MORTALITY IN THE SUBLIME
A CONCERT TO BENEFIT THE FOOD PANTRY OF EMERGENCY AID COALITION
Jonathan Andino, a Honduran native violinist who began his musical studies at the Victoriano Lopez Music School in his hometown San Pedro Sula at the age of 13. After graduating as one of the top string players in the school, he began his professional career as a chamber musician for the SPS chamber orchestra. In 2013 he became recipient of the first place in his first competition in San Pedro Sula, organized by the German-Honduran Society. Soon after, he decided to continue to pursue his higher studies in the US. In 2019 Jonathan completed his undergraduate studies at Northwestern University of Louisiana where he won the first place in competitions in the Louisiana area, such as Rapides symphony and NSU concerto competition in 2017. During his time in Louisiana, he formed part of several orchestras as: South Arkansas Symphony orchestra, Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, Rapides Symphony Orchestra, Monroe Symphony Orchestra, Texarkana Symphony Orchestra and more. In 2018 he was national finalist at the Music Teacher’s National Association (MTNA) competition. Jonathan has also received master classes from high profile musicians such as members of the Duisburg Symphony in Germany, Mauricio Fuks, Jose Aurelio Castillo, among others. Jonathan is currently core member of the first violin section at the Symphony of Southeast Texas.
Gavin Reed, Professor of Horn at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, is a sought-after freelance artist in Houston. In 2005, he began appearing with all of the city’s major orchestral ensembles including Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, and Houston Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of ROCO and its offshoot, ROCO Brass Quintet. He has appeared with the orchestras of Tallahassee, San Antonio, Jacksonville, North Carolina (Raleigh), Milwaukee, and Atlanta. In 2008, he appeared with Canadian Brass in its double brass quintet tour entitled “Legends”. In recent summers, he has performed with the Grant Park Music Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, and is Co-Principal horn of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz CA. He has been a featured artist in ROCO's "Unchambered" chamber music series and has been a guest artist of Musiqa. He has appeared in dozens of radio broadcasts on American Public Media’s Performance Today. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Florida State University where he was a student of Michelle Stebleton. He received his Master's Degree from Northwestern University where he studied with Gail Williams and William Barnewitz.
Daryl Robinson has earned international acclaim from critics and audiences alike, being described as an artist with “… a driving muscular poetry underpinned by nimble technique and nuanced sense of style …” (Choir and
Organ) and possessing “… flawless technique and rhythmic verve …” (The American Organist). Winner of both First Prize and Audience Prize in the 2012 American Guild of Organists National Competition in Organ Performance, Mr. Robinson currently serves as Assistant Professor of Organ at the University of Houston and Cathedral Organist for Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal).
Notable recital venues include the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, and the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Mr. Robinson has also been a featured artist at conventions of the Organ Historical Society and the American Guild of Organists. Multiple critically-acclaimed commercial discs are available; these include the first commercial recording of the organ at Walt Disney Concert Hall, American Fantasia, and his debut solo album, Sempre Organo, both of which have garnered rave reviews internationally.
Mr. Robinson is represented in North America by Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc. Further information, including recordings and current engagements, can be found at www.darylrobinson.com.
Konrad Rudowicz was born in Łódź, Poland, and began his violin studies at the age of seven. In 2021 he earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Houston, where he studied under the tutelage of Dr. Kirsten Yon. Additionally, he holds degrees and certificates from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater “Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy” in Leipzig, Germany, Academy of Music in Łódź, Poland, and Azusa Pacific University in Los Angeles, California. Throughout his career, Konrad had an opportunity to perform in prestigious concert halls, including Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Konzerthaus Berlin, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Bozar Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, and to participate in lessons and masterclasses led by distinguished violinists, such as William Preucil, Brian Lewis, Leon Spierer, Kristof Barati and Wanda Wiłkomirska.
Konrad was awarded first prize in the Young Artists Competition held by the Redlands Bowl Association in Redlands, California (2014) and fourth prize in the Young Violinist Competition held in Łódź, Poland (2001). He maintains an active solo, chamber, and orchestral concert schedule as a violinist and a violist, performing frequently in the United States and Europe. Among his significant solo appearances are performances with the Wieniawski String Orchestra in Łódź, at the Redlands Music Festival in the Redlands Bowl, California, and at the Preis für die Freiheit und Zukunft der Medien (Prize for the Freedom and Future of the Media) ceremony in the presence of Leipzig’s mayor, Burkhard Jung in Leipzig.
Konrad is also active in the field of pedagogy, currently serving as an Adjunct Professor at the San Jacinto College, and as a violin and viola teacher at the Ethos School of Music and at the Humble Independent School District.
Dr. Kirsten Yon is Associate Professor of Violin and Head of the String Division at the University of Houston Moores School of Music. Former faculty at Texas Tech University, she received her DMA from Rice University, MM from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and BM from the University of Michigan. Her career includes outstanding accolades for recital engagements, concerto performances, and masterclasses throughout the United States (including Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall), Brazil, Czech Republic, England, South Korea, Honduras, Mexico, Germany, France, Iceland, and Norway. She has taught at summer festivals including Interlochen, ARIA
International Summer Summer Academy, Texas Music Festival, Center Stage Strings (University of Michigan), International Music Academy Pilsen (Czech Republic), Nathan Schwartzman String Festival (Brazil), Naolinco (Mexico), and the Cambridge International String Academy (England). Dedicated to musical outreach at both the community and international levels, Yon is Founder/Artistic Director of Annual Encuentro de Cuerdas, a longstanding pedagogical program in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Dr. Yon has held concertmaster chairs with Bayou City Chamber Orchestra, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, Caprock Pro Musica Sinfonietta, Ballet Lubbock and Cypress Symphony, and performed with River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, Ars Lyrica, and Musiqa. She currently enjoys performing as Concertmaster of the Shreveport Symphony (Louisiana) with conductor Michael Butterman. As a lauded chamber musician, Yon founded the Champlain Piano Trio, the Archiano Ensemble, the Karlin Trio, and the Botticelli String Quartet. Major teachers included Stephen Shipps, William Preucil, David Updegraff, and Kathleen Winkler. Her debut recording on Centaur Records with cellist Jeffrey Lastrapes was released in 2015. When not teaching and playing the violin, she is likely spending time with her two rescue puppies, Bella and Jasper!
