Park University ICM Presents: Stanislav & Friends, 2024

&FRIENDS

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Park University and the Park International Center for Music

Present

STANISLAV & FRIENDS

The Fifth Annual Signature Event of Park University Benefitting Park International Center for Music

Friday, March 8, 2024

Helzberg Hall Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Orchestra Sponsor: Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts - Commerce Bank, Trustee

WELCOME

Brilliance – a single word that encapsulates the extraordinary experience awaiting you this evening.

Our longstanding connection with the Park University International Center for Music has allowed us to witness firsthand the remarkable journey of students and faculty who continue to captivate the world with their exceptional talents. The legacy of Stanislav Ioudenitch, the visionary behind this American conservatory, started in 2003 with a bold ambition to establish a nexus of European protégé/master training in the American midwest. Tonight, as we gather to revel in the performances, we celebrate over 20 years of unwavering dedication, relentless practice, and stellar performances on some of the world’s grandest stages.

This evening’s venue holds a significance that resonates deeply. Just as the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts has solidified its reputation as Kansas City’s premier music venue, the Park University International Center for Music has carved its own distinguished niche as the crucible where some of the world’s most gifted young musicians refine their craft.

Beyond the individual brilliance showcased tonight, it is crucial to recognize Park ICM’s broader impact on Kansas City’s cultural landscape and its elevated standing on the national and international artistic stage. The Park International Center for Music contributes not only to the musical tapestry of our city but also elevates its cultural presence, fostering an environment where talent flourishes and artistic excellence is nurtured.

As honorary chairmen, we take immense pride in supporting an institution that enriches not only the lives of its students but also the cultural fabric of Kansas City and beyond. Tonight, we invite you to join us in celebrating the brilliance emanating from the Park University International Center for Music and its enduring impact on our community’s cultural legacy.

Warm regards,

Phyllis Nolan Honorary Chairman

Ron Nolan Honorary Chairman

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Since its inception in 1875, Park University has stood as a beacon of educational excellence, drawing students from every corner of the globe. In 2003, we established the Park University International Center for Music, a testament to our commitment to providing a world-class education in the arts. As we approach our 150th anniversary in 2025, we reflect on our rich history and the indelible mark we have made on the lives of countless students.

Stanislav & Friends 2024 represents a pinnacle moment in our annual calendar, where the brilliance of world-class musicians converges with the splendor of a world-class venue in the heart of America –Kansas City. This event underscores our dedication to fostering a cultural crossroads for classical music, contributing to the vibrant arts scene that defines our city. As we revel in the breathtaking performances that will unfold tonight, I encourage you to delve deeper into the achievements of our Center. Visit our website (icm.park.edu) to explore the accolades earned by our current and former students over the relatively short lifespan of the Center.

Thank you for joining us for this extraordinary evening of music and celebration. Your support ensures the continued success and global impact of the Park International Center for Music. Here’s to celebrating excellence and our imminent 150th anniversary in 2025!

Shane B. Smeed President Park University

PROGRAM

STANISLAV & FRIENDS

KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2024

Piano quartet in G minor op. 25

Johannes Brahms (1833-97)

1. Allegro

2. Intermezzo- Allegro (ma non troppo)

3. Andante con moto

4. Rondo alla Zingarese- Presto

Ben Sayevich, violin

Peter Chun, viola

Daniel Veis, cello

Lolita Lisovskaya-Sayevich, piano

Serenade for Strings Op.28

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-93)

1. Pezzo in forma di sonatina: Andante non troppo — Allegro moderato

2. Valse: Moderato — Tempo di valse

3. Élégie: Larghetto elegiac

4. Finale (Tema russo): Andante — Allegro con spirito

Park ICM Orchestra

Side-by-Side with Faculty, Alumni and Students

Concerto for Two Pianos in E-flat major, K. 365/316a

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-91)

1. Allegro

2. Andante

3. Rondo

Mikhail Voskresensky, piano

Stanislav Ioudenitch, piano

Bruce Sorrell, conductor

The Kansas City Chamber Orchestra

Concerto for Two Pianos in D minor, FP 61

Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)

1. Allegro ma non troppo

2. Larghetto

3. Allegro molto

Behzod Abduraimov, piano

Stanislav Ioudenitch, piano

Bruce Sorrell, conductor

The Kansas City Chamber Orchestra

About this evening’s artists

STANISLAV IOUDENITCH

Known for a ravishing technique and his compelling musical conviction, pianist Stanislav Ioudenitch is part of the elite group of Cliburn Gold Medal winners, having taken home the Gold Medal at the 11th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. His profoundly warm and intelligent performances have won him prizes at the Feruccio Busoni, William Kapell, Maria Callas, and New Orleans competitions, among others.

Ioudenitch has performed at major international cultural centers including Carnegie Hall (New York), Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), Gasteig (Munich, Germany), Conservatorio Verdi (Milan, Italy), Mariinsky Theater (St. Petersburg, Russia), International Performing Arts Center (Moscow, Russia), The Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory (Moscow, Russia), Forbidden City Concert Hall (Beijing, China), International Piano Festival of La Roque d’Anthéron (France), Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris, France), Bass Hall (Fort Worth, Texas), Jordan Hall (Boston, Massachusetts), Orange County Performing Arts Center (Costa Mesa, California), and the Aspen Music Festival (Aspen, Colorado).

Ioudenitch has had the privilege to perform with the conductors James Conlon, Valery Gergiev, Mikhail Pletnev, James DePreist, Günther Herbig, Asher Fisch, Stefan Sanderling, Michael Stern, Carl St. Clair, and Justus Franz, and with orchestras including the Munich Philharmonic, the Mariinsky Orchestra, National Symphony (Washington, D.C.), Rochester Philharmonic, Honolulu Symphony and the National Philharmonic of Russia. Chamber music partners have included the Takács, Prazák, Borromeo, and Accorda quartets.

