ABOUT THE ARTIST Anna Tsemekhman, Music Education Anna Tsemekhman is a fourth-year Music Education major at the Wells School of Music at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. She studies violin with Professor Carlos Rubio and chamber music with Professor Jesús Morales. Anna performs with the WCU Symphony Orchestra and has also performed with the Chamber Orchestra. She has been a member of the Sapphire String Quartet for two years. In 2024, she was selected to participate in the Wells School of Music Sophomore Competition, placing fourth overall. In 2026, she was awarded the Antonowich Family Outstanding Instrumentalist Scholarship. She began studying violin at the age of eight under Carmina Gagliardi. Throughout her musical education, she has participated in several festivals, including QuartetFest at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada and the Dalí Quartet International Music Festival in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. She currently teaches violin and piano at Pollock Music Lessons in Kennett Square and Learning Allegro in Glenmoore. In her free time, Anna enjoys reading, watching movies, hiking, and cooking!
PROGRAM NOTES VIOLIN CONCERTO NO. 1 IN G MINOR, OP. 26 (1866-1868) Max Bruch (1838-1920) was a German Romantic composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor who composed more than 200 works. Of his three concertos, his Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, completed in 1866, has become a staple of the violin repertoire. The second movement is slow and lyrical, with a continuously moving orchestral accompaniment that sustains the music's momentum and connects its melodic phrases. The third movement opens with an energetic theme featuring brilliant double stops. It culminates in a Presto con fuoco (fast and fiery) passage, building toward a brilliant conclusion as the music grows faster, louder, and more intense. This concerto is particularly meaningful to me, as I have studied all three movements throughout my time at West Chester University. Performing it on my senior recital serves as a fitting conclusion to my musical journey as a Music Education major.
RECOMPOSED BY MAX RICHTER: VIVALDI – THE FOUR SEASONS (2011) Max Richter (1966-) is a German-born British composer and pianist known for blending classical traditions with contemporary musical styles. His work spans concert music, opera, ballet, and film and television soundtracks. He studied composition at the University of Edinburgh and the Royal Academy of Music in London. Richter's Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons is an example of musical borrowing, in which existing musical material is reworked to create a new composition. Richter has described removing approximately 75 percent of Vivaldi's original material while retaining, repeating, and layering selected passages to create a distinctly contemporary interpretation. Originally conceived for solo violin and string ensemble, the work is performed here with violin and piano accompaniment I first encountered Richter's music through the Italian television series My Brilliant Friend, for which he composed the soundtrack. The emotional depth of his music, paired with the series' cinematic storytelling deeply resonated with me, and so I knew I wanted to include this work in my senior recital.