The RADIX Cello Quartet was formed in May 2019 and comprised of cellists Hasmik Vardanyan, Vyacheslav Dobrushkin, Bing Wei, and Hyeok Kwon. The quartet has been invited to participate in the Tallowood Concert Series, the Southeastern Musical Art Series in Oklahoma, the Concert Series of the Houston Methodist Center for Performing Arts Medicine, Archway Gallery, and a benefit concert for Armenian children, organized by the City of Smile Charitable Foundation. The quartet has received high acclaim by Armenian and foreign critics. The quartet’s concerts have been reviewed in the “NOR HARATCH” bilingual (Armenian-French) article in Paris, Beirut, and LA.
Armenian cellist Hasmik Vardanyan has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in major concert halls worldwide, including Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, the Paris Opera House, Tchaikovsky Music Hall in Moscow, and Berlin Opera House, St. John Smith Square in London, and the Munetsugu Hall in Japan. Mrs. Vardanyan is a top prizewinner in many national and international competitions. She won the second prize at the Aram Khachaturyan International Cello Competition in 2010. In 2011, she received first prize in Schlern International Cello Competition in Italy. In 2012, Mrs. Vardanyan received the Presidential Youth Award for the best performance in classical music, presented by the President of the Republic of Armenia. With the Vardanyan Piano Trio, she placed first in the Karen Kostanyan Chamber Music Competition in Yerevan in 2013. She began her international appearances in 2005 as a soloist and principal cellist in the Second Dubai International Festival for Young Virtuosos. The same year, she started working with the Armenian State Youth Orchestra, performing in concert halls across Europe and Russia. In 2009, Mrs. Vardanyan was invited to perform with the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra. The same year she won the First Prize in the Komitas International Competition.
In addition to her appearances as a soloist and recitalist, Mrs. Vardanyan performed regularly as the cellist of the highly-esteemed Komitas National String Quartet of Armenia. The quartet performed in Poland, UAE, Japan, Norway, Denmark, France, Croatia, Moldova, and Russia. In 2010 the quartet recorded Komitas-Aslamazyan’s Miniatures, which received “The Best Classical Album” in the National Music Awards Ceremony.
Mrs. Vardanyan completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Houston University under the tutelage of distinguished cellists and pedagogues Vagram Saradjian, Anthony Elliott, and Estelle Choi.
Vyacheslav Dobrushkin, native of Ukraine, has performed in distinguished concert halls throughout North America including Carnegie Hall, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Meyerson Symphony Center, Teatro Hidalgo, Zilkha Hall, Blas Galindo Hall among others. Mr. Dobrushkin took part in the International Music Academy "Winter 2006”, obtaining First Place in the Second National Competition "Petrof-Symphony-Pearl River" for Young Performers. That same year he was invited to perform as a soloist with the National Youth Symphony, in Mexico City.
Vyacheslav Dobrushkin has been a member and principal cellist of Texas Medical Center Orchestra since 2011. Performing numerous concerts throughout the orchestra season, and he was featured as a soloist with the same orchestra in 2016. As well as winning First Place in the American Prize (2017) and Second Place “Ernst Bacon Award” of The American Prize (2018). Currently, Mr. Dobrushkin concluded his degree of Performance Certificate at University of Houston under the coordination of Professor Vagram Saradjian.
A Native of China, cellist Bing Wei now resides in Houston, Texas, where she appears as an active performer, educator, and advocate of new music. Wei began to play the piano and cello at the ages of eight and ten. Her passion for music has taken her worldwide, with performances in China, the USA, and several countries in Southeast Asia and Europe.
As an avid musician, Wei is a member of the RADIX Cello Quartet and plays with the Texas New Music Ensemble. She has collaborated with composers in performances of their works, including Rob Smith, B. P. Herrington, and Betsy Jolas. As a chamber and orchestral musician, Wei has participated in several festivals, including the Tanglewood Music Festival, Texas Music Festival, and Astona International Music Festival.
Wei recently graduated from the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston with a Doctoral of Musical Arts degree. Previously, Wei has received full scholarships to pursue her Bachelor’s degree at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore, Master’s degree at Rice University Shepherd School of Music, and Music Certificate Moore School of Music, where she studied with Liwei Qin, Norman Fischer, and Anthony Kitai.
Hyeok Kwon has performed internationally in distinguished concert venues including, Carnegie Hall, Seoul Arts Center, and the Kennedy Center. After completing his undergraduate studies at the Eastman School of Music, he continued his graduate studies at Indiana University as an Associate Instructor. Hyeok has performed with internationally acclaimed artists such as, Joshua Bell and Daniel Hope, and has participated in prestigious music festivals including, the Aspen Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, and the New York String Orchestra Seminar. He has also had the privilege of performing for President Obama at the 2013 Presidential Inauguration. Hyeok performs with the Houston Symphony and Houston Grand Opera as a substitute cellist, and serves as faculty at the Tallowood Academy of Fine Arts and as the Artistic Director of the Tallowood Concert Series.
