by Robert Rollin
On Sunday afternoon, June 18, Encore Chamber Music presented “Summer Tango,” an outstanding collaborative concert including the Jupiter and Cavani String Quartets and violinist Jinjoo Cho. The enthusiastic audience filled the small but opulent, wood-paneled room at Gilmour Academy’s Tudor House. [Read more…]
by Samantha Spaccasi
A hot and humid Friday night did not stop the Jupiter Quartet from putting on a stellar performance at the Gilmour Academy’s Tudor House. The group performed a “Beethoven sandwich” — two pieces by Beethoven with a delicious Ligeti work in the middle — for a fantastic opening to ENCORE Chamber Music’s second season.
The intimate setting was perfect for an evening of chamber music. Gathered in a richly decorated, wood-paneled room complete with grand portraits, the audience was transported back in time, as if we were aristocrats in a Parisian salon in the mid-1800s. [Read more…]
by Samantha Spaccasi
For the Jupiter Quartet, returning to Northeast Ohio is like returning home. Cellist Dan McDonough and violinists Meg Freivogel and Nelson Lee attended the Cleveland Institute of Music, and violist Liz Freivogel attended the Oberlin Conservatory. “We all started our careers in the Cleveland area, in a way,” said McDonough in a recent phone conversation. “We got a solid education in chamber music at those schools.”
The Jupiters return to Cleveland for a performance at ENCORE Chamber Music at the Gilmour Academy on June 16 at 7:00 pm. The program includes Beethoven’s Quartets Op. 18, No. 2 and Op. 131, and György Ligeti’s Quartet No. 1, “Metamorphoses Nocturnes.” [Read more…]
by Mike Telin
With the overarching theme of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” ENCORE Chamber Music is ready to begin its second season. “Last year was a pilot year for us, so there was a lot of experimentation,” ENCORE founder and artistic director Jinjoo Cho said during an interview. “I think this year is going to be even better. We’ve made some changes to the format, and the level of the students who are attending is even higher.” [Read more…]
by Samantha Spaccasi
The second change in two years has transformed one of Cleveland’s most prominent chamber music ensembles. Si-Yan Darren Li will be the new cellist for the Cavani Quartet, joining Annie Fullard and Mari Soto, violins, and Eric Wong, viola. Li will replace Merry Peckham, one of the group’s founding members.
The addition of Li marks a new era for the Cavani. Formed in 1984, the ensemble was one of the first all-female string quartets. Until last year, when Eric Wong replaced longtime violist Kirsten Docter, the group had undergone only two personnel changes in its history. [Read more…]
by Neil McCalmont
On the evening of Saturday, July 16 at Gilmour Academy, the “Sonata Duo” portion of ENCORE Chamber Music’s inaugural season opened with a titanic concert by Brazilian pianist Arnaldo Cohen, consisting of works by Bach, Brahms, and Chopin. Lauded by one critic as “the greatest pianist you’ve never heard of,” Cohen has led a successful international career, but has yet to become a household name in the States. Given the night’s thrilling performance, this should soon change. [Read more…]
by Mike Telin
Since its formation in 2010 at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, the Calidore String Quartet has been on a fast-track to success in the competitive world of professional chamber music. In 2016 alone the Quartet won England’s Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, becoming the first North American ensemble to receive the £20,000 award in the foundation’s history. During May they made their Carnegie Hall debut, and also won the $100,000 grand prize at the inaugural M-Prize Chamber Music Competition.
by Neil McCalmont
The first-ever season of ENCORE Chamber Music began with an impassioned and learnèd concert by the Miró Quartet on Saturday evening, June 18 in the chapel of Gilmour Academy. ENCORE, founded by renowned violinist Jinjoo Cho, is a seven-week summer camp for elite young string players and pianists. Students hone their skills through coachings, masterclasses, and concerts by seasoned professionals. [Read more…]
by Mike Telin
2016 has been a good year at the office for the young Calidore String Quartet. In February they won England’s Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, becoming the first North American ensemble to receive the £20,000 award in the foundation’s history. During May, violinists Jeffrey Myers and Ryan Meehan, violist Jeremy Berry, and cellist Estelle Choi made their Carnegie Hall debut, and won the $100,000 grand prize at the inaugural M-Prize Chamber Music Competition.
On Saturday, June 25 at 8:00 pm at Our Lady Chapel on the campus of Gilmour Academy, the Calidore String Quartet will make their Cleveland area debut as part of ENCORE Chamber Music’s “Virtuoso Series.” Their program titled “Forbidden Voices: Censorship and Propaganda of WWII” will include music by Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Felix Mendelssohn. [Read more…]
by Mike Telin
Founded in 1985 by David and Linda Cerone, the Encore School for Strings served as the summer session of the Cleveland Institute of Music until 2008 when the program was phased out following David Cerone’s retirement as president of CIM. The prestigious program’s alumni include violinists Ray Chen, Hilary Hahn, and Leila Josefowicz, to name only a few. Beginning on Monday, June 12 and continuing through Saturday, July 30, young string players from around the world will gather on the Gilmour Academy campus in Gates Mills to take part in the inaugural season of ENCORE Chamber Music. [Read more…]