Performances
VIOLIN & PIANO - FINAL EVENT OF PASSPORT DC
IN COOPERATION WITH CULTURALTOURISMDC.ORG
ELENA BAKSHT, PIANO
DMITRY BERLINSKI, VIOLIN
EMBASSY OF AUSTRIA
3524 INTERNATIONAL CT., NW
Saturday, May 17, 2008, 7:30 PM
It is rare to find an artist who has achieved the impeccable credentials and the uncompromising artistry of Dmitri Berlinsky. As a soloist and chamber musician, Mr. Berlinsky's intention is to bring music's spirit to his audience, reaching levels above mere entertainment. Mr. Berlinsky arrived on the International scene as the youngest winner in the history of the Paganini International Violin Competition in Genoa, Italy. This victory led to his performance on Nicòlo Paganini's own Guarneri del Gesu instrument, a privilege shared by only a handful of artists inhistory. Subsequent triumphs at the Montreal International Violin Competition (Grand Prize), the International Tchaikovsky Competition and the Queen Elizabeth Competition in Brussels, led to appearances with major orchestras in Europe, Russia, the Far East, North and South America. Mr. Berlinsky has performed in such major venues as Carnegie and Avery Fisher Halls in New York, Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Tokyo's Suntory Hall, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Berlin Schattspiellhaus, the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, the Bonn Beethoven Hall, and le Place des Arts in Montreal among others. Since coming to the United States in 1990 as the winner of the renowned Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Mr. Berlinsky has performed hundreds of concerts and given recitals in more than forty states throughout the USA.Elena Baksht's career as a recitalist, orchestral soloist and chamber musician has taken her to concert halls throughout the world. Career highlights include appearances with the New Philharmonic of New Jersey (Rachmaninoff – Piano Concerto No.2); Jupiter Symphony (Tcherepnin - Suite Georgienne); and Westfield Symphony Orchestra (Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue); and recitals in the New Jersey Chamber Series (Seton Hall University), Rutgers University Summerfest, and a debut in the prestigious Phillips Collection concert series (Washington, DC), which was broadcast nationally. In 1998 Ms. Baksht won the Artist International Piano Competition and was awarded her Carnegie Recital Hall debut. Ms. Baksht performs regularly with the eminent violinist Dmitri Berlinsky, including appearances at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, and concert tours in the USA, Europe, Canada, and Mexico. $50/reception
MOHAMED AMIR & ARABI MOROCCAN BAND
A FEW TICKETS REMAIN
RESIDENCE OF THE MOROCCAN AMBASSADOR
9109 CLEWERWALL DRIVE
BETHESDA, MARYLAND
Friday, May 23, 2008, 7:30 PM
Mohamed Amir, a native Moroccan has played all over the world and heads the Arabi Band. The band has performed at important events in Morocco. They have prepared a beautiful evening for us.
7:30 pm- cocktails & hors-d'oeuvres
with Moroccan background mood music
8 pm- 9 pm - A concert featuring the 5 piece Moroccan band
9 pm on- a sumptuous Moroccan buffet
This event is very limited, so purchase your tickets now. $100/buffet
WINNERS OF THE MONIUSZKO COMPETITION
MALGORZATA OLEJNICZAK,SOPRANO
RAFAL BARTMINSKI, TENOR
MICHAEL ADCOCK, PIANO
EMBASSY OF POLAND
2640 16TH STREET, NW
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 7:30 PM
WINNERS OF THE MONIUSZKO COMPETITION IN WARSAW- 2007
This is one of the most prestigious vocal competitions in the world and promises to be a splendid evening. $50/buffet
EMBASSY SERIES GALA -JAZZ COMBO & TRUMPET
NIAL DJULIARSO, JAZZ PIANO
JAMES KING, BASS
LENNY ROBINSON, DRUMS
BRUCE HARRIS,TRUMPET
RESIDENCE OF THE INDONESIAN AMBASSADOR
2700 TILDEN STREET, NW
Sunday, June 1, 2008, 2:00 PM
• Nial Djuliarso, Jazz Pianist and Combo
• Wine Reception
• Indonesian Barbecue
• Silent Auction
• Live Auction & More!
• Many Prizes Given Away
DATE: Sunday, June 1, 2008
TIME: 2:00 PM (festivities in garden and residence start)
3:00 PM (concert)
5:00 PM (dinner)
PLACE: 2700 Tilden St., N.W. Washington DC
Residence of the Indonesian Ambassador (one of the most beautiful sites in Washington, at the edge of Rock Creek Park.)