His teachers have included Natalia Vasinkina, Dmitri Bashkirov, Galina Eguiazarova, and Karl Ulrich Schnabel, Leon Fleisher, Rosalyn Tureck, William Grant Nabore at the International Piano Foundation in Como, Italy (the current International Piano Academy Lake Como). He subsequently became the youngest teacher ever invited to give master classes at the Academy.

He also studied at the UMKC Conservatory of Music under the direction of Robert Weirich.

As the founder of the International Center for Music at Park University in Kansas City, he currently serves as both Artistic Director and professor of piano, while also holding a position as a piano professor at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Recently, his contributions to the field of music education were recognized with the prestigious appointment to The Fundación Banco Santander Piano Chair at the Reina Sofía School Of Music in Madrid, Spain.

BEN SAYEVICH

Lithuanian-Israeli violinist Ben Sayevich has established himself as one of the most distinguished violinists and teachers of his generation. He has performed in concert extensively throughout North America, Europe and the Far East, and he has appeared on radio and television as a soloist and chamber musician.

He is featured as the soloist in a recording of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra. At the New England Conservatory of Music, he was chosen to play the Violin Concerto by Alban Berg for the celebration of the composer’s centenary. Sayevich’s interpretation carries the tradition that comes down directly from the composer, through his work on the piece with the late Louis Krasner, the commissioner, dedicatee and the violinist at the work’s premiere.

His extensive activities with orchestras have included concertmaster posts at the Kansas City Camerata and the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, with both making numerous concerto appearances, including violin concertos by Vieuxtemps, Glazunov, Mozart and Beethoven. He was also concertmaster of the Heidelberg Chamber Orchestra during a five-week world tour of Japan, Singapore and Canada.

Sayevich also maintains a vigorous schedule as chamber musician. He is a founding member of the Park Piano Trio, established at Park University in 2006, and is violinist of the London-based Rosamunde Piano Trio. With the Rosamunde Trio, he has performed widely in Europe, including appearances on BBC Radio London, Irish Public Radio in Cork and the Abbado Festival Bologna. He is also a founding member of Quartet Accorda, which began in the 1990s and was officially incorporated in 2002.

Sayevich has taught at the University of Kansas, the Grieg Academy in Bergen, Norway, the New England Conservatory of Music, the Hartt School of Music and the Yellow Barn Music Festival in Vermont.

Born in Kaunas, Lithuania, he studied violin in Vilnius from the age of 6 at the Churlonis School for the Performing Arts. At 12, he immigrated to Israel with his family and studied with Felix Andrievsky. At age 21, after serving in the Israeli army, he went to the U.S. to study with Dorothy DeLay, later moving to the New England Conservatory of Music to continue studies with her and Eric Rosenblith. He is a recipient of the prestigious artist diploma from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he was Rosenblith’s teaching assistant.

Daniel Veis

Daniel Veis has been recognized as the finest Czech cellist since winning first prize at the 1976 Prague Spring International Music Competition and the silver medal at the 1978 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.

Born in Prague, Veis studied five years at the Moscow Conservatory with Natalia Shakhovskaya. Since 1979, he has performed regularly as a soloist with many major orchestras in such centers such as Avery Fisher Hall in New York’s Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall (New York), Royal Albert Hall (London), Orchard Hall (Tokyo), Auditori de Barcelona and Auditorio Nacional de Madrid.

His repertoire is substantial and includes a number of contemporary compositions. He has recorded works by Dvorak, Brahms, Schumann, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saens, Martinu, Shostakovich, Kabelac, Hanus and Sommer. In 1989, Veis became a guest soloist of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to his solo career, he is a member of the international Rosamunde Trio with Martino Tirimo and Park University International Center for Music colleague Ben Sayevich. He is also a member of the Park Piano Trio, established at Park University in 2006.

In 2010, Veis joined the faculty at the Park International Center for Music as the cello studio master instructor. In addition, he is a professor of cello and vice dean at the Music Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He frequently gives master classes and works in juries of international competitions.

Lolita Lisovskaya-Sayevich

Born into a Tashkent (Uzbekistan) musical family, Lolita Lisovskaya-Sayevich began studying piano at the age of 4. In 1985, she entered the Uspensky Central Music School in Tashkent. In 1993, she started attending a private school for young musicians in Moscow, and that same year received the first prize at the Chopin International Piano Competition in Göttingen, Germany. She entered the Tchaikovsky Special Music School in 1995, and two years later was accepted to the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory under the tutelage of Vera Gornostaeva, with whom she continued postgraduate study from 2002 to 2004. Lisovskaya-Sayevich also studied with Stanislav Ioudenitch at Park University.

In 1996, Lisovskaya-Sayevich received the first prize from the Nikolai Rubinstein International Piano Competition, and in 2007 the first prize at the Iowa International Piano Competition. She was awarded scholarships from the Rostropovich Foundation, the Spivakov Foundation and the Nikolai Petrov Foundation. She has also earned the laureate designation from the international program “New Names,” and the festival “Virtuoso 2000” in St. Petersburg, Russia. Lisovskaya-Sayevich has recorded at the Hessen Radio Station in Frankfurt, Germany, and at Orfei Radio in Moscow.

Lisovskaya-Sayevich has presented numerous solo recitals and has played as a soloist with orchestras in Austria, France, Japan, Spain, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Russia. She has participated in many music festivals, including the Bashmet Festival in Tours, France, “Wave 2000” in Japan, International Musical Arts Institute in Maine (USA), Killington Music Festival in Vermont (USA), “Ars Longa” and “Primavera Classica” in Moscow. She collaborated with such renowned musicians as Daniel Muller-Shott, Shmuel Ashkenazy, members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and many others. She now performs extensively in chamber music ensembles.

