Credit: SZALON logo by Mia Bosna
Sunday, September 18th, 2022, 7:00 PM ET - Welcome; 7:30 PM - SZALON. (Philadelphia, USA: GMT-4)
September 18th SZALON Program!
1. Bill Koutsouros and members of ANIMUS perform exciting original world fusion music, from the Salon in Philadelphia
2. Violinist Matvey Lapin and pianist Katya Kramer-Lapin perform Zyad and Ziri by Polina Nazaykinskaya and Celebration Etude by Leonardo Le San, from their home studio in NYC
3. Mezzo-soprano Iris Malkin and pianist Daniel Gledhill perform songs in Catalan by Federico Mompou, from Iris's home studio in Los Angeles, CA
4. Violinist Karen Bentley joins Ukrainian pianist/composer Ludmila Yurina in Palo Alto, CA to perform duos by Mykola Kolessa, Myroslav Skoryk and Giya Kancheli
5. Pianist Kayoung An will perform “Graceful ghost” and “Poltergeist” from William Bolcom’s Ghost Rags, from Andrea's Salon in Philadelphia
6. Valentin Kovalev will perform a soprano saxophone solo entitled “Sillage” by Vincent David, from the Salon in Philadelphia
7. Bandoneonist Heyni Solera performs Astor Piazzolla’s Los Sueños and two traditional tangos arranged by Piazzolla, Margarita Gauthier, and Flores Negras, from the Salon in Philadelphia
8. Ensemble Transcontinental: Christopher Nichols, clarinet; Guillaume Combet, violin; Michal Schmidt, cello; Marie Christine Delbeau, piano perform Velocity of Rotation (II.) by Ofer Ben-Amots, from the Salon in Philadelphia
9. Megnot Toggia, soprano and Sira Jittapirom, pianist will perform selections by Carlos Guastavino, from the Salon in Philadelphia
10. Teagen Faran, violinist and Leo Sussman, flutist will perform works by Carlos Simon, CPE Bach and a celebratory tango arrangement, from the Salon in Philadelphia
11. Lev 'Ljova' Zhurbin will perform selections from his album "Enter The Fadolín" featuring original music for the six-stringed fadolín, from his studio in New York City
Bill Koutsoros
Music has always been a part of Bill Koutsoros’ life. His father performed in several Greek and Middle Eastern Ensembles and his mother was one of the top belly dancers in the Philadelphia area. It was only natural that he would follow in their footsteps. Currently Bill works with Musicopia in the Spice Route Ensemble, conducts music residencies in Philadelphia Public schools with Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership, provides private instruction for Bouzouki and traditional Middle Eastern percussion. Bill performs professionally with his world fusion band Animus, traditional Greek Ensemble Opera Band, Children’s World Music Express, Mid-East Ensemble, The Sally Mitlas Orchestra and various ensembles in the Philadelphia area. Animus was nominated for Best Roots/World Music Song: The Opus (Mediterranean Dreams) and Best World Music Album: The Movements by the 2009 JPF International Music Awards.
“This vibrant band is a tree of life: rooted in Greek, Turkish, & Arabic traditions, spreading its Spanish, Latin, African and Indian branches, blossoming with rock, funk, jazz, and blues in bloom.” — Jean Stockdale
https://animusmusic.com/
Matvey Lapin and Katya Kramer-Lapin
Matvey Lapin enjoys a multifaceted career as a recitalist, chamber music performer, orchestra leader and teacher. His professional engagements brought him around the world, including most of Europe, Japan and Korea. A Russian native, he accomplished his conservatory training in St. Petersburg, and has completed his DM coursework in violin performance at IU Jacobs School of Music, minoring in historical violins and music history. A former member of Grammy-nominated St. Petersburg String Quartet, Matvey collaborated with such musicians as Alex Kerr and Barthold Kuijken, among others. Duo Amabile, a chamber music duet formed with his wife, pianist Katya Kramer-Lapin, performs intensively across the US and Europe. As a historically informed performer, Matvey collaborates with Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra and Washington Bach Consort, among others. In demand as a teacher, Matvey currently maintains private studios in Cary NC and Danville, VA. Matvey records for Naxos and Oclassica.
