Spotlight Series 2011

Featured Artists

February 11-13

“Talent that’s off the scale.” -- Washington Post Stefan Jackiw made his professional debut in 1997 at the age of 12 with the Boston Pops. In 2000 he made his European debut with the Philharmonic Orchestra in London. The critically acclaimed performance landed Jackiw’s picture on the front page of The Times, while The Strad reported that “a 14-year-old violinist took the London music world by storm.” Jackiw toured Japan in 2002 and performed at the Winter Arts Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, a year later. Among American orchestras, he has been a soloist with the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic and Cleveland Orchestra. Jackiw is a current member of the Tessara Quartet. “…sumptuous and astonishing.” -- San Jose Mercury News

“Extravagantly gifted and extraordinarily accomplished…” – The Los Angeles Times Max Levinson’s debut recital at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall received standing ovations and a New York Times review that said Levinson’s “quietly eloquent conceptions, formidable technique and lovely touch left little else to be desired.” Levinson has performed as soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Boston Pops, among others. American Record Guide declared Levinson’s second recording, “Out of Doors: Piano Music of Béla Bartók,” as “…riveting.” “…a brilliant American pianist…” -- The Los Angeles Times

February 25-27

“A beautifully homogenous ensemble with nobility and spirit.” -- Stadt-Anzeiger Cologne Spurred by winning numerous prominent international competitions, the Mandelring’s rise to international acclaim has brought them to the world’s great concert venues. The Mandelring Quartet’s concert tours have taken them throughout Europe, North America, Japan, Central and South America, the Middle East, and Asia. Their recordings of the string quartets of Shostakovich have received several awards and have been hailed as one of the outstanding complete recordings of our time. “…engaging brilliancy and spirit.” -- The Strad

March 11-13

“[Robert Levin] took the …audience on an exuberant journey inside Mozart’s mind.” -- Broad Street Review Hailed as a superb instrumentalist, Robert Levin is best known as a Mozart pianist and scholar. He has written several reconstructions or completions of Mozart works, and his completion of Mozart’s Requiem won wide critical acclaim after its premiere at the European Music Festival in Stuttgart in 1991. Like Mozart, during a concerto performance, Levin improvises cadenzas on the spot. “If you’re going to be a performer, there comes a time when you put your tails on and you go out on stage and do dangerous things ...and this is how you celebrate being alive.” -- Robert Levin

March 25-27

	“…irresistibly fresh…” -- Juilliard Journal Steven Copes leads a diverse musical life as soloist, chamber musician and orchestral leader. He joined the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra as Concertmaster in 1998. An avid chamber musician, Copes co-founded the Alpenglow Chamber Music Festival in Colorado, and has performed at major U.S. festivals and abroad in Australia, Austria, Costa Rica, France, Japan, New Zealand and Scotland. Copes is a frequent guest leader with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the London Philharmonic and the Baltimore Symphony. “The highlight of the concert was Steven Copes’ performance …stunning…” -- Star Tribune
	“…one of the finest chamber musicians of his generation.” -- Public Radio, St. Paul, Minn. A founder of the Guarneri String Quartet, Peter Wiley was the cellist of the world-renowned Beaux Arts Trio from 1987 to 1998, appearing in over 1,000 concerts worldwide. Among these were performances with the Berlin, New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Royal Philharmonic orchestras. A child prodigy, Wiley attended the Curtis Institute at age 13 and was appointed principal cellist of the Cincinnati Symphony at age 20. Mr. Wiley has appeared at leading festivals throughout the world. He serves on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music and is a member of the acclaimed ensemble Opus One. “[Peter Wiley] …made his cello sing out beautifully…” – The New York Times
	“…dazzling virtuosity…” -- The San Francisco Chronicle This is just one facet of Russian-born pianist, Anna Polonsky’s extraordinary talent. The New York Times reported that “… [The] impressive young Russian... played... with sweep, color, and authority, and the entire performance was vibrant and exciting;” while The Buffalo News described Polonsky’s playing as “…a masterpiece of classical grace.” It’s obvious why Ms. Polonsky is in demand internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. She has performed in the Amsterdam Concertgebow, the Vienna Konzertaus and Tully Hall, toured extensively throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia, and is a frequent guest at chamber music festivals including Marlboro Northwest and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Ms. Polonsky is a member of the newly formed Schumann Trio, along with violinist Michael Tree and clarinetist Anthony McGill. “…vibrant and exciting.” – The New York Times

April 29-May 1

	“…No praise can be too high…” -- Boston Globe Turkish-born but of Armenian descent, violinist and Yale professor Ani Kavafian has a prolific career as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. She has performed with virtually all of America’s leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony. She is an Artist-Member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and is in great demand at major U.S. music festivals. She received her master’s degree from Juilliard. “…positively fiery …inspired …” -- Hartford Courant
	“…playing of exquisite beauty.” – The New York Times Ida Kavafian was the violinist of the legendary Beaux Arts Trio from 1992-1998; in 1997, the trio was named “Ensemble of the Year” by Musical America. Ms. Kavafian is an Artist-Member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and co-founded the ensemble Opus One, along with pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, violist Steven Tenenbom and cellist Peter Wiley. For 25 years, Ms. Kavafian has been the Artistic Director of Music from Angel Fire. She also founded and guided Bravo! Colorado in Vail as music director, building it into one of the leading festivals in the country. “…one of the most versatile musicians performing today…” -- instantencore.com
	“Ravishing…” -- London Times Praised by the Los Angeles Times as “technically immaculate,” the Seattle Times as “fantastic,” the Boston Globe as “sensational,” the San Francisco Chronicle for his “fierce virtuosity,” and the Dallas Morning News for his “most spectacular viola playing,” Richard O’Neill is much in demand as a chamber musician and soloist. He was recently appointed to the roster of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and serves as the resident violist of Camerata Pacifica. O’Neill’s concerto appearances include the London Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic and Moscow Chamber Orchestra. “…elegant, velvety tone…” -- The New York Times
	“…an artist who makes one hang on every note.” -- The New York Times Robert deMaine has distinguished himself as one of the finest and most versatile cellists of his generation, having performed to critical acclaim as soloist, recitalist, orchestral principal, recording artist and chamber musician throughout the world. As a chamber musician, he is a frequent guest artist at music festivals ranging from Aspen to Chataqua, Marlboro, San Miguel de Allende (Mexico) and Buenos Aires (Argentina). He has collaborated with the Beaux Arts Trio, Kronos and Juilliard quartets. He has been the Principal Cellist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra since 2002. “…brilliant…” -- The Washington Post
	“…singing lines and eloquent phrasing…” -- The New York Times Anne-Marie McDermott performs over 100 concerts a year in a combination of solo recitals, concerti and chamber music. She has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic and San Diego Symphony, among others. Ms. McDermott has recorded the complete Prokofiev Piano Sonatas, Bach English Suites and Partitas (which was named Gramophone Magazine’s Editor’s Choice). She is a member of the renowned piano quartet Opus One, and an Artist-Member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Ms. McDermott regularly performs at festivals across the United States and is the recently named Artistic Director of the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. “…liquid tone …eerie beauty.” – The New York Times