Stream the Ariel Quartet’s Final CCM Concert of 2019

Although the theaters and concert halls at the University of Cincinnati’s nationally ranked and internationally renowned College-Conservatory of Music are temporarily silent, audiences can still experience world-class performances through CCM’s new CCMONSTAGE Online video series. This week’s release showcases the Ariel Quartet’s concert of fugues from Oct. 22, 2019.

The performance features W.A. Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546; Bartok’s String Quartet No. 1, Op.7; and Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat Major, Op. 130 and 133.

The concert from Oct. 22, 2019, features Beethoven’s Große Fuge (or “Great Fugue”), which the Ariel Quartet performed in its debut Beethoven cycle at CCM in the 2013-14 performance season. Arts reporter Janelle Gelfand praised the ensemble’s performance: “From start to finish, the musicians wonderfully captured Beethoven’s emotional grit and fire, coupled with some of the most sublime music ever written.”

Described by the American Record Guide as “a consummate ensemble gifted with utter musicality and remarkable interpretive power,” the Ariel Quartet has earned a glowing international reputation. The ensemble is comprised of Alexandra “Sasha” Kazovsky, violin; Amit Even-Tov, cello; Gershon Gerchikov, violin; and Jan Grüning, viola. The group was formed in Israel in 1998 and has served as CCM’s string quartet-in-residence since 2012.

The Ariel Quartet’s 2019-20 CCM concert series was made possible by the generous contributions of an anonymous donor, The Estate of Mr. William A. Friedlander, Mrs. William A. Friedlander, Dr. Randolph L. Wadsworth, Mr. & Mrs. J. David Rosenberg, Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Santen, Elizabeth C. B. & Paul G. Sittenfeld, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman, Dr. & Mrs. Theodore W. Striker and Mrs. Harry M. Hoffheimer.

Receive updates on future CCMONSTAGE Online performances by subscribing to our mailing list.

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Featured image at top: Ariel Quartet members Jan Grüning, Amit Even-Tov, Gershon Gerchikov and Alexandra “Sasha” Kazovsky. Photo/Marco Borggreve

‘From the Top’ Names New Co-hosts with CCM Connection

Two CCM-affiliated musicians will join the team of NPR’s popular classical music program From the Top as co-hosts and creatives. Congrats to violinists Tessa Lark and Charles Yang, who both took lessons with CCM Professor of Violin Kurt Sassmannshaus!

Lark from Richmond, Kentucky, participated in Sassmannshaus’ Starling Preparatory String Project at CCM. Since then, Lark has attended the New England Conservatory and the Juilliard School. She has been awarded a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship and an Avery Fisher Career Grant. Lark was the winner of the 2012 Naumburg International Violin Competition and the silver medalist at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis.

Yang also studied violin with Sassmannshaus. Yang was the recipient of the 2018 Leonard Bernstein Award and is a member of the crossover string band Time for Three. Yang also attended Juilliard, and has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in concert in the U.S., Europe, Brazil, Russia, China and Taiwan.

Lark and Yang were previously featured in From the Top’s show 286, which was recorded in CCM’s Corbett Auditorium in April 2014. The episode featured a performance by the Starling Chamber Orchestra and young musicians from the Starling Preparatory String project along with “The Starling/From the Top Alumni Trio,” comprised of Lark, Yang and Jonathan Miron.

The hiring of Lark and Yang is part of larger changes at From the Top. Pianist Peter Dugan has been named the new permanent host of the program, starting with the 2020-21 season. Violinist Vijay Gupta and clarinetist Alex Laing join Lark and Yang as co-hosts, and pianist Orli Shaham will solo guest host.

All will interview and collaborate with the From the Top young musicians and will serve as mentors to the From the Top musicians. They will also be actively involved in leadership training, community engagement and career development programs. As strategic and collaborative partners, their insight and experience will help to inform future development of From the Top.

For the past 20 years, From the Top has featured performances and stories of young classically-trained musicians, and continues to provide a national platform that showcases and supports the next generation of emerging classical artists, from live concert tapings to leadership training and community engagement programs.

About From the Top

From the Top is an independent non-profit organization that supports, develops, and shares the artistic voices and stories of young classically-trained musicians. Through its primary platform, a weekly one-hour NPR radio broadcast, and nationally-recognized arts leadership programs, From the Top amplifies the hope, passio, and discipline of today’s extraordinary young musicians.

