AMICI Chamber Ensemble - Hungarian Contrasts April 6, 2008

AMICI CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2008
GLENN GOULD STUDIO
3PM
HUNGARIAN CONTRASTS

This final concert of the 20th anniversary season features New York-based pianist, Orli Shaham who will help AMICI paint a musical portrait showcasing Hungary’s historic traditions of gypsy rhythms and unique folk melodies.

Orli Shaham has established an impressive international reputation as one of today’s most gifted pianists. She plays with an infectious joy and innate musicality – a charismatic performer who never fails to receive standing ovations and critical raves. Her prodigious talents were recognized early and, at age five she was given her first scholarship for musical study from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. She studied with Luisa Yoffe at the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem and, at age seven, traveled to New York with her family, to begin study with Nancy Stessin. One year later she became a scholarship student of Herbert Stessin at the Juilliard School, graduating from the Horace Mann School and earning a degree in history at Columbia University.

In addition to Ms. Shaham, founding AMICI members, cellist, David Hetherington and clarinetist Joaquin Valdepeñas musicians will also include: violinist, Jonathan Crow and violist, Teng Li.

Jonathan Crow began the Suzuki violin method at age six in home town, Prince George, BC. He continued studies at the Prince George Music School. At 15, Jonathan studied at the Victoria Conservatory of Music with Sydney Humphreys and attended the Banff Centre Master Class Program. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Honours Performance from McGill University, studying with Yehonatan Berick. At age 19 Mr. Crow joined the Montreal Symphony as Associate Principal Second Violin, and won the Associate Concertmaster chair five months later. He was appointed Concertmaster in 2002 – a position he held until 2006. He currently is Assistant Professor of Violin at McGill.

Teng Li is presently Principal Violist with the Toronto Symphony. She began playing the violin in her native China when she was five years old. At 12 she took up the viola. She entered the Central Conservatory in Beijing in 1992, and by age 16 she was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music. She graduated in 2005 and in late 2006 Ms. Li joined the music faculty of the University of Toronto. She is an accomplished chamber musician and has participated at the Marlboro Music Festival, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and the Music from Angel Fire festival. She is a member of the Chamber Music Society Two of Lincoln Center.

The programme:

Béla Bartók Contrasts for violin, clarinet and piano
Z. Kodaly Duo for violin and cello
E. von Dohnányi Quintet in C minor, op.1 for piano and strings

Tickets:
Adult $36
Senior $32
Student $10

Tickets are available by calling the AMICI box office @ 416.368.8743.

www.amiciensemble.com

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