Spotlight Concert Series - 2016

PICCOLO SPOLETO 2016 presents

The Spotlight Concerts

“Sunset over the Cooper River at Mepkin Abbey” Copyright © Mepkin Abbey

MEPKIN ABBEY The word “Mepkin” is Native American in origin and is thought to mean “serene and lovely.” This certainly describes the pine forest, wetlands and ancient live oaks that f lourish on the famous 18th century plantation. From the Colonial Era until the early 20th Century, cultivation of rice in fields f looded by the Cooper River encompassed some 600 acres.

Once the home of Henry Laurens, president of the Continental Congress (1777-1778), the plantation passed through many owners before its purchase in 1936 by publisher/philanthropist Henry R. Luce and his distinguished wife, Ambassador Clare Booth Luce. A major portion of the property was donated to the Trappist Cistercian (Benedictine) order in 1949. The monastic brotherhood observes a strict religious life of prayer and work, currently with mushroom production as its chief means of livelihood. Mepkin’s 35,000-volume library is open to scholars and the spiritual public, with a large hall available for day retreats and conferences. The monastic community welcomes visitors seeking spiritual renewal in silence. Retreat accommodations are available to men and women of all faiths. The abbey church, consecrated in 1993, is central to the Mepkin grounds. The simply-designed structure soars heavenward and possesses the mature, clarifying acoustics characteristic of much larger and older churches. When music is offered at Mepkin, this sanctuary directs the eye upward, lifting and calming visitors’ restless hearts.

FOREWORD Since Piccolo Spoleto’s launch in 1979, this local and regional component of Spoleto Festival USA has celebrated the creative imagination of the human spirit in a wide variety of programs: literary, performing and visual.

Hopefully, the audiences always came away enlightened, entertained and inspired…better able to see the world in a more positive way than they might have without having had these experiences. And since the beginning, Piccolo’s chamber music concerts have been some of the most popular events in the festival program line-up.

This year’s Spotlight Concerts include a variety of very special offerings designed to please just about every taste and are presented in some of the Lowcountry’s most beautiful churches and venues. Some highlights: Saturday, May 28 at 2 p.m.—Cathedral of St. John the Baptist The Charleston Renaissance Ensemble, directed by Samuel Sheffer, presents the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610, accompanied by a Baroque chamber orchestra in the resonant acoustics of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

This is a reprise of a performance of the Vespers at the 1981 Piccolo Spoleto Festival by the same group in the very same church setting. It was highly acclaimed by critics and audience members alike. Spoleto Overview writer Allan Kozinn (The New York Times) wrote in the May 24, 1981 edition of The Post and Courier, “Overall this was as polished and fully professional a performance of this sacred gem as you’re likely to hear anywhere.” We expect this year’s Monteverdi Vespers presentation will be equally compelling as the one in 1981!

Monday, May 30 at 4 p.m.—Mepkin Abbey Church The Charleston Piano Trio with Miles Hoffman presents music by Beethoven and Schumann. Some of Charleston’s finest musicians including Yuriy Bekker, violin; Natalia Khoma, cello; Volodymyr Vynnytsky, piano; are joined by Miles Hoffman, viola, nationally acclaimed Founder of the American Chamber Players and frequent contributor to NPR and SCETV Radio in an unforgettable musical happening in the perfect acoustic of the Mepkin Abbey Church. Not to be missed!

Tuesday, May 31 at 6 p.m.—City Gallery Charleston Southern University Music Faculty and Alumni present a wonderful program of American music including works by Edward Hart, Leslie Adams, Samuel Barber, George Gershwin, André Previn, Amy Beach and others. Entitled “I Am in Need of Music: A Showcase of American Music,” the very name of it beckons each and every one of us to go, to listen and come away satisfied and refreshed.

Friday, June 3 at 6 p.m.—Grace Church Cathedral Chamber Music Charleston, a group of some of Charleston’s finest classical musicians with narrator Ann Caldwell presents a concert of two gorgeous works that go perfectly together: Circle Unbroken by William Grant Still and Antonin Dvorák’s String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, the “American” ^

Wednesday, June 8 at 6 p.m.—City Gallery UNED!TED and HELLO, SAXOPHONE! perform a highly imaginative and exuberant program of works

by Bozza, Piazzolla, Wanamaker and Schoenfield for this “collaborative ensemble” of violin, cello, clarinet, saxophone and piano….a unique and high energy experience for music lovers of all ages!

I extend thanks to our Spotlight Concerts Music Director, Yuriy Bekker and our Artistic Administrator, Lee Kohlenberg along with the other members of the coordinating committee, Jennifer Luiken and Yiorgos Vassilandonakis.

We appreciate the strong support and encouragement of Charleston’s new Mayor John Tecklenburg and Charleston City Council; the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs, Scott Watson, Director; and all the city departments and staff who play an important role in the production of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival. We also thank Spoleto’s General Director, Nigel Redden and his staff who work so tirelessly to present Spoleto Festival USA each year in Charleston.

Finally, we offer our deepest thanks to both festivals’ artists and performers whose hard work, discipline, determination and vision manifest into one of the world’s greatest arts festivals that make life more beautiful and meaningful for us all.

~ Ellen Dressler Moryl, Spotlight Concert Series Artistic Director Emeritus and Founding Director of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival Ellen Dressler Moryl retired as Director of the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs in 2013. She is pleased to continue her involvement with Piccolo Spoleto on a volunteer basis as Artistic Director Emeritus of the Spotlight Concert Series.

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PICCOLO SPOLETO 2016 presents

The Spotlight Concerts Artistic Director Emeritus: Ellen Dressler Moryl Music Director: Yuriy Bekker Artistic Administrator: Lee Kohlenberg Coordinating Committee: Ellen Dressler Moryl, Yuriy Bekker, Lee Kohlenberg, Jennifer Luiken, Yiorgos Vassilandonakis

Concert Schedule About the Programs About the Artists Acknowledgments

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Cover image: Painted photograph “Music for a Moment in Time” by composer, artist, photographer Richard Moryl. ©Copyright 1990 Interior images: Madeleine Meehan Graphic Designer: Heineman Design Publisher: City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs 75 Calhoun Street, Suite 3800; Charleston, SC 29401 Phone: (843) 724-7305; www.piccolospoleto.com Printer: Knight Printing and Graphics; North Charleston, South Carolina; special thanks to account executive Keith Blake Editors: Lee Kohlenberg, Ellen Dressler Moryl, Laura Amerson ©Copyright 2016 City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs: Scott Watson, Director; Harrison Chapman; Shannon Drake; Romaine Marion-Heyward; Mindy Manziano; Anne Quattlebaum; Gordon Rooney; Ray Swagerty; Kelly Walker; Rachel Dewyngaert Workman

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SPOTLIGHT CONCERT SERIES Saturday, May 28 at 2 p.m.—page 4 The Charleston Renaissance Ensemble Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 120 Broad St.

Sunday, June 5 at 6 p.m.—page 10 A World of Jewish Culture: Chamber Music with Yuriy Bekker, Natalia Khoma and Andrew Armstrong Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, 90 Hassell St.