To volunteer for the Gala Committee or donate items for the auction, please contact Jennifer Wild at
(202) 237-7746 or wildjenny000@yahoo.com $150- $75 TAX-DEDUCTIBLE
DUO CARUSO - DA SILVA
A program with Portuguese guitar and piano. Quite unique in the magnificent Portuguese Residence.
PORTUGUESE AMBASSADOR'S RESIDENCE
2125 KALORAMA ROAD, NW
Friday, June 6, 2008, 7:30 PM
This most elegant Portuguese residence will be the scene of another great concert with great Portuguese hospitality. This Duo is unique and appealing. This concert always sells out. $100/buffet
AN EXOTIC EVENING OF MUSIC OF TUNISIA
TUNISIAN AMBASSADOR'S RESIDENCE
5131 BROAD BRANCH ROAD, NW
Saturday, June 14, 2008, 7:30 PM
After our huge success 3 years ago, we again present a marvelous program of traditional Tunisian music in an intimate setting, followed by a Tunisian dinner. $150/buffet
CUBAN CULTURAL CELEBRATION- CUBAN INTERESTS SECTION
This is our sixth year at the Cuban Interests Section and we are proud of our cultural outreach.
Call us at 202.625.2361
For further information
Saturday, October 18, 2008, 7:30 PM
EVALON INGOLF, VIOLIN
BEN LOEB, PIANO
ICELANDIC AMBASSADOR'S RESIDENCE
KALORAMA ROAD, NW
Friday, November 7, 2008, 7:30 PM
Evalon Ingolf comes from a well-known musical family in Iceland. She has received high acclaim from music critics, as well as the general public. During her years of study in Brussels, Geneva and Amsterdam, she was greatly influenced by the spirit of the Russian and Eastern European violin school.
BEETHOVEN'S BiRTHDAY CONCERT- SAVE THE DATE!
ANN SCHEIN, PIANO
EARL CARLYSS, VIOLIN
EMBASSY OF FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
4645 RESERVOIR ROAD, NW
Tuesday, December 16, 2008, 7:30 PM
All-Beethoven:
Eroica Variations
Sonata #10
Appassionata
OPERA/OPERETTA EVENING
KRISZTINA DAVID, SOPRANO
GEORGE PEACHEY, PIANO
A SPECIAL EVENING OF GORGEOUS ARIAS AND SCENES FROM OPERAS AND OPERETTAS. SAVE THE DATE!
EMBASSY OF AUSTRIA
3524 INTERNATIONAL CT., NW
Friday, January 9, 2009, 7:30 PM
EVENING OF OPERA AND OPERETTA
KRISZTINA DAVID, SOPRANO
GEORGE PEACHEY, PIANO
EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY
2950 SPRING OF FREEDOM, NW
Saturday, January 10, 2009, 7:30 PM
VITALY SAMOSHKO, PIANO
EMBASSY OF AUSTRIA
3524 INTERNATIONAL CT., NW
Saturday, January 24, 2009, 7:30 PM
Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine in 1973, Vitaly Samoshko showed great musical promise at a very young age. At age five he was admitted to the Special Music School in Kharkiv. As of 1985 he studied with professor Leonid Margarius and later attended the Conservatory of Kharkiv from 1991 to 1996 also with Margarius as professor. Margarius and Samoshko continued their collaboration in Imola, Italy at the Accademia Pianistica “Incontri col Maestro”.
Vitaly Samoshko has won major prizes at international piano competitions including the 1993 F. Busoni Competition (2nd prize), the 1995 Senigallia International Piano Competition (2nd prize), the 1996 Concours International de Piano de Montréal (2nd prize) and the 1998 A. Rubinstein Piano Master Competition (2nd prize). In 1999 he took first prize at the piano 1999 Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition of Belgium. Since then he has firmly established his solo career and has performed in over 25 countries on stages like the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum and the Steinway Hall in New York, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Beethovenhalle in Bonn as well as the Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall, Okayama Symphony Hall and Kyoto Concert Hall in Japan, the Singel in Antwerp, the Concertgebouw in Bruges, de Bijloke in Ghent and the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels.
