NYVS 2003-2004 Season Concerts and Programs

Leanne Darling - Mirage I (2002) and Aftershock (2001) for Solo Amplified Viola and Boomerang
Leanne Darling, Viola

Paul Salerni - "Speaking of Love"
Donald Dal Maso, Viola
Debra Field, Soprano
Paul Salerni, Piano

Joseph Pehrson - "Levitations" for Viola and Piano (2003)
Lev Zhurbin, Viola
Leonard Lehrman, Piano

November 17, 2003, 7:30 p.m.
Mannes College of Music

Max Reger - Suite No.1, Op. 131d
George Rochberg - Sonata for Viola and Piano (1979)
Arnold Bax - Sonata for Viola and Piano
Efrem Zimbalist - Sarasateana: Tango

First prize winner of the 2003 William Primrose Viola Competition and "Yuri Bashmet prize" winner of the 2003 Lionel Tertis Viola Competition, twenty-five year old violist Brian Chen was born in Taipei, Taiwan, where he studied with Ben Lin, and made his solo recital debut at age 10. A four-time winner of the National Viola Competition in Taiwan, he came to the US in 1992 and was accepted to The Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Michael Tree, Karen Tuttle, and Joseph dePasquale. Mr. Chen received his Masterís degree from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Paul Neubauer. At age 21, he joined The Florida Orchestra, directed by Maestro Jahja Ling, as the principal viola.

As an active chamber musician, Mr. Chen has performed with members of Guarneri, Juilliard, Cleveland, Mendelssohn, and Orion string quartets, and has collaborated with such artists as Jaime Laredo, Chiao-Liang Lin, and Felix Galimir. Mr. Chen is currently a member of Chamber Music Society Two of the Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center. He has performed throughout the US and abroad, including in Alice Tully Hall, Merkin concert Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, Barge Music, 92nd Street Y in New York, Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, National Concert Hall in Taipei, and Wigmore Hall in London. He was a participant at the Ravinia and Marlboro Festivals, and appears frequently with Musicians from Marlboro and Musicians from Ravinia tours.

Yi-Fang Huang, a native of Taiwan, began her piano studies at age 7, and also studied viola beginning at age 10. She made her piano solo debut at age 12 with the Fu-Shing Orchestra. In 1995, Ms. Huang graduated from the Affiliated Senior High School of the National Taiwan Normal University and has since continued her studies in the United States. She received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees at The Juilliard School, where she studied with Martin Canin. Ms. Huang has won several prizes in Taiwan's piano competitions, second place at the Juilliard concerto competition, and first place at the Rutgers University concerto competition. Currently, she is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Rutgers University under the tutelage of Susan Starr. She is also the staff accompanist at The Juilliard School.

January 11, 2004, 4:00 p.m.
Manhattan School of Music

Brahms - Scherzo from FAE Sonata (arranged by Barbara Westphal)
DeFalla - Suite Populaire Espagnole (arranged by Helen Callus)
Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliet Suite (arranged by Vadim Borisovsky)
Rebecca Clarke - Morpheus
Rebecca Clarke - Sonata

Helen Callus has been described by critics as "a player with impeccable sensibilities and a beautiful sound, infinitely malleable into all kinds of musical subtleties" and with "a technique that is unobtrusively excellent".

Her recent recording "Portrait of the Viola" with Robert McDonald - piano [ASV CD DCA1130] has been met with the highest of critical acclaim. Gramophone Magazine described it as a "superbly stylish recording, always with flexibility and poetry in abundance. No other recording surpasses this newcomer in terms of sweep or communicative ardor" and Strings magazine described Ms. Callus as a "violist of the highest caliber; with a performance that is beautifully interpreted with somnolent abandon".

A native of England, Ms. Callus graduated with Honors from The Royal Academy of Music and recently was bestowed an honorary ARAM (Associate of the Royal Academy of Music) for her achievements in the field. She then continued her studies with renowned Scottish violist Paul Coletti at The Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University and shortly afterwards, became his teaching assistant at the school. During this time, Ms Callus was the winner of several important competitions including a special prize at the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and Congress.

