Daniel Epstein, Piano

Andy Simionescu, Violin

Susan Salm, Cello

10/13/07

 

In November of 1975 the newly-formed Raphael Trio made "a most auspicious debut" (The New

York Times) at Carnegie Hall as winners of the Concert Artists Guild Award. Since then, they have been presented regularly in the leading concert halls of the United States and Europe, appearing in London, Geneva, Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna, Budapest, Venice, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Denver, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Chicago, Boston and New York.  At Carnegie Hall they have been presented in cycles of concerts dedicated to the works of Brahms, Beethoven, Schubert, Dvorak, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Faure and Schumann.

 

Their participation in international festivals include the Wiener Festwochen, the Vienna Summer

Concerts, Saratoga, Spitalfields (London), Forde Abbey and Sheffield (England), Newport, Music Mountain, Stockbridge, Central City, Maverick Concerts, the Budapest Mozart Festival, and the San Francisco Beethoven Festival.  The Trio have been engaged in master classes and residencies at the Manhattan School of Music, The Hartt School, Purdue University, the University of Vermont, Peabody Conservatory, Eastman School of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Colgate University, and University of Southern California.  They were named Visiting Artists at the Manhattan School of Music in 2003.

 

The Raphael Trio’s active recording career includes frequent broadcasts for the BBC, Radio France, ORF-Vienna, Swiss and Belgian Radios, and CDs for SONY, ASV, Unicorn-Kanchana, Discover and Newport Classics, which have been greeted with highest accolades: "There is passion, there is commitment, there is absolute immersion in the style, and there is first-rate playing throughout in terms of both individual performance and interaction among the three players. It is just the sort of spirit one wants in chamber music. "(Stereo Review).

 

Ed Soph is internationally recognized as an author, master teacher, and musician. He has presented masterclasses throughout Europe, the Mid and Far East, Australia and New Zealand.

 

He is the author of ESSENTIAL TECHNIQUES FOR DRUMSET, FUNDAMENTAL STUDIES FOR DRUMSET, and THE BIG BAND PRIMER. His video, THE DRUMSET: A MUSICAL APPROACH, is distributed by Warner Bros. 

 

As a performer and recording artist, Ed has been associated with the big bands of Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Bill Watrous, and Clark Terry. Small group credits include trumpeters Randy Brecker, Ingrid Jensen, Red Rodney, Bobby Shew, Marvin Stamm, Ira Sullivan, and Clark Terry; saxophonists Eddie Daniels, Joe Henderson, Marchel Ivery, Pat LaBarbera, Dave Liebman, Dave Pietro, and Chris Potter; trombonists Carl Fontana, Urbie Green, Slide Hampton, Bill Watrous, and Jiggs Whigham; and, pianists Warren Bernhardt, David Catney, Bill Evans, Stefan Karlsson, Joe LoCascio, Bill Mays, Cedar Walton, and James Williams. 

 

Ed is an Artist Clinician for the Yamaha Corporation of America, the Avedis Zildjian Company, and Evans Drumheads. 

Nancy Ambrose King, oboe, is the first-prize winner of the Third New York International Competition for Solo Oboists, held in 1995. She has appeared as soloist throughout the United States and abroad, including appearances with the St. Petersburg, Russia, Philharmonic conducted by Fabio Mastrangelo, the Janacek Philharmonic in the Czech Republic conducted by Kimbo ISHII-ETO and Petr Vronsky, the Festival Internacionale de Musica Orchestra in Buenos Aires, Argentina conducted by Dominique Fanal, the New York String Orchestra conducted by Alexander Schneider, the Sinfonia da Camera conducted by Ian Hobson, the Champaign-Urbana Symphony conducted by Catherine Comet, and at the American Academy of Music in Rome. She has performed as recitalist in Weill Recital Hall and as soloist at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. She has taught and performed in the Sarasota Music Festival, Idyllwild Music Festival, Marrowstone Music Festival, Bowdoin Music Festival, Strings in the Mountains of Steamboat Springs, and the Hot Springs Music Festival.

Currently Associate Professor of Oboe at the University of Michigan and President of the International Double Reed Society, she was previously Associate Professor and University Scholar at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She has also served on the music faculties of Indiana University, Ithaca College, University of Northern Colorado, and Duquesne University Schools of Music. She has performed as principal oboist in Sinfonia da Camera, Michigan Opera Theater Orchestra, Pine Mountain and Hot Springs Music Festival Orchestras, Heidelberg Opera Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Greeley Philharmonic, Indiana University Festival Orchestra, and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, as well as performing in the Los Angeles, Boston, Detroit, and Rochester Philharmonic Symphony Orchestras.

 

Michael Barta holds degrees in music from the Béla Bartók Music Conservatory, and Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest Hungary. He was a semi-finalist at the Weiniawski International Competition, 2nd prize winner at the Joseph Szigeti International Violin Competition, and winner of the Medal of the Belgian Ysaye Society in Bruxelles Belgium. Other awards include being a finalist at the Tchaikovsky International Competition and Winner of the 2nd prize at the Hungarian National Radio Compeitition.

Currently, he is professor of violin and chamber music at the University of Illinois at Carbondale, Assistant Concertmaster of the Illinois Symphony and the Illinois Chamber Orchestra, and remains active as an international clinician and performer.

He has recorded for USA: PBS, Serenus. Germany: Westdeutsche Rundfunk, Sender Freies Berlin, Südwestfunk, Saarländische Rundfunk, Radio Bremen. Great Britain: Scottish BBC. Hungary: Hungaroton, Hungarian Radio France: Radio France.

 

The Box Office is located in the Moss Performing Arts Center
at 1100 North Ave, Grand Junction, Colorado, 81501

For more information, please call the Box Office at 970.248.1604

 

The Memphis Brass Quintet is the professional brass ensemble in residence at the University of Memphis’ Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music. Founded in 1993, the quintet is made up of distinguished faculty members that bring a wide range of performing experience to the ensemble. This experience is reflected in a varied repertoire that includes Renaissance and Baroque transcriptions, jazz arrangements, as well as contemporary works for brass quintet. With performances in the Memphis area, Tennessee, and around the US, the MBQ has developed a reputation for outstanding artistic concert presentations. The group also has a keen interest in education, and regularly presents clinics and masterclasses to students of all levels. The members are Dr. David Spencer and Mr. Ben Lewis, trumpets; Mr. Daniel Phillips, horn; Dr. John Mueller, trombone and Dr. Charles A. Schulz, tuba.