Sunday, May 29 at 2 p.m.—page 5 Rivertree Singers St. Philip’s Church, 142 Church St.

Monday, June 6 at 6 p.m.—page 11 Flute Virtuosi of Charleston City Gallery, Riley Waterfront Park, 34 Prioleau St.

Monday, May 30 at 4 p.m.—page 6 Nancy D. Hawk Memorial Day Concert Charleston Piano Trio with Miles Hoffman Mepkin Abbey, 1098 Mepkin Abbey Rd., Moncks Corner

Tuesday, June 7 at 6 p.m.—page 12 Poinsett Piano Trio City Gallery, Riley Waterfront Park, 34 Prioleau St.

Tuesday, May 31 at 6 p.m.—page 6 Charleston Southern University Faculty and Alumni City Gallery, Riley Waterfront Park, 34 Prioleau St.

Wednesday, June 8 at 6 p.m.—page 13 UNED!TED and HELLO, SAXOPHONE! City Gallery, Riley Waterfront Park, 34 Prioleau St. Thursday, June 9 at 6 p.m.—page 14 Dez Cordas City Gallery, Riley Waterfront Park, 34 Prioleau St.

Wednesday, June 1 at 6 p.m.—page 8 The McCormick Duo City Gallery, Riley Waterfront Park, 34 Prioleau St.

Friday, June 10 at 6 p.m.—page 15 Apollo Chamber Players Grace Church Cathedral, 98 Wentworth St.

Thursday, June 2 at 6 p.m.—page 8 The Leaptrott Trio City Gallery, Riley Waterfront Park, 34 Prioleau St. Friday, June 3 at 6 p.m.—page 9 Chamber Music Charleston Grace Church Cathedral, 98 Wentworth St.

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SATURDAY, MAY 28 AT 2 PM CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

The Charleston Renaissance Ensemble Samuel Sheffer, Director Vespro della Beata Vergine (1610) Deus in Adjutorium Psalm 109: Dixit Dominus Nigra Sum Psalm 112: Laudate Pueri Dominum Pulcra Es Psalm 121: Laetatus Sum Duo Seraphim Psalm 126: Nisi Dominus Psalm 147: Lauda Jerusalem Ave Maris Stella Magnificat Soprano Piper Brown Kathleen Conner Maureen Corless Leah English Grace Reed Esther Rose Williams

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)

Alto Ann Marie Fairchild Lisa Hellstrom Kari Kissler Ulyana Machneva

Tenor Mark Boozer John Corless Wayne French Curtis Worthington

Bass Robert Cantey Tom Gerber Michael Rhodes Cullum Smith

Orchestra: Members of the Ensemble of St. Clare Violin: Micah Gangwer, Concertmaster; Seth Gangwer; Rex Conner; Stephanie Silvestri Viola: Jan-Marie Joyce; Rachel Gangwer Cello: James Waldo; Ellen Dressler Moryl Bass: Roman Pekar Recorder: Andrew Waldo; Susan Conant Oboe: Zac Hammond; Heather Shelley Bassoon: Josh Baker; Kathy St. John Lute: Hazel Ketchum Organ Continuo: Julia Harlow

This concert is dedicated to the memory of Carol Beyer, Benjamin Hutto and Charles Dietz, who were participants in the Charleston Renaissance Ensemble performance of this work in the 1981 Piccolo Spoleto Festival.

John Corless, Grace Reed: Production Coordinators Maureen Corless: Production Manager Rachel Gangwer: Production Assistant for Orchestra Ellen Dressler Moryl: Special Advisor to this project; Artistic Director Emeritus, Spotlight Concerts

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SUNDAY, MAY 29 AT 2 PM ST. PHILIP’S CHURCH

Rivertree Singers Warren Cook, Director; Jean Cook, Accompanist

Songs of Life Songs of Praise Surrexit Christus Hodie

Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654)

Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal

Early American Hymn arr. Alice Parker

The Lord’s Prayer (Premiere)

Peter Anglea (b. 1988)

Hallelujah

Dan Forrest (b. 1978)

Alleluia

Paul Basler (b.1963)

Give Me Jesus

Traditional Spiritual arr. Moses Hogan Songs of Love

Mairi’s Wedding

Traditional Irish Bob Chilcott

Five Hebrew Love Songs Temuna (A Picture) Kala Kalla (Light Bride) Larov (Mostly) Eyze sheleg! (What snow!)

Rakut (Tenderness)

Eric Whitacre (b. 1970)

Set Me as a Seal

René Clausen (b. 1953) Songs of Parting

Lay A Garland

Robert Pearsall (1795-1856)

Farewell

Molly Ijames (b. 1978)

Loch Lomond

Traditional Scottish arr. Jonathan Quick Song of Joy

Ngokujabula! (Psalm 100)

Dan Forrest (b. 1975) 5

MONDAY, MAY 30 AT 4 PM MEPKIN ABBEY

Nancy D. Hawk Memorial Day Concert Charleston Piano Trio with Miles Hoffman Yuriy Bekker, violin; Miles Hoffman, viola; Natalia Khoma, cello; Volodymyr Vynnytsky, piano String Trio in G Major, Op. 9 No. 1 I. Adagio – Allegro con brio II. Adagio ma non tanto and cantabile III. Scherzo – Allegro IV. Presto

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Piano Quartet in E f lat Major, Op. 47 I. Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo II. Scherzo: Molto vivace – Trio I – Trio II III. Andante cantabile IV. Finale: Vivace

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

TUESDAY, MAY 31 AT 6 PM CITY GALLERY

Charleston Southern University Faculty and Alumni Jill Terhaar Lewis, soprano; Jennifer Luiken, mezzo soprano; Regina Helcher Yost, f lute; Brad Parker, piano with Shanelle Woods and Laquavia Alston, mezzo sopranos

I Am in Need of Music: A Showcase of American Music

by Charleston Southern University Faculty and Alumni Garden Songs Edward Hart The Fruit Garden Path (b. 1965) White and Green Jill Terhaar Lewis, soprano; Jennifer Luiken, mezzo soprano; Brad Parker, piano Creole Girl Sense You Went Away

Leslie Adams (b. 1932) Laquavia Alston, mezzo soprano; Brad Parker, piano

3 Songs, Op. 45 Samuel Barber Now have I fed and eaten up the rose (1910-1981) A green lowland of pianos O boundless, boundless evening Jennifer Luiken, mezzo soprano; Brad Parker, piano Seven Virtuoso Etudes No. 3 "The Man I Love"

George Gershwin/Earl Wild (1898-1937)/(1915-2010) Brad Parker, piano

Two Remembrances André Previn I. A Love Song (b. 1929) II. Lyric Jill Terhaar Lewis, soprano, Regina Helcher Yost, alto f lute, Brad Parker, piano

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TUESDAY, MAY 31 AT 6 PM (continued) Come Down Angels

Undine Moore (1904-1989)

Summertime from Porgy and Bess

George Gershwin Shanelle Woods, mezzo soprano; Brad Parker, piano

Romance

Amy Beach (1867-1944) Regina Helcher Yost, f lute; Brad Parker, piano

Seven Virtuoso Etudes No. 4 "Embraceable You"

George Gershwin/Earl Wild Brad Parker, piano

I Am in Need of Music adaptation by R. & J. T. Lewis Company

Ben Moore (b. 1960)

I am in need of music (Elizabeth Bishop) I am in need of music that would f low Over my fretful, feeling fingertips, Over my bitter-tainted, trembling lips, With melody, deep, clear, and liquid-slow.