Peter Chun

Violist Peter Chun has given numerous recitals and chamber music performances across the U.S., including Boston, St. Louis, and Kansas City, as well as performing internationally in Korea and Japan. 2012 saw him touring as a member of the renowned Borromeo String Quartet, performing at the Busan International Music Festival. Later that year he toured China in a three-city recital series to Shanghai, Beijing and Shenyang, visiting various music schools to perform recitals and teach masterclasses. In 2009, he was invited to perform and present a masterclass at the International Viola Congress, in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Over the years, he has also performed at numerous universities nationally and internationally, such as Penn State University, University of Connecticut, University of Ulsan (Korea), the Conservatory of Music at University of Missouri, Kansas City, and many others. He has appeared as soloist with Lexington Sinfonietta (MA), Lawrence Chamber Orchestra, and the University of Kansas Symphony Orchestra.

Among the distinguished artists Peter has performed with are Shmuel Ashkenasi, Peter Wiley, James Buswell, Frank Almond, Paula Robison, John Gibbons, and the Borromeo String Quartet in America, as well as with European artists such as Diemut Poppen and Daniel Veis. He was the Artistic Director of Kansas City String Quartet Program, where he taught and performed with the faculty quartet. Chamber music festivals at which he has appeared include the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Festival and Yellow Barn, and he was a resident artist at International Musical Arts Institute, in Maine, where he performed and taught. He also taught and performed at Sound Encounters, a renowned Suzuki camp in Ottawa, KS. His performances have been broadcast on the Korean Broadcasting System, WGBH radio in Boston, Maine Public Radio and Television, and Kansas Public Radio. Chun has also been featured in a documentary about the Tanglewood Music Center.

Peter Chun is currently the Adjunct Instructor at Park University. Previously, he taught for 16 years as the Associate Professor of viola at the University of Kansas, a position he was appointed to in 1999, at the age of 28. He was also the violist of Quartet Accorda from 1995 to 2010, a group that was the Quartet-in-Residence at Park University, and gained notoriety with their highly acclaimed performances that were frequently broadcast in Kansas and Missouri.

As a conductor, Chun has made his operatic debút in an acclaimed and highly publicized production of Donizetti’s opera L’elisir d’Amore in Seoul’s prestigious LG Art Center, as well as a production of Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat at University of Kansas, a performance of complete Mozart violin concertos, and recently Handel’s Messiah at the historic Tremont Temple Baptist Church in Boston.

Born in Seoul, Korea, Peter Chun emigrated at age 12 with his family to the U.S. He was trained at the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Walter Trampler, Marcus Thompson, and Eric Rosenblith.

MIKHAIL VOSKRESENSKY

Famous Russian pianist, Mikhail Voskresensky, for more than 60 years intensively continues to give concerts around the world. The top prize winner of Schumann International Piano Competition, Rio de Janeiro, Enescu in Bucharest and The First Van Cliburn competition, Voskresensky has captivated audiences with his electrifying interpretations of the great piano literature of all styles.

In 1966 he was honoured with the Merited Artist of Russia award and in 1989, the People’s Artist of Russia. Mikhail Voskresensky has extensive concert experience. He is the only pianist in Russia to perform all of Chopin’s piano compositions during one concert season; this in 1982 / 83, in nine recitals in the Maly Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire. In 1957 the young pianist took part in the Prague Spring Festival where he performed the European premiere of the Shostakovich Second Piano concerto in the presence of Shostakovich himself.

Mikhail Voskresensky is a distinguished professor at the Moscow Conservatory, the chair of the professorship of piano faculty. His pupils have won 126 international prizes including 55 gold medals. Mikhail Voskresensky is President of the Scriabin International Society and Guest Professor in the Toho Gakuen School in Tokyo. Although Mr. Voskresensky devotes many of his efforts to teaching and giving masterclasses in various countries, he undoubtedly considers his primary purpose to be performing. Voskresensky is an extraordinary and unique musician. When hearing his playing, one can feel his sincere and subtle soul. It is a rare thing, indeed, in our irrational times. He has recorded more than 50 CD’s, including a box with all Mozart Piano Concertos (2013) and a five CD box (2015) with all Mozart Piano Sonatas.

Behzod Abduraimov

“Behzod Abduraimov has the magic touch” The Times

Behzod Abduraimov’s performances combine an immense depth of musicality with phenomenal technique and breath-taking delicacy. He performs with renowned orchestras worldwide including Philharmonia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, San Francisco Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Concertgebouworkest, Czech Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin (RSB) with prestigious conductors such as, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Gustavo Dudamel, Semyon Bychkov, Gianandrea Noseda, Juraj Valčuha, Vasily Petrenko and Constantinos Carydis.

2023/24 performances include Chicago Symphony, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, Houston Symphony and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras, Oslo Philharmonic, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra including a tour of Spain and Belgian National Orchestra performing at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. Behzod will also appear with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Conductor collaborations include Osmo Vänskä, Juraj Valčuha, Constantinos Carydis, Robin Ticciati, Manfred Honeck, Yoel Levi, Han-Na Chang, Hannu Lintu and Andris Poga.

In recital Behzod has appeared a number of times at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and has recently been presented by Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Toppan Hall, Tokyo, Teatro alla Scala and La Società dei Concerti di Milano. In 2023/24 Behzod will appear twice at Carnegie Hall – returning to the Stern Auditorium for solo recital, followed by a duo recital with Daniel Lozakovich at the Weill Auditorium. The duo will present recitals elsewhere in North America including Bing Hall, Stanford, and the Vancouver Recital series. Behzod will also perform in recital at the Seoul Arts Centre, Shanghai Concert Hall, Amare Hall, Hague and the Tuesday Evening Concert Series, Charlottesville. Regular festival appearances include Aspen, Verbier, Rheingau, La Roque Antheron, Lucerne and Ravello festivals.