Samoshko has performed at major festivals such as the Klavier Festival Ruhr in Germany, the Festival de Montpellier Radio France and Festival de Besançon in France, the Festival Música Romântica in Switzerland, the Yokohama International Piano Festival in Japan, the Savannah Onstage Festival in the United States, the Festival International de Lanaudière in Canada, the Festival d’Echternach and the Bourglinster Festival in Luxembourg, the Chopin Piano Festival in Poland as well as the Festival of Flanders, Festival d’Aulne and Festival de Wallonie in Belgium.
He has played with world-class orchestras including the Tokyo Philharmonic, the New Japan Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Orchestre National de Belgique, Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège, Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen, Orchester der Beethovenhalle, the St. Petersburg State Symphony and Orchestre National de Lille.
Samoshko has collaborated with acclaimed conductors such as Charles Dutoit, Edvard Tchivzhel, Marc Soustrot, Gilbert Varga, Mendi Rodan, Georges Octors, Kazufumi Yamashita, David Shallon, Arthur Fagen, Otaka Tadaaki, Louis Langrée, Paul Daniel and David Angus.
He has recorded a number of broadcasts for Radio Suisse Romande in Geneva, Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne and “Musique 3” in Brussels. As well, he has recorded with various labels and TV stations.
In 2001 Vitaly Samoshko made Belgium his home. Two years later he recorded a double CD with the new label Lineair Art Transfer, which featured works by Schubert, Schumann, Scriabin and Prokofiev (LAT 2003-01). In a solemn broadcasting the Classic Radio Klara (VRT) awarded him with the ‘Best international CD 2005’ for his second album, Piano Studies Scriabin (LAT 2005-02). In the fall of that year he was appointed guest professor at the Conservatory of Ghent and is regularly invited to give master classes at conservatories and festivals. He also joined a new chamber ensemble called Trio Sonnetto with violinist Leonid Kerbel and cellist Ilia Laporev.
Vitaly Samoshko has established himself as a remarkable soloist. His performances demonstrate a highly developed musical personality, both in concert and on CD. With the CD ‘Les Etudes-Tableaux’ by Rachmaninov (LAT 2006-03) released in 2006, Vitaly Samoshko completed a cornerstone triptych.
TILL FELLNER, PIANO
EMBASSY OF AUSTRIA
3524 INTERNATIONAL CT., NW
Wednesday, March 4, 2009, 7:30 PM
Till Fellner begins his mammoth Beethoven Tour in the USA with a marvelous program of sonatas.
orn in Vienna, Till Fellner studied with Helene Sedo-Stadler before going on to study privately with Alfred Brendel, Meira Farkas, Oleg Maisenberg and Claus-Christian Schuster. He first gained international recognition by winning first prize at the prestigious Clara Haskil International Competition in 1993.
Since then Till Fellner has performed with many of the world's most famous orchestras and has appeared in major concert halls and at important festivals in Europe, the United States and Japan. He has worked with many leading conductors including Claudio Abbado, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Christoph von Dohnányi, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Heinz Holliger, Marek Janowski, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Neville Marriner, Kent Nagano, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Leonard Slatkin, Claudius Traunfellner, Franz Welser-Möst, and Hans Zender. In the chamber music field he plays regularly with Heinrich Schiff and in a trio with Lisa Batiashvili and Adrian Brendel. Furthermore he appears in Lieder recitals with Mark Padmore.
Important performances of the last season included orchestra concerts in Montréal, Paris, Munich, London, Vienna and Budapest under the baton of conductors such as Kent Nagano, Sylvain Cambreling, Philippe Jordan, Sir Neville Marriner and Zoltán Kocsis. Further highlights were a duo tour with Heinrich Schiff and highly praised solo recitals in many European, North American and Japanese cities.
In the upcoming season 2007-08 Till Fellner will perform amongst others with the Orchestre National de France (Kurt Masur), the Philharmonia Orchestra London (Sir Charles Mackerras) and the Munich Philharmonic (Lothar Zagrosek). A long-term project performing and recording all Beethoven piano concertos with Kent Nagano and the Montréal Symphony will start in spring 2008. Further highlights are solo recitals in many European and North American cities and chamber music concerts with Viviane Hagner, Lisa Batiashvili and Adrian Brendel and Lieder recitals with Mark Padmore.
From autumn 2008 onwards Till Fellner will play all Beethoven piano sonatas in a cycle that will span 7 concerts during 2 seasons. The complete cycle will be presented in New York, Tokyo, London, Paris and Vienna and other cities.
