NYVS 2005-2006 Season Concerts and Programs

Sid Robinovitch (1942 - ) - Adieu Babylon (1991)
Sharon Wei, Viola
Angela Park, Piano

Philipp Scharwenka - Sonata in G minor for Viola and Piano, Op. 106
Christine Ims, Viola
Yi-Fang Huang, Piano

Paul Hindemith - Sonata Op. 11, No. 4, for Viola and Piano
Diane Leung, Viola
Yi-Fang Huang, Piano

John Hawkins (1949 - )- Waiting: Tango
Ann Roggen, Viola
Gail Kruvand Moye, Bass

January 29, 2006, 2:30 p.m.
Donnell Library Center Auditorium

Bach (arr. Suzuki) - Gavotte
Asha Paul (2005 Rosemary Glyde Scholarship recipient)

von Weber (arr. Suzuki) - Hunter's Chorus
Shani Paul (2005 Rosemary Glyde Scholarship recipient)

Bach - Suite No. 1 in G Major for Cello (transcribed for Viola)
Prelude, Allemande and Courante
Daniel Lay, Viola

Ernest Bloch - Suite for Viola and Piano (1919)
Movement ll: Allegro Ironico
Dawn Smith, Viola
Yi-Fang Huang, Piano

Bohuslav Martinu - Madrigals for Violin and Viola
Denise Huizenga, Violin
Elizabeth Hostetter, Viola

George Gershwin (Arranged for viola and piano by Alan Arnold ) - Grand Fantasy On Themes From " Porgy and Bess"
Tania Halko-Susi, Viola
Mark Evans, Piano

February 19, 2006, 7:30 p.m.
Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church

The Puchhammer-Desjardins Duo

Jutta Puchhammer-Sédillot, Viola
Élise Desjardins, Piano

Jean Coulthard (1908-2002) - Sonata Rhapsody for Viola and Piano (1962)
Ernst Naumann (1832-1910) - Sonata in G minor for Viola and Piano, Op. 1
Robert Fuchs (1847-1927) - Sonata in D minor for Viola and Piano, Op. 86
Robert Schumann - Fantasy Pieces, Op. 73

Since her arrival in Quebec in 1987, Viennese-born Jutta Puchhammer-Sédillot has been acclaimed by critics for her exceptional qualities as a violist.

She is a performer in great demand on the Canadian and international scenes, having acquired a solid musical training at the Wiener Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst under Siegfried Führlinger and also developed exceptional music skills with Heidi Castleman at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

In Austria, Ms. Puchhammer-Sédillot has been a guest soloist with the Frauenkammerorchester and has given recitals in various cities such as Salzburg and Vienna. As a member of the Wiener Nonett, she has toured Japan, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Austria.

She has been invited to be a guest artist with Orchestre Métropolitain, the Fine Arts Quartet, the Colorado Quartet, Musica Camerata and the Alcan Quartet. She has played with such renowned artists as Janos Starker and Lorand Fenyves. Co-founder of the Trio Kegelstatt, the Quatuor Claudel and the Trio à Cordes de Montréal, she is now principal viola with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens Orchestra and the Orchestre Symphonique de Laval.

Jutta Puchhammer-Sédillot is the head of the string department and professor of viola and chamber music at the University of Montréal and at the Orford Arts Center. She also is the director and host of the upcoming 34th International Viola Congress 2006 in Montréal (www.violacongress2006.ca).

Having been a guest at many international viola congresses, including those held in Seattle and Austin in the United States, Linköping in Sweden, and Guelph in Canada, Ms. Puchhammer-Sédillot has been encouraged to search for new unpublished compositions for viola. Her first CD, entitled "Alto Romantic Fantasies" (Eclectra ECCD-2060), charms with wonderful pieces including the Sonata-Fantasia by Philipp Scharwenka and the Phantasiestücke by Robert Fuchs. Her love for this repertoire has led Ms. Puchhammer-Sédillot to discover the enchanting sonata by Ernst Naumann, and the viola sonata by Robert Fuchs - which according to Ms. Puchhammer-Sédillot is the most Viennese sonata she has ever encountered. The result of her efforts is a new compact disc which offers unknown German romantic sonatas that will captivate every listener with their unique soundcolors and beauty.

Élise Desjardins started her training at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal where she received the highest distinction of "Premier Prix" for piano and for chamber music. Shortly thereafter, she became the recipient of many grants to help pursue graduate studies. Following the Conservatoire, she enrolled at the Indiana School of Music, obtaining a Master's degree in Music with honors. Teachers of great influence have been Anisia Campos, Enrica Cavallo-Gulli, Marietta Orlov, Yuli Turovsky, and Rotislav Dubinsky from the Borodin Trio.

At the Conservatoire, Ms. Desjardins developed a passion for chamber music while studying with Yuli Turovsky and, upon returning from Indiana, joined other musicians involved in the Montréal chamber music scene such as Jutta Puchhammer-Sédillot, Thomas Williams, Richard Roberts, Lise Beauchamp and Michel Bettez. Ms. Desjardins is frequently sought after as an accompanist for her unique playing abilities, demonstrating great intensity and warm sensibility. She is a regular participant in various broadcasts on the CBC classical radio network.