Oh, for the healing swaying, old and low, Of some song sung to rest the tired dead, A song to fall like water on my head, And over quivering limbs, dream f lushed to glow!

There is a magic made by melody: A spell of rest, and quiet breath, and cool Heart, that sinks through fading colors deep To the subaqueous stillness of the sea, And f loats forever in a moon-green pool, Held in the arms of rhythm and of sleep.

Tonight’s performers are all faculty and/or alumni from Charleston Southern University’s Horton School of Music. Jill Terhaar Lewis, Jennifer Luiken and Brad Parker are full-time faculty. Regina Helcher Yost and Shanelle Woods are adjunct faculty. Woods and Laquavia Alston are both graduates of the Voice Performance and Artist Certificate programs at CSU. Woods studied voice with Lewis and Alston studied voice with Luiken. The ensemble is delighted for the opportunity to work together on this program and to highlight art songs and arias from American composers.

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1 AT 6 PM CITY GALLERY

The McCormick Duo Kim McCormick, f lute; Robert McCormick, percussion Volta River Fantasy Suite I. Crusade II. Retreat III. At the Marketplace IV. Strolling Home V. Happy Dancing

Gary Powell Nash (b. 1964)

Ariadne I. Ariadne Abandoned II. The Triumph of Ariadne and Dionysus

Lou Harrison (1917-2003)

Suite for Flute and Marimba I. Waltz II. Expressive II. Lyrical IV. With Simplicity V. Berceuse VI. Lively

Alec Wilder (1907-1980)

Sky Light Scatters (World Premiere)

Baljinder Sekon (b. 1980)

THURSDAY, JUNE 2 AT 6 PM CITY GALLERY

The Leaptrott Trio Ben Leaptrott, piano; Kenn Wagner, violin; Charae Krueger, cello Piano Trio No. 1 in B-f lat Major, D. 898 Allegro moderato Andante un poco mosso Scherzo: Allegro Rondo: Allegro vivace

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Las cuatro estaciones porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) Verano porteño (Summer) Otoño porteño (Autumn) Invierno porteño (Winter) Primavera porteña (Spring)

Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)

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FRIDAY, JUNE 3 AT 6 PM GRACE CHURCH CATHEDRAL

Chamber Music Charleston Jenny Weiss, Frances Hsieh, violins; Ben Weiss, viola; Tim O’Malley, cello; Ann Caldwell, narrator Circle Unbroken

Music by William Grant Still (1895-1978) Based on the story by Margot Theis Raven (1950-2014)

String Quartet No. 12 in F Major 'American' I. Allegro ma non troppo II. Lento III. Molto vivace IV. Finale: Vivace ma non troppo

Antonin Dvorák (1841-1904)

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SUNDAY, JUNE 5 AT 6 PM KAHAL KADOSH BETH ELOHIM

A World of Jewish Culture: Chamber Music with Yuriy, Natalia and Andrew Yuriy Bekker, violin; Natalia Khoma, cello; Andrew Armstrong, piano Elegy

Jeremiah Klarman (b. 1992)

Two Pieces for Violin and Piano Nocturne Ukulele Serenade

Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

Marietta’s Lied from Die Tote Stadt, Op.12

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957)

Tanzlied des Pierrot from Die Tote Stadt, Op.12

Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66 I. Allegro energico e con fuoco II. Andante espressivo III. Scherzo: Molto allegro quasi presto IV. Finale: Allegro appassionato

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

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MONDAY, JUNE 6 AT 6 PM CITY GALLERY

Flute Virtuosi of Charleston Jessica Hull-Dambaugh, Regina Helcher Yost, Tacy Edwards, f lutes; Irina Pevzner, piano Summertime

George Gershwin (1898-1937) arranged by Regina Helcher Yost Tacy Edwards, f lute; Jessica Hull-Dambaugh, f lute; Regina Helcher Yost, f lute

Sonata-a brasilera

Daniel Schnyder (b. 1961) Tacy Edwards, f lute; Irina Pevzner, piano

Four Souvenirs Samba Tango Tin Pan Alley Square Dance

Paul Schoenfield (b. 1947)

Regina Helcher Yost, f lute; Irina Pevzner, piano Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Sentimentale

Claude Bolling (b. 1930) Tacy Edwards, f lute; Irina Pevzner, piano

Sonata Latino Salsa Montunate Rumbango Bossa Merengova

Mike Mower (b. 1958)

Jessica Hull-Dambaugh, f lute; Irina Pevzner, piano Fiesta Latina (World Premiere)

David Mancini (b. 1952) Jessica Hull-Dambaugh, f lute; Regina Helcher Yost, f lute; Tacy Edwards, f lute; Irina Pevzner, piano

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TUESDAY, JUNE 7 AT 6 PM CITY GALLERY

Poinsett Piano Trio David Gross, piano; Deirdre Hutton, violin; Christopher Hutton, violoncello Piano Trio in E-f lat Major, Op. 70 No. 2 (1808) Poco sostenuto – Allegro ma non troppo Allegretto Allegretto ma non troppo Finale. Allegro

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 101 Allegro energico Presto non assai Andante grazioso Allegro molto

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Accommodations provided by Radisson Hotel Charleston Airport.

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8 AT 6 PM CITY GALLERY

UNED!TED and HELLO, SAXOPHONE! Rachel Elizabeth Kistler, violin; Courtney Sharp, cello; Philip Lipton, clarinet Jonathan Kammer, saxophone; Laura Ball, piano Aria *

Eugene Bozza (1905-1991)

Libertango, Etude No. 3, Oblivion Medley *

Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)

Duo Sonata (2002) I. Departure II. Elegy III. Scherzo IV. Arrival (Blues)

Gregory Wanamaker (b.1968)

Cafe Music I. Allegro II. Rubato III. Presto

Paul Schoenfield (b.1947)

*Arranged for collaborative ensemble UNED!TED thanks the following sponsors for support of this Spotlight Concert: Fox Music, Abbott Stan Gumula, Lisa Philp, Anne Hawkes and Sarah Ball

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THURSDAY, JUNE 9 AT 6 PM CITY GALLERY

Dez Cordas Craig Butterfield, double bass; Matthew Slotkin, guitar Roumanian Folk Dances (1915) I. Jocul cubâta˘ (stick dance) II. Brâul (sash dance) III. Pe loc (dance in one spot) IV. Buciumeana (dance from Bucsum) V. Poarga Româneasca˘ (Roumanian polka) VI. Marunțel (Fast Dance)

Béla Bartók (1881-1945)

Suite for String Bass and Guitar I. ♩ = 160 II. ♩ = 72 III. ♩ = 88 IV. ♪ = 168 V. ♩ = 108

