American Romanian Festival 2011 Program Book

AMERICAN ROMANIAN FESTIVAL

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www.americanromanianfestival.org

CHAMBER CONCERT

ENESCU SERIES /

OCT 28

Friday, October 28, 2011, 8:00 p.m.

Lady Star of the Sea Church 467 Fairford, Grosse Pointe, MI ARTISTS Daniel Goiți, visiting Romanian pianist Marian Tănău, violin Amanda Gates Armstrong, violin Jim VanValkenburg, viola Una O’Riordan, cello PERFORMING Brahms / Constantinescu / Enescu ADMISSION $20 per person

www.americanromanianfestival.org

TABLE OF CONTENTS Calendar

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Film Series Crossing Dates

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Wedding in Bessarabia

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Red Apples

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Award Winning Shorts

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Chamber Concerts September 25

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October 7

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October 26

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October 27

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October 29

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November 6

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November 11

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About the Artists Ben Cohen, choral conductor

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Anné-Marie Condacse, soprano

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Robert Conway, piano

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Daniel Goiți, piano

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Jennifer Goltz, soprano

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Laurence Liberson, clarinet

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Laura Roelofs, violin

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Logan Skelton, piano

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Marian Tănău, violin

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Cornel Țăranu, composer

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Jim VanValkenburg

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Vocal Arts Ensemble

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Judith Vander Weg

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Sponsors

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Thank You

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CALENDAR FILM SERIES

CHAMBER CONCERT

ENESCU SERIES /

NOV 18

Crossing Dates

Saturday, September 17, 2011, 3:30 p.m.

Film Screening

Wedding in Bessarabia

Saturday, September 17, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

Film Screening

Red Apples

Saturday, September 24, 2011, 3:30 p.m.

Film Screening + Short Talk with Romanian composer Cornel Țăranu.

Award-Winning Shorts

Saturday, September 24, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

Film Screening

Friday November 18, 2011 8:00 p.m.

Lady Star of the Sea Church 467 Fairford, Grosse Pointe, MI ARTISTS Karl Pituch, horn Marian Tănău, violin Steve Wogaman, piano PERFORMING Brahms / Jackson Stravinsky / Schwarz ADMISSION $20 per person www.americanromanianfestival.org

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Film Screenings Venue University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) Helmut Stern Auditorium 525 South State Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109

The Romanian Film Series is sponsored by Michigan Arts Council and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the Mărășești Society and the Romanian National Film Center.

CONCERTS

Compositions by Crumb and Țăranu

Sunday, September 25, 2011, 4:00 p.m.

Kerrytown Concert House 415 North Fourth Avenue Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104

Rogalski, Țăranu, Crumb

Friday, October 7, 2011, 7:30 pm Schaver Recital Hall, Old Main Wayne State University 4841 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI

Piano Recital: Visiting Romanian Pianist Daniel Goiți

Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 12:00 p.m.

Vista Tech Presentation Room Schoolcraft College 18600 Haggerty, Livonia, MI

An Evening of Romanian Food & Music: Daniel Goiți on Piano

Saturday, October 29, 2011 5:30 p.m., Dinner, 8 p.m. Concert Vista Tech Presentation Room Schoolcraft College 18600 Haggerty, Livonia, MI

Works for Violin and Piano

Sunday, November 6, 2011 3:00 p.m.

Schaver Recital Hall, Old Main Wayne State University 4841 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI

Choral Concert

Friday, November 11, 2011, 8:00 p.m.

Kirk in the Hills 1340 West Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302

Piano Master Class: Daniel Goiți

Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 4:00 p.m.

Schaver Recital Hall, Old Main Wayne State University 4841 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI

Piano Recital: Daniel Goiți

Thurday, October 27, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

Schaver Recital Hall, Old Main Wayne State University 4841 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI

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FILM SERIES University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA), Helmut Stern Auditorium 525 South State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 FREE ADMISSION

Crossing Dates

Wedding in Bessarabia

Întîlniri Încrucis˛ate, 2009, Anca Damian, English subtitles, 100 min

Nunta in Basarabia, 2011, Nap Toader, English subtitles, 92 min

Each day of our lives brings us new encounters with one another: our paths cross, we see each other, and we speak or don’t speak to each other. Both chance and intention play a part in these encounters, and the consequences can remain like footprints on the paths of our lives.