From the Top provides young musicians with live performance opportunities in premier concert venues across the country, national exposure to nearly half a million listeners on its weekly NPR show, leadership and community engagement preparation and more than $3 million in scholarships since 2005.

From the Top’s programs are made possible in part by an award from the National Endowment of the Arts, a grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, generous contributions from individuals and institutions and partnerships with radio stations nationwide.

About the Starling Preparatory String Project

Founded in 1987 by CCM Professor Kurt Sassmannshaus, the Starling Preparatory String Project is a specialized honors program training young string students. The program is generously funded through a grant by the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation. The superbly talented musicians perform as the Starling Chamber Orchestra and are selected by audition.

Students receive one hourly lesson per week, and take music theory, chamber music and orchestra each Saturday. Instructors include CCM faculty and graduate students specially trained and chosen by Professor Sassmannshaus. Most of the students are from the greater Cincinnati area, and many others commute on Saturdays from other states. SCO has a concert series at Robert J. Werner Recital Hall at CCM and tours regularly. For more information on the Starling Preparatory String Project, visit www.starling.org.

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Story by CCM Graduate Student Alexandra Doyle

The Application Deadline is Approaching for the CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship

Get paid to perform with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra while earning a full scholarship to pursue your graduate degree at CCM as a CSO/CCM Diversity Fellow.

UC’s College-Conservatory of Music and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra are accepting applications for the 2020-22 class of CSO/CCM Diversity Fellows. The application deadline is Dec. 1, 2019. For application and audition requirements, visit us at ccm.uc.edu/chance2perform.

Funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, this program provides an unparalleled learning experience for graduate-level violin, viola, violoncello and double bass players coming from populations that are historically underrepresented in classical music. Symphony Magazine recently spotlighted the CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship in a story that focused on the “new cultural and economic directions redefining and expanding the role of the conservatory in the 21^st century.”

CSO/CCM Diversity Fellow Benefits: 

• Perform the equivalent of five weeks per season with the CSO.
• Receive compensation of $8,000 per season while performing with the CSO.
• Receive full tuition scholarship support while enrolled in a two-year Master of Music or Artist Diploma program at CCM.
• Receive a $10,000 per year graduate stipend and one-time Graduate School Dean’s Excellence Award of $3,000 from CCM.
• Receive access to orchestral audition and professional development stipends.

In addition, as many as five CSO/CCM Diversity Fellows can be selected annually to participate in an eight-week summer residency with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra through a partnership with the Chautauqua Institution of New York.

Participants will be paired with CSO coach/mentors for the duration of their Fellowship. An administrative liaison will also be assigned to support Fellows. Download the informational poster.

Get a look inside the CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship in a feature story on Fellow Anita Graef (MM Cello, ’19). You can also learn about Fellow Ian Saunders’ (AD Double Bass, ’19) experience in the fellowship in a radio interview with Cincinnati Public Radio WVXU.

Important Dates

CCM and the CSO are now accepting applications for the 2020-22 class of Fellows. The application deadline is Dec. 1, 2019. For application and audition requirements, visit us at ccm.uc.edu/chance2perform.

Live auditions with CCM faculty will be held on Jan. 17-18, Jan. 24-25 and Feb. 14-15 of 2020.

Finalists will audition for the CSO on March 14, 2020, in CCM’s Robert J. Werner Recital Hall.

CCM Sophomore Violinist Makes New York Carnegie Hall Debut

Described as a “wondrous and natural talent in the purest sense,” KayCee Galano performs J.S. Bach’s complete Solo Sonatas and Partitas on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, at Weill Recital Hall at New York City’s Carnegie Hall.

Philippine violinist Kristine Clair Uchi “KayCee” Galano performs the complete J.S. Bach Solo Sonatas and Partitas from memory on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

The 18-year-old violinist is currently a sophomore at CCM, where she studies with Professor Kurt Sassmannshaus, the Dorothy Richard Starling Chair in Classical Violin. Galano’s performance is presented by the Starling Project Foundation Cincinnati. Details and tickets for Galano’s New York recital are available on Carnegie Hall’s website.