Behzod’s second recording for Alpha Classics, featuring works by Ravel, Prokofiev, and Uzbek composer Dilorom Saidaminova, was released on 12 January 2024. The album won the Gramophone Editor’s Choice award and was named one of the Apple Music ‘10 Classical Albums You Must Hear This Month’ of February 2024. 2021 saw the highly successful release of his first recital album for Alpha Classics based on a programme of Miniatures including Mussorgsky’s Pictures

at an Exhibition. In 2020 recordings included Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Lucerne Symphony Orchestra under James Gaffigan, recorded on Rachmaninov’s own piano from Villa Senar for Sony Classical and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.3 with Concertgebouworkest, for the RCO live label. Both recordings were nominated for the 2020 Opus Klassik awards in multiple categories. A DVD of his BBC Proms debut in 2016 with Münchner Philharmoniker was released in 2018. His 2012 debut CD of Liszt, Saint-Saëns and Prokofiev for Decca won the Choc de Classica and Diapason Découverte, and his first concerto disc for the label featured Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.3 and Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No.1.

Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 1990, Behzod began the piano aged five as a pupil of Tamara Popovich at Uspensky State Central Lyceum in Tashkent. In 2009, he won first prize at the London International Piano Competition with Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.3. He studied with Stanislav Ioudenitch at the International Center for Music at Park University, Missouri, where he is Artist-in-Residence.

Steven Mcdonald

Originally from Reading, Mass., Steven McDonald, director of orchestral activities, has served on the faculties of the University of Kansas, Boston University and Gordon College. While in Boston, he conducted a number of ensembles, including Musica Modus Vivendi, the student early music group at Harvard University. McDonald also directed ensembles at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, serving as founder and music director of the Summer Opera and Independent Activities Period Orchestra, and conductor of the MIT Chamber Orchestra and the Gilbert and Sullivan Players. At the University of Kansas, McDonald served as assistant conductor of the KU Symphony, and was the founder and music director of the Camerata Ensemble of non-music majors, and of the chamber orchestra “Sine Nomine,” a select ensemble of performance majors. Additionally, he has conducted performances of the KU Opera. He has also served as vocal coach at the Boston University Opera Institute and at Gordon College.

McDonald served as music director of the Lawrence (Kan.) Chamber Orchestra from 2007-14, during which time the group transformed into a professional ensemble whose repertoire featured inventive theme programs and multimedia performances. In 2009, he was selected to

conduct the Missouri All-State High School Orchestra, and in 2011 was the first conductor selected as guest clinician at the Noel Pointer Foundation School of Music which serves inner-city students in Brooklyn, N.Y. An avid proponent of early music, McDonald has also taught Baroque performance practice at the Ottawa Suzuki Strings Institute summer music program, and regularly incorporates historically informed practice into his performances.

McDonald is a graduate of the Boston University School for the Arts, the Sweelinck Conservatory of Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and the University of Kansas School of Fine Arts.

PARk ICM ORCHESTRA

Side-by-Side with Faculty, Alumni and Students

Violin I

Ben Sayevich (Concertmaster and ICM Faculty)

Maria Ioudenitch (ICM Pre-college Alumna)

Ilkhom Mukhiddinov

David Horak (ICM Alumnus)

Mumin Turgunov

Soobeen Nam

Violin II

Alice Palese (Principal)

Orin Laursen (ICM Alumnus)

Aviv Daniel

Yi-Shiuan Ting

Yuren Zhang

Viola

Peter Chun (Principal and ICM Faculty)

Christian Dos Santos

Victor Diaz

Samin Golozar

Shelley Armer

cello

Daniel Veis (Principal and ICM Faculty)

Diyorbek Nortojiev

James Farquhar

Otabek Guchkulov

Abdumardon Abdurakhmonov

Ainaz Jalilpour

Bass

Richard Ryan

finale of our 37 th season!

S pring into A dventure Musica l

Thursday, May 2, 2024

For tickets and info visit :

KCChamberOrchestra.org -OR- Eventbrite

2024 - 2025 season tickets available soon!

About the kansas City Chamber orchestra

MAESTRO BRUCE SORRELL

Under the direction of Bruce Sorrell, the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra has been repeatedly recognized for excellence. Sorrell founded the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra in 1987 with violinist Ben Sayevich who served as concertmaster for the first decade.

Over those nearly four decades, he has led highly acclaimed performances and been consistently praised for his interpretations of music across all periods. Sorrell’s work with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra has been recognized by many Kansas City organizations, including receiving the Citation for Achievement for accomplishments and contributions in the arts by William Jewell College, the highest alumni award the college bestows.

A native of Wichita, Kansas, Sorrell earned his bachelor’s degree in music performance from William Jewell College and studied at Oxford University, England. He earned the Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting from Southern Methodist University in Dallas where he studied with Anshel Brusilow, and did further advanced conducting studies with Frank Shipway in London, England.

Sorrell was appointed Executive Director of Chamber Music Tulsa in 2012, a position he holds concurrently with his role as Music Director and Conductor of the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra. In Tulsa, he is on the Leadership Tulsa Board and served as President in 2023.

Violin

Tamamo Gibbs (concertmaster)

Tony Demarco

Rena Ishii

Stephanie Cathcart

Anne-Marie Brown

Chiafei Lin

Lisa Jackson

Minhye Choi

Vladimir Rykov

Alex Shum

kANSAS CITY

Bass

Richard Ryan

Flute

Michael Gordo

Adrienne Garstang

oboe

Margaret Marco

Emily Foltz

Viola

Sean Brumble

Duke Lee

Jen Houck

clarinet

Raymond Santos

John Klinghammer

cello

Lawrence Figg

Meredith McCook

Maria Crosby

CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

bassoon

Anne Bilderback

horn

Albert Suarez

Steve Multer

trumpet

Keith Benjamin

Sam Milam

trombone

Evelyn Carlson

tuba

Max Gerhart

percussion

Mark Lowry

Kansas City Chamber Orchestra at Kauffman Center.