Crossing Dates mixes three separate stories that take place over two days. The characters’ paths intersect, and they affect each other unintentionally. The three stories are united not only by the characters but also by re-readings of the same theme in different registers. ❖

Film Synopsis: Hoping to find an easier way to make a living, the train is taking two newlyweds – a conductor from Bucharest and his wife, a pianist - from the hard life of Romania to the girl's homeland of Moldova, where the wedding will be held. The wedding not only reunited her with her family but also allows the couple the chance to receive presents and cash that they desperately need to start their new life together.

In the midst of political debate, social complexities and economic hardships, what emerges is a portrait of a community that celebrates joie de vivre and humanity.

The film holds on to its optimism while it delights artistically in the socio-political complexities of a region that has known its share of sorrows. ❖

Saturday, September 17, 2011, 3:30 p.m.

Film Screening

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Saturday, September 17, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

Film Screening

FILM SERIES.

Red Apples

Saturday, September 24, 2011, 3:30 p.m.

Film Screening Mere Rosii, 1976, Alexandru Tatos, English subtitles, 86 min.

A young urologist is assigned to a town hospital with no urology ward, and keeps bumping into his superiors because of both ethical and medical problems. For those who know the medical system in Romania, this is an acid pamphlet against destruction of young talents as well as a stand against the never-ending corruption plaguing even the noblest of professions. + Short Talk with Romanian composer Cornel Țăranu Romanian composer Cornel Țăranu will hold a short talk at 3:30 p.m. about his film score to Red Apples, and his collaboration with film director Alexandru Tatos. A screening of Red Apples will take place immediately following the talk. ❖

Award-Winning Shorts

Saturday, September 24, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

Film Screening

The Box Lesson

Lectia de box, 2007 Alexandru Mavrodineanu, English Subtitles, 11:45 min

bric brac

bric brac, 2008, Gabriel Achim, English subtitles, 15 min

Derby

Derby, 2011, Paul Negoescu, nominated for EFA award 2011, English subtitles, 15 min

Caviar

Icre Negre, 2011, Razvan Savescu, English subtitles, 18 min

Lord

Lord, 2009, Adrian Sitaru, Golden Bear Berlin 2010, English subtitles, 20 min

The Cage

Colivia, 2011, Adrian Sitaru, Golden Bear Berlin 2010, English Subtitles, 17 min ❖

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CHAMBER CONCERT Sunday, September 25, 2011, 4:00 p.m.

Compositions by Crumb and Țăranu Kerrytown Concert House 415 N. 4th Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI $25 ASSIGNED ROWS 1-2 $15 ASSIGNED ROWS 3-5 $10 GENERAL ADMISSION $5 STUDENT

ARTISTS Cornel Țăranu, piano + visiting composer Laurence Liberson, clarinet Jennifer Goltz, soprano Logan Skelton, piano Marian Tănău, violin Laura Roelofs, violin Jim VanValkenburg, viola Judith Vander Weg, cello Robert Conway, piano

This concert will open the 2011-2012 American Romanian Festival concert season. Visiting Romanian Composer Cornel Țăranu will participate in the performance of his work. University of Michigan Piano Professor and American Romanian Festival Artistic Director Logan Skelton will hold a short talk about George Crumb and the works to be performed.

This concert is sponsored by Michigan Arts Council and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, Wayne State University Department of Music, and the Mărășești Society.

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CHAMBER CONCERT. Apparition

Jennifer Goltz, soprano • Logan Skelton, piano

George Crumb (1929)

Blues from Siciliana Blues (Red Apples Movie)

Cornel Țăranu, piano

Cornel Țăranu (1934)

Mosaiques Cornel Țăranu Moderato Moderato Assez lent Rubato Laurence Liberson, clarinet • Rob Conway, piano • Marian Tănău, violin Laura Roelofs, violin • Jim VanValkenburg, viola • Judith Vander Weg, cello