Galano became an overnight sensation in her home country in October 2018 when she stepped in as a soloist for Max Brunch’s first violin concerto with the Philippine Philharmonic with just a few days’ notice. Conductor Gerard Salonga, Music Director of the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra and Resident Conductor of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, said:

“In 2018 I had the good fortune of meeting KayCee for the first time in her hometown of Dumaguete in the Philippines. What immediately struck me about her was her beautiful sound, technical security, keen phrasing and natural musicality. KayCee is also a wonderful, positively charged human being, and a delight to work with. I really cannot say enough about what a talent she is, and how proud she is making her country. We should all look forward to hearing her contributions to the music world.”

From an early age, Galano had an irresistible fascination with the violin. At age 10, she attended the Great Wall International Music Academy in Beijing to study violin with Sassmannshaus. When she returned to her home in Brunei, Galano enrolled as a scholarship student in Sassmannshaus’ Starling Preparatory String Project at CCM, and she began weekly, long-distance lessons over Skype with Sassmannshaus. She quickly began to establish herself as one of the leading young violinists of her generation.

Galano has won first prize at the Malaysian Youth Music Festival and at the Great Wall Violin Concerto Competition in Beijing. At age 12, she performed in the first Asian broadcast of NPR’s “From the Top” show. The following year she performed Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto with the Metro Manila Concert Orchestra. At age 14, Galano toured the U.S. with renowned pianist Rohan De Silva, and has since collaborated and recorded with him many times.

“I tremendously enjoy performing with KayCee Galano,” said De Silva. “Her infectious musicality and magnetic stage presence were obvious in our first encounter. I foresee and wish her a blessed life as an important musician. Ms. Galano is a charming and stellar artistic ambassador for her native country of the Philippines.”

Her concert tours in China include performances at the National Centre for the Performing Arts and the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, as well as a tour of many Chinese cities with the Starling Chamber Orchestra. In 2017, Galano performed Korngold’s violin concerto with the Jena Philharmonic in Germany.

Five years after she began the Skype lessons with Sassmannshaus, Galano moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, to complete her studies in CCM’s Starling Preparatory String Project and finish high school. She enrolled at CCM to pursue a BM in violin in fall 2018.

In anticipation of her Carnegie Hall debut, Galano’s teacher and mentor Sassmanshaus said:

“KayCee’s affinity and love of Bach’s Solo works has been a source of inspiration in her young life for many years. Her captivating interpretations show the rare confluence of a youthful spirit and uncommon maturity — and both continue to deliver delightful surprises. Her New York Recital Debut of the complete Bach solo violin works at age 18 will be both the culmination of in-depth study of many years, and the beginning of a life-long journey.”

Recital Information

Carnegie Hall Debut by CCM Sophomore Violinist KayCee Galano
Presented by the Starling Project Foundation Cincinnati

Repertoire: J.S. Bach: Six Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo (Complete)

Time: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019

Location: Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Please visit Carnegie Hall’s website for directions and parking.

Tickets: $30; student and senior discount tickets are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office. Tickets can be purchased through Carnegie Hall’s website or over the phone by calling the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 212-247-7800.

About the Starling Preparatory String Project

Founded in 1987 by CCM Professor Kurt Sassmannshaus, the Starling Preparatory String Project is a specialized honors program training young string students. The program is generously funded through a grant by the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation. The superbly talented musicians perform as the Starling Chamber Orchestra and are selected by audition.

Students receive one hourly lesson per week, and take music theory, chamber music and orchestra each Saturday. Instructors include CCM faculty and graduate students specially trained and chosen by Professor Sassmannshaus. Most of the students are from the greater Cincinnati area, and many others commute on Saturdays from other states. SCO has a concert series at Robert J. Werner Recital Hall at CCM and tours regularly. For more information on the Starling Preparatory String Project, visit www.starling.org.

CCM Welcomes World-Renowned Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter for Master Class on Sept. 27

CCM students and the general public are invited to attend a free master class with acclaimed violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter on Friday, Sept. 27.

Four-time Grammy Award-winner Anne-Sophie Mutter presents a master class at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, 2019 in CCM’s Mary Emery Hall Room 3250. The “undisputed queen of violin-playing” (The Times, London), Mutter will work with CCM string students during the two-hour session, which is free and open to the general public.