PROGRAM NOTES

Johannes Brahms (1833-97): Piano Quartet in G minor, Op. 25

Brahms was not the first composer to use the genre of piano quartet to experiment with structure and texture. This rather unusual combination of keyboard and three strings was already a source of fascination in the late-18th century. Mozart’s two quartets from 1785 and 1786, by far the first masterpieces in this realm, exerted considerable influence on attempts that came afterward.

Beethoven’s first substantial compositions were three hilariously adventurous quartets for strings with “clavecin (harpsichord) or piano,” written when he was all of 14 (though probably not with any knowledge of the Mozart quartets). Schubert is known for a single extant work in the genre, the innovative Adagio e Rondo Concertante in F major, D. 487. The first published works (Opp. 1-3) by the teenaged Mendelssohn were also piano quartets.

But Brahms was probably looking more closely at Schumann’s Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47 (1842) when he set about writing the first of his three quartets, which would become imposing milestones of the chamber music literature. The G-minor Quartet is, like several of Brahms’ earlier chamber works, conceived on a near-orchestral scale that threatens to exceed the genre. (Schoenberg perhaps recognized this when he orchestrated the piece in 1937.)

The G-minor Quartet was the product of months of agonizing work, mostly during 1861 and 1862. The 28-year-old composer, who had not yet completed a single symphony, had recently moved to new lodgings in a quiet suburb of his native Hamburg — an atmosphere he found conducive to the working-out of this work’s novel and complex structural ideas.

Photo by Fritz Luckhard

It remains one of Brahms’ more enigmatic masterpieces, yet it received a highly successful public premiere in November 1862 in Vienna, with the composer as pianist with members of the Hellmesberger Quartet.

Still, some of Brahms’ closest friends — the violinist Joseph Joachim, and Robert and Clara Schumann — were baffled by the quartet’s first movement (Allegro). “It is not as original as I am accustomed to expecting from you,” wrote Joachim (when in fact it appears that the opposite was true).

This Allegro is indeed unorthodox in its structure and in its “evolving” thematic exposition. From the beginning, the angular opening theme built of octaves seems to obfuscate the “real” key of the movement, and though the actual second subject is in the correct subsidiary key, it moves back to the original key, completely confusing the clear sense of “sonata form.” A substantial series of tonal sleight-of-hand is required to bring us back to tonic for the recapitulation.

The second movement (an atmospheric Intermezzo, instead of the more typical scherzo), is whimsical and expressive and includes an animated central Trio section. The Andante con moto is a broad and expansive song with a lively middle section that shifts abruptly to C major. The Rondo alla Zingarese is a rousing showpiece whose trilling and foot-stamping energy bring the work to a close.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-93): Serenade for Strings Op. 28

Throughout its history the serenade — initially designed as a musical greeting performed outside the home of one’s beloved — has retained something of the light-hearted serenity of its origins. When Mozart or Haydn composed a serenade, it was usually a set of movements written for courtly entertainments requiring uncomplicated instrumental music.

Well into the 19th century composers were still writing works with formal nods to popular courtly genres, long after public concerts had supplanted the requirements of feudal lords. But the function of the genre had shifted: The serenade or suite became, for the 19th century, an opportunity to relax from the structural rigors of the symphony proper. Thus the serenades of Brahms, Dvořák, and Tchaikovsky are works that call for supreme instrumental skill yet also permit a free, unfettered concentration on melodicism and charm. They were, moreover, often performed in less formal contexts.

In addition to his six completed symphonies, Tchaikovsky also wrote four suites for orchestra and several other instrumental works such as Francesca da Rimini and the C-major Serenade, works that were formally less restrictive and particular. “All my life, I have been troubled by a difficulty in grasping and manipulating form in music,” the composer wrote, with perhaps exaggerated humility.

Ironically, as he sketched the Serenade for Strings in 1880, he thought at first that the work might become another symphony. His most recent work in this genre (the Fourth, of 1877) had dealt a substantial toll on his mental and physical health, and one can well understand how happy the composer was to steer these sketches down a less formal path.

The summer and fall of 1880 gave rise to two of the composer’s most notable compositions, in fact: the 1812 Overture (which Tchaikovsky said he found “loud and noisy” and “lacking any warm feelings of love”) and the Serenade, later published as Op. 48 — which his musical mentor Anton Rubinstein immediately dubbed his best work.

Completed in November 1880, the Serenade was played informally at the Moscow Conservatory shortly afterward; Eduard Nápravník, principal conductor of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, led the public premiere in St. Petersburg in October 1881.

Aficionados of dance today can hardly avoid thinking of George Balanchine when hearing Tchaikovsky’s piece, for the choreographer used it for his first fulllength American ballet. Using students of his newly formed School of American Ballet, in 1934 the Russian-born dancer-choreographer created a piece that is considered a staple of world ballet. Its fusion of French, Russian, and distinctly American dance is a perfect embodiment of the complex relationship between the cultural heritage of Russia and that of the New World.

The music begins with a stately introduction that looks back to the 18th-century serenade — which often required a processional march to open and close the event (during which, in actual performances at court, both nobles and musicians would march in and out, processional-style).

