Guest artists
The musicians listed below are among the guest artists who will be teaching master classes and workshops at VCU this year. For more strings guest artists, check out the Mary Ann Rennolds Chamber Music Series page, and see our complete series of concerts featuring strings at the VCU String Events page.
Tokyo String Quartet
Martin Beaver, violin
Kikuei Ikeda, violin
Kazuhide Isomura, viola
Clive Greensmith, cello
After 43 seasons, the Tokyo String Quartet has announced that 2012-2013 will be their last. Regarded as one of the supreme chamber ensembles of the world, the Tokyo Quartet — Martin Beaver and Kikuei Ikeda (violins), Kazuhide Isomura (viola) and Clive Greensmith (cello)—has collaborated with a remarkable array of artists and composers, built a comprehensive catalogue of critically-acclaimed recordings and established a distinguished teaching record. Performing over a hundred concerts worldwide each season, the quartet has a devoted international following across the globe.
For its farewell season, preparations are being made in every hall to properly celebrate what has been, for audiences in the U.S. and abroad, an extended love affair with the quartet. Domestic tours include stops in cities such as San Francisco, Raleigh, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Tulsa, Miami, Kalamazoo, Seattle, Portland and Philadelphia, and feature quintets with pianists Jon Kimura Parker, Alon Goldstein and Jeremy Denk and with cellist Christopher Rex. Many towns — Woodstock, Houston, Buffalo and Syracuse in September alone — have been presenting the Tokyo since the early days “when four young musicians took the classical music world by storm.”
In residence at New York’s 92nd Street Y since 2003, and beloved by Y audiences since its debut concert there in 1977, the Tokyo will perform Bartok, Haydn, a new ‘farewell’ quartet by Lera Auerbach, and the Schubert Quintet with cellist Lynn Harrell in 2012-13.
For their final season in Europe, the Tokyo Quartet tours international cities such as Vienna, Copenhagen, London, Amsterdam, Zurich, Paris and Rome as well as Moscow and Warsaw. They perform the Schubert Cello Quintet with Gary Hoffman in Madrid and with David Watkin in Florence, the Brahms Piano Quintet with Javier Perianes in Spain and the Mozart String Quintet with violist Gil Sharon in The Netherlands. A performance in Austria’s Schwarzenberg-Schubertiade Festival in late June 2013 will be among the last opportunities to hear the quartet in Europe.
Deeply committed to coaching young string quartets, the members of the Tokyo have served on the faculty of the Yale School of Music as quartet-in-residence since 1976. In addition to teaching at Yale, this season, they will also be conducting master classes in universities and towns across the U.S. and at the Conservatoire de Paris and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall. Their final U.S. concert will be under the roof of the Music Shed at Yale’s Norfolk Chamber Music Festival on July 6, 2013.
The Tokyo String Quartet has released more than 40 landmark recordings on Harmonia Mundi, BMG/RCA Victor Red Seal, Angel-EMI, CBS Masterworks, Deutsche Grammophon and Vox Cum Laude, including the complete quartets of Beethoven, Schubert and Bartók. The quartet's recordings of Brahms, Debussy, Dvorák, Haydn, Mozart, Ravel and Schubert have earned such honors as the Grand Prix du Disque Montreux, "Best Chamber Music Recording of the Year" awards from both Stereo Review and Gramophone magazines as well as garnered seven Grammy nominations.
Jennifer Koh, violin
As a virtuoso whose natural flair is matched with a probing intellect, Jennifer Koh is committed to exploring connections between the pieces she plays, searching for similarities of voice among composers as well as within the works of a single composer. This season, she appears with the National, New World and BBC symphonies, among other ensembles. She premieres a concerto written and commissioned for her by Klas Torstensson with the NIEUW Ensemble in May. To commemorate the 325th anniversary of J.S. Bach’s birth in September, Koh performed at a recital series devoted to the complete Bach violin partitas, presented by Columbia University’s Miller Theater.