Mutter’s visit to CCM coincides with her weekend performances with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, which features her on Beethoven’s Violin Concerto to celebrate the composer’s 250^th birthday. The CSO concerts are presented on Saturday, Sept. 28 and Sunday, Sept. 29 at Music Hall. For more information about the events with the CSO, please visit cincinnatisymphony.org.

Please contact Associate Professor of Violin, Won-Bin Yim for more information on the master class at CCM.

About Anne-Sophie Mutter
Anne-Sophie Mutter is a musical phenomenon: for more than 40 years the virtuoso has now been a fixture in all the world’s major concert halls, making her mark on the classical music scene as a soloist, mentor and visionary.

The four-time Grammy Award winner is equally committed to the performance of traditional composers as to the future of music: so far she has given world premieres of 27 works – Unsuk Chin, Sebastian Currier, Henri Dutilleux, Sofia Gubaidulina, Witold Lutoslawski, Norbert Moret, Krzysztof Penderecki, Sir André Previn, Wolfgang Rihm and John Williams have all composed for Anne-Sophie Mutter. Furthermore, she dedicates herself to numerous benefit projects and to supporting tomorrow’s musical elite: in the autumn of 1997 she founded the “Association of Friends of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation e.V.”, to which the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation was added in 2008. These two charitable institutions provide support for the scholarship recipients, support which is tailored to the fellows’ individual needs. Since 2011, Anne-Sophie Mutter has regularly shared the spotlight on stage with her ensemble of fellows, “Mutter’s Virtuosi”. 

Anne-Sophie Mutter’s 2019 concert calendar features performances in Asia, Europe, North and South America, once again reflecting the violinist’s musical versatility and her unparalleled prominence in the world of classical music: in March she has performed the world premiere of Sebastian Currier’s Ghost Trio at Carnegie Hall. In San Francisco, she will give the world premiere of Jörg Widmann’s String Quartet – both works were commissioned by her and are dedicated to the violinist. In September she will perform for the first time in her career as part of an open-air concert. Entitled Across the Stars, this event features some of the most outstanding works by John Williams, who has won several Oscars for his compositions, and takes place on Munich’s Königsplatz. Most of the works on this open-air programme are special arrangements made for Mutter. August sees the release of her CD recording of this new Williams repertoire, which has not been heard in this form anywhere else so far. Another thematic focus in 2019 are the violin concerti by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which she performs throughout Europe and in the USA. In South America and in Europe, she appears with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and plays the Beethoven Triple Concerto with Daniel Barenboim and Yo-Yo Ma – an extraordinary cast. Together with “Mutter’s Virtuosi”, the ensemble of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation, she performs for the first time in South America.

On October 16 2019 Anne-Sophie Mutter will be honoured with the Praemium Imperiale in the category music; in June she received the Polar Music Prize. Poland awarded the Gloria Artis Gold Medal for Cultural Achievements to Anne-Sophie Mutter in March 2018, making her the first German artist to receive such an honour. In February 2018 she was named an Honorary Member of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Romania awarded the Order of Cultural Merit in the rank of a Grand Officer to Anne-Sophie Mutter in November 2017; during the same month France honoured her by presenting her with the insignia of a Commander of the French Order of the Arts and Literature. In December 2016, the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports awarded her the “Medalla de oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes” (Gold Medal for Merits in the Fine Arts). In January 2015 Anne-Sophie Mutter was named an Honorary Fellow of Keble College at the University of Oxford. In October 2013 she became a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, after winning the medal of the Lutoslawski Society (Warsaw) in January. In 2012 the Atlantic Council bestowed the Distinguished Artistic Leadership Award upon her. In 2011 she received the Brahms Prize as well as the Erich Fromm Prize and the Gustav Adolf Prize for her social activism. In 2010 the Technical-Scientific University of Norway in Trondheim bestowed an honorary doctorate upon her; in 2009 she won the European St. Ulrich Award as well as the Cristobal Gabarron Award. In 2008 Anne-Sophie Mutter was the recipient of the International Ernst von Siemens Music Prize as well as the Leipzig Mendelssohn Prize. The violinist has been awarded the German Grand Order of Merit, the French Medal of the Legion of Honour, the Bavarian Order of Merit, the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria, and numerous other honors.

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Directions and Parking

CCM is located on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Please visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions for detailed driving directions to CCM Village.Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the end of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit the UC Parking Services website for information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors.