Charismatic pianist and recording artist Katya Kramer-Lapin has the solo album “Luminescence” forthcoming this spring from the digital label Oclassica. Katya made her concert appearances at the UNESCO Headquarters (Paris, France), World Bank and International Monetary Fund (Washington, DC), as well as solo and chamber concerts in major halls in Taiwan, Europe and Russia. One of Katya’s passions is the genre of piano-transcriptions. Katya also enjoys being a co-founder of “Duo Amabile”, a violin-piano duet with her husband Matvey Lapin. The duo performs extensively live and livestream throughout the United States. Katya hails from Moscow City, Russia, where she entered Gnessin School of Music at the age of 5, the professional institution for gifted children. Katya appeared at the Moscow State Conservatory Hall at the age of 13. Katya was granted a scholarship to study in Cologne, Germany at the Hochschuele Fuer Musik. During her concert tour to the US in 1997 Katya was invited to attend Oberlin College Conservatory and was provided a full scholarship. In 2003 Katya was invited to do graduate work (Masters, Artist Diploma) at Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music. During her years in Indiana, Katya held the position of an Adjunct Professor of Music and Collaborative Pianist at DePauw University School of Music. Her chamber collaborations included concert appearances with the soloists of New York Philharmonic Orchestra as well as world-renowned recitalists and chamber musicians. Katya’s recordings have been broadcasted on National Public Radio.
Videos:
Iris Malkin and Daniel Gledhill
Israeli born Mezzo-Soprano IRIS MALKIN graduated from the Jerusalem Academy of Music with a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance and an Artist Diploma in Piano with a Vocal Coaching emphasis. Iris has performed widely in concerts and festivals in Israel, Europe, and the United States. Her performances have been broadcast worldwide. In addition to the mainstream operatic repertoire, Iris has distinguished herself in the world of Hebrew and Jewish works as well as the highly nuanced Spanish song repertoire. Iris has performed under the baton of Pierre Boulez during the 2006 Lucerne Festival, including collaboration with Boulez’ celebrated Ensemble Intercontemporain. In 2012 she released her CD Cadencia, with songs from England, Spain, and Puerto Rico with award-winning guitarist Edward Trybek. She is the featured soloist on Stig Jonas Pettersson’s 2015 Album The Dracula Letters. Iris is in demand as a vocalist for films, video games and movie trailers. She is a featured soloist on the soundtrack of the film Kill Zone, nominated for Best Original Score at the 2009 Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Iris is on the faculty of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. She was a featured soloist with the LA Jewish symphony, performing works by women composers including Andrea Clearfield's Women of Valor.
DANIEL GLEDHILL began studying the piano at the age of 5. Since then, he has become an accomplished pianist, winning 1st prizes on both national and international stages. Daniel began to supplement his regular piano lessons with chamber music instruction from accomplished teachers who helped him to develop a very deep love for collaboration. As a boy, a large part of Daniel’s musical influence came from videogames. The way they portrayed the complex moods and emotions of simple pixelated characters greatly inspired him and he began composing melodies himself. Since beginning that journey he has developed many styles, but his favorite music to write has always been the lush, sweeping themes found in modern games that introduce the player to new worlds with the promises of grand adventures to come. His education continued at the University of Southern California where he attended the Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program. Currently he works as a collaborative pianist for the University of California, Los Angeles and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Hollywood. He also free-lances as a composer, writing for solo piano as well as small and large orchestral ensembles for film and concert settings.
