-winning work. The Trio has also given critically acclaimed performances at Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater, at Town Hall in New York City for the People's Symphony Concerts, and at the Tuscan Sun Festival in Cortona, Italy, among many others. As Helen Callus, Artistic Director for the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival notes, "We are thrilled to be able to build our program around these musicians."

2007 Artist/Faculty

Helen Callus, the Artistic Director of the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival, is an international recording artist and the first elected female president of the American Viola Society. She is a regular performer on radio and television as a recitalist, chamber music collaborator, and concerto soloist. Her debut recording, Portrait of the Viola, and her subsequent recordings have been met with wide critical acclaim. Callus currently serves as Associate Professor of Viola at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Hear her music and more.

Maria Bachmann, Alexis Pia Gerlach, and Jon Klibonoff join together as Trio Solisti to create performances that have thrilled audiences across Canada, Europe, and the United States. The New York Times describes Trio Solisti as “compelling and consistently brilliant.” The Trio has been featured on national radio shows around the country. Trio Solisti’s recordings include an all-Brahms album for Marquis Classics, and a recording of music by Paul Moravec for the Arabesque label which includes recordings of Moravec’s 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning work, composed specifically for the Trio. In 2003, a documentary video, Trio Solisti Explores Beethoven, was released by the Films for Humanities and Sciences. more

William Feasley is recognized as one of today’s top classical guitarists. The first guitarist to be awarded the Peabody Conservatory’s coveted Artist Diploma, Feasley has since been the recipient of numerous prizes and awards and maintains an active international touring schedule. In addition, he is currently on the faculties of Catholic University, Columbia Union College, and Shepherd University. Hear his music and more.

Hal Grossman teaches at the Interlochen Academy, and was previously Associate Professor of Music at Miami University. He is the winner of the International Cleveland Quartet and National Fischoff  Chamber Music competitions, and made his Carnegie Hall debut with the Casella String Quartet. In addition, Grossman has served as first violinist of the Oxford String Quartet and as Concertmaster of the Estranach (Luxembourg) and several U.S. orchestras. In addition, Grossman has made several recital tours throughout North America and Europe. more

Clarinetist Alan Kay appears frequently with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and has been featured at the Vail Valley Music Festival and the Yellow Barn Festival. He teaches at the Manhattan, Hartt, and Juilliard schools, and has performed with the award-winning ensemble Hexagon, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and the Da Camera of Houston. more

Pianist Robert Koenig has quickly established a reputation as a much sought-after collaborative artist and chamber musician. He performs regularly in major centers throughout the world with many renowned musicians. Recent engagements have included performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Alice Tully Hall in New York, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, the Seoul Arts Center, the Concertgebuow in Amsterdam, and the Louvre Museum in Paris. more

Cellist Antonio Lysy has performed worldwide in major concert halls, including the Royal Festival Hall, the Concertgebouw, the Tonhalle, Salle Pleyel, Wigmore Hall, Sala Verdi, Berlin Philharmonie, and Teatro Colón. He has appeared extensively as soloist with such orchestras as the Royal Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestras of London, among many others, including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, where he gave the premiere of a triple concerto by composer Denis Bouliane. Hear his music and more.

Paul Moravec, recipient of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his work Tempest Fantasy, composes orchestral, chamber, choral, and lyric compositions, as well as film scores and electro-acoustic pieces. His many awards and fellowships include the Rome Prize, NEA Composer Fellowship, and Rockefeller Foundation fellowship. Moravec is currently Music Department Chair at Adelphi University. more

Helen Callus Named Artistic Director

Centrum is pleased to announce violist Helen Callus as the new Artistic Director for the Port Townsend Summer Chamber Music Festival. Callus joins the Festival at a time of growth and change as it evolves into one of the largest gatherings of chamber music students and performers in the Pacific Northwest, said Centrum executive director Thatcher Bailey.

A native of England, Helen Callus is an international recording artist and the first elected female president of the American Viola Society. She currently serves as Associate Professor of Viola at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “Centrum has always had a unique and diverse range of possibilities which is evident from the outstanding array of activities and events it hosts at Fort Worden,” Callus said. “This was one of the main reasons why I decided to join the program.”

“Helen will take Chamber Music at Centrum to a new level of excellence,” said Bailey. “We are excited about making a serious investment in her vision for transforming our program into one of the finest opportunities for the best players and composers in the country, as well as talented amateurs. She is a highly respected artist with the passion and connections to attract extraordinary players, teachers, students and audiences to Fort Worden.”

Callus said that she planned to involve the community at every level while attracting international students of the highest caliber. “I believe that there will be no better way to do that than in Fort Worden’s stunning location,” she said. “We bring world-class artists to the Fort to work intensely with our participants, in a situation that no other festival in the country offers. In the Festival’s week-long format we bring the artist and student closer by an innovative series of masterclass formats, open rehearsals and concerts.”

Callus has toured extensively throughout Europe, Russia, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United States. She recently toured with the Australian Chamber Orchestra as invited guest principal on their national tour. Both her debut recording, Portrait of the Viola, and her subsequent recordings were met with critical acclaim, with Strings Magazine describing Callus as a “violist of the highest caliber.”

As Artistic Director for the Port Townsend Summer Chamber Music Festival, Helen Callus joins Dirk Powell (Festival of American Fiddles Tunes), Rebecca Brown (The Port Townsend Writers’ Conference), John Clayton (Jazz Port Townsend) and Phil Wiggins (The Port Townsend Country Blues Festival) in guiding and shaping Centrum workshops and performances. Centrum artistic directors, who serve up to five-year terms, select faculty, structure program content, and serve as cultural ambassadors for Centrum out in the world.

Callus replaces Centrum’s outgoing Artistic Director Tom Stone and the Cypress String Quartet, whose five-year term ended this year. "Centrum's association with the Cypress String Quartet was extremely gratifying for us,” said Centrum Associate Director Gregg Miller. “Through a combination of high musical standards, hard work and infectious enthusiasm they helped build a fledgling chamber music workshop into an event attended by participants from across the U.S. and Canada.”