Tonight, February 3, at 7:30pm CT, Katsuaki Arakawa (MM ’25) appears with the Austin Civic Orchestra in their annual Texas Rising Stars artist showcase. Katsu performs the Schumann Cello Concerto in A Minor with the ACO and conductor Jacob Schnitzer. Other works include the Sibelius Violin Concerto (featuring Emmanuelle Sievers) and Holst’s The Planets.
For more information, visit austincivicorchestra.org.
Hyugrai “Ray” Kim (DMA ’19, AD ’24) appears on the podcast The Cello Sherpa with host Joel Dallow. They chat about Ray’s path from a childhood in South Korea through Atlanta for High School. When a global pandemic affected his ability to stay in the U.S., Ray returned to South Korea for mandatory military service, taught himself to play the trombone and still managed to find his way back to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to land a job in the cello section.
Christina Chan Song An (DMA ’20), with her new Diletta Trio, appears this Saturday, November 11, at 7pm PT, at the Curtis Theatre in Brea, CA. The program includes piano trios by Dvořák, Rachmaninoff and Smetana.
For more information, visit www.curtistheatre.com/.
Earlier this week, from Jones Hall Stage in Houston, Yeyoung Yoo (DMA ’24) won a spot on the Substitute and Extra Musicians list with the Houston Symphony Orchestra. Founded in 1913 by the guiding hand of Miss Ima Hogg, the Grammy Award–winning Houston Symphony has played a central role in Houston’s cultural and civic life for more than 100 years. Currently led by Music Director Juraj Valčuha, The symphony is now one of America’s oldest performing arts organizations and the largest performing arts organization in Houston.
Congratulations, Yeyoung, and Hook ’em Horns!
This weekend, Seth Russell (DMA ’19), with his Parrish Cello Trio, are the featured guest artists at the inaugural Western Illinois University Cellobration. On Friday, September 29, Seth and Jamie Clark perform Giovanni Sollima’s Violoncelles, Vibrez! with the WIU Symphony Orchestra. Saturday the 30th brings a full day of cello with the Trio:
9:00-9:30am Registration and Introduction
9:30-10:30am Cello Ensemble Rehearsal
11:00-12:00pm Parrish Cello Masterclass
12:00-1:00pm Lunch
1:30-2:30pm Cello Ensemble Rehearsal
3:00-5:00pm WIU Cellobration Concert and Pizza Party
Cellobration is open to cellists and teachers of all ages! For more information, visit www.wiu.edu.
This weekend, before heading off to officially join the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Hyugrai “Ray” Kim (AD ’24) performs in two events for Classical Music for the World. On Friday, September 15th, at 7pm, Ray performs a recital “Musical Magic…” with pianist Patti Wolf in works by Beethoven, Clara Schumann and Robert Schumann. On Saturday, September 16th, at noon, Ray performs the Haydn Cello Concerto in C Major as part of Capitol Peace Concert 2023, celebrating the UN International Day of Peace.
For ticket and more information visit www.classicalmusicfortheworld.org.
New release out today! Daniel Kopp (MM ’18) appears on Conspirare’s latest album, House of Belonging. Craig Hella Johnson leads the GRAMMY®-winning choir Conspirare in a musical exploration of home and belonging, featuring world premiere recordings that showcase the virtuosity and distinctive expressiveness of Conspirare’s vocal artists in music from composers Alex Berko, Craig Hella Johnson, Shara Nova, Kevin Puts, Michael Schachter, and Derrick Skye. Also joining Craig Hella Johnson and Conspirare on House of Belonging are the Miró Quartet, violinist Sandy Yamamoto and pianist Carla McElhaney.
House of Belonging is released by Delos Productions and available everywhere digital music is distributed including Amazon Music, Apple Music and Spotify.
Ventana Ballet and The Cathedral present their 3rd Annual Night Birds, a celebration of dance, art and music. The company’s avian-themed program includes five dancers, three cellists from Austin Camerata (with artistic director Daniel Kopp, MM ’18), and art from the atxGALS collective inside the Cathedral. For two nights only, offering two shows per evening, tonight, Thursday, August 31st and tomorrow, Friday, September 1st.
The program includes an intimate 360 degree performance featuring local professional dancers, cellists, visual art from emerging women and nonbinary artists, and a curated, complimentary bar experience that offers bird-themed signature cocktails and other refreshments from local distilleries and breweries.
Of the 2021 performances of Night Birds, Robert Faires of the Austin Chronicle wrote: “Ventana Ballet is noted for the immersive nature of their shows, and bird-watchers won’t have to go scouting around the Cathedral to spy these creatures. Everyone will be seated around a central stage space, though the dancers are likely to take flight through and around the crowd as they channel our feathered friends.”
The program presents several dances, each named after a familiar (or unfamiliar) bird of the night, with the movement intended to represent “the essence and beauty of the animal – paying homage to its nature, without being too obvious,” according to AJ Garcia-Rameau, the director of Ventana Ballet.
Both Latinas, Monica Ceniceros (Founder of the Cathedral and atxGALS) and AJ Garcia-Rameau (Director of Ventana Ballet), wanted to “spice” up the birds program this year in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. To that end, this year’s program will include some musical selections by hispanic composers, including excerpts from Gaspar Cassadó’s “Suite for Cello Solo” and Pablo Ferrández’s “El Cant del Ocells (Song of the Birds)”. Guests will delight in experiencing some of last year’s birds as well. After a viral stint on Instagram with a recording from last year’s show, the Nightingales will soar again to Beethoven’s coveted “Moonlight Sonata,” played by three cellos to an original arrangement by Austin Camerata member Cory Blais (MM ’19).
Performance Schedule:
Thursday, August 31st
Show 1: 6:30PM (Doors open at 5:45p)
Show 2: 8:30PM (Doors open at 7:45p)
Friday, September 1st
Show 1: 6:30PM (Doors open at 5:45p)
Show 2: 8:30PM (Doors open at 7:45p)
Tickets:
On sale through Eventbrite: https://nightbirds2023.eventbrite.com
Longhorn Cellos 