The National Chamber Ensemble, celebrates the great works of Bach, Beethoven and Brahms on Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 7:30 pm at Artisphere’s Spectrum Theatre. Praised by the Washington Post for being “Delightful…abundant in jovial wit,” National Chamber Ensemble’s society of internationally acclaimed musicians are is redefining the meaning of “chamber music.”
The performance presents exciting music of the three masters for combinations of three, featuring the piano trios of Beethoven and Brahms and an original collaboration with Bowen McCauley Dance set to a masterpiece by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Two local arts organizations unite to present a marriage of live music and dance with acclaimed choreographer Lucy Bowen McCauley premiering a new creation for the National Chamber Ensemble set to one of J.S. Bach’s greatest works, the Chaconne in D minor for solo violin. Artistic Director Leo Sushansky performs this work on stage with dancers from the Bowen McCauley Dance Company.
A reception for the whole audience follows the performance.
Pianist Kathryn Brake has been characterized as a “compelling and imaginative performer” by The Washington Post, and has performed solo recitals in the United States, Canada, Italy, France, Switzerland and Spain. A winner of the National Young Chopin Competition, the Beethoven Competition, the Kosciusko Foundation Awards and the Elizabeth Davis Award, she has performed as soloist with several orchestras, including the Baltimore Symphony and the National Symphony. A much sought-after chamber music player and recitalist who is equally at ease with a wide range of musical styles, Ms. Brake has performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Phillips Gallery and the National Gallery in Washington DC, the Armand Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, the Teatro Real in Madrid and the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona. She is a regular performer at the Sun Valley Symphony Chamber Music Festival and is pianist for the Washington based group Musica Aperta. Ms. Brake has performed live on WETA and WGMS radio stations and has recorded broadcasts for France Musique and Radio Television Espanola. She can be heard on the Albany Records label in several critically acclaimed recordings of duos and chamber music.
Violinist and Artistic Director Leo ( Leonid) Sushansky is in his eight season with the National Chamber Ensemble and has been acclaimed widely for his, “Gorgeous tone… Compelling musical personality…Passionate intensity,” The Washington Post. He has appeared with many orchestras, as a recitalist and chamber musician in esteemed concert halls worldwide and has been featured on numerous radio and television programs. The orchestras he has performed as soloist with include: the Windsor Symphony, Arlington Symphony, Alexandria Symphony, Municipal Orchestra of New York, Bergen Philharmonic, Queens Park Symphonia, New York Philharmonic, Romanian State Philharmonic, Fairfax Symphony, Philharmonia Virtuosi of New York, Richmond Philharmonic, McLean Orchestra, Britt Festival Orchestra, Aspen Chamber Orchestra, Staten Island Symphony, the Landon Symphonette, New Hampshire Symphony and the Maryland Symphony among others. His most recent solo Washington DC appearance was on Jan 11, 2015 in recital at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Steinway Series. As a chamber musician and soloist he has performed at the Phillips Collection, New York’s Lincoln Center, Avery Fischer Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Corcoran Gallery, the Kennedy Center, Merkin Hall, Carnegie Hall, on several European tours and on many occasions has appeared on the Embassy Series in Washington DC.
Cellist Sean Neidlinger enjoys an active career as a recitalist, chamber musician, and teacher. After receiving a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of Richard Aaron, he pursued further studies at New England Conservatory with Paul Katz. Described as “fiery” and “impassioned” by the Washington Post, Sean’s playing has received top prizes at several orchestra concerto competitions, including the Fairfax, Arlington, and Alexandria Symphonies. He has been featured as a soloist and chamber musician at the Korean, German, French, and Austrian embassies, the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage and Terrace Theatre, the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic and the Friday Morning Music Club orchestras. He also has performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, and has served as principal cellist of the Winchester and McLean Orchestras.
Lucy Bowen McCauley is the artistic director, choreographer and creative energy behind Bowen McCauley Dance. Her enduring love for dance moved her to form the company in 1996. Since founding BMD, she has created over 80 works ranging from lyrical ballets to highly physical contemporary pieces set to rock music. Her repertoire offers an unconventional array of genres; her choreography demonstrates a fluent outpouring of dance blending balletic lines, quirky gestures and modern dance’s earthiness that uniquely explores the interplay between music, dance and drama. Washingtonian Magazine named her among those “who have helped transform Washington into one of the nation’s liveliest centers in performing arts.”
|
||||||||||
|
www.NationalChamberEnsemble.org “National Chamber Ensemble is one of the musical gems of the entire Metro area…Their concerts are always fun and interesting, and the group presents a constantly changing program that includes every genre of music imaginable. The constants are that the music will be fabulous, the musicians will be wonderfully talented, and the atmosphere will always be intimate and welcoming to all.” DCMetroTheaterArts |