The first movement proper begins with a “Piece in the form of a sonatina” which is to say a sonata-like structure but without a development section. The Moderato: Tempo di valse contains all the flavor of the ballet music for which Tchaikovsky is so well known; the Élégie (Larghetto elegiac) finds the composer in his finest melodic vein. The vigorous finale (Andante — Allegro con spirito) is built from a piquant Russian folk tune.

umous portrait byBarbaaKraft

Operas and piano concertos brought out the best in Mozart, who imbued both with sparkling melodies, breathlessly sustained wit, and a unique knack for dramatic repartee. The Classical-era concerto is in fact a historical descendant of the Baroque opera aria, loosely speaking, with the soloist taking a protagonist’s role in the dramatic unfolding. Thus it is not surprising that Mozart’s treatment of the solo-versus-ensemble dynamic in the concertos borrows from his experience writing for the stage.

The Concerto for Two Pianos was a product of his Salzburg years, but he had left it behind when moving to Vienna in 1781 and almost immediately found that he needed it. Mozart was quickly in demand as both pianist and composer in the Imperial capital, and he began to sending requests to Salzburg for manuscripts of his earlier works.

“Fräulein von Auernhammer has been pestering me something awful about the Double Concerto,” Mozart wrote to his father in September 1781, when his wealthy pupil, Josefa Barbara Auernhammer, began to pressure the composer for a performance of the E-flat “Double” Concerto he had written for himself and his sister in Salzburg during the late 1770s (and probably performed there by 1780).

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): Concerto for Two Pianos in E-flat major, K. 365/316a

And again, a month later, he wrote: “Fräulein Auernhammer and I await the arrival of the Double Concerto with great longing.” Leopold Mozart finally mailed his son the manuscript parts to the piece we now know as the Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, K. 365/316a.

Mozart regarded the piece highly enough to present it to the Viennese public — which was, after all, one of Europe’s most demanding and sophisticated audiences. The first Viennese performance took place on November 23 at the Auernhammer family home, with Mozart and Fräulein Auernhammern as soloists. They performed it again the following spring, in the prestigious Augarten Concerts on the grounds of the Imperial palace.

Evidently the young Josephine had a bit of a crush on Mozart, though the feelings were far from mutual. “If the painter wanted to portray the devil,” Mozart wrote, with characteristically rude frankness, in August 1781, “he would have to choose her face.” But patrons are patrons, and Mozart was loathe to alienate such ripe musical opportunities. From a musical standpoint it proved a fruitful collaboration, and it suggested the ends to which the composer was willing to go for early recognition in the city.

“Ensemble concertos” were common during the second half of the 18th century, especially in France, but K. 365 joins a rather short list of concertos for multiple keyboards from this period. It also joins the company of the composer’s own piano concertos, which along with his operas are recognized as among of his greatest contributions to musical culture.

The Allegro is a pianistic tour de force, from the opening unison trills to the virtuosic “contest” between the two soloists that characterizes the entire movement. Mozart wrote his own cadenzas for this and the final movement. The Andante, jaunty and lyrical, displays the brilliantly operatic embellishment of melody that characterized Mozart’s musical language from his earliest days. The Rondeau (Allegro) finale is a gentle gallop to the end, fashioned in the A-B-A-C-A-B-A structure characteristic of 18th-century “rondo” finales.

Francis Poulenc (1899-1963): Concerto for Two Pianos in D minor, FP 61

The period between the world wars was a heady time for Parisians. Jazz was in the air. The city was “the place to be” for painters, musicians, dancers, and authors. Igor Stravinsky had mellowed somewhat since his shocking early ballets and was writing vaguely abstract “Neoclassical” recreations of remote times and places.

Meanwhile a group of composers whom critics called “Les Six” was itself becoming more audience-oriented, as we might say today: They denounced the abstruse alienation of the prevailing post-Wagnerian climate. Their loosely defined “movement” that at times touched upon nationalism; at the same time, it embraced jazz unashamedly.

Francis Poulenc, Parisian through and through, was among the famous Six, and in the mid-1920s he was completing his studies with Charles Koechlin (with additional instruction from Alfred Casella and Arnold Schoenberg) and was emerging as a mature artist. He, too, sought a more direct, immediate way of communicating with an audience. Like Stravinsky he embraced Neoclassicism but broadened it to include other styles and even elements of the gamelan.

During the musical tumult of the early 20th century, furthermore, he held true to his conviction of the supremacy of the traditional tonal system. Not surprisingly, his early successes of the ‘20s and ‘30s were at first censured by overintellectual music critics who found the works somehow too simple. Such criticism appeared to delight Poulenc.

One of Poulenc’s early examples of music composed sheerly to delight an audience is his Concerto for Two Pianos, composed in 1932 on commission from the music-loving Princess Edmond de Polignac. It was first performed on September 5 of that year at Venice’s International Music Festival, with Poulenc

and Jacques Fevrier as the two soloists. It immediately became one of the composer’s most beloved works.

Poulenc took his inspiration here partly from Mozart, and partly from the innovations of Les Six; his Concerto is an open book, bright and fervent and not too serious despite its “dark” main key of D minor.

The first movement (Allegro ma non troppo) begins with two bright tutti chords; a staccato first theme is followed by a tuneful second subject. The first pianist begins the coda, Très calme, bringing the movement to a tender, meditative close. The Larghetto slow movement, charming and lyrical, builds to a forceful climax before returning to the opening material. The finale (Allegro molto) concludes the concerto with a bracing toccata.