- INTERMISSION -

Black Angels String Quartet George Crumb I. Departure 1. THRENODY I: Night of the Electric Insect, 2. Sounds of Bones and Flutes 3. Lost Bells 4. Devil-music 5. Danse Macabre (Duo alternativo: Dies Irae) II. Absence 6. Pavan Lachrymae (Der Tod und das Mädchen) 7. THRENODY II: BALCK ANGELS! 8. Sarabanda de la Muerte Oscura (Solo obligato: Insect Sounds) 9. Lost Bells (Echo) (Duo alaternativo: Sounds of bones and flutes) III. Return 10. [Solo: Aria accompagnata] God-music 11. Ancient Voices 12. Ancient Voices (Echo) 13. THRENODY III: Night of the Electric Insects Marian Tănău, violin • Laura Roelofs, violin Jim VanValkenburg, viola • Judith Vander Weg, cello

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CHAMBER CONCERT Friday, October 7, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

Rogalski, Țăranu, Crumb Schaver Recital Hall, Old Main, Wayne State University 4841 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI FREE ADMISSION ARTISTS Cornel Țăranu, piano + visiting composer Laurence Liberson, clarinet Jennifer Goltz, soprano Logan Skelton, piano Marian Tănău, violin Laura Roelofs, violin Jim VanValkenburg, viola Judith Vander Weg, cello Robert Conway, piano

This concert is sponsored by Michigan Arts Council and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Wayne State University Department of Music.

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CHAMBER CONCERT. String Quartet Theodor Rogalski Moderato, con moto (1901—1954) Allegretto con moto INTRODUZIONE poco andante Marian Tănău, violin • Laura Roelofs, violin Jim VanValkenburg, viola• Judith Vander Weg, cello Mozaics Cornel Țăranu Moderato (1934) Moderato Assez lent Rubato Laurence Liberson, clarinet • Rob Conway, piano • Marian Tănău, violin Laura Roelofs, violin • Jim VanValkenburg, viola • Judith Vander Weg, cello - INTERMISSION -

Black Angels String Quartet George Crumb I. Departure (1929) 1. THRENODY I: Night of the Electric Insect, 2. Sounds of Bones and Flutes 3. Lost Bells 4. Devil-music 5. Danse Macabre (Duo alternativo: Dies Irae) II. Absence 6. Pavan Lachrymae (Der Tod und das Mädchen) 7. THRENODY II: BALCK ANGELS! 8. Sarabanda de la Muerte Oscura (Solo obligato: Insect Sounds) 9. Lost Bells (Echo) (Duo alaternativo: Sounds of bones and flutes) III. Return 10. [Solo: Aria accompagnata] God-music 11. Ancient Voices 12. Ancient Voices (Echo) 13. THRENODY III: Night of the Electric Insects Marian Tănău, violin • Laura Roelofs, violin Jim VanValkenburg, viola • Judith Vander Weg, cello

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CHAMBER CONCERT Wedneday, October 26, 2011, 12:00 p.m.

Piano Recital

Visiting Romanian Pianist Daniel Goiți Vista Tech Presentation Room, Schoolcraft College 18600 Haggerty, Livonia, MI FREE ADMISSION Sonata op 10 nr 3 in D Major Ludwig van Beethoven Presto

(1770—1827) Largo e Maesto Menuetto: Allegro Rondo: Allegro

Sonata nr 2 in g sharp minor Alexander Scriabin Andante (1872—1915) Presto Suite nr. 2 selections Toccata Sarabanda

George Enescu (1881—1955)

Mephisto Vals

Franz Liszt (1811—1886)

Wedneday, October 26, 2011, 4:00 p.m.

Piano Master Class

Visiting Romanian Pianist Daniel Goiți Schaver Recital Hall, Old Main, Wayne State University 4841 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI FREE ADMISSION

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CHAMBER CONCERT. Thursday, October 27, 2011, 7:30 p.m.