Since the 1994–95 season, when she won the International Tchaikovsky Competition, Concert Artists Guild Competition and Avery Fisher Career Grant, Koh has performed with leading orchestras worldwide, including the New York, Los Angeles, Helsinki and Czech philharmonics and Detroit, Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, BBC Scottish and Moscow Radio symphonies. A prolific recitalist, Koh appears frequently at major music centers and festivals, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Kimmel Center, Marlboro, Wolf Trap, Spoleto and Festival International de Lanaudiere in Canada.
A committed educator, Koh has won high praise for her performances in classrooms nationwide under her innovative Music Messenger outreach program. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the National Foundation for the Advancement for the Arts.
Koh records regularly for the Chicago-based Cedille label; she recently released the Grammy-nominated recording, “String Poetic.” The Chicago-born violinist is a graduate of Oberlin College and an alumna of the Curtis Institute. She performs on the 1727 Ex-Grumiaux Ex-General DuPont Stradivari.
Charles Castleman, violin
Charles Castleman is the founder and director of The Castleman Quartet Program and head of strings at the Eastman Conservatory of Music. Perhaps the world's most active performer/pedagogue on the violin, he has been a soloist with the orchestras of Philadelphia, Boston, Brisbane, Chicago, Hong Kong, Moscow, Mexico City, New York, San Francisco, Seoul and Shanghai. Medalist at Tchaikovsky and Brussels, his “Jongen Concerto” is included in a Cypres CD set of the 17 best prize-winning performances of the Brussels Concours' 50-year history.
He has performed at such international festivals as Marlboro, Grant Park, Newport, Sarasota, AFCM (Australia), Budapest, Fuefukigawa, Montreux, Shanghai, Sheffield and the Vienna Festwoche. He regularly participates in the Las Vegas, Park City, Round Top and Sitka festivals in the U.S. His recitals have been broadcast on NPR, BBC, in Berlin and in Paris. Chair of Eastman's String Department, Castleman has conducted master classes in London, Vienna, Helsinki, Kiev, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, and all major cities in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Click here to learn about previous guest artists
Cellopaloosa IV featuring Master Class with Joel Krosnick
February 12, 2012
If you are a cellist, you won’t want to miss this. Register for cello choir, sectionals and a master class with renowned cellist Joel Krosnick from the Juilliard Quartet. Last year, we had over 80 participants. Faculty include Dana McComb, Jason McComb and Alyssa Moquin. For more information, visit the Cellopaloosa page.
Leila Josefowicz, violin
Master Class: May 4, 2012
Concert: May 5, 2012
Violinist Leila Josefowicz has won the hearts of audiences around the world with her honest, fresh approach to the repertoire and dynamic virtuosity. Josefowicz came to national attention in 1994 when she made her Carnegie Hall debut with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and has since appeared with many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras and eminent conductors. She will conduct a master class for violinists on May 4 and perform on May 5. For details on her concert, visit the Mary Anne Rennolds Chamber Series page.
Bach for Solo Violin: the Baroque Perspective.
Master Class with Baroque Violinist Martin Davids
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
5 p.m.
City of Richmond Main Library
Gellman Room
101 East Franklin Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Admission Free, seating limited
Performing: VCU Violin Students
David Martins
MM, Violin Performance, University of Michigan
BM, Florida Atlantic University
Performer Diploma, Early Music Institute at Indiana University
Highly acclaimed violinist, Mr. Martin Davids received a Performer Diploma from Indiana University where he studied with Stanley Ritchie. He also earned a Masters degree from the University of Michigan. In addition to directing the Callipygian Players, Chicago's premier Baroque chamber music ensemble, Mr. Davids is concertmaster of Publick Musick (Rochester, NY), Bach Collegium of Ft. Wayne, Janus Ensemble, Bach Chamber Orchestra and the Musical Patriots (Ithaca, NY). He is principal second violin in Chicago's Period instrument orchestra the Baroque Band and regularly performs with Brandywine Baroque, Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, and the Bach Institute in Valparaiso. Other ensembles he has played with include Chicago Opera Theater, Central City Opera, Music of the Baroque, Aradia, Toronto Consort, Washington Bach Consort and numerous others across Canada and the U.S.