Alec Wilder (1907-1980)

Alien Dances (World Premiere)

John Anthony Lennon (b. 1950)

Two-part Inventions No. 4 in D minor No. 6 in E Major No. 13 in A minor No. 10 in G Major

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Lulu’s Waltz

Jesse Jones (b. 1978)

From Mountain Songs I. Barbara Allen II. The House Carpenter V. Cindy

Robert Beaser (b. 1954)

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FRIDAY, JUNE 10 AT 6 PM GRACE CHURCH CATHEDRAL

Apollo Chamber Players Matthew Detrick, Anabel Ramirez, violins; Whitney Bullock, viola; Matthew Dudzik, cello

Folk Nationalism Five Folksongs in Counterpoint (1951)

Florence Beatrice Price (1887-1953)

Sorrow Song and Jubilee (2014) (South Carolina Premiere) 20x2020 No. 1

Libby Larsen (b.1950)

Wallachian Lament

Traditional Czech arr. Apollo Chamber Players (2013)

String Quartet No. 1, “From My Life” (1876)

Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884)

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About the Artists Mezzo soprano Laquavia Alston holds a B.A. in Voice Performance and an Artist Certificate from Charleston Southern University. She is the recipient of the SC Metropolitan Opera National Council’s Gene Ferguson Encouragement Award and has been featured in city wide festivals including the MOJA Arts Festival and Piccolo Spoleto. Her spirituals concert entitled I, Too, Sing America, was first premiered in the Piccolo Spoleto Spotlight Concert Series, then toured as a part of the Holy Trinity Concert Series in Gainesville, FL. She has been a featured and guest soloist with the Charleston Spirituals Ensemble. Her stage credits include, Mrs. Todd in Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief and Dolly in Hello Dolly. Recently, Ms. Alston starred in and directed an educational production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. She resides in Charleston, SC where she is a private voice instructor at Wando Voice Studio and serves as Soprano section leader at The Church of the Holy Cross on Sullivan’s Island.

Houston-based Apollo Chamber Players has a mission to explore the cultural and folkloric inf luences in classical music. Apollo presents thematically-programmed concerts both regionally and nationally including two recent tours of the East Coast, with a Carnegie Hall debut in 2013 and concerts in Hartford, Pittsburgh, York and Lancaster (PA), Baltimore and at Symphony Space (NYC) in 2016. Additional touring engagements include concerts for Chamber Music Society of Little Rock, Seattle University and the Grand Junction Symphony (CO). The ensemble is featured frequently on American Public Media’s nationally syndicated program, Performance Today. Their two CDs, European Folkscapes and Blurred Boundaries have won acclaim and awards. Apollo collaborates with other ensembles, including composer Libby Larsen as well as James Dunham, Ivo-Jan van der Werff, Timothy Pitts, Ismail Lumanovski, Viktor Valkov and Robin Kesselman. The ensemble curates culturally-enriching programs for performance through Young Audiences of Houston, and has performed concerts and presented masterclasses for schools and festivals across the country.

Praised by critics for his passionate expression and dazzling technique, pianist Andrew Armstrong has performed solo recitals and appeared with orchestras in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States, including performances at Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and Warsaw’s National Philharmonic. He has performed over 50 concertos, from Bach to Babbit and beyond with such conductors as Peter Oundjian, Itzhak Perlman, Günther Herbig, Stefan Sanderling, JeanMarie Zeitouni, and Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, and in chamber music with violinist James Ehnes, cellist Robert deMaine, the Elias, Alexander, American, and Manhattan String Quartets, as a member of the Caramoor Virtuosi at the Caramoor International Music Festival, and as a member of the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players in New York City. Before beginning his career as a concert pianist, Armstrong received over 25 national and international First Prizes. In 1996, he was named Gilmore Young Artist. At the 1993 Van Cliburn Competition, where he was the youngest pianist entered, he received the Jury Discretionary Award.

Laura Ball is an active teacher, music director, composer, and performer known for her innovative collaborations across musical genres and her explorations of contemporary chamber music practices. She is the founder and creative director of the UNED!TED Interdisciplinary Arts Concert Series and has been a featured performing artist and composer at SECCA and Panoramic Dance Troupe, Goddard College, Annex Dance and is composer-inresidence with Ballet Evolution. Laura works as the music director at Holy Spirit Catholic Church on Johns Island, SC. Yuriy Bekker, violinist and conductor, has led the Charleston Symphony Orchestra as Concertmaster since 2007 and was named its Principal Pops Conductor in 2016. Additionally, Bekker served as the orchestra’s Acting Artistic Director from 2010-2014 and Director of the Chamber Orchestra from 2014-2015. Mr. Bekker has served on faculty as a violinist and conductor for the Miami Summer Music Festival in Miami, FL since 2014.

He is also an adjunct faculty member of the College of Charleston School of the Arts as a violin professor and as conductor of the College of Charleston Orchestra. He has been Artistic Advisor to the Piccolo Spoleto Festival Spotlight Concert Series and was given the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award from the City of Charleston to honor his cultural contributions. Bekker has also held the position of concertmaster for the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and the AIMS Festival in Graz, Austria, and has held additional positions with the Houston Symphony and the Houston Grand Opera and Ballet Orchestras. In addition to over a dozen concertos with the Charleston Symphony, he has performed with the Vancouver Symphony, Ulster Orchestra in Northern Ireland, Buffalo Philharmonic, Chicago Chamber Music Society, European Music Festival Stuttgart, Pacific Music Festival (Japan), Spoleto Festival USA, Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Aspen Music Festival, at the Kennedy Center, and many others. Bekker earned a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Indiana University School of Music.

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Whitney Bullock, viola, is active as both a performer and teaching artist. She has been a member of Apollo Chamber Players since 2012 and serves as the organization’s Education Director, through which she brings Apollo’s distinctive programming to life in schools and the community. She is currently in her seventh season as Principal Viola and soloist with the Symphony of Southeast Texas. Ms. Bullock is the staff viola instructor for the Hammond Preparatory Department at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, the chamber music and viola sectional coach for the Houston Youth Symphony, and teaches lessons in the Melody Program, which provides free private lesson instruction for economically disadvantaged musicians. Ms. Bullock also maintains a private viola studio and is an active freelancer in the Houston area. She received her undergraduate degree in viola performance and women’s studies at Vanderbilt University and her graduate degree in music at Rice University.

Craig Butterfield is Associate Professor of Double Bass and Jazz Studies at the University of South Carolina, where he directs one of the largest double bass programs in the Southeast. American Record Guide has said “Craig Butterfield is nothing short of magnificent. His tone is gorgeous, his intonation rock-solid, and his phrasing expressive and f lexible.” Soundboard magazine stated “Butterfield can make his instrument dance and sing with an effortlessness which is hard to credit.” Craig Butterfield has published many articles and recordings, including MF Horn 6 with legendary trumpet player Maynard Ferguson, three CDs with guitarist Matthew Slotkin, two CDs with mandolinist Jesse Jones, and Forays with pianist Charles Fugo.