The Ariel Quartet’s Concert Series Continues at CCM on Jan. 29

The Ariel Quartet resumes its 2018-19 concert series at CCM at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29, in the acoustically stunning Corbett Auditorium. Tickets to the performance are on sale now. Click here to purchase tickets online.

The concert opens with Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 16, Op. 135. Beethoven’s last major work, the quartet premiered in March 1828, one year after the composer’s death.

Next on the program is Alexander Zemlinsky’s turbulent String Quartet No. 2, Op. 15, which was first performed in 1918.

The concert closes with Johannes Brahms’ lighthearted and cheerful String Quartet No. 3, Op. 67. Brahms’ last string quartet, the work received its premiere performance on Oct. 30, 1876.

Described by the American Record Guide as “a consummate ensemble gifted with utter musicality and remarkable interpretive power,” the Ariel Quartet has earned a glowing international reputation. The ensemble is comprised of Alexandra “Sasha” Kazovsky, violin; Amit Even-Tov, cello; Gershon Gerchikov, violin; and Jan Grüning, viola. The group was formed in Israel in 1998 and has served as CCM’s string quartet-in-residence since 2012. Learn more about the Quartet by visiting www.arielquartet.com. Complete program information for the Jan. 29 concert is below.

Repertoire

• BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135
• ZEMLINSKY: String Quartet No. 2 in D Major, Op. 15
• BRAHMS: String Quartet No. 3 in B flat Major, Op. 67

Performance Time

8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29

Location

Corbett Auditorium, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Purchasing Tickets

Tickets are $25 for general admission, $15 for non-UC students and FREE for UC students with valid ID. General admission and non-UC student tickets are on sale now. UC students can obtain one free ticket each with valid ID beginning Friday, Jan. 25.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online now through our e-Box Office! Visit ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice for CCM Box Office hours and location.

Parking and Directions

Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.

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The Ariel Quartet’s 2018-19 CCM concert series is made possible by the generous contributions of an anonymous donor, The Estate of Mr. William A. Friedlander, Mrs. William A. Friedlander, Dr. Randolph L. Wadsworth, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bloom, Mr. and Mrs. J. David Rosenberg, Mr. and Mrs. Harry H. Santen, Mr. and Mrs. Paul G. Sittenfeld, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman, Dr. and Mrs. Theodore W. Striker and Mrs. Harry M. Hoffheimer.

Ariel Quartet photography by Saverio Truglia.

Alumni Showcase Spotlight: Violinist Yang Liu

CCM highlights alumni guest artists who will return to campus for the Sesquicentennial Alumni Showcase in a series of alumni spotlight stories.

Violinist Yang Liu (AD Violin, 2014) visits CCM on April 21 to perform in the college’s Sesquicentennial Alumni Showcase! An internationally acclaimed musician, Liu will play Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3 in B Minor at the concert.

Yang Liu.

Liu combines outstanding technical command and sublime musicality in performances that have earned him numerous accolades in Asia, the United States and Europe. He is a former prize winner of the Twelfth International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and a first prize winner of China’s National Violin Competition.

Dubbed “the best of the billion” by Beijing Tonight, Liu’s repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary works. He plays a Guarneri violin made in 1741 on a generous loan from Stradivari Society and Bein and Fushi Rare Violins.

Liu made his North American debut with the Atlanta Symphony orchestra, earning three nights of standing ovations for his performance of Paganini’s First Violin Concerto. This success was followed by performances with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Robert Spano, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Hagen Symphony Orchestra in Germany and Odense Symphony Orchestra in Denmark.

During a highly successful tour throughout China under Maestro Christoph Eberle, Liu was a soloist in a concerto by Carl Nielsen, which was praised by Chinese media as “an absolutely sensational performance, which touched the deepest spot of our hearts… Such a musician has been rarely heard for the past ten years…”

His recent engagements include concerto performances with the Orquesta Filarmonica de Bogota in Colombia performing Barber’s Violin Concerto under Maestro Amadio. He also completed a five-city tour in China performing the Butterfly Concerto with Qingdao Symphony Orchestra, as part of the China-U.S. cultural exchange initiated by former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and Minister of Culture of China Luo Shugang.

