2004–2005 Festival Series
Tokyo String Quartet
with Maxim Mogilevsky, piano
Friday, September 17, 2004 8 p.m.
Martin Beaver, Violin
Kikuei Ikeda, Violin
Kazuhide Isomura, Viola
Clive Greensmith, Cello
Performing Mozart’s Quartet in F Major, Janácek’s Quartet No. 1, and Schumann’s Quintet in E-flat Major for Piano and Strings.
“Not merely in balance, but in intimate details, in phrasing, and that kind of breathing together that the best quartets achieve, their playing had all the marks of greatness.” – The Washington Post
Making its long overdue Festival Series debut, the Tokyo String Quartet has captivated audiences and critics alike since its inception over 30 years ago. Formed at Juilliard in 1969, the TSQ has been acclaimed as one of the globes premiere chamber ensembles, with appearances at international music capitals such as Milan, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid and London, and at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall and Bostons Symphony Hall. This performance will feature a guest appearance by CMA faculty member, Maxim Mogilevsky, in Schumanns sublime Piano Quintet.
Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet
Thursday, October 21, 2004 8 p.m.
“His intuitive and sensitive playing made this a performance of such rare beauty…” – News-Sentinel (Knoxville)
First prize winner in the 2001 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Alexander Fiterstein is quickly becoming recognized for his technical prowess and intuitive and sensitive playing, and has received critical acclaim for his concerto and chamber music appearances. Born in Minsk in the former Soviet Union, he emigrated with his family to Israel when he was two years old. After studies at the Israel Arts and Sciences Academy, he attended the Interlochen Arts Academy and Juilliard. In conjunction with Bowling Green State University’s 25th annual New Music & Art Festival, his performance will also feature collaborations with several CMA faculty members.
Ethos Percussion Group
featuring the A Cappella Choir
Friday, December 3, 2004 8 p.m.
The Louise F. Rees Memorial Concert
“Ethos was nothing short of sensational…” – The Cleveland Plain Dealer
Hailed by The New York Times for its “expert togetherness, sensitivity and zest…”, the Ethos Percussion Group has been celebrating extraordinary music-making for a decade. The group is dedicated to the advancement of the percussive arts in performance and education. EPG’s success is a result of virtuosic and entertaining performances that are fascinating for both the eyes and ears, with evocative rhythms of the Middle East and India to high energy Brazilian dance music. The ensemble’s hallmark is the programming of a wide variety of musical styles on an eclectic battery of instruments from around the globe. Joining them will be the BGSU A Cappella Choir, directed by William Skoog, in a performance of the Missa Luba, a mass in Congolese style.
Jane Ira Bloom Quartet
Saturday, January 29, 2005 8 p.m.
The Kobacker Concert
“Add her name to the pantheon of the country’s greatest jazz artists.” —The Washington Post
Soprano saxophonist/composer Jane Ira Bloom has been steadfastly developing her unique voice on the soprano saxophone for over 20 years. A pioneer in the use of live electronics and movement in jazz, as well as the possessor of “one of the most gorgeous tones and hauntingly lyrical ballad conceptions of any soprano saxophonist” according to Pulse magazine, Bloom has collaborated with such outstanding jazz artists as Kenny Wheeler, Charlie Haden, Rufus Reid, Ed Blackwell, Jerry Granelli, Mark Dresser, Bobby Previte and Fred Hersch. Winner of the 2001 Jazz Journalists Award for soprano sax of the year, the Downbeat International Critics Poll for soprano saxophone, the Charlie Parker Fellowship for Jazz Innovation and the International Women in Jazz Jazz Masters Award, she is the first musician ever commissioned by the NASA Art Program.
Sir James Galway, flute
Lady Jeanne Galway, flute
with Phillip Moll, piano
Sunday, March 20, 2005 7 p.m.
The Lois M. Nitschke Memorial Concert
“Galway poured out the smooth streams of huge, opulent, instantly recognizable sound and technical flourishes…” —The Seattle Times
“No one in their right mind, or ear, could object to such a committed, insightful and lovable performances.…” —Los Angeles Times
Internationally regarded as both a matchless interpreter of the classical repertoire and a consummate entertainer whose charismatic appeal crosses all musical boundaries, James Galway’s unique sound, superb musicianship and dazzling virtuosity have made him one of the most respected and sought-after performing artists of our time. Throughout a career marked by honors and standard-setting performances, he has demonstrated more than three decades of unfailing tastes, both in what music he opts to play and, of course, how he chooses to play it.
Hugh Smith, tenor
with the Bowling Green Philharmonia, Emily Freeman Brown, conductor
Sunday, April 24, 2005 3 p.m.
“Smith was a revelation as Laca…his clarion tenor and strapping physical presence lent strength to his sympathetic acting.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Hugh Smith, regarded as one of the most important tenors to emerge in recent years, returns to his alma mater for a program of operatic favorites. A winner of the Mario Lanza Competition, Placido Domingo Fellowship Award, the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions, and in 1995, the Luciano Pavarotti International Competition, in 1996 he made his professional debut in the role of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at the Teatro San Carlo. Since then he has added to his repertoire such leading tenor roles as Don José (Carmen), Manrico (Il trovatore), Alfredo (La traviata), Cavaradossi (Tosca), Laca (Jenufa), Foresto (Verdi’s Attila), Rodolfo (La bohème) and the title roles in Faust and Don Carlo. Folllowing a sensational appearance as Aeneas in Berlioz’s Les Troyens at the Edinburgh Festival under Donald Runnicles, he has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Netherlands Opera, l’Opéra National de Paris (Bastille), Opera de Paris, Houston Grand Opera, Berlin Deutsche Oper, Hamburg State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, San Francisco Opera and at the Spoleto USA Festival. The concert will include some orchestral favorites, as well as appearances by several members of the CMA voice faculty, in duos and ensembles with our special guest.