Till Fellner has recorded numerous CDs, the latest release was Bach’s “The Welltempered Klavier, Book I” (ECM Records).
JORGE SAADE, VIOLIN & FRIENDS
EMBASSY OF ECUADOR
2535 15TH STREET, NW
Saturday, March 14, 2009, 7:30 AM
HAYDN PIANO TRIOS
MENDELSSOHN PIANO TRIO
EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY
2950 SPRING OF FREEDOM, NW
Friday, March 20, 2009, 7:30 PM
KEVIN KENNER, PIANO
LA MAISON FRANÇAISE
EMBASSY OF FRANCE
4101 RESERVOIR RD, NW
Sunday, March 29, 2009, 5:00 PM
He is a mystic. … He comes to us with a message which he reads as a verse from the Bible … Kenner achieves the highest level of transcendence"
So the words of one amongst a veritable army of critics whose praise pitches Kenner as one of the giants of the pianistic world. Kevin Kenner was the winner in 1990 of the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw and of the Bronze Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He records regularly for the BBC in England, where he now lives.At the age of 17, American pianist Kevin Kenner participated in the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw and was awarded the 10th prize and a special prize from the jury for his promising talent. Ten years later, in 1990 he returned to Warsaw to win the top prize, the People's Prize and the Polonaise Prize. Earlier that year he won the bronze medal at the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, together with a special prize for his interpretation of Russian music. Other awards include the International Terence Judd Award (London, 1990), the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (Fort Worth, 1989) and the Gina Bachauer International Competition (Salt Lake City, 1988).
Kevin Kenner has since performed as soloist with world-class orchestras including the Hallé Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic, the Belgian Radio and Television Philharmonic Brussels, the NHK Symphony of Japan, and in the US with the principal orchestras of San Francisco, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Kansas City, New Jersey, Rochester, Baltimore, St. Paul and many others. He has been invited to work with many renowned conductors, including the late Sir Charles Groves, Andrew Davis, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Jiri Belohlavek and Kazimierz Kord to name but a few.
MENDELSSOHN PIANO TRIOS
MENDELSSOHN PIANO TRIO
EMBASSY OF FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
4645 RESERVOIR ROAD, NW
Friday, April 3, 2009, 7:30 PM
SASHA COOKE, MEZZO SOPRANO
EMBASSY OF AUSTRIA
3524 INTERNATIONAL CT., NW
Monday, May 4, 2009, 7:30 PM
Praised by The New York Times for “combining the outward purity of a Renaissance angel and a voice of powerful warmth and excellent musicality,” American mezzo-soprano SASHA COOKE is equally at home in operatic, orchestral and recital settings. Ms. Cooke won First Prize in the 2007 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. She made her Washington, DC debut in the Young Concert Artists Series at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater in September 2007 and her New York debut at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall in October 2007. Ms. Cooke is a member of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program of the Metropolitan Opera.
During the 2007-2008 season Ms. Cooke performs with the Met Chamber Ensemble and James Levine at Carnegie’s Weill Hall on October 28, 2007, and appears at the Metropolitan Opera in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride, and Puccini’s Manon Lescaut. She performs as soloist with Orchestra New England and appears at the Bard Music Festival (NY), The Colonial Theatre (MA), Buffalo Chamber Music Society, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, University of Georgia, and National Museum of Women in the Arts (DC). In March 2008 she appears with the New York Festival of Song singing premieres by John Musto and William Bolcom, and in the summer of 2008 travels to Tel Aviv for performances as Olga in Tchaikovsky’s Evgeny Onegin with Israeli Opera.
At the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Ms. Cooke was also honored with the Rhoda Walker Teagle Prize, which sponsors her New York debut; the Fergus First Prize; the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation Award, which includes a concert engagement in Europe; and the Embassy Series Prize (Washington, DC). She holds the Lindemann Vocal Chair of Young Concert Artists.