At the age of 26 she was invited to the faculty of The University of Washington, where she was Professor of Viola and Head of the Chamber Music Program for 7 years. In 2003 Ms Callus accepted the position of Professor of Viola at the University of California at Santa Barbara where she now lives and enjoys a busy teaching and performing schedule. She continues to be much in demand across the country as a visiting professor and has given masterclasses in many of the nations leading music schools. A much sought after teacher at summer festivals across the country she has also adjudicated for such national organizations as ASTA, most recently acting as Chair of the Primrose International Viola Competition. Ms. Callus is the founder of "BRATS" (Bratsche [meaning viola] Resources and Teaching in the Schools) brought to national attention in the February issue of the STRAD magazine. She has also written articles for publications such as the Strings and STRAD magazines.

In 2001, Ms Callus made a special appearance at the 29th International Viola Congress, performing Hindemith's Der Schwanendreher Viola Concerto with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Adding to her commitment to teaching, education and public awareness of the viola, in 2002 she accepted the honor of being the first women elected President of the American Viola Society and in June of that year hosted the 30th International Viola Congress in Seattle, considered one of the most successful congresses in the society's history (www.violacongress2002.org). In June of 2003 she performed at the 31st International Congress in Germany alongside some of the world's greatest viola players and in 2004 will be performing at the 32nd International Viola Congress at the University of Minnesota.

She has delighted audiences across the world in major cities of Russia, Europe, America, New Zealand and Canada. A regular artist on radio and TV, she has been heard on such programs as "Performance Today" and has recently been invited for a return visit as a solo guest on Minnesota Public Radio's Saint Paul Sunday. In 2003, whilst a guest at Brigham Young University as the featured artist for the Primrose Memorial Recital, Ms. Callus performed with the world renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City to an audience of 4,000 and broadcast to over 2,000 television stations around the world.

An outstanding interpreter of J.S. Bach and contemporary composers, pianist Peter Vinograde's annual tours of the U.S., Canada, and Asia feature music of living composers. A regular performer on New York City's St. Andrews Series, he recently returned from a tour of Southern China, playing Bach concerti with the Macao Chamber Orchestra. During the Copland Centennial, he presented lecture/recitals on the Passacaglia and Piano Fantasy.

World premiere performances have included Nicolas Flagello's Concerto #3 (1962) with Nicholas Palmer and the Owensboro (KY) Symphony, Hal Campbell's Piano Concerto (1997) in Utah, and Mark Zuckerman's On the Edges (1996) in Taiwan. Dr. Vinograde's numerous awards began with first prize in the 1971 J.S. Bach International Competition, followed by his New York debut at Carnegie Recital Hall and an N.E.A.-sponsored Lincoln Center recital at Alice Tully Hall. Frequently heard on National Public Radio, his National Gallery programs are aired on Performance Today, and he was featured on CBC-TV's the Journal. As a chamber musician, he has appeared as guest pianist at Wolftrap, Caramoor, and the Bard Music Festival.

CD releases include a CBC recording of Canadian composers Michael Matthews and Alfred Fisher, an Albany recording of solo/chamber works of Nicolas Flagello, and Catalina recordings of the Rachmaninoff Concerto #3 and Bach's 7 Toccatas. A new release on Phoenix features works by Copland, Creston, and Mark Zuckerman.

A member of the Manhattan School of Music's piano faculty since 1981, he studied there with Zenon Fishbein.

January 25, 2004, 2:30 p.m.
Donnell Library Center Auditorium

Hector Villa-Lobos - Duo for Violin and Viola (first movement)
Cori Tolda, Viola
Heather Sommerlad, Violin

Rebecca Clarke - Prelude, Allegro and Pastorale
Arman Alpyspaev, Viola
Ricardo Morales, Clarinet

Tigran Mansourian - Lachrymae
Joseph Turrin - Fragments
Martin Lodge - Ritual
Timothy Deighton, Viola
Carrie Koffman, Saxophone

Maurice Wright - Grand Duo for Viola and Percussion
Anthony Simmons, Viola
Harvey Price, Percussion