Since 1985, Ms. Puchhammer-Sédillot and Desjardins have performed together as the Puchhammer-Desjardins Duo. They can be heard regularly on all Montréal stages, at summer festivals such as Mont-Tremblant and St. Adèle, as well as at international viola congresses. These occasions allow the Duo to share their new treasures discovered while searching for unknown romantic and post-romantic repertoire. Their interest is centered on the German and English literature that still hides many delightful compositions written for the famous violists Lionel Tertis and William Primrose.

March 19, 2006, 7:30 p.m.
Manhattan School of Music

Telemann - Fantasie No. 5 in A major TWV 40:18
Schumann - Fantasy Pieces, Op. 73
Hindemith - Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 11, No. 4
Faure - Four Songs:

Rebecca Clarke - Sonata for Viola and Piano

Jennifer Stumm began playing the viola after hearing a children's orchestra concert at age eight and has since been recognized internationally for her passionate commitment to the instrument and its solo repertoire. In 2005, Ms. Stumm was a laureate of two major international competitions, winning first prize of the William Primrose Competition in Utah and second prize at the International Competition in Geneva. Hailed as "outstanding" by the Strad, Ms. Stumm's recent performances include appearances at Alice Tully Hall, New York, St. John's, Smith Square, London and the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Don Quixote with conductor Yan-Pascal Tortellier at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and the Sage, Gateshead, and the Bartok Concerto with the Hamburger Sinfonikern in Berlin and the L'Orchestre du Chambre, Geneva. She has appeared on the Rising Stars Series of the Ravinia Festival, Chicago, at the Verbier Festival, Switzerland, and has been heard on BBC 3, NPR, Dutch and German National Radios. Upcoming, she will perform at the 2006 International Viola Congress in Montreal and give recitals in Amsterdam, London, Denver, and Atlanta among others.

Ms. Stumm is an enthusiastic chamber musician, devoted to varied collaborations and performing in festivals worldwide. Her collaborative partners have included members of the Beaux Arts Trio, Guarneri, Juilliard and Alban Berg Quartets and the period ensemble L'Archibudelli. She is a member of the London-based Aronowitz Ensemble which makes its Wigmore Hall debut this season as well being ensemble in residence at the Aldeburgh Festival. She participates regularly at the International Musicians Seminar in Cornwall, having performed in that festival's annual tour, and spent the last three summers at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont. Other festival appearances include the Kronberg Academy's Chamber Music Connects the World with Gidon Kremer, the Aldeburgh Festival, and the Steans Institute at Ravinia.

A native of Atlanta, Ms. Stumm attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she studied with Karen Tuttle. Concurrent with her musical studies she also pursued interests in astrophysics and politics at the University of Pennsylvania. She received the Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School in New York as a pupil of Samuel Rhodes. Ms. Stumm bases her career in Europe, where her recent musical mentors have been the violist Nobuko Imai and cellist Steven Isserlis. She plays a Mantegazza viola, 1767.

Pianist Elizabeth Pridgen has been described as an artist with a "big piano presence" (American Record Guide Jan/Feb 2005). Her recent engagements include concerts at Alice Tully Hall, the Kosciuszko Foundation, and the DACOR Bacon House in Washington D.C., as well as solo recitals in Atlanta, Long Island, and CuraÁao. She has performed with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble and with the Mark Morris Dance Group at Jacob's Pillow. Ms. Pridgen is an active chamber musician and has performed with esteemed artists including Hilary Hahn, Lynn Harrell, Robert McDuffie, Mark O'Connor, and Rachel Barton Pine. She frequently collaborates with members of the New York Philharmonic and Boston and Atlanta Symphony Orchestras, and has performed extensively at the Tanglewood Music Festival and the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival.

Ms. Pridgen earned a master's degree from the Juilliard School where she studied with Joseph Kalichstein and held the Howard and Ethel B. Ross Piano Scholarship. In May 2001, she received her bachelor's degree from the Peabody Conservatory of Music as a student of Ann Schein. Ms. Pridgen has also attended the International Musicians' Seminar in Prussia Cove, England, the Conservatoire Americain in Fountainebleau, France, and the Aspen Music Festival. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, she currently resides in New York City.

May 8, 2006, 7 p.m.
Advent Lutheran Church (93rd Street and Broadway)

Henri Vieuxtemps - Capriccio for Viola Solo
David Lau, Viola
Recipient of the New York Viola Society's Harold Coletta Memorial Scholarship for 2006

Otto Luening - Duo for Viola and Flute
Olivia Koppell, Viola
Diva Goodfriend-Koven, Flute

Brahms - Sonata in f minor for Viola and Piano, Op. 120, No. 1
Allegretto grazioso, Vivace
Carmela Federman, Viola
Yi Fang Huang, Piano

Rebecca Clarke - Prelude, Allegro and Pastorale
Rebecca Osborn, Viola
Dean LeBlanc, Clarinet

Alexander Dmitriev - Sonata in Three Movements for Viola and Piano
Sander Strenger, Viola
Alla Borzova, Piano

Atli Heimir Sveinsson - Sonata for Viola (New York Premiere)
Cavatine; Fantasie; Ballade
Junah Chung, Viola

Robert Schumann - Fantasy Pieces, Op. 73
Jun Huang, Viola
Elizabeth Pridgen, Piano

The New York Viola Society's 2005-2006 Season of Concerts, Recitals and other Viola Events

The New York Viola Society's 2005-2006 Season of
Concerts, Recitals and other Viola Events