During the summer of 2007, Ms. Cooke was a member of the Wolf Trap Opera Company, appearing with the National Symphony Orchestra as Mercedes in a concert performance of Bizet’s Carmen, as Aloes in Chabrier’s L’Étoile, and in a recital program entitled “Manhattan Diaries” hosted by Steven Blier. Her other notable performances include Handel's Messiah and Mozart's Vespers at Carnegie Hall with the Oratorio Society of New York, Chausson's Poème de l'amour et de la mer at Miller Theater, New York Festival of Song’s “Brava Italia!” concert at Weill Hall, the Marilyn Horne Foundation’s 2007 Gala at Zankel Hall, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor with the Mozart Academy of San Luis Obispo, and Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky with the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra (TX). In March 2007, Ms. Cooke participated in Seattle Opera’s young artist program, as Meg Page in Verdi’s Falstaff.
Ms. Cooke won First Prizes in the 2007 Sun Valley Opera Vocal Competition and the 2006 Bach Vocal Competition sponsored by the American Bach Society and The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, as well as Third Prize in the 2006 Licia Albanese-Puccini Competition.
Ms. Cooke received her Bachelor’s Degree from Rice University and her Master’s Degree from The Juilliard School. During her time at Juilliard, she was a frequent soloist in premiere performances by the New Juilliard Ensemble. She has also attended Music Academy of the West, the Aspen Musical Festival, Ravinia Festival’s Steans Institute, and Central City Opera’s Young Artist Training Program.
HOMAGE TO HAYDN
CHRISTOPHER HINTERHUBER, PIANO
EMBASSY OF AUSTRIA
3524 INTERNATIONAL CT., NW
Friday, May 15, 2009, 7:30 PM
On the occasion of the 200th birthday of Franz Josef Haydn, virtuoso Austrian artist Christopher Hinterhuber will play a special program. Christopher Hinterhuber
„One of the best and most fascinating piano recordings of this year“ wrote the German magazine Fono Forum in 2006 about his recording of Sonatas and Rondos by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.
Born in Klagenfurt, Austria, Christopher Hinterhuber studied with Rudolf Kehrer, Lazar Berman, Avo Kouyoumdjian and Heinz Medjimorec, and acquired additional artistic input by Oleg Maisenberg and Vladimir Ashkenazy among others.
He went on to win numerous prizes and honors at the international piano competitions in Leipzig, Saarbrücken, Pretoria, Zurich and Vienna among others and played in major concert halls and festivals: Wiener Musikverein & Konzerthaus, Philharmonic (Munich), Suntory Hall (Tokyo), Gewandhaus (Leipzig), Rudolfinum (Prague), Ruhr Piano Festival, Styriarte (Graz), Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, Mondseetage, Mozartwoche Salzburg and many more…
As "Rising Star" 2002/3 he performed with violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja in the international series at the Carnegie Hall, New York, Athens Concert Hall, Palais des Beaux Arts de Bruxelles, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall London Konserthus Stockholm; Festspielhaus Baden-Baden; Symphony Hall Birmingham; Musikverein Wien, Mozarteum Salzburg and the Philharmonie in Cologne.
A special project was the recording (Schubert, Rachmaninov, Schönberg) and filming (his hands) for the french-austrian movie "La pianiste" after Elfriede Jelinek directed by Michael Haneke, which won the Great Prize of the Jury in Cannes 2001.
An important part of his work is chamber music with partners as the violinists Ernst Kovacic, Christian Altenburger, Rainer Honeck (concertmaster Vienna Philharmonic), Tamás Varga (solo cellist Vienna Philharmonic), clarinetist Ernst Ottensamer, flutist Wolfgang Schulz or the Hugo-Wolf-, Ysaye and Prazakquartets.
Christopher Hinterhuber has worked with renowned orchestras and conductors: members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, the Vienna and Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic, Orchestra Philharmonique de Luxembourg , the MDR Orchestra Leipzig, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, the Slovenian Philharmonic, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bertrand de Billy, Yakov Kreizberg, Beat Furrer, Peter Oundjian, Bruno Weil, Howard Griffiths and Dennis Russell Davies, among others.
He has made several recordings for Naxos and records currently all 8 Piano Concertos by Ferdinand Ries (Vol. 2 was released in September 2007), the latest release in November 2007 included works for Piano and orchestra by Hummel.
He gave masterclasses in Japan, Europe and South America, in 2005/6 he was teaching piano as visiting professor at the University for Music and performing Arts in Vienna.
Highlights in the 2008/9 season include concerts in the US, China, New Zealand and Korea, debuts with Vienna Symphonic Orchestra under the baton of Sylvain Cambreling, the Wiener Akademie under the baton of M.Haselböck and a CD recording with the Bournemouth Symphony in England.
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