Chamber Music Charleston (CMC) brings excellence in chamber music to Charleston year-round since its founding in 2006. CMC presents over 60 concerts each season, from intimate House Concerts to larger events at Sottile Theatre, Dock Street Theatre and Memminger Auditorium. In May 2013, CMC performed their New York City debut before a full house at the historic Carnegie Hall and will return in May 2017 as the finale of their 10th Anniversary Season. For more information, visit www.chambermusiccharleston.org.

The Charleston Renaissance Ensemble has been delighting area audiences with the sounds of early a cappella vocal music for nearly four decades. Formed after Charleston’s first Spoleto Festival by a small group of singers sharing an uncommon devotion to early music, the ensemble has established itself as a Lowcountry musical tradition. In addition to its annual Christmas and Shakespeare concerts, the group has performed on the Intermezzo series of Spoleto Festival USA, sung in Piccolo Spoleto’s Spotlight Concert Series, served as Artists-inResidence at the New Harmony Music Festival, and been featured on South Carolina Sunday at the National Cathedral. This year the ensemble, under the direction of Samuel Sheffer, reprises its first performance of Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine, given in Charleston during the 1981 Piccolo Spoleto Festival. This 1610 masterpiece for chorus, soloists and instrumental ensemble comes alive in the resonant acoustic of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

Jean Cook has been a member of the Bob Jones University piano and piano pedagogy faculties since 1976. She studied piano performance at BJU, has extensive training in pedagogy and is a certified Kindermusik instructor.

In addition to her teaching, Jean is accompanist for university, church and community choirs and is also an accomplished actress, appearing in many leading Shakespearean roles. She is active in MTNA and regularly appears as a presenter and clinician at piano, church and school music festivals, and workshops. Jean and her husband Warren have three children and four grandchildren.

Warren Cook, Director of Choral Activities and Choral Studies at Bob Jones University, has studied at BJU and Westminster Choir College and has earned the DMA in Choral Conducting at the University of South Carolina.

He conducts BJU’s two premiere choral organizations and oversees a graded program of six choirs enrolling over 300 students. Additionally, he teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting, literature, and methods courses; trains opera and oratorio choruses; and conducts choral-orchestral performances. Cook is founder and director of Greenville’s Rivertree Singers and regularly appears across the U.S. as adjudicator, clinician, and conductor for choral workshops and festivals. In addition to his teaching and performing, Cook served as Pastor of Worship for over 30 years.

Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Apollo Chamber Players, violinist Matthew J. Detrick holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Rice University. Since 2012, Mr. Detrick has served as concertmaster of The Symphony of Southeast Texas in Beaumont, and he performs frequently with Houston Grand Opera and Ballet orchestras, Mercury, and other Houston-based ensembles. He has appeared as soloist with the York Symphony Orchestra and SOST. Outside of Houston, Mr. Detrick has performed with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, Sarasota Opera Orchestra, AIMS Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria, and the Zephyr Ensemble during its tours of Japan and Panama, and has been a participant in the Aspen Music Festival, Pine Mountain Music Festival, and Spoleto Festival USA. As Apollo’s executive director, he is a frequent guest speaker for alumni lectures and music entrepreneurship series at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, 17

Brazosport College, and the Houston Symphony’s Ima Hogg Competition. He has been a private instructor for the Houston Youth Symphony’s MELODY outreach program and maintains a private studio. Mr. Detrick performs on a Giuseppe Testore violin, circa 1760, and Josephy Alfred Lamy bow, circa 1886.

Matthew Dudzik is a versatile cellist who is passionate about early music as well as new music and great masterpieces. He has performed in orchestral and chamber music settings throughout the United States and Japan, including appearances at the Pacific Music Festival with members of the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics. Now in his sixth season as core cellist of Apollo Chamber Players, he has also served the organization as Chief Financial Officer since 2013. In Houston he has performed with the Houston Grand Opera and Ballet orchestras, Mercury, the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, the Houston Chamber Choir, Theater Under the Stars, and Aperio: Music of the Americas. He maintains a private studio and is a teacher for the Houston Youth Symphony’s MELODY outreach program, which provides free private lesson instruction for economically disadvantaged students and is chamber music coach for American Festival for the Arts’ Chamber Music Academy. Mr. Dudzik began cello at the age of nine and continued his studies at Southern Methodist University and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where he earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees in music, respectively. Outside of music, Mr. Dudzik enjoys yoga and traveling with his wife, fellow cellist Shino Hayashi.

Tacy Edwards is Principal Flute of Orchestra Kentucky, Second Flute in the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, and Piccoloist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and the New Sousa Band, Principal Flute of the North Charleston POPS! and a frequent substitute with the Louisville Orchestra. She is also a co-founder and the Executive Director of the North Charleston POPS! Nominated for a Grammy in 2011 she is now a voting member of the Recording Academy. She is the f lute instructor at the College of Charleston, is a past president of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra League and has chaired four Designer Showhouses for that organization. She has traveled far and wide as an artist performer from the Far East to South America. She has published two method books for f lute and is the inventor of The Flute Parka, a resting pad for f lutes.

Pianist David Gross was born in Berlin (F.R. Germany), presented his first public performance at the age of seven and earned prizes at the international piano competitions in Marsala and Bremen. He was educated at the Hochschule Munich, Hochschule Hannover, Yale University and the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana.

Currently Associate Professor of Piano at Furman University, he has taught at Western Michigan University, Goshen College and the Hochschule “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin. David has made numerous solo recordings for German National Public Radio as well as CD releases on Signum and Centaur. An active performer throughout Europe and the U.S., he has appeared as soloist with the Berliner Symphoniker, Staatsorchester Frankfurt/Oder, Ensemble Oriol, Rockford Symphony, Champaign-Urbana Symphony, Greenville Symphony, Anderson Symphony, Macon Symphony, Idaho State Civic Symphony, Merrimack Valley Philharmonic, Western Piedmont Symphony, Brevard Philharmonic and the Hendersonville Symphony.

Miyazawa artist Jessica Hull-Dambaugh is an orchestral f lutist, chamber musician, and teacher. Principal Flutist of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra since 2004, she has previously held both Flute and Piccolo positions with the Central City Opera Orchestra in Colorado and the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, and has performed frequently with the Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra in Washington, DC. She performs locally in various chamber ensembles, maintains a private teaching studio, and is an active member of the South Carolina Flute Society Board. Jessica has appeared as soloist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Bar Harbor Music Festival, the Charleston Bach Festival, and SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music Alumni Recital series. Originally from Long Island, NY, Jessica holds degrees from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and Carnegie Mellon University. Outside of music, Jessica is a group fitness instructor and also enjoys time with her husband, Sean, and their two sons, Kyle (4), and Jake (1).

HELLO, SAXOPHONE! KAMMERMUSIK Concert Series takes a fresh approach to sax-involved classical chamber music. Based in Charleston, SC, its first season’s concerts have received high praise for their exciting programming and engaging performances from fellow musicians and audience members alike. HELLO, SAXOPHONE! KAMMERMUSIK performances emphasize genre-crossing programming that engages audiences to traverse the connections between classical and contemporary, popular and avant garde.