Piano Recital

Visiting Romanian Pianist Daniel Goiți Schaver Recital Hall, Old Main, Wayne State University 4841 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI FREE ADMISSION Sonata op 10 nr 3 in D Major Ludwig van Beethoven Presto

(1770—1827) Largo e Maesto Menuetto: Allegro Rondo: Allegro

Sonata nr 2 in g sharp minor Alexander Scriabin Andante (1872—1915) Presto Suite nr. 2 selections Toccata Sarabanda

George Enescu (1881—1955)

Mephisto Vals

Franz Liszt (1811—1886)

Passacaglia Sigismund Toduță (1908—1991) Song Dobrogean Dance

Paul Constantinescu (1909—1963)

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CHAMBER CONCERT Friday, October 29, 2011, 5:30 p.m., Dinner, 8:00 p.m. Concert

An Evening of Romanian Food & Music Visiting Romanian Pianist Daniel Goiți

Vista Tech Presentation Room, Schoolcraft College 18600 Haggerty, Livonia, MI $90 ADMISSION: INCLUDES FOOD, WINE, AND ADMISSION TO THE CONCERT $20 ADMISSION: CONCERT ONLY

Passacaglia Sigismund Toduță (1908—1991) Nocturne

Marțian Negrea (1893—1973)

Suite nr. 2 selections Toccata Sarabanda

George Enescu (1881—1955)

Suite nr. 3 selections George Enescu Melodie Burlesque Carillon Nocturne Song Dobrogean Dance

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Paul Constantinescu (1909—1963)

CHAMBER CONCERT. Sunday, November 6, 2011 3:00 p.m.

Works for Violin and Piano Schaver Recital Hall, Old Main, Wayne State University 4841 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI FREE ADMISSION ARTISTS Marian Tănău, violin Robert Conway, piano

Rhapsody Nr. 1 for Violin and Piano Prima Parte, Moderato Seconda Parte, Allegretto moderato

Béla Bartók (1881—1945)

Sonata in d minor for Violin and Piano Felicia Donceanu Moderato (1931) Larghetto Animato Sonata for Violin and Piano Nr. 3 op. 25 in a minor Moderato malinconico Andante sostenuto e misterioso Allegro con brio, ma non troppo mosso

George Enescu (1881—1955)

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CONCERT Friday, November 11, 2011 8:00 p.m.

Choral Concert

Kirk in the Hills 1340 West Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI $20 ADMISSION ARTISTS Vocal Arts Ensemble of Ann Arbor Ben Cohen, conductor Anné-Marie Condacse, soprano

Why I Wake Early Settings of Eight Poems of Mary Oliver

Ronald Perera (1941)

- INTERMISSION -

Selections of Romanian Choral Works and Carols from the following composers Ioan D. Chirescu Tudor Flondor Teofil Coste Tudor Jarda Felicia Donceanu Laura Ana Mânzat Sabin Drăgoi Lungu Nicolae Anné-Marie Condacse, soprano

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Alexandru Paşcanu Marin Trache Nicolae Ursu Ion Vidu

ABOUT THE. ARTIST

Ben Cohen CHORAL CONDUCTOR For twenty years, Ben Cohen has been very active in the southeast Michigan music, theater and education community as conductor, music director, actor, director, composer and teacher. Since 2000 he has directed The Vocal Arts Ensemble of Ann Arbor, a premier chamber group, always reaching to expand its artistic breadth.

The group is now recognized not only as an outstanding chorus of a cappella and chamber works but as a collaborative force with other ensembles in the area. Recent collaborations have been with People Dancing and the River Raisin Ragtime Revue and world premieres have included works from composers William Bolcom and Dwayne Milburn.

Mr. Cohen has served for many years as the choirmaster for the Ann Arbor Symphony; has music directed many shows for regional and community theater and for 13

years was the music director of the Zamir Chorale of Metropolitan Detroit for which he was the founding director. He is a regular conductor of the professional choir for Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Hills.

Since 1998 Mr. Cohen has taught choir, English and drama at Greenhills School in Ann Arbor, where he also directs an annual Shakespeare production, conducts the annual spring musical. Mr. Cohen is also a composer for the stage; his works have been performed by professionals, children's groups and schools in New York, Boston and Michigan. He is the author and co-creator of Lay Your Comfort Down, originally performed as part of the Brown v Board commemoration at the Mendelssohn Theater. Mr. Cohen holds degrees from The University of Michigan and Brandeis University.❖

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ABOUT..THE. ARTIST..

Anné-Marie Condacse SOPRANO Romanian-born soprano Anné-Marie Condacse began her musical training as a violin major at the George Enescu School of Music, Bucharest, Romania. She has been resident artist with the George Enescu Romanian National Philharmonic and she has appeared as guest soloist in productions of the National Romanian Opera, Ion Dacian Operetta Theater, Oradea Lyric Theater, Cairo Symphony, Woodlands Symphony, and the Moores Opera Center. As a concert artist and recitalist, Ms. Condacse has performed throughout the United States, Romania, France, Germany, Egypt, and Syria. She has appeared on programs broadcast on the Romanian National Television and Romanian National Radio.