Orchestras repeatedly engage Liu for his appealing musicality and persona. He has performed multiple times with Ospa State Orchestra in Brazil, Qingdao Symphony Orchestra in China, East Oregon Symphony Orchestra and Lake Forest Symphony Orchestra in the US.

A highly sought after guest artist and teacher, he performed and taught for many years in Aspen Music Festival, Oficina Music Festival and Sesc Music Festival in Brazil, and the Great Wall Music Festival in China. Liu’s earlier concert highlights include his solo appearances at the Algave International Music Festival in Portugal, the prestigious Sala Sao Paulo in Brazil, the Aspen Music Festival and the Ravinia Festival.

As one of the most successful international performing artists of Chinese origin, Liu was honored to be chosen to be filmed for a documentary called String of heart–Yang Liu, which features Liu’s artistic life. This production was aired throughout China in February 2011.

His debut recording, Song of Nostalgia, was released to critical acclaim. The CD represents his broad interest in music, including some of the most difficult repertoire written for violin and traditional Chinese music. This recording, along with many of his live performances, is frequently heard on National Public Radio.

Born in Tsingtao, China, Liu made his concert debut at age 10 performing Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen with the NHK Orchestra in Tokyo. He also performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in a nationally televised live concert with the Central Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing, which drew attention of the renowned violin pedagogue, Yao-Ji Lin. He began to study with Lin at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, and soon afterward, began to concertize as a soloist internationally.

In pursuit of further musical development, Liu moved to the U.S. and continued his studies with Kurt Sassmannshaus and Dorothy DeLay at CCM. During his student years, he was a frequent soloist at the Aspen Music Festival and with the Cincinnati-based Starling Chamber Orchestra, with which he toured China twice. He also was a featured performer in Starling’s Emmy Award-winning educational video. Classical Quest concert tours have led him to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Germany, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Austria, Russia, Greece, China, Egypt and America.

Learn more about the Sesquicentennial Alumni Showcase concert and view a complete list of guest artists at ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/save-the-date/sesquicentennial-alumni-showcase.
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SESQUICENTENNIAL ALUMNI SHOWCASE CONCERT

REPERTOIRE
STRAUSS: Overture to Die Fledermaus (1874); featuring the CCM Philharmonia led by Christopher Allen
BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 82 “Emperor” (1811); featuring Anton Nel, piano
SAINT-SAENS: Violin Concerto No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 61; featuring Yang Liu, violin
WAGNER: “Mild und leise,” from Tristan und Isolde (1859); featuring Tamara Wilson, soprano
-Intermission-
Work for saxophone and jazz combo; featuring Janelle Reichman, saxophone
ROSSINI: “Cruda sorte,” from L’Italiana in Algeri (1813); featuring Helene Schneiderman, mezzo-soprano
SCHUMANN: Konzertstück for Four Horns, Op. 83 (1849); featuring Allene Hackleman, Julie Beckel Yager, Nathaniel Willson, Jennifer Paul, soloists
Musical Theatre numbers; featuring Betsy Wolfe, vocalist, with Roger Grodsky, conductor
STRAUSS: Champagne Song from Die Fledermaus

PERFORMANCE TIME
8 p.m. Saturday, April 21

Please note: UC’s Nippert Stadium will also host an FC Cincinnati game at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 21, 2018. The full FC Cincinnati Soccer game schedule can be found at www.fccincinnati.com/2018-schedule.

LOCATION
Corbett Auditorium, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

PURCHASING TICKETS
Tickets for CCM’s Sesquicentennial Alumni Showcase Concert are $20 general, $15 non-UC students, and FREE for UC students with a valid ID.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online through our e-Box Office! Visit ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice for CCM Box Office hours and location.

PARKING AND DIRECTIONS
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.
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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

Acclaimed Violinist Giora Schmidt is Named Assistant Professor of Violin at CCM

Interim Dean bruce d. mcclung has announced the appointment of Giora Schmidt to the position of Assistant Professor of Violin at CCM. Schmidt joined CCM’s faculty on a visiting basis in 2017. His new tenure-track appointment will begin on Aug. 15, 2018.

CCM Assistant Professor of Violin Giora Schmidt.

Praised by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as “impossible to resist, captivating with lyricism, tonal warmth and boundless enthusiasm,” Schmidt has appeared with many prominent symphony orchestras including Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Detroit, Toronto, Vancouver and the Israel Philharmonic.