Mr. Davids has recorded on the Albany, Musica Omnia, Plectra and Sonabilis labels. "Concertmaster Martin Davids plays exquisite obbligato passages his playing alone is almost worth purchasing the recording." (Choral Journal, May, 2007)
Mr. Davids is a founding member of the electric Baroque ensemble Discontinuo and is in demand as an electric violinist. He has played on many world premieres of new works including David Borden's K 216.01 for electric violin and synthesizer ensemble. A recognized expert in historical performance, Mr. Davids often gives masterclasses in performance practice and improvisation at many schools and universities including Northwestern, Cornell, and the University of Michigan. Well versed in old music and new, Mr. Davids shares his eclectic knowledge with the violin and viola students at Loyola University Chicago.
Cellopaloosa III
featuring Masterclass with Zuill Bailey
April 2, 2011
If you are a celllist, you won't want to miss this. Register for cello choir, sectionals, a masterclass with renowned cellist Zuill Bailey. Last year we had over 65 participancts. Faculty include Dana McComb, Jason McComb, and Alyssa Moquin. More information and application form to come. Also see the Rennolds Chamber Series page for information on Zuill Bailey's April 2nd concert at VCU.
Elizabeth Adkins, violin
Edward Newman, piano
September 21, 2010
Elisabeth Adkins’ richly varied musical life makes her equally at home in solo, orchestral, and chamber music repertoire. The Associate Concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin, she is also pursuing a successful career as a soloist and chamber musician.
As a concerto soloist, she has performed many times with the National Symphony, most recently in music from “Schindler’s List” by John Williams, and Vaughan Williams’ “The Lark Ascending” at Wolf Trap. She was featured with the Orchestra at the special request of Iona Brown, whom she joined in Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins. She has appeared as soloist with the Dallas Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, and the Baltimore Symphony. Other engagements include performances of concertos by Beethoven, Bruch, Saint-Saëns, Mendelssohn, Vivaldi, and Prokofiev. In 2006 she premiered a new concerto by Tom Myron with the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra.
Ms. Adkins joins her husband, pianist Edward Newman, in a violin/piano duo that is a favorite of Washington audiences. The two have been featured at the Kennedy Center, the Phillips Collection, and Strathmore Hall. A founding member of the American Chamber Players, Ms. Adkins also serves as concertmaster of the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra. As solo violinist with the 21st Century Consort, she is a noted interpreter of the contemporary repertoire. Ms. Adkins is on the faculty of the University of Maryland and the Levine School, and her position as a faculty member of the National Orchestral Institute allows her to work with young people interested in pursuing orchestral careers.
Edward Newman received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School and studied with such distinguished artists as Rosina Lhevinne, Adele Marcus, William Masselos, Lee Luvisi, Gaby Casadesus, Martin Isepp, Virginia Reinecke and Charles Crowder. Mr. Newman has given critically acclaimed performances in Europe, Australia and across the United States in solo concerts and with orchestras such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the National Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the Boston Pops, the Utah Symphony, l’Orchestra du Bordeaux, l’Ensemble Instrumental de France and l’Orchestra Filharmonic de Gran Canaria. In 1979 Mr. Newman won the first prize in the Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition. He was a semifinalist in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and has won recognition in many other prestigious international contests.
National Symphony Bassist Ira Gold
April 25, 2010
In Concert
April 25 at 7 pm
Up Close and Musical:
Bass Workshop
April 25 at 3 pm
Topics of the workshop included: bass technique, posture, and a question and answer session about careers as a bassist.