Karen Bentley Pollick and Ludmila Yurina
A native of Palo Alto, California Karen Bentley Pollick studied with Camilla Wicks in San Francisco and joined the class of Josef Gingold at Indiana University, earning BM and MM degrees with a cognate field in Choral Conducting. Her multimedia project ‘Solo Violin and Alternating Currents’ received a grant from the NEA and evolved into ‘Violin, Viola & Video Virtuosity’. Karen received a Seed Money Grant for Disseminated Performances from New York Women Composers. While residing in Vilnius she performed ‘Resonances from Vilna’ with pianist Jascha Nemtsov and premiered David A. Jaffe’s violin concerto How Did It Get So Late So Soon? with the Lithuanian National Opera & Ballet Theatre Orchestra. Karen’s debut recording for Toccata Classics presents Hermann Graedener’s two violin concertos with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. Her recent recordings garnered top recognition in the Global Music Awards: Graedener Violin Concertos, Chamber Music of Ivan Sokolov, and Orchestral Music of Ole Saxe, featuring the premiere recording of his violin concerto My Manchu Princess & Dance Suite. A founding member of Virtuosos de Cámara, Karen presents chamber music concerts in Puerto Vallarta and Nayarit. Recent concerts include the premieres of Pietà by Jerry Mader and ROMANTARCTICA by Henning Kraggerud, plus live video of MAQA VIOLIN by Yitzhak Yedid.
Links:
Ludmila Yurina was born in Uzyn, Ukraine, and graduated from Kiev Music College as a pianist in 1981 and from Kiev State P.I.Tchaikovsky Conservatoire as a composer in 1990, completing post-graduate studies there in 1998. Since 1993, she has been a member and a coordinator of the Organizing Committee of the International Youth Music Forum in Kiev. Since 1995, she has worked as Associate Professor of Department of composition at the National Music Academy of Ukraine. In 2010 she received a grant from the Fulbright Foundation for a scholarship at Stanford University, CCRMA. She participated in numerous international festivals; her works have been performed in Ukraine, Russia, Germany, France, USA, Italy, Finland, Estonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Poland, etc. Her scores also have been performed by MAVerick ensemble, Symphony orchestra of Northwestern University, Trio Ravus, Edo Frenkel, Laura Ospina (US), Borealis Brass (Canada), Pierre-Stephane Meuge (France), Ivo Nilsson (Sweden), Orchestra of Ukrainian Television and Broadcasting company, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Kyiv Camerata, new-music ensemble Ricochet, percussion ensemble ARS NOVA, TanzLaboratorium Dance Company, Duo Violoncelissimo, the new-music ensemble Sed Contra, pianist Eugene Gromov (Ukraine). Recordings of her music were produced on the CD Two Days and Two Nights of New Music: Festivals 1998–2000 and by Radio Deutsche Welle (Germany), Ukrainian Independent Radio (Chicago, USA), WPRB (Princeton, USA), Canadian broadcasting (Edmonton) and the Ukrainian National TV and Radio Company. Her works are published by Muzychna Ukrajina Publishing House (Ukraine), Frederic Harris Music Publishing (Canada), Furore Verlag, Certosa Verlag (Germany), TEM Taukay Edition (Italy), Terem-music Verlag (Switzerland) and Donemus (Netherlands). She is Founder and Chairman of the Association "Women in Music" Ukraine and a member of the Honorable Committee of the Donne in Musica (Italy). She is organizer and co-director of the three festivals of contemporary Ukrainian music in the U.S.
Links:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludmila_Yurina
Video:
Kayoung An
“Passionate,” “expressive,” “bold,” and “sensitive:” this is how critics glowingly described pianist Kayoung An’s performance with the Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie at the Seoul Arts Center. It “penetrated deep into the heart, evoking an image of an artist painting on a canvas with a brush” - Music Review, August 2017. Kayoung An has appeared extensively throughout the United States, Korea, Canada, and Italy. She has toured in Korea with Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie in 2017 and performed with renowned orchestras such as Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Seoul Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonians, Amadeo Philharmonic Society, Bar Harbor Festival String Orchestra, Contemporary Repertoire Orchestra, and Morningside Heights Chamber Orchestra. Her performances have been widely broadcasted on Cogeco TV, KBS Classic FM (Musical Common Ground), and KBS-TV (Music Anchor Desk). Kayoung has also been interviewed by Luister, Music Today, Music Journal, and the East Hampton Star. Since the 2021 season, she has been documenting the complete piano music/ chamber music of award-winning composer Bernard Hoffer. The recording is expected to be released by Albany Records in 2023. Dr. Kayoung An received the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) from the Manhattan School of Music. She is also a graduate of the New England Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Colburn Conservatory of Music, where she received a full scholarship. She has been on the faculty at New Jersey City University since 2018.