As a recitalist and chamber musician, Schmidt has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, San Francisco Performances, the Louvre Museum in Paris and Tokyo’s Musashino Cultural Hall. His festival appearances include the Ravinia Festival, the Santa Fe and Montreal Chamber Music Festivals, Bard Music Festival, Scotia Festival of Music and Music Academy of the West.

Born in Philadelphia to professional musicians from Israel, Schmidt began playing the violin at the age of four. He has studied with Patinka Kopec and Pinchas Zukerman at the Manhattan School of Music, and the late CCM faculty member Dorothy DeLay and Itzhak Perlman at the Juilliard School.

Schmidt was the first prize winner of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Greenfield Competition in 2000, the recipient of a 2003 Avery Fisher Career Grant and won the Classical Recording Foundation’s Samuel Sanders Award in 2005. He was selected to be a Starling Fellow at the Juilliard School from 2004 to 2006.

Prior to his current appointment as Visiting Assistant Professor of Violin at CCM, Schmidt was on the faculty of the Juilliard School and the Perlman Music Program. Through technology and social media, he continues to find new ways of reaching young violinists and music lovers around the world.

On the announcement of CCM’s new Assistant Professor of Violin, mcclung commented:

“Schmidt’s commitment to pedagogy and his passion for excellence make him an ideal addition to the CCM family. I am grateful to Violin Search Committee Chair James Bunte and committee members Gershon Gerchikov, Alexandra Kazovsky, Kurt Sassmannshaus, and Won-Bin Yim for their work and dedication to find CCM’s next great faculty member.”

Please join us in congratulating Giora Schmidt on his new appointment!

Violinist Giora Schmidt Joins CCM Faculty as Visiting Assistant Professor of Violin

CCM Interim Dean bruce d. mcclung is proud to announce the appointment of acclaimed violinist Giora Schmidt as Visiting Assistant Professor of Violin.

Praised by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as “impossible to resist, captivating with lyricism, tonal warmth, and boundless enthusiasm,” Schmidt has appeared with many prominent symphony orchestras including Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Canada’s National Arts Centre, Toronto, Vancouver and the Israel Philharmonic. He made his Carnegie Hall debut performing the Barber Violin Concerto with the New York Youth Symphony.

In recital and chamber music, Schmidt has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, San Francisco Performances, the Louvre Museum in Paris and Tokyo’s Musashino Cultural Hall. His festival appearances include the Ravinia Festival, the Santa Fe and Montreal Chamber Music Festivals, Bard Music Festival, Scotia Festival of Music and Music Academy of the West.

Born in Philadelphia in 1983 to professional musicians from Israel, Schmidt began playing the violin at the age of four. He has studied with Patinka Kopec and Pinchas Zukerman at the Manhattan School of Music, and the late CCM faculty member Dorothy DeLay and Itzhak Perlman at the Juilliard School.

Schmidt was the first prize winner of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Greenfield Competition in 2000, the recipient of a 2003 Avery Fisher Career Grant and won the Classical Recording Foundation’s Samuel Sanders Award in 2005. From 2004 to 2006 he was selected to be a Starling Fellow at The Juilliard School.

Committed to education and sharing his passion for music, Schmidt was on the faculty of The Juilliard School and the Perlman Music Program from 2005 to 2009. Through technology and social media, he continues to find new ways of reaching young violinists and music lovers around the world. Over 70,000 people from around the world follow his Facebook page, facebook.com/gioraschmidt.

Please join us in welcoming Professor Schmidt to the CCM family!

Learn more about CCM’s illustrious faculty by visiting ccm.uc.edu/about/villagenews/faculty.

CCM Announces 2017-18 Concert Schedule For The Ariel Quartet

Ariel Quartet members Gershon Gerchikov, Amit Even-Tov, Jan Grüning and Alexandra “Sasha” Kazovsky. Photography by Robert A. Flischel.

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) proudly presents the award-winning Ariel String Quartet in a four-part concert series, which commences on Tuesday, Sept. 26, and continues on Nov. 14, March 20 and April 26. Dubbed “rock stars of the classical scene,” by the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Ariel Quartet’s energetic performances and soulful interpretations have impressed concert goers throughout the world.