-Paul Horsley

ICM GALA COMMITTEE

Lisa Browar

Mary Bet Brown

Lisa Hickok

Susan Morgenthaler

Phyllis Nolan

Kimberlee Ried

Vicki Short

Guy Townsend

Mary Kay VonErdmannsdorff

David Washington

PARK ICM FACULTY & STAFF

Stanislav Ioudenitch, Founder & Artistic Director - Piano Studio

Ben Sayevich, Violin Studio

Daniel Veis, Cello Studio

Peter Chun, Viola Studio

Steven McDonald, Director of Orchestra

Lolita LisovskayaSayevich, Director of Collaborative Piano

Lisa Hickok, Executive Director

Gustavo Fernandez Agreda, ICM Coordinator

Behzod Abduraimov, Artist-in-Residence

From left: Gustavo Fernandez Agreda, Daniel Veis, Lisa Hickok, Ben Sayevich, Lolita LisovskayaSayevich, Steven McDonald, Stanislav Ioudenitch and Peter Chun. Not pictured: Behzod Abduraimov

Seated, from left: Phyllis Nolan, Mary Bet Brown. Back row, from left: Lisa Browar, Mary Kay VonErdmannsdorff, Guy Townsend, Lisa Hickok, Susan Morgenthaler, Kimberlee Ried. Out of camera range: Vicki Short and David Washington

Photo: Damian Gonzalez

Photo: Kenny Johnson

With Our Gratitude A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS BENEFACTORS

We gratefully acknowledge these donors as of February 20, 2024

SCHOLARSHIP CIRCLE

Brad and Marilyn Brewster

Steven Karbank

Laloo Family Fund

Benny and Edith Lee

Ronald and Phyllis Nolan

John and Debra Starr

Steven and Evelina Swartzman

Jerry White and Cyprienne Simchowitz

Orchestra Sponsor

Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts – Commerce Bank, Trustee

Major SPONSOR

Steinway Piano Gallery of Kansas City

SPONSOR

Tom and Mary Bet Brown

Commerce Bank

Michael and Katheen Dodd

Brad and Theresa Freilich

Marcia Karbank

Major Benefactor

Jeffrey Anthony

Charles and Patty Garney

Donald Hall

Susan Morgenthaler

Holly Nielsen

Andrew and Kim Shoffner

Shane and Angela Smeed

Rob and Joelle Smith

Brian McCallister / McCallister Law Firm

Gary and Lynette Wages

Benefactor

Brenda Althouse and Paul Fingersh

Kay Barnes and Thomas Van Dyke

Erik Bergrud, MPA ‘94 and Kimberlee Ried, MA ‘16

Lisa Browar

Terry and Marlene Calaway

David and Laure Christensen, ‘16

Vince and Julie Clark

Rich Coble and Annette Luyben

Stanley Fisher and Rita Zhorov

David and Lorelei Gibson

Ihab and Colleen Hassan

Lisa Merrill Hickok

Stephen and Marilyn Koshland

Lathrop GPM LLP

Jay and Cindy Longbottom

Walter Love and Sarah Good

John and Jane McMillan

Jackie and John Middelkamp

Jason Meyers and Sarah Moe

Lewis and Sue Nerman

Robert and Marilyn O’Halloran

Timothy Pachasa

Susan and Charles Porter

Charles and Elizabeth Schellhorn

Shirley and Barnett C. Helzberg, Jr.

Doris Hamilton and Myron Sildon

Greg and Barbara Storm

Guy Townsend

Mary Kay Von Erdmannsdorff

John and Angela Walker

Nicole and Myron Wang

Carl and Lynn Weilert

John and Karen Yungmeyer

PARK ICM FOUNDATION BOARD

The Park University International Center for Music Foundation exists to secure philanthropic resources that will provide direct and substantial support to the educational and promotional initiatives of the International Center for Music at Park University. With unwavering commitment, the Foundation endeavors to enhance awareness and broaden audiences across local, national, and international spheres.

Vince Clark, Chair

Steve Karbank, Secretary

Benny Lee, Treasurer

Marilyn Brewster

Lisa Browar

Stan Fisher

Brad Freilich

Holly Nielsen

Ron Nolan

Shane Smeed

John Starr

Steve Swartzman

Guy Townsend

Angela Walker

Front row, from left – Stanley Fisher, Marilyn Brewster, Benny Lee, Ronald Nolan, Lisa Browar. Back row, from left: John Starr, Steve Swartzman, Vince Clark, Shane Smeed, Bradley Freilich, Guy Townsend, Steve Karbank.

PARK

INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR MUSIC

PATRONS SOCIETY MEMBERS

The Park University International Center for Music’s Patrons Society was founded to help students achieve their dreams of having distinguished professional careers on the concert stage.

Just as our faculty’s coaching is so fundamental to our students’ success, our Patrons’ backing provides direct support for our exceptionally talented students, concert season, outreach programs and our ability to impact the communities we serve through extraordinary musical performances.

We are continually grateful for each and every one of our Patrons Society members. For additional information, please visit ICM.PARK.EDU under “Support Us.”

We gratefully acknowledge these donors as of February 20, 2024. * 2023-2024 Member

SCHOLARSHIP

Brad and Marilyn Brewster *

Steven Karbank *

Benny and Edith Lee *

Ronald and Phyllis Nolan *

John and Debbie Starr *

Steven and Evelina Swartzman *

Jerry White and Cyprienne Simchowitz *

SUPERLATIVE

Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts – Commerce Bank, Trustee *

SUPREME

Jeffrey Anthony *

Brad and Theresa Freilich *

Shirley and Barnett C. Helzberg Jr. *

Lockton Companies Inc.

Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation

Holly Nielsen *

Mark Ptashne and Lucy Gordon

Steinway Piano Gallery of Kansas City *

Gary and Lynette Wages *

EXTRAORDINAIRE

Tom and Mary Bet Brown

Vince and Julie Clark *

The DeBruce Foundation

Stanley Fisher and Rita Zhorov *

Edward and Sandra Fried

Mark One Electric Co.