Ms. Condacse’s operatic performance credits include: Corinna in Il Viaggio a Reims, Violetta in La Traviata, Musetta in La Bohème, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Blöndchen in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Cecile de Volanges in Dangerous Liaisons, Adele in Die Fledermauss, Marcantonio in Casanova’s Home Coming, and First Nice in Peter Grimmes. Her concert performances include: Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri, Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem, Fauré’s Requiem, Haydn’s Harmoniemesse, Haydn’s Missa in Angustis, Mozart’s Krönungsmesse, Mozart's Vesperae solennes de Domenica, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Botti’s Cosmosis.

Her latest recording Anné-Marie Condacse Performing Chamber Music by Felicia Donceanu was released on Electrecord label.

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Ms. Condacse received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance with a minor cognate area in Vocal Pedagogy and Vocal Science from University of Houston, and a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Rice University. Her principal voice teachers have been Katherine Ciesinski, Joseph Evans, William Murray, Arta Florescu, and Venera Rogozea.

An U.S. Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Condacse served as affiliated faculty at the Cairo National Conservatoire of Music, and as guest artist at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. She also served as voice faculty and affiliated artist of the American Voices, teaching at the Higher Institute of Music in Damascus, Syria.

Dr. Condacse is Associate Professor of Vocal Studies and Opera at Oklahoma State University and on the faculty at School of International Studies.❖

ABOUT THE. ARTIST

Robert Conway PIANO Robert Conway is associate professor of piano and music history at Wayne State University where he is also the director of the piano division. Since 1989 he has performed regularly as orchestral keyboardist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and has been a soloist with them on multiple occasions.

In 1997, he was an Artistic Ambassador of the United States Information Agency on a month-long tour of South Asia and the Middle East. In 2008, he was a U.S. Department of State Cultural Envoy to Azerbaijan, performing concerts as well

as giving lectures and master classes. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has appeared at numerous festivals, performed concertos with a number of orchestras, collaborated with many prestigious composers of the world, given countless premieres and is featured on several recordings on a variety of labels. Conway received a bachelor's degree in piano performance from the New England Conservatory and master's and doctoral degrees in piano performance from the University of Michigan. His principal teachers were Theodore Lettvin, Rudolf Kolisch and Eugene Bossart.â?–

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ABOUT..THE. ARTIST..

Daniel Goiți PIANO Romanian Pianist Daniel Goiți maintains a flourishing international performance career, generating acclaim and impressing audiences and critics alike with his substantive interpretations and pianistic mastery. He is one of the most sought after pianist soloists in Romania and Eastern Europe. Goiți performed as a soloists with prestigious orchestras in the US, England, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Greece, Japan, and Israel, and is in demand as a recording artist, some of his recordings including the Rachmaninoff Concerto nr. 2, Variations on a theme by Paganini, Beethoven concertos nr. 3 and 5, Mendelssohn piano concerto nr. 1 and Prokofiev concerto nr. 1.

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Daniel Goiți is the recipient of numerous international prizes and awards, including the Kawai Award, Gold Medalist at the A. Schnabel Competition, Berlin, Germany, as well as the winner of the prestigious George Enescu International Competition, Romanian Composers Union Prize, as well as Gold Medal Winners at many other Romanian piano competitions. Mr. Goiti is a graduate of the prestigious Academy of Music “G. Dima” in Cluj-Napoca, Romania where he is currently Professor of Piano and Head of the Piano Department.❖

ABOUT THE. ARTIST

Jennifer Goltz SOPRANO Soprano Jennifer Goltz specializes in the performance of new music and fin de siècle art song. Her eleven-year affiliation with the ensemble Brave New Works has yielded performances across the country of such works as Leslie Bassett's Pierrot Songs, William Bolcom's Briefly It Enters, George Crumb's Madrigals, and Bright Sheng's Three Chinese Love Songs, as well as numerous premieres, including Far Cry

by Andrew Mead and The Black Sword of Sappho by Forrest Pierce. At the invitation of the composer, she performed Luciano Berio's Circles with Klangforum Wien at the Salzburg Music Festival. She continues to premiere new works written for her by pianist-composer Logan Skelton; in summer 2009 the pair recorded two new cycles of Emily Dickinson settings.