Ira Gold joined the National Symphony in 2005. He has performed with several American orchestras, as section bass with the Minnesota Orchestra and as guest principal bassist with the San Francisco Symphony and Detroit Symphony. He has attended the Domaine Forget Music Academy, Bach Festival Leipzig, Aspen Music Festival, and Tanglewood Music Center, where he was a recipient of the Maurice Schwartz Prize. Mr. Gold spent several summers at the International Festival Institute at Round Top both as a student, and, during the summer of 2004, as a member of the bass faculty. He has given master classes and recitals at the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University, James Madison University, The Chautauqua Music Festival, and the University of Maryland School of Music. In addition to his position with the NSO, Mr. Gold is a member of the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, and has performed with the Fessenden Ensemble, National Gallery of Art Orchestra, and the 21st Century Consort.
Up Close and Musical:
Cellopaloosa II
featuring Masterclass with
Pieter Wispelwey
April 17, 2010
VCU Music's 2010 festival celebrating the cello featured a cello choir, sectionals, a masterclass with world renowned cellist Pieter Wispelwey. Click here for more information on this annual event.
Karen Johnson, violin and
Joanne Kong, piano
March 26 & 28, 2010
Up Close and Musical:
Violin Masterclass
March 26 at 4 pm
In Concert
March 28 at 4 pm
Karen Johnson lead VCU students in a violin master class followed by a recital of works by, and inspired by, Robert Schumann.
Karen Johnson is Concertmaster of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Johnson’s playing has been applauded for its "intimacy and warmth of tone" (Santa Barbara Independent) and her performances hailed as "virtuosically energized and broadly lyrical" (Richmond Times-Dispatch) as well as "sparkling and courageous" (Mesa Tribune). As a recent guest concertmaster with the Seattle Symphony, her leadership and “impeccable solo work” (Seattle Times) were praised. "A superior musician who also conveys charm and approachability..."(Richmond Style Weekly), Ms. Johnson has performed in concerts throughout the United States and Europe and has worked with a variety of renowned conductors and musicians, such as James DePriest, Sergiu Commissiona, Keith Lockhart, Yuri Temerkanov, Jamie Laredo, and Joseph Silverstein.
Keyboardist Joanne Kong captures the attention of audiences in compelling performances that celebrate the vibrancy and eloquence of musical expression. Embracing a broad range of repertoire from Baroque to contemporary music, her performances have been praised for “great finesse and flexibility” (The Washington Post), “utmost keyboard sensitivity and variety of tone” (Richmond Times-Dispatch), “remarkable technical ability” (The Oregonian), and “superb artistry” (San Antonio Express-News). Her versatility includes the distinction of being the first artist to release a harpsichord-piano recording of the Goldberg and Diabelli Variations, on the BRIOSO label. Other recordings on the same label include English music with Richmond Symphony concertmaster Karen Johnson, and a recording of German and Russian songs with baritone Zheng Zhou.
Maia String Quartet
October 10-11, 2009
In Concert
October 10 at 3 pm
Up Close and Musical:
String Quartet Workshop
October 10 and 11
The workshop included: a coaching with the Maia Quartet, a rehearsal technique session, a panel discussion on careers in music, and a final concert of participants and Maia Quartet Concert.
Since its formation in 1990, the Maia Quartet, Quartet-in-Residence at The University of Iowa, has established itself nationally as an ensemble of innovation and versatility. Praised by critics for its "sparkling musical intelligence," the quartet has appeared in major concert halls throughout the U.S. and abroad, including New York's Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall and the 92nd Street Y, Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center, Beijing's Forbidden City Concert Hall and the Aspen Music Festival's Harris Hall. Collaborations with leading chamber musicians have included performances with Joel Krosnick, Andre-Michel Schub, and Cynthia Phelps. The Maia Quartet's commitment to the work of living composers has led to premieres of compositions by Pierre Jalbert, Dan Coleman, Vivian Fung and Ronn Yedidia.