March 14, 2004, 7:30 p.m.
Manhattan School of Music

J.S. Bach - Gamba Sonata #3 in g minor
Paul Hindemith - Sonata op. 25, #1 for Viola Alone
Hendrik Andriessen - Sonatina in one Movement, for Viola and Piano
Arnold Bax - Legend
Julius Rontgen - Sonata in c minor

"Not only does CYNTHIA PHELPS produce one of the richest, deepest viola timbres in the world, she is a superb musician" (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). Principal Violist of the New York Philharmonic, Ms. Phelps has distinguished herself both here and abroad as one of the leading instrumentalists of our time. The recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the 1988 Pro Musicis International Award and first prize at both the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and the Washington International String Competition, she has captivated audiences with her compelling solo and chamber music performances. She is "a performer of top rank...the sounds she drew were not only completely unproblematical --technically faultless, generously nuanced-- but sensuously breathtaking" (The Boston Globe).

Ms. Phelps performs throughout the world as soloist with orchestras, including the Minnesota Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Orquesta Sinfonica de Bilbao, and Hong Kong Philharmonic. She has appeared in recital in Paris, Rome, Los Angeles, Boston and Washington, and at New York's Alice Tully Hall, London's Wigmore Hall, and St. David's Hall in Cardiff, Wales. She has also been heard on National Public Radio's St. Paul Sunday Morning, Radio France, and RAI in Italy, and has been featured on The MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour, and CBS Sunday Morning.

Ms. Phelps has performed internationally as a collaborator with such artists as Isaac Stern, Itzak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Yo-Yo Ma, Lynn Harrell, and Yefim Bronfman, among many others. A much sought-after chamber musician, she performs regularly with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New York's Bargemusic, the Boston Chamber Music Society, and Music From Copland House. Ms. Phelps has performed with the Guarneri, American, Brentano, and Prague String Quartets, the Kalichstein-Robinson-Laredo Trio, and at the Mostly Mozart, Marlboro, Seattle, Bridgehampton, Ravinia, La Jolla, Santa Fe, Bravo!Colorado, Naples, Cremona, Schleswig-Holstein, and Chamber Music Northwest Festivals.

Ms. Phelps regularly receives enthusiastic reviews for her performances as soloist with the New York Philharmonic; works she has performed include Berlioz's Harold in Italy, the Bartok Viola Concerto and Strauss's Don Quixote, the Benjamin Lees Concerto for String Quartet, and the recent premiere of a concerto written for her by Sofia Gubaidulina. Recent performances have included a New York Philharmonic International tour featuring the Gubaidulina, a new work written for her by composer Steven Paulus (commissioned by the Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival), and return solo engagements with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the San Diego Symphony and numerous other orchestras.

This season, Ms. Phelps appears in virtually every major concert hall in New York City, including performances with the American String Quartet, the Kalichstein-Robinson-Laredo trio, and mezzo-soprano Suzanne Mentzer. She also performs in recital in La Jolla, as well as on tour with violinist Ida Kavafian and cellist Ronald Thomas. She looks forward to a new viola concerto written for her by Richard Danielpour. Her solo debut recording is on Cala Records, and can also be heard on the Marlboro Recording Society, Polyvideo, Nuova Era, Virgin Classics, and Covenant labels. Ms. Phelps and her husband, cellist Ronald Thomas, reside in New Jersey and have three children, Lili, Christinia, and Caitlin.

NYVS ViolaFest 2004

An Afternoon of Playing

Throughout the afternoon, participants were able to play through works for ensembles of 3 to 12 violas, including pieces performed at our Collegial and Multiple Viola Concerts.

Lecture/Demonstration:

Get Together

A reception followed the afternoon's activities. A fine afternoon for old and new friends to get together.

The New York Viola Society's 2003-2004 Season of Concerts, Recitals and other Viola Events

NYVS ViolaFest 2004

An Afternoon of Playing

Lecture/Demonstration:

Get Together

The New York Viola Society's 2003-2004 Season of
Concerts, Recitals and other Viola Events