With French cabaret specialist Stephen Whiting she has given lecture-recitals on early European cabaret, most recently at the Chicago Humanities Festival. In

recent years, Ms. Goltz has become known for her sensitive and elegant Mozart interpretations, including appearances as soprano soloist for the Mass in C Minor, Coronation Mass, and Requiem at the Esterhazy Palace in Eisenstadt, Austria and Stephansdom in Vienna. She can be heard on Evan Chambers' Cold Water, Dry Stone (Albany) and Logan Skelton's An American Circus (Centaur). In 2007 she released Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot lunaire and Brettl-lieder with the Los Angeles-based ensemble inauthentica on MSR Classics; Gramophone magazine calls her performance here "captivating" and "brilliant.... a voice full of subtle allure and sprightly energy." Ms. Goltz holds a Master's degree in Vocal Performance and a Ph.D. in Music Theory from the University of Michigan School of Music; she currently teaches in the Music Theory department of the UM School of Music.â?–

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ABOUT..THE. ARTIST..

Laurence Liberson CLARINET A native of Detroit, Laurence Liberson has been Assistant Principal Clarinet and E-flat Clarinetist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra since 1981.

His early training on the clarinet began at the age of 10 with Detroit-area clarinetist Nicholas Cannici. Subsequent studies were with Herbert Couf, former Principal Clarinet of the DSO; William Stubbins at the University of Michigan; and Paul Schaller, also a former DSO Principal Clarinet. Liberson received his bachelor’s degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Michigan.

Prior to his appointment to the DSO, Liberson served as Principal Clarinet of the Grand Rapids Symphony for five seasons. There, he was featured in solo and chamber works, including performances of the Copland Concerto and the Mozart Sinfonia concertante. He was featured as a soloist with the DSO in August 1987,

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performing Debussy’s Premiere rapsodie.

Active in the Detroit area as a recitalist and a chamber musician, Liberson has been a member of Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings since its inception in 1982, and has participated in the Casals Festival, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, the Lucerne Easter Music Festival and the Bravo! Colorado Music Festival. Additionally, he teaches privately and has presented master classes in clarinet and chamber music at such diverse places as the Universities of Colorado, Texas and Buffalo, Cornell University and the Interlochen Arts Camp.

In his spare time Larry enjoys reading, films, crossword puzzles, bicycling, skiing, in-line skating and cooking. His greatest claim to fame, however, is taking second prize in a statewide chocolate cake-baking contest.❖

ABOUT THE. ARTIST

Laura Roelofs VIOLIN Laura Leigh Roelofs is an Associate Professor of Violin at Wayne State University and Assistant Concertmaster of the Michigan Opera Theatre. She appears regularly in solo and chamber recitals and has recorded on the Naxos, Clavier, and Living Music labels. Ms. Roelofs is also the founder and director of String Project@Wayne, a nationally recognized lab school for string performance and pedagogy at WSU. Before coming to Detroit in 2004, Ms. Roelofs performed for fourteen seasons as assistant concertmaster of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and as a member of the Oberon String Quartet, artistsin-residence at St. Catherine's and St. Christopher's Schools in Richmond. She

has served on the faculty of Virginia Commonwealth University and as ArtistTeacher of Violin and Viola at Georgia State University in Atlanta. While in Georgia, she toured the Southeast region as violist of the Atlanta Chamber Players, and she has appeared as soloist with a number of orchestras, including the Baltimore Symphony and the Richmond Symphony. She holds violin performance degrees from Boston University's School of Fine Arts and the Catholic University of America.

When she isn't performing or teaching, Ms. Roelofs enjoys working in the garden and playing with her two very spoiled cats, Arianna and Zoe. ❖

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ABOUT..THE. ARTIST..