Valentin Kovalev
Saxophonist, composer, educator, and content creator Valentin Kovalev is an ebullient and highly eclectic performer whose unique style was developed after studying in Russia, France, and the US. Mr. Kovalev is an artist of the oldest saxophone manufacturer "Henri Selmer. Paris". Valentin is managed by the Astral Artists (Philadelphia). In response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Mr. Kovalev organized a Benefit Concert in Ann Arbor, MI, raising over $17,000. This support went to purchase life-saving medical backpacks shipped to Ukraine through RAZOM and to resettle Ukrainian refugees arriving to Michigan through the Jewish Family Service of Washtenaw County. Mr. Kovalev performed with many prestigious orchestras in his native Russia, toured ten cities in China, and over six countries in Europe with the Rostropovich Foundation. Valentin is the recipient of significant foundations in France and performed a live-broadcast concert on the radio station “France Musique.” Mr. Kovalev is the winner of international competitions such as MTNA Young Artist Woodwind Competition (US), Classic Winds Competition (Israel), AndorraSaxFest (Andorra), Anches simples de Toulouse (France), EkaterinburgSaxFest (Russia), GoldenSax (Ukraine).
Links:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/valentinkovalev
Website: https://www.valentinkovalev.com
Heyni Solera
Praised for her “soulful bandoneón” (Washington Classical Review), Heyni Solera is a sought after bandoneonist in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
Solera has enjoyed a career in the US and abroad playing with performances in Argentina, Canada and Australia collaborating with prominent musicians in the tango music scene.
Heyni regularly performs with the Da Capo Tango Orchestra, which focuses on playing danceable tangos and is part of the cello/bandoneon duo, Arco & Aire, with cellist Maxfield Wollam-Fisher. She is also the bandoneonist of Solidaridad Tango Orquesta which focuses on female tango musicians in a typically male dominated genre.
As a scholar, she received her Master of Music degree in Ethnomusicology at the University of Maryland, College Park. She has developed the lectures A GPS for Tango Listening: What Makes Tango a Tango? and Today’s Woman in Tango: Carving Out Spaces amongst others.
Past projects include playing in the orchestra of the highly praised IN Series production of Le Cabaret de Carmen at Source Theatre in Washington, D.C. and at Baltimore Theatre Project in Baltimore, Maryland. Solera’s current and future projects include “Today’s Tango with Heyni”, a mini-series that features today’s contemporary tango musicians throughout the world, the EP album Overture, an original contemporary tango recording project with Arco & Aire, and a bandoneón duo album dedicated to J.S. Bach to was recorded in Argentina.
Links:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfJraCLNu932rfzhKWTwO8A
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heynisolera/
Website: heynisolera.com
Arco&Aire EP: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3CdY43R3U0kgBN51E8DpGH?si=BAxC7oSjT2-18U0EU4zPwg
Videos:
Ensemble Transcontinental
Evolving from a 2015 performance of Ofer Ben-Amots’ The Odessa Trio, Transcontinental has presented numerous collaborations including appearances at the 2018 Victoria International Arts Festival in Malta, the 2018 National Schools of Music and Pi Kappa Lambda Centennial Anniversary joint National Convention in Washington, DC, the 2019 Society of Composers, Inc. National Conference in Albuquerque, NM and the 2021 National Flute Association Convention. The ensemble recently toured Colorado and will release its first commercial recording in 2023, which features works by Ofer Ben-Amots and Jennifer Margaret Barker.
“Velocity of Rotation is the second movement of Montage Music, my quartet for clarinet, violin, cello and piano. The music is inspired by a large and spectacular mixed artwork by the late Santa Fe artist Bebe Krimmer. Krimmer’s "Velocity of Rotation" evokes a fantastically colorful Milky Way, a Galaxy traveling through deep and endless black spaciousness. In this movement, I tried to recreate a time-space motion of high velocity, often interjected by exotic landscapes and cosmic encounters.” -- Ofer Ben-Amots
“Velocity of Rotation” by Bebe Krimmer, used by permission, photo by Greg DePrince.