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Miles Hoffman is the founder and violist of the American Chamber Players, with whom he regularly tours the United States and Canada, and appears frequently as viola soloist with orchestras across the country. His performances on YouTube have received well over 400,000 views. Mr. Hoffman’s radio modules, A Minute with Miles, are a daily feature of South Carolina Public Radio, and he is the host for the national radio broadcasts of Chamber Music from Spoleto Festival USA. His musical commentary, “Coming to Terms,” was a weekly favorite throughout the United States from 1989 to 2002 on NPR’s Performance Today, and is music commentator for NPR’s f lagship news program, Morning Edition. His book, The NPR® Classical Music Companion: An Essential Guide for Enlightened Listening, is in its tenth printing from Houghton Miff lin Harcourt. Mr. Hoffman is a graduate of Yale University and the Juilliard School.

Frances Hsieh, violin, earned Bachelor’s Degrees in Music and Biology at Duke University and a Master’s in Violin Performance at the Eastman School of Music. Frances is an active member of Chamber Music Charleston, has won positions with the Colorado Music Festival, Richmond, Asheville and Charleston Symphony Orchestras and also performs with the North Carolina, Phoenix and Hilton Head Symphonies.

Deirdre Hutton, violinist, holds dual American and European Union citizenship. She is an avid solo, chamber and orchestral performer playing at numerous music festivals including the National Repertory Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute, the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, and the Eastern Music Festival. In addition, Deirdre has performed in numerous orchestras in the US and Europe including the New World Symphony, the Schlossfestspiele Chamber Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, the Charleston Symphony, the Knoxville Symphony, and the Greenville Symphony, and was Assistant Concertmaster of the Roanoke Symphony. Deirdre studied at the Eastman School of Music and earned her Master’s at Northwestern University. She is currently Adjunct Professor of Violin at Furman University and teaches a private studio of talented high school students.

Cellist Christopher Hutton is a dedicated chamber music performer, with duo recitals in his home country of New Zealand and chamber music performances in the United States and Europe. He has recorded for New Zealand’s Concert FM, Germany’s SWF Radio, and Albany Classics. Christopher served as co-principal cellist in the New World Symphony Orchestra and has played in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and many United States orchestras. He has enjoyed collaborating with various composers, notably New Zealanders Helen Bowater and Christopher Marshall and Georgia composer Mitchell Turner. Christopher studied at Boston University, and earned his Master’s and Doctorate at the Eastman School of Music. He has taught at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the University of Delaware, and the Eastern Music Festival before joining the faculty at Furman University in 2003.

Jonathan Kammer is a freelance saxophonist, music educator, and co-founder of Lowcountry Saxophone Camp.

Kammer is producing artistic director of HELLO, SAXOPHONE! Concert Series, which he founded in Charleston in 2015 as a platform for saxophone-inclusive chamber music. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music, and 2001 Grand Prize winner of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Kammer can be found playing regularly with the Charleston Symphony and Spoleto Festival Orchestras, UNED!TED, Chamber Music Charleston, and North Charleston Pops. He is grateful to his amazing wife/life-partner and confidante Lana for her endless support, positivity and humble wisdom.

Internationally renowned cellist Natalia Khoma has won top prizes in the All-Ukrainian competition, the Budapest Pablo Casals International Competition, Markneukirchen Competition in Germany, and the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow, as well as First prize at the Belgrade International Cello Competition. She has since distinguished herself as a recitalist and soloist with orchestras throughout Russia, as well as the U.S., Canada, South America, Germany, Norway, Belgium, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Eastern Europe, South Africa and the Middle and Far East. She has performed as a soloist with the Berlin Radio Orchestra, Moscow Radio Orchestra, Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, Ukrainian National State Symphony Orchestra, Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Ensemble of New York City, and the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra. Natalia is an Honorary Professor of Lviv State Academy of Music, Odessa State Music Academy and Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine (Kiev Conservatory). In addition to performing, Natalia is an Associate Professor of Cello at the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC and Director of the Charleston Music Fest.

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Violinist Rachael Elizabeth Kistler is nationally recognized as a performer, educator, and an innovative community engagement activist. Ms. Kistler has held positions with the Asheville, Greenville and West Virginia symphonies, and most recently served as Performing and Visual Arts Coordinator at Chautauqua Institution.

Rachael is deeply committed to exploring musical diversity and the broader scope of the fine arts spectrum. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, and maintains an active private studio for gifted students.

Charae Krueger is Principal Cellist for the Atlanta Opera Orchestra and the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, the Cello Artist-In-Residence at Kennesaw State University and performs as a member of the Summit Piano Trio, the Peachtree String Quartet, the Leaptrott Trio and the KSU Faculty String Trio. She is a regular featured artist at The Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival in NC, the Grand Tetons Music Festival in WY, as well as the North Georgia Chamber Music Festival. After early cello training in Canada at the Regina Conservatory of Music, she continued her studies at Brandon University, completed her Bachelor of Music Performance degree from New England Conservatory in Boston and holds an Artist Diploma from the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA. Pianist Ben Leaptrott completed his Master of Music degree in piano performance at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. After winning a prize at the Jacques Vonk competition, he completed his post-graduate studies at the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with two diplomas in solo and chamber music. His teachers have included Leon Fleisher, Barbara Listersink, Edith Lateiner-Grosz, Paul Tardif, and Leonard Shure. Mr. Leaptrott has been heard in recital both nationally and internationally. Ben is currently Assistant Professor of Music, with a specialty in collaborative arts, at Brenau University and is a Founding Board Member and Vice President of the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation, which serves to promote talented opera singers nationally.

The Leaptrott Trio grew out of collaboration for a concert in 2011 Kenn Wagner is first violinist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and is Assistant Concertmaster and Acting Concertmaster of the Wintergreen Music Festival in Wintergreen, Virginia. Charae Krueger is principal cello with the Atlanta Opera Orchestra and Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, and a member of the Kennesaw State University faculty. Ben Leaptrott is Assistant Professor of Music at Brenau University and has been the official accompanist for the District and Regional Metropolitan Opera auditions in Georgia. In addition to their teaching schedules, all three musicians lead a very active performing schedule both in solo or collaborative venues. In 2012, The Leaptrott Trio was named Artistsin-Residence at Brenau University. The group was a recent guest soloist for the season opening concert with the Dekalb Symphony Orchestra, and the Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra where they performed the Beethoven Triple Concerto.

Soprano Jill Terhaar Lewis, a native of Greencreek, Idaho, is a tenured Associate Professor of Vocal Music at Charleston Southern University, and earned her DMA in Vocal Performance from the University of South Carolina. She has been a featured soloist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Baker and Baker Recital Series at the Columbia Museum of Art, the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, the Hilton Head Choral Society and other area orchestras and ensembles. Dr. Lewis regularly performs recitals featuring late-Romantic music and American art song and opera with area ensembles. Jill is married to jazz saxophonist and composer Robert Lewis. Together they collaborate with jazz pianist Gerald Gregory as The In-Between, performing new compositions and arrangements of vocal chamber music ref lecting classical, folk, and jazz inf luences in the region and the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Lewis lives in Summerville with her family.