Logan Skelton PIANO Logan Skelton is a much sought after pianist, teacher and composer whose work has received international critical acclaim. He has concertized widely in the United States, Europe and Asia and has been featured on many public radio and television stations including National Public Radio's “All Things Considered,” "Audiophile Audition,” "Performance Today," as well as on radio in China and national television in Romania. He has recorded numerous compact discs for Centaur, Albany, Crystal, Blue Griffin, and Naxos Records. Upcoming projects include the release of three compact discs of his own song compositions for Blue Griffin,

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as well as discs devoted to the solo piano music of Franz Liszt and Bela Bartok. A frequent guest at music festivals including Eastman, Tunghai, MTNA National, EPTA World, Chautauqua, Eastern, New Orleans, American Romanian, Indiana University Academy, Hilton Head, Poland International, Amalfi Coast, and Prague International Masterclasses, Skelton balances his busy career as performer, composer and recording artist with an international class of prize-winning students as Professor of Piano and Director of Doctoral Studies in Piano Performance at the University of Michigan.❖

ABOUT THE. ARTIST

Marian Tănău VIOLIN Romanian-born violinist Marian Tănău first picked up the violin at age four and began his musical education in his hometown of Timisoara in Romania. He graduated from Liceul de Muzica “Ion Vidu” where he studied violin with Maria Cleşiu. He then left for the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca and the Conservatorul de Muzica “G. Dima,” where he earned an Artists Diploma. Later in the US, he earned a graduate degree from Bowling Green State University. Tănău joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 1995. Tănău has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in Romania and the US and is an active chamber musician. Since 2004 Tănău joined the violin faculty at Wayne State

University. In 2005 Tănău was awarded a sabbatical year and moved temporary to Romania where he joined the music faculty at the National College of Art “Ion Vidu” and the Music Conservatory of the West University from Timisoara.

His recording of the violin sonata by Paul Paray, recorded for Grotto Productions, got praised by critics in the prestigious Strad, Gramophone and Fanfare magazines.

Marian Tănău is the founder and president of the American Romanian Festival Inc., a nonprofit organization with the mission of promoting American and Romanian music and culture to audiences in the US and Europe.❖

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ABOUT..THE. ARTIST..

Cornel Țăranu PIANO + VISITING COMPOSER A Composer of mostly orchestral, chamber and vocal works that have been performed throughout Europe, Cornel Țăranu’s instruction came from a line of distinguished composers: Nadia Boulanger and Olivier Messiaen at the Paris Conservatoire, György Ligeti in Darmstad and Sigismund Toduta in Romania.

Among his many honors are the International Koussevitzky Award (1982, for a recording of Garlands,) Order IV of Cultural Merit (1969), five prizes from the Romanian Composers Union (1972, 1978, 1981, 1982, 2001), the Prize of the Academy of the SR of Romania (1973), and

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the). He has been a member of the Romanian Academy since 1993 and was named a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2002. Éditions Leduc, Éditions Salabert and Editura Muzicala publish his works. He is professor of Composition at the Gheorghe Dima Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Mr. Țăranu had given lectures in Germany, Israel, Switzerland and the US. This is Mr. Țăranu’s 3rd participation in the American Romanian Festival Inc. He was a Romanian visiting artists in 2005 and 2007.❖

ABOUT THE. ARTIST

Jim VanValkenburg VIOLA James VanValkenburg, Assistant Principal Viola of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, came to orchestral playing after a satisfying career in chamber music. As a founding member of the International String Quartet, he toured the world with concerts in Europe, the Far East, South America, and the United States. The quartet won several notable prizes, including the Munich Competition, East & West Artists of New York, and first prize in the Premier Grand Prix at the International Chamber Music Competition in Evian, France.

A graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and Indiana University School of

Music, VanValkenburg has enjoyed chamber music collaborations with many of his favorite musicians: Menahem Pressler, Gidon Kremer, Mischa Maisky, David Shifrin, and Isaac Stern. He became a member of Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings in 2004. His recent recordings, all on the Koch International label, include a violin-viola duet by William Bolcom, piano quartets by Franz Waxman and the Stravinsky septet.

VanValkenburg enjoys spending time with his wife and two boys, ages 14 and 11, as well as training for and competing in Ironman triathlons.â?–

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Vocal Arts Ensemble CHOIR For over a decade Vocal Arts Ensemble of Ann Arbor has maintained a tradition of professional excellence in the performance of fine choral music. Founded in 1992 as a small chamber group devoted to a cappella singing, the group has solidified its reputation as one of the premier chamber ensembles in the region, performing several concerts each season. VAE performs with a core group of 24 and presents a highly varied repertoire, from Josquin to Bolcom.