The Ariel Quartet is comprised of Alexandra “Sasha” Kazovsky, violin; Amit Even-Tov, cello; Gershon Gerchikov, violin; and Jan Grüning, viola. The group was formed in Israel in 1998 and has served as CCM’s string quartet-in-residence since 2012.

The Ariel Quartet opens its 2017-18 concert series with a program dedicated to the memory of CCM Professor Emeritus Walter Levin at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26, in the Robert J. Werner Recital Hall. A founding member and first violinist of the legendary LaSalle Quartet, Levin passed away in Chicago on Aug. 4, 2017, at the age of 92. During his 33-year tenure at CCM, Levin and his colleagues in the LaSalle Quartet greatly enhanced CCM’s international reputation while inspiring generations of future artists and scholars.

The members of the Ariel Quartet count themselves among the innumerable musicians influenced by Levin’s expertise. Prior to their residency at CCM, the members of the Ariel Quartet spent a formative year in Basel, Switzerland, studying with Levin. When the Ariel Quartet was named string quartet-in-residence at CCM in 2012, the appointment was seen as a natural extension of the LaSalle Quartet’s musical legacy. In the Chicago Sun-Times’ featured obituary, Gerchikov describes Levin as “incredibly influential, inspiring and demanding.” When Levin dispensed with a compliment, Gerchikov recalls, “You were in heaven.”

This season’s highlights also include collaborations with Donald Weilerstein, Vivian Hornik Weilerstein and CCM emeritus faculty member Allen Otte. The season also features the regional premiere of a new piece by John Harbison, co-commissioned by the Ariel Quartet with the generous support of Ann and Harry Santen. Complete performance repertoire is listed below. You can learn more about the Ariel Quartet by visiting www.arielquartet.com.
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CCM’S 150TH ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE SEASON
String Quartet-in-Residence Concert Series

8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26
BEETHOVEN, KURTÁG AND SCHUMANN
The Ariel Quartet

BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 18, No. 2
G. KURTÁG: 12 Microludes for String Quartet, Op. 13
R. SCHUMANN: String Quartet No. 3 in A Major, Op. 41, No. 3

Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
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8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14
JANÁCEK, MOZART AND SHOSTAKOVICH
The Ariel Quartet
Featuring guest artists Donald Weilerstein, viola, and Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, piano

JANÁCEK: String Quartet No. 1 (Kreutzer Sonata)
MOZART: String Quintet No. 4 in G Minor, K. 516
SHOSTAKOVICH: Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 57

Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
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8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30
8 p.m. Thursday, April 26 (date change)
HAYDN, BARTÓK AND CAGE
The Ariel Quartet
Featuring CCM emeritus faculty member Allen Otte, percussion

HAYDN: String Quartet in D Major, Op. 71, No. 2
BARTÓK: String Quartet No. 3, Sz. 85
CAGE: Five (1988)
BRAHMS: String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51, No. 1

Location: Corbett Auditorium
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8 p.m. Tuesday, March 20
MOZART, HARBISON AND BEETHOVEN
The Ariel Quartet
Featuring John Harbison’s String Quartet No. 6, co-commissioned by the Ariel Quartet with the generous support of Ann and Harry Santen

MOZART: String Quartet No. 22 in B-flat major, K. 589
J. HARBISON: String Quartet No. 6 (regional premiere)
BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131

Location: Corbett Auditorium
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Purchasing Subscriptions and Single Tickets
Subscription packages are now available for the Ariel Quartet’s full 2017-18 concert series. Concert goers can subscribe to the entire series for $75 and save 25% off single ticket prices.

Single tickets go on sale on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017. Tickets are $25 for general admission, $15 for non-UC students and FREE for UC students with valid ID.

Subscriptions and single tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office or over the telephone at 513-556-4183. Visit ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice for CCM Box Office hours and location.

Parking and Directions
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the new U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.
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CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation

The Ariel Quartet’s 2017-18 CCM concert series is made possible by the generous contributions of an anonymous donor, The Estate of Mr. William A. Friedlander, Mrs. William A. Friedlander, Dr. and Mrs. Randolph L. Wadsworth, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bloom, Mr. and Mrs. J. David Rosenberg, Mr. and Mrs. Harry H. Santen, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Stegman and Mr. and Mrs. Theodore W. Striker.