Clarinetist Philip Lipton, a graduate of University of North Florida and Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, has performed at concert stages across the United States, including Carnegie Hall, as well as abroad in Canada and Spain. Mr. Lipton has collaborated with the North Charleston POPS!, the Charleston Symphony, the Jacksonville Symphony orchestras, and the Orford Academy of the Arts in Quebec, Canada. Philip was runner-up for the 2016 Artist in Music Performance Fellowship for the South Carolina Arts Commission. He teaches at Charleston Academy of Music, Charleston County School of the Arts and Trident Technical College.

In coordination with clarinetist Kevin Schaffter and MUSAID, he helped to establish and teaches in a youth chamber music program (El Sistema) in San Salvador.

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Mezzo soprano Jennifer Luiken has performed operatic and concert repertoire throughout the United States, and in England, Scotland, Germany, Bulgaria, Austria, Catalunya and Italy, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. She is a frequent recitalist and performer of both art song and chamber works for voice and instruments and has made multiple appearances with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and other regional orchestras in major oratorios, including Verdi’s Requiem; Handel’s Messiah; Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Mendelssohn’s Elijah; Mozart’s Requiem; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Known also for her convincing acting skills in both comedic and dramatic roles, Miss Luiken’s operatic credits include The Old Lady in Candide, Madame Flora in The Medium, Katisha in The Mikado, the title role in The Rape of Lucretia, the Witch in Hansel and Gretel, the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus. She has been a state winner and regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera auditions. A native of Iowa, she now lives in Summerville, SC, and is on the voice faculty at Charleston Southern University.

Flutist Kim McCormick is an Associate Professor of Music at the University of South Florida and an artist for Yamaha. She is the Past President and Chairman of the Board of the Florida Flute Association. She has recorded a total of 14 published CDs which include solo and chamber music. As f lutist with the McCormick Duo, she has premiered over 40 new works for f lute with percussion. In 2013, she released a new CD featuring solo and chamber works by composer Max Lifchitz on the North/South label. Prior to her appointment to USF, she was on the faculties of the College of Charleston, while also serving as principal f lute with the Symphony, and Iowa State University. She received her doctorate in f lute performance from the University of North Texas.

Robert McCormick is currently Professor of Music and director of the percussion program at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He served as principal percussionist/assistant timpanist with the Florida Orchestra for 20 seasons. He is a former member of the Harry Partch Ensemble and often performs with high profile artists of all genres. In 2010, he conducted the premiere performance of Chan Hae Lee’s Korean folk opera Simcheongga at the National Center of Performing Arts in Seoul. In March 2014, Robert performed the world premiere of Baljinder Sekhon’s Double Percussion Concerto at Carnegie Hall with percussionist Lee Hinkle. Robert is the host of the international McCormick Marimba Festival. Robert’s awards include the 2006 Florida Music Educator of the Year, the 2007 Grand Prize in the Keystone Percussion Composition Award, the 2010 University Distinguished Teacher Award and the 2015 Percussive Arts Society Lifetime Achievement in Education Award, as well as Global Music Awards for his CD recordings.

Cellist Timothy O’Malley was first introduced to the cello at the age of nine when he participated in a strings program in Tucson, Arizona. Since then, his studies have brought him across the United States and to Europe.

He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Cello Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and his Master’s Degree in Orchestral Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. He is a core member of Chamber Music Charleston.

Canadian pianist, Brad Parker, has performed extensively as a soloist and collaborative pianist, in the United States, Canada, France, Italy, and Haiti. He has been featured in several music festivals including the Banff Chamber Music Festival, Musique Maintenant in Paris, as well as the Women in Music Festival at the Eastman School of Music. Brad has been an Associate Professor and Keyboard Area Coordinator at Charleston Southern University since August of 2015. He earned a Master’s and DMA in Piano Performance at Eastman in Rochester, NY, with further study of French music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris.

Pianist Dr. Irina Pevzner was born in Ukraine and raised in Latvia. After graduating from the Riga Jazep Medins Music College, she moved to the United States with her family. She holds a DMA degree from the University of South Carolina, a Master’s degree in piano performance from Carnegie Mellon University, the Artist Certificate from the College of Charleston, and a bachelor’s degree in piano performance and music education from Mansfield University of PA. Irina has performed throughout Latvia, Ukraine, Spain, Italy, Brazil, and throughout the east coast of the United States. Locally, she has performed at the Monday Night Concert Series, International Piano Series, Bishop Gadsden Concert Series and Piccolo Spoleto. She is the core performer with Chamber Music Charleston, the Executive Director of the Charleston Academy of Music and a member of the music department faculty at the College of Charleston.

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After having performed with each other for several years, David Gross, Deirdre and Christopher Hutton founded the Poinsett Piano Trio in 2008. All three members live in Greenville, SC and teach at Furman University, a liberal arts college with a strongly performance-oriented music program. The ensemble is named in honor of Joel Roberts Poinsett, a statesman, physician, and botanist from South Carolina. Like the members of the trio he had an international life: living in England as a child, training in medical school in Scotland, traveling extensively in Europe and South America, and was later elected as a member of Congress before serving as Minister (ambassador) to Mexico. Poinsett is most remembered today as the discoverer of the Mexican Poinsettia plant, whose bright red f lowers are popularly included in festive Christmas decorations throughout the world. The Poinsett Piano Trio has performed on tour in New Zealand (2010, 2013) and Germany (2012), as well as across the United States.

Mexican-born violinist Anabel Ramirez began studying the violin at age six, twice won the National Violin Competition in Mexico, a full scholarship to study at the Ollin Yoliztly School of the Arts in Mexico City, and in 1992, the ‘Carlos Chavez’ competition. At age 16, she came to the US to study at the University of Houston under the sponsorship of the Starling Foundation Scholarship Fund, and completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance. She holds a Master’s Degree from the University of British Columbia. Ms. Ramirez has been a member of Apollo Chamber Players since 2012 and serves as Marketing Director. A member of the Houston Grand Opera and the Houston Ballet Orchestras since 2008, she performs regularly with the period instrument ensemble, Mercury. She has appeared as soloist with the National Symphony and Mineria Symphony of Mexico, and with the Galveston, Clear Lake, Woodlands, Ludwig and San Antonio Symphonies in the US. Founded in 2010, Rivertree Singers is a choral ensemble of young professionals who love living and working in Greenville, SC. The name ref lects a love for the beautiful trees and river that have been the inspiration for the city’s model revitalization. The singers are alumni of Converse College, Erskine College, Presbyterian College, Winthrop University, Bob Jones University, Furman University and the University of South Carolina. They share a passion for choral singing and the belief that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Featuring serious choral music and folk and popular song, Rivertree Singers enriches Greenville’s arts community with a three-concert season of downtown performances and commissions and promotes works by emerging choral composers. Learn more at rivertreesingers.org/festival about their annual Summer Festival June 23-25, 2016 which includes 120 additional singers to perform major choral works.