Benjamin Cohen, noted conductor, composer and playwright, became music director in 2000.

VAE is a non-profit chamber ensemble run by an elected board of directors. The

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ensemble includes professional singers and instrumentalists, and enjoys a diverse membership drawn from the Ann Arbor area, with singers chosen on the basis of musicianship. VAE has been invited to perform throughout Michigan, collaborating with local artists and ensembles, and is the featured choir with the Ann Arbor Symphony.

VAE’s distinctive and versatile programming, collaborative spirit and thirst to commission and perform new works have helped this special chamber choir carve a unique niche in the southeast Michigan concert scene.�

ABOUT THE. ARTIST

Judith Vander Weg CELLO An active performer, Judith Vander Weg has appeared throughout the United States, Canada, Belgium, France, and Spain in collaborative recitals and as orchestral soloist. Currently principal cellist of the Flint Symphony Orchestra, Judith previously served as principal cellist and soloist with Mid-Texas Symphony, associate principal with the Toledo Symphony, and as a member of the Grand Rapids Symphony. She has been on the

faculties of the University of Texas in San Antonio, the University of Toledo, Calvin College, and Grand Valley State University. For the past 14 summers Judith has been principal cellist with the Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck.

Judith is a clinician for youth symphonies and school orchestras, a frequent adjudicator, and maintains a busy private teaching studio in Grosse Pointe.â?–

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SPONSORS.

mărășești SOCIETY

GOLD LEVEL NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS MICHIGAN COUNCIL FOR ARTS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS ANONYMOUS ROMANIAN FRIEND MĂRĂŞEŞTI SOCIETY SCHOOLCRAFT COLLEGE WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC WALBRIDGE & JOHN AND TERRY RAKOLTA JR.

SILVER LEVEL UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MUSEUM OF ART ROMANIAN FILM CENTER BRONZE LEVEL SILVIU AND GELA PALA CHARLES AND CAROL SLATER LIANA TATOS JOYCE AND TED FLANAGAN WINE CASTLE AND NICK IOANNOU

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AMERICAN ROMANIAN FESTIVAL

FRIENDS CIRCLE Center for Russian and East Eurpean Studies, U of M Iuliana Niculescu Cristina Muresan and Rabah Hadjit Dan and Laura Zetu Nadia Gamaneci Linda Joy and Brad Carol Barbara and Paul Burakoff Jennifer Jue Shoshana Mandel SUPPORTER CIRCLE Cosmin Dascalu Vlad Tudorache Razvan Pala Octavian and Janice Arps Prundeanu Henry and Vicki Swain Ella Gheorghiu

THANK YOU. BOARD MEMBERS Maureen D'Avanzo

John Rakolta Jr.

Charles Slater

Franz Herbert

John Santeiu Jr.

Marian Tﾄハﾄブ

Lisa Borgsdorf Keith Claeys Maureen D'Avanzo Allison Halerz and Kallie England

Manager, Public Programs UMMA Percussion Faculty, Wayne State University ARF Board Member Staff, Kerrytown Concert House

Franz Herbert

ARF Board Member

Nick Ioannou

Owner, Wine Castle

Glenn Miller Marysia Ostafin Claudia Petrescu John Rakolta Jr.

Music Director, Kirk in the Hills Program Manger, WCEE Professor, Political Science Department, EMU Romanian Honorary Consul in Detroit

Deanna Relyea

Director, Kerrytown Concert House

Dr. James Ryan

Executive Director for Development and Governmental Relations, Schoolcraft College

Alina Salcudeanu

Responsible Foreign Affairs, Romanian Film Center

The Santeiu Family Charles Slater Gordon Stump

ARF Board Member President of American Federation of Musicians Local 5

Liana Tatos John D. Vander Weg

Chair, Department of Music, Wayne State University

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To make a tax-deductible contribution to the American Romanian Festival Inc., please make checks and mail to:

American Romanian Festival Inc. 1407 Ferdon Road Ann Arbor, MI 48104

www.americanromanianfestival.org