Megnot Toggia and Sirapat Jittapirom
Soprano Megnot Toggia recently graduated with her M.M. in Voice Performance from Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. She has been seen in Opera Ithaca’s productions of Gianni Schicchi as La Ciesca, Hansel and Gretel as the Dew Fairy, and Le Nozze di Figaro as Barbarina, Temple University Opera Theater’s production of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore as Adina, and ENA Ensemble’s Fringe Festival production of Ganymede 5 as Rita.
Sirapat Jittapirom is a Thai-American pianist based in Philadelphia, PA. She plays with the Keystone State Boychoir, Drexel’s University Chorus, and is staff at Temple University and University of Delaware in the Voice and Opera Theater Departments. She also works with ArtSmart organization as a keyboard mentor.
Teagan Faran and Leo Sussman
A native of Buffalo, NY, Teagan Faran is a multidisciplinary musician focused on enacting social change through the arts. Faran has collaborated with the International Contemporary Ensemble, Alarm Will Sound, Palaver Strings, and the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra. Recent recording features include albums with Carlos Simon, La Martino Orquesta Típica, and loadbang. Also active in the world of tango music, she has performed with Victor Lavallén and the Orquesta Escuela de Emilio Balcarce, as well as at festivals across the United States. Faran holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the Manhattan School of Music. She has held fellowships with the Fulbright Program, Turn the Spotlight, Dee Dee Bridgewater’s Woodshed Network, and OneBeat. Faran teaches at DePauw University and the Sa’Oaxaca International Strings Festival as well as being a certified personal trainer, with a focus on career longevity for performers.
Flutist Leo Sussman grew up playing chamber music in living rooms and gigging with a salsa band in his hometown of San Francisco. Passionate about the power of music to build community, he delights in engaging audiences and mentoring students across New York City and beyond. Some highlights include performances at the Philharmonie de Paris, Tippet Rise Art Center, and Black Rock City; the premiere recording of Julia Wolfe’s Oxygen; and shows around NYC with groups including Alarm Will Sound, SEM Ensemble, and Metropolis Ensemble. Leo is a recent alum of Carnegie Hall's Ensemble Connect, and his wind quintet, ConnectFive, received Chamber Music America’s 2021 Ensemble Forward grant. Currently a doctoral candidate at Manhattan School of Music, Leo holds degrees from Yale School of Music and Lawrence University.
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/leomur/
Videos:
Ljova (Lev Zhurbin)
Ljova (Lev Zhurbin) [ˈˈljɒvə (lɛv ʒʊərˈbiːn]) was born in Moscow, Russia, and moved to New York with his parents, composer Alexander Zhurbin and writer Irena Ginzburg, in 1990. He divides his time between composing for the concert stage, contemporary dance & film, leading his own ensemble LJOVA AND THE KONTRABAND, as well as a busy career as a violist, fadolínist & musical arranger. Among recent projects are commissions from the City of London Sinfonia, The Louisville Orchestra, a new work for Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, a string quartet for Brooklyn Rider, a clarinet quintet for Art of Élan, and works for The Knights, Sybarite5 and A Far Cry, as well arrangements for the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, tenor Javier Camarena, conductors Gustavo Dudamel and Alondra de la Parra, the Mexican songwriter Natalia Lafourcade, Argentine composer/guitarist Gustavo Santaolalla. Ljova frequently collaborates with choreographers Aszure Barton, Damian Woetzel, Christopher Wheeldon, Katarzyna Skarpetowska (with Parsons Dance). In 2018, he was a Visiting Lecturer at Princeton University’s Atelier program, co-teaching a course on collaboration with puppeteer Basil Twist. Ljova is the author of more than 120 compositions for classical, jazz, and folk ensembles, as well as scores to numerous feature, documentary, and short subject films. He has released eleven albums on his label, Kapustnik Records, and his compositions have been recorded on Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classical, Bridge Records, Naxos and In A Circle labels. He has appeared as violist on Saturday Night Live (with Sia), The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Ljova is the curator of “Out of Leftovers”, a family-friendly performance series at New York’s Symphony Space.
https://Ljova.com
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