Courtney Sharp, originally from Chicago, IL, has over 21 years of experience as a cellist. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in cello performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music at Case Western Reserve University, an Artist’s Diploma from the College of Charleston, and a Master of Music degree from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. She is the outreach liaison for the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee, maintains a private studio teaching students of all ages and freelances with orchestras in Wisconsin.

Samuel Sheffer, music director for The Charleston Renaissance Ensemble, is originally from New York. He has extensive experience in all aspects of musical performance, including opera production as well as instrumental and vocal chamber music. He has worked as an assistant to Gian Carlo Menotti, the former Charleston Opera company and directed the Bach Aria Group. He has served as music director for First Scots Presbyterian Church and The Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul and was Director of Choral Activities at Ashley Hall for 24 years, as well as, Director of Synagogue Music and cantorial soloist at Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim for 28 years. He maintains a private vocal studio.

Guitarist Matthew Slotkin is an acclaimed performer who has appeared in leading venues on six continents. He has premiered numerous solo and chamber works by leading guitar composers. Recent performances include concerts in France, Belgium, Poland, Germany, Argentina and Uruguay, the Guitar Foundation of America convention, and the Chautauqua Institution. He has performed on classical guitar society concert series in New Zealand, Montreal, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Iowa, Northeastern Pennsylvania, and the Great Lakes. His performances with chamber ensembles include the Metropolis Ensemble, the Mallarmé Chamber Players, Duo Montagnard, and Dez Cordas. He has recordings on the Summit, Centaur and Liscio labels. Slotkin directs the guitar program at Bloomsburg University, and has given masterclasses at institutions and festivals worldwide including Oberlin, Northwestern University, Eastman School of Music, Victorian College of the Arts, Australia, and National University of La Plata, Argentina.

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UNED!TED is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to integrating arts, cultures, and communities through collaborative concert events and programs. Now in its seventh season, UNED!TED continues to challenge and delight audiences with unique musical pairings, exciting educational programs, and creative new works featuring large-scale collaborations from among the local professional arts community. The organization is dedicated to expanding the artistic niche for local creative professionals as a means of fostering culture and deepening the arts experience for the greater Charleston community.

Internationally renowned pianist Volodymyr Vynnytsky is laureate of the Margueritte Long-Jacques Thibaud International Piano Competition in Paris. After earning his doctorate from the Moscow Conservatory, he taught at the Kyiv Conservatory and concertized extensively throughout Ukraine, Europe, USA, Canada, Central and South America and South Africa. Vynnytsky has performed with leading orchestras and appeared in solo recitals in many major concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, the Phillips Gallery in Washington D.C., the Great (Bolshoi) Hall at the Moscow Conservatory, the Theatre Champs d’Elysees in Paris, St. John’s Smith Square in London, Philharmonic Big Hall of Columns (Kyiv) among many others. A popular television and radio guest, he has also been featured in Japan and in the United States. Honorary Professor of Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine, Lviv and Odessa State Music Academy, Volodymyr Vynnytsky is a Director of the Music and Art Center of Greene County, NY and a Director of Chamber Music at the College of Charleston, SC. Kenn Wagner has been a first violinist and acting assistant concertmaster with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 1994. He has also appeared abroad as guest soloist with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra in China, and Christchurch Symphony string section, in New Zealand. Other solo appearances have been with numerous symphony orchestras including the New Orleans Symphony, and Arlington Symphony. Chamber music guest appearances include concerts with the Leaptrott Trio, Riverside Chamber Players, Atlanta Chamber Players, Awadagin Pratt’s Next Generation Festival, National Chamber Players, Kenneth Slowik of the Smithsonian Chamber Players, the Orlando Chamber Soloists and Cuerteto Latino Americano in Puebla, Mexico. A graduate of Indiana University, Kenn is currently on the faculty at both Kennesaw State University and Morehouse College.

Ben Weiss, viola, earned degrees in violin and viola performance from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. While in Bloomington, he was a member of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic and the Carmel, Terre Haute and Richmond symphony orchestras. In addition to Chamber Music Charleston, he performs regularly with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and teaches at the College of Charleston.

Jenny Blickensderfer Weiss, violin, completed her Bachelor’s Degree and Performer Diploma at the Indiana University. While living in Bloomington, she was a member of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, the Carmel Symphony, the Terre Haute Symphony and the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. She is a core violinist with Chamber Music Charleston.

Mezzo soprano Shanelle Woods received the Bachelor of Arts degree and the Artist Certificate in Voice Performance from Charleston Southern University. She is currently teaching voice at Charleston Southern University and at Wando Voice Studio (Mt. Pleasant, SC), assisting with children’s choir activities at St. Philip’s Church and serving as soprano section leader. Miss Woods has been a soloist in major oratorios, opera and musical theater, including: Third Lady in Die Zauberf löte, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Queenie in Showboat, Ms. Woods organized and performed in “I, Too, Sing America,” for the 2013 Spotlight Series and 2014 MOJA Arts Festival, and “To Be Sung Upon the Water: Love and other Elements” in 2015 Piccolo Spoleto. She is making her Spoleto Festival USA debut in the current production of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.

Regina Helcher Yost is currently in her 18th season as Second Flute of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, her 20th season as Assistant Principal Flute/Piccolo of the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder, Colorado, Adjunct Professor of Flute at Charleston Southern University and core f lutist for Chamber Music Charleston.

Mrs. Yost received a Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance from the Cincinnati Conservatory and a Master of Music degree at Indiana University. Past f lute positions include the National Orchestra of New York, the Honolulu Symphony, the Knoxville Symphony, and the St. Louis Symphony. She has made solo appearances with the St. Louis Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the International Pacific Music Festival. As an advocate of new music for the piccolo, Mrs. Yost has commissioned many new works. More information is found on her website: www.reginahelcheryost.com.

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Acknowledgments Piccolo Spoleto is a project of the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs and is funded in part by grants from the City of Charleston; Charleston County; Town of Kiawah Island; and the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

We would like to express deep gratitude to Mayor John Tecklenburg and Charleston City Council for their invaluable ongoing support of the projects of the Office of Cultural Affairs.

Special thanks to the Title Sponsors of the 2016 Piccolo Spoleto Festival: The Boeing Company and Publix Super Markets Charities.

Programs in the Spotlight Concert Series are sponsored in part by The Nancy D. Hawk Family; Herzman-Fishman Fund; Norma & John Palms.

Special thanks to Knight Printing and Graphics for their ongoing support of the Piccolo Spoleto Spotlight Concert Series.

Our deepest appreciation goes to the clergy and staff of St. Philip’s Church, Grace Church Cathedral, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, and to the monastic community and Abbott Stanislaus Gumula at Mepkin Abbey, for allowing us to use their beautiful sacred spaces for these Piccolo Spoleto Spotlight Concerts.

Thanks also to the staff of the City Gallery for their assistance in hosting many of this year’s concerts.

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PICCOLO SPOLETO Title Sponsors of the 2016 Piccolo Spoleto Festival The Boeing Company and Publix Super Markets Charities