Join The Harriet Hale Woolley scholars and the musiciens in residence for the next Rendez-vous Musical on Sunday, November 12. Please note that the concert of November 26 will be dedicated to the Quatuor pour la fin du temps by Messiaen (45 min) with a very short first part (about 15 min).
Program
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Sonata for cello & piano
I Prologue: Lent, sostenuto e molto risoluto
II. Sérénade: Modérément animé
III. Finale: Animé, léger et nerveux
Sarah Ghandour, cello & John Spyro Kamfonas, piano
Alban Berg (1885-1935)
Four pieces for clarinet & piano
I. Mäßig
II. Sehr langsam
III. Sehr rasch
IV. Langsam
Jenny Maclay, clarinet & Orlando Bass, piano
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Preludes op. 28
Excerpts
John Spyro Kamfonas, piano
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Sonata for viola & piano, op. 120 no. 2
I. Allegro amabile
II. Allegro appassionato
III. Andante con moto
Jossalyn Jensen, viola & Orlando Bass, piano
Musicians in Residence
Sarah Clarice Ghandour, an honored recipient of a full five year scholarship, graduated May 2017 from Bard College and Conservatory with a Bachelor of Art in Mathematics and a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance, having studied under Cellist Peter Wiley. An avid chamber musician, Sarah has collaborated with artists including Peter Wiley, Peter Serkin, Daniel Phillips, and Dawn Upshaw. As principal cellist of the Bard Conservatory Orchestra, she has performed in New York, Eastern Europe, Russia, and most recently in Cuba, including collaboration with Camerata Romeu, a female Cuban string orchestra. Sarah was a finalist in the 2016 Bard Conservatory Concerto Competition, and in May 2017 had the pleasure of performing the Korngold Cello Concerto with The Orchestra Now. Following her study in the Fall of 2015 at the American University of Paris, and cello studies with Xavier Gagnepain, Conservatoire Boulogne-Billancourt, Sarah had the distinct pleasure of performing the Rachmaninoff Sonata for Piano and Cello, and the Brahms Clarinet Trio, at the Royal Castle of Warsaw, Poland on invitation by Bard Conservatory. Sarah has also delighted in participating in Music at Menlo, Yellow Barn, and Encore String Quartet Intensive Summer Chamber Music Festivals. After her 2017-2018 artist residency at the Fondation des États-Unis in Paris, France, Sarah will pursue a master’s degree at Stony Brook University, New York, under the tutelage of cellist Colin Carr.
Jossalyn Jensen, American violist, began playing music at the age of four. Her solo debut with orchestra was at the age of 9 and she has since appeared in concert across the United States and in Europe. She completed her studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music and The Juilliard School where she was a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Artist Award. Ms. Jensen continues post-graduate work in Paris, France at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique and as a Fellow at the Fondation des États Unis. She was honored to spend her summer this year in the academies of the Verbier Festival and the Lucerne Festival. She is a laureate of the 2016-2017 Fulbright Grant.
Embracing his penchant for improvisation alongside his passion for the classical and contemporary repertoire, the pianist John Kamfonas has given performances around the world, from Italy to India, Beijing to New York, which have been described as possessing “a grandeur that lifted the music into the sublime…and a delicacy that took one’s breath away.” He was Harriet Hale Wooley scholarship in 2015-2016. John is currently a musician in residence at the Fondation des Etats-Unis and is pursuing a graduate diploma at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris under the guidance of Marian Rybicki and Jean Fassina.
Hailed by the New York Times as a “clear delight,” Christine Lee is an emerging cellist whose performances have taken her all over North America, France, Norway, and South Korea. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Juilliard School where she studied with Bonnie Hampton, Darrett Adkins, and Richard Aaron, as a recipient of the Irene Diamond Fellowship, and the Satterlee and the Juilliard Alumni Scholarships. She has participated in masterclasses with David Geringas, Gary Hoffman, Jerome Pernoo, and Philippe Muller, has studied chamber music with David Finckel and Joseph Kalichstein. Beyond the realm of classical music, she has also worked with legendary Mark Morris in a collaboration of dance and orchestra. As an orchestral musician, she has lead the Juilliard Chamber and Opera Orchestras as principal cellist for performances at Carnegie, Davies Symphony, Avery Fisher, and Alice Tully Halls, and joined the Juilliard Orchestra on tour with Itzhak Perlman. In the summer of 2016, Christine co-founded a music ensemble named ‘Ensemble Blank,’ which focuses on premiering music of the 20th century and whose concerts are held in art museums in Seoul, South Korea. Equally committed to community engagement, Christine was featured on KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) for her piano trio benefit concert to raise awareness and support for children in foster homes in Korea. Most recently, Christine was selected as a Fulbright Scholar to study in Paris in the fall of 2017. She will be working on a project focusing on 20th century French music with renowned cellist Michel Strauss.
Vandoren Regional Artist Jenny Maclay is quickly establishing her career as a clarinet soloist, recitalist, orchestral player, and chamber musician. Ms. Maclay was the recipient of a 2015-2016 Harriet Hale Woolley Award to study music in Paris, where she attends the Versailles Conservatoire. She has achieved a number of notable musical honors, including selection as a semi-finalist and finalist for such international competitions as Astral Artists and Concert Artists Guild. Her teachers are Philippe Cuper, Mitchell Estrin, and Donald Dowdy.
Guest Musicians
Orlando Bass est étudiant au CNSMD de Paris depuis 2013, où il est d’abord accepté dans la classe d’écriture, puis en 2014 dans la classe d’accompagnement et en 2015 dans les classes de piano et d’improvisation. Il obtient en 2014 ses prix d’harmonie et de contrepoint, en 2015 celui de fugue. Il s’est déjà produit dans le cadre de nombreux festivals en tant que pianiste ou claveciniste et pratique également le jazz et les musiques improvisées.