Susan Morgenthaler *

Perspective Architecture & Design, LLC / Matt and Rhonda Masilionis

William and Susie Popplewell

Rex and Lori Sharp

PATRON

Kay Barnes and Thomas Van Dyke *

Lisa Browar *

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

Wm. Robert Bucker

Cluen Family Fund

Mark and Gaye Cohen *

Paul and Bunni Copaken

Suzanne Crandall *

Scott and Claudia Davis

Beverly Lynn Evans

Paul Fingersh and Brenda Althouse

Jack and Pella Fingersh

J. Scott Francis and Susan Gordon

Donald Hall

Doris Hamilton and Myron Sildon *

Colleen and Ihab Hassan *

Lisa Merrill Hickok *

JE Dunn Construction Company

William and Regina Kort *

Dean, ‘53 and Charlotte Larrick

Brian McCallister / McCallister Law Firm

Mira Mdivani / Mdivani Corporate Immigration Law Firm

Jackie and John Middelkamp *

Louise Morden

Kathleen Oldham *

Susan and Charles Porter

Kevin and Jeanette Prenger, ’09 / ECCO Select *

Steve and Karen Rothstein

Stanley and Kathleen Shaffer *

Shane and Angela Smeed *

Straub Construction

Guy Townsend *

John and Angela Walker *

Nicole and Myron Wang *

WSKF Architects

PARK UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Terry Calaway, Ed.D.

Chair of the Board Lenexa, KS

Scott Jackman

Vice Chair of the Board Weatherby Lake, MO

N. Lynn Craghead

Secretary Kansas City, MO

Jeff Anthony

Treasurer Prairie Village, KS

Vince Clark

Immediate Past Chair of the Board Kansas City, MO

Mitzi Cardenas Kansas City, MO

Mara Cohara, J.D. Weatherby Lake, MO

G. Scott Gorman, Ph.D. Kansas City, MO

W. Ann Hansbrough, J.D. Parkville, MO

Gary Henry, ‘89 Kansas City, MO

Benny Lee Kansas City, MO

Sarah Moe Gladstone, MO

Timothy Pachasa, ’18 Phoenix, AZ

Andrew Romer, ’07 Oak Grove, MO

Carl Weilert Overland Park, KS

SPECIAL THANKS

CLASSICAL KC / KCUR

OLGA GANZEN, MPA ‘99

DAMIAN GONZALEZ IN KANSAS CITY MAGAZINE

KENNY JOHNSON

KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

RONALD AND PHYLLIS NOLAN

VICKI SHORT

STEINWAY KANSAS CITY

MITCH WEBER / TOTO TV MEDIA

ICM will Present its Annual Spring Concert

The Orchestra of the International Center for Music at Park University will present its annual spring concert under the direction of guest conductor Laura Jackson, Music Director and Conductor of the Reno Philharmonic Association. Maestra Jackson is making her return engagement with the ICM Orchestra, and has selected a program of works for string orchestra featuring music of Sir Edward Elgar, Patrick Harlin and Franz Schubert.

PARK ICM

ORCHESTRA WITH LAURA JACKSON

CONDUCTING

March 15, 2024, 7:30 p.m.

Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel

CONCERT IS FREE WITH RESERVATION. SCAN THE CODE TO RSVP.

ICM.PARK.EDU.

See one of the World’s most Pre-eminent Violinists

Having taken top prizes in the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Merriweather Post Competition in Washington, D.C., and the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Brussels, Belgium, Ashkenasi has been described as a “Genuine talent . . . profoundly gifted.” Shmuel Ashkenasi will be in concert with Lolita Lisovskaya-Sayevich, Park University Collaborative Artist, and their program will include Bach’s Violin Sonata in A major, MWV 1015, Gabriel Fauré’s Sonata No. 1 in A major, Op.13, and other works.

SHMUEL ASHKENASI, VIOLIN

March 22, 2024, 7:30 p.m. 1900 Building

GENERAL ADMISSION

$30. STUDENTS $10

ICM.PARK.EDU.

Experience Two Classical Music Superstars

ICM.PARK.EDU.

The Los Angeles Times has reported, “Uzbekistani pianist Behzod Abduraimov is fast becoming one of the finest musicians of his generation.” The 33-year old Park ICM alum will be joined in concert by violinist Daniel Lozakovich. “Daniel is one of the greatest stars of the young generation...Very hot,” said Behzod’s mentor Stanislav Ioudenitch. Together they will perform works by Beethoven, César Franck and the Sonata No. 1 for violin and piano in A minor, Op. 105 by Schumann. Behzod Abduraimov, Piano, Daniel Lozakovich, Violin

APRIL 14, 2024, 7:30 P.M. 1900 BUILDING

GEN ERAL ADMISSION $30. STUDENTS $10 WITH I.D.

When Stanislav loudenitch first started the Park International Center for Music, he began with a simple concept. Find exceptional music teachers, and give them the time, tools, focus, and dedication needed to transform exceptional students into masters themselves. An internationally-recognized Van Cliburn gold medalist, Ioudenitch assembled a team that shared his world-class skills and his passion for teaching. Other outstanding programs have great master instructors. But no other American conservatory lets those masters devote the time to their students like they do at Park ICM. Not even storied programs like Juilliard, Curtis, or Eastman.

Come experience the birth of our international stars. Visit ICM.PARK.EDU for our concert schedule today.

“These featured soloists from Park University’s International Center for Music represent not only the quality of performance in Kansas City, but the future of it, too.”

– THE KANSAS CITY STAR

For me, it’s not just...

‘I’m the doctor and you’re the patient.’ We’re partners.”

- Raed Al-Rajabi, MD Physician Medicine Clinical Oncology

I don’t know any other way to treat my cancer patients than to become their partner. To be available to them whenever they need me. And that’s not just when they’re sitting across from me at an appointment. Cancer is a unique journey. And for me and all of my team, the only way to undertake it is together.

To schedule an appointment, call 913-588-1227 or visit KUCancerCenter.org to learn more.